MLB Player News

White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu is hitting in the four spot Friday, according to the Chicago Sun Times.

Abreu signed with the club during the offseason, and is expected to play a big role this year. If he can perform well during spring training, Abreu will likely open the season as a middle of the order hitter for Chicago. The White Sox aren't expected to be a great offensive team, but Abreu should pick up a fair share of RBI in that role.

Indians catcher/first baseman Carlos Santana will start at third base during the team's spring game Thursday.

Santana is slated to hit fourth and gets his first shot at playing third. Santana spent most of the offseason preparing to play the position, but it's still unclear how serious the team is about using him there during the regular season. Santana hit .268/.377/.455 in 541 at-bats last year.

The Indians are throwing Carlos Santana into the fire at third base. He will start there Thursday against Cincinnati. His playing time at the hot corner will be dependent on how often he catches.

Santana has ceded the starting catcher job to 2013 surprise Yan Gomes, but will serve as his backup. He performed well at third base in winter league play, but the team is curious about how well he can play there in exhibition games.

He will compete with disappointing prospect Lonnie Chisenhall, but also could platoon there against left-handers and work mostly as designated hitter. Chisenhall has been particularly weak against southpaws.

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard's struggles against left-handed pitchers has been well-chronicled. However, during an intrasquad game Tuesday, he proved he had no problems hitting left-handed pitching.

Howard singled off top pitching prospect Jesse Biddle in his first at-bat and then homered off Cesar Jimenez in his second at-bat.

"He's approached me about seeing left-handed pitching," manager Ryne Sandberg said, per the Philadelphia Inquirer. "If he makes the left-handers throw strikes, in my opinion he can hit balls in the strike zone."

Howard fared pretty well against lefties during spring training last year, batting .400 with three doubles and three home runs in 30 at-bats. However, he struggled during the regular season, batting .173 with three doubles and three home runs in 87 plate appearances against lefties.

Braves outfielder/first baseman Joey Terdoslavich has been getting some work at catcher this spring, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Terdoslavich didn't do much in his Braves debut last season, hitting .215/.315/.266 in 79 at-bats, but he enjoyed a banner season at Triple-A Gwinnett, hitting .318/.359/.567 with 18 home runs and 58 RBI in 321 at-bats. He doesn't have any game experience at catcher in either the minor or major leagues.

Mets manager Terry Collins reiterated Sunday he intends to get infielder Wilmer Flores playing time at shortstop this spring.

"First of all, I tip my hat to him. He's got a whole different body right now than he did at the end of the season," Collins said about Flores, per ESPN. "He went to the [fitness and nutrition] camp in Michigan. He looks tremendous. He came in lighter. He came in more athletic. I'm going to let him play some shortstop, but I want to see him at second. I want to see him at third."

While his defense remains a work in progress, Flores has proven he can get the job done at the plate and his offensive skills could help him land a spot on the roster this spring.

"The bat potential is off the charts," Collins said. "Everybody talks about what a big RBI guy he is, what he's going to be. Somebody told me yesterday they've watched him in winter ball for a few years and he reminds them of Fonzie [Edgardo Alfonzo]. That is a big statement. And I don't like to compare guys. But that is a big statement, because Edgardo was an outstanding offensive player. And if that's what Wilmer Flores is going to be, obviously you have to find a position for him to play."

Angels outfielder Kole Calhoun is excited about receiving a full-time role, according to the Boston Herald.

The 26-year-old is poised to begin the year as the team's starting right fielder. Calhoun has already drawn strong endorsements from manager Mike Scioscia, who suggested Calhoun could hit leadoff for the club. "Kole made some terrific adjustments, first what he did in Triple-A and the he brought it up to the big leagues and did the same thing," Scioscia said. 

Calhoun understands that while he's in line for more work, he has to earn his spot. "You've got to go out there and earn a spot," Calhoun said. "Spots aren't given out here." If he can follow through, Calhoun will jump into an enticing situation. Hitting in front of Mike Trout, Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols can only boost a player's value.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is looking for more consistency in his third season, according to ESPN.

Rizzo admitted last year was crazy, but he feels more comfortable now. After being traded twice already in his young career, Rizzo said it was nice to know where he was reporting this season. He stressed that he still has things to work on. "The biggest thing in going to the next level is consistency," Rizzo said. "I want to be consistent everyday."

Rizzo plans on making a slight alteration to his swing this spring. The goal is to keep his hands "quieter" at the plate. Rizzo hit .233/.323/.419 in 606 at-bats last year.

Reds manager Bryan Price announced Wednesday his projected batting order for when a right-handed pitcher is on the mound.

Price said Billy Hamilton will lead off, and he will be followed by Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Ryan Ludwick, Todd Frazier, Devin Mesoraco and Zack Cozart.

Price said he would likely switch Bruce and Ludwick in the lineup when a left-handed starter is on the hill. 

Price also reiterated he hasn't given much thought to batting Votto second.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo has expressed confidence he can improve his batting average from last season. The Cubs are showing the same confidence in the 24-year-old first baseman and feel he hasn't reached his full potential yet, according to CSN Chicago.

"His batting average (.233) was bad and certainly the aesthetics of the end of his year weren’t ideal," Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said. "But when a 23-year-old guy is playing great defense and has some power and patience, I think there’s a lot of potential there. He didn’t have the year he wanted, but I also think there’s some really nice silver linings that you can build on.

"He understands he’s not a finished product. He understands there’s things he can work on and he’s been really good at doing that. Hopefully, he’ll face some adversity from last year and bounce back really strong."