MLB Player News

Cespedes (hip) began his running program Friday, Tim Britton of The Athletic New York reports.

Cespedes took batting practice for the first time Friday since hitting the disabled list May 13 and appears to be ramping up his rehab work. The timetable for the 32-year-old's return and whether he needs a minor-league rehab assignment remains unclear, so Brandon Nimmo should continue to see an increased role for the Mets in Cespedes' absence.

Cabrera (hamstring) is scheduled to participate in some running drills Friday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Cabrera is taking another step forward in his recovery process after looking much improved during Tuesday's batting practice. He doesn't appear to have any limitations at the plate, so his last hurdle before returning will likely be to demonstrate that his hamstring can hold up on the basepaths.

Cespedes (hip) took batting practice on the field prior to Thursday's matchup against Milwaukee, Tim Britton of The Athletic New York reports.

Cespedes took the next step in his recovery process by getting in some swings during batting practice -- this was the first time he's been able to participate in BP since hitting the disabled list May 13. His timetable for a return remains unclear, but it's good news that he was finally able to swing a bat.

Winker went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's win over the Pirates.

The 24-year-old's shot to left-center field proved to be the difference in the Reds' 5-4 win. It was the first home run of the season for Winker after he hit seven homers in just 121 at-bats last year. There's probably more power to come, but Winker is not hitting for a high average nor is he playing everyday, making him tough to deploy in shallower mixed leagues.

Ohtani won't make his next scheduled start Sunday against the Yankees, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Manager Mike Scioscia stated that the Angels are trying to manage Ohtani's workload, and they haven't determined when he'll appear next on the hill. Garrett Richards will make the start Sunday in his place, although Ohtani will be available to hit. The 23-year-old has made seven starts this season and sports a 3.35 ERA with 52 strikeouts over 40.1 innings.

Cespedes (hip) will accompany the Mets on their eight-game road trip beginning Thursday, but he still has no clear timetable for his return from the disabled list, Daniel Popper of The New York Daily News reports. "Obviously he's got to run and all those things before he gets active," manager Mickey Callaway said Wednesday. "But yeah, I think the next step is to get outside, take some BP, make sure he's comfortable continuing to swing, and then we'll get him on the bases and test that out next."

The 32-year-old has been out since May 13, and while it's encouraging that he's traveling with the team, this is just a case of the training staff wanting to monitor his progress rather than his return to action being imminent. Expect Cespedes' timetable to become clearer once he's able to run and swing a bat without issues.

Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a walk and a pair of RBI in Wednesday's 5-4 win over Toronto.

Ohtani's two-run single was a key part of a four-run ninth inning that secured the victory for the Halos. The talented two-way star has delivered in both of his roles, slashing .308/.364/.582 at the plate while posting a 3.35 ERA with an 11.6 K/9 on the mound. The 23-year-old should get another start or two as a hitter before taking the mound Sunday against the Yankees.

Ozuna overslept and did not report to the ballpark on time, which is why he was a late scratch from Wednesday's lineup against the Royals, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

It sounds like it was a one-game benching, and the Cardinals and Ozuna will put the issue behind them heading into this weekend's series in Pittsburgh. Tyler O'Neill got the start in left field and went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts and a run. Ozuna is hitting .253/.295/.331 with three home runs and three steals in 190 plate appearances.

Choi was optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs after Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

With Ryan Braun (back) getting activated from the disabled list, the Brewers no longer needed Choi to serve as the backup first baseman. He is 4-for-15 with one home run and seven strikeouts in his brief work in the majors this season.

Cabrera (hamstring) completed a batting practice session Tuesday and drove a couple balls into the second deck at Target Field, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

While Cabrera hasn't added more baseball activities to his rehab regimen -- he also took batting practice Sunday -- he displayed noteworthy improvement during his round Tuesday. After struggling to finish through his swing Sunday, Cabrera demonstrated no such limitations with his power Tuesday, spraying balls over the fence to all fields. Cabrera will still need to take part in some baserunning without issue before the Tigers have a clearer idea regarding when he'll return from the 10-day disabled list, but his health at least seems to be trending in the right direction.