MLB Player News

Carter is 2-for-7 with two home runs and three runs batted in through three spring games.

Carter's power numbers were down a bit last season, as he dipped from 37 home runs in 2014 to 24 in 2015, so it's good to see he's been muscling up in the early goings of spring training. The 29-year-old is expected to slot in as the Brewers' starting first baseman this season and will try to continue slugging at a high clip in the hitter-friendly Miller Park.

Abreu is 5-of-10 with a solo home run and a walk through four games this spring.

The 29-year-old is picking up right where he left off from 2015 and has the potential to reach 30 home runs and 100 RBI for the third consecutive season. Abreu is widely considered a top five fantasy first baseman for 2016.

Solano has been sidelined with a lower-back injury, The Westchester Journal News reports.

Solano hasn't been able to partake in any baseball drills, and while there's no exact timetable as of now, he expressed optimism that he'd return to the field before the end of spring training. The infielder likely wouldn't have cracked the Opening Day big league roster anyway, but if he misses extended time he'll most likely begin the year at the Triple-A level.

Votto is 3-for-6 with three walks and one run scored through three games this spring.

Votto has a career .311/.423/.534 line and appears to be ready to continue that success heading into 2016. Unfortunately, while the 32-year-old will likely be an on-base machine, his RBI and runs scored may decline due to the many sub par hitters around him in the Reds' lineup.

Rizzo is 0-for-5 and has yet to reach base through two games this spring.

There is no reason to be concerned as Rizzo is one of the best first basemen in the league and will feast in the middle of the Cubs' lineup this season. The 26-year-old is a legitimate MVP candidate heading into the 2016 season.

Singleton went 2-for-4 with a double, home run and three RBI during Sunday's Grapefruit League win over Toronto.

Prior to Sunday's standout performance, Singleton had gone hitless over six at-bats with four strikeouts. Astros manager A.J. Hinch indicated last week that the 24-year-old has the "first look and the most experience" in the team's first base competition, but A.J. Reed (three hits Sunday) and Tyler White (home run Sunday) are right there with him in one of the most exciting position battles of the spring thus far.

Bour went 2-for-3 with an RBI double and one run scored Sunday in a loss against the Tigers.

Bour is off to a solid 3-for-7 start in Grapefruit League action as he looks to earn an everyday spot in the Marlins' Opening Day lineup. If he continues to impress during the exhibition season, Bour has a chance to open the season batting fifth for the Marlins, a position that could leave him plenty of run producing opportunities directly following Christian Yelich and Giancarlo Stanton in the lineup. Bour's work against left-handed pitching will be of particular note through March after he batted just .221/.279/.294 in limited action against southpaws last season.

Bell is 1-for-9 with a double and three RBI through his first four Grapefruit League games. He's also drawn a pair of walks.

Bell is playing first base for the first time at the big league level, and so far the results have been surprisingly positive. He struggled picking balls out of the dirt during January's minicamp, but made a nice backhanded scoop Friday and also tracked down a bloop down the right-field line. He's looked good as the Bucs have handed out playing time at first base like a revolving door in the early going.

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.

Astros manager A.J. Hinch indicated Singleton has the "first look and the most experience" in the team's first base competition this spring, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Singleton is competing with the highly-regarded A.J. Reed and lesser-known Tyler White for the first base job this spring, but Hinch's comments Wednesday suggest the 24-year-old is the early favorite for the role. A lot can happen during camp, however, and Singelton has struggled mightily over 420 big-league plate appearances thus far. It probably wouldn't take much for Reed or White to overtake him in the competition.