MLB Player News

Diamondbacks manger Chip Hale may favor shortstop Nick Ahmed as the starter when the season begins, but contrary to a report, he is not ready to give him that title just yet, reports MLB.com.

"To name him the starter is hard to do, because we still have camp left," Hale said. "I'm not ready to do that. He's been very impressive. [Gammons] was assuming because of the way we were glowing about [Ahmed]."

The organization still likes what they have seen from Chris Owings, who could still be in the mix.

"We knew Owings, if he was healthy, was going to play somewhere," general manager Dave Stewart said. "We knew he was going to be a starter for us."

Diamondbacks shortstop Chris Owings saw his first action of the spring Thursday, making four plate appearances, getting some chances on defense and even sliding into home plate.

"It was good to get out there and play the game and not hesitate," Owings said after playing in a "B" game Thursday, per MLB.com. "Take full swings and get some ground balls. Slide at home. Those are all things that I've got to do for the first time, get it out of the way and then do it all over again tomorrow."

Owings is working his way back from offseason surgery on his left shoulder. He's made adjustments at the plate since suffering the injury, keeping both hands on the bat during his follow-through to reduce the stress on the left shoulder.

"I think that's a big adjustment putting it into games," Owings said. "I've been doing BP, but not thinking about it, I had one swing that was a slider away that I kind of wailed at a little bit. I think once I start doing that every time it'll be good."

Diamondbacks shortstop Chris Owings didn't experience any discomfort in his shoulder during Wednesday's live batting practice session, MLB.com reports.

"The biggest thing for me is to get back into game shape," Owings said.

The shortstop is slated to take part in a "B" game Thursday as he continues his rehab from offseason shoulder surgery.

Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada, who is being prepared for a backup infield role, drew the start at third base for Wednesday's spring game against the Marlins, per ESPN.

Tejada has never started or appeared in a game at third base in his first five years in the majors. He has appeared in 350 games at shortstop and 105 games at second base.

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford has been cleared to start and will make his debut in the field Wednesday, reports CSN Bay Area. Crawford is dealing with a sore shoulder, but was able to complete a workout on Friday. He played in Friday's game as a designated hitter.

Diamondbacks shortstop Chris Owings could make his Cactus League debut as soon as next weekend, the Arizona Republic reports.

Owings is progressing from offseason shoulder surgery and was able to take batting practice Friday. He hit .261/.300/.406 with six home runs, 26 RBI and eight stolen bases in 310 at-bats last season.

Diamondbacks shortstop Chris Owings was able to take batting practice on Friday, according to MLB.com.

Owings is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, and has been limited early in camp. Manager Chip Hale said he was happy with Owings progress, and noted it was a big day for the infielder.

"Everything he's done has been right on time," D-backs manager Chip Hale said. "We've slowed him down, because it's important that that swing is right. This was a huge day for him."

Owings will likely go through another round of BP before he's ready for game action. The team may also opt to give him at-bats in minor-league games before using him during actual spring training games.

The 23-year-old Owings hit .261/.300/.406 over 310 at-bats last season. He's expected to open the year as the team's starting shortstop. 

Giants infielder Brandon Crawford should play the field on Monday or Tuesday, according to CSN.

Crawford is dealing with a sore shoulder, but was able to get through a full workout on Friday. He played during Friday's game, but was used as the designated hitter. Crawford, 28, hit .246/.324/.389 over 491 at-bats last season. 

Diamondbacks infielder Chris Owings is slated to take his first batting practice session of spring training on Friday, according to FOX Sports Arizona. 

Owings is still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. He's expected to miss the first eight to 10 games of spring training, putting him on pace to play sometime after March 13. 

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford will DH during Wednesday's spring game against the Athletics because of a sore right shoulder. He is not expected to play in the field until next week.

Crawford said this injury is not serious and he had a similar issue last year. He plans to start throwing again Friday.

Manager Bruce Bochy has talked about giving Crawford more time off in 2015, per SFGate.com.

"He mentioned it last year, especially in the second half," Crawford said. "He said he played me a lot in the first half and in the second half he was going to try to find more days for me to get off. He said we're also trying to get to the playoffs and win the division."