MLB Player News

Franco (wrist) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Durham on Sunday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Franco hit on the field ahead of Saturday's game against the Yankees and will see some game action in the minors to close out the weekend. The 21-year-old is expected to remain in the minors for about a week, so Franco seems likely to be back in action around Sept. 12, when the Rays begin a series in Toronto.

Mateo went 1-for-4 with a two-run single in Friday's 5-2 win over Oakland.

Mateo put the final runs on the board for the Orioles, knocking in Ryan Mountcastle and Cedric Mullins on a single in the eighth inning. Prior to Friday, Mateo had gone hitless in his last two games. It was Mateo's first RBI since Aug. 23. Just one more steal would tie Mateo with his teammate Mullins for the American League lead, but the former has not swiped a bag in eight games. He is slashing .227/.274/.394 to go along with a career-high 12 home runs.

Bichette went 3-for-5 with a double and a two-run home run in Friday's 4-0 victory over the Pirates.

The Blue Jays were already up 2-0 in the ninth inning, but Bichette solidified the win with a two-run shot that scored Whit Merrifield. It was Bichette's 18th homer of the season and his first since he hit two versus the Orioles on Aug. 9. The shortstop has been hitting well lately, going 7-for-19 (.368) over his last five games. Bichette has improved his batting average from .259 to .263 over that span.

Baez went 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run home run in Friday's win over the Royals.

The home run was Baez's 12th of the season and first since Aug. 11. He actually hit just the one long ball last month, but the shortstop is notoriously streaky, so a power surge could come at any time. It's been a disappointing first season in Detroit overall for Baez, though he still has the talent to make an impact for fantasy managers down the stretch.

Velazquez isn't starting Friday against the Astros, Sarah Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Velazquez has gone 0-for-9 with six strikeouts over his last four matchups and will be held out of the lineup for a second consecutive game. David Fletcher is starting at shortstop and leading off.

Franco (wrist) said Friday that he feels "super good" and believes he is nearing a return, Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reports.

He started hitting in batting practice at the beginning of this week and hasn't had any issues with his wrist. If all continues to go well, Franco said he expects to go to Triple-A Durham for a few rehab games. This isn't a concrete timeline provided by the team, but it sounds like Franco could be activated as soon as next week.

Crawford, who'd been out of the starting lineup for the previous three games with a pectoral injury, went 0-for-4 with a walk and a run in a win over the Tigers on Thursday.

Crawford had already appeared off the bench Wednesday and was deemed healthy enough to play the field Thursday after his second-longest stretch of absences this season. Crawford's recent offensive struggles persisted, however, as he's now hitting just .154 (4-for-26) over his last nine games.

Volpe was promoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Oswald Peraza got the call to the majors Thursday, leaving shortstop vacant at the highest level of the Yankees' farm system. Volpe deserved the promotion, as he's maintained a 122 wRC+ with 18 homers and 44 steals across 492 plate appearances with Double-A Somerset for the season.

Duran is out of the lineup for Thursday's game at Boston.

Duran started the past 10 games and will receive a day off after he posted a .696 OPS during that span. Charlie Culberson will take over at the hot corner and bat eighth Thursday.

Story isn't in the lineup Thursday against the Rangers, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Story has been productive at the plate since returning from the injured list last weekend, having gone 7-for-15 with a double, two runs, two stolen bases, a walk and four strikeouts over four games. However, he'll get a day off Thursday while Christian Arroyo starts at the keystone and bats sixth.