MLB Player News

Torrens has been dealing with a cut on his finger but will make his spring debut over the weekend, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Torrens is expected to back up Tom Murphy this season, but the Mariners have estimated that he'll receive up to 45 percent of the starts behind the plate with Murphy coming off a season missed to injury. The delayed start to Torrens' spring shouldn't hurt him too much in that pursuit, as he'll still have several weeks to prepare for Opening Day.

Pederson went 1-for-2 with a walk and a two-run home run in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Mariners.

Pederson hit his first home run of the spring and his first in a Cubs uniform. The 28-year-old outfielder batted cleanup, and he should slot into a prominent lineup spot during the regular season. The Cubs also sound committed to letting Pederson play every day and face lefties, which could help his counting stats but possibly act as a drain on his batting average if he struggles against southpaws.

Ramirez has reported to Cleveland's big-league camp and cleared intake procedures.

He will be competing with a host of similarly talented outfielders for a spot on the Opening Day roster. Ramirez may lack the fantasy upside of players like Daniel Johnson and Bradley Zimmer, but he may be a steadier option early in the season.

Alvarez (knee) participated in on-field batting practice Wednesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Alvarez has been increasing his workload over the past several days, and he participated in batting practice for the first time this spring. He could spend some time playing first base this spring if he's fully healthy, but the 23-year-old should serve as the primary designated hitter for the Astros during the regular season if he recovers from his knee injury.

Choi (knee) is starting at designated hitter and batting cleanup Wednesday against the Pirates, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

He has been eased into spring action after dealing with right knee soreness early in camp. Choi is starting at DH in this one, but appears to be on track to get starts at first base in the near future.

Houston manager Dusty Baker said Alvarez (knee) has increased his workload since joining the team last week for on-field practices, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Alvarez has not yet taken batting practice or fielding practice, although the Astros don't plan to use him in the field often. If he's healthy, Alvarez will be Houston's primary designated hitter.

Mercedes went 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored in Monday's spring game against the Angels.

The White Sox have used Zack Collins and Mercedes in the first two games of Cactus League play while Yasmani Grandal deals with right-knee inflammation. The club is not going to push Grandal, who began ramping up activity Sunday and is expected to get plenty of at-bats to be ready for Opening Day. Mercedes, whose power stroke during 2020 spring training made headlines, may get some opportunities early this spring, but he's expected to be in the minors when camp breaks.

Belt (heel) is dealing with a non-COVID illness, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Belt felt better Monday than he had in recent days but is still lacking energy. He's also spending the spring recovering from October heel surgery. That procedure was already expected to make his readiness for Opening Day uncertain, and losing a few days to illness certainly doesn't help in that regard. If he does wind up making a trip to the injured list to start the season, infield at-bats could open up for Wilmer Flores, Darin Ruf or Donovan Solano.

Winker's removal from the lineup with a sore hip prior to Monday's game against Oakland was "very precautionary" per manager David Bell, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Teams have very little reason not to be cautious this early in camp, so it's no surprise to see that the Reds aren't particularly worried about Winker's health. "He's come into spring training and really ramped up fast," stated manager David Bell. "I think that's a good sign that he was feeling so strong and really excited to be here. Sometimes you do have to be a little careful." While he may sit for a few more days in that same spirit of caution, his readiness for Opening Day isn't under serious threat.

Harper is still a few days away from making his Grapefruit League debut, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

There haven't been any suggestions that Harper is dealing with an injury, so this appears to be simply a case of a veteran heading into his 10th big-league season who knows exactly how much game action he needs to get ready. There's little reason to fear Harper will be anything other than the elite slugger he's been throughout his time in the league, especially coming off a season in which he walked more than he struck out and produced the third-best slugging percentage (.542) of his career.