MLB Player News

Turner said Tuesday that he will not need surgery on his broken left wrist, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

This is probably the best-case scenario for Turner, who was diagnosed with a broken wrist after being hit by a pitch in Monday's Cactus League contest. The third baseman is now expected to wear a brace on his wrist for the next couple of days before beginning a range of motion exercises. He's still expected to open the season on the disabled list, but his absence may be on the shorter side of his roughly estimated 6-to-9 week timetable. In the meantime, Logan Forsythe is expected to shift over to third base with Turner sidelined, leaving Chase Utley, Enrique Hernandez, Austin Barnes and Chris Taylor to cover second base.

Choi has been out for a few days with sore ribs, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The injury appears to be minor and shouldn't keep Choi out for long, but he's very unlikely to open the year with the Brewers, who are stacked at first base now that Ryan Braun figures to play there regularly. Choi hit a strong .288/.373/.538 in 87 games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the Yankees' organization last year.

X-rays confirmed that Turner suffered a broken left wrist after being hit by a pitch in Monday's Cactus League game against the Athletics, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Dodgers won't have an official recovery timetable for Turner until he's reexamined Tuesday, but Shaikin estimates the third baseman will be sidelined for around six-to-nine weeks, making it unlikely that he'll be available until at least mid-May. With Turner headed to the disabled list, Logan Forsythe is expected to shift over from second base and handle most of the reps at the hot corner, leaving some combination of Chase Utley, Chris Taylor, Austin Barnes and Enrique Hernandez to fill in at the keystone.

Turner left Monday's contest against Oakland after being hit by a pitch on the left hand, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Turner went down in pain after getting drilled on the hand and promptly left the game. The extent of his injury is unclear at this time, but more news should be released after further examination by the training staff. Turner was taken for X-rays shortly after exiting the game.

Reed was optioned to Triple-A Fresno on Monday, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic Houston reports.

Reed was in the mix for one of the final roster spots after Yulieski Gurriel (hand) was ruled out for the start of the season. The 24-year-old put up a good fight for the role, batting .298 with two homers, four RBI and eight runs scored, but it ultimately wasn't enough to earn the spot. Reed will now turn his focus to getting ready for the Triple-A season while J.D. Davis and Tyler White duke it out for the final roster spot.

Brantley (ankle) is expected to make his Cactus League debut Wednesday, T.J. Zuppe of The Athletic Cleveland reports.

Brantley is recovering from October ankle surgery. He appeared as a designated hitter in a minor-league game last Wednesday and is set to play in the outfield in another minor-league game Monday. While his Opening Day status remains up in the air, he isn't expected to miss much time once the season begins, barring setbacks.

Cespedes (wrist) will hit second and start in left field for the Mets in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The Mets held Cespedes out of Grapefruit League action for the past week while he dealt with a sore right wrist, but that injury is apparently no longer a concern after the slugger took at-bats in a minor-league game over the weekend without incident. Cespedes' presence in the outfield rather than at designated hitter gives added credence to the notion that the veteran is feeling fine, so it's expected that he'll continue to play on at least a semi-regular basis until spring training concludes. After typically occupying a spot in the heart of the Mets lineup during his two-plus seasons with the club, Cespedes is slated to hit out of the two hole in 2018, an arrangement that should translate into an uptick in plate appearances and run-scoring opportunities.

Martinez will get a decent amount of time in the outfield, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Martinez is primarily expected to be Boston's designated hitter, but the team intends to play him occasionally in the outfield in order to open up at-bats for Hanley Ramirez and Mitch Moreland. Boston also hopes that more rotation will keep players fresh deeper into the season. Martinez's poor outfield defense won't hurt his fantasy value, and owners in dynasty leagues will be happy to see him keep his outfield eligibility for at least one more season.

The Angels still plan to keep Ohtani in the major leagues to begin the season despite the rookie's poor results in spring training, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports. "Pitching wise, absent a couple pitches each outing completely getting away from him, losing grip or feel, [Ohtani has] been around the strike zone with the majority of his pitches," general manager Billy Eppler said Saturday. "We look at walk rate and strike throwing and the ability to get hitters to swing and miss. As we look at those things, those are the foundation of our evaluative methodologies, and those things are in place."

Ohtani was shelled for seven hits in 1.1 innings in his last start Friday against the Rockies and has surrendered 15 runs against 8.1 total frames this spring, but the Angels remain encouraged by his velocity readings and the 19:3 K:BB he has posted during that span. According to Fletcher, Ohtani is scheduled to take the mound Saturday in what will most likely be a minor-league game, which would make it easier for the Angels to ensure he gets 90-plus pitches. With Ohtani inducing plenty of strikeouts this spring and the Angels seemingly committed to keeping him in the majors as a member of the rotation and part-time designated hitter, he could be worth buying at a discount while his spring ERA has deflated his draft stock.

Miller (toe) started at first base Saturday in the Rays' 4-3 loss to the Red Sox in Grapefruit League play. He finished 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and a run.

It was just Miller's second appearance of the spring and his first since Feb. 23 while he remained sidelined with a fractured right pinkie toe. Due to the three-week absence, Miller will be held out of the lineup Sunday against the Tigers, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, but the 28-year-old remains on track to open the season in a strong-side platoon role at either first base, second base or designated hitter.