Mike Olt indicated Friday that he's excited for the chance to compete to be the Cubs starting third baseman in 2014.

The former highly touted prospect had an extremely disappointing 2013 season, slashing just .201/.303/.381 with 15 homers and 42 RBI in 107 minor league games, primarily at the Triple-A level. He also whiffed 132 times while walking 55. He believes that he's finally over the vision problems that plagued him this season, and is already working at the club's spring training complex in Arizona, where he plans to spend a lot of time this offseason. Should he earn the starting job outright, he could deliver fantasy owners plenty of power production, albeit with a poor batting average.

Mike Olt has slashed a lousy .116/.165/.233 through 91 plate appearances at Triple-A Iowa.

Overall, Olt has hit .192 with 14 homers and a .664 over 91 total minor league games between two organizations. Acquired by the Cubs from the Rangers in July's Matt Garza trade, Olt remains a good prospect, though his struggles this season have removed some of the sheen required by scouts to rank as elite. He'll have to pick it up quickly if Olt intends to make his major league debut next month.

Rangers acquired INF Mike Olt from the Rangers in the Matt Garza deal.

Olt has had a bit of a lost season due to vision problems, as he's played just 68 games and batted only .219/.318/.438 over those contests. His vision issues look to be behind him, though, and he boasts plenty of power and is a good defender at third base. He'll report to Triple-A Iowa for now but figures to join the Cubs later this season.

Mike Olt (head) is back in the starting lineup on Wednesday night at Triple-A Round Rock.

Olt was struck in the head by a pitch on Tuesday but suffered no injuries. He is batting just .204/.305/.378 in 56 games this season at the Triple-A level.

Mike Olt left Tuesday's game at Triple-A Round Rock after being hit in the head by a pitch.

There's no word yet on his condition, but Olt will surely be re-evaluated on Wednesday before the club knows more. He entered play Tuesday batting just .201/.301/.377 at Round Rock this season.

The Rangers have promoted Mike Olt to Triple-A Round Rock.

Olt was activated from the disabled list on Friday with the Rangers' Double-A affiliate after missing over a month due to vision issues. He'll look to get back on track now that he's finally healthy. Olt batted just .139 (10-for-72) with one home run and 32 strikeouts in 20 games at the Triple-A level earlier this season.

Mike Olt (eye) is expected to be activated by Double-A Frisco on Friday.

Olt has been out since late April with vision issues, but the Rangers hope the problem is behind him following eye drops and medication. He'll be eased into things at Double-A but should be back at Triple-A soon. Olt is batting just .139 (10-for-72) with one home run and 32 strikeouts in 20 games this season.

Mike Olt has experienced improvement with his vision problem.

Olt was placed on the disabled list with Triple-A Round Rock earlier this month due to a nagging eye issue, but symptoms have improved following eye drops and medication. He's scheduled to head to Surprise, Arizona to begin workouts and will eventually make his way back to Triple-A. There's no timetable for his return, though. Olt was hitting just .139 (10-for-72) with one home run and 32 strikeouts in 20 games prior to being placed on the disabled list.

Mike Olt has been placed on Triple-A Round Rock's disabled list with an eye issue.

Olt will see a specialist in 10-14 days before possibly being cleared to return to action. The infielder is hitting just .139 (10-for-72) with one homer and 32 strikeouts in 20 games this season, and the Rangers thing the eye problem is a big reason why.

Mike Olt is scheduled to see an eye specialist after nothing unusual was found by a local eye doctor.

Olt reported some vision problems last weekend, which would help explain his slow start at Triple-A Round Rock. The 24-year-old is hitting just .139 (10-for-72) with one homer and 32 strikeouts in 20 games. He'll hope to find some peace of mind with the situation soon.

Mike Olt is undergoing tests on his eyes after he reported vision problems over the weekend.

The Rangers are hoping vision problems can explain Olt's struggles in the early going. The infielder is batting just .139 with one home run over 20 games and has struck out 32 times in 72 at-bats. Obviously, it will be a while before the big club considers him for a promotion.

Rangers optioned INF/OF Mike Olt, OF Engel Beltre, LHP Jeff Beliveau and RHP Wilmer Font to Triple-A Round Rock; reassigned RHPs Colin Balester, Evan Meek and Yoshinori Tateyama, LHP Neal Cotts, Cs Juan Apodaca and Jose Felix, and INFs Brandon Snyder and Brandon Allen to minor league camp.

The Rangers cut a total of 12 players from camp Tuesday morning. Olt is the biggest name here, though he batted just .194 (6-for-31) with two homers and 12 strikeouts in 19 games this spring. There isn't a place for him in the Rangers' lineup right now, so he'll continue to get regular playing time in Triple-A. Fantasy owners should monitor his progress in the minors.

Mike Olt ripped a two-run homer in Tuesday's win over the Brewers.

He also drew a walk, scoring two runs on the day. Olt is batting just .160 this spring and has struck out 10 times in 28 plate appearances, but he's also homered twice and doubled once.

Mike Olt returned to action Friday against the Brewers.

Olt sat out the last two days after having his wisdom tooth removed. He struck out in both of his at-bats before the game was rained out after four innings.

Mike Olt will get another day off Thursday after having his wisdom tooth removed.

Olt had the tooth pulled after it was causing him pain over the past few days. He was back in the clubhouse Thursday and planned to participate in morning workouts, so it shouldn't be long before he's back on the field.

Mike Olt was scratched from the Rangers' Cactus League lineup on Wednesday due to a dental issue.

Olt was supposed to make his first start in right field. The exact nature of the dental issue is unknown.

Mike Olt launched a two-run homer in Tuesday's Cactus League loss to the White Sox.

Olt's longball came off of Santos Rodriguez in the fifth inning. The youngster made his second error of the spring in the field, but it's not anything to worry about, as he's viewed as a plus defender at the hot corner. It's possible Olt will earn an Opening Day bench spot, but he's probably better off playing every day at Triple-A.

The Rangers plan to give Mike Olt the majority of his work at third base and right field in spring training.

Olt likely won't see much playing time behind Adrian Beltre, but he'll be used as insurance in right field for Nelson Cruz, who is among the group of players connected to PEDs and Biogenesis. The Rangers' top prospect behind Jurickson Profar, Olt he remains largely unproven at the major league level, and won't be guaranteed a bench spot going into the season.

Buster Olney of ESPN reports that the Diamondbacks are interested in Mike Olt, and that he would be an integral part if they were to deal Justin Upton to the Rangers.

The Diamondbacks seem increasingly likely to deal Upton in the coming weeks, and the Rangers have no spot for Olt after their signing of Lance Berkman. There will surely have to be other pieces involved on the Rangers end, perhaps Martin Perez, to make the deal work, but this seems feasible on both ends.

According to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, Mike Olt's roster spot is in jeopardy following the Rangers' signing of Lance Berkman.

Olt doesn't have a clear path to playing time behind Adrian Beltre, and could end up at Triple-A Round Rock if he doesn't stick as platoon option behind Berkman and Mitch Moreland. The Rangers are also considering shopping Olt to acquire another outfielder, and have offered him in trade talks with the Diamondbacks for Justin Upton. After struggling with injuries during his brief callup last season, Olt remains largely unproven at the major league level. He won't be guaranteed a bench spot going into spring training.