MLB Player News

Rocchio went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Friday's 3-1 win over the Dodgers.

Rocchio hit a single in the sixth inning and scored on an Andres Gimenez homer before going yard himself in the eighth. Over his last six games, Rocchio has gone 7-for-19 (.368) with two homers and five RBI. That hot bat has helped him keep a spot in the lineup at shortstop on a regular basis. He's now slashing .215/.301/.331 with eight homers, 32 RBI, 48 runs scored, nine stolen bases and 15 doubles across 384 plate appearances this year.

Castro is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Royals.

Castro continues to operate in a near-everyday role for Minnesota while bouncing between shortstop and center field. He's been in a bad way at the dish with just two hits in his last seven games, but for the year Castro's been worth close to three wins above replacement by fWAR.

Manager John Schneider said Friday that the plan is for Bichette (calf) to join Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday to begin a rehab assignment, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Bichette is expected to need 4-5 games with the affiliate before he's cleared to rejoin the big-league roster. Sidelined since mid-July with a right calf strain, Bichette has been able to run the bases several times this week and will remain with the Blue Jays in Atlanta through the weekend. He's in the midst of a down year with a .222/.275/.320 slash line through 80 games, and there are questions about his future in Toronto.

Story (shoulder) will be activated Saturday and will start at shortstop against the White Sox, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

This is a big surprise, as it wasn't clear that Story would be able to return so quickly after beginning a rehab assignment Sept. 1. He played four games at Triple-A and hit .375 with one steal and zero home runs. The plan is for Story to play shortstop and Ceddanne Rafaela to play second base down the stretch.

Francisca is slashing .325/.412/.477 with seven home runs, 18 steals on 21 attempts and a 15.4 percent strikeout rate in 71 games across the Arizona Complex League and Carolina League.

The 18-year-old switch hitter has made 23 starts at shortstop and three at second base since his promotion to Single-A Lynchburg on July 29. Francisca doesn't have the loudest tools, but he's pretty good at everything and has performed well while being young for his levels.

Wilson went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run in a loss to the Mariners on Thursday.

The rookie is maintaining an everyday role now that he's healthy, but Wilson has gone just 4-for-25 since returning from the IL on Aug. 27. However, given his elite body of work in the minors -- Wilson hit .433 (90-for-208) this year over three minor-league levels -- it figures to be just a matter of time before he figures out big-league arms.

Sweeney is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Padres.

Sweeney had started in 10 consecutive games, all against right-handed pitchers, but he will get some rest with lefty Martin Perez on the mound for the Padres. At shortstop Thursday, Ryan Kreidler is starting and batting eighth.

Crawford is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest in Oakland.

It's a routine day off for Crawford, who is just 2-for-24 at the plate since returning from the injured list. Leo Rivas will start at shortstop and bat ninth for the Mariners.

Gray went 1-for-4 with a double in a loss to the Mariners on Wednesday.

Gray recorded his first hit in an Athletics uniform when he laced one of three doubles in the lopsided loss for Oakland. The 28-year-old, who had just five career big-league plate appearances prior to this season, is capable of playing across the infield and has now drawn three straight starts.

Caballero is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Twins.

Caballero had two hits, scored two runs and drove in a run in Wednesday's win over the Twins, but he'll get a breather Thursday. He will yield to Taylor Walls at shortstop for the series finale.