Ohtani (shoulder/elbow) went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in a Cactus League win over the Angels on Friday.

Ohtani didn't take long to remind the baseball world about his 2024 MVP season, as he hit an opposite-field home run on the sixth pitch he saw during his first at-bat this spring. The two-way star's subsequent plate appearances were less dramatic, as he popped out in the second inning and struck out in the fifth. Ohtani is expected to begin the regular season strictly in a hitting role, but manager Dave Roberts said in early February that he expects Ohtani to be pitching in big-league games by May.

Harper (triceps) will return to the Phillies' lineup for Friday's Grapefruit League contest against the Red Sox, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Harper exited Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays after being hit on the right triceps by a pitch, but the exit was precautionary. He had a scheduled day off Thursday and will be back in there Friday.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that he's not sure when Stanton (elbows) will return to camp, but the skipper is hopeful it will happen "soon," Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Stanton is dealing with tennis elbow in both arms and returned to New York earlier this week, although that trip was "personal in nature," per Boone. The manager indicated Monday that he hopes Stanton can return healthy "in the middle of the season," so it doesn't appear the Yankees expect to have their designated hitter playing in games anytime soon.

Harper sustained a bruised right tricep after getting hit by a pitch in Wednesday's 9-6 win over the Blue Jays, but Phillies manager Rob Thomson said that he's "not over concerned" about the injury, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

A Richard Lovelady offering caught Harper on the arm during a sixth-inning plate appearance, and the first baseman was immediately pulled from the game for a pinch runner. While Harper will be re-evaluated Thursday, the expectation is that he'll be fine moving forward. Harper was not going to play Thursday, regardless, and he could be back in the lineup as soon as Friday versus the Red Sox.

Harper was removed from Wednesday's Grapefruit League contest versus the Blue Jays after being hit on the right biceps by a pitch, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Harper was making his third plate appearance of the day when he was struck by a Richard Lovelady offering in the top of the sixth inning, so his day was likely going to be over, anyway. The Phillies should provide an update on Harper's condition shortly.

Ohtani (shoulder/elbow) will make his Cactus League debut at designated hitter Friday versus the Angels, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Ohtani has been brought along slowly in camp after November surgery to repair the labrum in his left shoulder. It's not clear when he might be ready to pitch in a game, but he's ready to hit and is fully expected to serve as the Dodgers' DH for their season-opening set in Tokyo versus the Cubs on March 18 and 19.

Ozuna went 1-for-2 with a walk and a two-run home run in Tuesday's split-squad game against the Red Sox.

The veteran slugger took Noah Davis deep in the fourth inning for his first long ball of the spring. Ozuna is heading into the final year of his current contract after Atlanta picked up his $16 million option for 2025 in November, and the 34-year-old could be in line for a big payday next winter despite his age if he puts together another strong campaign -- over the last two seasons, he boasts a .289/.364/.552 slash line with 79 homers and 204 RBI.

Harper (illness) will bat third and start at first base in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays.

Harper missed some time at the beginning of last week while recovering from an illness, but he appears to be fully healthy now and will make his spring debut Wednesday. The 32-year-old is heading into his second season as the Phillies' full-time first baseman after he slashed .285/.373/.525 with 30 home runs, 87 RBI, 85 runs and seven steals across 145 games in 2024.

Pederson started at first base and went 1-for-2 with a walk, a three-run home run and an additional run scored in Monday's Cactus League game against the White Sox.

Most of Pederson's contributions came during the Rangers' nine-run first inning. Batting second in the lineup, he walked and scored Texas' second run then finished the scoring with his home run. The Rangers made it a goal to infuse power to the lineup in the offseason and added Pederson (23 homers in 2024) and Jake Burger (29 homers). Pederson should mostly serve as the DH against right-handers but could also spell Burger at first base.

Ohtani (shoulder/elbow) threw 25 pitches, including some cutters, in a bullpen session Saturday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Manager Dave Roberts described Ohtani's inclusion of cutters in the throwing session as a "big step." Roberts also noted that Ohtani touched 95 mph during the bullpen, which is only a few ticks below his average fastball velocity in 2023, his most recent campaign on the mound. Ohtani appears to be on track to make his highly anticipated debut as a pitcher for the Dodgers sometime around the beginning of May.