MLB Player News

Seager (elbow/hip) will no longer serve as the designated hitter in a minor-league spring game Monday, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Seager was originally scheduled to take four or five at-bats Monday, but it now sounds like he'll do that later in the week. Manager Dave Roberts downplayed the decision to remove the shortstop from the lineup, noting that it was for "no reason other than that we have a B game Thursday and he was going to take some at-bats in that game." Seager, who is recovering from hip and elbow surgeries, has not been cleared to play defense at this point, though he's still expected to be ready for the start of the season.

D'Arnaud (oblique) is a "full go," Jared Sandler of 105.3 The FAN reports.

It sounds like d'Arnaud is back to full health after dealing with a strained left oblique earlier in camp. The veteran is expected to compete for a bench role, though he seems more likely to open the season in the minors given his career wRC+ of 59 at the highest level.

Owings went 1-for-3 with a grand slam, a walk and two runs scored Sunday against Cleveland.

Owings handed the Royals an 8-7 lead in the sixth inning by crushing a grand slam over the left-field wall. The 27-year-old is slated to take on a utility role for Kansas City this season, and his early power surge in spring training games certainly isn't hurting his bid for playing time. Owings has tagged two home runs and driven in five in 17 at-bats.

Reyes, who was hit by a pitch in the left triceps Sunday, remained in the game and later connected for his second solo homer of the spring.

Pittsburgh is playing the utility man all over the field, but how he handles shortstop might well determine whether he makes the Opening Day roster. He's appeared in seven of the team's first nine games and is off to a good start with five hits in 15 at-bats. The 25-year-old hit for a higher average with Pittsburgh (.293) than he did at Triple-A Indianapolis (.284) in 2018, so it remains to be seen whether he can replicate his early success. Reyes was caught in his lone stolen-base attempt for the Bucs last September but swiped 16 bags in minor-league play.

Turner went 2-for-2 with a double, three RBI, a walk, a run scored and his first stolen base of the spring Sunday against the Astros.

Hitting at the top of the order, Turner hit a ground-rule double in the third inning to plate a run, and he drove in a pair in the fourth on a single to left field. The 25-year-old shortstop is 3-for-11 with three RBI, a stolen base and four runs scored so far this spring.

Crawford went 1-for-3 with an RBI against the Rockies on Sunday.

Crawford finally picked up his first base knock of camp, breaking an 0-for-11 skid at the dish. He drove in a run in the sixth inning on a single to center field. The UCLA product slashed .254/.325/.394 with 14 homers and 54 RBI in 151 games during the 2018 campaign.

Mateo was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Mateo went 5-for-18 with an RBI and three runs scored during his time in major-league camp. He currently ranks as Oakland's No. 4 prospect, although he did struggle at the dish at Triple-A a season ago (.230/.280/.353 batting line through 131 games).

Seager will serve as designated hitter in a minor-league spring game Monday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Seager returned to game action for a minor-league contest Friday and is set for another four at-bats Monday. According to Plunkett, he 24-year-old will also run the bases but has yet to be cleared to play defense. As of Friday, his throwing program had progressed to 150 feet.

Swanson (wrist) is expected to play against the Yankees on Tuesday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Swanson was scratched from Friday's lineup due to wrist soreness and was originally expected to return to action in a minor-league game Thursday, but instead he will bump up that timeline a couple days. Per Mark Bowman of MLB.com, the 24-year-old is scheduled to take batting practice Sunday.

Bogaerts went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Saturday's game against the Orioles.

Bogaerts smacked his first homer of the spring while hitting fifth in the order. He mostly hit out of the five hole last season, when the shortstop launched a career-high 23 long balls and drove in 103 runs. It was a season in which Bogaerts' batted-ball profile improved dramatically. He barreled up 9.8 percent of his batted balls, up from 1.3 the previous season, and increased his hard-hit rate from 31.7 percent to 41.5.