MLB Player News

Seager (elbow) could return to playing the field within the week, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

The young shortstop has been able to hit in games as his time at designated hitter shows, but he's been hampered by an elbow injury keeping him from throwing in game situations. He began throwing to bases during drills over the weekend, although he still has some things to check off before a full return. At this stage, Seager seems to be on track to be ready for Opening Day, but his status is still worth monitoring over the course of spring training.

Arcia is 2-for-17 (.118) with a run scored through six spring training games.

Fantasy players would have preferred Arcia get off to a quicker start with the bat this spring, but with just two strikeouts thus far, there is certainly no reason to panic. Regardless of how he fares the rest of the spring, Arcia will head into the regular season as the Brewers' starting shortstop as long as he stays healthy.

Crawford (finger) is in the lineup at shortstop Monday against the Rangers, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Crawford jammed his right index finger Wednesday and has not appeared in the field since then, though he appeared as a designated hitter Friday and Saturday. He should be fully prepared by Opening Day barring any unexpected setbacks.

Seager (elbow) is in the lineup as a designated hitter for Monday's game against the Indians, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Seager has been battling an elbow issue all spring and has yet to take the field, though he has appeared in three games as a designated hitter. He's been shut down since Tuesday while working on his throwing program. Still, the Dodgers expect the young shortstop to be ready to take the field on Opening Day, and returning to the lineup to hit is a sign of progress.

The Cardinals finalized a contract extension with DeJong on Monday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, DeJong's extension is worth $26 million over six years.

The extension, which is the largest deal in history for any player with less than one year of MLB service time, buys out DeJong's arbitration years and keeps him in St. Louis through the 2023 season. Though he carried only a modest pedigree as a prospect after being drafted in the fourth round by the Cardinals in 2015, DeJong was highly impressive in his first taste of the big leagues last season, hitting .285 with 52 extra-base hits -- including 25 home runs -- across 443 plate appearances. He'll enter the 2018 campaign as the Cardinals' everyday shortstop.

Crawford (finger) will start at shortstop Monday against the Rangers, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Crawford received reps at designated hitter Friday and Saturday before having Sunday off. It appears his finger has fully healed to give manager Bruce Bochy confidence to slot him in the lineup.

Anderson (personal) went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts Sunday against the Padres.

Anderson's brief absence from the team to tend to a personal matter came to an end, as he returned to action Sunday. Through this point, Anderson is hitting .188 over 16 at-bats this spring.

Seager (elbow) is scheduled to be in the lineup as designated hitter Monday, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Seager doesn't yet have a timetable for a return to the field, but the fact he's OK to swing a bat is certainly encouraging. To further the story, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com says Seager will begin throwing to bases Monday, but it seems unlikely to be in live game action based on the other report. Despite an illness going around the clubhouse costing Seager a bit of time, manager Dave Roberts remains optimistic about his shortstop's Opening Day status.

Mateo (knee) ran the bases without issue Saturday and is scheduled for another workout Monday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Mateo has a chance to be in the lineup for Tuesday's spring game, but that is slightly dependent on the outcome of Monday's workout. The minor-league infielder has been dealing with the knee issue for nearly two weeks, but this will likely end up a blip on the radar when the 22-year-old makes his major-league debut further down the road.

Manager Alex Cora and hitting coach Tim Hyers want Bogaerts to be more aggressive at the plate, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal reports.

Bogaerts has gotten into the habit of taking pitches, including pitches down the middle of the plate he can drive. It's a passive approach that may have led to his diminished power in 2017, when he hit 10 home runs, down from the 21 he hit in 2016. Bogaerts swung at a career-low 42 percent of pitches last season, including fewer than 12 percent of first pitches. "He's an impressive young man who has power," Hyers said. "The more balls he hits over the center of the plate and where he's looking, he can do more damage and put some fear in the pitchers instead of just trying to put the ball in play." The challenge for Bogaerts will be to train his body to be more aggressive and not take a hittable strike for the sake of taking a pitch.