MLB Player News

Ohtani (elbow) said his recovery from Tommy John surgery is going well, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports. "I feel like so far it's going really well, no setbacks," Ohtani said. "I think I'm right on schedule and maybe a little bit ahead."

Ohtani underwent surgery at the beginning of October, which will keep him from pitching until 2020 -- though he's still expected to be able to hit in 2019. The two-way star is making encouraging progress, as he recently regained full range of motion in his elbow, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. That said, a concrete timetable for Ohtani isn't expected to come into focus into at least January.

Harper declined the Nationals' one-year, $17.9 million qualifying offer and became a free agent Monday, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Nobody expected Harper to accept this offer, as the 26-year-old superstar is looking to sign what is likely to be the largest free-agent contract of the offseason. While he got off to a slow start in 2018, Harper still finished the season with an .889 OPS, 34 homers and 100 RBI while leading the majors with 130 walks.

Vargas agreed to a contract Tuesday with the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Japanese Pacific League, Seth Stohs of TwinsDaily.com reports.

After being outrighted off the Twins' 40-man roster coming out of spring training, Vargas spent the entire 2018 campaign at Triple-A Rochester, delivering a .240/.326/.425 slash line across 644 plate appearances. With that production unlikely to earn Vargas much more than a minor-league deal this winter, the 28-year-old elected to take his talents overseas for the 2019 season. Contact issues have limited the impact of Vargas' considerable pop in the majors and high minors, but he could emerge as a top slugger in Japan while teeing off against lower-caliber pitching.

Ohtani (elbow) is progressing on schedule in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Ohtani went under the knife at the beginning of October, and he's inching closer to regaining full extension of his elbow. While the two-way superstar is making encouraging progress, general manager Billy Eppler said a concrete timetable for Ohtani won't emerge until at least January. Though he won't be able to pitch until 2020, Ohtani is expected to be able to hit in 2019.

The Nationals extended a $17.9 million qualifying offer to Harper on Friday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

As expected, Harper was issued the one-year qualifying offer prior to Friday's deadline. Look for Harper to quickly decline this offer while searching for a massive payday in free agency this winter.

Dickerson (elbow) elected to become a free agent after being outrighted from the Padres' 40-man roster Friday.

Dickerson missed the entire 2018 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery near the end of March. The outfielder was also sidelined for all of 2017 due to a back issue. He should be fully recovered by the time spring training rolls around, though finding a nice fit may be challenging for the 28-year-old since he hasn't played in over two years.

The Indians are not expected to extend a $17.9 million qualifying offer to Brantley before Friday's deadline, Buster Olney of ESPN reports.

This comes as a bit of a surprise, as the Indians are light in the outfield and Brantley hit an impressive .309/.364/.468 with 17 homers and 12 stolen bases across 143 games in 2018. The 31-year-old missed extended time in 2016 and 2017 due to injuries, however, which could have influenced Cleveland's decision to let him hit the open market. He should draw plenty of interest around the league given his .295 career average across parts of 10 seasons.

Harper is expected to receive a $17.9 million qualifying offer from the Nationals before Friday's deadline, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.

Harper is also expected to reject the offer as he pursues what is likely to be the largest free-agent contract of the offseason. The 26-year-old officially has 10 days to render a decision on the one-year contract offer. Harper's 2018 season got off to a slow start, but he still finished with an .889 OPS, 34 home runs and 100 RBI, and led the majors with 130 walks.

Ozuna is scheduled to undergo a procedure to clean up his shoulder Tuesday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Ozuna dealt with shoulder injuries throughout the 2018 season, and it was determined after a meeting with Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on Tuesday that the outfielder's best course of action would be a shoulder scope. Ozuna, who hit .280/.325/.433 with 23 homers and 88 RBI in his first season with the Cardinals in 2018, is expected to be fully healthy for spring training.

Meneses was released by the Phillies on Monday so that he could join the Orix Buffaloes in Japan, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Meneses had an excellent season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, winning the International League MVP after hitting .311/.360/.510, but as a 26-year-old who had yet to reach the big leagues, his chances of having an impact at the top level were slim. He does fit the profile of someone who could theoretically put up big numbers in Japan and catch the eye of major-league scouts, so it's possible his name will be relevant in a few years, but it's equally likely that his time in American baseball has ended.