MLB Player News

Bell is slashing .367/.457/.900 through 30 Grapefruit League at-bats with a team-high four home runs and a 5:7 BB:K.

He's also added four doubles, and he's catching fire as Opening Day approaches, going yard in each of his last three games. Bell had a disappointing final year in Pittsburgh, but if he can return to his 2019 form in his first campaign with Washington, he could take a run at the 116 RBI he recorded that season with Trea Turner (career .353 OBP) and Juan Soto (career .415 OBP) ahead of him in the batting order.

Smith (wrist) will bat third and play left field Sunday against the Nationals.

Smith had been out of action since being scratched Wednesday due to wrist soreness. The issue never appeared to be particularly serious, however, and he still has plenty of time to get up to game speed by Opening Day.

Cron's contract was selected by the Rockies on Saturday.

Cron joined the Rockies on merely a minor-league deal this winter, but he always seemed likely to win the starting job at first base given the team's uninspiring alternatives. He needed to prove his health following August knee surgery, and he's done that this spring, hitting .324/.343/.618 through 12 games. Cron has averaged 27.4 homers per 600 plate appearances thus far in his career and could certainly surpass that mark this season with an everyday role in the league's most hitter-friendly park.

Smith (wrist) will start in left field during Sunday's spring game against the Nationals, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News reports.

Smith took at-bats during Saturday's simulated game, and he'll be able to play left field against Washington on Sunday. It's unlikely that Smith's brief absence will impact his availability for Opening Day.

Smith (wrist) took at-bats during Saturday's simulated game, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Smith took batting practice Friday and was able to progress to a sim game Saturday. The 25-year-old has been slowed by right wrist soreness since Wednesday but hasn't been too concerned about the issue and could return to the Grapefruit League lineup as early as Sunday.

Calhoun (knee) will take a regular batting practice Sunday, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Calhoun underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus earlier in March and is expected to open the season on the injured list. While he's been unavailable, several candidates have rotated in at right field. On Friday, it was Tim Locastro's turn. Prior to that, Pavin Smith, Trayce Thompson and Daulton Varsho made starts in right field.

Walker went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and a stolen base in Friday's spring game against the Brewers.

The blast was Walker's fourth in 27 spring at-bats, an encouraging sign for the first baseman who had just seven long balls over 218 at-bats in 2020. "It builds confidence," Walker told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. "Because I'm not going up there thinking, 'Got to hit the ball in the air. Got to hit a homer.' I'm trusting some adjustments I made this offseason and trusting that that's going to be the result." Walker has been durable since becoming a regular in 2019, missing just 13 games the last two seasons.

Higgins got a step closer to securing the backup catcher role with the Cubs reassigning Jose Lobaton to minor-league camp Friday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Austin Romine (knee) should eventually become the backup to Willson Contreras, but he looks questionable for Opening Day, so Higgins may get the first crack at the role. The 27-year-old has yet to appear in the majors and likely wouldn't earn enough playing time to be much of a fantasy factor if Contreras stays healthy.

Smith (wrist) took batting practice a day ahead of schedule Friday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Smith was scratched from the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins and isn't expected to play until Sunday. He doesn't seem concerned about the issue, however, saying Friday that he would be in the lineup if he dealt with a similar issue during the regular season.

Cabrera went 3-for-3 with a single, double and solo home run in Thursday's spring game against the Dodgers.

Cabrera, who made his second consecutive start at first base, went yard for the second straight Cactus League appearance. The utility infielder has appeared at first, second and third base this spring. His last four starts have come when opponents started left-handers, an indication of when Cabrera might be added to a starting lineup during the regular season.