MLB Player News

Ozuna went 1-for-2 with a walk, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

The veteran slugger took Kyle Tyler deep in the fifth inning, giving Ozuna his third long ball of the spring. While his .229 batting average (8-for-35) in Grapefruit League play isn't impressive, Ozuna seems to have his timing down at the plate -- five of those hits have gone for extra bases, and he sports a sharp 4:4 BB:K.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said Friday that Jimenez will not make the Opening Day roster, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

Cash noted that while Jimenez's bat "started to come to life" recently during Grapefruit League play, it's not going to be enough to crack the Opening Day roster. Jimenez -- who is on a minor-league contract -- will begin the season at Triple-A Durham and "could be huge for us at any point during the season," per Cash.

Winker (calf) will serve as the designated hitter and bat fourth in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

Winker has been sidelined since exiting Monday's game early due to calf cramps, but the issue seems to have subsided ahead of Thursday's contest. The 31-year-old slashed .253/.360/.405 with 14 homers and 58 RBI in 508 regular-season plate appearances last year and has shown no signs of slowing down this spring, maintaining an .805 OPS through 13 Grapefruit League games.

Heineman is expected to begin the season as the Blue Jays' No. 2 catcher behind Alejandro Kirk, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

He's the only other catcher on the 40-man roster, so this isn't a big surprise, but NRI signing Christian Bethancourt also hasn't shown enough in camp to push Heineman for the job. The switch-hitting Heineman doesn't offer much offense and has a .212/.298/.273 slash line through 299 plate appearances in the majors, but he could end up seeing the biggest workload of his career in 2025 -- Kirk has never caught more than 99 games in a season.

Alvarez (thumb) will start at designated hitter and bat third in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Alvarez had to be scratched from Tuesday's lineup due to right thumb soreness, but it will be just a one-day absence. The slugger has yet to get going this spring, sporting a .493 OPS with one home run.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that Yoshida (shoulder) threw out to 90 feet Tuesday but still has "a long way to go" before he's ready to play the corner outfield, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Coming off October surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder, Yoshida is operating with no restrictions at the plate this spring, as he's made nine starts in Grapefruit League play as a designated hitter while producing a .321 average and .785 OPS over 28 plate appearances. However, because Rafael Devers (shoulders) won't be cleared to play third base before the end of the spring and appears set to open the season as Boston's primary DH, the Red Sox are unlikely to make room on the active roster for Yoshida if he's not an option in the outfield. Yoshida will likely continue to extend his throwing distance over the final week of the spring, but he appears ticketed for a stint on the injured list to begin the season. He'll presumably need to play left field in a few minor-league rehab games before the Red Sox are comfortable activating him.

Ohtani went 1-for-3 with solo home run and two walks during Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Cubs in Tokyo.

After hitting a career-high 54 homers during the regular season in his first year as a Dodger in 2024, Ohtani didn't take long to deliver his first long ball of this season. The three-time MVP reached multiple times in each of the first two games of the season and has gone 3-for-8 with two walks, a double, a homer and three runs scored.

Alvarez was scratched from Tuesday's Grapefruit League lineup versus the Nationals due to right thumb soreness, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Alvarez banged up the thumb during batting practice Sunday, and while he played in the game that day, he arrived at the park Tuesday with some discomfort. Astros manager Joe Espada expects Alvarez to be ready to play Wednesday against the Mets.

Ohtani went 2-for-5 with a double, two runs scored and a strikeout in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Cubs in Tokyo.

The Japanese superstar was unable to deliver a home run in the first official game back in his home country, but he still produced as a leadoff man in the season opener. Ohtani recently slowed his pitching progression in order to ramp up his preparations as a hitter for Opening Day, but he's still expected to join the starting rotation sometime in May. For now, the 30-year-old will continue to serve as the Dodgers' designated hitter as he works his way back from November shoulder surgery.

Winker exited Monday's Grapefruit League contest versus the Rays due to a calf cramp, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza indicated that Winker's removal was precautionary, adding that the 31-year-old "should be OK." Winker -- who was retired in his lone plate appearance Monday -- is sporting an .805 OPS this spring and projects to open the season as the Mets' primary designated hitter against right-handed pitching.