MLB Player News

White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu has been battling ankle soreness the last few days, CSNChicago.com reports.

The issue doesn't seem serious, and Abreu should still be good to go once the regular season starts. He went 1 for 3 with a double in Friday's 2-2 tie with the Twins, giving him a .286/.310/.464 line through 28 spring at-bats.

The Angels reassigned second baseman Taylor Lindsey, pitcher Robert Carson, first baseman C.J. Cron, infielder Shawn O'Malley and catcher Anderson De La Rosa down to minor-league camp on Thursday.

Angels leadoff hitter and right fielder Kole Calhoun was not down long with a sore left hip. He was back in the lineup Wednesday against Milwaukee.

Calhoun earned a starting spot this season after batting .282 with a .462 slugging percentage in 195 at-bats in 2013.

White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu went 3 for 4 with two RBI in his team's 7-6 win over the Rangers Tuesday.

Abreu had been slow to get going this spring, entering the game just 2 for 13 at the plate. He's now hitting .294/.333/.529 with one home run and six RBI in 17 at-bats.

Angels outfielder Kole Calhoun was held out of Tuesday's spring game because of a sore left hip. However, he should be back in the lineup Wednesday, per The Los Angeles Times.

Calhoun is batting .227 (5 for 22) with one RBI, four runs and six walks in eight spring games.

Indians manager Terry Francona has been impressed with the work of catcher Carlos Santana at third base this spring, and the team will move forward with his transition to the hot corner, MLB.com reports.

"Carlos looks fine," Francona said Friday. "If he is the third baseman, you're not going to know how he handles it until he's asked to handle it. How many balls have been hit to him? Four? That's just not a fair sample size. You almost hope people hit balls to him. But then, if he makes an error in Goodyear, do you say, 'Oh, he can't be our third baseman?' I think we go more on his daily work and things like that. That's all been really good."

Francona will have to figure out how to properly divide playing time at the position between Santana and Lonnie Chisenhall moving forward. The manager left the door open for Santana playing both positions on a regular basis during the season.

"I would say in the next three or four days, we're going to sit down and talk through it," Francona said. "It's a little bit of uncharted waters. You don't see anybody playing third and catching in the big leagues, but if he's able to do it, it opens up a lot of different things. The first thing we're going to do is sit and talk."

Santana is just 2 for 11 at the plate this spring.

The struggles of Carlos Santana at third base could be good news for incumbent Lonnie Chisenhall. Santana has already made one error and blew a double play possibility with a bobble on Thursday as he tries to make the switch from catcher.

Reports out of winter ball were positive about the transition, but Santana has looked stiff and uncomfortable at third throughout spring training, per the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Chisenhall enters this season with a reputation for mediocrity at that position. He has also been a disappointment at the plate, particularly against left-handers.

One likely scenario is a platoon in which Santana plays against southpaws if he proves himself acceptable defensively. The Indians cleanup hitter would serve as the full-time designated hitter against right-handers.

White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu is hitting in the four spot Friday, according to the Chicago Sun Times.

Abreu signed with the club during the offseason, and is expected to play a big role this year. If he can perform well during spring training, Abreu will likely open the season as a middle of the order hitter for Chicago. The White Sox aren't expected to be a great offensive team, but Abreu should pick up a fair share of RBI in that role.

Indians catcher/first baseman Carlos Santana will start at third base during the team's spring game Thursday.

Santana is slated to hit fourth and gets his first shot at playing third. Santana spent most of the offseason preparing to play the position, but it's still unclear how serious the team is about using him there during the regular season. Santana hit .268/.377/.455 in 541 at-bats last year.

The Indians are throwing Carlos Santana into the fire at third base. He will start there Thursday against Cincinnati. His playing time at the hot corner will be dependent on how often he catches.

Santana has ceded the starting catcher job to 2013 surprise Yan Gomes, but will serve as his backup. He performed well at third base in winter league play, but the team is curious about how well he can play there in exhibition games.

He will compete with disappointing prospect Lonnie Chisenhall, but also could platoon there against left-handers and work mostly as designated hitter. Chisenhall has been particularly weak against southpaws.