MLB Player News

Cronenworth has been named to the Padres' 60-man player pool.

Cronenworth's selection is far from a surprise considering the fact that he was competing for a spot on the team's Opening Day roster when spring training was suspended. With initial MLB rosters expanding to 30, the versatile infielder appears to have a chance to break camp with the big-league club, though perhaps less so after the acquisition of Jorge Mateo from Oakland. A point in Cronenworth's favor is MLB's decision to allow position players to pitch without restrictions during the shortened 2020 campaign; that should boost the value of two-way players such as Cronenworth given the condensed schedule and likely careful handling of pitching staffs.

Bohm will be part of the Phillies' 60-man roster.

Bohm isn't on the 40-man roster and may not break camp to begin the season, but the addition of the universal DH in the National League certainly helps his chances of making his MLB debut in 2020. While Jay Bruce is penciled in as the team's main DH, Bohm could see some looks down the road against left-handed pitching, though it's worth noting he posted just a .720 OPS against southpaws at the Double-A level last season.

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.