MLB Player News

Soler hit a home run against the Mariners on Thursday, his first hit of the spring.

Soler is not off to a good start, and given the outfielders added to the roster in recent weeks, he might need to do a little bit more than usual to impress manager Joe Maddon. Thursday's injury to Kyle Schwarber might give him a better opportunity to shine as Schwarber will sit on the shelf for a week or so, but Soler is going to need to start hitting. He's stuck out six times in 13 at-bats this spring.

Ramirez has looked strong thus far in spring training, collecting nine hits in 14 at-bats. "He's what I call a bone collector: He gets base hits," manager Clint Hurdle told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Ramirez is expected to begin the season with Double-A Altoona. He hit .337/.399/.458 in 344 plate appearances for High-A Bradenton in 2015. With Austin Meadows (orbital bone) sidelined without an immediate timeframe to return, Ramirez takes over as the Bucs' best outfield prospect. He could make his big league debut in 2016, but it would likely take an injury to one of the team's starting outfielders and continued strong play by Ramirez.

Pederson was 2-for-4 with his first spring home run Wednesday against the Angels.

Pederson had started 1-for-7 with five strikeouts, but all of a sudden he's now hitting .273/.385/.545. He's struck out in six of his 11 at-bats, but even with a poor spring, he should be a lock to be the team's Opening Day center fielder.

Stanton (knee) is on track to start for the Marlins on Sunday, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports.

Stanton has been held out of action since early this week due to a knee ailment, but was able to take some swings and return to light running by Tuesday. If all goes according to plan, Miami should have their most formidable power threat available for spring action before the weekend comes to pass. Fortunately, this doesn't appear to be an issue that poses a risk of lingering into the regular season.

Ruf went 2-for-2 with two home runs and three RBI Wednesday against the Orioles.

Ruf has now homered three times in two games. His homers Wednesday came off righties Yovani Gallardo and Vance Worley. He is expected to open the year on the short side of a platoon with Ryan Howard at first base.

Belt (illness) will return to the lineup Wednesday, CSN Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic reports.

He was dealing with a sinus infection, but should now be considered fully healthy for the final three weeks of spring games. Belt will look to improve on last year's career-high 18 homers in his age-28 season this year.

Stanton (knee) hit in a cage Tuesday and also did some light running, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports.

Stanton was held out of Monday's spring game and could miss a few more contests, but he's merely considered day-to-day due to soreness in his knee. More important, there haven't been any reported issues with the left wrist that didn't recover from surgery as quickly as expected last season. Now more than eighth months removed from the procedure, Stanton has been swinging a bat without any pain since at least November or December.

Soler is 0-for-5 with three strikeouts through two games this spring.

Although it is a small sample size, the three strikeouts in five at-bats is troubling, especially after posting a 30 percent strikeout rate in 2015. The 24-year-old will look to find his stroke this week and is preparing to be part of a left field platoon with Kyle Schwarber to start the season.

Turner (knee) will see additional at-bats against minor league pitching Tuesday, Bill Plunkett of the OC Register reports.

Turner appears to be nearing full strength after undergoing microfracture surgery back in November, but manager Dave Roberts said Monday that Turner is not quite ready for major league spring games. He figures to take that next step soon, however, and the expectation remains that he'll be ready in time for Opening Day.

Stanton (knee) will not play in Monday's spring game due to a sore right knee, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports.

Details regarding Stanton's setback are slim, but it appears the Marlins simply want to prevent him from traveling for Monday's exhibition contest. Stanton should be considered day-to-day until he returns to the field, but at this point it does not seem this injury will threaten his status for Opening Day.