Spring Training News & Notes, 3/15: Catching Up With Everyone

Mets: Mike Pelfrey is working on a new split-finger fastball...Hisanori Takahashi has been impressive so far in March, and is turning himself into a sleeper candidate for the rotation’s fifth slot...Francisco Rodriguez and Kiko Calero both made their Grapefruit League debuts...the Mets cut 17 players from big league camp on Monday, including Josh Thole, Josh Fogg, and R.A. Dickey.

Braves: Tim Hudson believes he has improved his splitter and his changeup...the Braves made their first round of cuts on Monday, with the list including Cody Johnson, Mike Minor, and Jose Ortegano...Edward Salcedo worked out with the team for the first time on Saturday...Jason Heyward is 8-18 so far and, statistically and observationally, justifying all of the hype...both Jair Jurrjens and Derek Lowe appear to fine after dealing with shoulder and toe problems, respectively.

Blue Jays: The Blue Jays signed Cuban shortstop Adeinis Hechavarria, stealing him from under the Yankees’ noses...Jason Frasor had a rough outing on Sunday, increasing the odds that Kevin Gregg begins the season as Toronto’s designated closer...Jesse Carlson has a sore left knee, and intends to test it out on Wednesday...the Jays grabbed outfielder Chris Aguila on a minor league contract. The 31 year old has a career .881 OPS in AAA, but he’s little more than organizational depth...Brandon Morrow had an inefficient start on Sunday and remains a work in progress.

Orioles: Backup catcher candidate Michel Hernandez has a fractured finger and will miss the next 4-6 weeks...the team cut seven players from big league camp, including Chris George, Michael Hinckley, Armando Gabino, Luis Lebron, Chroyne Spoone, Troy Patton, and Brandon Erbe...Felix Pie, who was diagnosed with tendinitis in his shoulder, is feeling much better and should return to action soon...Nolan Reimold, coming off surgery to his Achilles tendon, has experienced some discomfort, but is running fairly well...star second baseman Brian Roberts is set to see a back specialist on Monday as he looks to recover from a herniated disc. The organization is becoming less optimistic that Roberts will be ready for Opening Day.

Cardinals: After missing nearly a week with weakness in his lower back, Albert Pujols returned to the lineup for the Cardinals Saturday, going 2-for-2 with a double and a walk. Pujols told Steve Dorsey that he could have played last week, but “I don’t want to take something like this into the season and be bothering me the rest of the year.”

Astros: Lance Berkman, who underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies in his knee last week, has set a goal to be ready by Opening Day, but isn’t making any promises. The team is prepared to use Geoff Blum in his place until he’s ready. Blum hit .247/.314/.367 for the Astros last season, so that’s a pretty severe dropoff.

Mariners: The Mariners made four more cuts over the weekend, re-assigning Tommy Everidge, Brad Nelson, Greg Halman, and Mike Wilson to minor league camp...Erik Bedard has been playing long toss and is tentatively scheduled to throw a bullpen on March 23rd, the next step as he rehabs from shoulder surgery. Dare I say, Bedard is currently ahead of schedule...both Jason Vargas and Doug Fister got innings over the weekend, but they remain locked in a tight competition. Garrett Olson, however, continues to struggle, and has apparently been dropped from the race. Olson leads the league in walks so far this spring, with only two strikeouts...Felix Hernandez made his Cactus League debut on Sunday and tossed 2.2 shutout innings...Adam Moore caught Felix and appears to have the inside track to make the team as a backup...the Mariners are thinking about stretching Shawn Kelley out a little bit to increase his versatility out of the bullpen.

Angels: Mike Napoli is tied with former teammate Sean Rodriguez for the league lead in spring home runs, with four...coming back from knee surgery, Scot Shields made his first appearance of the spring on Friday, and reported no pain...Torii Hunter is back from a sore groin, and Maicer Izturis is back from a sore arm...Reggie Willits has a strained hamstring, which could open the door for other players vying for a backup outfield job...Bobby Abreu has missed a few games with tightness in his side...Erick Aybar has also been out of action with a sore arm, but is expected to return on Monday...Joel Pineiro hasn’t yet gotten into the groove of things.