MLB Player News

Stanton (calf) isn't expected to be ready to play by Opening Day, but he is expected to play at some point in April, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Stanton suffered a Grade 1 right calf strain in late February. His readiness for Opening Day was in doubt from the start, but the injury wasn't considered likely to keep him out all that long. It appears that his prognosis hasn't meaningfully changed one week later, though it remains to be seen if "some point in April" is closer to the beginning or the end of the month.

Pederson (side/hip) is able to take batting practice but expects his first game appearance to be in minor-league camp, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Though Pederson has been ramping up his intensity in the batting cage, his comments Monday suggest that he isn't close to taking the field. Manager Dave Roberts has likewise indicated that the team's focus is on getting Pederson healthy rather than rushing him toward readiness for Opening Day, casting significant doubt on the outfielder's status for the March 26 opener.

Buxton (shoulder) is close to participating in live batting practice in the next few days, MLB.com reports. "The recovery couldn't have really gone any better to this point," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "That being said, we don't have it mapped out as far as when we're going to get him out there to play."

Buxton underwent surgery on his torn labrum in September, placing his availability for Opening Day in some question. He had stood in during live batting practice before, but according to this report did not take full swings. It's thought that he'll be ready for the start of the season, but it would be encouraging to see him ramp up activity in the next week as this report doesn't make it sound like he's as far along as thought when spring training began. He may only appear in a few spring training games before the regular season begins if all goes well.

Lewis has gone 2-for-12 with a home run, two RBI and a 2:3 BB:K through his first five Cactus League games.

Despite submitting rather underwhelming numbers at the minor-league level, Lewis was allowed to bypass Triple-A entirely and make the jump to the majors last September. The 24-year-old made an immediate impression in his first taste of the big leagues, posting an .885 OPS in 75 plate appearances to give him the inside edge on a full-time role in the Seattle outfield heading into 2020. A poor spring won't necessarily kill Lewis' chances of breaking camp with the big club, but there's still reason to be skeptical of his chances of sticking in Seattle all season. Even amid his success in the majors last season, he struck out a whopping 38.7 percent of the time, which was up nearly 10 points from his rate at Double-A Arkansas (29.4 percent).

Carpenter (back) will start at third base and bat third in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

A bout of back tightness kept Carpenter out of the lineup for the Cardinals' previous four spring games, but the veteran gained clearance to rejoin the starting nine after he was able to complete full workouts over the weekend without incident. Before his brief shutdown, Carpenter had made two starts this spring, going 2-for-4 at the dish.

Pederson (side/hip) raised his intensity to 80 percent Sunday, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

The outfielder has been swinging a bat as he recovers from a sore right side/hip, with Sunday's increase in intensity indicating notable progress. Still, manager Dave Roberts indicated that Pederson is still a couple weeks away from getting into a game, casting doubt on his status for Opening Day.

Carpenter (back) will be in the lineup for Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Carpenter was previously expected to rejoin the lineup sometime this weekend, but he's instead been taking batting practice and fielding ground balls. Regardless, it doesn't appear the back issue will impact the veteran infielder's availability for Opening Day, barring a setback.

Turner wasn't supposed to be included in Sunday's lineup and will start Monday's Cactus League game against the Reds, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Turner was slated to start at third base and bat second Sunday before the team released an updated lineup, but manager Dave Roberts said his initial inclusion was a mistake and that it's just a scheduled off day. The 35-year-old will continue his regular preparations for Opening Day after posting a .290/.372/.509 slash line with 27 home runs in 135 games last season.

Miller was scratched from Sunday's Grapefruit League lineup against the Astros with lower back stiffness, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Miller was slated to start at third base and bat fifth, but he was instead removed from the lineup with the back issue. The team labeled the veteran infielder as day-to-day, so it doesn't appear to be a serious concern.

Turner was scratched from Sunday's Cactus League lineup against the Rangers.

The 35-year-old was slated to bat second and start at third base, but he's absent from the updated lineup released by the team. There's been no announcement or reporting of an injury, so it's unclear when Turner is expected to next take the field.