MLB Player News

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.

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.

What you're seeing Brandon Belt do in spring training (.417 average, four home runs, 1.294 OPS) is exactly what he did in the minor leagues -- he had a .343 average over two seasons, with a 1.052 OPS and 27 total steals over 670 at-bats.

The major-league version of Belt has been less impressive for the San Francisco Giants: a .259 average and .762 OPS in 598 at-bats. Belt isn't incapable of performing, or even excelling, at the major league level. He was bounced around between outfield and first base in 2011, and started to hit a stride last year, but was still bumped occasionally so Buster Posey could play first base. In other words, his development could have been stunted a bit by all the moving around and somewhat erratic playing time. 

Belt is still just 24, and that power could start popping this season. He currently has an ADP of 262, which will probably start to rise as more Fantasy players take note of the spring stats and dig into his minor league past. Consider him a viable starting first base candidate in mixed leagues. And if you do that, you can use those early round would-be first base picks to strengthen other positions. 

Bryce Harper is going in either the second or third round of most drafts, a spot that shows a lot of optimism for the Nationals' 20-year old. Personally, I like him to do big things in 2013, following in the footsteps of Mickey Mantle, Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey, Jr. -- who all had relatively unimpressive 19-year-old seasons and then exploded the next year. It stinks that the hype has pushed Harper so far up (I was banking on him as a solid fifth-round pick), but you  might get him at a decent price in auctions, if he stays around $28-$31. It's a hefty price, but history points to Harper taking a major step forward in 2013. 

CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman reports the Cardinals are planning for infielder Pete Kozma to start at shortstop in Rafael Furcal's absence since Daniel Descalso and Matt Carpenter are both playing well battling for the starting second base job. Kozma is having a great spring, batting .382 (13 for 34) with two homers, three doubles, six runs and seven RBI in 11 spring games.