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.

EDGE Analysis

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 as 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.