MLB Player News

The Angels have optioned infielder Luis Jimenez, right-hander David Carpenter, catcher John Hester and outfielder Kole Calhoun to Triple-A Salt Lake Saturday, according to the Los Angeles Times. 

Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera removed any lingering doubt about his back by returning to the starting lineup for Saturday's spring finale against Cincinnati. Cabrera has not appeared in a Cactus League game since March 22 in order to rest after suffering back spasms while taking swings in a batting cage.

"Yeah, he's fine," manager Terry Francona told MLB.com. "I don't think there was ever a concern about him getting ready to play. It was just getting him enough at-bats where he could shake some rust off."

The Diamondbacks and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt have agreed to a five-year, $32 million contract extension, FOXSports.com reports. Goldschmidt, who is entering his second full season with Arizona, was not eligible for arbitration until after the 2014 season. He is hitting .414 with two homers and 14 RBI in 27 games this spring.

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman went 1-for-2 against Houston right-handed starter Lucas Harrell and grounded back to lefty reliever Luis Cruz in Atlanta's 2-0 win over the Astros Thursday. The performance illustrates Freeman's spring splits perfectly. He's hitting .420/.436/.900 with seven home runs in 50 at-bats against right-handed pitching this spring but only .192/.222/.192 with no home runs in 26 at-bats gainst lefties.

Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt continued his hot spring in Thursday's game against the Rangers, doubling in his two at-bats to push his spring line to .414/.493/.603. Goldschmidt, who has six hits in his last 10 at-bats, appears more than ready for the regular season to begin.

Indians manager Terry Francona said Thursday catcher Carlos Santana's transition to major-league camp after playing in the World Baseball Classic has gone well, according to MLB.com. But Santana is still working to learn the club's various signs and also needs to catch a couple of relievers he hasn't worked with yet.

"He was ahead of the game behind the plate because he caught so much," Francona said of Santana's stint with the Dominican Republic. "He caught more there than he would've with us. There's only two relievers he hasn't caught, and we'll make sure he catches them in the next couple of days."

Santana is batting .261 (6 for 23) with a homer and seven RBI in nine spring games for Cleveland. He hit .273 (6 for 22) with two homers and three RBI in eight games for the Dominican Republic.

Donovan Solano returned to the Marlins lineup Thursday after a week of dealing with back tightness. The second baseman went 0 for 3.

But the big news for Solano was his placement in the lineup -- second, directly in front of Giancarlo Stanton. If the Marlins use Thursday's lineup during the regular season -- a good chance, as these late-spring lineups usually reflect managers' preferences -- Solano looks a lot better as a second-base sleeper in deeper leagues because he should be scoring often if he can reach base in front of Stanton.

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard went 1 for 3 in Thursday's Grapefruit League finale against Toronto. His final spring line is .338/.359/.675 in 77 at-bats, including seven home runs and five doubles.

Although it's inadvisable to take too much out of Howard's spring numbers, it's good to see him get through 77 at-bats without faltering physically, and he hit for excellent power even considering the favorable spring atmosphere and quality of pitching. We'll have to see if he can make consistent contact against major-league pitching -- he struck out in 33 percent of plate appearances last season, a mark he'll need to drastically improve if he's to make these spring results carry over to summer success.

Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, who has been sidelined with back tightness, said he will be ready for opening day.

"For sure, bro," Cabrera said to MLB.com.

Cabrera will partake in Thursday's workout and possibly DH in a minor-league game Friday. He's batting .281 (9 for 32) with one triple, one homer, three doubles and seven RBI in 13 spring games.

"He's definitely on pace for opening day," manager Terry Francona said.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto has been working regularly on his sliding drills this spring, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Manager Dusty Baker said he isn't concerned about Votto sliding, despite Votto injuring his left knee sliding.

"He’ll probably be nervous," Baker said. "I won’t be. I saw him sliding about a month ago. I could tell he had be working on it. He wasn’t a very good slider before. He slow down to slide. He’d be safe and then make himself out. He’s working on it. He doesn’t want to have a weakness in his game. He’s accelerating to slide, which is what you should do."