MLB Player News

McBride (lat) will partake in a game against Team Italy in minor league camp Tuesday, the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser reports.

He had been unable to throw due to a mild lat strain, but it sounds like things are improving to the point that he can play in what essentially amounts to a rehab game.

Gillaspie, the Rays' 2014 first-round pick, went 1-for-3 with a two-RBI double in Monday's 7-2 Grapefruit League win over the Phillies.

Gillaspie's line-drive two-bagger to center in the third snapped a 1-1 tie and brought home Dayron Varona and Nick Franklin. The 24-year-old, who's enjoyed a fairly rapid ascension through the Rays organization, slashed an impressive .307/.389/.520 with 13 doubles, two triples, seven homers and 23 RBI over 203 plate appearances at Triple-A Durham in 2016. Gillaspie is currently the organization's seventh-ranked prospect and could certainly lay the groundwork for a call-up later in 2017 with a strong spring and continued improvement at the minor league level.

Abreu will head to Miami following Monday's game to tend to personal matters and expects to be back in camp on Wednesday, Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Abreu's brief absence will in all likelihood not heavily factor into his preparation for the season. The 30-year-old first baseman went 2-for-3 on Monday against the Cubs, which included hitting a long, "no-doubter" home run. He'll look to stay hot when he returns from his absence, presumably on Wednesday.

Calhoun (abdomen) will make his Cactus League debut Monday, according to the Orange County Register.

Calhoun underwent offseason surgery to repair a bilateral core muscle injury and the plan was for him to be ready by spring training. It appears that he has met that timetable and will make his debut -- with several other everyday players -- on Monday. Calhoun is one of the more dependable mid-tier outfielders in fantasy, seeing at least 672 plate appearances over the past two seasons while providing some pop and run production.

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.