MLB Player News

Swanson went 1-for-2 with a walk, two RBI and a stolen base in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees.

Facing bullpen arm Stephen Tarpley in the sixth inning, Swanson slapped a bases-loaded single to right field for his first two RBI of the spring. The shortstop has been brought along slowly after offseason wrist surgery as the Braves try to make sure he's healthy for Opening Day. While he's been contributing, posting a solid 3:5 BB:K in eight games and going 2-for-2 on steal attempts, none of his five hits have gone for extra bases. Swanson figures to hit near the bottom of the order in a stacked Atlanta lineup and, barring a major breakout, the 25-year-old's fantasy ceiling will be limited in 2019.

Seager (elbow) is set to play seven innings in his Cactus League debut Wednesday against the Cubs, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports.

Seager completed 15 innings of minor-league spring game action Monday and is now prepared to make the next step in his preparation for Opening Day. He also plans to participate in all three Freeway Series exhibition games prior to the beginning of the regular season. Assuming there are no setbacks, Seager should be in the lineup as the Dodgers shortstop on March 28 as the season gets underway.

Baez has gone 9-for-33 at the plate with no home runs and one stolen base through 13 Cactus League appearances.

The 26-year-old has endured a lackluster spring from a power-production standpoint, but it shouldn't do much to harm his stock in fantasy drafts and auctions coming off a season in which he finished second in the National League MVP balloting. After slugging 34 home runs to go with 21 steals in 2018, Baez cemented his status as one of the top power/speed threats in baseball and also showed further improvement with his contact skills, trimming his strikeout rate to a palatable 25.9 percent.

Edman was scratched from Monday's spring game against the Phillies, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

It's unclear what forced Edman's removal from the lineup at this point, but an injury appears to be the most likely reason. Drew Robinson will start at second base in his stead.

Reyes' chances of making the Opening Day roster may have been bolstered by the team's decision to pick Erik Gonzalez as its starting shortstop over Kevin Newman.

Given that Newman still has minor-league options remaining, it's possible the team could choose to give Newman full-time reps at Triple-A rather than having him come off the bench for the Pirates. For his part, Reyes is batting .250 in 32 spring at-bats with a pair of home runs. He has the ability to move around the infield on defense and can play anywhere in the outfield. He'd also give Pittsburgh a center field backup to Starling Marte. Adam Frazier is the emergency center fielder, but management would like to keep him firmly at second base.

Manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Seager (elbow) will play Opening Day against the Diamondbacks, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Seager will also play in the three-game exhibition series against the Angels leading up to to the regular-season opener March 28. It's quite a statement from Roberts, as the 24-year-old has yet to make an appearance in a Cactus League game this spring. According to Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times, the young shortstop will play in minor-league games Sunday and Monday as he ramps up towards his Cactus League debut. Seager hasn't experienced any setbacks with his surgically repaired elbow this spring, but the Dodgers have understandably been cautious with his return.

Crawford went 3-for-4 with a run scored, three RBI and a double in Saturday's spring game against the Padres.

Crawford started spring off slowly (0-for-11) but appears to be heating up with Opening Day drawing closer. The 32-year-old slashed .254/.325/.394 with 14 home runs over 151 games in 2018 and is set for another season as the Giants' starting shortstop.

DeJong went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in a split-squad loss to the Astros on Friday.

DeJong's second-inning solo shot to left center represented a rare taste of offensive success for the shortstop this spring, as he's still hitting just .167 over 30 spring at-bats following Friday's production. Nevertheless, the outlook is optimistic for the 25-year-old during the upcoming season due to his possible move to the No. 3 spot in the order, as well as his overall talent. DeJong notably hit in the cleanup spot Friday, however, but that slotting would also certainly be conducive to RBI production if it meant he was immediately preceded in the lineup by prize offseason acquisition Paul Goldschmidt.

Seager (elbow/hip) is expected to make his Cactus League debut at some point next week, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Seager hasn't reported any setbacks with his surgically repaired elbow or hip during camp, but the Dodgers have nonetheless chosen to take things slowly with the young shortstop coming off a pair of major operations. He finally looks to be nearing the end of the lengthy rehab process, as manager Dave Roberts noted that Seager will play five innings in the field in a minor-league game Saturday and then log a seven-inning appearance on the back fields Sunday. Assuming Seager responds well to playing on back-to-back days, he could see his first spring action with the Dodgers as soon as Tuesday versus the Indians.

Seager (illness) is scheduled to play five innings at shortstop in a minor-league game Saturday, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Seager took the field for three innings Thursday, and he'll ramp up to five frames Saturday as he works his way back from multiple injuries. He's coming off Tommy John surgery and hip surgery and has had a slow start to spring after coming down with an illness, but he appears to be trending in the right direction. Seager should have a good shot at being ready for Opening Day if he continues on his current pace.