MLB Player News

Manager Dave Roberts suggested Friday that Trayce Thompson is not currently a threat to Pederson's role as the primary center fielder, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports.

Thompson's heavy spring usage has led to speculation that he could be in the running for regular time in center, but it remains Pederson's job for now. However, if Pederson struggles as badly as he did down the stretch last year, Thompson and/or Enrique Hernandez could force a platoon or perhaps eventually an outright swap at the position.

Winker will miss a couple days with a strained hip flexor, the Cincinnati Enquirer's C. Trent Rosecrans reports.

The Reds' top prospect was involved in a collision in Thursday's game, and while Winker insists he is fine, the club will take a cautious approach and sit him for a couple games this weekend. He should start the season at Triple-A, but could be up in May or June if he gets off to a good start, at which point he would be worth a pickup in most formats. However, the uncertainty surrounding his callup date, along with questions about his offensive ceiling make him a risky stash in standard leagues.

Turner (knee) hopes to make his Cactus League debut Monday, MLB.com's Ken Gurnick reports.

He will have had about 35 at-bats in minor league camp by then, and has not experienced any setbacks with his knee injury. If he does indeed get in the lineup with the big league club Monday, he would be on track to be ready for Opening Day.

Winker was scratched from Friday's lineup after being involved in a collision in Thursday's game, the Cincinnati Enquirer's C. Trent Rosecrans reports.

He is day-to-day with a hip issue, but Winker said he is fine, so the Reds appear to simply be holding him out Friday as a precaution. Look for him to get back into Cactus League action in the coming days.

Soler hit a home run against the Mariners on Thursday, his first hit of the spring.

Soler is not off to a good start, and given the outfielders added to the roster in recent weeks, he might need to do a little bit more than usual to impress manager Joe Maddon. Thursday's injury to Kyle Schwarber might give him a better opportunity to shine as Schwarber will sit on the shelf for a week or so, but Soler is going to need to start hitting. He's stuck out six times in 13 at-bats this spring.

Ramirez has looked strong thus far in spring training, collecting nine hits in 14 at-bats. "He's what I call a bone collector: He gets base hits," manager Clint Hurdle told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Ramirez is expected to begin the season with Double-A Altoona. He hit .337/.399/.458 in 344 plate appearances for High-A Bradenton in 2015. With Austin Meadows (orbital bone) sidelined without an immediate timeframe to return, Ramirez takes over as the Bucs' best outfield prospect. He could make his big league debut in 2016, but it would likely take an injury to one of the team's starting outfielders and continued strong play by Ramirez.

Pederson was 2-for-4 with his first spring home run Wednesday against the Angels.

Pederson had started 1-for-7 with five strikeouts, but all of a sudden he's now hitting .273/.385/.545. He's struck out in six of his 11 at-bats, but even with a poor spring, he should be a lock to be the team's Opening Day center fielder.

Stanton (knee) is on track to start for the Marlins on Sunday, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports.

Stanton has been held out of action since early this week due to a knee ailment, but was able to take some swings and return to light running by Tuesday. If all goes according to plan, Miami should have their most formidable power threat available for spring action before the weekend comes to pass. Fortunately, this doesn't appear to be an issue that poses a risk of lingering into the regular season.

Ruf went 2-for-2 with two home runs and three RBI Wednesday against the Orioles.

Ruf has now homered three times in two games. His homers Wednesday came off righties Yovani Gallardo and Vance Worley. He is expected to open the year on the short side of a platoon with Ryan Howard at first base.

Belt (illness) will return to the lineup Wednesday, CSN Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic reports.

He was dealing with a sinus infection, but should now be considered fully healthy for the final three weeks of spring games. Belt will look to improve on last year's career-high 18 homers in his age-28 season this year.