MLB Player News

Calhoun won't necessarily operate in a right field platoon even after the signing of Chris Young, Jeff Fletcher of the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin reports.

Some thought that a platoon could be put in place given how much success Young had against lefties previously (.861 OPS versus lefties from 2015-2017), but a move like this doesn't seem to be imminent. Fletcher makes it seem like Young is purely a backup to all three outfield spots, implying that Calhoun will still get a fair amount of starts against southpaws. The 30-year-old struggled against lefties last season, but he is only a year removed from batting .290 in 155 at-bats against them. This situation will likely gain some clarity as Cactus League games are played.

Abreu showed up to camp 15 pounds lighter, and is aiming to become a better defender in 2018, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports.

During Abreu's first four years in the major leagues, he's finished with 25-plus home runs and 100-plus RBI in each season with the White Sox. The 31-year-old first baseman slashed .304/.352/.552 in 2017 and worked hard in the offseason to cut weight in order become a better defender -- he also wants permission to swipe more bags, despite having just six career stolen bases. Expect more of the same from Abreu in 2018, as he's in a position to put up yet another impressive year.

Carter agreed to a minor-league contract with the Angels on Sunday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Carter started the 2017 season with the Yankees, but a disappointing performance led to him being designated for assignment and joining the A's on a minor-league deal. With New York, Carter played in 62 games and slashed .201/.284/.370. Carter, who typically sacrifices batting average in exchange for power, hit just eight home runs over that time. Should he appear in the majors with the Angels, Carter will likely act as a reserve option at first base.

The Angels traded Cron to the Rays on Saturday in exchange for a player to be named later.

Cron wasn't expected to see much playing time behind Albert Pujols and Luis Valbuena, so the Angels decided to ship him off to Tampa Bay, where he'll enter camp with a chance to emerge as the team's starting first baseman. The 28-year-old, who hit .248/.305/.437 with 16 homers in 100 games last season, will compete with Brad Miller for the starting gig in spring, though it's also possible the two settle into a platoon together. In a surprising corresponding move, Corey Dickerson was designated for assignment to clear a roster spot for Cron.

Kirilloff is fully recovered from Tommy John surgery that he underwent in March of 2017, Mike Berardino of Baseball America reports.

Berardino also reported that Kirilloff has added 30 pounds of muscle since the summer of 2016. The No. 15 overall pick in the 2016 draft, Kirilloff should not be forgotten in dynasty leagues, as he still has special offensive potential. He has plus raw power and excellent contact skills that could allow him to someday hit second or third in a big-league lineup. The fact that he missed all of 2017 may allow for a brief window to buy low. If he impresses in his first taste of full-season pitching this year, he will shoot up prospect lists.

Rizzo left the Cubs' spring training complex in Scottsdale, Ariz. and returned to his native Florida following the deadly shooting Wednesday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, which the 28-year-old attended from 2003 through 2007, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports.

The Parkland, Fla. school holds a special place for Rizzo, who previously donated $150,000 to cover the cost of lights for its baseball field. Rizzo is expected to take the next several days to be with his family and the local community before returning to Arizona next week. The time away from spring camp shouldn't delay Rizzo's preparations for the 2018 season in any significant manner. After hitting 30-plus home runs and amassing 100-plus RBI and 90-plus runs for the third straight season in 2017, Rizzo once again profiles as a dependable early-round building block in fantasy drafts.

O'Hearn is in the mix to fill the Royals' vacancy at first base, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old struggled a bit in his first taste of Triple-A last season, batting just .252 to go with 18 homers and 53 RBI. This ultimately led to a demotion, although there's no denying his excellent raw power. Manager Ned Yost brought up the prospect's name when discussing potential options to play first if Eric Hosmer doesn't return, and it's not totally out of the realm of possibility given O'Hearn's ability to get take walks (9.7 percent walk rate at Triple-A last season) and extra-base power (.198 ISO at Triple-A). That said, he seems to be behind fellow prospect Hunter Dozier in the pecking order heading into spring training, so there's a good chance O'Hearn could head back to the minors for more seasoning. Things should become clearer once Cactus League action begins.

The Diamondbacks confirmed that they will employ a humidor at Chase Field in 2018, general manager Mike Hazen told the Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro.

This is expected to have a significant drag on power in Chase Field. Goldschmidt will obviously be affected by this change, though clearly not the only one. We will knock a handful of homers from his and other Diamondbacks in our projections.

Flores is expected to see some time in the outfield this spring, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

The utility man has never played in the outfield -- this would be a welcome addition to his already-diverse positional tool set. Flores produced a .795 OPS in 336 at-bats for the Mets last season, and it seems like the Mets are doing what they can to ensure he can continue playing on at least a semi-regular basis. Asdrubal Cabrera is expected to take on primary duties at second base with the addition of Todd Frazier.

Alonso will attend spring training as a non-roster invitee, Abbey Mastracco of NJ.com reports.

Alonso will enter camp with little hope to make the major-league roster, but he'll get the chance to see some live arms this spring. He smashed 16 home runs and drove in 58 runs at High-A St. Lucie in 2017 before being promoted to Double-A Binghamton. Alonso is currently the No. 4 prospect within the Mets' minor-league system, and he will look to build on the success he had last season.