The jury remains out on whether second baseman Alex Guerrero can handle his new position defensively, but the Cuban rookie was a big contributor offensively on Wednesday night, his grand slam helping the Dodgers to a 10-3 victory over the Reds at Goodyear Ballpark.

Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig was removed from Wednesday
night’s game with “upper back soreness” but said he expects to play on Thursday.

D-backs pitcher Brandon McCarthy took some time prior to Wednesday’s Cactus League game against the Royals to field questions from fans via social media and a live video stream in the Edward Jones Chatting Cage.

D-backs GM Kevin Towers wants to make sure Arizona has the necessary parts to make that trip to the Promised Land. And unlike his days in San Diego, where rebuilding was so often the focus, this past winter, alone, showed that Towers knows the future is now in the Desert of the Sun.

Reds starting pitcher Mat Latos took a big step forward on Wednesday in his efforts to return from left knee surgery.

During Cleveland’s run to the American League Wild Card Game last season, Jason Kipnis proved to be the motor within the Indians’ versatile offense. Terry Francona trusted the second baseman with the third spot in the batting order and the Tribe’s manager sees no reason not to open the coming campaign with the same plan.

Defending National League batting champion Michael Cuddyer left the Rockies’ 7-5 win over the Cubs in the third inning on Wednesday after he was hit on the left shoulder blade by a pitch from right-hander Jeff Samardzija. But Cuddyer doesn’t believe the injury is serious.

Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke threw off a mound Wednesday for the first time since suffering a mild right calf strain six days earlier in his first Spring Training start. Manager Don Mattingly said the session went well and the right-hander will throw off a mound again Thursday.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy said that Marco Scutaro, who’s recovering from an ailing back, has increased his baseball-related activity. But the second baseman might make his first Cactus League appearance later than sooner.

The major work to replace Andy Dirks in the outfield will come for Tigers officials, from manager Brad Ausmus to the front office, who have to evaluate whether the answer to their void is in their camp right now — or if there’s a realistic solution on the market worth their time to acquire.

D-backs right-hander Bronson Arroyo, who was scratched from his scheduled start on Tuesday, was diagnosed with a slight bulging disk. Arroyo underwent an MRI on Tuesday afternoon and was given an epidural Wednesday morning by team physician, Michael Lee.

Ryan Braun, who tied the game with his fourth-inning homer, has reached safely in eight of his nine Cactus League plate appearances.

Aside from Adam Wainwright, who will start for St. Louis on Thursday, the Cardinals have now watched each of their starting pitchers take the mound in a spring game. And with his outing on Wednesday, Shelby Miller set the early bar.

Spring Training is a big deal to Jose Fernandez, who makes it clear that he isn’t just using his Grapefruit League starts to go through the motions.

There are good arms all over baseball, but nobody’s got more pitching than the Cardinals, who are the envy of 29 other teams. They had so much pitching they went to the 2013 World Series with a future ace as the just-in-case guy in the bullpen. Shelby Miller is working hard to make sure he’s in the rotation the next time the Cards are in the postseason.

Mike Moustakas hit his third home run of the spring and collected four RBIs while James Shields fired three scoreless innings for the Royals in a 6-5 win over the D-backs on Wednesday.

Albert Pujols, coming off a season in which he was limited to 99 games because of plantar fasciitis in his left foot, has started at first base in four of the Angels’ six Cactus League games — and Wednesday was the most positive day so far.