MLB Player News

CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman reports the Marlins' opening day roster is beginning to take shape. Heyman said the defensive alignment will be Rob Brantly at catcher, Casey Kotchman at first base, Donovan Solano at second base, Adeiny Hechavarria at shortstop, Placido Polanco at third base, Juan Pierre in left field, Justin Ruggiano in center field and Giancarlo Stanton in right field.

The rotation isn't settled yet, but Ricky Nolasco, Henderson Alvarez and Nate Eovaldi have secured spots. The final two spots remain up for grabs.

The Cleveland Indians are continuing to discuss contract extensions with outfielder Michael Brantley and infielder Jason Kipnis as of Monday, reports FOX Sports. 

Cleveland has been working with Brantley on an extension since before they signed Michael Bourn. Brantley, who turns 26 in May, is moving from center to left field with Bourn in tow. That means he's likely to make less money than he would have made had the team not picked up Bourn. 

Either way, both Brantley and Kipnis are starters as the infielder projects to open the season as the team's second baseman. Brantley is batting .368 this spring with two RBI and four doubles over 19 at-bats. Meanwhile, Kipnis is hitting just .162 with a homer and three RBI over 37 at-bats, but drove in 76 runs for the Tribe last season. 

With two key regulars of the Mets' infield -- third baseman David Wright and second baseman Daniel Murphy -- nursing injuries, manager Terry Collins devised a contingency plan Sunday in case the two are unavailable for opening day.

Justin Turner, who has the ability to play several positions in the infield, would assume Wright's spot at third base, while Jordany Valdespin could take over second base, which would place a short-term hold on his development as an outfielder.

After cracking the majors for the first time last season, Valdespin has improved immensely on offense this spring. He slugged his fourth homer in Grapefruit League play Sunday against Atlanta and is now carrying a .378 batting average through 13 games.

The Chicago Cubs made another wave of cuts Sunday, optioning outfielder Jorge Soler to Class A Daytona; shortstop Junior Lake to Triple-A Iowa and third baseman Christian Villanueva to Double-A Tennessee.

At just 21, Soler is viewed as one of the club's top prospects, but the Cubs have been adamant about not rushing his development. He posted a .299 batting average with 12 extra-base hits and 12 stolen bases in just 34 games across two lower levels of the minors last year.

ESPN reports X-rays on Mets infielder Justin Turner's sprained right ankle were negative, meaning there is no fracture. Turner suffered the injury during Saturday's spring game against the Marlins.

Turner is the leading candidate to start at third base for the Mets, if starter David Wright (rib) isn't ready by opening day. If Turner is unavailable, then Brandon Hicks, Zach Lutz and Wilmer Flores could all be candidates to play third base for New York.

Athletics left fielder Yoenis Cespedes contributed to a long day for Angels starting pitcher Jered Weaver, hitting his first home run of the spring in the second inning. It was the only hit in three trips to the plate for Cespedes, who is hitting just .194/.324/.323 during the exhibition season.

He'll be looking to avoid the slow start that plagued him during his standout rookie season, when he hit .245/.319/.434 before a May injury sent him to the DL despite homering in three of his first four games.

Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon returned to the lineup in Saturday's contest against the Mariners in Cactus League play. Blackmon, who has been out since March 1 with a right knee infection, slapped a pair of doubles in his first game back. He went 2 for 4 in a 5-2 victory. Blackmon is hitting .667 (6 for 9) with two RBI this spring.

Just two days after losing starting third baseman David Wright to a rib injury, the Mets may have lost his replacement. Justin Turner, the leading candidate to replace Wright if he is not ready for opening day, suffered a sprained right ankle in the fourth inning of Saturday's game against Miami while attempting a throw.

Turner was taken to the hospital to take precautionary X-rays. "I don't think Justin's very serious, the way that it sounded," manager Terry Collins said after the game. "It is what it is. You can't get discouraged. You can't get down. You have to get yourself ready for the next day."

Wright has a left intercostal muscle strain and is expected to rest for up to four days before he is re-evaluated. Collins said Zach Lutz, the lone remaining third baseman on the 40-man roster, will start against the Braves on Sunday.

Mets infielder Justin Turner left Saturday's Grapefruit League game against Miami with a right ankle sprain and was sent to the hospital for precautionary X-rays, the team announced. Turner, who was replacing the recently sidelined David Wright (back, ribs) at third base, suffered the injury after it appeared his leg buckled on an errant throw to first base. He sported a noticeable limp as he left the field under his own power and was replaced by Brandon Hicks at third.

Turner finished 1 for 1 before the early exit and is now hitting .286 during the spring. He is expected to land a spot on the opening day roster based on his versatility at several positions.

Please, Daniel Descalso, won't you just go away?

The Cardinals are so close to naming Matt Carpenter their starter at second base -- with manager Mike Matheny recently saying he no longer sees him as a liability at the position -- that I'm pretty much to the point where I'm passing on every other second baseman in the draft (after Ben Zobrist goes off the board, anyway), knowing that I can grab Carpenter and his Martin Prado-like skill set late. It's just that Descalso -- that pesky little glove man who everybody knows brings almost nothing to the table offensively -- decided to hit a little himself this spring.

Both got two hits Friday against the Nationals, bringing Carpenter's batting average up to .417 and Descalso's up to .342. Again, I think it's a foregone conclusion who wins the job, but what if Carpenter slumps the last two weeks and Descalso doesn't? Would it make a difference to Matheny?

I don't know, but I'm going crazy wondering.