MLB Player News

Stanton crushed a mammoth, game-winning two-run home run in the fourth inning of Team USA's 6-3 victory Saturday over the Dominican Republic.

The homer not only put the USA through to the semifinals of the WBC, it left Stanton's bat at an unfathomable 117.3 mph, the fourth-hardest-hit home run since Statcast began tracking exit velocity in 2015. He's struggled to stay healthy throughout his big league career, playing more than 140 games only twice in six seasons as a full-time Marlin, but when he's in top form, the 27-year-old possesses more raw power than anybody else in MLB.

Vargas went 2-for-5 with a home run for Puerto Rico in Sunday's win over Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic.

Vargas hadn't played much before Sunday with just three at-bats in the WBC. He was just 1-for-13 in MLB spring training before leaving for the tournament. Vargas was the leading candidate for the starting DH job in Minnesota as spring training began, but he's struggled while Byungho Park has been hot (hitting .357 with three home runs). The battle for Minnesota's starting DH job will likely be decided late in spring training once Vargas returns from the WBC. Vargas' homer shows he won't be easily unseated.

Martinez (foot) is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Sunday, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Martinez was an early exit from Saturday's exhibition matchup after he appeared to suffer a leg injury while playing the field, which was later classified as a right foot sprain. The Tigers aren't taking any chances with the 29-year-old outfielder, who has tallied 83 home runs over the last three seasons. Look for more information to follow once the results come in, but don't expect Martinez to return to a regular workload for at least a few days.

The Cubs "seem optimistic" that Jimenez's shoulder injury won't require more than a rest period and re-strengthening program to resolve, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Jimenez, the Cubs' top prospect, aggravated an already sore shoulder on an errant throw from left field Tuesday. While it seems the Cubs are not overly concerned, they did send Jimenez for both an MRI and a CT scan to get a proper read on the issue. It sounds like the team will await more clarity on the matter before commenting publicly on Jimenez's status.

Jimenez recently underwent tests on his sore right shoulder, Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago reports.

The results of those tests have not been disclosed and thus the extent of the issue remains uncertain. Apparently, Jimenez made an awkward throw from the outfield earlier this week in Mesa, which led to some discomfort. The Cubs formally reassigned their top prospect to minor league camp Friday.

Martinez has been diagnosed with a mid right foot sprain and is set to be reevaluated Sunday.

X-rays came back negative on Martinez's foot, but there won't be an offical timetable for his return until team doctors re-examine him later in the weekend. Martinez exited Saturday's game after making a running catch and was seen favoring his right leg on his way into the dugout. Tyler Collins and Steven Moya stand to see more playing time in right field while Martinez is sidelined.

Martinez exited Saturday's game with an apparent leg injury, MLB.com's Jason Beck reports.

Martinez appeared to injure his leg making a play in the field in the first inning of Saturday's contest. According to Beck, Martinez charged for a fly ball and hobbled to the dugout after making the catch. Alex Presley has come on to replace Martinez in the lineup. More information on Martinez's status should be available later in Saturday's game.

Ozuna went 2-for-3 with a walk and a three-run homer, his third blast of the spring, in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

Ozuna is hitting .294 with a .618 slugging percentage in 34 spring at-bats, although his 1:8 BB:K suggests he's still got some work to do to get ready for Opening Day. The 26-year-old posted career bests in walk rate (7.1 percent) and strikeout rate (18.9 percent) last year, however, and further development of his plate discipline could allow him to take his game to the next level in 2017.

Vargas has just three at-bats for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic and was just 1-for-13 in MLB spring training before leaving for the tournament.

Vargas was the leading candidate for the starting DH job in Minnesota as spring training began, but he's struggled while Byungho Park has been hot (hitting .357 with three home runs). Still, it's probably too early in the spring to read too much into the competition since Vargas has hardly played (surprisingly losing playing time with Puerto Rico to T. J. Rivera). The battle for Minnesota's starting DH job will likely be decided late in spring training once Vargas returns from the WBC.

Brantley (shoulder) will play in a minor league game Saturday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

After two days off, Brantley will test his shoulder out again for five innings. Cleveland is taking it slowly with Brantley, but he is on pace to get back into Cactus League action before spring training ends, and as such there's a good chance Brantley suits up for Cleveland on Opening Day.