MLB Player News

The Indians have cooled on the idea of hitting Santana leadoff this season, MLB.com reports.

It seemed like a remote possibility at best initially and appears to be a dead issue now. Santana homered in his first game of the spring Tuesday as he looks to bounce back from last season's career-worst .395 slugging percentage.

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.

The Indians may consider hitting Santana leadoff this season, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Santana struggled when moved up to the No. 2 spot in the order last season (22-for-112 in 30 games) but manager Terry Francona does of a history of some unconventional leadoff hitters with Kevin Youkilis in Boston so it's not totally without merit. Santana's career .365 onbase percentage and dwindling power makes for a good fit in the leadoff spot but it's far too soon to see if this will come to fruition.

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.

Singleton gained 25 pounds in the offseason, 17 of which are muscle, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The 24-year-old enters camp weighing 255 pounds as he prepares for a what A.J. Hinch describes as a "grueling" competition at first base with A.J. Reed, Tyler White, Preston Tucker, Matt Duffy and veterans Marwin Gonzalez and Luis Valbuena. "I haven't spent a ton of time with him on the baseball side of things," Hinch said of Singelton, "but showing up in camp, he's obviously put some time in the gym. He's very aware of what his situation is. Knowing the first base job is up for grabs - I'm sure he'll be as focused as needed."

Parmelee (arm) signed a minor league contract with the Yankees on Monday that includes an invitation to spring training, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.

Parmelee played most of 2015 with the Triple-A affiliate of the Orioles, but he did get a short stint with the major league club in the summer. He hit minor league pitching to the tune of a .314/.386/.444 slash line, but that didn't translate to the majors as his .216 batting average shows. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said that he's likely to play first base at the Triple-A level, which fills the void that Greg Bird left after undergoing shoulder surgery earlier in the month.

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.