MLB Player News

Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera was able to take batting practice on the field on Monday, according to mlive.com.

It was the first time this spring Cabrera was able to take BP on the field. He also ran on the AlterG treadmill the club recently ordered and received. Manager Brad Ausmus said the team has been constantly checking in with Cabrera, and knew he would be able to get back on the field a couple of days ago. When asked about Cabrera's performance, Ausmus said, "he looked good."

Cabrera came into camp limited with an ankle injury. He's working his way back and hopes to be ready for opening day. The 31-year-old hit .313/.371/.524 over 611 at-bats last year. 

Indians manager Terry Francona said Monday outfielder Michael Brantley (back) will likely make his spring debut Thursday against the Reds, per MLB.com. He added second baseman Jason Kipnis (hand) might not be far behind.

Francona also said Brandon Moss (hip) might be slightly ahead of a mid-March estimate to make his spring debut. However, the mid-March timetable for Nick Swisher (knees) hasn't changed.

Phillies outfielder Darin Ruf will be competing with Grady Sizemore, Odubel Herrera and Jordan Danks for playing time -- and potentially the starting job -- in left field this spring. The Phillies hope Ruf will be up to the challenge and make the decision difficult as to who to keep on the roster, per The Philadelphia Daily News.

"It all depends on him," general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said of Ruf, who has played parts of the last three seasons with the Phillies. "He's going to get opportunities to play. Sizemore looks very good. The decisions that we make will be based on performance here in spring, whether we think they can help us on a regular basis during the season. And once we break with the team, it's going to be about [manager Ryne Sandberg] trying to put the best team out there to win baseball games."

Ruf is a natural first baseman, but he has been learning to play in left field since 2012. Still, the Phillies have to see if they can trust him on a regular basis playing the position.

"I don't know," Amaro said. "He could. He could. We'll find out. We'll find out a little more about him. He's not an outfielder per se, but he seems to move fine out there and he doesn't seem to make mistakes. It's still a learning process for him . . . You can't lose sight of the defense. And we have to be aware of that. We have to win games playing all phases of the games. Defense and pitching are important. Guys have to be good enough defensively not to be liabilities out there, so they can help us win games."

With the Nationals losing first baseman Adam LaRoche to free agency, outfielder Bryce Harper knows he needs to increase his production, reports MLB.com.

"I'll help out for sure," Harper said. "After losing LaRoche, I have to step up a little bit. I have to do what I need to do. Our pitching is going to take us to the top, hopefully, but we still have to have offense. We have to do the things we need to do. I'm ready to go. I'll be feeling good."

Harper said the key to his success in 2015 will be sticking to his approach and not trying to overdo it.

"I have to see what [pitchers] are going to do to me, see how they approach me, really just working my pitch and not go out of my comfort zone," Harper said. "If I can do that, stay within myself and have a little bit of fun at the plate, that will go a long way."

Tigers outfielder Yoenis Cespedes said he feels comfortable in Detroit and wants to remain a Tiger for a long time, reports the Detroit Free Press.

"I would like to be in a Tigers uniform for a lot of years," he said. "This is a good team now and will be for a lot of years to come."

Dodgers infielder Justin Turner earned a nonroster invitation to the team's camp last year and ended up leading the team in batting average, and he's been working on his body like a fiend over the winter, MLB.com reports.

"Going into last year, we felt if he played every day, he'd get in trouble, and we found that out, but this year maybe he can handle more," manager Don Mattingly said Friday. "He's really been diligent about his work, been at Dodger Stadium almost daily. He's put a lot of time in and it shows."

Turner credited strength-and-conditioning coach Brandon McDaniel for his workout success.

"Brandon did everything. He's been a one-man wrecking crew," said Turner. "He and his family deserve the credit. I've been able to establish a routine and train consistently. Before I signed a year ago, I was on my own, going to 24 Hour Fitness, had to coordinate everything myself."

Turner added that he lost 18 pounds this winter through a healthier diet. Mattingly said that he intends to use the infielder at the corner-infield positions and also potentially up the middle.

Royals infielder Christian Colon skipped playing winter ball in Puerto Rico to get ready for what he hopes will be a long season in the majors, MLB.com reports.

"I just worked out, worked on my body," Colon said Friday. "I just continued to hit and take ground balls. I've lost about 10 pounds and gained some good weight. I'm able to move around better, and that's all I was looking for."

Colon made his major-league debut in 2014 and went 15 for 45 with the Royals. He also hit .311/.366/.433 with eight home runs, 47 RBI and 15 stolen bases in 344 at-bats with Triple-A Omaha.

Indians outfielder Michael Brantley was ranked 13th in FanGraphs' overall defensive rating out of 15 players who logged at least 800 innings in left field in 2014, a ranking manager Terry Francona "can't understand," Cleveland.com reports.

"For the life of me, I can't understand it," Francona said. "I really don't. That's something that perplexes me to no end. He is one of the better left fielders in the game. I don't get it. I don't know if I ever will."

Brantley was one of three finalists for the American League Golden Glove Award last year for his position despite finishing the season with a minus-6.3 UZR/150. His minus-10.4 overall defensive rating marked his second season with a mark worse than minus-10 in the category.

"I think the [advanced] stats are deceiving," Francona said. "We see him every time. We see Brantley for 162 games and he does it over and over and over and over and over. He's so consistent and his arm is such a factor. I don't know where they came up with that. I don't care."

Brantley committed just one error in 2014 while racking up a career-high 12 outfield assists. He also delivered his finest season at the plate, hitting .327/.385/.506 with 20 home runs, 97 RBI and 23 stolen bases in 611 at-bats.

Athletics manager Bob Melvin indicated that Mark Canha is ahead of Nate Freiman for the backup first baseman job, according to the San Francisco Chronicle on Thursday. Melvin indicated a few days earlier that may see playing time in the outfield as well as at first base.

Canha was acquired after being selected by the Rockies in the Rule 5 draft this offseason. He spent most of his playing time in the minors at first base. He slashed 303/.384/.505 with 20 home runs and 82 RBI in 465 at-bats with Triple-A New Orleans in 2014.

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton faced live pitching Thursday for the first time since being struck in the face by a pitch in September. Although, Stanton didn't take any swings and just tracked the 10 pitches he saw.

"I think it is a day he's been anticipating for a long time," manager Mike Redmond said, per MLB.com. "No doubt, as his season ended last year was tough to watch. For any player, that is a tough way to go. I'm anticipating him just getting in there and tracking some pitches like he's done a million times, and there will be no problems."