MLB Player News

Soler went 1-for-1 with a home run and a walk in Wednesday's 9-3 Cactus League win over the Reds.

The home run was the second in as many days for Soler, who had been off to a 2-for-15 start to the spring before this recent power surge. The 29-year-old hit .228 and mashed only eight homers in 43 games during an injury-plagued 2020 season, but he'll be eyeing a bounce-back campaign in 2021 after reporting to camp at full health.

Buxton has been out of the lineup since Sunday due to a broken tooth, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Buxton cracked his tooth while eating steak, per Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. He certainly doesn't have the best luck with injuries, though this particular issue probably won't sidetrack his season. He underwent a root canal and had a crown placed on the tooth Wednesday, so he should be able to get back into game action soon.

Lewis went 2-for-2 with an RBI single, a triple, a sacrifice fly and a run in a Cactus League win over the Royals on Tuesday, pushing his spring average to .364 (4-for-11) across five games.

Lewis was 0-for-4 after the Mariners' first two exhibitions, but he's atoned nicely with a pair of subsequent two-hit efforts. Expectations are elevated for the 25-year-old outfielder after he slugged 11 home runs in 2020 and garnered AL Rookie of the Year honors.

Solak started at second base and went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Tuesday's spring game against Cleveland.

Solak has appeared in six Cactus League games -- all at second base -- and is 4-for-15 with the one home run and two RBI. It looks like the Rangers' plan to have the utility player carve out a home at the keystone while Rougned Odor mans third is going to happen. Odor has started four consecutive spring games at the hot corner.

Pederson went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Athletics.

The 28-year-old is fitting in nicely with the Cubs, as he now has a robust 1.672 OPS and three home runs this spring in six games. Pederson is essentially replacing Kyle Schwarber in Chicago, and after a rough 2020, eyes are on him to return to the form that saw the lefty slugger hit 36 homers for the Dodgers in 2019.

Alvarez (knee) could get into game action early next week, Mark Berman of KRIV Fox 26 reports.

Alvarez's incredible .313/.412/.655 slash line in his 87-game debut back in 2019 indicates the massive boost he could provide both the Astros and fantasy teams if he can just stay on the field. His knees are already rather poor for a player who's merely 23 years old, however, as they limited him to two games last season. The Astros are bringing him along cautiously this spring, but he's at least trending in the right direction and could get into game action with two weeks to spare before the start of the regular season.

Martinez is scheduled to make his next Grapefruit League appearance in Wednesday's game against the Braves, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Martinez was initially listed as the Red Sox's designated hitter for Tuesday's game against the Rays, but manager Alex Cora had a change of heart and determined the 33-year-old would be better off getting a breather. Coming off a rough 2020 campaign, Martinez has turned in quality at-bats through his first four games of the spring, going 4-for-11 with a double, two RBI, three strikeouts and no walks.

Reyes (not injury-related) is back with the team Tuesday and scheduled to return to the lineup Wednesday against the Angels, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Reyes and teammate Jose Ramirez violated COVID-19 protocols over the weekend, so both spent the last couple days isolating away from the team. They won't face any further punishments after testing negative, so they should get back into game action as soon as possible.

Belt (heel) is not yet ready for game action but will continue taking part in baseball activities for the next few days, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Belt underwent surgery to remove a bone spur from his right heel in October, placing his readiness for Opening Day in some doubt. He was further slowed by an illness early in camp, though he seems to be past that now. There's still seemingly time for him to get up to speed by the start of the regular season, but he'll need to get into game action fairly soon if that's to happen.

Cleveland manager Terry Francona said Reyes (COVID-19 protocols) could be cleared to rejoin the team as soon as late Monday or Tuesday, Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Both Reyes and Jose Ramirez were forced to self-isolate after the two admitted to violating MLB's COVID-19 protocol, though neither tested positive for the virus. Assuming Reyes continues to submit negative test results over the next 24 hours, he should be back in camp in the next day or two. The brief absence from workouts should't affect Reyes' readiness for Opening Day.