David

Bote

Kim will not travel with the club to Japan for next week’s season-opening Tokyo Series against the Cubs. There were rumblings earlier this spring that the 26-year-old might require some time in the minors to continue working on his swing mechanics. The decision leaves Tommy Edman as Los Angeles’ primary second baseman to open the regular season with veterans Miguel Rojas, Chris Taylor and Kiké Hernandez in bench roles. It doesn’t come as a surprise to see Miller heading to Triple-A after he was hit in the face by a line drive earlier this spring and will need some extra time to ramp-up. Rushing is the highest profile prospect included in the Dodgers’ latest batch of cuts. He figures to reach the big leagues at some point this season and will make an impact in deeper mixed leagues.

Bote opened the scoring in the contest as he crushed a two-run shot off of left-hander JP Sears in the second inning, giving the Dodgers a lead they would never relinquish. Bote tacked on an RBI single in the sixth inning, finishing the afternoon 2-for-3. Unfortunately for him, given how crowded the Dodgers’ infield mix is, he’s likely to open the year at Triple-A Oklahoma City regardless of how well he performs in Cactus League play.

The 23-year-old backstop doesn’t have much left to prove in the minor leagues, but with Will Smit and Austin Barnes holding things down at the game’s highest level, he’ll need to work his way into the crowded outfield mix in order to have any shot of breaking camp. He’ll be an intriguing option for fantasy purposes when he does finally arrive in Los Angeles, but it’ll probably take an injury to Smith or Barnes for it to happen. Roki Sasaki and Zyhir Hope also received official invitations to spring training on Friday.

Fabian Ardaya reports that the contract includes an invitation to spring training. Bote was last with the Cubs before the Cubs designated the 31-year-old for assignment in August. The 31-year-old could compete for one of the final spots on the Dodgers in the Cactus League, but more than likely he’ll just be organizational depth.

The 31-year-old hurler was designated for assignment on Friday as the Cubs needed to free up a spot on their 40-man roster though. The long-time Cub passed through waivers unclaimed though and will continue to function as additional depth at the Triple-A level.

The 31-year-old infielder has seen extremely limited action with the Cubs this season, slashing .304/.333/.391 with zero homers, six RBI and a 13/2 K/BB ratio across 48 plate appearances. There’s a chance that a team looking for bench depth could come calling on waivers.

Bote is back in the majors for the first time in 2024. The infielder will take the roster spot of Nick Madrigal, with Madrigal heading to Iowa in the corresponding move. Bote is starting Sunday and playing third base against the Reds, but there’s no real potential fantasy significance in his profile.

Bote, entering the final year of a five-year contract that’s paying him $5.5 million in 2024, is off the 40-man roster and probably won’t make the Cubs even if he has a legitimate case. He’s batting .273/.333/.758 in 36 plate appearances.

The 30-year-old slugger didn’t enter the game until the seventh inning, but that didn’t stop him from making his presence felt. Bote blasted a go-ahead solo homer off of left-hander Anthony Gose in the seventh that put the Cubs ahead to stay. Three of his four total hits on the spring have now left the yard, as he’s hitting .286 (4-for-14) with seven RBI and a 4/2 K/BB ratio through his first eight contests.

It’s pretty amazing that Bote has put together such a streak, considering it’s over the course of 12 days. He’s so far out of the Cubs’ minds that he’s just a part-time player in Triple-A right now; last night’s start was his first in four days. Still, Bote has been fantastic after a slow start, hitting .339/.459/.642 in 31 games since the beginning of June. Ideally, he’d get his chance to make his way elsewhere. However, the five-year, $15 million contract that the Cubs signed him to an eon ago doesn’t expire until after next season.