MLB Player News

Cespedes' wrist X-ray came back negative Tuesday, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

Cespedes was scratched from Tuesday's lineup against the Astros with what was reportedly wrist soreness. The X-ray didn't reveal any broken bones in his wrist, so it appears that there's nothing significantly wrong with Cespedes.

Carpenter (back) is batting third and acting as the designated hitter for Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins.

As expected, the veteran will return to major-league action in a limited capacity. Carpenter still needs to prove his body can handle the rigors of fielding, but this is a big step forward. It remains to be seen if he'll be able to log enough innings to be ready immediately for the start of the regular season.

Ozuna has gone 4-for-28 with a home run and 13 strikeouts across 11 Grapefruit League contests.

Though the Cardinals' big offseason pickup is struggling to make contact during the spring, it's not expected to prevent Ozuna from settling into a spot in the heart of the order when Opening Day arrives. As the centerpiece of a quality lineup, Ozuna shouldn't notice too much of a downturn from the career-best marks of 37 home runs, 124 RBI and 93 runs he posted with Miami in 2017. Given that last year's .355 BABIP was almost 30 points above his career norm, however, there's a good chance Ozuna's .312 batting average falls more precipitously.

Cespedes was scratched from Tuesday's lineup with a sore right wrist, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

The injury isn't believed to be serious, and Cespedes is considered day-to-day. It's not great to see a player with his injury history removed from the lineup, and he's already battled shoulder issues this spring, but this particular injury seems unlikely to have a major impact on his readiness for Opening Day.

Cespedes was removed from the Mets' lineup for Tuesday's game against the Astros, Tim Britton of The Athletic New York reports.

No reason for the scratch has been given, and there haven't been any reports that Cespedes is injured in the past few days. He had been battling minor shoulder soreness earlier in camp, but has been back in the lineup since the start of March.

Carpenter (back) made three plate appearances in an intrasquad game Sunday and said he felt "perfect" afterward, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Carpenter grounded out, fouled out and drew a walk during his three turns at the plate and relayed that he experienced no discomfort with his back while rounding second base at one point during the game. The 32-year-old's next activity will come Tuesday against the Marlins, when he's slated to serve as the Cardinals' designated hitter in what will mark his Grapefruit League debut. If all goes well in that contest, Carpenter could return to the field later in the week, which would also serve as a good litmus test for the health of the right shoulder that often plagued him last season. Per Hummel, Cardinals infield coach Jose Oquendo has encouraged Carpenter to adjust his throwing motion when playing third base to make the veteran less susceptible to injury. If Carpenter is receptive to the change and his throwing checks out fine in the spring, he would likely see most of his action at the hot corner when the season starts, thereby opening up more at-bats at first base for Jose Martinez and Luke Voit.

Cespedes has been hitting in the No. 2 spot in the batting order this spring, Kevin Kernan of The New York Post reports.

The right-handed slugger has typically hit in the heart of the order, but new manager Mickey Callaway wants to get more on-base ability at the top of his lineup -- and Cespedes, who's posted a .350 OBP in 270 career games for the Mets, fits the bill. The move would get him a handful of extra plate appearances over the course of the season and trade a few RBI opportunities for runs, but the biggest key to his fantasy value will be simply staying healthy. The 32-year-old has already dealt with some shoulder soreness this spring, but it doesn't seem to be affecting him at the plate as he's launched three home runs in eight Grapefruit League games.

Carpenter (back) said Saturday he intends to make his spring debut for the Cardinals on Tuesday against the Marlins, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Carpenter has been dealing with back soreness since early February and indicated the plan is to serve as the team's designated hitter Tuesday. The 32-year-old remains optimistic he can be available for Opening Day, which is a realistic goal should he be able to avoid any setbacks.

Dickerson will proceed with the rehab route instead of undergoing Tommy John surgery on the UCL sprain in his left elbow, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

This remains a wait-and-see operation as Dickerson is still a few weeks away from participating in drills and will likely be sidelined from game action until the beginning of May while building the elbow back up to speed. In the event that the elbow fails to show any improvement, Dickerson will then undergo Tommy John surgery, which would end his 2018 season but give him enough time to get ready for next year. Either way, expect him to open the season on the disabled list.

McCutchen is 5-for-13 (.385) for the Giants this spring.

One of the Giants' prized offseason acquisitions has gotten off to solid start with his new club. McCutchen still hasn't delivered an extra-base hit, but the key for the veteran outfielder is that he is healthy and he has his timing down early in camp. The move to AT&T Park is never a positive for a hitter, but the 31-year-old managed to club 28 home runs while playing home games at PNC Park, which ranked in the bottom third in terms of park factors for long balls in 2017. The days of McCutchen being a 20/20 threat are in the rearview mirror, but the right fielder should be able to reach the 20-homer mark with a solid batting average and healthy counting stats while batting in the middle of San Francisco's revamped lineup.