MLB Player News

Manager Joe Maddon said that Baez (hamstring) still experiences some soreness and is not expected to take the field for another few days, Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune reports.

Maddon went on, saying that "(the hamstring) is still bothering him a bit, we're trying to figure out exactly what's going on." This comes a day after Baez claimed he was feeling "100 percent" but is not entirely unexpected given that a hamstring injury typically takes more than a day to heal. Expect Baez to return to action early next week.

Cordoba (concussion) remains without a timetable for return, Bill Center of MLB.com reports.

Cordoba suffered a concussion during a car accident in mid-February and still does not appear to be close to returning to action. The shortstop attempted to participate in some individual drills recently but apparently experienced some sensitivity to the light and workload, so the Padres quickly shut him down again. At this point, it's hard to say if Cordoba will be ready for Opening Day.

Baez said he's "100 percent" after exiting Thursday's Cactus League game with hamstring tightness, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Baez apparently felt some tightness coming out of the box, and the tightness resurfaced as he was rounding first base. He downplayed the issue, however, saying he simply needs to hydrate more while insisting he won't miss any time because of the ailment. Consider him day-to-day for now; the Cubs have already announced that he'll get Friday off.

Baez was removed from Thursday's game with hamstring tightness and will be evaluated further by the Cubs' medical staff in the coming hours, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Baez began limping around first base after hitting a line drive into left-center in the first inning of Thursday's Cactus League contest with the Padres. Consider Baez day-to-day barring the identification of an additional issue with the hamstring.

Baez exited Thursday's Cactus League game against the Padres in the first inning after limping around first base on a double, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Wittenmyer followed up by stating that it looked like a hamstring injury as Baez reached down for his hamstring while rounding first base. The infielder left Thursday's game with a trainer and was replaced by Chesny Young. Expect an update on his status in the coming hours.

Turner hit leadoff and went 2-for-3 with a run scored in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

The 24-year-old is now hitting .353 (6-for-17) to begin the spring with a .476 OBP thanks to four walks, although he's still looking for his first steal or first extra-base hit. If Adam Eaton (knee) is ready to play by Opening Day, Turner will slip down to the No. 2 spot in the batting order, but otherwise he should once again hit atop a potent Nats lineup. If he can play a full schedule -- the shortstop has yet to play more than 98 games in a big-league season -- Turner should be poised for a very big fantasy season.

Crawford went 2-for-3 with an RBI against the Padres on Wednesday.

Crawford saw his main fantasy asset -- his RBI totals at the shortstop position, take a slight hit last season as an aging San Francisco lineup saw an overall decline in offensive production. He still finished the year with a healthy 77 RBI, which was good enough for fifth among all shortstops. The 31-year-old could see his run-producing opportunities increase back to his 2015 and 2016 levels (84 RBI each season) with the key additions of Evan Longoria and Andrew McCutchen this offseason. Crawford would likely bat fifth or sixth behind the Giants' new signings, which should lead to more plate appearances with ducks on the pond.

Seager (elbow) will play five innings at shortstop during a minor-league game Monday. Barring any setbacks, he will then take the field against the Rockies for Wednesday's Cactus League affair, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

This will mark Seager's spring debut in the field after participating in games as a designated hitter over the past few days. The 23-year-old has been dealing with an elbow issue for the entirety of the Dodgers' camp, but appears to be on track for Opening Day, assuming all goes well during the next week.

Ahmed appears to be in line to open the year as the Diamondbacks' primary shortstop, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

The front office reportedly largely attributes the team's 17-29 record over a 46-game stretch last summer to Ahmed being out with a fractured hand, as his defense and leadership at shortstop had been instrumental to the team's success earlier in the year. It's not hard to look at the Diamondbacks' moves this offseason and come to the conclusion that they really value defense, so Ahmed getting the bulk of the starts at shortstop would fit those values. It sounds like Ketel Marte will get the bulk of the starts at second base, giving the Diamondbacks a very strong middle-infield defense. Marte will also get the backup starts at shortstop, while Chris Owings and Daniel Descalso appear in line to serve as the utility options. Ahmed is the worst hitter of the bunch, and will offer very little fantasy value, even with close to everyday at-bats.

Owings is expected to bounce around at various positions throughout Arizona's infield during the 2018 season, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Although it initially appeared that Owings would take on the role of the Diamondbacks' everyday second basemen, he is now on track to become a utility player with Nick Ahmed poised to see work at shortstop and Ketel Marte to play second base. That leaves Owings in more of a 'super-utility role' where he'll be expected to make starts at shortstop, second and third. The 26-year-old will look to stay healthy in 2018 after missing substantial time last year due to a finger injury.