MLB Player News

Swanson has gone 7-for-21 (.333) with four doubles and a 3:6 BB:K over 10 Grapefruit League games.

He's still looking for his first spring homer, but otherwise Swanson has had a productive camp. The shortstop posted career highs in SLG (.464) and OPS (.809) last season, and the 27-year-old could be poised for a breakout campaign as he looks to build on that performance.

Turner has gone 5-for-25 (.200) through 11 Grapefruit League games with one double and one stolen base on two attempts.

On the bright side, Turner has drawn seven walks against seven strikeouts, but otherwise the shortstop is still trying to find his timing at the plate. There's little reason to be concerned with his performance after he slashed .335/.394/.588 in 2020 with 12 homers and 12 steals in 59 games, but Nats manager Dave Martinez has experimented all spring with Victor Robles in the leadoff spot, and a move down to the two or three hole in the batting order could wind up costing Turner some stolen base opportunities.

Owings' contract was selected by the Rockies on Saturday.

Owings served as a non-roster invitee this spring, but he'll now be added to Colorado's 40-man roster ahead of the regular season. The 29-year-old has slashed .292/.357/.940 with one home run, three RBI and three stolen bases over 24 at-bats during Cactus League play and should serve as a utility player for the Rockies to begin the year.

Chang (neck) is starting Saturday's spring game against the White Sox.

Chang was scratched from Thursday's lineup due to neck soreness, but he'll be back in action Saturday after a brief absence. Barring any setbacks, Chang has a good chance of securing a bench role on the major-league roster to begin the regular season.

DeJong, who was hitless over his first 23 Grapefruit League at-bats, credits a pep talk he received from manager Mike Shildt early this week for his strong performances since, Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Shildt reportedly reminded DeJong that "no one wins a Grapefruit League batting title" in an effort to loosen the shortstop up at the plate, and the message seems to have gotten through. DeJong subsequently homered and singled off staff ace Jack Flaherty in a simulated game Tuesday, singled and walked against the Astros on Wednesday, and recorded a two-run blast and a single off Marlins starter Pablo Lopez on Thursday. That still leaves the shortstop's spring average at .179, but it gives him a much bigger boost in confidence. "Just getting back to myself," said DeJong, who has made a small change in his stance to be more upright. "Getting my timing back. And I want to thank Mike for pulling me aside and telling me he wasn't worried about me. It's just one of those springs."

Rojas has gone 4-for-21 (.190) through 11 Grapefruit League games and has yet to collect an extra-base hit.

He does have four walks against only two strikeouts, but Rojas has yet to get in sync at the plate. The 32-year-old is locked in as the Marlins' starting shortstop and posted a career-high .888 OPS last year, but he's more likely to produce something closer to his career .266/.319/.358 slash line in 2021.

Downs (side) will be available for Saturday's spring game against the Braves, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

The 22-year-old has been sidelined this week after suffering an injury to his left side last weekend, but he should return to game action Saturday. Downs played 12 games at Double-A in 2019, but he could open 2021 at the Triple-A level after working at the alternate training site last season.

Ahmed went 1-for-3 in Thursday's spring game against the Dodgers.

Ahmed played for the first time in 12 days after dealing with a knee injury and a personal leave. Arizona's starting shortstop will have two weeks to get his timing down before the start of the regular season.

Wendle, who'd gone 0-for-10 with four strikeouts over his first six Grapefruit League games, went 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run in a Grapefruit League win over the Pirates on Wednesday.

Thanks to the small sample, Wendle's spring average sprung to .231 with the productive performance. Despite his early struggles, there's not much doubt about the veteran's prowess at the plate after he bounced back from a poor 2019 with a solid .286/.342/.435 slash that included 15 extra-base hits (nine doubles, two triples, four home runs) and 17 RBI across 184 plate appearances in 2020.

Chang was scratched from the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs with a sore neck, Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

The injury doesn't appear to be something that could significantly threaten Chang's readiness for Opening Day. If healthy, he stands a good chance of winning a bench role, though he doesn't have an obvious path to regular at-bats.