Bell (knee) is starting Thursday's game against the Diamondbacks.

EDGE Analysis

Bell exited Wednesday's loss to Arizona due to a knee injury, but he underwent an MRI that came back clean and tested the issue ahead of Thursday's matchup. He'll ultimately be able to start at first base and bat cleanup against Arizona. The 29-year-old is hitting .354/.456/.521 with two homers, 11 RBI and 10 runs this season.

Bell (knee) underwent an MRI on Thursday that came back clean, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.

EDGE Analysis

Bell felt his knee tighten up while playing first base in Wednesday's loss to Arizona, and he's testing his injury ahead of Thursday's series finale. Even if he's held out Thursday, he should be considered day-to-day following the encouraging MRI results.

Bell was removed from Wednesday's loss to Arizona after his left knee tightened up and will undergo an MRI on Thursday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

Bell was pulled from Wednesday's contest after three innings with no obvious injury, but he apparently felt his knee tighten up while playing first base. The 29-year-old seems likely to be out of the lineup Thursday following the MRI, and he should be considered day-to-day for the time being. Maikel Franco took over at first base and could see more time there should Bell be forced to miss any time.

Bell was removed from Wednesday's game after three innings against the Diamondbacks with a potential injury, Dan Kolko of MASN Sports reports.

EDGE Analysis

Bell doubled in his lone plate appearance and was thrown out at home plate, and he may have suffered an injury attempting to avoid the tag. The team has yet to make an injury announcement, so it's unclear exactly what prompted the 29-year-old's removal from the contest.

Bell went 2-for-4 with a walk and three RBI in Friday's 7-2 win over the Pirates.

EDGE Analysis

Facing the team that drafted him in the second round of the 2011 Draft, Bell smacked run-scoring singles in the first and sixth innings. The switch-hitting slugger is off to a hot start to the season, slashing .333/.450/.545 through nine games with two homers, nine RBI and nine runs as he takes full advantage of a spot in the batting order following Juan Soto and Nelson Cruz.

Bell went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 16-4 loss to Atlanta.

EDGE Analysis

He went back-to-back with Juan Soto in the sixth inning against a fading Bryce Elder, but that barely made a dent in Atlanta's lead. Bell is off to a strong start to the season in large part because of Soto's presence in the batting order ahead of him, slashing .318/.423/.591 through six games with two homers and five RBI.

Bell went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a second run scored in Friday's 7-3 loss to the Mets.

EDGE Analysis

He tied the game up at 3-3 in the fourth inning by turning around a Max Scherzer fastball and sending it 443 feet into the second deck in right-center, but it was the last gasp of offense for the Nationals on the night. It was Bell's first homer and first RBI of the season as he looks to build on last year's solid numbers, which included 27 homers and 88 RBI.

Bell signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Nationals on Tuesday to avoid arbitration, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Bell is entering his final year of arbitration eligibility and will receive a bump in pay after making $6.35 million in 2021. The 29-year-old rebounded last season after a rough 2020 and slashed .261/.347/.476 with 27 home runs, 75 runs and 88 RBI in 144 games.

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.

Bell will sit Tuesday against the Rockies, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Bell hits the bench with lefty Kyle Freeland on the mound for Colorado. Ryan Zimmerman starts at first base.