MLB Player News

Harper went 2-for-2 with two walks, a double, two runs scored and a stolen base in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.

He looks locked in this spring, rapping out 10 hits in 27 at-bats with three doubles and a homer. If Harper can avoid the injuries that dragged him down in 2016 and cut short his 2017 season, another MVP-caliber campaign should be in store, but that injury history makes him a riskier option than many other elite fantasy bats.

Jimenez was optioned to Double-A Birmingham on Wednesday.

This was an expected move. Over four appearances in the Cactus League this spring, he went 4-for-7 with two home runs, one triple and three RBI. Jimenez, one of the game's top prospects, battled a knee injury over the first few weeks of camp, but he's at full health heading into the regular season.

Cespedes received a cortisone injection in his right wrist Wednesday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Cespedes was scratched from Tuesday's lineup with a sore right wrist, and even though X-rays came back negative, the issue was serious enough to warrant an injection. The Mets are listing him as day-to-day but it's likely that he will be kept out of the lineup for the next few Grapefruit League games in order to see how the wrist reacts to the shot. Barring any setbacks, Cespedes is on track to enter Opening Day at full health, though fantasy owners should still track his status diligently over the next several days.

Torrens (oblique) went 1-for-1 and scored a run Tuesday against the Cubs.

Torrens entered the game in the seventh inning and caught the remainder of the game for the Padres. Now that he's back to full health, Torrens should appear in a few more spring games for San Diego, although it's expected that he'll return to the minors prior to the upcoming season.

Cespedes' wrist X-ray came back negative Tuesday, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

Cespedes was scratched from Tuesday's lineup against the Astros with what was reportedly wrist soreness. The X-ray didn't reveal any broken bones in his wrist, so it appears that there's nothing significantly wrong with Cespedes.

Ohtani will make his second start of the Cactus League on Friday against the Rockies, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reporrs.

Since giving up a run over 1.1 innings in his professional debut Feb. 24 against the Brewers, Ohtani has seen time at designated hitter for the Angels in the Cactus League while making two starts off the mound against minor-league batters. Friday's outing will mark Ohtani's toughest test to date, as he'll face higher-caliber competition and likely work up to 50 pitches.

Carpenter (back) is batting third and acting as the designated hitter for Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins.

As expected, the veteran will return to major-league action in a limited capacity. Carpenter still needs to prove his body can handle the rigors of fielding, but this is a big step forward. It remains to be seen if he'll be able to log enough innings to be ready immediately for the start of the regular season.

Ozuna has gone 4-for-28 with a home run and 13 strikeouts across 11 Grapefruit League contests.

Though the Cardinals' big offseason pickup is struggling to make contact during the spring, it's not expected to prevent Ozuna from settling into a spot in the heart of the order when Opening Day arrives. As the centerpiece of a quality lineup, Ozuna shouldn't notice too much of a downturn from the career-best marks of 37 home runs, 124 RBI and 93 runs he posted with Miami in 2017. Given that last year's .355 BABIP was almost 30 points above his career norm, however, there's a good chance Ozuna's .312 batting average falls more precipitously.

Cespedes was scratched from Tuesday's lineup with a sore right wrist, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

The injury isn't believed to be serious, and Cespedes is considered day-to-day. It's not great to see a player with his injury history removed from the lineup, and he's already battled shoulder issues this spring, but this particular injury seems unlikely to have a major impact on his readiness for Opening Day.

Cespedes was removed from the Mets' lineup for Tuesday's game against the Astros, Tim Britton of The Athletic New York reports.

No reason for the scratch has been given, and there haven't been any reports that Cespedes is injured in the past few days. He had been battling minor shoulder soreness earlier in camp, but has been back in the lineup since the start of March.