MLB Player News

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton faced live pitching Thursday for the first time since being struck in the face by a pitch in September. Although, Stanton didn't take any swings and just tracked the 10 pitches he saw.

"I think it is a day he's been anticipating for a long time," manager Mike Redmond said, per MLB.com. "No doubt, as his season ended last year was tough to watch. For any player, that is a tough way to go. I'm anticipating him just getting in there and tracking some pitches like he's done a million times, and there will be no problems."

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper has reported to camp in better shape, according to The Washington Post. 

Harper lost weight during the offseason, reporting to camp at 204 pounds. He was able to work on his entire body during the winter, which he couldn't do last season due to a knee injury. Manager Matt Williams was impressed, saying Harper is in "fantastic shape."

On top of that, Harper said he's focused on playing smarter in the field in order to avoid an injury. Harper missed a large chunk of the 2013 season after running into the outfield wall, and it seems he'll do a better job of being more careful this year. 

The 22-year-old hit .273/.344/.423 over 352 at-bats last season. 

Pirates owner Bob Nutting said Wednesday outfielder Andrew McCutchen is "a critical part of the team" and hopes the 2013 NL MVP will be in a Pirates uniform "for a long, long time."

McCutchen is currently under contract through the 2017 season on a fairly good deal for the Pirates. He will make $10 million in 2015, $13 million in 2016 and $14 million in 2017. He also has a $14.75 million team option for 2018, which includes a $1 million buyout.

If and when the Pirates choose to extend McCutchen, then it probably will cost them a pretty penny if he continues to play at his current level. There are no active contract talks, but industry sources said that if the Pirates decide to open talks, they are willing to go to great lengths to keep McCutchen, even if they have to offer him $25 million-plus per year, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

“It's a challenge we're looking forward to,” Nutting said. “At this point, it's not appropriate to dig in (and comment) on any particular player other than we really respect and appreciate what Andrew does, on and off the field, every day.”

The 28-year-old McCutchen is a four-time All-Star and finished in the top 3 in voting for the NL MVP in 2012 and 2014. He has also won three Silver Slugger awards.

McCutchen could one day land a contract in the same ballpark as Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton, who signed a $325 million contract this offseason, but for now his focus isn't on a new deal.

“If that happens, that will be something we'll talk about,” McCutchen said. “Right now, I'm not too worried about it. It's nothing that I'm thinking about, really. If it happens, that would be great. I look forward to it if they do that.”

When asked if he'll need outfielder Bryce Harper to carry more of the load in 2015, Nationals manager Matt Williams told reporters "it's safe to say he'll most likely hit somewhere in the middle of our lineup," per Comcast SportsNet Washington on Wednesday.

Harper, 22, was primarily the No. 6 hitter last season for the Nationals. He has played
77 career games at the No. 3 spot, 20 at cleanup and 13 at the No. 5 spot. Last season, he hit .273/.344/.423 with 13 homers and 32 RBI over 352 at-bats. He has appeared in only 218 games over the past two seasons due to an assortment of injury issues.

Giants general manager Brian Sabean said the club needs "a bust-out season from" first baseman Brandon Belt, according to the San Jose Mercury News. 

The 26-year-old came into 2014 poised to have a big season, but injuries got in the way. Belt was limited to just 61 games last season due to a thumb injury and complications with a concussion. He hit .243/.306/.449 over 214 at-bats.

Belt is expected to hit in the middle of the order this season, and that should lead to higher expectations. For what it's worth, Sabean thinks Belt can handle it. "He's capable of it, and he might be poised to do it," he said.

The Cubs will be cautious with outfielder Jorge Soler during camp, according to MLB.com.

Soler has dealt with injuries throughout his minor-league career, and the club wants to make sure he's 100 percent healthy heading into the season. The team is mainly concerned about Soler's legs, and will make sure he doesn't overwork himself.

The 22-year-old Soler hit .292/.330/.573 over 89 at-bats in the majors last year. 

Phillies infielder Darin Ruf dealt with multiple injuries in 2014 and struggled during winter ball, but he's ready to put his disappointing season behind him and focus on continuing his transition to the outfield, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

"I feel healthy," Ruf said Friday. "I did some things this offseason to increase mobility and take some of the muscular injuries out of the game."

Ruf checked in early for spring camp, citing his continued transition to the outfield as the main reason for his early arrival.

"Having two to three years experience out there, it's nothing new to me," Ruf said. "I know the drills, I know what to do. I know what to expect out there. I know what balls I can and can't get to. It makes me a lot more comfortable."

Ruf hit .235/.310/.402 with three home runs in 102 at-bats over 52 games in 2014.

Marlins manager Mike Redmond said Wednesday some of his spring lineups will feature Christian Yelich batting third and Giancarlo Stanton batting fourth, per the Sun-Sentinel.

"If I give you the lineup what are we going to talk about for the next six weeks?" Redmond quipped. "I want to mess around with some lineups in spring training, maybe hit Yellie a few times in a three-hole, hit Stanton a few times in the four-hole. I don't know how often all those guys will play together, but see where it works and how comfortable Yellie is in that two-hole.

"We know what [Martin] Prado can do. It's nice to have the flexibility. It will be fun to tinker and be able to mix and match and see where the best fit is."

Although Yelich proved to be a very productive leadoff batter in 2014, Redmond views the 23-year-old outfielder as a potential No. 3 hitter.

"I foresee this guy being a three-hole type hitter, run producer," Redmond said. "Will that be this year or next year? I don't know. That's probably up to him and how he does. There is always a little bit of caution giving him too much too quick, but I know he's a guy that can handle it, where ever we put him in the lineup."

Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday has been pressing third baseman Matt Carpenter to be more aggressive at the plate at informal workouts before the official start of camp, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

"It’s great to walk and have long at-bats but he’s got the potential to hit 50 doubles. We’ve seen it," Holliday said. "He’s got the potential to hit 15 to 20 homers. We saw that in the postseason. It’s fine that first at-bat of the game if you want to take some pitches. But I’d like to see him be a little bit more aggressive. It’s in there. He showed it. It’s in there for all of us."

Carpenter, slugged three home runs during last year's National League Division Series after adopting a more aggressive approach, hit .272/.375/.375 with eight home runs and 59 RBI in 595 at-bats in 2014. The infielder also led the league in base on balls by drawing 95 walks.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy outlined the plans he has for the batting order in 2015, per the San Francisco Chronicle.

He expects Angel Pagan to hit leadoff. He will be followed by Joe Panik, Brandon Belt, Buster Posey, Hunter Pence, Casey McGehee, Norichika Aoki and Brandon Crawford. The pitcher will hit ninth.