MLB Player News

Winker was optioned to Triple-A Louisville, the Dayton Daily News reports.

Scott Schebler looks set to start in right field as a result. However, Winker may not be in the minors long as one of Cincy's top prospects.

Vargas will seek a second opinion on his left foot, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Bollinger notes that Vargas was walking around the Twins clubhouse on crutches Saturday after he fouled a ball of his foot Friday. Vargas has struggled at the dish this spring with a .077/.250/.077 slash line in 13 at-bats. The timing of the injury is particularly unfortunate with roster cuts looming ahead of Opening Day. Conversely, fellow DH candidate Byungho Park has strung together an excellent .359/.422/.718 line over a larger sample of 39 at-bats this spring.

Belt crushed a three-run homer in Friday's win over the Rockies. It was his only hit in four at-bats.

The 28-year-old is quietly having a consistent spring, slashing .289/.340/.600 in 49 plate appearances. Quiet and consistent are also ways to describe the first baseman's offensive game. In his last three full seasons, Belt has averaged 17.3 homers, 72.3 RBI and 75.3 runs. The one aspect of his game that stands out from the rest is his ability to get on base at a high clip (.394 on-base percentage in 2016), which obviously inflates his value in leagues that incorporate that statistic. Barring an injury, we should expect more of the same from Belt in 2017.

Cabrera (back) is set to take batting practice Saturday and will start at first base Sunday if all goes well, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Manager Brad Ausmus says the slugger has been steadily progressing and will get two at-bats Sunday if he ends up playing. Cabrera has been held out of action since experiencing tightness during the World Baseball Classic, though it appears he's nearly back to full strength and ready to continue Opening Day preparations. In just seven Grapefruit League games this spring, the All-Star has six hits in 18 at-bats.

Buxton will not be the Twins' leadoff hitter this season because his bat is "too valuable" according to manager Paul Molitor, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports.

Buxton hit third in the spring game prior to Molitor's announcement, and that could be where he winds up come Opening Day. He has been showing solid power (.500 slugging percentage) this spring and his combination of speed and power would be a boon anywhere in the upper half of a lineup. Buxton hit 10 home runs in September alone last year, so it makes sense that the Twins would try and put him in a position to hit with more runners on base.

Vargas left Friday's game after fouling a ball off his foot and bruising it, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Luckily for Vargas it doesn't sound like this will be a long-term injury, as he needs to get at-bats in before spring training ends. Still, his recovery will be worth watching, because every day Vargas misses is another chance for Byungho Park to make his case for the Twins' starting designated hitter job.

Vargas limped off the field in obvious pain after a flyout during Friday's spring training game, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Vargas was slated to get as many at-bats as possible before the regular season starts as he didn't get much playing time during Puerto Rico's WBC run. This early exit wasn't about rust or a lack of conditioning -- Vargas fouled a ball off his shin -- but regardless, if he misses significant time, this injury might just open the door for Byungho Park to grab the Twins' DH job.

Martinez (foot) sprained his lisfranc ligament and will be out 3-4 weeks, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

This is a tough blow for Martinez, who injured his foot making a diving catch in a recent Grapefruit League game. The 29-year-old will now head to the DL to start the season, with his return likely falling somewhere in mid-April. With his absence looming, JaCoby Jones and Steven Moya could possibly be short-term replacements in right field to start the season.

Choi was reassigned to minor league camp Friday, Brendan Kuty of The Star-Ledger reports.

The former Angel signed with the Yankees hoping to catch on with the big-league club out of camp, but he fell short. Choi could work his way into at-bats later this season as a reserve or an emergency starter, though he sits behind Greg Bird, Chris Carter, Tyler Austin and Rob Refsnyder, at minimum, in the first base hierarchy.

Brantley is not in the Indians' Cactus League lineup Friday, Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

No reason for concern was reported, so Cleveland likely is taking it easy with Brantley, who's 3-for-9 through his first three spring games following his debut earlier in the week. Getting him a bit more rest late in spring training and possibly early in the regular season is prudent management as he returns from his shoulder injury. It may limit his value early in 2017, but his potential for returning to MVP-candidate form is increasing his fantasy draft stock.