MLB Player News

Bell has gone 6-for-21 (.286) with three doubles and a home run over his first nine Grapefruit League appearances this spring.

The former Pirate has also flashed solid plate discipline with a 4:7 BB:K. Bell is coming off a disappointing 2020, but the Nats have the switch hitter set to hit in the heart of the order as their starting first baseman in hopes that he'll be able to rediscover the form that led him to 37 homers, 116 RBI and a .936 OPS in 2019.

The Rays optioned Padlo to their minor-league camp Tuesday.

Padlo is expected to report to Triple-A Durham, where he finished the 2019 season after receiving a promotion from Double-A Montgomery. Over his 40 games at Durham, the corner infielder slashed .290/.400/.595 with nine home runs across 155 plate appearances.

Walker went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and two RBI in Monday's spring game against the Mariners.

Walker's hit three homers and knocked in six over eight Cactus League games. He experienced a drop off in 2020 but maintained a hard-hit rate from his breakout 2019 season.

The Dodgers optioned Raley to their minor-league camp Monday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

Raley is expected to report to Triple-A Oklahoma City as he begins his second stint in the Los Angeles organization in 2021. The Dodgers -- who previously selected Raley in the seventh round of the 2016 first-year player draft -- reacquired him from the Twins last February, but he didn't get the chance to play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor-league season.

Cron went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's spring loss to the Rangers.

After a slow start to spring training, Cron has gotten into a rhythm at the plate over the last few games as he continues to compete for a starting job at first base. Across his past four games, Cron has gone 6-for-12 with two home runs, two doubles, four runs, three RBI and two strikeouts. The 31-year-old remains the favorite to serve as the primary first baseman for the Rockies to begin the season, even though Josh Fuentes has also had a strong spring.

Casas went 0-for-2 in Sunday's spring game against the Twins.

Casas, who was away from the team to address a non-baseball medical issue, made his Grapefruit League debut Sunday. He played both corner infield positions. He may get a few more plate appearances, but the highly regarded prospect will start the season in the minors.

Wade could potentially platoon with Mauricio Dubon in center field this season, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports.

The Giants have a crowded mix of platoon-caliber options up and down their roster, but Wade has a shot of factoring into that group and may end up with the majority of starts if he does indeed win a platoon job, as he's a left-handed hitter. He'll have to prove he can handle center for that to happen, however, and he might also need to hit better than he's hit through his first 42 big-league games. His 13.3 percent walk rate is strong, especially when combined with a low 15.9 percent strikeout rate, but his overall .211/.336/.347 slash line is nothing to get excited about.

Mountcastle has just two hits in his first 19 spring at-bats.

Mountcastle should still have an everyday role in Baltimore this season regardless of his spring performance, though the Orioles would certainly like for him to find his timing sometime soon. He broke out to hit .333/.386/.492 in his 35-game debut last year, but a .398 BABIP clearly inflated those numbers. Given the Orioles' lack of established options, Mountcastle should still be in the lineup on a regular basis this season even if he goes through a sophomore slump, likely splitting time between first base, left field and designated hitter.

Guerrero hit his first Grapefruit League home run of the spring Friday against the Tigers, crushing a line drive 412 feet to center field that left his bat at 111.2 mph, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports. "He just feels good about himself right now," said Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo after the game. "He's in great shape. He had a great offseason. Not only that, in the intrasquad game we had yesterday, he hit two home runs. His last five at-bats have been hard-hit balls like that. We know what he can do, so that's a good sign for all of us."

The 21-year-old came to camp in much better physical condition in an effort to prove he can handle third base defensively, but a slimmed-down Guerrero has looked great at the plate as well, going 5-for-12 so far with four walks and only one strikeout. Friday's homer was his first extra-base hit in Grapefruit League action however, and it remains to be seen whether improved fitness will help him solve the launch-angle issues that have prevented him from blossoming as expected in the majors.

Tellez has continued to focus on improving his approach with two strikes after chopping his strikeout rate nearly in half in 2020, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

Working with Blue Jays special assistant Dante Bichette last year, Tellez saw his strikeout rate drop to 15.7 percent after he'd whiffed at a 28.4 percent rate in 2019, and putting more balls in play allowed his natural power to surface more often. "He's going to hit home runs on accident," Bichette said this week. "He doesn't have to try to. He can hit a line drive out of the park; he can pop up a ball out of the park. To me ... his goal was to put the ball in play more often and just square the ball up more often. And he's done that so far. Since we've worked together, he's been really good." Regular at-bats could be tough to come by for Tellez with Vladimir Guerrero at first base and DH being used to occasionally give starters at other positions a partial rest, but if the 25-year-old shows that last season's .283/.346/.540 line was no fluke, Tellez is capable of bashing his way into a consistent spot in the lineup.