TG Fantasy Baseball

2/8 Nick Johnson (DH-CLE) According to MASN's Roch Kubatko, the Orioles are close to a minor league deal with Nick Johnson.

2/8 Luke Hughes (2B/1B-MIN) Hughes will have his right shoulder examined by the Twins' club physician after injuring it in a home-plate collision while playing in Australia. "He was trying to score on a play at home plate and tried to reach out to touch home plate, but he strained his shoulder," Twins general manager Terry Ryan said. "So we're going to bring him here [Thursday] and see how serious it is and then we'll go from there."

2/8 Carlos Fisher (P-CIN) The Reds designated Fisher for assignment.

2/8 Russell Branyan (1B-NYY) The Yankees signed Branyan to a minor-league contract today with an invite to spring training.

2/8 Jamey Wright (P-LAD) The Dodgers signed Wright to a minor-league contract and invited him to spring training.

2/8 Justin Christian (OF-SF) The San Jose Mercury News is reporting that the Giants have designated Christian for assignment.

2/8 Jeff Suppan (P-SD) MLB.com is reporting that the Padres will sign Suppan to a minor-league contract today.

2/7 Kosuke Fukudome (OF-CLE) Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Mets have "pretty much stopped pursuing" left-handed hitting outfielders and will instead see what falls through the cracks from other teams during spring training.

2/7 Jon Jay (OF-STL) As long as Craig is on the mend, Jay should get regular at-bats as the team's center fielder. Jay actually led the Cardinals in games played with 159 in 2011. His playing time was limited early, with most of his appearances for the first six weeks of the season coming as a late-inning defensive substitution or pinch-hitter. Jay assumed a starting role midway through May and held on to it for most of the rest of the season. Jay, 26, still has to prove that he can maintain solid offensive production for a full season. His offensive numbers dipped during the final two months of the 2010 season, and he endured a second-half scuffle last year, too. "It's going to be my third season, but I'm just trying to be consistent out there and help the team win," Jay said. "Nothing changes for me. I'm just trying to get better, trying to get smarter." Defensively, Jay will be a sound option for center. He also gives manager Mike Matheny another candidate to plug into the second spot in the batting order should Matheny prefer to put Beltran lower in the lineup.

2/7 Allen Craig (OF-STL) While Craig has not let go of his intention to be fully recovered by Opening Day, the Cardinals have publicly stated that they are preparing for Craig's recovery to keep him off the field for most of April. "Obviously, time tables are tough because you don't know what's going to happen in the future," said Craig, who has already moved his rehab work to Jupiter, Fla. "I'm just taking it one day at a time, but I am kind of surprised with how good I feel at this point. Whether that means I'm going to for sure be there for Opening Day, I don't know. But I think there's a good chance."