MLB Player News

Branley (shoulder) continues to make progress in his workouts but there still is no firm timetable for the start of his rehab assignment, MLB.com reports. "He's feeling really good, so that's good. There's nothing to announce [about his game schedule]. We'll let the trainers talk to him and see what the next move is," manager Terry Francona said.

He's most certainly out for the upcoming week and likely won't return until the end of April as he works his way back from shoulder surgery.

Cespedes went 0-fo-4 with three strikeouts Saturday and started to hear boo-birds at Citi Field.

Following a hot spring, Cespedes has struggled to open the season. He is just 2-for-16 with seven strikeouts and has not yet driven in a run this year. Cespedes hot spring is but a memory, as he continues to swing at fastballs out of the zone. In addition, he showed his disdain for playing in cold weather, saying after the game, "This is not a time to be playing baseball. This is a time to be home asleep."

Blackmon is out of the lineup Saturday against the Padres, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Blackmon will sit for the second time in three games with lefty Drew Pomeranz on the hill for the Padres. Brandon Barnes will get the nod in center field and bat eighth in Blackmon's stead.

Buxton is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Royals.

The Twins will be lefty-heavy Saturday against righty Ian Kennedy, who is making his season debut after having his first start pushed back due to hamstring tightness. Buxton is always an option to come in as a pinch runner if the situation calls for it, but he shouldn't be counted upon in fantasy lineups Saturday. The switch-hitting Danny Santana will take Buxton's post in center field.

Pederson is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Giants.

With Madison Bumgarner on the hill for the Giants, the Dodgers are rolling out a primarily right-handed lineup for Saturday's contest. Pederson is 2-for-8 lifetime against Bumgarner and a career .203 hitter against lefties. Trayce Thompson will take over in center field Saturday.

Belt agreed to terms Friday on a five-year extension with the Giants, CSN Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic reports.

The financial details are not immediately available, but the deal is reportedly similar to the six-year, $75 million extension the team handed Brandon Crawford recently, although Belt's deal is expected to be slightly bigger. An average annual value of about $16 million per year starting in 2017, with a tweak to his current one-year deal for 2016 is expected. The Giants are locking up a promising young core, as Belt, who is about to turn 28, would have been a free agent following the 2017 season. San Francisco may be getting Belt at a bargain if it turns out that he has not yet peaked as a player, which is quite possible. Last year he slashed .280/.356/.478 with 18 home runs and nine steals in 137 games, and he is already getting on base at a .409 clip in the early going this year.

Cabrera was 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI against the Yankees on Friday afternoon.

He's off to a solid start, hitting .385 with a homer and three RBI. And, with Justin Upton, Victor Martinez, and J.D. Martinez surrounding him in the lineup, it could be a very good year.

Soler is starting in left field and hitting sixth Friday against the Diamondbacks.

This should become a fairly regular occurrence with the news coming down Friday that Kyle Schwarber has a fully torn ACL and LCL and will miss the rest of the season. Soler had a really rough spring training, and if those struggles carry over into extended at-bats over the first couple months, the Cubs have other internal options they can go to, but his playing time should be pretty steady for now. Matt Szczur and Ben Zobrist could also see some starts in left field going forward, along with Javier Baez once he's healthy.

Turner is back in the lineup batting third in Friday's game against the Giants.

This will be Turner's fourth start in five games, a pace we can probably expect all year assuming he's healthy.

Choi is starting at first base and hitting seventh in Friday's game against the Rangers.

This is his first start of the year, and it comes in a favorable spot for the lefty hitter against righty A.J. Griffin. C.J. Cron figures to get most of the starts at first base this year for the Angels, but if Choi impresses, he could work his way into a part-time role.