Spring Training Daily: ST Daily: Seager Takes A Seat
It’s a race against time for Corey Seager.
Seager is presently sidelined by a “mild” left knee sprain, an injury that will keep him out for one to two weeks. And while an Opening Day start at shortstop is still within his reach, the question of readiness will become more prevalent as April inches closer.
Seager injured the knee running the bases Friday, saying his knee “kind of buckled under” him while running. He said the pain was severe enough that he feared he had torn his meniscus. An MRI Saturday revealed the sprain.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he’s cautious but hopeful about the 21-year-old’s outlook.
“It’s still pushing it,” Roberts said of an Opening Day start. “I’m still optimistic.”
If he is unable to go — a short stay on the disabled list is in the cards, too, if the Dodgers want to be careful with their top prospect — Enrique Hernandez will likely hold down the fort in the meantime.
Seager had three hits in 13 spring at-bats before the injury, but the phenom has basically been handed the starting job after batting .293/.344/.487 with 18 home runs and 76 RBI in the minors last year before getting called up in September. In a limited showing, Seager hit .337/.425/.561 with four homers, 17 RBI and 17 runs scored with the big club.
Spring training is in full swing, so be sure to keep refreshing Rotoworld’s constantly-updating player news page for all the latest. And while you’re at it, follow @Rotoworld_BB and @nate_grimm if you are on Twitter.
Broxton Making Impression In Brewers Camp
The Brewers’ center field job is an open race, but one speedster may be running away with it.
Keon Broxton, acquired from the Pirates for Jason Rogers this past offseason, has performed well enough this spring that he is “making a strong push” to be the team’s starting center fielder on Opening Day, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Broxton played left field and batted leadoff for the Brewers on Sunday.
The 25-year-old could make for an interesting fantasy player to keep in mind if he does indeed win a starting job. Broxton batted .273.357/.438 with 10 home runs and 39 stolen bases between Double-A and Triple-A last season, and in a Brewers lineup starving for talent Broxton could be set loose on the basepaths if he sticks around.
“I think he’s doing a really nice job,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said Friday. “He has been impressive. That’s what you want. You want to have those tough decisions at the end of camp. He’s doing a good job putting himself in the position of having to make a tough decision.
“He has had a good camp. He’s a good base runner; he has played good defense. I think he’s a developing hitter, and so far he has shown good discipline. In the minor leagues as he has moved up, his strike zone judgment has improved. We hope there’s another step in there.”
Ryan Braun remains the team’s everyday left fielder and Domingo Santana, another player acquired in the Brewers’ rebuilding process, seems to have a bead on the right field gig. Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Rymer Liriano remain the two most likely alternatives in center should Broxton be sent out.
Zimmerman Still Bothered By Foot
Ryan Zimmerman made his Grapefruit League debut Sunday. His regular season debut may still be up in the air.
FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal said the health of Zimmerman, who was held out of spring games until recently due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot, is “no small concern” to the Nationals. The foot condition cost Zimmerman nearly seven weeks during the 2015 season.
And while Zimmerman and the Nationals haven’t showed any outward concern about his availability for the start of the season — his being held out of Grapefruit League play was described as a precaution — plantar fasciitis is chronic and has plagued fellow first baseman Albert Pujols for years. It was the same injury that sidelined Peyton Manning down the stretch of the 2015 NFL season as well.
If Zimmerman is forced to miss time, the good news for the club is that it has options. A trade for outside help is a possibility, as is moving second baseman Daniel Murphy — who has started nearly twice as many games at first base as Zimmerman in their respective careers — and finding a suitable second baseman. The Nationals currently have three middle infielders vying for the starting shortstop job — Danny Espinosa, Trea Turner and Stephen Drew — so one could feasibly slide to second base if Murphy is needed at first.
Quick Hits: Madison Bumgarner will miss one or two Cactus League starts with neuroma in his left foot and rib cage pain on his right side. Neither issue is considered serious enough to threaten his readiness for Opening Day, but it’s still a bit worrisome to have your ace sidelined into late March … Red Sox manager John Farrell indicated Eduardo Rodriguez (knee) is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day. Rodriguez still isn’t throwing off a mound as he grapples with a patellar subluxation in his right knee, an injury that, while not terribly serious, could force him to start the year on the DL … Rougned Odor (oblique) took batting practice in the indoor cage on Sunday. He’ll take regular batting practice on Monday and should return to Cactus League play in short order, assuming he doesn’t have any other setbacks … there is currently no timetable for Matt Wieters‘ (elbow) return to game action. Wieters left Saturday’s game due to soreness in his right elbow, and while X-rays came back negative, he may require an MRI in a few days if the soreness and stiffness don’t subside … Brian McCann left Sunday’s game after being hit above the left kneecap with a CC Sabathia pitch. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said he expects McCann to be fine, so it appears as though his exit was precautionary … Justin Turner (knee) will make his Cactus League debut on Monday. Turner had microfracture knee surgery in October but has been hitting in minor league games and should still be fine for an Opening Day start at third base … Brett Gardner (wrist) is hoping to make his Grapefruit League debut Wednesday. Gardner has eased into action this spring after suffering a bone bruise in his left wrist last October … Adam Eaton (shoulder) is hoping to return to playing the field by March 23. Eaton has been serving as the team’s designated hitter this spring as he comes back from offseason shoulder surgery, and the option to put him at DH should allow him to be in the Opening Day lineup regardless of his ability to play the field … Scooter Gennett (shoulder) is expected to return to Cactus League games by the end of the week. Tendinitis in his right shoulder has sidelined Gennett in recent days, but it’s not the kind of thing this is expected to keep him from being the Brewers’ Opening Day second baseman … Chris Tillman (hip) will make his spring debut Tuesday. With his hip flexor strain seemingly behind him, Tillman should still have time to be ready for Opening Day … Blake Swihart left Sunday’s game with a bruised jaw after taking a foul tip off his catcher’s mask. It seems as though he dodged a concussion, which is a relief, but he may get a day or two off to nurse what will surely be a sore jaw … the Mariners released Gaby Sanchez … Charlie Furbush (shoulder) will be shut down for a few days after feeling more discomfort when he played catch. It’s hard to see the left-hander being ready for the start of the season as he continues to work back from a slightly torn rotator cuff suffered last season … Socrates Brito is taking a run at Yasmany Tomas‘ starting left field job. The 23-year-old is 9-for-20 with a home run and a stolen base this spring, and he batted .300/.339/.451 at Double-A last season. If he does win the job, it would be a shame if the process by which he edged Tomas wasn’t described as the Socratic Method.
