MLB Player News

McCutchen was scratched from the Pirates' Grapefruit League lineup Thursday due to illness, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

The veteran slugger should be ready to rejoin the lineup in a day or two. Billy McKinney entered the starting nine at designated hitter in McCutchen's place.

Baker has gone 7-for-32 with four RBI, 11 strikeouts and three walks over 16 Grapefruit League games.

Baker struck out a 31.3 percent rate over 99 plate appearances toward the tail end of 2023. The 27-year-old has a strong power profile after slugging 33 home runs over 84 contests with Triple-A Memphis, but there's no clear path to a starting job in the majors with Paul Goldschmidt locked in at first base and Nolan Gorman likely to be the designated hitter. In terms of a competition for a bench role, Alec Burleson's strong spring and his ability to be an option in the outfield put him comfortably ahead of Baker or any number of other options to back up at first base.

Vientos went 1-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and a second run scored in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

The 24-year-old took Dylan Coleman deep in the eighth inning, giving Vientos his third long ball of the spring in 12 games. His .206 batting average (7-for-34) is less impressive though, and his 2:8 BB:K indicates that he still needs to work on the contact issues that led to a .211/.253/.367 slash line over 233 big-league plate appearances in 2023. The Mets are hoping Vientos can step into a larger role this season and give them consistent production from the DH spot while providing a platoon partner at third base for Brett Baty, but he still has a lot to prove.

Bell went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

The veteran first baseman hasn't made a lot of contact this spring, but when he has it's been loud. Bell is batting .200 (5-for-25) through 10 games with a 2:6 BB:K, but four of the hits have gone for extra bases with three doubles and a homer. After posting a .270/.338/.480 slash line over 53 contests for the Marlins in 2023 following a trade from the Guardians, Bell will try to do enough to establish a long-term spot in the Miami lineup -- since leaving the Pirates after the 2020 campaign, he's played for four different teams over the last three seasons.

Turner went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.

The veteran slugger got hold of a Roansy Contreras offering in the first inning and launched it down the left-field line for his first homer of the spring. Turner is batting .333 (8-for-24) in Grapefruit League action with a 5:4 BB:K, and the 39-year-old is showing no signs of slowing down as he gets ready for his first season in a Blue Jays uniform.

Turner went 3-for-3 with two RBI in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees.

New York didn't send its A-listers to Dunedin for the contest -- Turner's singles came off Dennis Santana, Duane Underwood and Clayton Andrews -- but it was still a nice performance from the 39-year-old slugger. Turner is batting .333 (7-for-21) through 10 spring contests with a 5:4 BB:K, although his only extra-base hit so far is a double. He's expected to spend most of the season as the Blue Jays' DH while hitting in the heart of the order.

The Mets are among the teams discussing a contract with Martinez, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Signing Martinez would result in a 110 percent luxury tax penalty for the Mets, but owner Steve Cohen has "given the go-ahead to seriously discuss" signing the designated hitter, per Heyman. Heyman also says the interest is mutual, although the Angels and Marlins appear to still be in the running for Martinez, too. Mark Vientos is currently projected to be the Mets' DH.

Winker could miss out on a big-league roster spot with the Nationals after the team added Eddie Rosario last week, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

The 30-year-old Winker looked like a good bet to break camp with the Nats when he signed an NRI deal in February, provided that he was healthy and could re-discover his old form at the plate. He's held up his end up that bargain so far, batting .350 (7-for-20) through nine spring games with two doubles and a 5:4 BB:K, but the Rosario signing likely bumps Joey Gallo from left field to first base and Joey Meneses from 1B to DH, seeming to leave little room for a defensively limited player like Winker.

Meneses appears set to spend most of his time at DH after the Nationals added Joey Gallo and Eddie Rosario to the roster this offseason, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Rosario, who signed a minor-league deal with the team last week, is the favorite to win the starting left field job, which would bump Gallo to first base and Meneses to DH. There are a few complicating factors that cloud the playing-time outlook for Meneses, however. Jesse Winker, also in camp on a minor-league deal, is batting .350 (7-for-20) with a 5:4 BB:K, while Meneses is batting just .214 (6-for-28). Stone Garrett (lower leg) will also need at-bats once he's healthy, and top outfield prospects Dylan Crews and James Wood could also push their way onto the big-league roster over the summer. After a sizzling 56-game MLB debut in 2022, Meneses' production swooned last season, as he managed only a .722 OPS with 13 homers in 154 games. If the 31-year-old can't deliver better numbers at the plate in 2024, he could fall out of a regular role.

Ozuna went 1-for-3 in Monday's 3-0 Grapefruit League win over the Twins.

The veteran DH appears set to thrive as part of what will be another stacked Atlanta lineup in 2024. Ozuna is hitting .407 with a 1.004 OPS through 27 Grapefruit League at-bats. Ozuna belted 40 home runs last season for an offense that was clicking all season, and his spring performance has done nothing to suggest he won't be a prolific power source again in 2024.