MLB Player News

Although new manager Derek Shelton hasn't revealed his preferred lineup, Bell is expected to bat cleanup for the Pirates in 2020, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

With No. 3 hitter Starling Marte traded to Arizona, the team will likely turn to Adam Frazier, Kevin Newman or Gregory Polanco to bat ahead of Bell. After a red-hot start to 2019, Bell hit just .232/.342/.476 with 19 homers in his final 371 plate appearances. The switch hitter's splits against left-handed pitching were disappointing -- he slashed just .224/.313/.448 with nine homers in 166 plate appearances. Against right-handers, however, he batted .297/.387/.615 with 32 doubles and 28 homers in 384 PA. He may get pitched around, given that Polanco, Colin Moran and Jose Osuna are likely candidates to bat fifth. As Pittsburgh's only bona fide power hitter, the organization will be counting upon Bell to produce big numbers in 2020.

Rizzo said he enjoys playing in Chicago and would like to stay with the Cubs beyond 2020, Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

The team picked up Rizzo's $16.5 million 2020 club option back in November, and it can do so one more time next year if it wants. The slugging first baseman said he wants to stay in Chicago long term, but he also called the business side of baseball "as cutthroat as ever" in January when the Cubs shut down contract extension talks. Rizzo has been a cornerstone player for the Cubs since 2012, but if the team gets off to a sluggish start when the 2020 season is able to resume, management could begin to move some bigger pieces as part of a rebuild.

Bohm spent his offseason working on his defense, Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The offseason work didn't necessarily yield results this spring, as Bohm committed errors on two of his 10 chances in Grapefruit League action. The Phillies need him to be a viable third baseman, as Rhys Hoskins projects to occupy first base for the foreseeable future. Bohm has yet to reach the Triple-A level, though he may not spend much time there this season, especially if a shortened schedule causes the Phillies to promote their top prospects early as they push to end their playoff drought.

Solano was likely on track to make San Francisco's 26-man roster when spring training was suspended, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Solano apparently holds the edge over Yolmer Sanchez, who, as a non-roster invitee, was hitting just .115 (3-for-26) with zero extra-base hits before camp was put on hold. While Solano has an option remaining, he went 8-for-21 in spring and hit .330 across 81 games with San Francisco in 2019.

Flores had a .240/.296/.400 slash line with one home run in 10 games before the suspension of spring training.

The 28-year-old joined San Francisco on a two-year, $6 million deal in February after the Diamondbacks declined his club option earlier in the offseason despite him posting an .848 OPS in 89 games last season. Flores figures to split time at second base with Mauricio Dubon once play resumes, though both players should also work in a utility role.

Cronenworth is vying for 26th spot on the Padres' Opening Day roster, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Cronenworth vaulted himself into contention for the team's final roster spot with a strong spring in which he posted a .320/.393/.400 slash line and a 3:4 BB:K. The 26-year-old's value is boosted by his ability to play three different infield positions as well as pitch. However, Cronenworth's chance of earning two-way status this season is impeded by MLB's requirement that he be carried against the Padres' 13-pitcher limit for part of the season while he accrues enough at-bats to qualify for the designation, per Kyle Glaser of Baseball America.

France is "among a handful of players" in competition for the final spot on the Padres' Opening Day roster, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Though France put up a monster season at the Triple-A level last season, posting a .399/.477/.770 slash line with 27 home runs, he entered spring training needing a solid showing to break camp with the big-league club. The 25-year-old wasn't overly impressive in Cactus League play -- he batted .235, though all four of his hits went for extra bases -- but did enough to remain in the running for the Padres' 26th and final roster spot. Part of France's appeal lies in his versatility; he logged games at three different infield positions last season and spent time this spring honing his skills behind the plate.

Goldschmidt (elbow) hit .300 (6-for-20) with two doubles, two home runs, four RBI, five walks and three runs across nine Grapefruit League games before spring training was suspended.

Goldschmidt battled a sore elbow in the early stages of camp, an issue that could well clear up by the time a ramp-up to the regular season unfolds. The veteran slugger's penchant for hard contact and modest two strikeouts during the exhibition slate were.particularly encouraging when considering he whiffed a combined 339 times over the last two campaigns.

Cabrera remained in the mix for the starting third base spot when spring training was suspended.

The veteran infielder was seen as the insurance policy at the hot corner in case top prospect Carter Kieboom needed more development time in the minors, but that appeared to be the case when MLB went on hiatus, as Kieboom was struggling both at the plate -- hitting .233 with nine strikeouts in 30 at-bats -- and with his defense after moving over from shortstop. Cabrera wasn't doing any better offensively in camp, going 3-for-22 (.136) without an extra-base hit, but his 13-season track record in the majors and .969 OPS in 38 games for the Nats at the end of last season carry a lot more weight.

Beaty is competing with Edwin Rios for the final spot on the Dodgers' Opening Day roster, Pedro Moura of The Athletic reports.

While manager Dave Roberts has indicated that Beaty has the "inside track" for a roster spot due to his ability to play third base (per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com), both he and Rios remain in the running to break camp with the big-league squad. The competition may have narrowed due to Beaty's rough spring -- he hit only .190, though he did draw five walks -- and Rios' solid .296 batting average and six RBI in Cactus League play.