MLB Player News

Franco (wrist) could be activated as soon as Friday against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

According to president of baseball operations Erik Neander, Wednesday's rehab game was a big step for Franco after his progress seemed to stall earlier in the week. The young shortstop is 6-for-11 with a double, a walk and zero strikeouts in three rehab games with Durham.

Duran could experience a reduction in playing time when the Rangers call up prospect Josh Jung, who will make his debut Friday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Duran made his MLB debut June 4 and played mostly at third base since, but that position is expected to be Jung's in preparation for what should be full-time job in 2023. Duran can also play second base but is blocked by Marcus Semien; he has experience in the outfield, but Bubba Thompson has emerged as a potential everyday player in left field while Leody Taveras is making a home in center. Duran may revert to a super-utility role.

Crawford went 2-for-4 with a double in Wednesday's 9-6 loss against the White Sox.

Crawford tallied a double off righty starter Michael Kopech with two outs in the fourth, serving as the last batter of the day for Kopech. This snapped a 14-game stretch without an extra-base hit for the shortstop. The 27-year-old recorded a .167 average and a .447 OPS over 50 plate appearances during that span.

Witt went 1-for-3 with two walks and a stolen base in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Guardians.

Witt showed some patience at the plate Wednesday, which is solid given his 5.1 percent walk rate for the year. He attempted a steal in the first inning but was caught, only to successfully record a theft in the eighth. The rookie infielder has had some struggles with consistency at times, but he's at 20 home runs, 27 steals in 33 attempts, 70 RBI, 69 runs scored and a .246/.291/.438 slash line through 127 contests overall. He's hit safely in 14 of his last 18 games.

Diaz (groin) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

He'll presumably stick with Sugar Land through the weekend and get exposure to a few different positions before the Astros potentially activate him from the 10-day injured list early next week. Prior to being shut down with the left groin injury, Diaz had been serving as Houston's primary starter in left field, but it's unclear if he'll immediately recapture a regular role once reinstated. Trey Mancini would represent Diaz's top threat for playing time.

Bogaerts (back) isn't starting Wednesday against the Orioles, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Bogaerts exited Tuesday's loss to the Rays due to back spasms and was expected to sit for Wednesday's series finale. He'll officially be out of the lineup while Enrique Hernandez starts at shortstop and leads off.

Velazquez (undisclosed) is starting Wednesday against the Tigers, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Velazquez was scratched from Tuesday's lineup but will start at shortstop and bat ninth a day later. Over his last four games, he's gone 0-for-9 with a run, a stolen base, a walk and four strikeouts.

Bichette went 4-for-5 with a double, a two-run home run and four total runs scored in Tuesday's 9-6 loss to the Orioles.

One day after he launched three homers in the nightcap of Monday's doubleheader, Bichette continued to punish the baseball. The 24-year-old might be the hottest hitter in the league right now with five multi-hit efforts in his last six games, a stretch in which he's batting .593 (16-for-27) with three doubles, five homers and 14 RBI.

Chang went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk Tuesday against the Red Sox.

Chang continues to occupy primarily a small-side platoon role for the Rays, as eight of his 10 starts since Aug. 20 have come with southpaws on the mound. However, it was righty Eduard Bazardo that Chang took yard in the sixth inning to record his fourth homer of the season. He owns a .216/.280/.324 line across 164 plate appearances on the season.

Duran went 1-for-4 with a double and two RBI in Tuesday's 4-3 win over Houston.

Duran snapped a six-game streak without an RBI when he doubled home a pair of runs in the second inning. The rookie infielder has 25 RBI over 57 games.