MLB Player News

McCutchen hit his fifth spring homer in seven games Wednesday against Baltimore.

McCutchen appears to be taking a liking to batting second in the lineup. Either that, or his knee is healthier than it was at this time last year. Whatever the case, all systems appear to be go for the 29-year-old. McCutchen has only scored 100 runs in a season once and has never batted in 100 runs; that could change with the 20 or 30 extra at-bats he could see while batting second.

Ozuna (ankle) was scratched from Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals, MLB.com reports.

Ozuna departed from Tuesday's game after just three innings when he injured his ankle on an awkward slide. Ozuna was 2-for-2 in the game prior to departing and has put together a strong spring so far, slashing .379/.406/.724 in 29 at-bats. Expect him back in the lineup in the coming days.

Blackmon is slashing .242/.419/.455 with two home runs this spring.

The left-hander has been getting on base at a very nice clip this spring thanks to nine walks, and the fact that three of his eight hits this spring have gone for extra bases helped boost his slugging percentage to a healthy size. If Blackmon can produce this kind of slash line at the top of the Rockies lineup this season, he'll continue to be a valuable fantasy asset with a rare combination of power and speed.

Pederson went 0-for-3 against the Royals on Tuesday, but he's still hitting .324 this spring and is set to be the everyday center fielder.

The average looks nice, but Pederson has struck out 16 times and walked just twice in 37 at-bats. He's likely to hit in the bottom third of the order initially.

Cespedes went 1-for-3 with a single in Sunday's exhibition, extending his spring hit streak to nine games.

He has just one extra-base hit over that nine-game span (a double), but Cespedes is hitting with consistency, and what's really important at this stage is his health. Cespedes was hit on the wrist by pitch Thursday, but there were no noticeable ill effects after a couple days off, and he's in the lineup in center field and batting third again Tuesday.

The Padres optioned Dickerson to Triple-A El Paso on Monday.

In the competition for a spot as a reserve outfielder and first baseman, Dickerson didn't distinguish himself this spring, batting .111/.333/.111 with two RBI, two runs, and three strikeouts versus four walks in 18 at-bats. He'll now serve as organizational depth at Triple-A.

Belt (undisclosed) returned to the lineup Sunday, going 4-for-4 with four RBI and his first home run of the spring in the 10-4 win over Colorado.

Belt was scratched from Saturday's lineup for undisclosed reasons, but the club stated that it was not injury-related. He reassured owners by having his best day at the plate during Cactus League play. Belt has the starting first base job locked down for Opening Day, but he will likely lose 10-15 starts when Buster Posey slides over to first base during his "off days."

Carpenter went 2-for-3 with a double and a home run Sunday to raise his spring average to .208.

Carpenter hit leadoff, his presumed lineup spot for Opening Day and looked a bit more comfortable than earlier this spring. He still has a couple weeks to fine-tune his swing but he should be in line for another very good year.

Harper hit his first two home runs of the spring, both off Justin Verlander, in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers.

Verlander had yet to be scored upon this spring before Harper got to work, and his second shot (a blast over the batter's eye wall in straightaway center field) was one of the longest home runs ever hit at Joker Marchant Stadium and drew admiration from Tigers legends like Al Kaline and Willie Horton. Harper appears to be in midseason form already, and ready to defend his NL MVP award.

Belt was scratched from Saturday's lineup but is not dealing with any kind of ailment, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The team said Belt's OK and the 27-year-old later confirmed that he's healthy, saying there is "absolutely nothing wrong" with him. Belt is fully expected to return to the lineup for Sunday's exhibition. He has walked more times than he has struck out so far in Cactus League play, but Belt is still looking for his first homer of the spring.