MLB Player News

Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Monday outfielder Darin Ruf is not a lock to make the Opening Day roster, per The News Journal. Amaro added sending Ruf to Triple-A to play every day is not ideal, but it is possible.

Ruf is batting .220 (11 for 50) with two doubles, two home runs, two RBI, two walks, five runs and 11 strikeouts in 18 spring games.

Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson still doesn't know what his role will be when Opening Day rolls around, but he's showing he belongs on the roster, reports MLB.com.

"There's always stuff I need to work on, and I need to continue to impress," Pederson said after launching his fifth home run of the spring Saturday, boosting his batting average to .373.

Manager Don Mattingly remains quiet on what he will do when the decision has to be made, but Pederson is doing what he can to impress.

"[Opening Day] is out of my control," Pederson said. "It's something you dream about as a kid, playing in the big leagues, and you do anything you can to make that dream come true."

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper remained in the game after slipping on the warning track while fielding a ball on Saturday, according to masnsports.com.

The same report stated that Harper was flexing his right hand after bracing his fall while tracking down a ball. Manager Matt Williams said that Harper is fine.

Harper, 22, is hitting .233 this spring with two homers and nine strikeouts.

With the No. 2 spot still undecided in the Cubs' lineup, manager Joe Maddon said outfielder Jorge Soler could be the man for the job, according to MLB.com.

“He’s a really interesting baseball player,” Maddon said. “I’d heard good things, but his impression on me has been really strong.”

Outfielder Chris Coghlan has been the frontrunner for the role but Maddon likes Soler's plate discipline.

“With [Soler], it goes beyond his power. This guy looks over a baseball now. This guy has great decision-making ability at the plate," Maddon said. That bleeds into either you’re driving in the second leadoff hitter plus one, or he’s setting up somebody after him because the guy is going to take his walks."

Soler is hitting .333 this spring with three home runs, eight doubles and 20 RBI.

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly still hasn't awarded the center field job to anyone. 

With a week to go in spring training, Andre Ethier and Joc Pederson are still vying for the starting role. Mattingly said he hasn't made a decision, "Because I don't have to yet," per MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. 

Pederson is hitting .375 with nine RBI this spring. Ethier is at .333, also with nine RBI. 

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper returned to the spring lineup Friday against the Cardinals after sitting out Thursday due to an illness. Harper is batting .231 (6 for 26) with one double, one home run, three RBI, five runs, seven strikeouts and 10 walks in 12 spring games.

Nationals manager Matt Williams said outfielder Bryce Harper was held out of Thursday's spring lineup against the Mets due to a stomach illness. Harper is batting .231 (6 for 26) with one double, one home run, three RBI, five runs, seven strikeouts and 10 walks in 12 spring games.

“He was really feeling bad yesterday, and then today he’s still not feeling well,” Williams said, per NatsInsider.com. “He came in, did a little bit of light swinging in the cage, and he’s still not feeling good. So we sent him home again (Thursday). I think he’ll be OK to go (Friday). But we wanted to get him out of here and not get anybody else sick at this point.”

Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson went 1 for 3 with a solo home run in his team's 9-5 win over the Padres Wednesday.

Pederson has done little to cool the hype for his rookie season, as the outfielder pushed aside an 0-for-5 performance in his last two games to slug his fourth home run of the spring Wednesday. He has hit .409/.477/.773 with four home runs and two stolen bases in 44 at-bats over 18 games.

Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter was forced out of Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals with a right quad contusion, per the team's official website. Carpenter was hit by a pitch in the opening frame, and was replaced by Pete Kozma to start the top of the third inning. He will likely be further evaluated moving forward.

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen played four innings and went 0 for 2 on Tuesday against the Orioles in his return from a lower-body injury. 

"There was no sense pushing it," McCutchen said on Tuesday following his first game action since March 12, per MLB.com. "I'll make it worse when it counts. I wasn't worried about being ready for the season. That was never an issue."

McCutchen has made just 15 plate appearances this spring. He said he will play in minor-league games if he has to in order to be ready for the season.

"He's in a good place," manager Clint Hurdle said. "He said he felt good today. If he needs at-bats, we can get him six-to-eight a day in Pirate City. I don't have any concerns about him at all."