Whenever a legend moves on, somebody has the unenviable task of stepping into their long shadow. There are three notable examples of that phenomenon in the Grapefruit League this spring. The most obvious will unfold in the Bronx, where Didi Gregorius was acquired from the D-backs to succeed Derek Jeter at shortstop.

The Spring Training storylines never end, of course. They’re only beginning, and this week brings us five big ones to dwell on as we take stock of where we stand at the unofficial midway point of Spring Training.

The A’s appear close to welcoming back first baseman Ike Davis (back) and outfielder Coco Crisp (right triceps) to Cactus League game action.

The Seattle Mariners, having gone through the necessary tough times, have emerged into what looks very much like the beginning of a solid, successful era.

Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum was uncertain Sunday when he’ll pitch again, due to the uneven pace of his recovery from a sore neck.

Yasmany Tomas will get his first look in the outfield during a Cactus League game Monday as he is scheduled to start in right field for the D-backs against the White Sox.

There’s only one thing New York loves more than a winner, and that’s a team that nets substance with style. New York City Football Club played its first game at Yankee Stadium on Sunday and got a signature performance from David Villa in a 2-0 win over the New England Revolution.

Last spring at this time, Ryan Braun was racking up hits. This spring, he’s 0-for-10, including a two-strikeout game in a 5-2 loss to the A’s on Sunday. But Braun has remained consistent in his insistence that Cactus League results are irrelevant.

Barry Zito is very much privy to his situation, and of the notion that these exhibition outings in an A’s uniform could potentially be doubling as tryouts for other teams.

Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer looked like he was in midseason form in a 3-2 loss to the Astros on Sunday afternoon. He pitched four shutout innings, allowed one hit, struck out three batters and walked one.

MLB.com-sponsored golfer Peter Malnati won the Brasil Champions on Sunday, his first victory on the PGA’s Web.com Tour this year.

As long as he is healthy, Daniel Hudson is going to be on the D-backs’ Opening Day roster, but whether he will be in the rotation or the bullpen is still to be determined.

The Astros are looking a whole lot more like one of Billy Beane’s Oakland teams than the Astros teams of the last two seasons, who set an all-time record 1535 strikeouts in 2013 and were 14th in the AL in scoring last season.

Byron Buxton and Jose Berrios, two of the Twins’ top prospects, were among the team’s cuts on Sunday.

When the Yankees and Marlins squared off in Panama around this time last year, manager Joe Girardi saw right-hander Nathan Eovaldi pitch and came away impressed. He liked Eovaldi’s arm, liked that he was young and durable. A year later, Girardi still likes what he’s seeing from Eovaldi in Spring Training.

Andrew McCutchen remained inactive on Sunday with an “injury” that obviously concerns other people a lot more than it does him.

Left-hander Cliff Lee is trying beat the odds and pitch with a torn common flexor tendon in his left elbow. He did not throw Sunday, but at this point, even if he can pitch with an injured elbow, it is highly unlikely he could be ready by early April.