MLB Player News

Santana and his manager Terry Francona have discussed getting the slugger some outfield reps later this spring, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports.

Santana, who's expected to split time with Edwin Encarnacion between first base and designated hitter, reached out to Francona to express his willingness to play outfield. Under the current arrangement, Santana would be the odd-man out when the Tribe visits NL parks for interleague play. His at-bat total would get a slight boost if he can manage to play outfield during the team's four stops at NL venues in 2017.

Bell (knee) has been cleared for everything except running at full speed, Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Bell has been making gradual improvements throughout spring training after undergoing minor left knee surgery in February. He slashed .273/.368/.406 over 45 games in his rookie season and fully expects to be ready for Opening Day, where he'll form a platoon at first base with David Freese. After facing live pitching Tuesday, the road to recovery looks bright for the young switch-hitter.

Bell (knee) faced live pitching Tuesday and continues to recover from February surgery. "It's all structurally stable," Bell told DK Pittsburgh Sports. "It's just the incision marks still scarring over. Just from that, waiting for that to heal. But for the most part I feel great. I'm putting the same motions it happened with initially. I'm all cleared there, so I feel good."

Spring training holds special value for Bell, as the former outfielder looks to improve upon his defensive skills at first base. "I'm just trying to get back to that reaction time and first-step quickness," Bell said. "If I can get those reads in, hopefully I can make up for this last week that I missed." He enters 2017 as left-handed batting side of a first base platoon with David Freese. Bell slashed .273/.368/.406 with Pittsburgh in 2016 after compiling a Triple-A line of .295/.382/.468. His ability to read the strike zone is probably his greatest strength, giving him extra value in OBP leagues.

Cabrera will get consideration as the Mets' leadoff hitter this season on days when Jose Reyes isn't in the lineup, The New York Post reports.

He primarily batted second for the Mets last season, but in his career Cabrera has hit .286/.321/.410 in 315 at-bats from the top of the order. With Reyes stuck in a super-utility role, the team will need someone else to hit leadoff in their standard starting eight, and if Cabrera can maintain the .336 OBP he posted in 2016, he could prove to be the best man for the job.

Walker has been dropped from the 40-man roster and designated for assignment, Dan Connolly reports.

Walker was on the lineup card to play first base in today's intrasquad game, but was a late scratch once he was DFA'd to make room for lefty Richard Bleier who was acquired from the Yankees. It was a bit surprising to Walker dropped from the 40-man roster, but the 25-year-old has no chance to play first base for the Orioles and the outfield is already overcrowded. General manager Dan Duquetter said Walker became expendable after the team re-signed Mark Trumbo.

Goldschmidt is looking forward to competing in the World Baseball Classic in March, the Arizona Republic reports.

He'll leave for Florida on March 6 and begin participating in Team USA workouts March 7. Goldschmidt is expected to anchor the Arizona lineup again in 2017, while his overall production may increase if A.J. Pollock and David Peralta can avoid the injuries that plagued them throughout 2016.

Bell (knee) participated in light baserunning drills Tuesday, Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Bell continues to slowly ramp up his activity as he works back from knee surgery earlier in the month. The top prospect was hitting off of a tee and taking part in soft toss drills over the weekend, and the expectation is that he'll be back up to full speed before Opening Day.

Abreu says he learned from the experience of 2016 when he struggled to hit early in the season, Scott Merkin of the White Sox's official site reports. "I never in my life experienced some kind of struggles like I did last year," Abreu said. "But that put me in a better position as a player, as a person too. I'm in a better position now for this season because I learned from the experience."

Abreu opened the 2016 season hitting .242 with a .686 OPS and six homers in his first 52 games, before coming around in June. Perhaps the poor start was partially attributable to his conditioning to start the season. The 30-year-old Cuban said he put a lot of effort into his body during the offseason with eye toward coming out the gate strong in April.

Cron, who underwent surgery on his thumb last October, is fully recovered and won't face any limitations in camp, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.

This isn't a huge surprise, as he was never expected to miss any spring-training time after surgery, but it's still good news for Cron, who will reportedly be competing with Luis Valbuena for playing time this season. The 27-year-old is coming off a career-high .278 average as well as 16 homers in an injury-shortened 2016 campaign.

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.