MLB Player News

Seager went 3-for-3 with a double and scored two runs in Monday's exhibition contest against Arizona.

Seager hit .385 during spring training and has carried over that momentum to summer camp, drawing frequent praise from manager Dave Roberts, among others. Seager will hit in the middle of the Dodgers' loaded lineup this season and could be a solid source of both batting average and RBI during the shortened campaign.

Camargo suffered a mild hamstring injury during Saturday's intrasquad game, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

It doesn't appear to be a serious issue, but manager Brian Snitker wouldn't rule out a trip to the injured list given the timing of the injury. Camargo will take things easy for a couple days and attempt to be ready for Friday's season opener against the Mets.

Mateo (illness) is unlikely to be part of the Opening Day roster, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

The Padres expected Mateo to contribute to the big-league club right away when they acquired him in a trade at the end of June, but the 25-year-old subsequently tested positive for COVID-19 and has yet to be cleared to return. With Opening Day less than a week away, Mateo is unlikely to have enough time to get ready for the season even if he returns soon, though manager Jayce Tingler didn't close the door on the possibility completely. "He's probably going to need some baseball work," Tingler said. "But at the same time, he brings a lot of speed to the game. If we want to use that asset of his game, can we use that right away? Probably. But we'll wait and see." Jake Cronenworth is the most likely candidate to fill Mateo's projected spot if the latter remains out.

Owings will begin the season on the Rockies' major-league roster.

Manager Bud Black speculated earlier in the week that Owings could be on the Rockies' Opening Day roster as a second utility player, and he was officially informed of the decision Friday. The 28-year-old appeared in 67 games with the Red Sox and Royals last season, slashing .139/.209/.233 with three home runs and five stolen bases. Owings should serve as depth for the team, but he's unlikely to play a significant role for Colorado this season.

Swanson took Mike Foltynewicz deep for an opposite-field, three-run home run in Wednesday's intrasquad game, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Swanson's blast proved to be the decisive hit of the contest before the game was halted in the third inning due to rain. The 26-year-old is locked in as the Braves' everyday shortstop for the 60-game season, and now that he's healthy again, he could be a sneaky late-round value in fantasy drafts. Swanson posted an .822 OPS to go with 17 home runs and seven stolen bases in the first half of the 2019 campaign, but he struggled to regain his form at the plate upon returning from a foot injury that cost him a good portion of the second half. He slashed just .204/.315/.254 and struck out in 29.7 percent of his plate appearances after the All-Star break.

Rojas jammed his left pinkie finger and wrist attempting to field a groundball during Tuesday's intrasquad game, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

The injuries aren't considered serious, and Rojas could be back in action Thursday. The shortstop slashed .284/.331/.379 through 132 games last season with a modest five homers and nine steals.

Owings has a pretty good chance to make the Rockies' Opening Day roster as a second utility player, along with Garrett Hampson, particularly with the 30-man roster for the first two weeks, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

An interesting aspect of manager Bud Black's comments about Owings is how he equates him with Hampson. "You have two weapons -- two good weapons," Black said. "You have the speed weapon. You've got a sneaky power weapon. You've got two guys that play the game the right way. They can be pests, per se, to the opposition. So it's nice to have two of them. As the game rolls on, whether they're both starting whether one of them starting whether they're both on the bench. With the 30-man roster, it's advantageous. ... And for a 26-man roster, they might be advantageous, also."

Garcia could contribute in the majors this season, according to manager David Bell, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Bell noted how strong Garcia is coming on in camp, despite the fact he has never played above High-A. Another factor in Garcia's favor is that the Reds basically have nothing behind Freddy Galvis (who has been mentoring Garcia) at shortstop. This is a nice vote of confidence from Bell, but it would be borderline unprecedented for Garcia to skip over Double-A and Triple-A and be a quality big-league hitter in 2020 if he were forced into action due to his plus defense at shortstop.

DeJong drove in all four runs for his team in Thursday night's intrasquad game at Busch Stadium, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The slugger, who's projected to typically hit out of the cleanup spot this coming season, drove in a pair of runs with a first-inning single and then added a two-run home run in the fourth and final frame of the game. DeJong has received praise from manager Mike Shildt for his consistent approach in every simulated game the Cardinals have played thus far, and Thursday's production was also encouraging when considering the shortstop hit an anemic .193 with runners in scoring position in 2019.

Mateo has tested positive for COVID-19, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Mateo was traded to the Padres in late June, but manager Jayce Tingler revealed Wednesday that Mateo has tested positive for COVID-19. The 25-year-old is experiencing some symptoms, but Tingler said that those symptoms are improving. Mateo was expected to fill a major-league roster spot to begin the season due to his lack of remaining minor-league options, but it's unclear whether he'll be ready for the start of the 2020 campaign. Under MLB protocol, he'll have to test negative twice before he's able to rejoin the team.