MLB Player News

Brantley (shoulder) took non-contact swings at the team's spring training facility Wednesday, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports.

This will probably be standard for Brantley over the coming weeks, as he is not expected to return from labrum surgery until late April or early May. That timetable is far from precise, and if he misses too much time, a fourth straight double-double season would be tough to accomplish. That said, he has hit above .284 in four straight seasons, so his reasonable floor is four months of a high average hitter who is hitting near the top of Cleveland's lineup.

A season after getting a late start due to a knee ailment, McCutchen is already working out at the Pirates' spring training complex. "I'm ready to go, as opposed to last year," McCutchen told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. That's why I've been here working out."

"Baseball's back, and I'm looking forward to it," McCutchen said. "My knee's great, my body's great. I won't have to worry about that at all. I'm motivated in the sense that I didn't do ... physically, I wasn't where I needed to be at the beginning of the season." The Pittsburgh center fielder looks to improve upon his recent early-season performance. He's struggled in April, posting a .246/.343/.428 split from 2013 to 2015.

Brantley (shoulder) is expected to return from labrum surgery sometime in late April or early May, but the projection is admittedly hazy, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reports.

Hoynes reports that the Indians have been encouraged by Brantley's recovery, but the uncertainty surrounding when he can begin his rehab isn't exactly reassuring. Any extended absence will have to be covered by Rajai Davis and Collin Cowgill in left field. What's also worrying is that Brantley apparently enjoys swinging in the offseason, which could potentially lead to a slow start. "In the offseason people know I love to hit," said Brantley. "I hit a lot. It's just been a change in my timetable."

Belt and the Giants agreed to a one-year, $6.2 million contract, avoiding arbitration, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The deal goes just a bit in favor of the Giants, as it falls a bit short of the $6.4 million midpoint. The 27-year-old bounced back nicely last season with a .280 batting average, an .834 OPS, and 18 home runs. Now that his contract situation is out of the way, Belt can return to being a solid fantasy option at first base, assuming he can replicate his 2015 numbers.

The Tigers and Martinez agreed to a two-year contract Monday, avoiding arbitration, Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish reports.

Martinez backed up his breakout in 2014 with 38 homers and 102 RBI last season en route to a final slash line of .282/.344/.535. As he enters his age-29 season, he's been afforded some security with the aim of truly cashing in once this new deal is complete.

Indians manager Terry Francona acknowledged that it is unlikely Brantley (shoulder) will be ready to rejoin the team's lineup by Opening Day, the Indians' official site reports. "He won't open the season, most likely, with us," Francona said of Brantley. "We'll look at a number of guys. We'll see what fits the best. We'll probably have some platooning going on, especially earlier in the year. There's a number of guys that are coming in [to help]."

A report in December suggested that Brantley was behind schedule in his rehab following offseason shoulder surgery, but the Indians quickly released a statement to shoot that down. With Lonnie Chisenhall already expected to see regular time in right field against right-handed starters, there may be an open competition in spring training for the starts on that side of the platoon in left while Brantley goes through the final stages of his recovery in April. Barring the addition of a left-handed hitting veteran to the outfield mix this spring, Tyler Naquin and James Ramsey could emerge as candidates to work in tandem with Rajai Davis, Joey Butler, and Collin Cowgill.

Winker will probably begin the 2016 season at Triple-A Louisville, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

This is the obvious strategy for the Reds - Winker spent all of 2015 at Double-A Pensacola, coming on strong after initially struggling. He's not yet on the 40-man roster, and the team won't contend, so there's no rush to start his options clock.

Turner (knee) has not dealt with any setbacks in his recovery from a microfracture procedure in November, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Turner reportedly had a portion of the cartilage torn off the outside of his knee in the postseason, requiring him to undergo the surgery shortly after the season. Assuming the rest of his rehab process goes as planned, the 31-year-old third baseman should be ready for the beginning of spring training.

Two years ago, Marcell Ozuna looked like a rising star, coming off a season in which he clubbed 23 homers and hit .269 as a 23-year-old. He slumped in a big way last year, however, ultimately winding up with a dubiously deserved trip to the minors to work on his swing. Which Ozuna should Fantasy owners expect this season; the one who could hit 30 homers, or the barely replacement-level player we saw for most of last season.

Ozuna's power largely disappeared last season, especially prior to his demotion. He hit just four homers in his first 79 games, and it's not hard to see why -- he stopped hitting the ball in the air. Ozuna's swing was all out of whack, and he sported a 53.3 percent groundball rate in the first half of the season. However, he lowered that groundball rate to 38.9 percent after returning from the minors, and hit six homers in 42 games, while hitting .278/.320/.469.

Ozuna's Fantasy value is going to depend on his ability to hit 20-plus homers, and he can't do that if half of his batted balls are on the ground. With the adjustments he made in the second half of the season, there is reason to believe he can get back to his 2014 levels, if not improve on them.

Now that Yoenis Cespedes has re-signed with the reigning National League Champions one may wonder if he can continue his magical run from the second half of 2015. Cespedes was a monster in the Big Apple last season, posting a .942 OPS that would have ranked third amongst outfielders behind only Bryce Harper and Mike Trout had he maintained it for the entire season.

Cespedes set career highs in 2015 in nearly every offensive category and it's likely that they will remain career highs at the end of 2016. Cespedes' high strikeout totals are costly in point leagues and will prevent him from being a top fifteen outfielder moving forward. His power numbers will likely regress to the 25 home run range, leaving you with an outfielder that should be drafted in the fifth round or later.