MLB Player News

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.

Hoskins (abdomen) took at-bats off Phillies ace Aaron Nola during live batting practice Wednesday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Hoskins' involvement in live BP likely signals that he's made a full recovery from the core-muscle surgery he underwent in late August. The procedure resulted in Hoskins concluding his second straight season on the injured list, but he at least provided strong power numbers when he was available (27 home runs, 71 RBI over 443 plate appearances). Having now turned in four straight seasons with OPS marks between .818 and .887, Hoskins seems unlikely to reach the great heights he hit as a rookie in 2017, but he remains a key cog in a solid Phillies lineup that added Kyle Schwarber this offseason and returns reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper.

Washington manager Dave Martinez confirmed Wednesday that Bell is preparing to be the team's everyday first baseman in 2022, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.

Once the news came through earlier in the offseason that MLB was implementing a universal designated hitter, Bell was viewed as a potential candidate for that role, but he'll end up sticking at his familiar first base position after Washington signed Nelson Cruz over the weekend. Bell also picked up six starts in the outfield in 2021 (five in left, one in right), but Martinez suggested that the 29-year-old won't focus on any corner-outfield work this spring. After coming over in a trade from Pittsburgh last winter, Bell enjoyed a productive first season in D.C. He reached base at a .347 clip, trimmed his strikeout rate to 17.8 percent and mashed 52 extra-base hits (including 27 home runs) over 568 plate appearances.

Cooper is expected to have a regular spot in the Marlins lineup this season, splitting time between first base and DH, Jordan McPherson of The Miami Herald reports.

Last season, the National League didn't feature the DH, and as a result, Cooper ended up seeing significant action in right field as manager Don Mattingly attempted to get his bat into the lineup. That experiment ended in July when he injured his left (non-throwing) elbow and was shut down for the season, but Cooper is healthy to begin spring training; however, with the DH available again, his defensive duties will be far more limited in 2022. The 31-year-old has a career .282/.354/.453 slash line through 887 plate appearances in the majors, and he could have surprising fantasy value with consistent playing time.

Cronenworth has been dealing with a groin muscle issue in camp and has yet to join the Padres' full-squad workouts, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Despite the injury, Cronenworth has been participating in baseball activity before and after workouts with the club, and the Padres feel confident that he will be ready to go for the start of the campaign. The 28-year-old is expected to work as San Diego's everyday second baseman this season following a strong 2021 campaign during which he slashed .266/.340/.460 with 21 homers, 71 RBI and 94 runs scored.