MLB Player News

Sardinas, as expected, won the utility job as Chris Taylor was sent to Triple-A Tacoma on Monday.

Sardinas had a great spring and is a better shortstop than Shawn O'Malley, who was demoted Sunday, and better third baseman than Taylor. He should play all over the infield and could get some time in center field, too.

Seager (knee) played six innings of a minor league game Saturday, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports.

Seager will receive Sunday off, but it sounds like he won't be out of commission for much longer. It appears everything went well Saturday, so the young shortstop will play six more innings in another minor league game Monday. Depending on his performance there, a major league game would be the next logical step. If Seager does have to miss Opening Day, as originally expected, look for Enrique Hernandez (oblique) to draw the starting nod at shortstop. At the very least, Seager does plan to be in Los Angeles with the team for their season opener against the Angels, per Plunkett. Seager's level of participation is yet to be determined, however.

Sardinas is expected to win the utility job after Shawn O'Malley was optioned to Triple-A on Sunday.

O'Malley had a big spring training -- .471 average, six walks, and four strikeouts -- but Sardinas played well too with 18 hits in 52 at-bats (.346). The third candidate, Chris Taylor, had not had a good spring (8-for-42). Sardinas plays a better shortstop than O'Malley, which was important to the team.

O'Malley was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday, Shannon Drayer of 710 AM ESPN Seattle reports.

O'Malley came up short in his efforts to win a spot as a super-utility man out of spring training, despite batting an impressive .471 and stealing five bases over 41 plate appearances in Cactus League play. It may take an injury to one of the Mariners' infielders before O'Malley gets called up to the big club.

O'Malley, who was competing for a utility job, was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday, the Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports.

Luis Sardinas is the favorite to win the utility spot. O'Malley can play outfield, third base and second base, but he was weaker at shortstop, which the Mariners prioritized. He had a good spring, with 16 hits in 34 at-bats, six walks and four strikeouts. He'll likely be called up sometime this season when injuries hit.

Though Baez (thumb) hasn't played since March 20, he could still be ready by Opening Day, Carrie Muskat of the Cubs' official site reports. "It might be a short-term concern as far as when he can get out there again," manager Joe Maddon said Saturday of Baez. "I have not heard anything negative in a long-term sense."

Baez is hoping to make the team as a jack-of-all-trades backup, but it's still possible he'll need a short stint on the DL.

Seager reported no pain in his left knee after an extended workout on Thursday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Seager compiled four at-bats in a minor league game but did not run out of the batter's box or play defense. He did run the bases and slide before the game, so things appear to be trending towards his being available for Opening Day.

Bogaerts cracked a homer in Thursday's game against the Mets. He went 2-for-3 with the homer and two RBI.

Bogaerts had a nice breakout season in 2015, but with just seven homers, the power has been the last thing to develop. It's not a knock on his game, but after hitting 12 homers in 2014, we were expecting more. The Red Sox are preaching patience with the 22-year-old shortstop, who improved his batting average 80 points between 2014 and 2015 at the expense of the long ball. At some point, we hope to see both elements of offense -- a .300 hitter with 15-20 homer potential at a premium position.

The White Sox reassigned Anderson to minor league camp Thursday, the Chicago Tribune reports.

This shan't be the last we hear from Anderson this season. Although he should start the year in the high-minors, he should press for the team's starting shortstop gig early in the summer (assuming the Jimmy Rollins/Tyler Saladino combo does not impress).

Baez attempted to play through a thumb injury but will need to sit out a few more days, Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago reports.

Baez has been dealing with the jammed thumb for about a week. It isn't expected to be a major issue, but Baez is just 6-for-30 (.200) this spring and could probably use as many as at-bats as he can squeeze in before the regular season starts.