MLB Player News

Owings (finger) is starting at second base and batting second during Sunday's Cactus League game against the Brewers, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Owings underwent surgery on his right middle finger in November and is set to make his first spring training start this year. Barring any setbacks, Owings will serve as the Diamondbacks' starting second baseman on Opening Day.

Seager (stomach) is batting second as the Dodgers' designated hitter in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Mariners, Eric Stephen of TrueBlueLA.com reports.

Seager was scratched from Saturday's lineup when he came down with the stomach bug. After a day off, the star shortstop is set to reenter the lineup in a DH capacity. Seager will be eased into action during spring training but is fully expected to be ready for Opening Day on Mar. 29.

Seager was removed from the lineup Saturday with a stomach illness, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Seager was scheduled to start at DH. Henry Ramos will start in his place. There are no reports suggesting that the illness is a particularly severe one, so expect the young shortstop to be back and ready to play sometime in the next few days. The Dodgers were easing him into spring action slowly anyway while he recovers from the back and elbow injuries he suffered last season, so missing a game or two won't set his timetable back much if at all.

Cordoba has not returned to the field since suffering a concussion earlier in the month, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Cordoba suffered the concussion in a car accident a couple of weeks ago, and it appears he's still not quite back to 100 percent. He remains without a timetable, but the Padres will continue to bring him along slowly. The 22-year-old is expected to open the year in the minors after batting just .208 for the big club last season.

Cecchini added 15 pounds of muscle over the offseason with the hope of introducing more power into his game, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

After hitting just six homers at Triple-A Las Vegas last season, Cecchini got a personal nutritionist and attempted to eat healthier over the season. According to reports, the young infielder's weight dropped as low as 180 pounds last season due to what he termed as "lack of appetite," but it seems like he has an entirely new approach to eating that could help him maintain his power throughout the entire course of the season. Offseason adjustments aside, it seems like he's on the outside of the active roster looking in to start the season, especially after the Mets opted to retain Jose Reyes and signed Todd Frazier. That said, Cecchini has two full seasons of Triple-A action under his belt, so he'll likely be in the majors at some point in 2018 even if he doesn't crack the Opening Day roster.

DeJong is expected to open 2018 as the Cards' everyday starter at shortstop, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Both middle-infield spots appear to be more set than the corners as the Cards approach the start of the Grapefruit League schedule. DeJong will look to trim his strikeout rate during his second season with St. Louis, having struck out 28.0 percent of the time as a rookie while swatting 25 homers in 443 plate appearances. With 38 combined homers between Triple-A and the big leagues last season, DeJong exceeded expectations in 2017, and his best chance of following up with a strong effort this season will require a more balanced approach at the plate.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon suggested that Baez may approach 600 plate appearances in 2018, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Ben Zobrist has been battling a back injury early on this spring, and along with Ian Happ, Zobrist represents the potential obstructions to a larger role for Baez. "He's at that point now (that) to get those 500 to 600 plate appearances, (he needs to) organize (his) strike zone, accept walks and use the whole field," Maddon said. Baez will presumably play less at shortstop in 2018 if Addison Russell is healthy, and it still seems more likely that he'll finish closer to 500 plate appearances than 600 barring the improved approach that Maddon suggested. Still, with his combination of power and speed, Baez remains an intriguing player despite the uncertainty about his playing time.

Manager Bud Black said he's intrigued by the thought of Story hitting fourth this season, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

This obviously hinges on Story showing he's improved his brutal contact issues from 2017, as he struck out in 34.4 percent of his plate appearances while leading all of baseball with 191 strikeouts last season. He took part in an intense offseason workout program and focused on simplifying his approach at the plate in the offseason, which he's hoping will help him return to his rookie-year form (.272/.341/.567 with 27 homers in 97 games). The 25-year-old should hold fantasy value either way given his impressive pop and sneaky speed at the shortstop position, but hitting in the heart of a solid Rockies' lineup would provide a nice boost to his counting stats. Until Cactus League action picks up and we get a look at how Story's adjustments are paying off, he should continued to be viewed as a risky, albeit high-upside bounce-back candidate at what should be a significantly discounted price from a year ago.

Camargo is expected to be the Braves' primary third baseman to start the regular season, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Some reports swirled linking the Braves to various free agent third basemen, but with the market dwindling and spring training in progress, it seems like Camargo is going to be the man at the hot corner. The 24-year-old impressed in his first major-league stint, slashing .299/.331/.452 in 241 at-bats last season. He's also considered the team's best defensive infielder since Andrelton Simmons, so it's certainly reasonable for him to maintain his perch atop the third base depth chart. Rio Ruiz and Austin Riley (to an extent) are also in the mix for the starting gig, but Camargo appears to have the upper hand at this point.

Seager will be utilized as the team's designated hitter for Cactus League games this weekend as he continues to progress through a throwing program, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports.

Seager remains on a throwing program as he works to build his arm back to 100 percent after missing some time due to back and elbow injuries in 2017. There doesn't appear to be any concern over his status for the start of the season, but he's yet to be cleared for his typical spot at shortstop during spring games. The Dodgers are hoping a reduction in workload will help Seager avoid any sort of setback.