MLB Player News

O'Keefe will be part of the Mariners' 60-man training roster.

O'Keefe, 26, hit .229/.319/.389 with 13 home runs at Double-A in 2019 as a member of the Cardinals' organization. He is unlikely to see much, if any, time in the majors this season.

Goins will report to Oakland when teams resume workouts this week after the Athletics announced Sunday that he would be part of their 60-man roster pool.

Goins previously attended spring training on a minor-league deal and wasn't a safe bet to break camp with the big club, but the expanded roster pool will allow the veteran infielder to stick around with Oakland. He'll likely be in line for a depth role and could need an injury or two to hit the Athletics' middle infield before he sees regular starts.

Morel will be a part of the Cubs' 60-man player pool this season.

The 21-year-old will get to continue his development with other minor leaguers assigned to training camp in South Bend. Morel doesn't figure to factor into the team's MLB plans this season since he has not played above Low-A so far in his career.

Colon will be a part of the Reds' 60-man player pool this season.

Colon is not on the 40-man roster but was in camp this year on a minor-league deal. If he plays in the big leagues this year, it would likely be as a bench infielder.

Miller could potentially fill either a primary utility role or serve as the designated hitter frequently during the truncated 2020 regular season, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Catcher is the only non-pitching position the versatile veteran hasn't filled during his seven major-league seasons, so Miller is a clear-cut fit as a roving option for anyone who may need a day off. However, Rogers also points out the 30-year-old could take over designated-hitter duties if, for example, Matt Carpenter is given first crack at the job and doesn't live up to expectations. Miller certainly has experience in that capacity as well, having logged 34 starts at DH between the 2014 and 2018 seasons while playing for the Mariners and Rays.

Carpenter could be manager Mike Shildt's most logical choice to fill the designated hitter role that will be universally implemented during the truncated 2020 regular season, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Earlier in the shutdown of play, it had already been speculated the veteran infielder would make for a strong candidate were the DH to be a National League staple during the 2020 campaign. With official confirmation of such having come to pass, Rogers explains that Carpenter likely remains the odds-on favorite to fill the role most days. Not only is Carpenter an accomplished hitter, but there would be no defensive drop-off with having Tommy Edman replace him at third base. Such a development would not only get Edman's impressive bat in the lineup on a regular basis, it would also have the domino effect of freeing up space in the outfield for another one of the team's array of impressive young players.

Ozuna (facial laceration) could be used as Atlanta's primary designated hitter this season, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The 29-year-old's bat will be in the lineup somewhere on a consistent basis, but Ozuna's declining defense over the couple of years could push him to DH rather than left field, while Nick Markakis and Adam Duvall platoon in the other spot. Austin Riley could also be in the LF/DH mix for Atlanta. Wherever he plays defensively, Ozuna's power will keep him in the heart of the batting order.

Winker has another avenue for playing time with the implementation of the universal DH for the 2020 season, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Neither Winker nor Nick Castellanos are considered good defensive outfielders, but both have sufficiently productive bats to try to get them in the lineup more often. They are probably the two outfielders most likely to slot in as the DH. Winker still might sit frequently against left-handed pitching, however -- in 147 major-league plate appearances against lefties, Winker has hit .176/.295/.248 with only two homers.

Angels manager Joe Maddon said Wednesday that he's "very" hopeful Ohtani will be ready to pitch by Opening Day, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Maddon named Ohtani, Griffin Canning (elbow) and Felix Pena (knee) as players who were unlikely to be a go for the original Opening Day but may be fine after the extended layoff. Among that group, Ohtani seems like the surest bet to be with the team when play kicks off as he has -- by all indications -- completed his Tommy John recovery. Ohtani reached 55 pitches in a live batting practice session at the end of last month. Maddon followed up by saying he plans to keep Ohtani on his once-a-week pitching schedule this season.

Blackmon and organization mates Phillip Diehl and Ryan Castellani tested positive for COVID-19 after recent workouts at Coors Field, Kyle Newman of The Denver Post reports.

The league and the MLBPA announced an agreement on a 60-game season earlier Tuesday, so the positive tests provide an immediate reminder regarding the realities of resuming baseball amid the pandemic. The season is expected to begin July 23 or 24, so Blackmon will have about a month to receive clearance from the coronavirus and ramp up his activity before games start.