MLB Player News

Brantley (shoulder) will begin the season in West Palm Beach to continue his rehab at the Astros' team facility, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

This report confirms the expectation that Brantley will begin the season on the injured list. There's no clear timeline for his return, though he underwent surgery on his shoulder over seven months ago. Brantley figures to occupy a key role in the Houston lineup when he's able to take the field, though the lingering injury isn't a positive way to begin the new campaign.

The Mets optioned Vientos to Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday.

Vientos appeared to have a good chance to win a bench spot with the Mets out of the Grapefruit League, but the 23-year-old will begin the season in the International League. He could be an option for New York if there's an injury or if the Mets are looking for offense in the summer months, particularly against left-handed pitching.

Blackmon (back) will bat second and serve as the designated hitter Saturday against the Guardians, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Blackmon sat for two weeks due to back stiffness, but he appeared in a minor-league game Friday and will play with the big-league club just one day later. It looks as though he'll be good to go for Opening Day, though the 36-year-old may require more off days than normal early on to ease him into the season.

Belt is dealing with a stomach illness and won't play Saturday's game against the Tigers, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

Health concerns are a significant worry for Belt this year, but a minor illness is something the Blue Jays can definitely live with. The veteran appears set to be the primary designated hitter and cleanup man against righties this season for as long as he can stay on the field.

Belt went 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

The veteran first baseman filled his usual DH spot and hit fourth behind George Springer, Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero. Belt has hit cleanup consistently during his spring appearances, going 5-for-18 (.278) with three doubles, and while he hasn't hit any home runs or even driven in any runs, that spot in a loaded Blue Jays batting order could provide a significant boost to the 34-year-old's fantasy value if he can keep it. The biggest obstacle to a strong campaign is his ability to stay healthy -- Belt has played more than 112 games only once in the last six seasons.

Canha went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays.

Getting the start in left field and batting sixth, Canha collected his third double of the spring, although he has yet to go yard. The veteran outfielder has gone 12-for-48 (.250) in Grapefruit League action and is locked into a starting spot for the Mets.

Turner went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Friday's spring game against Atlanta.

Turner returned to action earlier this week after recovering from facial injury. He's played in three games and appears to be ready to go for Opening Day.

Ramirez (finger) is in the lineup for Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

A pitch off his left pinkie finger forced Ramirez from Wednesday's exhibition game. However, the Rays said his removal was precautionary and Ramirez's quick return to action confirms that it was a relatively minor issue. Ramirez, who is 5-for-16 this spring without an extra-base hit, projects to be in the middle of the lineup on a regular basis for Tampa Bay.

Ohtani struck out eight over four innings in a minor-league start against the Diamondbacks on Friday.

Ohtani allowed four hits in the contest, with one of those being a homer by Gavin Conticello. He threw 78 pitches in the contest while issuing one walk along with the aforementioned eight strikeouts. Ohtani is scheduled to start Opening Day against the Athletics on Thursday, and the 2021 AL MVP should again be a two-way stalwart for the 2023 season.

The Mariners reassigned Ford to minor-league camp Friday.

Ford put together a decent spring training, going 5-for-25 at the plate with six RBI. He will likely return to Triple-A for 2023, where he slashed .248/.380/.363 over 137 plate appearances last season with four different organizations.