MLB Player News

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt went deep again for his seventh Cactus League home run Saturday against the A's. He had a solo shot off Tommy Milone in the sixth inning. He finished 1 for 3 with a run scored and an RBI in a 12-5 loss. Belt is batting .433 with 17 RBI in 60 at-bats this spring.

Mets infielder Justin Turner, who was dealing with a sprained right ankle, returned to the starting lineup Saturday against the Nationals. Turner, who started at second base, went 0 for 3 in a 3-1 victory. He is hitting .281 with five RBI in 32 at-bats this spring.

Marlins outfield prospect Marcell Ozuna will miss the start of the season after suffering a broken bone in his left hand when he crashed into a chain-link fence chasing a fly ball earlier this week. Ozuna is expected to be sidelined four to six weeks after X-rays revealed a hairline fracture at the base of the fourth metacarpal of his left (non-throwing) hand near the wrist.

"He's getting ice and treatment, and doing all the things he can physically do to stay in shape," Miami vice president of player development Marty Scott told the Sun Sentinel.

Ozuna, considered the No. 5 overall prospect in the organization, went 4 for 11 during Grapefruit League play before being optioned to Double-A Jacksonville on March 11.

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper was scratched from Saturday's Grapefruit League contest against the Mets because of swelling in his left hand but the issue is not a major concern, the Washington Post reports. Harper jammed his hand during Friday's game and insisted on playing Saturday.

Manager Davey Johnson said the 20-year-old would likely return to the starting lineup on Sunday. Harper, entering his first full season with the Nationals, is hitting .400 with three homers and 12 RBI through 20 games this spring.

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen was scratched from the lineup for Saturday's Grapefruit League contest against the Red Sox due to flu-like symptoms, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. McCutchen, who finished third in the NL MVP Award voting last season, is hitting just .194 this spring. He also has two home runs and eight RBI over 14 exhibition games.

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt has always had the physical tools to translate his minor-league success to the big-league level, and he finally thinks he has developed the mental fortitude to become a big-time producer his season.

"There are going to be some tough times in there," Belt told the San Jose Mercury Friday. "But I'm not the same player from a mental aspect. I know what to expect now. I'm going in with a lot more confidence this year."

Belt had arguably his finest performance of the spring Friday in Cactus League action against the Rockies, as he went 4 for 4 in an 11-6 win. He wound up one triple short of a cycle in the game, hitting his second home run late in the game instead. He drove in four runs and raised his batting average to .439 in 18 spring games. 

Mets infielder Daniel Murphy took batting practice Friday, but is still not expected to return to the lineup for a few days as he continues to deal with an intercostal strain. Murphy will not be in the lineup Saturday. Mets manager Terry Collins told reporters that if Murphy is to be ready for opening day, he will have to get into a game by this weekend. If Murphy is not ready for opening day, Justin Murphy is expected to get the call at second base to open the season. 

Phillies outfielder Darin Ruf went 2 for 4 and clubbed a game-winning, solo homer in the ninth inning to lift Philadelphia to a 7-6 win over Atlanta in Grapefruit League play Friday. Ruf, who also drew a walk and scored three times, recorded his second homer of the spring off Daniel Rodriguez.

Following his late heroics, the Phillies optioned him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, essentially providing Domonic Brown the starting job in left field for the upcoming season. "He's gonna be a big-time hitter," manager Charlie Manuel said of Ruf. "I think he's got a bright career."

The growing buzz surrounding Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter this spring reached another level Friday as he was slotted as the leadoff hitter during the team's Grapefruit League game against Houston. Carpenter is considered the leading candidate to serve as the starting second baseman on opening day after entering play Friday with a .396 batting average and seven doubles.

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny cited Carpenter's strong ability to reach base as an impetus for putting him atop the lineup -- he ranks third in the Grapefruit League with a sterling .491 on-base percentage.

"I think that is something that could potentially crop up during the season with Matt's ability to get on base," Matheny told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "We're never going to ignore that at the top of our lineup."

Mets manager Terry Collins didn't have an update Wednesday on the status of third baseman David Wright, who is battling an intercostal strain, but said he was more confident about Wright being ready for opening day than Daniel Murphy, who is dealing with the same injury, The Star-Ledger reported.

Collins added if Wright is ready and Murphy is not, then he's leaning toward playing Justin Turner over Jordany Valdespin at second base.