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."

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.

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.

Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera will start hitting again Wednesday. Cabrera has been held out of action with a back injury, but appears to be improving. Provided he does not suffer a set-back, he should be ready for the start of the regular season.

First baseman/outfielder Chris Carter is on the Astros' opening day roster.

The 26-year-old was acquired from the Athletics during the offseason. 

Last season, he hit .239/.350/.514 in 260 plate appearances. Carter is expected to play left field for the club this season. 

Angels outfielder Kole Calhoun made a pinch-hit appearance Sunday against the Giants. He went 0 for 1 with a strikeout in the ninth inning. Calhoun, who returned from a back injury on Saturday, has gone 1 for 4 in the last two Cactus League games. 

One storyline I'm eager to watch this season is if Indians catcher Carlos Santana is ready for a breakout season. 

Santana's has had some good power numbers in the past, but he's yet to match the production he had in the minors. In case you are unfamiliar, Santana hit .290 with a .401 on-base percentage, .500 slugging percentage and .900 OPS in 527 minor-league games. If he posts those kind of numbers in the majors, then he would challenge Buster Posey as the top Fantasy catcher. 

I'm thinking with all the lineup upgrades Cleveland made this offseason that Santana might finally have the lineup protection he needs to get closer to what he did in the minors.

Clearly, I'm not the person who is buying into this theory as Santana is the second-highest drafted catcher in Head-to-Head formats and third-highest in Rotisserie leagues.

With it looking more and more likely Chris Carter is going to end up as the Astros' starting left fielder, it's time to start assessing his Fantasy value and whether or not a change of scenery is going to make a major difference. 

Looking at Carter's spring numbers, I don't think he's changed much from the hitter he was with the A's. He still has great power (slugging .554 in 21 spring games), but he continues to hit for a so-so average (.268) and is striking out a lot (20 Ks). He slugged .514 in 67 games for Oakland last season, but he also struck out 83 times.

It's going to be a plus for Carter that he will play regularly with the Astros. He's also expected to hit in the heart of their lineup and the short porch in left field at Minute Maid Park should definitely play big for the right-handed slugger. 

But I'm not sure all the positives are ready to wipe out all the negatives for Carter. Looking at his minor-league stat line (.283/.378/.535/.913), you can see the kind of potential Carter brings to the table. But the Astros aren't expected to contend this season, so Carter's RBI potential could also be limited. I still view him as nothing more than a late-round flier in deeper Fantasy formats. 

Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera was scratched from the lineup for Sunday's Cactus League game and is also expected to sit Monday after tweaking his back while hitting in the batting cages, The Plain Dealer reports. Manager Terry Francona was not concerned with Cabrera's status for the start of the season. "It seemed like a silly time of the year to have Asdrubal play through an something like that," Francona said.