MLB Player News

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports Phillies manager Charlie Manuel saw first baseman Ryan Howard take live batting practice in late January. Howard was limited to 71 games in 2012 as he came back from an Achilles injury he suffered during the 2011 postseason. "He said his Achilles’ doesn’t hurt him and he said his ankle is much better," Manuel said in late January.

A year after totaling career highs in home runs (25) and RBI (92), Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera saw a decline in both statistical categories in 2012, finishing with 16 homers and 68 RBI. But as MLB.com reports, the Indians feel Cabrera has yet to hit his stride. "I wouldn't want to set any limits on what Asdrubal is capable of doing," general manager Chris Antonetti said. "I think we've all seen the starts he's gotten off to in each of the last two years. He's been one of our most productive offensive players. He does that all while playing a premium position. And, Asdrubal, he's been around a while, but he's still a really young player. He's still going into the prime years of his career, so we expect him to be a very big part of our team offensively and defensively."

With a new manager taking over the Indians this year in Terry Francona, the move is also expected to bring some stability for catcher Carlos Santana. That means Santana will be staying put behind the plate this season with only the occasional respites at first base or as the designated hitter. "The idea of a catcher who can produce offensively, I think gives us that much more of an advantage," Francona told MLB.com on Friday. "The idea is for him -- while hopefully producing a lot offensively -- to understand how much he has to take care of the staff, and we'd like him to catch as much as possible."

Reds GM Walt Jocketty told the Cincinnati Enquirer on Wednesday that first baseman Joey Votto should be ready for the start of spring training. Votto missed 48 games last season after undergoing two separate knee surgeries. Reds strength and conditioning coach Matt Krause visited Votto in Florida and told Jocketty that Votto, "looks very good." His next step, according to the team, is to begin swinging a bat.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo announced on Monday that he will play for Italy in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Rizzo batted .285 with 15 home runs and 48 RBI in 87 games in the majors last season.

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard, who spent for the first three months last season recovering from a ruptured Achilles, has been working to get back to full strength this offseason. He hit .219 with 14 homers and a .718 OPS in 260 at-bats after returning last year. "He was never really at 100 percent [last season]. I don’t know how close he’ll be when spring starts," general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "But typically it takes a full year to gain your full strength capacity with an injury like that, and I think he’s getting closer to that."

The Angels recalled outfielder Kole Calhoun from Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday. Calhoun has seen 15 at-bats this year for the Angels and has three hits.

Cubs 1B prospect Justin Bour continues to rake for Class A Daytona. He is second in the Florida State League in homers (16) and RBI (52). For the season, he is batting .318 with 17 doubles, a .382 on-base percentage, .595 slugging percentage and .977 OPS. The George Mason product told The Washington Post he has made some tweaks at the plate with the help of Cubs minor league hitting coordinator Dave Keller. “Overall it’s pretty much the same as I had in high school,” Bour said. ”I just dropped my hands a little bit, learned how to use my lower half.”