MLB Player News

Howard will likely miss the next two games due to the flu, CSN Philadelphia reports.

Howard was pulled from Friday's game when he started feeling ill. He is unavailable Saturday and manager Pete Mackanin said he may miss Sunday's game as well.

Freeman (wrist) hit a ground-rule double in the first inning of Tuesday's Grapefruit League opener, Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The hard-hit ball off Baltimore's Mike Wright in Freeman's first spring at-bat was enough to convince manager Fredi Gonzalez that "Freeman's fine." Atlanta still plans to be cautious with Freeman and his troublesome wrist, limiting him to two or three at-bats every other day for the time being. Freeman took live batting practice Saturday for the first time since last season, following two "coach-pitch" batting sessions.

Flores missed Tuesday's intrasquad game with an illness, Adam Rubin of ESPN.com reports.

Flores fractured a bone in his left ankle over the offseason, but that appears to no longer be an issue. The illness is apparently a minor one, so once it's passed, the 24-year-old should be ready to make his spring debut.

Freeman (wrist) took live batting practice Saturday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

This is a significant development, as it marked Freeman's first time facing live pitching since last season. He faced Bud Norris and prospect Lucas Sims, and said he did not feel any pain in his right wrist when Sims shattered his bat on the final pitch of the session. Freeman plans to take it easy Sunday for "stress management" of the wrist, but all signs appear positive as the start of spring action nears.

Freeman (wrist) took batting practice Wednesday for the first time since September, and completed the session without issue, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The Braves are being cautious with Freeman in hopes of avoiding any setbacks, but it appears he's tentatively on track to be ready to go for the start of the 2016 campaign. Expect more updates on the star first baseman as he continues in his progression, with a return to game action during spring training likely providing confirmation of his status for Opening Day.

Freeman (wrist) hopes to face live pitching within two weeks, MLB.com's Mark Bowman reports.

The Braves are worried that Freeman could have some lingering soreness in the same right wrist that bothered him for much of last season. He should still have a fairly normal spring, but It is somewhat concerning to hear Freeman acknowledge that his wrist feels better some days than others. However, he's beens swinging a bit since January and said that he hasn't suffered a setback.

The Braves have some concern that the soreness in Freeman's wrist might linger, so they will take it easy with him early this spring, MLB.com's Mark Bowman reports.

The Braves' plans for Freeman are not known, but they know what they have in him, so they will likely opt for the cautious route as often as possible. As long as things go according to plan and Freeman does not suffer any setbacks this spring, however, he should be ready to go when Opening Day rolls around.

Bour will get a chance to prove himself as an everyday player in 2016, the Miami Herald reports.

Bour clobbered 23 home runs in 446 plate appearances during his first extended action in Miami, but notably struggled with a .221/.279/.294 slash line in 68 at bats against left-handed pitching. New manager, Don Mattingly, is willing to give the 27-year-old slugger a clean slate heading into 2016, however, and does not plan to platoon Bour out of the gates. If the team does decide to sit Bour against tougher lefties, Chris Johnson -- a .326 hitter against left-handed pitching in 2015 -- could see a boost in playing time at first base.

Swanner received an invitation to spring training Thursday.

Swanner spent 2015 with Double-A New Britain and showed off his power with 17 home runs. Although the invitation is promising, he'll likely start the season in the minors to develop more.

Flores (ankle) is working out at full strength and said he'll be 100 percent for spring training, Newsday's Marc Carig reports.

Flores removed his walking boot just over a week ago, which is a good sign that he's progressing fairly quickly. He'll likely serve in a super utility role to open 2016 with Asdrubal Cabrera taking over at shortstop.