big league chew

Zack Cozart, the former Ole Miss star, is expected to make his spring debut today for Cincinnati, which is 0-5 in Cactus League play. Cozart, a pending free agent who has been the subject of trade rumors, missed the last few weeks of the 2016 season with a knee issue but reportedly is fine now. He hit .252 with 16 homers last year. … Lance Lynn, another notable UM alum, made his spring debut on Monday for St. Louis; he threw two innings (35 pitches) and yielded four singles, a walk and a run against Washington. The right-hander, coming off Tommy John surgery in 2015, made a few minor league appearances late in 2016 but did not pitch in the big leagues. He is 61-39 with a 3.37 ERA for his career. Lynn, who’ll be 30 in May, is in the last year of a three-year contract. … Meridian Community College product Corey Dickerson contributed two hits and a run in Tampa Bay’s wild 19-0 win over Minnesota on Tuesday. … Former Southern Miss standout Brian Dozier did not play for the Twins in that game and has appeared in only one of Minnesota’s five Grapefruit League contests. There are no reports of him being injured. … East Central CC alum Tim Anderson, coming off a strong rookie season with the Chicago White Sox, has hit the field swinging this spring. With two hits on Tuesday, he lifted his average to .556. He may be the club’s leadoff batter in 2017. … Ex-Mississippi State standout Tyler Moore, a non-roster invitee in Miami’s camp, is batting .667 with two homers and three RBIs to date. … UM product Alex Presley, trying to stick with Detroit, hit his first homer of the spring on Tuesday. … Ex-State star Chad Girodo, taken off Toronto’s 40-man roster just before spring games began, threw his second scoreless inning for the Blue Jays on Tuesday. … UM alum David Goforth, in a similar situation with Milwaukee, also threw a second scoreless inning. … Bobby Wahl, the former Rebels standout who is new to Oakland’s 40-man roster, got roughed up in his outing on Tuesday, allowing two runs while fanning three.