MLB Player News

Correa will be out of action Saturday due to flu-like symptoms, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Correa returned to Grapefruit League play Friday after blasting three home runs for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. He'll be looking to build off a steady 2016 campaign in which he slashed .274/.361/.451 and knocked in 96 runs.

Owings is still battling with Nick Ahmed and Ketel Marte for the starting shortstop role, Adam Green of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reports.

Owings is looking like the frontrunner for the position at this point in the spring, as he is outperforming both of his counterparts at the plate. The 25-year-old is 17-for-41 (.415) so far, while Marte is 11-for-41 (.268) and Ahmed is 10-for-45 (.222). There is still time for each individual to make their case, but time is running out as manager Torey Lovullo is looking to lock in a starting lineup within the next week. "We're going to put the best shortstop out there that's going to help us win games, bottom line," Lovullo said. "That competition is still running thick, so we're going to try to figure that out here in the coming week."

Seager (oblique) is scheduled to work seven innings at shortstop Saturday in a minor league game and is likely to return to the Dodgers after that, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

There wasn't any initial clarification about whether this replaces or adds to his initially scheduled Friday efforts in a minor league outing. Either way, the fact they're projecting Seager to rejoin the big club soon marks a positive step for the highly coveted fantasy shortstop.

Bogaerts went 1-for-4 with a run scored in Thursday's game against the Pirates.

Bogaerts batted sixth on a day the Red Sox fielded a lineup representative of one they could use in the regular season. The shortstop hit primarily out of the second and third spots last season when he was third in MLB with 652 at-bats. Opportunities will be fewer batting this low in the order, where protection could also become an issue.

Seager (oblique) will hit and play four or five innings at shortstop in Friday's minor league game, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports.

After appearing in Tuesday's minor league game as DH, Seager is now scheduled to return to shortstop for the first time since injuring his oblique. This is encouraging, as the 22-year-old has been sidelined for most of March with the issue. It will be close, but barring any setbacks in the field on Friday, he still has time to be ready for Opening Day.

Crawford went 1-for-5 with a pair of RBI in Team United States' win over Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic Championship on Wednesday.

The slugging shortstop shone on March's biggest stage, slashing .385/.429/.577 with six RBI while playing for his country. Crawford will now reunite with his Giants teammates in Arizona to close out the final weeks of spring training. Barring injury, the 30-year-old will serve as the club's everyday shortstop, providing a little pop and solid counting stats for his position.

O'Malley (appendectomy) returned to the clubhouse Wednesday after his Tuesday surgery, The Seattle Times reports.

O'Malley had been locked in a spirited spring battle with Taylor Motter and Mike Freeman for the utility role, but given the timing of his surgery and subsequent recovery, he's almost certain to start the season at Triple-A Tacoma. The most likely recovery timetable is 2-3 weeks, which pushes his return past Opening Day. Despite the fact he may have lost out on a roster spot for the time being, the impression he left with his play this spring was a lasting one, which could serve his chances of returning to the big league club later in the season. "He's played very well (this spring),'' manager Scott Servais said of O'Malley who has hit .278 in 36 at-bats. "Done a nice job at shortstop and wherever we've put him. We all know what Shawn brings. It's the high energy, great effort every time he's out there, whether it's a spring training 'B' game or we put him in late in a game in a big-league game."

Wendle will resume throwing on Thursday after being shut down with a shoulder issue, Joe Stiglich of CSN California reports.

Wendle hasn't appeared in a spring game since March 7 due to an undisclosed shoulder issue, though he recently underwent an MRI that showed no significant damage, which is positive news. The A's likely won't rush the 26-year-old back, as he's expected to start the year at Triple-A.

Bogaerts is hitting sixth in his Grapefruit League return Thursday from the World Baseball Classic, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Manager John Farrell said he likes Thursday's lineup construction, which may mean Bogaerts will bat sixth most of the time in 2017. For all his skills across the board at the dish, The X-Man may not get as much out of them hitting further down the order -- especially repeating the 115 runs he scored last year -- though this lineup runs deep, which should help his opportunities. Even with a slight downgrade, Bogaerts remains a useful core player for mixed league clubs.

Correa is scheduled to rejoin the Astros' spring training lineup Saturday after returning from the World Baseball Classic, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Correa sizzled in WBC play for Puerto Rico, going 8-for-20 with three home runs and nine RBI. Getting some work in Grapefruit League action will affirm his value as a borderline first-round pick in many mixed fantasy leagues.