MLB Player News

Clemens went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

The 25-year-old doesn't have the buzz of Spencer Torkelson or Riley Greene, but after spending most of 2021 with Triple-A Toledo, Clemens could push his way toward the majors this year after being added to the 40-man roster in November. He only batted .247 with the Mud Hens last season, though he did blast 18 home runs in 97 games.

Dalbec went 1-for-2 with a three-run home run in Friday's spring contest against the Rays.

That's two homers in two games for Dalbec, who served as the first baseman after being the designated hitter Thursday. Thus far in four spring at-bats, he's left the yard twice and struck out twice. The Red Sox added Travis Shaw on a minor-league deal Friday, giving the team some insurance against the hitting woes Dalbec experienced in 2021. While he looks comfortable at the plate to begin the spring, he also mashed last spring training then went on to hit .240 with a 34.4 percent strikeout rate during the regular season.

Smith revealed Friday that he played through a partially torn labrum in his right shoulder for most of last season and also dealt with wrist and groin issues, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

Smith's slash line dropped from .316/.377/.616 in 2020 to .244/.304/.363 in 2021. His strikeout and walk rates remained very similar, but his barrel rate plummeted from 13.3 percent to 6.5 percent, which sure looks like a player who just couldn't hit the ball as hard as he used to. For those wanting to dream on a bounceback season for Smith, though, it's worth noting that he had an even lower 6.0 percent barrel rate in 2019, his apparent breakout season. In that context, it's his excellent form in the 60-game 2020 campaign that looks like the outlier.

Raley was acquired by the Rays from the Dodgers on Friday in exchange for minor-league pitcher Tanner Dodson, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Raley made his big-league debut for the Dodgers last season and had a .538 OPS in 72 plate appearances, and he'll now joined the Rays after being traded for third time in his career. He'll compete for a depth role in the outfield behind Tampa Bay's established group of Randy Arozarena, Kevin Kiermaier, Manuel Margot and Austin Meadows, with top prospect Josh Lowe also waiting in the wings.

Voit was traded from the Yankees to the Padres in exchange for Justin Lange on Friday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

The Yankees made it clear that they didn't value Voit particularly highly when they signed Anthony Rizzo to be their first baseman Tuesday. With Giancarlo Stanton locked into the designated hitter spot, Voit would have been stuck waiting for an injury to open up regular at-bats. He comes with durability and consistency questions, but he's been quite productive overall in his five big-league seasons, hitting .267/.357/.510. He'll face a downgrade in park in his move to the West Coast, but that should be more than offset by a clear path to playing time, as Voit lines up as the Padres' natural choice at designated hitter.

Dalbec hit a two-run home run in his first at-bat of spring training Thursday. He went 1-for-2, striking out in another plate appearance, with while batting second in the lineup.

Dalbec and Jarren Duran were the most noticeable 40-man roster names in the Grapefruit League opener, which featured many minor-leaguers and non-roster invitees. Dalbec served as the designated hitter Thursday and seeks to lock down first base full time following a mostly down season with a few good moments in 2021. He made note of the work he put in this winter when talking with Ian Browne of MLB.com following the game. "I'm more happy with how my timing was today than the result, because I worked on that all offseason, on my timing and vision," Dalbec said. "It's nice to see it come to fruition, first at-bat." The MLB sophomore will be looking over his shoulder at prospect Triston Casas, who is expected to arrive in Boston at some point this season. As a result Dalbec will see some action at third base and in the outfield during spring training. Third base was his spot coming up through the minors, but Rafael Devers is locked in at the position, while designated hitter isn't an option if J.D. Martinez is healthy. Long-term, Casas and Dalbec can get ample at-bats, as Martinez is in the final year of a contract, meaning either player could be the primary DH beginning 2023.

Smith homered twice off Max Scherzer in a simulated game Wednesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

While a sim game early in camp doesn't mean much, Scherzer didn't give up any other runs over four innings, and Smith has never had a hit against him in any games that count, going 0-for-16 against the right-hander with seven strikeouts in his career. A good spring training would go a long way toward ensuring Smith has a regular spot in the lineup after he put together a disappointing 2021 season, but it's unlikely the 26-year-old will be a true starter, instead splitting his time between first base, left field and DH.

Dalbec will get work in the outfield as well as second base in addition to both infield corners this spring, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Dalbec should open the year as the Red Sox's primary first baseman, but highly-touted prospect Triston Casas is set to challenge him for the position at some point this season, as he's already reached Triple-A for a brief nine-game stint at the end of last year. With J.D. Martinez blocking off the designated hitter spot, Dalbec may need to show some versatility to remain in the lineup if he can't hold off Casas. Spending some time in the outfield corners would be a fairly standard move, but a move to second base would be much more unusual.

Freeman agreed to a six-year, $162 million contract with the Dodgers on Wednesday, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

The 32-year-old rejected Atlanta's $18.4 million qualifying offer for 2022 shortly after winning the World Series, and he's now decided to continue his MLB career in Los Angeles. Freeman has been a model of consistency at the plate throughout his career, and he's coming off a 2021 campaign during which he slashed .300/.393/.503 with 31 home runs, 25 doubles, 120 runs and 83 RBI in 159 games. The first baseman should have every opportunity to improve upon his counting stats going forward as he joins an already potent Dodgers lineup.

Solano agreed Wednesday with the Reds on a one-year, $4.5 million contract, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Solano has seen the overwhelming majority of his innings at second base throughout his career, but unless the Reds elect to move reigning NL Rookie of the Year Jonathan India off the keystone, the 34-year-old will have to settle for most of his reps on the left side of the infield in 2022. Even with Cincinnati dealing Eugenio Suarez to Seattle earlier this week, the shortstop and third base positions still appear somewhat crowded, as all of Kyle Farmer, Jose Barrero and Mike Moustakas are competing for work at either position. Given the success he's had against lefty pitching over the past three seasons in San Francisco, Solano would probably make the most sense as a short-side platoon mate at the hot corner with the lefty-hitting Moustakas. From 2019 through 2021, Solano turned in wRC+ marks of 125, 137 and 121 versus southpaws.