MLB Player News

Owings will start at shortstop and bat second in the order in the Diamondbacks' Opening Day game Sunday against the Giants, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

With a tough left-hander on the hill for the opposition in Madison Bumgarner, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo will stack his lineup with right-handed bats in the top three spots. Owings will occupy prime real estate between A.J. Pollock and Paul Goldschmidt on Sunday, but there's a chance that Lovullo could drop the shortstop in the lineup when the Diamondbacks face right-handed starters.

Seager (oblique) is starting at shortstop in Saturday's game against the Angels, J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group reports.

Seager had been expected to return Sunday, but he'll be back in action a day early. With his return, it appears that Seager is all set for the Dodgers' Opening Day game against the Padres.

Cordoba was one of three Rule 5 draft picks the Padres retained on their 25-man roster, MLB.com's AJ Cassavell reports.

The club elected to keep both Luis Sardinas and Cordoba as backup infielders. The former figures to be the club's primary infield backup, but the latter could see the occasional spot start in the outfield. The 21-year-old's addition to the 25-man roster was clearly a move made by San Diego in an effort to protect the Rule 5 draft pick from being offered back to the Cardinals. There isn't much to see here from a fantasy perspective quite yet.

Manager Torey Lovullo said Chris Owings will receive the bulk of playing time at shortstop, but Ahmed will still see a fair share of starts, Bob McManaman of The Arizona Republic reports.

Ahmed has been behind Owings in terms of performance all spring, so the move doesn't come as much of a surprise. However, Lovullo said the move doesn't mean there won't be opportunities down the road. "Nick Ahmed is not a backup infielder," he said. "He's going to get a number of starts at shortstop." The general assumption here is that those starts will come on the days when Owings moves to right field. Ahmed is looking to move past his injury-riddled 2016 campaign.

Manger Torey Lovullo said Owings will receive the bulk of playing time at shortstop, Bob McManaman of The Arizona Republic reports.

Owings has been in a tight battle with Nick Ahmed for the starting spot this spring, but it appears the team couldn't ignore his .345/.377/.534 slash line and two home runs. The 25-year-old is a suspect hitter but has shown flashes of potential. Lovullo noted that Ahmed will still see "a number of starts," so the pressure is on Owings to perform early.

DeJong will primarily play shortstop for Triple-A Memphis in 2017 while also seeing time at second and third base, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The 23-year-old figures to start "four or five times a week" at shortstop but will also keep his skills at the other infield spots sharp. DeJong will receive his first exposure to Triple-A pitching after slashing .260/.324/.460 over 552 plate appearances at Double-A Springfield last season.

Seager (oblique) is expected to start Sunday's game against the Angels in the Freeway Series, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Dodgers have been cautious with Seager's recovery from an oblique injury this spring, but they're confident enough in his progress to where he'll get back into game action Sunday. Provided that Seager makes it through his appearance without any setbacks, he figures to be ready for Opening Day against the Padres.

Ahmed has slashed .259/.267/.431 and has driven in 11 runs over 58 at-bats during Cactus League play.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo hasn't officially decided on a starting shortstop to begin the season, but based on spring performance alone, Ahmed seems to be well behind Chris Owings, who has been a Cactus League standout with a .352 average and five extra-base hits in 54 at-bats. Ahmed's spot on the Opening Day roster still looks secure after the club demoted Ketel Marte to Triple-A Reno earlier in the week, and his defensive acumen still might be enough to earn him a couple starts per week at either middle infield spot.

Castro was reassigned to minor-league camp Monday, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

The 24-year-old infielder didn't pose much of a threat to claim a roster spot, especially after batting just .235 and walking once in 35 spring plate appearances. Castro will likely serve as an organizational depth piece moving forward, but his positional versatility could land him a spot in Denver later in the season if he picks things up at the plate during his time in the minors.

Swanson went 3-for-3 with a walk, two doubles and three runs scored in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers.

Despite a late start to the spring due to a strained side, Swanson is still slashing .313/.421/.500 in 38 plate appearances and seems ready to pick up where he left off in his impressive 2016 major-league debut. The 23-year-old will be hitting second for the Braves this season, which could make him a very valuable source of runs given his advanced hit tool and solid on-base skills.