MLB Player News

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.

Manager Dave Roberts indicated that Seager (oblique) probably won't play in games this week, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Seager has had his return date pushed back several times already this spring, and although Roberts also noted the shortstop would still have time to get ready for Opening Day, his extended absence is starting to raise questions. It's still a little early to hit the panic button on the 22-year-old, but his progress in the coming days will be something to monitor.

DeJong went 1-for-2 with a three-run home run, a walk and two runs in Sunday's 9-9 Grapefruit League tie with the Marlins.

DeJong, who's slated to start the 2017 campaign at Triple-A Memphis, is now slashing .281/.324/.531 with a triple, two homers, six RBI, two walks and nine runs (tied with Jose Martinez for the spring team lead). If the 23-year-old prospect can duplicate some of the success he's found against major league pitching in the coming minor league season, he could be reunited with his spring teammates before 2017 is out. One of the areas in which DeJong will look to improve on with Memphis will be his contact rate, as he whiffed on 26.1 percent of his 552 plate appearances at Double-A Springfield in 2016.

D'Arnaud (bronchitis) is scheduled to face minor league pitchers Monday and make his return to the Braves' Grapefruit League lineup Tuesday, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The veteran utility man has missed two weeks of camp with the illness, but d'Arnaud still has plenty of time to solidify his spot on the team's bench before Opening Day.

Crawford went 2-for-4 with a double and a pair of RBI in Saturday's World Baseball Classic loss to Team Domincan Republic.

Crawford had been struggling in Cactus League action (2-for-17), so his fantasy owners will be relieved to see that he is getting off to a good start in the Classic (3-for-7). His ability to perform in the WBC holds more weight than spring training numbers, considering the competitive nature of the tournament in comparison to spring training games where Crawford has nothing to prove. The slugging infielder will open the season as the Giants' everyday shortstop.

Swanson (back) began hitting balls off a tee Sunday but is still days away from returning to Grapefruit League action, David O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The former first-overall draft pick seems to be progressing at a good pace, as he just got back to fielding drills late last week. The Braves definitely are taking this slowly with their franchise shortstop, but Swanson appears to be on track to return to action later this week if all goes as planned.

Seager (oblique) remains without a timetable to return, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

The Dodgers' everyday shortstop continues to be hampered by tightness in his oblique. The fact that he is still without a timetable despite initial expectations of a return Saturday is concerning, but there's still no indication that his status for Opening Day is in jeopardy. In any case, Seager's progress in the coming days will be a story line to monitor.

Seager (back/oblique) is still experiencing tightness and it's uncertain when he may return to the lineup, Eric Stephen of SB Nation reports.

The plan was for Seager to return to action Saturday but manager Dave Roberts backed off that expectation Friday. To this point, the injury has been classified as an upper-back issue, but Roberts clarified that's it's actually a "mild" oblique injury. Seager still has time to ramp up toward Opening Day but this will be a situation worth monitoring closely.

Swanson (back) has participated in some fielding drills over the last two days and is slated to resume action in games over the weekend, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The blue-chip prospect's back soreness has kept him away from his normal work since earlier in the week, but Swanson appears to have taken a turn toward getting back on the diamond. Presuming he begins the season healthy, the 23-year-old should deliver a decent fantasy return. While the long-locked shortstop won't stand out in one particular category, his nearly across-the-board yield should do the job.