Dodgers expect to see SS Seager on opening day
The Los Angeles Dodgers are confident that shortstop Corey Seager, out for most of last season after elbow and hip surgeries, will be back in the lineup for opening day.
“He looks really good,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday of the National League’s Rookie of the Year in 2016, when he batted .308 with 26 home runs and 72 RBIs.
Roberts, speaking to reporters in his first spring training availability, hopes Seager, who is throwing at 90 feet, can get 50 to 60 at-bats before being cleared for Cactus League action.
Seager played in only 26 games in 2018 before undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery on May 4. On Aug. 7, he opted for another arthroscopic surgery on his left hip. ANGELS SHOOT FOR MAY RETURN FOR OHTANI >> The Los Angeles Angels hope to have designated hitter Shohei Ohtani back in the lineup by May, says manager Brad Ausmus.
The 2018 American League Rookie of the Year is recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow on Oct. 1. He became the first player since Babe Ruth in 1919 to make at least 10 pitching appearances and hit 20 or more home runs in the same season.
“We’re thinking May, sometime in May, but that’s assuming everything goes well,” Ausmus said.
DEGROM GIVES EXTENSION DEADLINE TO METS >> New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom has given the club a deadline of opening day to reach a contract extension, asserting that he won’t negotiate during the season, according to reports.
The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner earned a $17 million contract in arbitration for 2019 and is under team control for two more seasons.
DeGrom, 30, is coming off one of the greatest seasons in Mets history, posting a 1.70 ERA and striking out 269 in 217 innings.
JETER, POSADA TOGETHER AGAIN >> Derek Jeter, now the CEO of the Miami Marlins, brought Jorge Posada on board as special adviser of baseball operations, according to Craig Mish of Sirius XM.
The two New York Yankees greats spent more than 20 years together in the organization. They joined Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera in the “Core Four” and won five World Series in the Bronx between 1996 and 2009. ROMO A MARLIN >> The Miami Marlins agreed to a one-year deal with veteran reliever Sergio Romo for $2.5 million plus incentives, pending a physical, MLB.com reported. The 35-yearold right-hander made 73 appearances for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018, posting a 3-4 record with 25 saves and a 4.14 ERA.
VETERAN JOINS ORIOLES >> Veteran outfielder Eric Young Jr. signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles and will report to spring training, the team announced. ROYALS OWE REMAINING SALARY TO VENTURA’S ESTATE >> More than two years since righthander Yordano Ventura died in an automobile accident, the Kansas City Royals reportedly still have not paid his estate the guaranteed $20.25 million remaining on his contract.
A 13-game winner for the 2015 World Series champions, Ventura was 25 when he perished in a single-car crash in his native Dominican Republic on Jan. 22, 2017. At the time of his death, Ventura had three years and $20.25 million remaining on a five-year contract signed before the 2015 campaign. The Star said the matter is currently being negotiated confidentially between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association.