MLB Player News

Manager Mike Matheny reported Sunday that Carpenter's back is "doing better," Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Carpenter has been sidelined with a sore back during the opening days of spring training, but Matheny's comments suggest the veteran infielder could be back in action sooner than later. Carpenter's back injury doesn't seem like anything overly concerning at this time, and barring any setbacks, he should be ready for Opening Day.

Manager Mickey Callaway said Cespedes (hamstring) will play Sunday against the Marlins, Tim Britton of The Athletic New York reports.

As expected, Cespedes is set to make his 2018 Grapefruit League debut Sunday. After appearing in just 81 games last season due to nagging lower-body injuries, the 32-year-old should enter the 2018 season at full strength, barring anything unforeseen happens in camp. While Cespedes certainly carries injury concerns, it should be noted that he worked on increasing his flexibility in the offseason in an attempt to help him better withstand the rigors a 162-game schedule. If he's able to stay healthy, he could prove to be a bargain, as Cespedes proved he can still be productive when healthy, hitting .292/.352/.540 with 17 home runs across 321 plate appearances in 2017.

Choi (teeth) returned to spring camp and will play first base against the Angels in Saturday's Cactus League game.

Choi recently got his wisdom teeth removed and was forced to step away from the Brewers camp for a few days. He should be at full health moving forward as he's plugged into the third spot in the order for Saturday's affair.

Dickerson is battling an elbow issue in addition to his back injury, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Dickerson has been recovering from back surgery that he underwent last June, though it appears that he was around full health prior to his elbow injury. The club will likely remain overly cautious with Dickerson and ease him back into play, especially since he hasn't received any game action in almost 16 months.

Manager Bryan Price said that Winker is a leadoff possibility when he's on the lineup card, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Earlier this week, Price said that the club views Winker as a "major-league ready player" and that they plan to use a four-man rotation in the outfield this season. He also stated that Billy Hamilton is the leadoff man "right now," which implies that Winker will see time at the top of the order only when Hamilton is out of the lineup. A lot can change over the course of spring camp, as this may be a situation to monitor heading into Opening Day.

Carpenter has been battling a sore back in the early days of spring training and the Cardinals do not have a timetable for him to begin playing in Grapefruit League games at this time, theSt. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The early indications from Carpenter suggest that the injury is a minor one. While he's on the shelf during the early part of camp, Jose Martinez and Luke Voit are expected to collect extra reps at first base for the Cards. It is believed that the Cardinals are planning on using Carpenter at third base more frequently in 2018, provided that he's healthy, and that Martinez is hitting the way he did throughout his time in the big leagues last season.

Cespedes (hamstring) could appear in a Grapefruit League game as soon as Sunday against Miami, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

It appears as though Cespedes is around 100 percent heading into this spring after missing basically half of last season with lower-body injuries. That said, the club isn't going to make him play in any more unnecessary spring games than he has to, though he should be out on the field by early next week at the latest.

Choi is getting his wisdom teeth removed and is absent from the Brewers' first full-squad workout Tuesday, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Choi is the only absentee for Milwaukee. It's unclear how long the issue will keep him sidelined, but he isn't expected to break camp with the big club with Eric Thames and Jesus Aguilar both settled in ahead of him at first base. Barring an injury or two, the 26-year-old should spend the majority of this season with Triple-A Colorado Springs.

Cespedes (hamstring) said he has attempted to improve his flexibility in the offseason by doing yoga, increasing his running and reducing his weight-lifting routine, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports."[Cespedes] has had a great offseason -- a lot more running he has done than in the past," Mets manager Mickey Callaway said. "Everybody identified that he needed that and he has gone to yoga classes for flexibility and he wants to play every day."

Lower-body injuries forced Cespedes to miss half of last season, though he was productive as usual when able to take the field, slashing .292/.352/.540 with 17 home runs before being shut down in late August with a right hamstring strain. Cespedes is hopeful that an increased emphasis on flexibility will address the leg problems that plagued him last season and help him withstand the rigors of a 162-game schedule. Callaway seems to believe that Cespedes is up to the task, as the skipper indicated Monday that he isn't mapping out any pre-planned rest days for the outfielder, something that previous manager Terry Collins often chose to implement the past two seasons.

The Reds view Winker as major-league ready and plan to use a four-man rotation in the outfield this season, the Cincinnati Enquirer's Zach Buchanan reports. "I believe he's a major-league-ready player," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "Some guys have to prove me wrong and others have to prove me right. I just really believe he is ready to get some regular playing time in the big leagues."

Winker has strong on-base skills but had frustrated the Reds by his inability to hit for power in the high minors, but then slugged .487 in his brief big-league trial last season. The Reds had dabbled in trade talks regarding Billy Hamilton during the offseason but nothing came to fruition. That still could come back up midseason, opening the door for regular time for Winker.