MLB Player News

Canha (back) is expected to miss the first few spring games, MLB.com's Jane Lee reports.

He was pulled from Tuesday's intrasquad game due to back stiffness, so hopefully he will be ready to return to the field after a few games off. Right now it looks like Canha is ticketed for the short side of a first base platoon with Yonder Alonso, so his fantasy value is limited to very deep leagues as the season approaches.

Indians manager Terry Francona remains optimistic that Brantley (shoulder) is ahead of the initial late April/early May timetable, although he would not go as far as saying he was optimistic about his star outfielder being ready for Opening Day, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports.

There is not an adjusted timetable available, but by reading between the lines, it seems like Brantley could return in mid-April. Brantley is not be a lock to reach double-digit homers or double-digit steals if he misses too much time, so it would be a boon for his owners if he only missed a couple weeks. It is unclear how much the shoulder issue will affect him at the plate though, so his value should be slightly discounted in that respect as well.

Canha was pulled from Tuesday's intrasquad game due to some back stiffness, reports Jane Lee of MLB.com.

Canha enters the spring looking to find at-bats at first base and the outfield and his spring production could be vital towards obtaining that playing time. The back stiffness is considered minor, but if were forced to miss any time, it could impact his role to start the regular season.

Ozuna will open the exhibition season batting second in the Marlins' lineup, the Miamie Herald reports.

After an offseason of uncertainty with trade rumors swirling, it appears Manager Don Mattingly is ready to start Ozuna with clean slate. The outfielder struggled last season to match his breakout 2014 campaign, slashing just .259/.308/.383 in 2015 a year after belting 23 home runs during his first full season in the majors. Batting in front of Christian Yelich and Giancarlo Stanton will provide Ozuna plenty of run-scoring opportunities if he is able to stick near the top of Miami's lineup.

Astros manager A.J. Hinch said Reed can win the first base job this spring, Phil Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Reed hit the cover off the ball last season between High-A Lancaster and Double-A Corpus Christi (.340/.432/.612 with 34 home runs and 127 RBI) and he reported to camp in much better shape than he did last year. While this news sounds promising, the 22-year-old is not being handed the job. He'll have to beat out veterans Luis Valbuena and Marwin Gonzalez and high-upside players Jonathan Singleton and Tyler White to earn the role this spring.

Brantley (shoulder) progressed to hitting soft toss Monday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Before Monday, the outfielder was only able to take swings off of a tee, so it's good to see some solid evidence of his progression through the rehab process. There is no indication that his timetable has changed, so barring any extraneous leaps in his rehab program, Brantley will likely miss Opening Day and return a few weeks after the start of the season.

Turner (knee) will be held out of the first week of spring training action, MLB.com's Ken Gurnick reports.

Manager Dave Roberts will take it easy with Turner early this spring, but Turner remains on track to be ready to go by Opening Day. As long as he is healthy he is slated to open the season as the Dodgers' primary third baseman.

Soler was in left field during Friday's outfield drills, the team's official site reports.

Soler played mostly right field in 2015, but with Dexter Fowler now on board to play center, Jason Heyward will shift to right, forcing Soler, Kyle Schwarber, and Shane Victorino to battle it out in left. While it's looking like Schwarber and Soler will platoon in left, expect there to be more movement in Cubs camp before the team heads north.

Soler's playing time in 2016 will likely take a hit with the Cubs' decision to re-sign Dexter Fowler on Thursday, the Chicago Tribune reports.

With Fowler in center and Jason Heyward in right, Soler may platoon with Kyle Schwarber in left, seeing his start there against left-handed pitching, or against righties when manager Joe Maddon deploys Schwarber behind the plate in place of Miguel Montero. A trade out of Chicago or an injury to one of the regulars in front of him appear to be Soler's only paths to everyday playing time this season.

Brantley (shoulder) continues to progress but remains limited to hitting from a tee, MLB.com reports.

It's certainly good news that Brantley hasn't suffered any setbacks thus far as he works his way back from offseason shoulder surgery. He's still unlikely to be ready for Opening Day but we'll have a better idea once he's able to take the next step forward in his rehab.