MLB Player News

Belt was scratched from Saturday's game with a sinus infection, MLB.com's Chris Haft reports.

The ailment sounds quite minor, so it should not affect his status for Opening Day. Look for him to get back into Cactus League action next week.

Turner (knee) expects to make his spring debut early next week, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Everything seems to be going according to plan for Turner, who is working his way back from microfracture knee surgery. He entered camp having not experienced any setbacks since the October procedure, and has successfully ramped up his activity in the past couple weeks. Manager Dave Roberts has said Turner is on track for Opening Day.

Harper went 1-for-2 with an RBI, a run scored and a stolen base in Thursday's Grapefruit League win over the Mets.

The Nationals went five for five on stolen base attempts in the game, and even this early in the exhibition schedule it looks like new manager Dusty Baker and first base coach Davey Lopes are putting a lot of emphasis of staying active on the base paths. Harper stole 18 bases on 24 attempts as a rookie, but he's gone just 19-for-29 in the three seasons since in an effort to avoid sliding injuries. With Baker and Lopes giving him more green lights, however, Harper is still capable of threatening 20 steals in 2016. Don't count on him to contribute in that category, but he could very well surprise.

Vogelbach will bat eighth in the Cubs' spring opener Thursday, the team's official site reports.

Vogelbach will be the designated hitter Thursday, a position he might need to get used to. While no one doubts his bat, he really doesn't have a position to play. When the time comes for the Cubs to trade prospects for pitching, Vogelbach may be the first one to go.

Canha (back) is expected to miss the first few spring games, MLB.com's Jane Lee reports.

He was pulled from Tuesday's intrasquad game due to back stiffness, so hopefully he will be ready to return to the field after a few games off. Right now it looks like Canha is ticketed for the short side of a first base platoon with Yonder Alonso, so his fantasy value is limited to very deep leagues as the season approaches.

Indians manager Terry Francona remains optimistic that Brantley (shoulder) is ahead of the initial late April/early May timetable, although he would not go as far as saying he was optimistic about his star outfielder being ready for Opening Day, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports.

There is not an adjusted timetable available, but by reading between the lines, it seems like Brantley could return in mid-April. Brantley is not be a lock to reach double-digit homers or double-digit steals if he misses too much time, so it would be a boon for his owners if he only missed a couple weeks. It is unclear how much the shoulder issue will affect him at the plate though, so his value should be slightly discounted in that respect as well.

Canha was pulled from Tuesday's intrasquad game due to some back stiffness, reports Jane Lee of MLB.com.

Canha enters the spring looking to find at-bats at first base and the outfield and his spring production could be vital towards obtaining that playing time. The back stiffness is considered minor, but if were forced to miss any time, it could impact his role to start the regular season.

Ozuna will open the exhibition season batting second in the Marlins' lineup, the Miamie Herald reports.

After an offseason of uncertainty with trade rumors swirling, it appears Manager Don Mattingly is ready to start Ozuna with clean slate. The outfielder struggled last season to match his breakout 2014 campaign, slashing just .259/.308/.383 in 2015 a year after belting 23 home runs during his first full season in the majors. Batting in front of Christian Yelich and Giancarlo Stanton will provide Ozuna plenty of run-scoring opportunities if he is able to stick near the top of Miami's lineup.

Astros manager A.J. Hinch said Reed can win the first base job this spring, Phil Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Reed hit the cover off the ball last season between High-A Lancaster and Double-A Corpus Christi (.340/.432/.612 with 34 home runs and 127 RBI) and he reported to camp in much better shape than he did last year. While this news sounds promising, the 22-year-old is not being handed the job. He'll have to beat out veterans Luis Valbuena and Marwin Gonzalez and high-upside players Jonathan Singleton and Tyler White to earn the role this spring.

Brantley (shoulder) progressed to hitting soft toss Monday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Before Monday, the outfielder was only able to take swings off of a tee, so it's good to see some solid evidence of his progression through the rehab process. There is no indication that his timetable has changed, so barring any extraneous leaps in his rehab program, Brantley will likely miss Opening Day and return a few weeks after the start of the season.