Bell has gone 2-for-19 (.105) with six strikeouts and a walk over his first seven Cactus League games.
Bell struck out at just a 15.8 percent rate between the Nationals and the Padres last year, so his lack of contact early in spring is mildly concerning. On the positive side, both of his hits have been for extra bases -- one home run and one double. He's a career .262 hitter with an .810 OPS who averages 25 homers per 162 games, so he should provide some pop while playing regularly as either the designated hitter or first baseman for Cleveland.
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Guardians' Josh Bell: Lands with Cleveland
Rotowire
Bell signed a two-year, $33 million deal with the Guardians on Tuesday, which includes an opt-out after the first season, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
The Guardians won a postseason series last season despite ranking 29th as a team in home runs. Bell theoretically offers the team plenty of additional pop, as he homered 37 times back in 2019 and has topped 25 home runs in two other seasons. He suffered through a bit of a power outage last season, however, clearing the fence just 17 times while splitting time between the Nationals and Padres. He still managed a solid .266/.362/.422 slash line and his 15.8 percent strikeout rate was strong. Assuming he rebounds from the slump he fell into after his midseason move to San Diego, he should offer the Guardians a well-rounded presence in the middle of their lineup
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Padres' Josh Bell: Not starting Game 3
Rotowire
Bell isn't in the lineup for Game 3 of the NLCS against Philadelphia on Friday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
After going 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in a Game 2 victory on Wednesday, Bell will get a day off Friday. Brandon Drury will step in as the Padres' designated hitter, allowing Wil Myers to start at first base.
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Padres' Josh Bell: Hits solo shot in Game 2
Rotowire
Bell went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBI in Game 2 of the NLCS on Wednesday afternoon as the Padres defeated the Phillies, 8-5.
Bell came into Game 2 hitting just 3-for-23 in the postseason with nine strikeouts, but he was able to get back on track Wednesday. Bell's solo homer in the bottom of the second off Aaron Nola helped the Padres come back from a 4-0 deficit and tie the series at 1-1. The 30-year-old DH hit just three home runs across 53 games once he joined the Padres in 2022, but he can atone for his disappointing regular season by continuing to flash his power for the Padres in the NLCS.
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Padres' Josh Bell: Not starting Game 4
Rotowire
Bell will sit for Game 4 of the NLDS against the Dodgers on Saturday.
Bell hit just .192/.316/.271 with three home runs in 53 games following his move to San Diego at the deadline. He does have one homer this postseason but has just three total hits in 20 trips to the plate to go with seven strikeouts. Brandon Drury will be the designated hitter Saturday.
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Padres' Josh Bell: On bench again Wednesday
Rotowire
Bell isn't starting Game 2 of the NLDS against the Dodgers on Wednesday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Bell is on the bench for a second consecutive game to begin the NLDS after he went 3-for-13 with two RBI during the NL Wild Card Series against the Mets. Brandon Drury will serve as the designated hitter and bat cleanup once again.
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Padres' Josh Bell: Sitting out Game 1
Rotowire
Bell isn't in the lineup for Game 1 of San Diego's NLDS matchup against the Dodgers on Tuesday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
After going 3-for-13 with two RBI in the NL Wild Card Series against the Mets, Bell will get a day off Tuesday. Brandon Drury will serve as the Padres' designated hitter instead and bat fourth.
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Padres' Josh Bell: Heads to bench Wednesday
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Bell isn't starting Wednesday against the Giants, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Bell started the last five games and went 4-for-15 with two runs, two RBI, five walks and five strikeouts. Manny Machado will serve as the designated hitter while Brandon Dixon starts at third base Wednesday.
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Padres' Josh Bell: Remains out of lineup Thursday
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Bell isn't starting Thursday against the Dodgers, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Bell has gone 0-for-15 with two runs, an RBI, four walks and a strikeout over his last six games, and he'll take a seat for the third time in the last four matchups. Brandon Dixon is serving as the designated hitter and batting seventh.
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Padres' Josh Bell: Steps out of lineup
Rotowire
Bell is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Bell is hitless over his past 14 at-bats and will head to the bench Wednesday for the third time in San Diego's last five games. Brandon Drury will serve as the designated hitter while Wil Myers starts at first base.
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Padres' Josh Bell: Not in Sunday's lineup
Rotowire
Bell is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Bell has a .091/.259/.091 slash line over his past eight contests and will take a seat Sunday for the second time in San Diego's last three games. Brandon Drury will serve as the designated hitter while Wil Myers receives another start at first base.
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Padres' Josh Bell: Not starting Friday
Rotowire
Bell is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Rockies, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Bell started the past three games and will head to the bench after he went 1-for-10 with two walks and a run scored. Brandon Drury will serve as the designated hitter while Wil Myers starts at first base.
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Padres' Josh Bell: Sitting Sunday
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Bell is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.
With Manny Machado getting a rare day out of the field and handling designated hitter duties in the series finale, Bell will sit for the second time in three games. Since being acquired Aug. 2 from the Nationals, Bell has turned in a underwhelming .203/.313/.301 in 40 games. He may have to fight with Wil Myers for one spot in the Padres' everyday lineup over the final two and a half weeks of the season.
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Padres' Josh Bell: Steps out of lineup
Rotowire
Bell is not in the lineup for Friday's game at Arizona.
Bell started the past 22 games and will take a seat Friday after he posted a .787 OPS with three home runs and nine RBI during that span. Jorge Alfaro will bat sixth as the designated hitter Friday.
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Padres' Josh Bell: Goes yard in win
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Bell went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, an additional run scored and two walks in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Diamondbacks.
Bell got the Padres within a run on his seventh-inning solo shot. It was his first long ball since Aug. 21, and he'd gone five games without an RBI. The 30-year-old first baseman has maintained a .276/.369/.451 slash line with 17 homers, 67 RBI, 71 runs scored, 28 doubles and three triples through 567 plate appearances between the Padres and the Nationals.
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Padres' Josh Bell: Builds three-game RBI streak
Rotowire
Bell went 1-for-4 with a base hit and an RBI in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Giants.
Bell will take a six-game hitting streak and three-game RBI streak into Wednesday's series finale in San Francisco. He'll start at first base and bat cleanup as the Padres go for the three-game sweep.
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Padres' Josh Bell: Homers in second straight game
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Bell went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 2-1 win over Washington.
Bell accounted for both Padres runs in the contest with a two-run blast to right field in the sixth inning. Bell went hitless in his first two contests of the four-game set against his former club, but he homered in each of the final two games of the series. He appears to be emerging from a slump that saw him go 7-for-58 over his first 16 contests with San Diego.
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Padres' Josh Bell: Soothes slump with long ball
Rotowire
Bell went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk Saturday in a 2-1 victory versus the Nationals.
Bell has struggled mightily since joining the Padres in a trade with the Nationals on Aug. 2, batting .131 over 61 at-bats. He showed signs of life against his ex-club Saturday, accounting for the Padres' first run of the contest with a 415-foot solo shot in the fifth inning. Amidst his struggles, Bell has been both striking out and walking at acceptable rates, so there's reason to believe he'll bust out of the slump soon.
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Padres' Josh Bell: Sits amid slump
Rotowire
Bell is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Nationals, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
Bell is 1-for-30 over the past seven games and will head to the bench Friday for the first time since being acquired by the Padres at the trade deadline. Wil Myers will enter the lineup at first base and bat sixth.
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Padres' Josh Bell: Scores twice during blowout
Rotowire
Bell went 1-for-3 with two runs scored and two walks in Wednesday's victory over the Giants.
Bell has seen some struggles at the plate since being traded to San Diego at the deadline. His OPS since then sits at .644 over 32 plate appearances. However, when playing in his new home stadium his OPS jumps up to .851. Time will tell how significant these trends are as Bell settles into his new home, but it's reasonable to expect him to bounce back eventually.
