MLB Player News

Abreu is 5-of-10 with a solo home run and a walk through four games this spring.

The 29-year-old is picking up right where he left off from 2015 and has the potential to reach 30 home runs and 100 RBI for the third consecutive season. Abreu is widely considered a top five fantasy first baseman for 2016.

Solano has been sidelined with a lower-back injury, The Westchester Journal News reports.

Solano hasn't been able to partake in any baseball drills, and while there's no exact timetable as of now, he expressed optimism that he'd return to the field before the end of spring training. The infielder likely wouldn't have cracked the Opening Day big league roster anyway, but if he misses extended time he'll most likely begin the year at the Triple-A level.

Singleton went 2-for-4 with a double, home run and three RBI during Sunday's Grapefruit League win over Toronto.

Prior to Sunday's standout performance, Singleton had gone hitless over six at-bats with four strikeouts. Astros manager A.J. Hinch indicated last week that the 24-year-old has the "first look and the most experience" in the team's first base competition, but A.J. Reed (three hits Sunday) and Tyler White (home run Sunday) are right there with him in one of the most exciting position battles of the spring thus far.

Astros manager A.J. Hinch indicated Singleton has the "first look and the most experience" in the team's first base competition this spring, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Singleton is competing with the highly-regarded A.J. Reed and lesser-known Tyler White for the first base job this spring, but Hinch's comments Wednesday suggest the 24-year-old is the early favorite for the role. A lot can happen during camp, however, and Singelton has struggled mightily over 420 big-league plate appearances thus far. It probably wouldn't take much for Reed or White to overtake him in the competition.

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.

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.

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.

Cron is the likely candidate to start the season at first base if Albert Pujols has to miss time while recovering from foot surgery, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reports.

The Angels are still hopeful that Pujols will be able to suit up on Opening Day, but manager Mike Scioscia made it clear that the aging slugger will not be rushed back into action. Cron was already set to see his share of at-bats as the team's DH, but he could see a bump in the batting order if the team needs to compensate for the loss of power. While he will hit his home runs, it is a bit concerning that Cron's ISO fell nearly 20 points last season, as he doesn't offer much upside apart from his ability to leave the yard.

Solano received an invitation to spring training Friday, Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal reports.

This comes as no surprise, as Solano has appeared in the majors in parts of the last four seasons. That being said, his hitting numbers have tapered off since his debut in the bigs, so he'll likely head back to the minors after spring training if he can't get his bat going against major league pitching.