MLB Player News

Freeman (wrist) took batting practice Wednesday for the first time since September, and completed the session without issue, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The Braves are being cautious with Freeman in hopes of avoiding any setbacks, but it appears he's tentatively on track to be ready to go for the start of the 2016 campaign. Expect more updates on the star first baseman as he continues in his progression, with a return to game action during spring training likely providing confirmation of his status for Opening Day.

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.

Freeman (wrist) hopes to face live pitching within two weeks, MLB.com's Mark Bowman reports.

The Braves are worried that Freeman could have some lingering soreness in the same right wrist that bothered him for much of last season. He should still have a fairly normal spring, but It is somewhat concerning to hear Freeman acknowledge that his wrist feels better some days than others. However, he's beens swinging a bit since January and said that he hasn't suffered a setback.

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.

The Braves have some concern that the soreness in Freeman's wrist might linger, so they will take it easy with him early this spring, MLB.com's Mark Bowman reports.

The Braves' plans for Freeman are not known, but they know what they have in him, so they will likely opt for the cautious route as often as possible. As long as things go according to plan and Freeman does not suffer any setbacks this spring, however, he should be ready to go when Opening Day rolls around.

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.

Bour will get a chance to prove himself as an everyday player in 2016, the Miami Herald reports.

Bour clobbered 23 home runs in 446 plate appearances during his first extended action in Miami, but notably struggled with a .221/.279/.294 slash line in 68 at bats against left-handed pitching. New manager, Don Mattingly, is willing to give the 27-year-old slugger a clean slate heading into 2016, however, and does not plan to platoon Bour out of the gates. If the team does decide to sit Bour against tougher lefties, Chris Johnson -- a .326 hitter against left-handed pitching in 2015 -- could see a boost in playing time at first base.

Swanner received an invitation to spring training Thursday.

Swanner spent 2015 with Double-A New Britain and showed off his power with 17 home runs. Although the invitation is promising, he'll likely start the season in the minors to develop more.

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.