MLB Player News

Ohtani (elbow) told reporters Friday that he's swinging the bat at around 100 percent effort, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

The next step for Ohtani as he works his way back from right elbow surgery is to either face live pitching or hitting off a high-velocity pitching machine. The Dodgers will ease the superstar into things this spring, but he's fully expected to be ready to serve as the designated hitter Opening Day. Ohtani will not be ready to pitch again until 2025.

Sadzeck signed a minor-league contract with the Pirates on Feb. 2.

Sadzeck was at Triple-A St. Paul in the Twins organization last season, holding a 5.40 ERA and 42:26 K:BB over 35 frames. The 6-foot-7 right-hander will give Pittsburgh some right-handed relief depth at Triple-A Indianapolis.

Marsh will be sidelined 3-4 weeks following arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

The Phillies expect Marsh to be back in time for Opening Day, but he won't be working with much margin for error. It's a hit to the outfield depth of a Phillies team that was already pretty thin. Marsh is tentatively slated to be Philadelphia's left fielder, although he could slide back over to center field if the club decides Johan Rojas isn't ready.

The Cubs announced Friday that Shaw received an invitation to major-league spring training.

Fellow top prospect Owen Caissie will join Shaw in big-league camp. A first-round pick in the 2023 Draft, Shaw slashed .357/.400/.618 with eight homers and 15 steals across three levels in his pro debut, reaching Double-A Tennessee. He's mostly played shortstop and second base to this point, but Shaw's offseason workouts have been focused mainly at third base, where he has the clearest path to playing time with the Cubs. An Opening Day roster spot is unlikely, but we could see the 22-year-old sometime in 2024.

The Dodgers placed May (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

May began a throwing program in January, but he isn't expected back until the second half of the season after he underwent surgery on his right flexor tendon and UCL in July. His roster spot will be filled by Ryan Brasier, who officially signed a two-year deal with Los Angeles on Thursday.

Davis will make $6.9 million in 2024 after winning his arbitration case against the Giants on Thursday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Davis slashed .248/.325/.413 with 18 home runs and 69 RBI across 544 plate appearances in his first full season with San Francisco -- good enough to earn himself an extra $350,000 over what the Giants offered him. Davis appears in line to serve as the Giants' starting third baseman again in 2024 and is slated to enter free agency next winter.

Kershaw (shoulder) told reporters Thursday that he's targeting "July-ish, August-ish" for a return, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

It's a very rough timetable and it will likely be months before we get a clearer picture as to when Kershaw might be able to make his season debut for the Dodgers. Recovering from surgery to repair the gleno-humeral ligaments and capsule in his left shoulder, Kershaw is two weeks into his throwing program. He will head back to his offseason home soon before rejoining the Dodgers' camp in early March to continue his rehab.

Owings signed a minor-league contract with the Dodgers on Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Owings has spent more time in the minors than the majors the last few years, most recently going 4-for-25 in 10 games with the Pirates and posting a .798 OPS in 86 contests at Triple-A Indianapolis in 2023. The 32-year-old utility player is likely headed to Triple-A Oklahoma City to begin the 2024 campaign.

Honeywell signed a minor-league contract with the Pirates on Wednesday and received an invitation to major-league spring training, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

Honeywell logged a 4.82 ERA and 1.45 WHIP over 52.1 innings last season with the Padres and White Sox. He'll have an opportunity to make the Pirates' Opening Day bullpen in the spring, but Triple-A Indianapolis is Honeywell's likely destination.

Dunn will participate in his first big-league camp this spring, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Dunn experienced his first healthy season in 2023, batting .312 with a .947 OPS, 23 home runs and 54 stolen bases between High-A and Double-A. The right-handed hitter was just the fifth player in the last 30 years to produce a 20-homer, 50-steal season in the minors. He was limited by injuries after being drafted in the 15th round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Western Michigan before breaking out in 2023. While Dunn is already 25, his 163 wRC+ at Chattanooga and 149 for Dayton are hard to ignore. The Reds' outfield leans to the left, so a right-handed swinger with pop might find a path to the majors.