MLB Player News

Seager (elbow) won't play in games for a few days, but manager Dave Roberts still thinks his starting shortstop has enough time to be ready for the start of the season, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

His throwing program was interrupted by an illness that has spread through Dodgers camp, but he is expected to get in a light workout Friday before going home. The concern with Seager is that his elbow won't be fully ready for him to play the field in the first week of the season, but it sounds like he has time to get right by Opening Day if he can avoid further setbacks. The Dodgers estimate that Seager will only need 7-to-8 spring training games in the field to be ready defensively for the start of the season. Seager's injury has opened up a buying opportunity, as he has been slipping too far in many recent drafts.

Crawford will sit out of Thursday's Cactus League outing after jamming his right index finger Wednesday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Crawford suffered the injury while sliding back to first base on a pickoff throw. He was able to stay in the game and even ripped off an RBI single after sustaining the injury, but the club may choose to hold him out for a few days as a precaution.

Crawford jammed his right index finger during Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Brewers, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic Bay Area reports.

Crawford, who was serving as the Giants' designated hitter, suffered the injury while sliding back to first base on a pickoff throw. The good news is he was able to stay in the game and didn't need any X-rays afterwards, so it doesn't appear to be anything overly serious, though it could ultimately keep him from playing the field for a few days.

Ahmed (wrist) is 2-for-4 with a double in two spring games.

Ahmed missed time last season due to hand and wrist injuries, but it seems like that is all behind him at this point. He's currently in the mix for starting duties in the Diamondbacks' middle infield, and his chances of garnering a prominent role increased following the trade of Brandon Drury to the Yankees. Ahmed will need to outperform Ketel Marte and Chris Owings (finger) this spring to prove he deserves regular playing time.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez plans to use Turner as the No. 2 hitter in the Washington lineup in 2018, Jamal Collier of MLB.com reports.

Turner handled leadoff duties for most of 2017 after Adam Eaton (knee) suffered a season-ending ACL tear in late April, with the 24-year-old parlaying the favorable lineup slotting into 75 runs and 46 stolen bases. Though a healthy Eaton is set to reclaim the table-setting role during the upcoming season, Turner shouldn't lose out on any run-scoring opportunities while batting directly in front of 2015 National League MVP Bryce Harper in most games. It's less certain if Turner will remain as active of a basestealer upon moving down a spot in the order, though for what it's worth, Martinez said that the shortstop will have "free rein" on the bases, according to Collier. "I told [Turner], 'If you hit second, leadoff, wherever you hit in the lineup, it doesn't change anything,'" Martinez said. "I want him to be aggressive on the bases, and he knows that."

Manager Dave Roberts reported Sunday that Seager is still limited in the "volume and distance" of his throwing, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Seager is in the lineup Sunday as the team's designated hitter but does not necessarily appear close to returning to the defensive side of the ball. "The [trainers] have him on a throwing program, a progression," Roberts said Sunday. "Probably not very aggressive but it's what we think is best for Corey." Roberts also conceded Seager would likely need 10 spring-training appearances at shortstop before he's deemed ready for Opening Day. It sounds like the Dodgers' star shortstop is slowly making progress when it comes to ramping up his throwing intensity, but it obviously remains a situation worth monitoring.

Owings (finger) is starting at second base and batting second during Sunday's Cactus League game against the Brewers, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Owings underwent surgery on his right middle finger in November and is set to make his first spring training start this year. Barring any setbacks, Owings will serve as the Diamondbacks' starting second baseman on Opening Day.

Seager (stomach) is batting second as the Dodgers' designated hitter in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Mariners, Eric Stephen of TrueBlueLA.com reports.

Seager was scratched from Saturday's lineup when he came down with the stomach bug. After a day off, the star shortstop is set to reenter the lineup in a DH capacity. Seager will be eased into action during spring training but is fully expected to be ready for Opening Day on Mar. 29.

Seager was removed from the lineup Saturday with a stomach illness, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Seager was scheduled to start at DH. Henry Ramos will start in his place. There are no reports suggesting that the illness is a particularly severe one, so expect the young shortstop to be back and ready to play sometime in the next few days. The Dodgers were easing him into spring action slowly anyway while he recovers from the back and elbow injuries he suffered last season, so missing a game or two won't set his timetable back much if at all.

Cordoba has not returned to the field since suffering a concussion earlier in the month, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Cordoba suffered the concussion in a car accident a couple of weeks ago, and it appears he's still not quite back to 100 percent. He remains without a timetable, but the Padres will continue to bring him along slowly. The 22-year-old is expected to open the year in the minors after batting just .208 for the big club last season.