MLB Player News

Torrens (finger) is batting seventh and serving as the designated hitter in Saturday's spring game against the Athletics, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Torrens will make his spring debut Saturday after missing time due to a finger laceration early in camp. If all goes well Saturday, he could resume catching duties in the near future.

Carpenter is 0-for-8 with two walks and four strikeouts across his first four Grapefruit League games.

It's certainly early and the sample is therefore small, but Carpenter's struggles are an unfortunate development with respect to his bid for regular playing time to start the season. Manager Mike Shildt has gone on record with his desire to try and keep the 35-year-old's bat in the lineup as much as possible despite the fact Nolan Arenado is now entrenched at the hot corner. Nevertheless, Carpenter has plenty to prove after generating a combined .216/.332/.372 line across 661 plate appearances over the last two seasons, and with the designated hitter currently not in the National League's 2021 plans, he could have a difficult time getting consistent at-bats even if he shows marked improvement over the balance of spring training.

Ohtani completed 1.2 innings in Friday's Cactus League contest against Oakland, allowing one run on three hits and two walks while striking out five.

Ohtani's control -- especially on his slider -- wasn't in peak form, but the two-way star recorded all five of his outs via strikeout and touched 100 mph on his fastball, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. More importantly, manager Joe Maddon liked what he saw in terms of Ohtani's mechanics, which never appeared to be in sync last season. "It really starts with his delivery, I think it's more clean and consistent," Maddon said. "I like his arm stroke better. It starts there and then he's able to recapture the velocity he's had in the past, and the really good break of his splitter. The big thing for his success is going to be repetition of delivery and knowing where his fastball is going consistently." Ohtani won't have any restrictions as part of the Angels' six-man rotation this season, though health is always a concern considering that injuries have limited him to 53.1 total innings on the mound over three big-league seasons.

Harper mentioned on the Phillies' spring training broadcast Friday that he's on a throwing program but will throw to bases as soon as Monday.

Harper battled back issues late last season, making it tough for him to throw. He's being brought along slowly this spring but made his Grapefruit League debut as a hitter Friday against the Pirates and looked ready to go, homering to left field in his first plate appearance. There should still be plenty of time for Harper to get fully up to speed on both sides of the ball by Opening Day.

Ohtani will pitch as a normal member of the Angels' six-man rotation this season and won't be locked into a specific day of the week, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Teams in Ohtani's native Japan typically use six-man rotations and have one off day per week, allowing each starter to pitch on a dedicated day throughout the season. The Angels had kept Ohtani on a similar schedule when he first came to MLB, but they intend to use him in the same way as the rest of their rotation this season. They'll still use a non-standard six-man rotation, which limits his potential two-start weeks, but he'll at least now have the chance to receive a few throughout the season if his turn happens to line up during a week in which the Angels play seven games. The decision comes as part of a broader plan to make fewer exceptions for Ohtani this season, which may include using him as a designated hitter the day after his starts, something the Angels have been hesitant to do thus far.

Manager Scott Servais said Torrens (finger) could receive a couple at-bats at designated hitter in Saturday's spring game against the A's, Lauren Smith of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

The 24-year-old has yet to make his spring debut due to a finger laceration, but it appears he'll be on the field Saturday. If all goes well at the plate, Torrens is then expected to be worked into the catching rotation.

Harper will make his spring debut in Friday's exhibition game against the Pirates, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

It was reported earlier in the week that Harper was in no rush to get into games, but he is apparently ready to step into the batter's box and face opposing pitchers for the first time. Harper will serve as the Phillies' designated hitter and hit third Friday.

Cabrera played first base Thursday in a Grapefruit League game, his first appearance there since 2019, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Cabrera spent three innings in the field, and manager A.J. Hinch said afterward, "Miggy's a good first baseman. ... He was pretty active." The 37-year-old will now likely get a few days off, but he could return to the lineup this weekend and will likely continue to play first base occasionally into the regular season -- though it remains to be seen how frequently he'll be used defensively. Cabrera played in 57 games in 2020, all as the Tigers' DH.

Belt (heel/illness) played catch and swung in the cage Thursday, Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Belt is recovering from a non-COVID illness and October heel surgery, but he's been able to participate in baseball activities in recent days. The Giants are still pushing him to be ready in time for Opening Day.

Winker (hip) will lead off and play left field Thursday against the Royals, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Winker was scratched Monday with a sore hip, but the Reds called that decision "very precautionary." That appears to be correct, as he's now back in the lineup just three days later. Opening Day is still four weeks away, so he'll have plenty of time to get up to speed by the start of the season.