MLB Player News

Cooper looks likely to lose playing time after the Marlins' reported signing of Jorge Soler.

Cooper looked like a lineup regular a day ago, but with the addition of Soler, the veteran has been pushed down the depth chart. Cooper now becomes part of a crowded Miami bench where he will compete for at-bats throughout the year.

Rivas (finger) is starting Saturday's Cactus League game against the Padres, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Rivas missed the final few weeks of the 2021 season after he tore a tendon in his right middle finger in late September, but he completed his rehab in December and had a relatively normal offseason. He'll start at first base and bat fifth against San Diego.

Smith revealed Friday that he played through a partially torn labrum in his right shoulder for most of last season and also dealt with wrist and groin issues, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

Smith's slash line dropped from .316/.377/.616 in 2020 to .244/.304/.363 in 2021. His strikeout and walk rates remained very similar, but his barrel rate plummeted from 13.3 percent to 6.5 percent, which sure looks like a player who just couldn't hit the ball as hard as he used to. For those wanting to dream on a bounceback season for Smith, though, it's worth noting that he had an even lower 6.0 percent barrel rate in 2019, his apparent breakout season. In that context, it's his excellent form in the 60-game 2020 campaign that looks like the outlier.

Voit was traded from the Yankees to the Padres in exchange for Justin Lange on Friday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

The Yankees made it clear that they didn't value Voit particularly highly when they signed Anthony Rizzo to be their first baseman Tuesday. With Giancarlo Stanton locked into the designated hitter spot, Voit would have been stuck waiting for an injury to open up regular at-bats. He comes with durability and consistency questions, but he's been quite productive overall in his five big-league seasons, hitting .267/.357/.510. He'll face a downgrade in park in his move to the West Coast, but that should be more than offset by a clear path to playing time, as Voit lines up as the Padres' natural choice at designated hitter.

Smith homered twice off Max Scherzer in a simulated game Wednesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

While a sim game early in camp doesn't mean much, Scherzer didn't give up any other runs over four innings, and Smith has never had a hit against him in any games that count, going 0-for-16 against the right-hander with seven strikeouts in his career. A good spring training would go a long way toward ensuring Smith has a regular spot in the lineup after he put together a disappointing 2021 season, but it's unlikely the 26-year-old will be a true starter, instead splitting his time between first base, left field and DH.

Freeman agreed to a six-year, $162 million contract with the Dodgers on Wednesday, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

The 32-year-old rejected Atlanta's $18.4 million qualifying offer for 2022 shortly after winning the World Series, and he's now decided to continue his MLB career in Los Angeles. Freeman has been a model of consistency at the plate throughout his career, and he's coming off a 2021 campaign during which he slashed .300/.393/.503 with 31 home runs, 25 doubles, 120 runs and 83 RBI in 159 games. The first baseman should have every opportunity to improve upon his counting stats going forward as he joins an already potent Dodgers lineup.

Solano agreed Wednesday with the Reds on a one-year, $4.5 million contract, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Solano has seen the overwhelming majority of his innings at second base throughout his career, but unless the Reds elect to move reigning NL Rookie of the Year Jonathan India off the keystone, the 34-year-old will have to settle for most of his reps on the left side of the infield in 2022. Even with Cincinnati dealing Eugenio Suarez to Seattle earlier this week, the shortstop and third base positions still appear somewhat crowded, as all of Kyle Farmer, Jose Barrero and Mike Moustakas are competing for work at either position. Given the success he's had against lefty pitching over the past three seasons in San Francisco, Solano would probably make the most sense as a short-side platoon mate at the hot corner with the lefty-hitting Moustakas. From 2019 through 2021, Solano turned in wRC+ marks of 125, 137 and 121 versus southpaws.

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.