MLB Player News

Cabrera's participation for Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic will be limited by the Tigers, Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reports.

Rivera notes that the specific limitations are yet to be determined but could involve Cabrera being limited to just one plate appearance per game. Cabrera is 1-for-9 at the plate so far during WBC play.

Vientos could open the season on the 26-man roster if Darin Ruf gets placed on the injured list due to his sore wrist, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

Ruf has done little in a Mets uniform since being picked up from the Giants last season, and his sore wrist has limited him to only 13 plate appearances so far this spring, in which he's managed two hits and struck out five times. Vientos, meanwhile, has gone 11-for-36 (.308) with three doubles and two homers, although his 1:14 BB:K is a giant red flag that he isn't going to maintain that kind of batting average for very long. The 23-year-old would also offer more defensive versatility in a bench role than Ruf. The veteran slugger still has some time left this spring to prove his wrist is 100 percent and re-establish himself as a right-handed platoon option, but if the Mets decide to shut him down, Vientos appears to be the most likely candidate to benefit.

Ruf's ongoing wrist issues and struggles at the plate this spring could lead to him beginning the season on the injured list, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

The veteran slugger was expected to fill a role as a right-handed platoon option at DH and bench bat, but he's gone 2-for-11 this spring with five strikeouts when he's been healthy enough to play at all. Giving the Mets extra incentive to place him on IL has been the performance of some prospects in camp, notably Mark Vientos, who is slashing .306/.324/.556 with two homers and three doubles in 37 plate appearances this spring, albeit with a 1:14 BB:K. Vientos would also offer a little more defensive versatility off the bench than Ruf if he winds up on the Opening Day roster.

Angels manager Phil Nevin said Monday that Ohtani's final appearance as a pitcher in the WBC would come in the quarterfinals, but Ohtani subsequently indicated that such a decision hasn't yet been made, Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The report comes by way of Japanese journalist Naoyuki Yanagihara of Sports Nippon Newspapers. Ohtani is expected to pitch for Japan against Italy in a quarterfinal matchup early Thursday morning, and if that is indeed his final outing on the mound in the WBC, it would prevent him from throwing in a potential championship game in Miami on Tuesday, March 21. From a scheduling standpoint, Nevin's direction makes sense, as Ohtani typically pitches on five days of rest, and there would be four days between Japan's quarterfinal contest and the championship game (if the team makes it that far). Given Ohtani's response to word of Nevin's comments, however, it may not be set in stone that the star hurler would be kept off the mound in a potential title game.

Horwitz was optioned to minor-league camp Monday, KKeegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Horwitz is currently playing for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic and will report to the backfields of Dunedin when the tournament concludes. The 24-year-old infielder/outfielder registered an .843 OPS with 12 homers over 114 games between Double-A New Hampshire and Triple-A Buffalo during the 2022 season.

Turner (face) said Monday he could return to Grapefruit League games later this week, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Turner managed to avoid serious injury when he was hit in the face by a pitch a week ago and was cleared to resume baseball activities over the weekend after having his stitches removed. At this point, it appears Turner should be fine for Opening Day.

Brantley (shoulder) rejoined the Astros at spring training Monday, but manager Dusty Baker said it "will be close" whether the veteran outfielder is ready to go for Opening Day, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Brantley's status for Opening Day was already in question while he continues to recover from the surgery he underwent last August to repair the labrum in his right shoulder, and it didn't help his cause that his rehab program was essentially put on hold when he stepped away from the team just under two weeks ago to tend to a family matter. Now that he's back at camp, Brantley is expected to steadily increase his baseball activities, but he still may have an uphill battle to get fully ramped up by the time Houston opens its season March 30 versus the White Sox. When Brantley is healthy, Baker said that the 35-year-old is expected to serve as the Astros' No. 2 hitter while likely sharing time at designated hitter and in left field with Yordan Alvarez (hand).

Lewis went 3-for-3 with a home run and five RBI in Sunday's spring game against the Rockies.

Lewis got a late start to Cactus League action due to leg issues, but he's hit in three straight and has three extra-base hits (two homers) during that stretch. He's in the mix for a bench spot along with Pavin Smith and Emmanuel Rivera.

Meneses went 3-for-5 with two home runs and five RBI in Sunday's 11-5 win for Team Mexico over Team USA.

After staking Mexico to an early 2-0 lead with a blast off Nick Martinez in the first inning, Meneses put the game out of reach with a three-run shot in the fourth off Brady Singer. Both homers came off his bat with exit velocities above 102 mph, per Jesse Borek of MLB.com. Meneses didn't do much at the plate during Grapefruit League play before the WBC began, going 4-for-20 with zero extra-base hits, but Sunday's performance is a reminder that the power he displayed at the end of the 2022 season is very real. The 30-year-old is set to fill an everyday role in the majors this year for the first time in his career, seeing most of his action at DH for the Nationals while also spotting in at first base and potentially in the outfield corners once again.

Blackmon's back stiffness is improving, but he won't be rushed back into the lineup, MLB.com reports.

Blackmon left Colorado's spring training game March 10 after just one inning due to a back injury. Manager Bud Black didn't give a specific timeline for a return, though given Blackmon's veteran status it's no surprise the team isn't rushing for him to return during the exhibition schedule. To this point, there is no indication he's in danger of missing any regular-season contests.