MLB Player News

Hoskins (abdomen) took at-bats off Phillies ace Aaron Nola during live batting practice Wednesday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Hoskins' involvement in live BP likely signals that he's made a full recovery from the core-muscle surgery he underwent in late August. The procedure resulted in Hoskins concluding his second straight season on the injured list, but he at least provided strong power numbers when he was available (27 home runs, 71 RBI over 443 plate appearances). Having now turned in four straight seasons with OPS marks between .818 and .887, Hoskins seems unlikely to reach the great heights he hit as a rookie in 2017, but he remains a key cog in a solid Phillies lineup that added Kyle Schwarber this offseason and returns reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper.

Washington manager Dave Martinez confirmed Wednesday that Bell is preparing to be the team's everyday first baseman in 2022, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.

Once the news came through earlier in the offseason that MLB was implementing a universal designated hitter, Bell was viewed as a potential candidate for that role, but he'll end up sticking at his familiar first base position after Washington signed Nelson Cruz over the weekend. Bell also picked up six starts in the outfield in 2021 (five in left, one in right), but Martinez suggested that the 29-year-old won't focus on any corner-outfield work this spring. After coming over in a trade from Pittsburgh last winter, Bell enjoyed a productive first season in D.C. He reached base at a .347 clip, trimmed his strikeout rate to 17.8 percent and mashed 52 extra-base hits (including 27 home runs) over 568 plate appearances.

Cooper is expected to have a regular spot in the Marlins lineup this season, splitting time between first base and DH, Jordan McPherson of The Miami Herald reports.

Last season, the National League didn't feature the DH, and as a result, Cooper ended up seeing significant action in right field as manager Don Mattingly attempted to get his bat into the lineup. That experiment ended in July when he injured his left (non-throwing) elbow and was shut down for the season, but Cooper is healthy to begin spring training; however, with the DH available again, his defensive duties will be far more limited in 2022. The 31-year-old has a career .282/.354/.453 slash line through 887 plate appearances in the majors, and he could have surprising fantasy value with consistent playing time.

Cronenworth has been dealing with a groin muscle issue in camp and has yet to join the Padres' full-squad workouts, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Despite the injury, Cronenworth has been participating in baseball activity before and after workouts with the club, and the Padres feel confident that he will be ready to go for the start of the campaign. The 28-year-old is expected to work as San Diego's everyday second baseman this season following a strong 2021 campaign during which he slashed .266/.340/.460 with 21 homers, 71 RBI and 94 runs scored.

Olson signed an eight-year, $168 million extension with Atlanta on Tuesday.

Atlanta seemed unwilling to pay the market rate to bring back franchise icon Freddie Freeman, but they're evidently willing to pay top dollar to keep Olson in town through 2029 after acquiring him from Oakland in exchange for four prospects Monday. Olson is 4.5 years younger than Freeman and is in a similar tier of elite talents at first base. Last season was a breakout year for him, at least in terms of making contact, as his 16.8 percent strikeout rate was nearly 10 percentage points lower than the career 26.1 percent mark he carried into the season. He didn't sacrifice any power to get there, homering 39 times, and he could easily push for his first 40-homer campaign this season now that he's no longer calling the pitcher-friendly Oakland Coliseum home.

Atlanta acquired Olson from the Athletics on Monday in exchange for outfielder Cristian Pache, catcher Shea Langeliers and pitching prospects Joey Estes and Ryan Cusick, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Just minutes before Passan's report, Buster Olney of ESPN relayed that the Yankees and Dodgers were moving aggressively to acquire Olson, but the rebuilding Athletics apparently found Atlanta's offer the most enticing. The addition of Olson fills a major hole at first base for Atlanta, which had been vacant since longtime franchise cornerstone Freddie Freeman hit free agency earlier in the winter. The move likely confirms that Freeman will be playing elsewhere in 2022, but Olson is about as high quality of a replacement as Atlanta could have found. Not only did the 27-year-old get on base at a .371 clip while mashing a career-high 37 home runs in 2021, but the two-time Gold Glove winner also offered premium defense at first base. With the move from Oakland to Atlanta, Olson not only finds himself in a better lineup, but he'll also benefit from the change in his home park.

Alonso said that he was involved in a "brutal" car accident Sunday, but he escaped without any injuries and plans to resume working out with the Mets on Tuesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Alonso was present at camp one day after the accident, telling reporters that he feels thankful to survive after his car flipped over three times. Fortunately, it sounds like no other individuals were hurt in the accident. The 27-year-old enters his fourth MLB season entrenched as the Mets' everyday first baseman and will be looking to build on a 2021 campaign in which he slashed .262/.344/.519 with 37 home runs, 94 RBI, 81 runs and three stolen bases.

Walker worked on altering his swing path and trained himself to react better to how he is being pitched, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Walker's breakout age-28 season in 2019 put him on the fantasy map, but the first baseman hit just .244 with 10 homers in 445 plate appearances last season. It was uncertain whether the Diamondbacks would bring him back, but the organization eventually tendered his contract, and Walker is motivated to prove 2021 was an aberration. "I've traditionally been a right-center, opposite-field thought-process guy and for a while that was that was where I needed to be and that worked," Walker said. "I think as our bodies change and the league learns about you and there's more data and more at-bats to use against you, it almost seems silly to try to be the same guy every single year, every single at-bat." Walker enters spring training as Arizona's primary first baseman, but Pavin Smith earned an opportunity as an everyday player in 2021. Smith could settle in at right field, where he held his own last season, so Walker could remain the starter at first base. With the designated hitter becoming a reality in the National League this season, there are a couple of potential spots in the batting order for Walker.

Hiura will begin seeing some time in the outfield this spring, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. "He's got to earn spots right now and so we're looking for ways for him to be more valuable to the roster," manager Craig Counsell said Sunday.

Hiura's poor defense at second base and first base made him a potential designated hitter candidate, but the Brewers would likely also want to give Christian Yelich, among others, starts at DH, so it would behoove Hiura to have an avenue into the lineup beyond DH. His sprint speed is roughly league average and his arm is notoriously bad, so it seems unlikely that Hiura will fare much better in the outfield than he did on the right side of the infield.

The Cubs announced Sunday that Higgins (forearm) is attending big-league camp as a non-roster invitee after he agreed to a minor-league contract in November, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Higgins joins John Hicks as non-roster catchers present for big-league camp, though the former is expected to be limited to rehab work while he continues to recover from the Tommy John surgery he required last summer. Though Higgins may face a shorter timeline for his recovery than a pitcher would, he's still expected to miss a large portion of the 2022 campaign. Once he's back to 100 percent, Higgins will likely settle at Triple-A Iowa.