MLB Player News

Washington outfielder Bryce Harper continued to show no problems with his swollen thumb Thursday, finishing 1 for 1 with a sacrifice fly and a stolen base during the Nationals' 5-1 Grapefruit League victory over the Mets.

Harper, who returned to the lineup after resting his sore left thumb Wednesday, has recorded a hit in 10 straight at-bats to push his batting average to a robust .484 during the spring. He has registered a hit in all but five of his 24 games during Grapefruit League play. The 20-year-old is expected to be in the starting lineup for opening day Monday against Miami.

Bryce Harper will return to the Nationals lineup Thursday, the Washington Post reports. The outfielder missed Wednesday's game due to a thumb injury suffered Tuesday.

The injury has been practically the only thing to go wrong in Harper's entire spring. He's hitting a robust .476/.507/.730 with nine extra-base hits in 67 plate appearances. 

Mets infielder Justin Turner left Wednesday's Grapefruit League contest against the Astros due to a left calf strain. He went 0 for 1 before the early exit.

"It just cramped up," Turner told ESPN.com. "The top of the second inning -- I don't remember who was hitting -- he hit a groundball down the third-base line and it was foul. When I took my first step, I kind of felt it knot up a little bit. I came up to hit in the next inning. And I hit the groundball and I was going down the line and it just cramped up on me. I got out of there and got some treatment on it, and we'll see how it feels tomorrow."

Turner is batting .295 with five RBI so far this spring.

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper was held out of Wednesday's spring lineup because of a sore thumb. Harper said he hurt his thumb pretty bad after getting jammed Tuesday, but he feels better Wednesday.

He won't hit Wednesday, but he hopes to be back in the spring lineup by Thursday or Friday. Harper said he isn't concerned about the thumb injury lingering into the season. He will just play through the soreness, if needed. Harper is batting .459 (28 for 61) with one triple, three homers, five doubles, 13 RBI and four stolen bases in 22 spring games.

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt returned to the starting lineup Tuesday against the Padres after sitting out two games with a neck injury. Belt turned in a solid performance, finishing 3 for 4 with a stolen base and an RBI-single in the seventh inning. He is hitting .453 with a .478 on-base percentage and a .906 slugging percentage in 20 Cactus League games.

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper, who is dealing with a sore left thumb, will not require an MRI, according to the Washington Post. Harper is expected to be sidelined for a few days in order to regain strength in his thumb. He is hitting .476 with three home runs and 14 RBI in 23 Grapefruit League games and is expected to be ready for opening day.

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton got back on track with the long ball Tuesday in a Grapefruit League game against Washington. Stanton, who had one home run this spring entering the game, homered twice against Dan Haren. 

Stanton homered in the first and sixth innings, each time for a solo shot, and now has three homers on the spring. The first was an opposite-field shot and the other went to dead-center field.

"I know the last couple of days he was just feeling for it maybe a little bit,” manager Mike Redmond said of Stanton's lack of homers. "Yesterday he got a ton of breaking balls. It’s going to be an ongoing process the way they are going to pitch him. He’s just got to continue to be patient and get ready for his pitch and when he gets it try to do some damage with it. I know it’s only spring training, but he hit a couple of home runs in a game. I know that would make me feel good. I was never ever able to do that but I’m sure it would feel good."

Nationals manager Davey Johnson said Tuesday that outfielder Bryce Harper is still dealing with a sore left thumb, reports MLB.com. Harper had returned to spring action Sunday, going 3 for 3 with a double and two singles, but Johnson said he'll hold him out the next couple days to allow the thumb to heal completely. He should be fine for opening day. 

I've made it pretty clear over the last couple weeks that I'd be happy to take Matt Carpenter as my starting second baseman in mixed leagues even knowing I'll need a stopgap for that first week of the season when he's still ineligible at the position.

Turns out it might be more than just a week.

With David Freese set to open the year on the DL with a sore back, Carpenter will start out at third base, with Daniel Descalso at second base. The Cardinals can backdate Freese's DL stint, so Carpenter's move to second base might only be delayed a week. If this news allows him to slip back to the 20th round or so after he started creeping into the teens in recent weeks, I'll consider it a good thing.

Matt Carpenter already secured a spot on the Cardinals' opening day roster with his tremendous showing at the plate this spring. He just won't begin the season at his projected position. Instead, Carpenter, who was slated to serve as St. Louis' regular second baseman, will shift to third base in the wake of David Freese landing on the disabled list. The move also places Daniel Descalso as the starting second baseman to open the season.