MLB Player News

Bell hit his second homer of the spring in Friday's game against the Rays.

He struck out in his other three at-bats and is hitting .182 in Grapefruit League action. Bell continues to struggle defensively but has little competition for the first base job. Lonnie Chisenhall and Francisco Cervelli will likely serve as his backups. It's easy envisioning a rebound in power from Bell in 2019 - he hit 12 homers last season after belting 26 in 2017 - but it's important to note that he never hit more than 14 home runs in the minors.

Walker went 2-for-3 with a double, a triple and a run scored Thursday against San Francisco.

Walker tripled in the second inning and scored the game's first run, and then he smacked a ground-rule double in the fourth. The 27-year-old continues to have a solid spring and sports a .355 average with a home run, 11 RBI and five runs scored. Walker's chances of breaking camp with the Diamondbacks took a slight hit with the addition of Adam Jones this week. Prior to signing Jones, there was room for Walker and outfielder Socrates Brito, both of whom are out of options, plus carrying three catchers. However, the arrival of Jones has forced management to re-evaluate the need to carry three catchers, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. If the Diamondbacks retain two catchers, they can keep both Walker and Brito.

Solano (head) is listed among the Giants' available reserves for Thursday's Cactus League game against the Reds, Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Solano suffered a scare earlier this month when he was struck in the helmet by a pitch, but the veteran infielder's health no longer looks to be in any question. The non-roster invitee is a longshot to break camp with the Giants and will likely be reassigned to the minors in the near future.

Cooper went 1-for-1 with a walk, a double and a run scored in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

He pinch hit for Jose Urena in the fifth inning and stayed in the game in right field. Cooper has yet to go yard this spring, but his .375/.444/.500 slash line through 24 at-bats includes three doubles, and the 28-year-old remains among the favorites to break camp with a bench spot on the Marlins -- a job that could give him a bigger workload than expected if Peter O'Brien can't make enough contact to hang onto a starting role.

Shaw was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Monday.

Shaw seemed to be competing for a regular role this spring, but he won't get the chance to make an impression at the big-league level right away. He'll head back to prove himself at the Triple-A level, where he owns a .273/.317/.516 slash line with a worryingly high 32.0 percent strikeout rate over 189 games.

The Dodgers optioned Beaty to their minor-league camp Sunday, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Beaty was one of five position players sent packing as the Dodgers reduced their contingent at big-league camp to 50 men. The 25-year-old first baseman is expected to open the 2019 campaign at Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he slashed .277/.378/.406 across 120 plate appearances last season.

Alonso has impressed Mets manager Mickey Callaway with his all-around game and maturity this spring, Deesha Thosar of The New York Daily News reports.

The 24-year-old has been as advertised at the plate, crushing his third homer of the spring over the replica Green Monster at the Red Sox's facility Saturday to push his slash line to .423/.464/.885 through nine games, but the manager has been just as wowed by his defense and focus. "I kind of knew the offense was going to be somewhat special. So for me, the defense and how locked in to a game he is every day (is surprising)," Callaway said. "First base, you have to be locked in on every situation and he is very, very locked in. All the little things that it takes to be a quality major-league player, he's doing them on defense. That's probably been the most surprising thing." Dominic Smith is also having a big spring, potentially giving the Mets front office an out if it wants to send Alonso back to Triple-A for a few weeks to delay starting his service-time clock, but he's doing everything he can to prove he deserves a spot on the Opening Day roster.

France (head) went 1-for-1 with a two-RBI double in Saturday's spring game against the Reds.

France was hit in the head by a pitch Friday and exited the game, but he was able to come off the bench to play third base Saturday. The 24-year-old avoided a concussion and went through a full workout prior to Saturday's game to gain clearance.

Hiura went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk and four RBI in Saturday's spring game against the Athletics.

Hiura now has a home run in back-to-back games as he's started to heat up in Cactus League play, going 5-for-11 in the last five games. The 22-year-old is destined to begin the season at Triple-A San Antonio with the re-signing of Mike Moustakas likely delaying his promotion.

France went through a full workout Saturday after getting hit in the head by a pitch the day before, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

France left the game after the at-bat but initial reports were positive and he avoided a concussion. He clarified Saturday that the pitch didn't hit anything other than the flap of his helmet, so it doesn't appear that he'll be out long.