MLB Player News

Brantley (shoulder) will likely start the season on the disabled list, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Manager Terry Francona said Saturday that Brantley will be sidelined for the remainder of spring training due to his shoulder injury. Brantley has been ahead of schedule in his rehab from offseason shoulder surgery, but it's becoming increasingly clear that he won't quite be ready when the Indians open their season. Rajai Davis is the likely candidate to start in left field on Opening Day.

Buxton is certain to begin the season as Minnesota's starting center fielder with Darin Mastroianni and Carlos Quentin sent to the minors and Ryan Sweeney's release, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Buxton is hitting just .243 with 12 strikeouts and just three walks this spring. However, the Twins are looking past his spring numbers given that he'll offer outstanding defense in center field and since he's the top prospect in the organization. He'll likely begin the season hitting ninth in the batting order, but could move to the leadoff spot quickly if he's successful at the plate.

Ozuna (ankle) returned to the Marlins' Grapefruit League lineup Thursday, registering a single and a walk in three plate appearances.

He sustained a minor ankle injury Tuesday but the slugger appears to be fully healthy as he's in the lineup once again on Friday. Ozuna has been crushing the ball during exhibition play, slashing .387/.429/.710 over 31 at-bats. He's locked in as the Marlins' two-hole hitter heading into the season and is primed for a resurgence on the stat sheet from a disappointing 2016.

Cespedes (hip) was scratched from Friday's lineup because he felt something in his right shoulder making a throw Thursday though the injury isn't believed to be serious, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports.

Anytime you hear an outfielder felt something in his shoulder from making a throw, yellow flags go up. Cespedes won't play Saturday and has about a week to heal before Opening Day. Juan Lagares got the start Friday and if Cespedes is unable to throw immediately, he could be the designated hitter the first two games of the season with New York facing the Royals in Kansas City.

Cespedes did not play in Friday's spring game due to a sore right shoulder, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports.

Cespedes will get another day to rest Saturday, but his setback is not considered serious, so he should be able to return to action at some point in the next few days.

McCutchen was scratched from Friday's lineup as a precaution due to tightness in his quadriceps, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Again, the scratch is more precautionary than due to a significant ailment, so this is likely only a short-term concern. The Pirates have split squad games on Saturday, so he could return then.

Brantley (shoulder) is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Brantley appeared on track to be ready for Opening Day, but his progress has slowed and that seems doubtful. Cleveland has already been floating a plan to limit Brantley to minor league games so he can be placed on the DL retroactively, so he might not have to miss to much time to start the season. In his absence, several outfielders could see time at left field, including Rajai Davis, Joey Butler, and Marlon Byrd.

Belt had a huge day at the plate Wednesday, going 3-for-3 with a double, two homers and three RBI against the Diamondbacks.

Even more impressive than his stat line was the fact that Belt collected all three hits against left-handed pitchers. His numbers against southpaws last season (.264/.345/.457) weren't far off from his marks against righties (.287/.360/.485), but manager Bruce Bochy will likely still bench Belt against some lefties and slide Buster Posey over to first base, slightly cutting into the former's plate appearances. Belt is still considered a mid-tier first baseman heading into the season.

McCutchen hit his fifth spring homer in seven games Wednesday against Baltimore.

McCutchen appears to be taking a liking to batting second in the lineup. Either that, or his knee is healthier than it was at this time last year. Whatever the case, all systems appear to be go for the 29-year-old. McCutchen has only scored 100 runs in a season once and has never batted in 100 runs; that could change with the 20 or 30 extra at-bats he could see while batting second.

Brantley (shoulder) will be given a few days off from game action after experiencing some problems bouncing back from a pair of games over the last few days, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Brantley made his Cactus League debut Saturday and saw action again Monday and the Indians are simply going to give him some time off to let some residual side effects clear up.