MLB Player News

Canha, who went 1-for-3 with an RBI single in Thursday's 7-3 Cactus League win over the Angels, is a leading candidate to claim the final bench spot on the Opening Day roster, Chris Gabel of MLB.com reports. "The more at-bats he gets the better he looks," manager Bob Melvin said before the game. "And the last three games he's swung the bat really well. When he's healthy, he can be a productive guy."

Canha appears to be pulling ahead in the competition between he, Jake Smolinski and Boog Powell for a roster spot after seeing action in his fourth game over a five-day span Thursday. The 29-year-old had gone 4-for-7 with a double and a home run in the three exhibitions prior to Thursday's as well, seemingly giving him a leg up in the three-man battle. The most productive of Canha's three major-league stints thus far was his initial one, when he slashed .254/.315/.426 with 16 homers and 70 RBI across 485 plate appearances in 2015. He generated a much more lackluster .208/.262/.382 line in 187 plate appearances last season, making his spring results all the more encouraging.

Jimenez (knee) hopes to play in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks after competing in drills Friday.

Jimenez is set to be a full participant in all activities yet again Saturday, which would mark three consecutive days that he has been able to go through all of his drills. The outfielder is working his way back from tendinitis in the left knee, but should be fully operational by early next week, giving him a couple weeks to return to full speed before the regular season commences.

Carpenter (back) is fielding grounders and throwing with increased intensity Friday, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Carpenter has been battling back soreness all spring and has yet to appear in a game. He's been swinging for a few days and is now doing fielding work as well, so he's likely not too far from making his spring debut. His status for Opening Day remains up in the air, but if reports remain positive there's a good chance he'll be ready to go.

Carpenter (back), who continued his hitting program Thursday, is expected to only play first base upon his return, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Carpenter has yet to see his first Grapefruit League action while tending to his lower back problems, although he did continue his hitting program in the batting cages for the third straight day Thursday. The original projection for the veteran's return to action was mid-March, but Carpenter feels that timeline is overly cautious and that he'll be able to put in two full weeks of spring training games. Upon his return, he's highly likely to be limited to just playing first base as opposed to multiple positions, which had been discussed at one point this winter. The reason for the change in plan is physical in nature, but it concerns Carpenter's 2017 shoulder issues more than his current injury. "The shoulder is always something we're concerned about," manager Mike Matheny said. "We're trying to get his back right and he's also trying to get his shoulder into a really good place. But that (shoulder) might be something that would push it more toward first base than third."

Torrens has been sidelined with a minor oblique injury this spring, Bill Center of MLB.com reports.

Torrens has only made three plate appearances this spring, but manager Andy Green stated Thursday that the backstop is nearing a return to the field. With Austin Hedges and one of A.J. Ellis or Raffy Lopez set to man catching duties at the big-league level this upcoming season, it seems likely that Torrens will kick off the 2018 campaign in the minors.

Brantley (ankle) was sent home due to illness Friday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Brantley took another step forward in his return from ankle surgery in recent days, as he advanced to agility drills and hitting against live pitching for the first time since undergoing a procedure in mid-October. There seems to be some sort of bug going around the Indians' clubhouse as Danny Salazar was also sent home, but they should both be fully recovered from this ailment within the next couple days.

Jimenez (knee) was a full participant in all activities Thursday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

With a seemingly clean bill of health, the top prospect hopes to return to game action Saturday. Manager Rick Renteria still considers his return date TBD, but it seems like Jimenez is coming around well nonetheless. He should be 100 percent for the start of the regular season barring any setbacks.

Pederson went 1-for-3 with a run scored in Wednesday's spring training victory over the Angels.

The 2017 season was a lost one for the 25-year-old slugger after he was removed from the starting center field job due to a combination of poor performance (.212/.331/.407 in 323 plate appearances), a concussion and the emergence of Chris Taylor. Pederson enters the 2018 campaign with no guarantees of playing time, and a trio of viable candidates to compete with for the Dodgers' starting left field job. He has struggled through his first 26 spring at-bats (.160/.192/.240), but there is plenty of time for him to turn things around and get back in this race. If Pederson can't edge out any of Matt Kemp, Andrew Toles or Alex Verdugo, then he would find himself in a bench role or back in the minors, two scenarios that would wipe out almost all of his fantasy value.

Jimenez (knee) took batting practice and ran the bases Wednesday, Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Jimenez has been sidelined since Feb. 26 with a bout of knee tendinitis. He's hoping to get on the field this week, but the White Sox aren't about to rush their top prospect.

Cabrera is 6-for-19 (.316) with five RBI through nine Grapefruit League games.

Cabrera has just one double and no home runs this spring, but the Tigers still have to be happy to see hits falling for the veteran. The 34-year-old batted a career-worst .249 in 2017, which snapped an eight-year streak of hitting at least .300. Cabrera's best years are behind him, but he could still be a decent rebound candidate in 2018 who figures to come at a much lower price tag in fantasy drafts than he did during his prime.