MLB Player News

Stanton (calf) will run on the field within the next two days, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

Stanton is working his way back from a Grade 1 calf strain he suffered in late February. It's unlikely that he makes it back before Opening Day, but he's been trending in the right direction. He's been able to run on a treadmill and hit off a tee in recent days.

Alvarez (knee) won't play Wednesday as previously scheduled, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Manager Dusty Baker said Tuesday that he was unsure when Alvarez would return or if he'd be ready for Opening Day. The young slugger has been dealing with knee soreness for a week, though the Astros originally didn't sound particularly concerned. If Alvarez does miss time at the start of the season, that could open up at-bats for Kyle Tucker, who is currently stuck as the team's fourth outfielder.

Canha is hitting .316 (6-for-19) with two doubles, five RBI, six walks and two runs across his first 10 Cactus League games.

The veteran outfielder enjoyed a breakout season at age 30 in 2019, slashing .273/.396/.517 with 45 extra-base hits (16 doubles, three triples, 26 home runs) and 58 RBI. The numbers helped earn him a solid pay raise to $4.8 million this offseason, as well as the inside track to the starting left field job for 2020. Canha has only further cemented his status with his solid spring at the plate thus far, and he heads into 2020 projected to log a workload on par with last season's 126 games, at minimum.

Texas manager Chris Woodward said Solak would be the team's starting left fielder "if the season started today," Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Solak replaced left fielder Willie Calhoun (jaw) in Sunday's game, then started there in a spring game against the Athletics on Monday. Calhoun, who was hit by a pitch and underwent surgery to repair a fractured jaw, will be evaluated in two weeks. At this time there isn't a concrete estimate as to when he may return. That means Solak could find an everyday home in the lineup to start the season. Solak's hitting .132 with two home runs and eight RBI over 33 spring at-bats.

Mercedes homered in his lone at-bat of Monday's spring game against the Reds.

The home run was the second in two days and fourth of spring training for Mercedes, who is making a bid to become the 26th man. He could serve as a third catcher and potent bat as a pinch hitter. Mercedes, who has no major-league experience, is batting .381 with a 1.410 OPS this spring.

Buxton (shoulder) will take live batting practice Tuesday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Buxton will hit for the first time since tearing his labrum back in September. Whether or not he's able to make Opening Day, which comes 16 days after he's scheduled to hit, remains to be seen.

Manager Aaron Boone said Stanton (calf) ran at approximately 85 percent effort on an anti-gravity treadmill Sunday and also hit in the batting cage, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Stanton remains on track to begin the season on the injured list, but he at least looks to be in line for a shorter stint on the shelf than fellow slugging outfielder Aaron Judge (ribs), who won't even be ready to resume working out for another two weeks. The 30-year-old will build up to running on the treadmill at 100 percent speed and hitting outdoors before a more precise target date for his season debut comes into focus.

Manager Dusty Baker said Monday that he hopes Alvarez (knee) will be able to return to game action Wednesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Alvarez has been shut down since last Wednesday with knee soreness, but he's on track to resume full activity Monday ahead of a likely return to a role in the starting lineup. The 22-year-old's absence is unlikely to affect his availability for Opening Day and he's expected to play a prominent role for the Astros after making his major-league debut in 2019.

Solak entered Sunday's game in left field after Willie Calhoun (jaw) was hit by a pitch and forced to leave.

Calhoun, who entered training camp as the starting left fielder, was diagnosed with a fractured jaw, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports, and the Rangers are bracing for the possibility of him being out for an extended period of the time. If Calhoun is sidelined for the beginning of the season, Solak is one possibility to take over in left field. That would solve the problem of finding consistent at-bats for Solak, who has also played center field and third base in Cactus League games.

Lewis went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in a Cactus League win over the Dodgers on Friday.

The seventh-inning blast was the second homer of spring for Lewis, who's still hitting just .143 across eight Cactus League games. In fact, Lewis hasn't hit safely over his 16 exhibition plate appearance outside of the pair of round trippers, but he's still on track to open the regular season as the starting right fielder.