MLB Player News

Seager (illness) will play defense in a minor-league contest Thursday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Seager had been delayed to start camp while he recovered from Tommy John surgery and hip surgery and then suffered a further delay when he came down with an illness. He had hit in minor-league action but will take the field for the first time in the Cactus League on Thursday. He'll have two weeks to get prepared for Opening Day.

Crawford was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Crawford appeared to be the potential shortstop of the future when he was acquired in the Jean Segura trade over the offseason, but that future won't begin right away. He could still be up for a fair amount of run later in the year, but Tim Beckham will start the season at short for Seattle.

Lindor (calf) wil play in a controlled minor-league game Wednesday, T.J. Zuppe of The Athletic reports.

Lindor will receive three at-bats but will only jog to first base if he puts the ball in play. He'll also play what the team is calling "controlled" defense. It's tough to tell exactly what that means, but the fact that he's taking part in something approximating game action 15 days before Opening Day is a positive sign.

Crawford, acquired from the Phillies in an early-December trade, is hitting .240 with two extra-base hits (double, triple), two walks and three runs over 25 spring at-bats.

The 24-year-old has picked it up at the plate as spring has unfolded, as he'd hit safely in four straight exhibitions prior to rain wiping out Tuesday's Cactus League tilt versus the White Sox. Crawford could form the left-handed side of a shortstop platoon with veteran Tim Beckham this coming season, although the latter has the advantage of being a much more accomplished hitter at the big-league level. Crawford has scuffled with the bat in his two prior major-league stints, most recently slashing .214/.319/.393 over 137 plate appearances with the Phillies in 2018.

Chang was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Monday.

Chang is reportedly also carrying a minor finger injury, T.J. Zuppe of The Athletic reports. The young shortstop could earn his first callup at some point this season after hitting a decent .256/.330/.411 with 13 homers for Columbus last year.

Seager (illness) could start playing defense in minor-league games by the end of the week, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Seager has had a bit of a rocky spring. He entered camp still recovering from Tommy John surgery and hip surgery and had been restricted to the designated hitter spot in minor-league games early in March. That process has been delayed for a week while the shortstop battles an illness. If he's able to take the field by Thursday, he'd still have a full two weeks to get ready for Opening Day, though the illness has robbed him of any room for setbacks.

Seager (illness) remains out of the lineup Monday against the Giants.

The Dodgers have an off day Tuesday, so a couple extra days should allow Seager to get healthy for Wednesday's game. Daniel Castro is starting at shortstop in his place.

Wendle went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in an 8-1 Grapefruit League win over the Red Sox on Sunday.

Wendle squared up against Red Sox starter Rick Porcello for his second round tripper of spring in the second inning. The versatile infielder's first Rays season in 2018 was a success, as Wendle slashed .300/.354/.435 across 545 plate appearances while contributing 46 extra-base hits (33 doubles, six triples, seven home runs), 61 RBI and 16 stolen bases. Looking ahead to the coming campaign, the 28-year-old profiles as the left-handed side of a platoon at second base with Daniel Robertson, but he can also fill in at shortstop, third base and left field as needed.

Arcia went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in Sunday's game against the Cubs.

Arcia launched his first home run of the spring in the fourth inning, bringing the Brewers within one run after Chicago jumped out to a 5-0 lead. He's seen plenty of time in the leadoff role so far in camp, but he slotted into the No. 6 spot in the order Sunday, which is closer to where he'll sit during the regular season.

Velazquez was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Sunday, Steve Carney of Sports Radio 620 WDAE reports.

Velazquez had a strong start to spring training but ended up 4-for-21 with one double and four RBI in 11 games. The 24-year-old could make his way to the majors at some point this season and would likely serve in a utility role.