MLB Player News

Toglia has gone 3-for-7 with two home runs through his first three games of the Cactus League.

Toglia has earned 272 plate appearances in the majors combined across the last two seasons, but he's struggled to just a .187/.246/.325 line in that span. As a result, he's in a battle for a roster spot as a reserve at first base and in the outfield, along with the likes of Hunter Goodman and Elehuris Montero. Toglia will need to continue to perform well to ultimately earn a roster spot, but he's made a strong impression early on this spring.

Cooper agreed to a minor-league contract with the Cubs on Sunday, Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reports.

Cooper was an All-Star in 2022 and put together another solid season in 2023, slashing .251/.304/.419 with 17 home runs, 61 RBI and 42 runs over 123 games between the Marlins and Padres. He'll have to settle for a minor-league contract with the Cubs but will compete for a roster spot as a non-roster invitee this spring. The Cubs had a question mark at first base heading into spring training but alleviated some of those concerns by agreeing to terms with Cody Bellinger on Sunday. The team also has young players available to play first base when Bellinger is in center field, as Michael Busch was traded from the Dodgers to the Cubs this offseason, while Matt Mervis made his major-league debut for Chicago in 2023. However, if the Cubs don't feel as though Busch or Mervis are ready to handle regular playing time, Cooper could land on the active roster to provide a veteran presence.

Cronenworth (wrist) will start at first base and bat third in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Dodgers.

Cronenworth didn't play after Aug. 25 last season due to a fractured right wrist, but he avoided surgery to address the injury and appears to have experienced no limitations thus far in spring training. With Xander Bogaerts making the move to second base in 2024 and Ha-Seong Kim entrenched as an everyday starter at shortstop, Cronenworth should see an even higher volume of starts at first base during the upcoming season than he did in 2023, when he made 94 starts at the position. Cronenworth is still expected to carry middle-infield eligibility in most leagues this season after he made 30 starts at the keystone in 2023.

Steer was among a group of players executing outfield drills at Monday's first full-team workout, Steve Stockmar of MLB.com reports.

Steer is making the transition from infield to outfield, which began in 2023 when he made 38 outfield starts. "The more reps I'm doing out there, the more comfortable I'm getting," Steer said. "That's a big focus for me, just getting as many fly balls as I can." Steer is a righty batter amid a lefty-dominant group. The left-handed trio of Will Benson, Jake Fraley and TJ Friedl led all the team's outfielders in games and at-bats a season ago. Cincinnati manager David Bell wouldn't rule out an all-lefty outfield but acknowledged other factors come into play, which suggests a regular path to outfield starts for Steer, who led the Reds in 2023 with 23 home runs and 86 RBI.

Smith signed a minor-league contract with Chicago on Monday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Smith is the second left-handed bat the Cubs have signed on the day, as David Peralta inked a minor-league contract earlier Monday. Murray notes that Smith underwent hamate bone surgery in January, so while he may not be 100 percent by the beginning of camp, the expectation is that he'll be at full strength for the start of the 2024 campaign. There will be plenty of competition at first base throughout spring training, as Michael Busch, Matt Mervis and Patrick Wisdom are all in the mix for playing time.

Voit signed a minor-league contract with the Mets on Monday that includes an invitation to spring training, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Voit finished the 2023 season with the Mets' Triple-A Syracuse affiliate, posting a 1.058 OPS with 14 home runs through 37 games. He's likely headed back to Syracuse to begin the 2024 campaign, providing a depth option at designated hitter if Mark Vientos flops or needs to play more third base. Voit had just a .549 OPS in 74 plate appearances for the Brewers last season.

Choi signed a minor-league contract with the Mets on Saturday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Choi slashed .163/.239/.385 with 13 RBI across 117 major-league plate appearances with the Pirates and Padres last season -- his worst numbers at the plate since 2016. Now with New York, Choi's best chance at making the Opening Day roster is as the team's designated hitter, but he will have to earn it with a strong showing in the Grapefruit League.

Flores is not expected to begin 2024 with a set position, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

It's a familiar refrain for Flores, who was a utility player at times in 2023 and still slashed .284/.355/.509 with a career-high 23 home runs and 60 RBI over 126 games. He'll likely have an easier time finding a spot against left-handed pitchers, but manager Bob Melvin notes his splits are acceptable against right-handers. The addition of Jorge Soler likely takes designated hitter away from the places Flores will see time, but he can fill in at a variety of infield positions.

Encarnacion-Strand is projected to be the Reds' starting first baseman, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Encarnacion-Strand gives Cincinnati pop from the right side of the plate, but the switch-hitting Jeimer Candelario figures to play his fair share there as well and Jonathan India could even enter the mix at the position on occasion. However it all shakes out, the DH spot will allow all three of those capable hitters to potentially be in the lineup together on any given day.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed at the team's Fan Fest event Feb. 3 that Freeman will remain the team's No. 2 hitter in 2023 even after the offseason signing of Shohei Ohtani (elbow), Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.

Ohtani batted out of the two hole in 71 of his 135 starts with the Angels in 2023, but Roberts said that the reigning American League MVP will slot in as the No. 3 hitter to begin his tenure with the Dodgers. Meanwhile, the Dodgers will maintain continuity atop the order with Mookie Betts in the leadoff spot and with Freeman as the No. 2 hitter, after the latter made all 161 of his starts out of that lineup spot in 2023 en route to producing a .977 OPS and scoring a career-high 131 runs. Assuming Ohtani doesn't experience any major delays in his recovery from last September's internal brace procedure and is ready to serve as a full-time designated hitter early in the season, Freeman could have a chance to improve upon his already immense counting stats from 2023. Catcher Will Smith was a solid performer as the Dodgers' primary No. 3 hitter a season ago, but Ohtani's OPS in 2023 was still 269 points greater than Smith's.