MLB Player News

Cespedes went 2-for-5 with three RBI in Thursday's 9-4 win over the Cardinals.

New Mets manager Mickey Callaway's decision to hit Cespedes second in the order paid immediate dividends, as the slugger helped power an impressive Opening Day showing from the offense. If the 32-year-old can avoid any lengthy stints on the disabled list this year, he's more than capable of his second career 30-HR, 100-RBI campaign.

Winker is leading off and playing left field for the Reds' opener against the Nationals on Friday.

Winker led off eight times for the Reds last season. He doesn't possess much speed, but his .375 on-base percentage in 47 games for the Reds last season is ideal for a table-setter. It's a far better number than the .299 figure that the Reds' primary leadoff man, Billy Hamilton, posted last year. The Reds may rotate four outfielders (Winker, Hamilton, Adam Duvall and Scott Schebler) through three spots all season, so Winker may not play every day, but if he gets on base expect him to stick in the leadoff role when he does get a start.

Stanton went 3-for-5 with two home runs, a double, four RBI and three runs during Thursday's 6-1 win over the Blue Jays.

Both of Stanton's homers were no-doubt shots, and after leaving the yard 59 times last season, 2018 is off to a promising start. The elephant in the room continues to be his health, but serving primarily as the designated hitter should help, and many of his past injuries were unlucky. Buckle up; Stanton has the potential to post a league-winning stat line.

Turner (wrist) was placed on the 10-day disabled list Thursday, Eric Stephen of TrueBlueLA.com reports.

Turner is expected to miss the first 5-to-8 weeks of the season after suffering a broken wrist in a Cactus League contest earlier in March. A more concrete timetable should emerge once he resumes baseball activities. Meanwhile, Logan Forsythe is expected to hold down the hot corner until Turner is healthy, leaving Chase Utley, Enrique Hernandez and Austin Barnes to cover second base.

Goins earned a spot on the Royals' Opening Day roster, Maria Torres of The Kansas City Star reports.

Goins inked a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training back in late January, and did just enough to break camp with the club. He will serve as a reserve infielder behind Whit Merrifield and Alcides Escobar moving forward, but he may be in danger of getting removed from the roster once Adalberto Mondesi (shoulder) is healthy.

Ohtani is in Thursday's Opening Day lineup against Oakland. He will bat eighth and serve as the designated hitter, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.

With Ian Kinsler still working his way back from a minor groin injury, Luis Valbuena will man the hot corner and Ohtani draws the start at DH for the first game of the 2018 season. Ohtani is set to make his first start on the mound during Sunday's series finale with the A's.

Choi has made the Brewers' Opening Day roster.

In a surprising move, the Brewers elected to keep four first basemen on their Opening Day roster, with Choi joining Jesus Aguilar, Eric Thames and Ryan Braun. The 26-year-old non-roster invitee impressed the Brewers' brass during spring training thanks to a .409/.518/.727 slash line across 56 plate appearances. That said, Choi has options remaining, so he likely won't stick with the big club for long, especially considering the team opted to carry just six relievers to start the season.

Dickerson (elbow) was placed on the 60-day disabled list Wednesday.

This is simply procedural, as Dickerson is expected to miss the entire 2018 season after it was announced that he'll undergo Tommy John surgery at the end of March. Shifting him to the 60-day disabled list opens up a spot on the Padres' 40-man roster.

Pederson will open the season on the major-league roster after Andrew Toles was sent to the minors Wednesday, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Pederson appears to have lost out to Matt Kemp for the Dodgers' starting left field job but has at least won a bench role. The 25-year-old hit 11 homers in 323 plate appearances last season and could be in line for similar production in a similar amount of playing time again this season. If a starting role becomes available, he could contribute with a fair number of home runs, but his .222 career batting average drags down his fantasy value.

Canha did not earn a spot on Oakland's Opening Day roster and was optioned to Triple-A Nashville on Wednesday, Julian McWilliams of The Athletic reports.

Canha barely missed the cut after turning in an impressive spring. Jake Smolinski wound up earning the role of reserve outfielder heading into the start of the season. The 29-year-old Canha will serve as organizational depth and will likely be moved up to the majors if one of the regular outfielders sustains an injury.