MLB Player News

Hague has been told he won't make Minnesota's final 25-man roster, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Hague has had a good spring as he's hitting .359, but he'll need to prove himself in the minors after producing a .685 OPS with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan last year.

Bell, who went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts Friday, has two hits in 27 at-bats in Grapefruit League action.

Bell is simply piling up as many at-bats as possible since he got off to a late start following arthroscopic knee surgery in February. Pittsburgh is counting on the 24-year-old to serve as the team's primary first baseman. He could cede some time to John Jaso early on, as Jaso is a better fielder and has had a strong spring, but the first base job is basically Bell's to lose. There's also a long-range chance the Bucs could move him back to his natural spot in the outfield, but either way he's set for steady playing time.

Gillaspie was reassigned to minor league camp Thursday, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Gillaspie smacked three homers over 40 spring at-bats but hit only .200 and counted two doubles as his only other extra-base hits over that span. The 2014 first-round pick will look to improve on what was an excellent 203-plate appearance stint at Triple-A Durham in 2016 that included a .307/.389/.520 line.

Freeman went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, his first long ball of the spring, in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers.

The homer capped off an epic 12-pitch battle against Justin Verlander and proved to be the only run the Braves could muster against Detroit's ace. Freeman's now hitting .484/.543/.613 through 31 spring at-bats and seems more than ready for Opening Day.

Santana is 2-for-6 with a strikeout in his first two Cactus League games since returning from the WBC.

Santana entertained on the world stage by hitting .308 (8-for-26) with a pair of doubles, three RBI and two runs scored for the Dominican Republic. Fantasy owners will hope for carry-over results similar to the ones he displayed coming off his previous WBC. Following the 2013 tournament, the slugger opened the MLB regular season by hitting .389 in April. A slight regression from 2016's career year should be expected, but even so, Santana brings plenty of value across all formats.

Diaz has been working on the back fields at the Indians' complex with third-base coach and infield instructor Mike Sarbaugh, like a student cramming for an exam, to earn an Opening Day roster spot as a third baseman, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports.

With Jason Kipnis (shoulder) likely to miss the beginning of the season, starting third baseman Jose Ramirez may be pushed across the diamond to fill the hole. Diaz is looking to capitalize on that potential opening at the hot corner to ensure his place on the 25-man roster. As a member of the Rockies' organization in 2015, the 25-year-old played 126 minor-league games at third base. However, Diaz played a majority of his 103 games last year at Triple-A in the outfield. It's widely believed that the Cuban native can hold his own in the box against MLB pitchers -- he owns a career .307/.403/.410 slash line while displaying good plate discipline over 1222 at-bats in the minors -- but the Tribe have other options to temporarily hold down third base if Diaz proves to be a defensive liability.

With Luis Valbuena (hamstring) heading for an MRI on Thursday, Cron's chances of becoming the Angels' starter at first base increase, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Both veteran sluggers have been battling for playing time all spring, with neither taking a significant lead at any point. Even though Valbuena's hamstring injury wasn't considered serious at first, the timing of it should lead to Cron winning the job outright. The 27-year-old is slashing .340/.393/.640 in 54 spring training plate appearances after posting career-best numbers in 2016 (.278 with 16 homers and 69 RBI over 116 games). This news bumps his value up, as regular at-bats to start the year could lead to some cheap power numbers.

Terdoslavich was reassigned to minor league camp Thursday.

The 28-year-old had two brief stints with the Braves' big club in 2014 and 2015 but projects as mere organizational depth. Terdoslavich likely needs plenty of dominoes to fall for an extended chance in the majors.

Gurriel hit a first-inning, three-run homer and later doubled in Wednesday's game against the Twins.

Gurriel has had a quiet camp before flexing his muscles the last two days, going 4-for-6 with two homers, two doubles and four RBI. It's an encouraging sign that he'll be able to handle the transition to a new defensive position without reducing the impact of his bat.

Walker was optioned to Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old was a long shot to make the 25-man roster after being claimed off waivers by the Reds earlier in March, and he didn't do much at the plate to help himself this spring, slashing just .189/.231/.351 in 37 at-bats. Walker will now head to Louisville, where he'll serve as organizational depth in 2017.