MLB Player News

Manager Andy Green says Dickerson (back) will not see game action this week, Bill Center of MLB.com reports.

Green cautioned that the injury is a "little bit of a slow process," so there's still no definitive timetable for his return. However, the Padres likely won't rush the young slugger back into activities until he feels completely healthy. Dickerson emerged as a power threat for San Diego last season, finishing the year with a .455 slugging percentage and a .788 OPS.

Ozuna (shoulder) is expected to play Sunday against the Cardinals, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

The Marlins still have plenty of time to scratch Ozuna if his shoulder acts up over the next 24 hours, but it looks like the issue won't significantly delay the start of his Grapefruit League campaign.

Ozuna will not start in Saturday's Grapefruit League game due to mild shoulder discomfort, and manager Don Mattingly said he'll slowly work Ozuna into the lineup when he's ready, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Ozuna may be available sometime next week if he can heal quickly. The 26-year-old should deliver another 20-homer season in 2017 if he stays healthy, and perhaps a productive showing in RBI, but everything else about his game is up in the air, despite his youth and upside.

Dickerson (back) feels "substantial improvement" Thursday but remains on the sidelines, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

The nagging back stiffness will probably keep him out at least a few more days, though San Diego won't want to rush him back if it's more serious than initially thought. He'll probably undergo some tests to determine a more concrete timetable, so fantasy players can have a clearer picture on the sneaky power prospect in the coming weeks.

Dickerson (back) was held out of workouts for a third straight day Wednesday and will be examined by team doctors, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

What was initially thought to be a fairly minor ailment seems to be sticking around longer than expected, so the young outfielder will head to the trainer's table to see if there's a larger problem presenting itself. Back injuries are always a rough time given how much every baseball activity utilizes the back, but the severity of this particular issue is currently unclear. Once the results of the examination are revealed, a timetable for Dickerson's return to spring training should become clearer.

Dickerson was held out of workouts on Monday due to back stiffness, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Manager Andy Green added that he didn't expect it to be a long term thing, but only time will tell at this point. The 26-year-old is looking to build on a strong rookie campaign where he slashed .257/.333/.455 while knocking 10 home runs.

Winker faces an uphill battle to make the Reds' Opening Day roster, though manager Bryan Price didn't rule out the possibility. "I'd like Jesse and anyone that is close to or ready for the big leagues to press us to make a tough decision late in camp, to keep themselves in camp as late as they can," Price said. "Things happen. You can't ignore performance sometimes."

This is nearly boilerplate spring training talk from the manager -- Winker currently is slated to go back to Triple-A Louisville, where he can play every day. It's unlikely that he would stick with the big club unless he wins a starting job over Scott Schebler.

Blackmon will serve as the Rockies' leadoff hitter this season, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports.

New manager Bud Black will not shake things up at the top of the order in 2017, as Blackmon will set the table once again for Colorado. Out of the leadoff spot last season, Blackmon slashed .325/.380/.555 with 110 runs and 82 RBI.

Pederson is expected to be the Dodgers' everyday centerfielder this season, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Despite batting just .246, Pederson showed improvements at the plate in his sophomore season. He flashed more power (.495 slugging percentage and .249 isolated power rating) while maintaining his solid on-base skills (.352 on-base percentage). While the numbers don't show it (.125 with one homer in 77 plate appearances against left-handers), manager Dave Roberts was impressed with Pederson's improvements against southpaws last season. Assuming good health, the young slugger should have no problem reaching the 25 home run mark for the third season in a row.

McCutchen will bat third for the Pirates this season, MLB.com's Adam Berry reports.

While the Pirates have understandably cooled on McCutchen's outfield defense, they will still rely on him to serve as a run producer in the three hole this season. He hit .268/.349/.450 with 15 home runs and five steals (on nine attempts) over 395 plate appearances in that spot in the lineup last season.