MLB Player News

Walker is making a slow start to spring training due to general body soreness, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Manager Torey Lovullo indicated it's not a serious concern and the 28-year-old could see game action as early as Tuesday, though there's no reason to rush him back at the start of spring training. Walker burst onto the scene in 2019 with a .259/.248/.476 slash line and 29 home runs in 152 games, and he's slated to begin this season as Arizona's starter at first base.

Freeman (elbow) is in the lineup for Saturday's spring opener against the Orioles.

Freeman spent the offseason working his way back from elbow surgery, but he has completed his recovery and will take the field for the Braves' first exhibition game. As he usually does, he will man first base and hit third Saturday.

Goldschmidt has been dealing with right elbow soreness during the early stages of camp, which will lead to the slugger slotting in as the designated hitter over the first pair of Grapefruit League contests, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Goldschmidt has eased into both fielding drills and throwing during the first week of camp due to the soreness, and manager Mike Shildt will take the extra precaution of keeping the veteran off the field altogether over the first two exhibitions, at minimum. "He started playing catch, little soreness in there," Shildt said. "Nothing uncommon. It's pretty much gone, but we just want to make sure we're ramping up his throwing to where it's smart, to where it doesn't come back."

Votto is extremely likely to continue batting second during the regular season, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "His profile might fit as much as anyone who has ever played the game as far as his ability to get on base," manager David Bell said on Friday.

Bell hasn't outlined most of his lineup decisions yet, but he's emphasizing on-base skills toward the top. Talking about what type of hitters he wants batting leadoff ahead of Votto, Bell said: "I have a profile in mind, and we have guys that fit that for sure that are going to be regulars on our team. The big thing is getting on base. You look at our team last year, and the middle of our order and the damage that the middle of the order did last year and the potential of what they can do even more so this year, it's going to be important to get on base in front of those guys. The top of the order, on-base is really the No. 1 thing I look at. If guys can run, that's great, too, it's important."

Rizzo confirmed Thursday that he'll serve as the Cubs' No. 2 hitter this season, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

First-year manager David Ross will keep the tandem of Kris Bryant and Rizzo in back-to-back lineup spots, though both players will move up one slot in the order after the pair most commonly batted second and third, respectively, in 2019. Assuming the Cubs stay committed to Rizzo as the No. 2 hitter, the first baseman could make a legitimate push for 700 plate appearances for the second time in his career if he's able to avoid any absences due to injury. Rizzo has some limited prior experience as a No. 2 hitter, slashing .300/.401/.515 with 11 home runs and 27 RBI in 237 career plate appearances out of that lineup spot.

France spent time working with Padres catchers Tuesday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

This development adds a twist to the utility infielder's versatility and could help France in his quest to land a spot on the Opening Day roster. However, the Padres already have Francisco Mejia and Austin Hedges penciled in to cover backstop duties -- with Luis Torrens the next man up -- so it would likely take a series of injuries and/or transactions for France to log notable time behind the plate in 2020.

Arias was added to San Diego's major-league spring training camp as a non-roster invitee.

The soon-to-be 20-year-old will get a chance to train alongside big leaguers following a breakthrough 2019 campaign during which he hit .302 and slugged 17 home runs with High-A Lake Elsinore. Arias is likely to spend the entire regular season in the minors, but he could see time with the big club as soon as 2021 if he can improve his plate discipline and continue to impress defensively.

Cronenworth is expected to pitch "one inning per week" during spring training, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

While Cronenworth will primarily take infield reps, San Diego is not ignoring the 26-year-old's potential to make an impact on the mound. Cronenworth is looking to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster after hitting .334 and hurling 7.1 innings without allowing an earned run in Triple-A last season.

Bell is working to improve his throwing mechanics at first base during spring training, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

He's throwing from a three-quarters slot in hopes of making better throws from first base to second. Bell ranked last in the majors among 14 qualified first basemen with a minus-18.2 defensive WAR. The switch hitter enters his age-27 season with a reason as to why he feels he slumped offensively in last year's second half (he hit .224 after July 6). Bell claims he struggled because he went from synching up fastballs to synching up breaking balls. "I feel like if you're not synching up to the fastballs, you can't hit either," the slugger noted. "But once I started focusing more and more on offspeed pitches, I just went downhill for a stretch of time." Bell's name surfaced in trade talks, but it's likely the new management team in Pittsburgh will want to see what it has in its players before making any rash moves.

The Twins have agreed on a deal to send Brusdar Graterol, Raley, and the 67th pick in the 2020 draft in exchange for Kenta Maeda and cash, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Raley spent the majority of his 2019 season with Triple-A Rochester, hitting .302/.362/.516 with seven home runs, 28 runs scored and 21 RBI in 138 plate appearances. The 25-year-old was drafted by the Dodgers in 2016, and traded to the Twins as a part of the Brian Dozier deal in 2018. Raley returns to Los Angeles as an outfield prospect with big-time left-handed power.