MLB Player News

Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, whose 2013 struggles have carried over into this season, is set to lead off in the first game of the Wednesday doubleheader against San Diego.

Cabrera has just one hit in his last 15 at-bats and is hitting .130 on the year. His placement at the top of the order is due to the continued absence of Michael Bourn and left-hander Eric Stults starting for the Padres.

White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu enjoyed a big performance in his team's offensive rout Tuesday, going 2 for 5 with two home runs and five RBI as the White Sox rolled over the Rockies in Colorado.

Abreu hit his first home run of the season in the seventh inning of Tuesday's win and followed it up with another in the eighth. He's the co-leader in RBIs in the American League with 11, and he owns a .250/.359/.563 line in 32 at-bats.

If you play in a deep enough Fantasy league, you're probably already familiar with Chris Colabello. He was that independent league standout who reached the majors at age 29 last year only to look like he belonged in an independent league, hitting .194 in 160 at-bats.

But of course, he didn't do all of his damage in an independent league. In between his stints in the majors at Triple-A Rochester last year, he hit .352 with 24 home runs and a 1.066 OPS in 338 at-bats. Clearly, it doesn't get much better than that.

You need look no further than Kila Ka'aihue to know the Quadruple-A player is real, but given how different Colabello has looked to begin this season, I get the feeling we prematurely labeled him such. He was living a dream last year, getting a chance to play at a level he probably thought he'd never reach. Maybe he was nervous. Maybe he wanted so badly to prove he belonged that he never allowed himself to get comfortable. Just because he's 30 doesn't mean he's immune to all the mental hurdles we'd halfway expect to trip up a rookie.

Colabello has hit cleanup for the Twins since their third game of the season, so they never lost confidence in him. His minor-league numbers are obviously too good to be true, but since they don't put clear limits on the upside, he's a worthwhile gamble. In leagues deep enough that Justin Smoak and Lucas Duda are already owned, consider putting in a claim.

Angels outfielder Kole Calhoun scored three runs Monday, going 1 for 3 with two walks and his second home run of the season in his team's 9-1 win over the Astros.

Calhoun has been slow to get going this season, hitting just .160/.160/.320 before Monday's game boosted his line to .179/.233/.429. He'll need to continue to improve to stay at the top of the Angels lineup.

Twins first baseman Chris Colabello recent success continued on Sunday, as he plated four runs in a 10-7 win over the Indians in Cleveland.

Colabello drove in a run on a fielder's choice in the third, singled in another run in the fourth and ripped a bases-clearing double in the sixth. He finished 2 for 5 with a run scored and four RBI. He has gone 6-for-18 with three doubles, one home run, four runs scored and 11 RBI over his last four games played.

Angels left-handed batters Kole Calhoun and Raul Ibanez are set to sit Saturday against Astros southpaw Dallas Keuchel.

Collin Cowgill will replace Calhoun in the leadoff spot.

Angels outfield and leadoff hitter Kole Calhoun did not join the party in an offensive onslaught against Houston on Friday night until the seventh inning. But when he did, he did it in style. He slugged a two-run homer to give his team an 11-1 lead.

The blast ended a personal slump, but his 1-for-6 performance against the Astros maintained his batting average of .167.

White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu gave a glimpse of what he is capable of Thursday, as he drove in four runs in a game the White Sox would go on to lose, 10-9.

Abreu went 2 for 4 with two extra-base hits, an RBI double in the fifth inning following by a three-run triple in the sixth. He scored once and had two of the team's three hits with runners in scoring position in the loss.

Abreu has yet to homer in three games, but three of his five hits are for extra bases so far. He is hitting .417 with just one strikeout in his first 12 major-league at-bats. 

Twins first baseman Chris Colabello put together another strong performance on Thursday, driving six runs in a 10-9 win over the White Sox in Chicago.

Colabello, who batted cleanup, lined a bases-clearing double in the third inning and cranked two-run double in the fifth inning. He also scored a run on a ground out in the seventh inning. He finished 2 for 5 with six RBI. He has five hits over his first 10 at-bats, three of them have been doubles.

Shifts in the Twins lineup have placed first baseman Chris Colabello in the cleanup spot Thursday against White Sox left-hander Jose Quintana.

The new lineup that elevated Joe Mauer to the second spot and Josh Willingham third allowed Colabello to bat fourth. Colabello, who has played only against southpaws, is off to a strong start in 2014 with three hits in five at-bats.