MLB Player News
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Javier Baez SS | DET
Cubs' Javier Baez: Collects knock in return
Baez (hamstring), who had been sidelined the previous nine days, went 1-for-3 in Saturday's Cactus League loss to the Indians.
Baez also made an athletic play in the field to take away a hit, and he said he felt good after the game, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports. "Everything was good," Baez said. "I'm back to 100 percent." The hamstring cramping was believed to be caused by dehydration, and the young infielder should be good to go moving forward.
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Javier Baez SS | DET
Cubs' Javier Baez: Back in there Saturday
Baez (hamstring) is in the lineup for Saturday's Cactus League game against the Indians, playing second base and batting second.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Thursday that Baez would return to the lineup Saturday, so the young infielder seems right on schedule in his return from a tight hamstring. Baez hasn't played in nine days, but the Cubs were just being overly cautious, and he should be good to go for Opening Day.
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Tim Anderson 2B | LAA
White Sox's Tim Anderson: Moving down batting order
Anderson batted seventh in the order Friday and could find himself in the lower third of the lineup this season, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Manager Rick Renteria was batting Anderson second during spring training, but feels the free-swinging shortstop is a better fit lower in the order. He's not much of a table-setter -- Anderson walked 13 times and had a .276 OBP in 2017 -- and Renteria feels the lineup can take advantage of Anderson's high batting average on balls in play (.347 for his career). "I don't want to change who he is," Renteria said. "Timmy puts the bat on the ball a lot and when he does it's a positive outcome. Not putting him in a situation where we're worrying about him getting on, as opposed to if guys are on base we know his ball in play is high and he's driving in a few more runs." Anderson was at his most productive last season when he hit seventh in the order (.730 OPS).
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Johan Camargo SS | SF
Braves' Johan Camargo: May not return until next weekend
Camargo (back) could remain sidelined until March 22 or 23 as the Braves exercise caution with him, Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
The original plan was to have Camargo rejoin the lineup after the Braves' off day March 20, but manager Brian Sntiker indicated Thursday that his return could be delayed by another couple of days. The third baseman could take some swings off a tee this weekend, after which his timetable should become clearer, but Camargo already has 33 spring plate appearances under his belt and the organization is in no hurry to rush him back onto the field.
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Corey Seager SS | TEX
Dodgers' Corey Seager: Cranks first spring homer
Seager (elbow) went 1-for-3 with his first home run of spring training Thursday against the Royals.
The slugging shortstop has looked more like himself over his past two contests, going 3-for-6 with a double, a homer and four RBI after starting off spring training mired in a 2-for-18 slump (due in large part to his minor elbow injury). It was odd to see Seager hit in the designated hitter spot Thursday after making two successful starts at short in minor-league camp over the past three days. Perhaps the Dodgers didn't want to push him following his first extended action in the field this season. Whatever the case, Seager stated that he is over the elbow issues that plagued him early on, confirming his availability for Opening Day to David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports on Wednesday. Assuming there are no setbacks, owners who gambled on his health in earlier drafts appear to have received a bit of a discount on a premier fantasy shortstop.
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Javier Baez SS | DET
Cubs' Javier Baez: Return date set for Saturday
Manager Joe Madden said that Baez (hamstring) will return to action Saturday, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.
The young infielder was hoping to return Thursday, but the Cubs will instead ease him into action a couple days later. Regardless of his exact return date, it seems like Baez will be healthy heading into the regular season.
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Corey Seager SS | TEX
Dodgers' Corey Seager: Renews contract
The Dodgers renewed Seager's contract Wednesday, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Seager is not yet eligible for arbitration, so Los Angeles was able to assign him a salary of $605,000. The 23-year-old shortstop slashed .295/.375/.479 through 145 games a season ago, and appears ready for Opening Day.
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Miguel Rojas 2B | LAD
Marlins' Miguel Rojas: Picks up two hits Wednesday
Rojas went 2-for-3 with a run scored in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.
The 29-year-old hasn't had a particularly good spring and best profiles as a utility infielder in the majors, but with J.T. Riddle (shoulder) potentially beginning the season on the DL, Rojas remains the favorite to start at shortstop for the Marlins on Opening Day. His .250/.282/.355 slash line in 2017 gives a clear picture of his very limited fantasy ceiling even if he's seeing regular playing time, however.
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Corey Seager SS | TEX
Dodgers' Corey Seager: Expects to be ready for Opening Day
Seager said his elbow feels good and there is no question that he'll be ready to go by Opening Day, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
This is encouraging news, as the elbow issue that limited Seager early on in camp appears to be fully in his rear-view mirror. The 23-year-old was able to play seven innings at shortstop during a minor-league contest Wednesday -- his second such appearance in the past three days -- and reported no issues afterwards. Seager's next step remains unclear, but he's on track to be fully operation by the start of the season.
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Ruben Tejada SS | BAL
Orioles' Ruben Tejada: Heads to minor-league camp
Tejada was reassigned to minor-league camp Wednesday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.
Tejada was a long-shot to grab an active roster spot out of spring training. His .171 batting average in 35 Grapefruit League at-bats essentially put the nail in the coffin. He'll head back to the minors to act as an organizational depth piece for Baltimore.