MLB Player News

Bell (knee) hit off a tee and completed soft toss drills over the past couple of days, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune reports.

News broke before that the top prospect was progressing steadily through his knee rehab, and this development is consistent with that. Bell's status for Opening Day is still questionable, but given that he's now moved on to baseball-related activities, it seems realistic that he could be ready.

Cabrera says he is completely healthy heading into spring training after dealing with a strained patellar tendon last season, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

Cabrera also said he would decline a WBC invitation from Venezuela if asked to fill in for the injured Freddy Galvis. The veteran infielder had a productive first year with the Mets, batting .280 and posting an OPS of .810. Now healthy and free to spend the entirety of spring training with the Mets, expect continued consistency from the 31-year-old in 2017.

Brown said Friday that he lost 24 pounds this offseason, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

The Mets have to be pleased that one of their top prospects will be entering the 2017 season in much-improved physical shape than in previous years. The 21-year-old first baseman has always projected to be a strong hitter, but his slimmed-down figure should now allow him to be more agile defensively as well. He'll likely begin the season with Triple-A Las Vegas, and could eventually earn a big league promotion with a strong performance.

Votto is expected to bat third according to manager Bryan Price, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The batting average and OBP dynamo was made for the three-hole, and he hit 29 home runs in each of his past two seasons. Votto deserves fantasy consideration in the first round of OBP leagues.

Pirates head athletic trainer Todd Tomczyk said that Bell (knee) is making good progress toward being cleared to participate in baseball activities, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune reports.

The top prospect had knee surgery at the beginning of February, but it seems like he's progressing at a pace that the trainers are happy with. That being said, Bell's status for Opening Day is still up in the air, although things should become clearer once he resumes baseball activities.

Stassi will see playing time in the outfield during spring training, Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Stassi, who primarily plays first base, has emerged as a real shot to make the roster as a bench player. The 27-year-old hit .267 with 12 home runs and 58 RBI for Triple-A Lehigh Valley last season and could provide a formidable left-handed bat in the Philadelphia lineup. With the offseason departure of Ryan Howard, Stassi may land a backup role to Tommy Joseph, but could also be flexed into an outfield spot.

Bour may not have a regular platoon partner at first base this season, requiring him to face left-handed pitchers more often.

He's a career .223/.273/.291 hitter against lefties with no home runs in 103 at-bats over three seasons, and that performance will have to improve if he's going to take advantage of any additional opportunities against them in 2017. Even so, the Marlins seem inclined to carry an extra arm in their bullpen rather than a bat on their bench, which could leave starting catcher J.T. Realmuto as Bour's primary backup -- and force the 28-year-old slugger to sink or swim against same-side pitching.

Bell (knee) intends to be completely ready in time for Opening Day, Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The top prospect underwent a minor knee procedure at the beginning of February that put some question into his status for the start of the regular season, but he seems to be fairly optimistic in his status moving forward. He began throwing Monday and plans to start hitting within the coming days, which hopefully should help him progress into spring game action relatively early. Should he be ready for Opening Day, Bell seems to be in line to start at first base for the Pirates.

Cabrera announced Tuesday that he will not play for Team Venezuela in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, Jesus Ponte of Venezuela's Diario Meridiano (Venezuela) reports.

Cabrera said Tuesday that he was under the impression he would be selected for a spot on the team after talking to Team Venezuela manager Omar Vizquel, but was left off the roster nonetheless by general manager Carlos Guillen. The 31-year-old slashed .280/.336/.474 in addition to hitting 23 home runs with the Mets last season. His absence from the World Baseball Classic will presumably free him up to spend all of spring training with New York, where he will prepare for another season as the Mets' starting shortstop.

Freeman will play for Team Canada in the WBC, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The tourney's somewhat lax eligibility rules allow Freeman, an American, to suit up for Canada because his parents were Canadian. He's also the only real MLB star on a young roster, so it could be a quick exit and return to the Braves for the 27-year-old, who'll be looking to build on last season's career-high 34 home runs and .969 OPS in 2017.