MLB Player News

Chicago manager David Ross said he plans on batting Rizzo second behind Kris Bryant this season, Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

The Cubs will get the benefit of a DH during this abbreviated season, but Ross plans on batting his corner infielders 1-2, likely followed by shortstop Javier Baez and then possibly catcher Willson Contreras. Rizzo primarily batted third in 2019 while also getting time in the cleanup and leadoff spots. Previous manager Joe Maddon was known to freely move players around the batting order and the diamond, but it remains to be seen if Ross will be more consistent with his lineups.

Arias will be part of the Padres' 60-man summer camp.

Like the majority of the Padres' top prospects, Arias was included in the player pool for developmental purposes rather than to help the big-league club win in 2020. He is a great defensive shortstop and has impressive power for his age (20), but he could stand to improve his plate discipline (4.9 percent walk rate, 25 percent strikeout rate at High-A) before reaching the majors.

Higgins will be a part of the Cubs' 60-man player pool this season.

Higgins was one of four catchers added to the group that will train at Wrigley Field, joining Willson Contreras, Victor Caratini and Josh Phegley. Those other three figure to be ahead of Higgins on the depth chart, but the 27-year-old will be available in case a need arises.

Bohm may not open the season on the big-league roster but should see some time at designated hitter this season, Todd Zolecki reports.

How exactly teams use prospects like Bohm, who ideally would have gotten a bit more minor-league seasoning before making their MLB debuts, will be one of the storylines to watch in the strange upcoming season. Bohm is undoubtedly part of the Phillies' future and is probably at least serviceable at the big-league level already, though he's yet to reach Triple-A and has played just 63 Double-A games. With no minor-league games for him to develop in and a heightened sense of urgency to win now in a 60-game season, though, he'll likely be asked to fill a role at the highest level quite early. Jay Bruce is the Phillies' most natural designated hitter candidate against righties, but Bohm could get at-bats against lefties fairly early on.

Manager Derek Shelton said that he expects Bell to rotate with Gregory Polanco and Colin Moran as the team's designated hitter, DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.

Whether he plays first base or serves as the DH, Bell will be in the lineup nearly every day. "Instead of maybe rest someone that we were going to play in our regular lineup that day, they'll have the ability to get four or five ABs, and I think that's extremely important for us," Shelton said. "We won't go with one person there." While he ranked last in 2019 among qualified first basemen in defensive WAR (-17.5), the 27-year-old figures to retain positional flexibility at first heading into 2021, given Shelton's comments.

Cooper could wind up as the Marlins' primary designated hitter this season, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

With Jesus Aguilar getting first crack at the starting first base job and Miami carrying a lot of outfield depth, Cooper's path to playing time this season originally appeared somewhat precarious, but he might be the most comfortable fit at DH while players with better gloves, such as Lewis Brinson, patrol right field. Cooper slashed a solid .281/.344/.446 in 421 plate appearances last year, but he'll need to avoid the injuries that sidelined him at times in 2019 to take full advantage of his opportunities.

Naylor is the "most obvious DH candidate" if a universal designated hitter is instituted for the 2020 season, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Under MLB's current proposal, teams in both leagues would use a designated hitter during an abbreviated 2020 season. Naylor makes sense to fill the role regularly for San Diego given his raw power and subpar defense. Still, Lin notes that the Padres could cycle through a number of players to DH in order to preserve energy and health, so Naylor is far from guaranteed an everyday role.

Bohm recently signed with top baseball agent Scott Boras, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Bohm has yet to reach Triple-A but has a clear path as the Phillies' third baseman of the future, a role he could potentially take over quite early this season. The Phillies have been open to locking up prospects to long-term extensions prior to their debuts, as they did with Scott Kingery prior to his Opening Day callup in 2018. Boras is famous for getting his players paid and has a reputation for preferring his clients go to free agency, but his acquisition of Bohm doesn't necessarily bode poorly for the Phillies. He's worked with the team in the recent past, including brokering Bryce Harper's $330 million deal in 2019.

Beaty's chances of making the Opening Day roster are likely to improve if the 2020 campaign is played, Pedro Moura of The Athletic reports.

Beaty was already a strong contender for a roster spot prior to the suspension of play, but his chance of breaking camp with the big club would increase further with an abbreviated season and the probability of expanded rosters. Such a scenario could allow both Beaty and Edwin Rios -- whom Beaty was rumored to be battling for the final roster spot -- to make the squad in reserve roles.

Arias is expected to be added to the Padres' 40-man roster following the 2020 season, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Arias is likely to open the campaign at the Double-A level after slashing .302/.339/.470 with High-A Lake Elsinore last season. His age (he recently turned 20) and strong defense add to his attractiveness as a prospect, so the Padres will likely find a place for him on the 40-man roster during the next offseason as long as he continues on his current trajectory and is not traded elsewhere. While Arias has the range and plus-plus arm to excel at shortstop, Fernando Tatis seems to have locked down that position in San Diego for the foreseeable future.