Jhonkensy Noel Injury: Downplays thumb injury

Noel left Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals after being hit by a pitch on the right thumb in the ninth inning, but he told Jake Rill of MLB.com on Saturday that he would have stayed in had it been the regular season.

The 24-year-old slugger is off the 40-man roster after being outrighted in January but remains in big-league camp for the time being. Noel is 4-for-11 with a double, a walk and two strikeouts in eight games so far this spring. While his power is immense, Noel will likely need to show improvement with his contact rate before being seriously considered for an in-season promotion.