MLB Player News

Seager went 2-for-3 with two walks and an RBI on Thursday against the Rockies.

Seager reached base four times on Opening Day, highlighted by an RBI single in the eighth inning. He didn't provide any extra-base hits, but it was still a strong start to the campaign for Seager after he posted a career-best 152 wRC+ in 2020.

Owings went 3-for-3 with a triple, a walk, two stolen bases and three runs scored Thursday against the Dodgers.

Owings got the opportunity to start at second base with a southpaw on the mound, pushing Garrett Hampson to the outfield while Sam Hilliard and Ryan McMahon sat on the bench. He put together an impressive performance thanks to his on-base ability and aggressive baserunning. When the Rockies are facing righties on the mound, Owings doesn't figure to have a regular spot in the order, though his playing time is worth monitoring -- particularly when the team is at Coors Field.

Ahmed (knee) could make his season debut Friday, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Ahmed, who was hobbled by knee soreness for much of March, was unavailable for Opening Day in San Diego, but manager Torey Lovullo left open the possibility that he could play Friday. "We'll keep pushing it back 24 hours and keep having the same conversation," Lovullo said. Josh Rojas filled in at shortstop Thursday.

Crawford will start at shortstop and bat ninth Thursday against the Giants.

Seattle is opposing the right-handed Kevin Gausman in the season opener, so the lefty-hitting Crawford looks like he'll be a mainstay at the bottom of the order to begin the campaign while Mitch Haniger serves as the full-time leadoff man. This arrangement is obviously an unfavorable development for Crawford's fantasy value -- and an unexpected one, considering that he'd hit atop the order in 48 of his 51 starts in 2020. Though he showed significant improvement with his contact rate last season, Crawford's .336 on-base percentage was still poor for a leadoff hitter, and he didn't make enough strides this spring to hold off a healthy Haniger for the job. He produced only five hits -- all singles -- in 39 at-bats during Cactus League play.

Fletcher agreed Thursday with the Angels on a five-year, $26 million contract extension, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. The deal includes two additional team options that could push the total value of the extension to $41 million, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.

The 26-year-old was able to work out a long-term pact with the Halos just hours before the team opened its season with a four-game series against the White Sox. Since reaching the majors in 2018, Fletcher has become one of baseball's preeminent contact hitters; he owns a career .292 average while striking out in only 10.3 percent of his plate appearances. This extension locks Fletcher in as the Angels' table setter for the next half decade.

Wendle is not starting the first game of the season Thursday against the Marlins, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays rotate their players heavily, so sitting on Opening Day isn't necessarily indicative of Wendle's future playing time. It's still something of a surprise that he's sitting despite the Marlins starting a righty (Sandy Alcantara), especially with the right-handed Willy Adames and Yandy Diaz making up the left side of the Rays' infield.

Ahmed (knee) isn't starting Thursday's game against the Padres.

The 31-year-old dealt with a right knee injury late in camp, but manager Torey Lovullo thought that there was a strong possibility that Ahmed could play Opening Day. However, Josh Rojas will fill in at shortstop Thursday while Asdrubal Cabrera enters the lineup at the hot corner, batting fifth.

Owings is starting Thursday's game against the Dodgers.

While Ryan McMahon is expected to see the majority of playing time at second base to begin the season, Owings will start at the keystone on Opening Day with southpaw Clayton Kershaw on the mound for the Dodgers. Owings hit .262 with four home runs and seven RBI this spring.

Lindor and the Mets won't play Thursday against the Nationals after the game was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns, Buster Olney of ESPN reports.

Lindor reached a 10-year, $341 million contract extension with the Mets on Wednesday, but he'll have to wait to make his debut with his new team. The Nationals are reportedly dealing with at least one positive test for COVID-19 along with several staff members who are unavailable due to contact tracing. It's not yet clear when the two teams will be able to play.

Bogaerts and the Red Sox won't play the Orioles on Thursday after their Opening Day game was postponed due to rain, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

The two teams are now scheduled to play their season opener Friday, which was initially set to be an off day for both sides.