MLB Player News

Ohtani will make his next start in the Cactus League on Thursday against the Brewers, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Ohtani was originally in line to pitch Saturday, though the decision for him to not take the mound is not injury or fatigue related. Manager Joe Maddon also noted that he expects Ohtani to be stretched out to 90 pitches for Opening Day, so he should be in line for a fairly typical workload.

Soler is batting first and starting in left field Saturday against the Cardinals.

Soler signed with Miami on March 19 and will appear in game action for the first time with his new team. It's particularly notable that he is leading off given left-hander Steven Matz is on the mound, in turn bumping Jazz Chisholm to the ninth spot in the order. It remains to be seen if that is the way the Marlins will operate once the regular season begins.

Ohtani will no longer serve as the starting pitcher in Saturday's Cactus League game against the White Sox, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Ohtani's scratch from his scheduled start wasn't due to an injury, and he's still slated to serve as the designated hitter Saturday. It's not yet clear when the right-hander will make his next spring start on the mound, but he was officially named the team's Opening Day starter Friday.

Belt (knee) is participating in full baseball workouts and will be re-evaluated for spring training action within a week, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury Newsreports.

Belt missed just over a month with a knee injury in the middle of the 2021 campaign, though it's unclear if this is a related issue. He has yet to appear in any spring training contests. The Giants have not made any determination about his availability for Opening Day.

Miller started at third base, batted leadoff and went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a second RBI in Friday's spring training game against the Royals.

Miller is in the mix at third base as well as left field for the Rangers. The utility player is 5-for-11 with a pair of home runs, five RBI and three runs scored over three games. If he doesn't settle in at left field -- both Nick Solak and Eli White have impressed this spring -- the lefty-hitting Miller could overtake the right-handed hitting Andy Ibanez as the starting third baseman or at the very least be the strong side of a platoon.

Beer went 1-for-1 with a two-run home run in Friday's spring training game against the Angels.

Beer finished up the game at first base and launched his first Cactus League home run. Arizona's leading candidate to serve as the designated hitter is 5-for-5 with two doubles and a homer over the last three spring games.

Blackmon went 2-for-2 with two runs and an RBI in Friday's Cactus League win over the Cubs.

Blackmon appeared in his fourth Cactus League game of the year Friday, and he's served exclusively as the leadoff man this spring. Per Thomas Harding of MLB.com, manager Bud Black was noncommittal when asked whether Blackmon would hit at the top of the lineup to begin the regular season. However, the 35-year-old served as the leadoff man for several years earlier in his career, and the Rockies acquired more bats during the offseason that can hit in the heart of the order. Blackmon hasn't recorded any extra-base hits this spring but has gone 3-for-9 with three runs, an RBI, two walks and a strikeout across his four appearances.

Ramirez was traded from the Cubs to the Rays on Friday in exchange for Esteban Quiroz.

Ramirez arrived at spring training Friday after dealing with visa issues, but he'll now join Tampa Bay's camp. With just under two weeks remaining until Opening Day, it appears unlikely that the 27-year-old will begin the regular season in the majors.

Mercedes has a hamate fracture in his left hand and will undergo surgery Monday.

Mercedes is expected to require 6-8 weeks to recover following his procedure, so he'll be forced to begin the season on the injured list and is unlikely to return to game action until at least mid-May. The 29-year-old split time between Triple-A Charlotte and the major-league club last year and will likely spend time in the minors once he's healthy. Andrew Vaughn is in line to serve as Chicago's primary designated hitter to begin the year, but Mercedes should be in the mix to return to the majors at some point in 2022.

Ramirez arrived at camp Friday after a fairly long visa delay, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Ramirez made it to camp nearly two weeks later than most of his teammates. He was already looking at a tough battle for a bench spot, so his odds of breaking camp in the majors following the delay may be low.