MLB Player News

Swanson will bat eighth Friday against the Phillies.

Manager Brian Snitker has not said explicitly that this will be Swanson's regular spot moving forward, but it would make sense if the team kept him in the bottom third of the order for a while as the 23-year-old attempts to regain some confidence at the dish. Swanson has batted exclusively out of the two-hole to this point, going just 8-for-61 (.131 average) with two extra-base hits, two walks and 16 strikeouts.

Turner (hamstring) was activated from the disabled list on Friday, Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post reports.

While he's now back on the active roster, Turner will not immediately return to the starting lineup as manager Dusty Baker has opted to go with Wilmer Difo at shortstop again Friday. Turner has not seen major-league game action since going down April 8, but it appears that will be changing very soon.

Diaz, who endured an 0-for-18 slump before a pinch-hit infield single Wednesday, studied film of his at-bats from last season and reevaluated his mental approach earlier that day, Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. "I think a day off helped a lot," Diaz said. "I reset my mind. I came in early, watched a lot of video from the last year. I just feel good. I have confidence it's going to be better in the next couple of games. You have to trust the process, and keep working."

Diaz burst onto the scene last season with a .300/.369/.510 line over 111 games, and he appeared to be on track for more of the same in the early going this season. In Wednesday film study, the shortstop and hitting coach John Mabry pinpointed a narrowing of the hips in Diaz's stance this year when compared to last season -- a factor which potentially was inhibiting his visibility. They also took note of the numbers indicating reduced plate discipline this season, as evidenced by an 18.1 percent increase in Diaz's swing percentage on pitches outside the strike zone.

Turner (hamstring) is expected to come off the disabled list Friday, Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post reports.

Although it looks like Turner will come off the DL on Friday, manager Dusty Baker said it's unlikely that he'll start Turner for the team's series opener against the Mets. Turner was fully active in an extended spring training game Wednesday, so he should be taking the field for the big club very soon.

Arcia is not in the lineup Thursday against the Cardinals.

The 22-year-old brought his batting average above the Mendoza Line with a two-hit performance Wednesday in Chicago, but he'll head to the bench for a day off nonetheless. Hernan Perez will pick up a start at shortstop in his stead.

Camargo was optioned back to Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday.

The move was made to make room on the roster for Matt Kemp (hamstring), who is returning from the disabled list Thursday. Camargo appeared in five games and went 1-for-4 with one RBI during his brief stint with the big-league club. With his path to the majors seemingly blocked for the time being, he'll head back to Triple-A and continue to serve as depth.

Swanson is not in the lineup Thursday against the Nationals.

The former top draft pick hasn't been able to get anything going at the plate this season, as his batting average currently sits at just a .131 mark. Swanson will get the night off to hopefully regain some composure, with Jace Peterson moving to shortstop to fill in for him.

Swanson went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Wednesday's loss to the Nationals.

The beginning of what was expected to be Swanson's first full season in the majors has been a disaster so far, as the 23-year-old is slashing a woeful .131/.159/.197 with a 2:16 BB:K through 14 games. The Braves will be as patient as they can with the blue-chip prospect, but if Swanson doesn't show signs of breaking out soon, a return to the minors to regain his confidence at the plate might be in his best interest.

Turner (hamstring) played shortstop Wednesday during an extended spring training game and stole a base, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post reports. "I had urged him not to try to steal, but when running's in your blood, it's in your blood," Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. "Hopefully he'll be back in a couple days."

It seems safe to say Turner's hamstring is feeling just fine. Expect him back in the Nats' starting lineup by the weekend.

Owings is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Padres.

This will be just the third time Owings will head to the bench this season, as Nick Ahmed takes over at shortstop in his stead. The 25-year-old is enjoying a nice start to the season, going 16-for-52 (.308) with six RBI and four stolen bases through 14 games.