MLB Player News

Stassi's chances of earning a roster spot with the Phillies improved with the release of Chris Coghlan on Tuesday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com report.

Stassi has hit .320 with five home runs and a 1.050 OPS this spring while seeing playing time at first base and in the outfield. He is competing with Daniel Nava and Jesmuel Valentin for one of two bench spots.

Walker was claimed off waivers by the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Walker was designated for assignment after the Reds claimed Scooter Gennett off waivers from the Brewers. The 26-year-old was 7-for-37 (.189) this spring before being optioned down to Triple-A. He carries some power potential, but he'll likely spend the year as organizational depth with the Diamondbacks in 2017.

Freeman went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers.

He's been scorching hot all spring, hitting .500 through 40 at-bats, but only two of his 20 hits have gone for extra bases so the performance isn't quite as impressive as it looks at first glance. Nonetheless, Freeman will carry a lot of momentum into Opening Day as he looks to build on his breakout 2016.

Malm was released by the Rangers on Tuesday, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Stefan Stevenson reports.

The 26-year-old southpaw transitioned from a position player to a relief pitcher in 2015 in an effort to finally reach the big leagues, but the change in roles has yet to yield a spot on a 40-man roster. He is unlikely to offer big-league value anytime soon.

The Indians informed Colabello on Sunday that he wouldn't make the Indians' Opening Day roster.

Colabello had an excellent spring training with a 15-of-39 showing from the dish and performed well for Italy in the World Baseball Classic, but as a non-roster invitee, the 33-year-old always faced long odds to break camp with the big club. After missing much of the first half of last season while serving a suspension for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs, Colabello slashed just .180/.248/.288 with Triple-A Buffalo in the Blue Jays organization. He'll likely have to find some success with Triple-A Columbus before earning a promotion to the Indians in 2017.

Solano was assigned to the Yankees' minor-league camp Monday.

Solano appeared in nine games with the big club a season ago, going 5-for-22 (.227 average) at the dish. With the Yankees relatively healthy in the infield as the regular season approaches, Solano never had a realistic shot at winning an Opening Day roster spot, but as injuries mount over the course of the campaign, he could be called upon if more depth is needed up the middle. Look for Solano to report to Triple-A Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Hague has been told he won't make Minnesota's final 25-man roster, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Hague has had a good spring as he's hitting .359, but he'll need to prove himself in the minors after producing a .685 OPS with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan last year.

Bell, who went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts Friday, has two hits in 27 at-bats in Grapefruit League action.

Bell is simply piling up as many at-bats as possible since he got off to a late start following arthroscopic knee surgery in February. Pittsburgh is counting on the 24-year-old to serve as the team's primary first baseman. He could cede some time to John Jaso early on, as Jaso is a better fielder and has had a strong spring, but the first base job is basically Bell's to lose. There's also a long-range chance the Bucs could move him back to his natural spot in the outfield, but either way he's set for steady playing time.

Gillaspie was reassigned to minor league camp Thursday, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Gillaspie smacked three homers over 40 spring at-bats but hit only .200 and counted two doubles as his only other extra-base hits over that span. The 2014 first-round pick will look to improve on what was an excellent 203-plate appearance stint at Triple-A Durham in 2016 that included a .307/.389/.520 line.

Freeman went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, his first long ball of the spring, in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers.

The homer capped off an epic 12-pitch battle against Justin Verlander and proved to be the only run the Braves could muster against Detroit's ace. Freeman's now hitting .484/.543/.613 through 31 spring at-bats and seems more than ready for Opening Day.