MLB Player News

Carpenter (back) said Saturday he intends to make his spring debut for the Cardinals on Tuesday against the Marlins, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Carpenter has been dealing with back soreness since early February and indicated the plan is to serve as the team's designated hitter Tuesday. The 32-year-old remains optimistic he can be available for Opening Day, which is a realistic goal should he be able to avoid any setbacks.

Ohtani has been receiving negative evaluations from scouts on his hitting, Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports reports.

Scouts like Ohtani's power but believe there are major holes in his swing. He's expected to be particularly susceptible to curveballs and inside fastballs. The general verdict among scouts is that Ohtani would be best served as a hitter by spending a season in the minor leagues, though with his pitching being major-league ready already, that isn't going to happen. It's not a great report for those who moved Ohtani up on their draft boards in leagues where he's able to be used in both roles, though even if the Angels pulled the plug on him hitting entirely (which isn't likely to happen), it won't be a major hit to his fantasy value, as his primary value was always going to come as a pitcher.

Manager Rick Renteria confirmed that Jimenez (knee) will be in the starting lineup for Sunday's contest against the Diamondbacks.

Jimenez has been sidelined since late February due to tendinitis in his left knee, but is set to make his second Cactus League appearance when the team takes on Arizona on Sunday. Renteria will likely be cautious with the top prospect and ease him back into game action, so don't be alarmed if he only plays a few innings or gets the day off Monday.

Brantley (ankle) returned to camp after dealing with an illness and is expected to start the baserunning portion of his running program in the coming days, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Brantley was sent home due to an illness that went around the team's clubhouse Thursday, but he appears to have recovered from this ailment and is ready to move forward with his return from right ankle surgery. He faced live pitching earlier this week, in addition to ramping up a running program and starting defensive drills over his last couple workouts. Manager Terry Francona has yet to discuss Brantley's availability for Opening Day, so continue to monitor this situation throughout the rest of spring camp.

Dickerson will proceed with the rehab route instead of undergoing Tommy John surgery on the UCL sprain in his left elbow, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

This remains a wait-and-see operation as Dickerson is still a few weeks away from participating in drills and will likely be sidelined from game action until the beginning of May while building the elbow back up to speed. In the event that the elbow fails to show any improvement, Dickerson will then undergo Tommy John surgery, which would end his 2018 season but give him enough time to get ready for next year. Either way, expect him to open the season on the disabled list.

McCutchen is 5-for-13 (.385) for the Giants this spring.

One of the Giants' prized offseason acquisitions has gotten off to solid start with his new club. McCutchen still hasn't delivered an extra-base hit, but the key for the veteran outfielder is that he is healthy and he has his timing down early in camp. The move to AT&T Park is never a positive for a hitter, but the 31-year-old managed to club 28 home runs while playing home games at PNC Park, which ranked in the bottom third in terms of park factors for long balls in 2017. The days of McCutchen being a 20/20 threat are in the rearview mirror, but the right fielder should be able to reach the 20-homer mark with a solid batting average and healthy counting stats while batting in the middle of San Francisco's revamped lineup.

Canha, who went 1-for-3 with an RBI single in Thursday's 7-3 Cactus League win over the Angels, is a leading candidate to claim the final bench spot on the Opening Day roster, Chris Gabel of MLB.com reports. "The more at-bats he gets the better he looks," manager Bob Melvin said before the game. "And the last three games he's swung the bat really well. When he's healthy, he can be a productive guy."

Canha appears to be pulling ahead in the competition between he, Jake Smolinski and Boog Powell for a roster spot after seeing action in his fourth game over a five-day span Thursday. The 29-year-old had gone 4-for-7 with a double and a home run in the three exhibitions prior to Thursday's as well, seemingly giving him a leg up in the three-man battle. The most productive of Canha's three major-league stints thus far was his initial one, when he slashed .254/.315/.426 with 16 homers and 70 RBI across 485 plate appearances in 2015. He generated a much more lackluster .208/.262/.382 line in 187 plate appearances last season, making his spring results all the more encouraging.

Jimenez (knee) hopes to play in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks after competing in drills Friday.

Jimenez is set to be a full participant in all activities yet again Saturday, which would mark three consecutive days that he has been able to go through all of his drills. The outfielder is working his way back from tendinitis in the left knee, but should be fully operational by early next week, giving him a couple weeks to return to full speed before the regular season commences.

Carpenter (back) is fielding grounders and throwing with increased intensity Friday, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Carpenter has been battling back soreness all spring and has yet to appear in a game. He's been swinging for a few days and is now doing fielding work as well, so he's likely not too far from making his spring debut. His status for Opening Day remains up in the air, but if reports remain positive there's a good chance he'll be ready to go.

Carpenter (back), who continued his hitting program Thursday, is expected to only play first base upon his return, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Carpenter has yet to see his first Grapefruit League action while tending to his lower back problems, although he did continue his hitting program in the batting cages for the third straight day Thursday. The original projection for the veteran's return to action was mid-March, but Carpenter feels that timeline is overly cautious and that he'll be able to put in two full weeks of spring training games. Upon his return, he's highly likely to be limited to just playing first base as opposed to multiple positions, which had been discussed at one point this winter. The reason for the change in plan is physical in nature, but it concerns Carpenter's 2017 shoulder issues more than his current injury. "The shoulder is always something we're concerned about," manager Mike Matheny said. "We're trying to get his back right and he's also trying to get his shoulder into a really good place. But that (shoulder) might be something that would push it more toward first base than third."