He became a free agent when the Cubs bought out (for $1M) the $7M club option on his services for the 2025 season.

Bote missed half of the 2022 season with a shoulder injury and didn’t appear in the majors in 2023. “David’s been with the organization for a long time,” Counsell said.

In the spring of 2019, Bote signed a five-year, $15 million contract with the Cubs. From 2020 to ’22, Bote slashed .212/.291/.370 in 183 games.

Padres right-hander Cole Paplham was hit in the face by a 102.4 mph line drive off the bat of Dodgers minor-leaguer Aaron Bracho in the eighth inning. Paplham was taken away for treatment.

Signed to a minor league contract this past December, Bote was heating up out in Arizona. He had put together a .400/.471/.700 slash line across 14 Cactus League games was not enough to keep him ...

Bote was reassigned to minor-league camp by the Dodgers on Tuesday. Bote impressed during the spring, batting .400 with two home runs, nine RBI and seven runs scored over 30 at-bats in 14 games.

Even with the rocky track record, Bote has hit well in small samples during his most recent MLB looks (.272/.320/.420 in 175 plate appearances since ’22 — albeit with a 33% strikeout rate).

Chicago Cubs third baseman David Bote catches his breath during practice on Feb. 22, 2024, at Sloan Park in Mesa, Ariz. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune) Some moments live on forever among fans.

Bote wasn't a prized prospect and had to battle for at-bats and opportunities. He was a roster filler for Iowa in 2014, a role usually handed to players for whom teams don't see a bright future.

As a non-roster invite, Bote is giving it his all as he fights an uphill battle in camp. In 16 at-bats, Bote touts a 1.181 OPS and is tied for the lead in Spring Training home runs with three.

Bob Bote: "I thought they would send a lefty up, but when they panned to the on-deck circle, I saw David. That surprised me a lot. My son Mark said, 'Dad, he's going to hit a home run.' ...