MLB Player News

Carpenter (lower back) is set to take swings off a tee in Jupiter on Monday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Carpenter will not be swinging at full strength, but the session will serve the all-important purposes of testing his trunk rotation and unearthing any potential oblique issues. The Cardinals' first baseman has already announced he is forgoing his previously planned participation in the World Baseball Classic due to the injury.

Vogelbach went 2-for-3 with an RBI double and a run in Sunday's 5-4 Cactus League loss to the A's.

The first baseman brought home Guillermo Heredia with a two-bagger to deep center in the third, knotting the score at 2-2 at the time. It was both the second double and RBI of the spring for the 24-year-old, who's slashing .350/.381/.450 over 20 at-bats this spring. Vogelbach, who is projected to serve as the left-handed side of a platoon at first with veteran Danny Valencia in the coming season, looks significantly improved at the plate this spring after generating an .083/.154/.083 line over 13 plate appearances with the big league club in 2016.

Brantley (shoulder) is scheduled to face Josh Tomlin in live batting practice Monday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Brantley continues to move through spring without an estimated timetable for his return, as the Indians are trying to keep him from feeling pressured to rush his rehab. He'll face live pitching for the first time this spring, and if all goes well, Brantley will be one step closer to making his Cactus League debut.

Canha went 2-for-3 with an RBI single and double in Sunday's 5-4 Cactus League win over the Mariners.

Canha's solid spring continued Sunday, with the outfielder driving home Ryon Healy with a single to deep right center in the first for his second RBI of spring. Factoring in Sunday's production, the 28-year-old is slashing .333/.375/.533 with three doubles over 15 at-bats across six games. With platoon mate Matt Joyce (.400/.500/1.000 over 10 at-bats) also thriving thus far, the A's appear to be in excellent shape in right field for the coming campaign.

Cespedes left Sunday's Grapefruit League game with tightness in his hip and quad muscles, The New York Daily News reports. "He thought his quad, hip was starting to tighten up a little bit, I am sure due to the wind," manager Terry Collins said. "We did baserunning stuff this morning, might have tightened up. So I got him out of there. Doctors looked at him and said he's just fine."

This likely won't be an issue for Cespedes come Opening Day, but expect the Mets to hold him out Monday as a precaution, as he missed 14 games last season with quad issues.

Buxton is hitting just 2-for-12 this spring, but he has just two strikeouts and two walks.

Buxton appears set to begin the season as the starter in center field, but it's not clear where he'll bat in the order. He hit leadoff in Saturday's game that featured most regulars, but the young outfielder hit ninth much of last season. His September power surge (10 homers and a 1.011 OPS) may indicate he's a better fit for the middle of the lineup despite his speed. Despite his slow start to the spring, there's a silver lining with his strikeout rate, as he whiffed in 35.6 percent of his plate appearances last season. Buxton will need to command the strike zone better to finally have a breakout season.

Brantley (shoulder) took batting practice on back-to-back days for the first time this spring, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Brantley has yet to hit live pitching, but his increased activity is promising. The Indians haven't set an estimated return for Brantley, who played in just 11 games during the 2016 season, as they're aiming to keep him from feeling pressured to rush his rehab. However, the club has remained optimistic that he should be able to play in a Cactus League game at some point this spring.

McCutchen (back) went 1-for-2 with a single, sacrifice fly and a stolen base during his return to action Saturday against the Red Sox.

The back issue was clearly never anything to worry about, as the 30-year-old felt good enough to play Saturday after dealing with some tightness earlier in the day. He'll head to the World Baseball Classic soon and shouldn't have any lingering issues moving forward.

Dickerson (back) is running at full speed and is closer to playing in games, Bill Center of Padres.com reports.

Although Dickerson continues to progress, Manager Andy Green remained cautious as to his return. "We don't want to hurry him into another setback," he said. The young slugger has been steadily participating in more baseball activities this spring and should see plenty of Cactus League action before the season begins. Dickerson is coming off a strong rookie campaign and is expected to be the everyday left fielder for the Padres going forward.

Ozuna went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

He's 3-for-10 to begin the spring, but Friday's shot was his first spring homer. Ozuna tied his career high with 23 home runs in 2016, but the Marlins will be looking for a little more from their 26-year-old left fielder this season.