MLB Player News

Blackmon (not injury related) is in the lineup for Wednesday's exhibition game against the Rangers, batting third.

Blackmon has been working his way back to full strength after testing positive for COVID-19 in late June and has been in a training program that should put him on track for Opening Day. The 34-year-old is in the lineup for the second consecutive exhibition game, signaling that he should be ready to return for Friday's season opener against the Rangers.

Soler is away from the Royals due to a family matter but is expected to join his teammates in Cleveland for Friday's Opening Day game, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

The nature of Soler's absence isn't entirely clear, but it's evidently expected to be a brief one. Once he arrives. he'll look to build on a breakout 2019 campaign which saw him slash .265/.354/.569 with 48 homers, 36 more than he'd managed in any of his previous seasons.

Miller (heel) was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with right ankle bursitis.

Miller missed much of camp while dealing with heel and ankle soreness. He was able to return to the field, but the team will bring him along slowly to work him back into shape before he appears in game action for the Cardinals this year. The 30-year-old is expected to play a depth role in St. Louis in 2020, so his absence shouldn't be too significant over the start of the regular season.

Miller (heel/ankle) is unlikely to be on the Cardinals' Opening Day roster, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Miller was unavailable for much of camp due to heel and ankle soreness. While he's been back on the field for a week, it doesn't appear as though he's had enough time to get up to speed by the start of the regular season, which begins Friday against the Pirates. It doesn't sound as if he'll be out for long and is slated to primarily be a utility option this season, so his brief absence shouldn't be a significant one for the Cardinals.

Cespedes will be the Mets' designated hitter on Opening Day, Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.

The game will be Cespedes' first in over two years, as he's missed time first due to a pair of heel surgeries and then due to a fractured ankle. The delayed season bought him extra time to get healthy, and while he's been told by team trainers to run at just 80 percent, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, he's considered at least healthy enough to hit. Whether or not he plays much in the field this season remains to be seen, but he'll be quite a useful bat for the Mets if he's truly healthy, as he owns a career .274/.328/.498 slash line over seven big-league seasons.

Buxton (foot) went through a workout Monday and will face live pitching Tuesday, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Buxton was able to run but didn't go full speed. It sounds like Buxton has a chance to be in the Opening Day lineup. Buxton suffered a left mid-foot sprain during Monday's intrasquad game and was carted off the field. However, he was back running Saturday.

Ohtani threw 72 pitches over five innings in an intrasquad game Sunday, allowing one run on five hits and four walks while striking out six, per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.

Ohtani's summer struggles with his command continued Sunday, but he was otherwise effective in his final tuneup before the regular season. According to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, Ohtani confirmed Sunday that he'll start the Angels' third game of the season, which will take place Sunday at Oakland.

Manager Gabe Kapler said Monday that Belt (heel) won't be ready for Opening Day, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Belt had been dealing with right heel pain throughout camp, and Kapler confirmed Monday that the 32-year-old will begin the season on the injured list as he continues to recover. While he'll miss the first several games of the regular season, it remains to be seen exactly how much time he'll miss as a result of the injury. With Belt and Evan Longoria (oblique) sidelined, Wilmer Flores and Pablo Sandoval (elbow) could see an uptick in playing time to begin the year.

Goins was released by the Athletics on Sunday.

He was in camp on a minor-league deal and clearly wasn't going to make the Opening Day roster, so perhaps the decision was mutual. Either way, Goins will now look to offer infield depth to a different big-league club.

Buxton (foot) ran in the outfield Saturday, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "He looks good. The swelling has not become a real issue. I'm encouraged we're going to see him out there sometime soon," said manager Rocco Baldelli.

Buxton suffered a left mid-foot sprain during Monday's intrasquad game and was carted off the field. It's encouraging that he's running and he has said he plans to be ready on Opening Day. However, he didn't participate in the team's live batting practice, so we'll need to see if he can increase his activities in the next few days.