MLB Player News

McBride (back) is unable to throw right now due to a mild lat strain, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

He has apparently been able to catch bullpen sessions, but hasn't been throwing back to the mound. It doesn't seem too serious, but McBride is likely locked in as organizational depth regardless.

Santana and his manager Terry Francona have discussed getting the slugger some outfield reps later this spring, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports.

Santana, who's expected to split time with Edwin Encarnacion between first base and designated hitter, reached out to Francona to express his willingness to play outfield. Under the current arrangement, Santana would be the odd-man out when the Tribe visits NL parks for interleague play. His at-bat total would get a slight boost if he can manage to play outfield during the team's four stops at NL venues in 2017.

Walker has been dropped from the 40-man roster and designated for assignment, Dan Connolly reports.

Walker was on the lineup card to play first base in today's intrasquad game, but was a late scratch once he was DFA'd to make room for lefty Richard Bleier who was acquired from the Yankees. It was a bit surprising to Walker dropped from the 40-man roster, but the 25-year-old has no chance to play first base for the Orioles and the outfield is already overcrowded. General manager Dan Duquetter said Walker became expendable after the team re-signed Mark Trumbo.

Abreu says he learned from the experience of 2016 when he struggled to hit early in the season, Scott Merkin of the White Sox's official site reports. "I never in my life experienced some kind of struggles like I did last year," Abreu said. "But that put me in a better position as a player, as a person too. I'm in a better position now for this season because I learned from the experience."

Abreu opened the 2016 season hitting .242 with a .686 OPS and six homers in his first 52 games, before coming around in June. Perhaps the poor start was partially attributable to his conditioning to start the season. The 30-year-old Cuban said he put a lot of effort into his body during the offseason with eye toward coming out the gate strong in April.

Cron, who underwent surgery on his thumb last October, is fully recovered and won't face any limitations in camp, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.

This isn't a huge surprise, as he was never expected to miss any spring-training time after surgery, but it's still good news for Cron, who will reportedly be competing with Luis Valbuena for playing time this season. The 27-year-old is coming off a career-high .278 average as well as 16 homers in an injury-shortened 2016 campaign.

Gurriel admitted to getting fatigued at the end of last season, noting the difference in schedules between MLB and Cuba, where players don't play everyday.

The 32-year-old Gurriel, who his making the transition to a full-time first-baseman in 2017, spent the offseason preparing himself for the grind of a full MLB season. He spent 15 years in Cuba's Serie Nacional, but never played more than 89 games since 2005. Gurriel is taking on quite a bit this offseason, learning the positioning of a new infield spot and adjusting to the daily haul of baseball in the United States.

Singleton, who was removed from the Astros' 40-man roster during the offseason, may find playing time at Triple-A Fresno difficult to come by, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Singleton dropped off the map last season, hitting just .202 at Fresno and never reaching the majors. A former top prospect, the 25-year-old first baseman will be challenged by younger prospects A.J. Reed and Tyler White, both of whom are expected to start the season with the Grizzlies.

Indians manager Terry Francona said he is not sure whether Santana or Edwin Encarnacion will be the primary first baseman for Cleveland this season, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Santana played 64 games at first base and 92 as the designated hitter last season, but hit the same amount of home runs (17) at each position. The DH position could be a limiting fantasy value in some leagues, but Francona says he still needs to reassess the situation this spring and talk to the sluggers individually. Either way, both Santana and Encarnacion provide powerful offensive weapons within the Cleveland lineup and will likely receive equal playing time throughout the course of the season.

Cron (thumb) is expected to begin a season-long competition for playing time with Luis Valbuena as spring training begins, the Orange County Register reports.

There are a few variables in play, including the health of Albert Pujols, Cron's health following October thumb surgery, and the Angels' defensive plans around the infield with the addition of Danny Espinosa via trade this winter. Nevertheless, Cron has 20-25 homer pop if he finds a way into the lineup on a daily basis, while the improvement he showed in his strikeout rate last season (dropped from 20.3 percent to 16.9 percent) bodes well for his chances of sustaining his 16-point increase in batting average to last season's .278 mark.

Gurriel, who played mostly at third base in 2016, will play first base this coming season.

Gurriel, the Cuban defector who signed a five-year deal during the middle of the 2016 season, is a bat looking for a home in Houston's lineup. In addition to third base, he played some outfield as well before getting introduced to first base late last season. The Astros added multiple outfielders during the offseason and expect prospect Alex Bregman to man third base. That leaves first base for Gurriel, who showed decent power in Cuba but should be challenged here in the states.