MLB Player News

Brantley is on track to make Cleveland's Opening Day roster, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Manager Terry Francona made it clear that Brantley is in a good spot in terms of health, and his spring performance has done nothing but reinforce that claim. Over seven games he's 9-for-23 (.391) with two home runs and two doubles.

Vargas was diagnosed with a bruised foot after an MRI and CT scan revealed he hadn't suffered any structural damage, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press reports.

Now that it's clear Vargas isn't dealing a major injury, the club plans to have him play in another minor-league game Friday. Vargas hasn't played well in limited action this spring, as he's gone just 1-for-15 (.067) over seven games, and is expected to begin the season in the minors.

Blackmon (illness) is back in the lineup for Thursday's Cactus League finale, batting leadoff and patrolling center field.

Blackmon was one of several Rockies who caught the flu recently, but it seems like the illness has subsided. The 30-year-old outfielder has been tearing up the Cactus League (.362 batting average, three home runs), and he'll look to carry that success into Colorado's Opening Day matchup with the Brewers.

Vargas (foot) is likely to begin the season in the minors, Zone Coverage's Brandon Warne reports.

In a surprising move, the Twins will go with Robbie Grossman as the DH, sending Vargas and Byungho Park to the minors while going with a three-man bench and eight-man bullpen. Vargas or Park could be back up with the Twins in a hurry, so they are still worth holding in deeper formats, but for now the lefty-mashing Grossman will be getting the bulk of the starts at DH. Vargas has been dealing with a foot injury, but was able to take three at-bats in a minor league game Wednesday.

Vargas (foot) took three at-bats as a DH in a minor-league game Wednesday and indicated he felt fine after the session, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Vargas experienced no renewed swelling in his foot and now looks on track to take part in one or both of the big club's final two exhibitions of the spring. The 26-year-old was already losing ground to Byungho Park in their battle for the DH role during spring training, and it doesn't appear as though he'll have enough time to catch up. There's a good chance that Vargas will open the season with Triple-A Rochester.

Vargas (foot) took grounders and is set to start as the DH in a minor-league game Wednesday, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Vargas has been cruising through rehab from a bruised left foot, a good sign he will be ready for Opening Day. He could find himself behind Byungho Park on the DH depth chart after a mediocre spring performance and will only serve to spell Joe Mauer at first base. Nonetheless, the progress is encouraging and shows Vargas could provide a powerful bat off the bench to begin the season.

Blackmon, who's been out for two days, is dealing with the flu, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Blackmon has been phenomenal throughout the spring. Over 16 games, he's gone 17-for-47 (.362) with three home runs and four doubles. Owners will want to monitor Blackmon's status as Opening Day approaches, as Colorado has yet to present a timeframe for his return.

Dickerson (back) will start the season on the disabled list, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

It was recently announced that Dickerson would miss 3-4 weeks of action, so his upcoming move to the DL doesn't come as a major surprise. Although Dickerson wasn't expected to be an everyday outfielder for the Padres this coming season, his absence will open the door for Travis Jankowski and Jabari Blash to see an increase in usage.

Manager Bruce Bochy has signaled in his Cactus League lineups that he plans to use Belt as his No. 2 hitter to begin the season, Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News reports.

While Belt has yet to emerge as the consistent 20-plus-homer threat the Giants probably envisioned early on during his time in the big leagues, he's been an on-base machine throughout his six seasons with the team. After posting a career-best .394 mark in 2016, Belt's presence in the two hole in front of Hunter Pence, Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford would seemingly help his chances of establishing a new career high in runs, though he could sacrifice some RBI opportunities as a result. Manager Bruce Bochy isn't necessarily married to the idea of using Belt as his No. 2 hitter, so if the team struggles to generate offense early in the season, it's possible that Belt could move into the heart of the order.

Harper went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.

He leads all spring training hitters with eight homers, and Harper is slashing a mammoth .308/.403/.827 in 62 at-bats. It looks like the 24-year-old is gearing up to return to his 2015 MVP form.