PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — Seth Lugo is set to take a spin in the New York Mets' rotation from the get-go.The team announced Sunday that Lugo, reliever Jacob Rhame and utilityman Phillip Evans will be making their first appearances on opening day, each part of the 25-man roster when the Mets host the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday."I'm so excited," said the 25-year-old Evans, who briefly played for the Mets last season. "Being around these veteran guys that I grew up watching has been very special to me. Being able to help this team win will be extremely exciting."Evans's versatility will be his biggest attribute. The longtime infielder played six positions in camp, and he hit .261 with a pair of homers.Evans played in the outfield and also donned the catcher's gear for the first time in his career, giving the Mets an emergency option behind regular backstops Travis d'Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki.Mets manager Mickey Callaway said the strong play of Evans made the possibility of a seven-man... [More]

1B Xavier Scruggs couldn't carry momentum from hitting his first major league home run on Saturday into the series-finale Sunday. Scruggs day began with two strikeouts in his first two at-bats before he lined out to shortstop Sean Rodriguez.

INF/OF Xavier Scruggs had his contract selected from Triple-A New Orleans, where he was batting .438 with five home runs and nine RBIs in his last 10 games. He had appeared in 26 big-leagues games with St. Louis previously, but not since July 2015. He started at first base. In the sixth, he got his first hit of the season, a single to right-center, and moved to second on a wild pitch. But he was thrown out a home by RF Gregory Polanco on pitcher Tom Koehler's single. He was 1-for-3.

INF/OF Xavier Scruggs had his contracted selected on Friday from Triple-A New Orleans, where he was batting .438 with five home runs and nine RBIs in his last 10 games.

1B Xavier Scruggs, who hit .283 with nine homers and 20 RBIs in 27 games at Triple-A New Orleans, was named Miami's minor league hitter of the month. Scruggs, a 28-year-old right-handed hitter, played in the majors in 2014 and 2015 for the Cardinals. He is a candidate for promotion to the Marlins once the rosters can expand to up to 40 players on Sept. 1.

Scruggs was designated for assignment by the Cardinals on Monday.

Scruggs continues to descend down the organizational ladder due to his inability to produce at a position where offensive output is necessary. If he goes through waivers unclaimed, the 27-year-old will likely remain at Triple-A.

Scruggs was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Saturday.

With only two games remaining before the All-Star break, this will give Scruggs an opportunity to get consistent at-bats over the next week. It would not be surprising for him to be recalled in 10 days to continue offering depth at first base.

Scruggs is in the starting lineup Friday batting seventh and playing first base against right-hander Andrew Cashner.

As a right-handed bat, Scruggs doesn't fit into a typical platoon role with Mark Reynolds, but he's chipped in effectively when called upon by the Cards in limited chances this season (10-for-25, .400) after posting an .851 OPS at Triple-A Memphis through 60 games.

Scruggs is out of the lineup Wednesday against Chicago.

Scruggs has made three straight starts at first base, but the Cardinals will deploy Mark Reynolds on Wednesday against Jose Quintana. Reynolds has had some success against Quintana, going 3-for-12 in his career with two doubles and a home run.

Scruggs picked up a start Saturday against the Cubs and went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI and two runs.

He got to start at first base for just the third time this season, and it's worth noting that in those three starts, Scruggs has racked up eight its in 13 at-bats. He's no spring chicken at age 27 and he was a .251 hitter (albeit with 11 homers in 60 games) for Triple-A Memphis this year, so Scruggs has a ways to go before he sheds the Quad-A label, but these early returns have been surprisingly good, if in a small sample.

Scruggs will get the start at first base Saturday against the Phillies, Jim Hayes of FOX Sports Midwest reports.

Regular first baseman Mark Reynolds is 3-for-16 (.188 average) with seven strikeouts in his career against Saturday's starter Aaron Harang, so the Cardinals will turn to Scruggs for his first start of the year. The right-handed-hitting Scruggs has posted a .251/.363/.488 batting line with 11 homers in 60 games with Triple-A Memphis this season, with a .265/.363/.524 line against right-handed pitching.

Scruggs was recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Friday.

Scruggs had 11 home runs and was hitting .251 in 60 games at Triple-A and could see some occasional starts at first base while he is up with the big league club.

Scruggs was optioned to Triple-A Memphis to make room for Randal Grichuk.

Scruggs' stint with the Cardinals will only last one plate appearance, as St. Louis is obviously going to prefer Grichuk as right-handed outfield bat. Scruggs could still see the majors in 2015 again if another St. Louis outfielder goes down with an injury.

Scruggs has been recalled from Triple-A Memphis, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Although a corresponding move has yet to be announced, Scruggs will provide the Cardinals with an extra right-handed bat off the bench. The 27-year-old first baseman owns a .896 OPS through his first 30 games for the Redbirds, slugging six home runs over that span.

Scruggs went 2-for-4 Wednesday for Triple-A Memphis, slugging two home runs and driving in three.

Scruggs is batting .286/.375/.905 with four home runs and nine RBI in six games for Memphis. The 27-year old would likely be one of the first called up should the Cardinals have an injury at first base or the corner outfield positions.

Scruggs was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Sunday.

Scruggs' chances of making the Opening Day roster dropped dramatically when the Cardinals added Mark Reynolds in the offseason. He will indeed begin the season in the minors, but could be one of the top candidates for a recall should Reynolds or Matt Adams go down with an injury. Scruggs will also be a September call-up candidate again in 2015.

Scruggs will get some time in the outfield this spring after having just two outfield appearances in his seven minor league seasons, MLB.com reports.

With Matt Adams and Mark Reynolds able to play first base it wouldn't make sense to carry yet another first baseman, Scruggs primary position, so he'll try to develop into an adequate outfielder for the Cardinals in an attempt to carve out a bench role with the big league club. Scruggs offers some power and has shown the ability to get on-base regularly but doesn't figure to be much more than a marginal MLB player.

Scruggs will start at first base and bat seventh in his major league debut Thursday, FOX Sports Midwest reports.

The Cards will waste no time in getting Scruggs involved, handing him a start at first base in favor of the struggling Matt Adams in the opener against Milwaukee. He'll face off against right-hander Wily Peralta in his debut, but Scruggs did most his damage Triple-A Memphis against lefties (.350/.403/.686 with 11 homers), so it seems safe to assume most of his starting opportunities over the remainder of the regular season will likely come against southpaws.

Scruggs was officially called up by the Cardinals on Thursday.

As expected, the Cardinals purchased Scruggs' contract from Triple-A Memphis, and he will join the team in time for the opener of a crucial four-game set against the Brewers. Scruggs has been been on fire in recent weeks (.345/.427/.637 with eight homers in August), and figures to supplant the struggling Matt Adams at first base whenever a lefty in on the hill for the opposition.

The Cardinals are expected to call Scruggs up from Triple-A Memphis on Thursday, Rob Rains of STLSportsPage.com reports.

Scruggs, 26, enjoyed his finest month of the season in August (.345/.427/.637 with eight homers) and homered in Memphis' final game of the season Monday to bring his total to 21 for the year. It marks his fifth straight season with 21-plus homers, and Scruggs is now expected to join the Cardinals in Milwaukee for his first major league opportunity. With Matt Adams struggling of late, Scruggs may very well see starts at first base against left-handed pitching and should also see ample opportunities off the bench.