MLB Player News

Texas manager Chris Woodward said Solak would be the team's starting left fielder "if the season started today," Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Solak replaced left fielder Willie Calhoun (jaw) in Sunday's game, then started there in a spring game against the Athletics on Monday. Calhoun, who was hit by a pitch and underwent surgery to repair a fractured jaw, will be evaluated in two weeks. At this time there isn't a concrete estimate as to when he may return. That means Solak could find an everyday home in the lineup to start the season. Solak's hitting .132 with two home runs and eight RBI over 33 spring at-bats.

Mercedes homered in his lone at-bat of Monday's spring game against the Reds.

The home run was the second in two days and fourth of spring training for Mercedes, who is making a bid to become the 26th man. He could serve as a third catcher and potent bat as a pinch hitter. Mercedes, who has no major-league experience, is batting .381 with a 1.410 OPS this spring.

Buxton (shoulder) will take live batting practice Tuesday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Buxton will hit for the first time since tearing his labrum back in September. Whether or not he's able to make Opening Day, which comes 16 days after he's scheduled to hit, remains to be seen.

Manager Aaron Boone said Stanton (calf) ran at approximately 85 percent effort on an anti-gravity treadmill Sunday and also hit in the batting cage, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Stanton remains on track to begin the season on the injured list, but he at least looks to be in line for a shorter stint on the shelf than fellow slugging outfielder Aaron Judge (ribs), who won't even be ready to resume working out for another two weeks. The 30-year-old will build up to running on the treadmill at 100 percent speed and hitting outdoors before a more precise target date for his season debut comes into focus.

Cespedes (ankle) has been hitting in simulated games and running in a straight line at full speed, but has yet to make full-speed changes of direction, David Lennon of Newsday reports.

Cespedes' right ankle evidently remains tender after it was fractured in multiple places during an encounter with a wild boar last May. He's making steady progress, but with less than three weeks remaining until Opening Day, it may be tough for him to avoid a trip to the injured list. The Mets have yet to announce their plans for the outfielder. If he does indeed miss time, more at-bats would open up for J.D. Davis in left field to begin the season.

Manager Dusty Baker said Monday that he hopes Alvarez (knee) will be able to return to game action Wednesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Alvarez has been shut down since last Wednesday with knee soreness, but he's on track to resume full activity Monday ahead of a likely return to a role in the starting lineup. The 22-year-old's absence is unlikely to affect his availability for Opening Day and he's expected to play a prominent role for the Astros after making his major-league debut in 2019.

Miller (back) participated in a full workout Sunday and will be evaluated Monday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Miller was originally expected to return to action Saturday, but he continued to sit out for precautionary reasons. The veteran has reportedly been taking practice swings without issues, and manager Mike Shildt said Miller could be in the lineup Tuesday if all goes well with the evaluation.

Solak entered Sunday's game in left field after Willie Calhoun (jaw) was hit by a pitch and forced to leave.

Calhoun, who entered training camp as the starting left fielder, was diagnosed with a fractured jaw, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports, and the Rangers are bracing for the possibility of him being out for an extended period of the time. If Calhoun is sidelined for the beginning of the season, Solak is one possibility to take over in left field. That would solve the problem of finding consistent at-bats for Solak, who has also played center field and third base in Cactus League games.

Pederson (side/hip) recorded five at-bats during a minor-league game Sunday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Pederson will likely play in another minor-league game before appearing in the Cactus League, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports. The 27-year-old has yet to make his spring debut due to soreness in his right side and hip that arose at the beginning of camp. Given the Dodgers' depth in the outfield, the team will continue to take a conservative approach to bringing Pederson back, but it looks as though he'll be able to avoid a trip to the injured list. The left-handed power hitter slugged a career-high 36 home runs during 2019 and registered an impressive .920 against right-handed pitching.

Lewis went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in a Cactus League win over the Dodgers on Friday.

The seventh-inning blast was the second homer of spring for Lewis, who's still hitting just .143 across eight Cactus League games. In fact, Lewis hasn't hit safely over his 16 exhibition plate appearance outside of the pair of round trippers, but he's still on track to open the regular season as the starting right fielder.