Bell is out of the lineup Sunday against the Brewers.

EDGE Analysis

Bell started the past 14 games and had a .578 OPS and 29 percent strikeout rate during that stretch, and he'll take a seat for Sunday's series finale. Colin Moran will cover first base while Gregory Polanco serves as the designated hitter.

Bell reached base three times Friday, going 2-for-3 with a walk in a 7-2 win over Milwaukee.

EDGE Analysis

He also scored a pair of runs for the first time since Opening Day. Bell, who has shown to be a streaky hitter, could be on the cusp of a turnaround. If nothing else, he's got his batting average back up over the Mendoza Line (.217).

Bell went 1-for-4 with a double and two RBI on Tuesday against Cleveland.

EDGE Analysis

Bell came through with the majority of the Pirates' offense when he drove a double into the gap in the fifth frame to drive in two. While his performance has been underwhelming this season, Bell now has seven RBI in his last eight starts. Still, his overall line is an abysmal .205/.253/.315 with nine RBI and eight runs scored through 79 plate appearances.

Bell went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run and a double Wednesday against the Twins.

EDGE Analysis

Bell was one of the few Pirates' hitters able to solve Randy Dobnak, as he smacked a double deep to left field in fourth inning. However, the highlight of his performance came in the final frame, when he caught up to a fastball up in the zone and drove it out of the park to straightaway center field for his second home run of the campaign. Bell has reached base just 11 times in 47 plate appearances to begin the season, though Wednesday's performance showcases the power he is capable of providing.

Bell went 0-for-5 with a pair of strikeouts in Tuesday's 7-3 loss to the Twins.

EDGE Analysis

He has just one extra-base hit in 43 plate appearances thus far in 2020. Furthermore, Bell is batting .224 in his last 459 at-bats, dating back to July of 2019. He's a streaky hitter and could be primed for a strong run, but fantasy owners looking for consistency have been let down by the switch hitter.

Bell is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs.

EDGE Analysis

The 28-year-old started the first eight games of the season between first base and designated hitter, but he'll head to the bench Sunday as he is 5-for-31 with a .440 OPS and 11 strikeouts. Jose Osuna will operate at first base for the Pirates in the series finale.

Bell hit his second summer-camp homer Wednesday against Cleveland.

EDGE Analysis

The 27-year-old has hit home runs from both sides of the plate in the three-game set against the Indians. Bell batted fifth as the team's designated hitter Wednesday, with Jose Osuna playing at first base. Pittsburgh is looking for a repeat start similar to 2019 from the slugger. Through the team's first 60 contests last year, Bell slashed .333/.398/.685 with 18 homers and 52 RBI.

Manager Derek Shelton said that he expects Bell to rotate with Gregory Polanco and Colin Moran as the team's designated hitter, DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.

EDGE Analysis

Whether he plays first base or serves as the DH, Bell will be in the lineup nearly every day. "Instead of maybe rest someone that we were going to play in our regular lineup that day, they'll have the ability to get four or five ABs, and I think that's extremely important for us," Shelton said. "We won't go with one person there." While he ranked last in 2019 among qualified first basemen in defensive WAR (-17.5), the 27-year-old figures to retain positional flexibility at first heading into 2021, given Shelton's comments.

Although new manager Derek Shelton hasn't revealed his preferred lineup, Bell is expected to bat cleanup for the Bucs in 2020.

EDGE Analysis

With No. 3 hitter Starling Marte traded to Arizona, the team will likely turn to Adam Frazier, Kevin Newman or Gregory Polanco to bat ahead of Bell. After a red-hot start to 2019, Bell hit just .232/.342/.476 with 19 homers in his final 371 plate appearances. The switch hitter's splits against left-handed pitching were disappointing -- he slashed just .224/.313/.448 with nine homers in 166 plate appearances. Against right-handers, however, he batted .297/.387/.615 with 32 doubles and 28 homers in 384 PA. He may get pitched around, given that Polanco, Colin Moran and Jose Osuna are likely candidates to bat fifth. As Pittsburgh's only bona fide power hitter, the organization will be counting upon Bell to produce big numbers in 2020.

Bell is working to improve his throwing mechanics at first base during spring training, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

EDGE Analysis

He's throwing from a three-quarters slot in hopes of making better throws from first base to second. Bell ranked last in the majors among 14 qualified first basemen with a minus-18.2 defensive WAR. The switch hitter enters his age-27 season with a reason as to why he feels he slumped offensively in last year's second half (he hit .224 after July 6). Bell claims he struggled because he went from synching up fastballs to synching up breaking balls. "I feel like if you're not synching up to the fastballs, you can't hit either," the slugger noted. "But once I started focusing more and more on offspeed pitches, I just went downhill for a stretch of time." Bell's name surfaced in trade talks, but it's likely the new management team in Pittsburgh will want to see what it has in its players before making any rash moves.