MLB Player News

Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson still doesn't know what his role will be when Opening Day rolls around, but he's showing he belongs on the roster, reports MLB.com.

"There's always stuff I need to work on, and I need to continue to impress," Pederson said after launching his fifth home run of the spring Saturday, boosting his batting average to .373.

Manager Don Mattingly remains quiet on what he will do when the decision has to be made, but Pederson is doing what he can to impress.

"[Opening Day] is out of my control," Pederson said. "It's something you dream about as a kid, playing in the big leagues, and you do anything you can to make that dream come true."

Tigers manager Brad Ausmus expressed optimism he will have both first baseman Miguel Cabrera and designated hitter Victor Martinez available for Opening Day, reports MLive.com.

"I'd say, as of right now, I'm optimistic that we can have them both ready for Opening Day," Ausmus said. "But I'm probably more optimistic that at this point that Miggy will be ready to play."

Cabrera, who hit his second home run of spring training Saturday, missed nearly a month after surgery to remove bone spurs in his right ankle while Martinez underwent surgery in early February for a torn meniscus in his left knee.

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper remained in the game after slipping on the warning track while fielding a ball on Saturday, according to masnsports.com.

The same report stated that Harper was flexing his right hand after bracing his fall while tracking down a ball. Manager Matt Williams said that Harper is fine.

Harper, 22, is hitting .233 this spring with two homers and nine strikeouts.

Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run home run for the Tigers on Saturday, the second straight game in which he's homered. 

Cabrera went one for three and brought his spring average to .385.

Manager Brad Ausmus said he'd be "a little surprised" if Cabrera was not in the Tigers' lineup on opening day. 

Victor Martinez, also returning from injury, has also begun playing in Tigers' spring games. Ausmus said he was optimistic Martinez would also be ready for Opening Day, but he wasn't as optimistic as he was for Cabrera. 

With the No. 2 spot still undecided in the Cubs' lineup, manager Joe Maddon said outfielder Jorge Soler could be the man for the job, according to MLB.com.

“He’s a really interesting baseball player,” Maddon said. “I’d heard good things, but his impression on me has been really strong.”

Outfielder Chris Coghlan has been the frontrunner for the role but Maddon likes Soler's plate discipline.

“With [Soler], it goes beyond his power. This guy looks over a baseball now. This guy has great decision-making ability at the plate," Maddon said. That bleeds into either you’re driving in the second leadoff hitter plus one, or he’s setting up somebody after him because the guy is going to take his walks."

Soler is hitting .333 this spring with three home runs, eight doubles and 20 RBI.

Indians outfielder Michael Brantley will miss his fifth game in a row on Saturday, due to back tightness, per Paul Hoynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. 

Brantley is expected to return to the Indians' lineup for Sunday's game. 

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly still hasn't awarded the center field job to anyone. 

With a week to go in spring training, Andre Ethier and Joc Pederson are still vying for the starting role. Mattingly said he hasn't made a decision, "Because I don't have to yet," per MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. 

Pederson is hitting .375 with nine RBI this spring. Ethier is at .333, also with nine RBI. 

Athletics first baseman Mark Canha has shown a flair for the dramatic this spring.

On Friday, he hit a walk-off, three-run home run, surprising no one. 

"The only question was whether he was going to hit it to right or hit it to left," manager Bob Melvin said, per SFGate. 

Two days earlier, Canha hit a two-out, two-run, game-tying home run in the ninth inning. 

"It’s fun. That’s what I try to tell myself in those situations, just have fun, because I tend to get nervous," Canha said. 

Canha is a Rule V pick, meaning the Athletics have to keep him on the MLB roster or risk losing him. He's hitting .267 with three homers and five RBI so far this spring. 

Indians outfielder Michael Brantley is battling off injury issues this spring. But, the outfielder is still working to get better. And listening to his father, reports MLB.com.

"Hitting it over the left fielder's head -- not always in front," Michael Brantley said. "Making sure that we're catching the ball still out front, but still staying through it so we could stay behind the ball and drive the ball to left-center and over the left fielder's head this year."

His dad, Mickey Brantley is now a hitting coach and continues to give his son advice. Brantley wants to continue to be aggressive at the plate.

"That's not going to change. It worked OK," Brantley said with a laugh. "I don't want to change things that work. There's no set way of going about it, but you've got to be aggressive in this game. The pitching is getting too good to not be aggressive anymore."

Indians manager Terry Francona said Friday the team is taking no chances with outfielder Michael Brantley, who still had back soreness Friday, per MLB.com. Francona said Brantley is likely to miss a few more spring games and has no specific game in mind for his return.

Brantley, who is coming off a breakout season in 2014, is batting .321 (9 for 28) with one double, two runs, two RBI, two walks and three strikeouts in 10 spring games.