MLB Player News

The Indians got a strong performance from the pitching staff in Tuesday's opener against the Blue Jays, so they only needed one hit on offense. Asdrubal Cabrera provided it.

Cabrera, the team's starting shortstop on opening day for the fourth year in a row, slugged a two-run home run in the fifth inning off Jays' starter R.A. Dickey. That lone swing was enough to lead the Indians to a 4-1 win. He finished the game 1 for 4 with a walk. 

Cabrera is coming off consecutive All-Star game appearances and should be a fixture in the top of the team's lineup during the season. 

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman had a productive night at the plate in Monday's season opener against the Phillies. He went 3 for 4 with a home run and three RBI in the 7-5 win.

Freeman launched a two-run homer off starter Cole Hamels in his first at-bat before driving in Andrelton Simmons with a single his next time up. He added another base hit in the seventh inning.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo wasted little hitting his first home run on 2013 in Monday's season opener against the Pirates. He took the first pitch he saw from starter A.J. Burnett deep for a two-run shot in the opening frame.

Rizzo finished 1 for 4 in the 3-1 win.

"I don't really remember the pitch or where I hit it or whatever," Rizzo said. "It was just kind of blacked out there for a second but it was nice to get the win and get on a good note."

Scott White moved Joey Votto ahead of Albert Pujols as the top Fantasy first baseman in Head-to-Head. His colleagues, on the other hand, think Pujols is still first at first.

Scott cited Pujols’ plantar fasciitis as the reason for him moving down the rankings. We’ll see if Scott sticks to his slight demotion. Track how our experts react to player production by frequenting our regularly updated rankings for Heat-to-Head and Rotisserie.  

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.