MLB Player News

After taking a pitch off his left triceps over the weekend, Phillies outfielder Darin Ruf returned to action in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees. He went 1 for 3 with a home run in the 6-2 loss. Ruf launched a solo shot off David Aardsma in the sixth inning for his first long ball of the spring.

Bryce Harper hit a three-run homer off Matt Harvey in the first inning and added an RBI single in the seventh inning, leading a Washington Nationals split squad to an 8-5 victory over the New York Mets Wednesday. Harper is batting .444 (16 for 36) with one triple, two doubles, three homers and eight RBI through 13 spring games. Harper, who batted second for Washington last season, is now hitting behind new leadoff hitter Denard Span and Jayson Werth. Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman is in the cleanup spot. Nationals manager Davey Johnson thinks Harper has shown more patience at the plate this season because he learned from last season, when he got off to a quick start before pitchers started attacking him in different ways. "What he went through last year was very important for him, to be able to struggle and make adjustments," Johnson said. "That's what you do up here. You make adjustments. Pitchers are always trying new tricks to get your timing off. He's shown from day one in the spring that he's a lot more patient."

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper continued his strong spring Wednesday, as he clubbed a three-run home run off Mets' starter Matt Harvey in Grapefruit League action. Harper went 2 for 4 overall in the game, adding an RBI single to bring his total for the game to four. He raised his batting average to .444 in the spring, with three home runs and eight RBI in 13 games. Harper is expected to bat third this season while playing left field for the Nationals. 

Through March 10, Giants first baseman Brandon Belt is tied with five other players for the spring training lead in home runs with four. Belt is having a pretty strong spring season, batting .467 with one triple, two doubles, eight runs and nine RBI in 10 games. His .467 average is fifth best among all spring hitters.

The Miami Marlins made their second wave of roster cuts this spring and announced the following moves: pitchers Alex Sanabia and Brad Hand -- who were both in the mix for the fifth spot in the rotation -- were optioned to Triple-A New Orleans. Outfielder Kyle Jensen and pitcher Evan Reed were also sent to New Orleans. The team optioned pitchers Sam Dyson and Edgar Olmos and outfielder Marcell Ozuna to Double-A Jacksonville. Pitcher Jordan Smith and catcher Wilfredo Gimenez were re-assigned to the minor-league camp.

Indians outfielder Michael Brantley returned to Cactus League action on Sunday against the Rangers after missing time due to a lacerated left arm. Serving as DH, he went 0 for 2 in the 7-6 loss. Brantley has gone 5 for 8 (.625) with two RBI through four spring games. "He's fine," manager Terry Francona told MLB.com. "He's been doing stuff. He'll be just fine. He might've lost his timing a little bit, but he's got plenty of time to get it back."

Marlins outfield prospect Marcell Ozuna hit the first spring homer of his career Sunday against the Braves. Ozuna parked a two-out, three-run homer off Braves veteran Tim Hudson in the first inning. Ozuna finished 2 for 4 with two runs and one double, which was also the first spring double of his career. Ozuna is batting .364 (4 for 11) with four RBI in seven spring games.

Phillies outfielder Darin Ruf had to leave Sunday's spring game against the Astros in top of the sixth inning after getting hit by a pitch. Ruf said he was hit on the left triceps, but he said he feels fine after icing down the area, according to MLB.com. Ruf was 0 for 2 before leaving the game, lowering his batting average to .188 (6 for 32) in 11 spring games.

In the ultimate vote of confidence heading into the regular season, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said Saturday he can now label Matt Carpenter a second baseman. Carpenter, normally a corner infielder, has transitioned to second base this spring to help get his bat in the lineup. He has yet to commit an error at the new position while boasting a .417 batting average at the plate. "We watched him early on and we were very confident that this was something he was going to be able to do. He keeps doing it," Matheny told reporters. "He looks good. He’s making the tough plays. He seems to be working well with the other middle infielders. That’s all we can ask of him."

Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter -- playing mainly second base this spring as the team considers him at the position -- went 4-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored, and an RBI on Friday against the Nationals. He is now batting .417 over 24 spring at-bats, and, perhaps even more importantly, has yet to make an error at his new position.