MLB Player News

Pennington (shoulder) is back in the Angels' lineup Thursday, The Orange County Register's Jeff Fletcher reports.

Pennington has been held out of action for the past week with a minor shoulder injury. The veteran infielder said he is feeling fine now, and his appearance in Thursday's starting lineup confirms that statement. Assuming he doesn't suffer a setback, Pennington should make the Opening Day roster as a backup infielder.

Manager Dave Roberts said Seager (oblique) "absolutely" has enough time to get ready for Opening Day, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports.

Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reported that the star shortstop ran, threw, and even took 25 to 30 swings at half speed Thursday and felt fine, so it seems like Roberts' hope is well within the realm of possibility. Of course, Seager will have to get back into games relatively soon in order to have his activity built up enough for a full regular season game, but the Dodgers seem optimistic that the youngster can progress quickly enough for that to happen. Either way, his status moving forward should become clearer as he continues to ramp up his activity.

Seager (oblique) has been medically cleared to throw Thursday, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Seager isn't expected to suit up for game action until next week but moves on to a positive step in his recovery from oblique tightness. His prolonged absence might've simply been an effort by the club to ease him back in during an extended spring training. If the 22-year-old fails to return to game action next week, however, the level of concern will rise.

Camargo was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday.

The 23-year-old spent all last season at Double-A Mississippi, putting together a .267/.304/.379 line with four home runs, 43 RBI and 46 runs scored in 491 plate appearances. He'll move up a level to start 2017 and remains on the 40-man roster, though Camargo doesn't have a clear path to a significant big-league role.

Swanson (back) will not be in the lineup Thursday or Friday, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.

Swanson continues to make progress in his rehab, and remains available to take batting practice during regular pre-game warmups. After a three-hour bus ride, however, the team will continue to take a conservative approach with the young shortstop by sitting him out through Friday.

Arcia went 3-for-8 (.375) with a home run and five RBI over his last two spring games and owns a .680 OPS through 12 spring contests.

The recent run production is not indicative of the numbers Arcia is expected to put up this season, but those invested in him have to like seeing the surge after he totaled just three hits in all over his previous 22 spring at-bats. Arcia figures to hit in the lower third of the Brewers' batting order and will be counted on more for his glove than his bat, but he is one of the Brewers' most promising youngsters and will start at shortstop for the big club nearly every day right out of the gate.

Adames was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Wednesday.

He was in big league camp, but was not a realistic option to break camp on the 25-man roster, so this does not come as a surprise. Adames is the Rays' top prospect, and has the potential to hit 25-plus homers as a shortstop. He could make his big league debut in the second half.

Story is 8-for-25 (.320) with four doubles and four home runs through nine games this spring.

The 24-year-old is making this kind of performance seem like an annual routine, as this torrid production pushes his career spring training OPS to a blistering 1.156 mark. Of course these stats don't count for anything once the regular season rolls around, but it's a good sign to see that Story is already in mid-season form as he heads into his second season as the Rockies starting shortstop.

Sardinas went 0-for-4 in Monday's spring training loss to the Cubs.

Sardinas has gotten off to a slow start this spring, batting .190 (4-for-21) in eight Cactus League games. The 23-year-old entered camp as the front-runner for the starting shortstop gig in San Diego after slashing .287/.353/.417 in 34 games after coming over from the Mariners. The club brought Erick Aybar (non-roster invitee) and Allen Cordoba (Rule 5 draft) to spring training to act as competition. Manager Andy Green hasn't shed much light on the competition, but Sardinas will have to pick it up at the plate to solidify his spot on the 25-man roster.

D'Arnaud (illness) will man shortstop and bat second in the order in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

D'Arnaud has been sidelined for much of the past two weeks with bronchitis, but after getting some swings in against minor-league pitching a day ago, the Braves have cleared him to return to spring training action. The 30-year-old is expected to vie for a utility role with the Braves, but doesn't have a clear path to everyday at-bats.