MLB Player News

The Blue Jays selected Smith's contract from Triple-A Buffalo ahead of Wednesday's game against the Nationals, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

For the second day in a row, the Blue Jays promoted a utility man from Triple-A to help fill out the big-league bench, as Smith joins Otto Lopez in Toronto. The 25-year-old has seen the bulk of his playing time at shortstop and third base this season, but he'll be an option at second base or the corner-outfield spots if the Blue Jays want to give one of their regulars a day off. Smith flashed an interesting fantasy profile at Triple-A -- he hit .283 with 19 home runs and 16 stolen bases -- so he could be worth monitoring in AL-only formats if he falls into steady playing time at some point.

Lopez was promoted from Triple-A Buffalo prior to Tuesday's game against Washington, Mitch Bannon of SI.com reports.

It was announced earlier Tuesday that Toronto was planning on calling Lopez up ahead of Tuesday's game, and now the 22-year-old has officially been added to the 26-man roster with George Springer (knee) landing on the IL. Lopez should provide the Blue Jays excellent flexibility in a utility role, as he's played all three outfield positions as well as both middle infield spots in the minors.

Wendle is not starting Tuesday against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Wendle played multiple positions while starting in each of the past six games, but he'll predictably rest with lefty John Means set to take the mound for the Orioles. Yandy Diaz (thumb) is set to return to the lineup at third base while Brandon Lowe starts at the keystone Tuesday.

The Blue Jays plan to promote Lopez from Triple-A Buffalo ahead of Tuesday's game against the Nationals, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Toronto likely won't confirm Lopez's call-up or announce a corresponding transaction until shortly before Tuesday's 7:05 p.m. ET opening pitch, but the 22-year-old will presumably fill a utility role while he's up with the Blue Jays. Between stops at Buffalo and Double-A New Hampshire this season, Lopez has slashed .324/.398/.451 with three home runs and 12 stolen bases across 359 plate appearances. He's logged time at second base, shortstop and all three outfield spots in 2021, so he could be a candidate to pick up reps while Cavan Biggio (back) is on the injured list and with George Springer (ankle) day-to-day.

Diaz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and and an additional RBI in Monday's 7-6 loss to the Royals.

Diaz extended a hit streak to eight games when he launched his seventh homer of the season to lead off the fifth inning. He later singled home a run but was cut down at second trying to stretch it into a double. He's hit safely in 16 of 17 games, going 25-for-72 (.347) with four home runs, five doubles, 16 RBI and 10 runs scored during that stretch. That level of production has been key for the Astros as Alex Bregman (quadriceps) is slow to return. The injured third baseman is waiting to start a second rehab appearance and may not be back until next week.

Correa went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 7-6 loss to the Royals.

Correa's 430-foot blast in the sixth inning was his 19th of the year and briefly put the Astros on top 4-3. He's gone deep three times over the last 10 games after snapping a 20-game skid without a homer. The All-Star shortstop improved his season OPS to .838 with 45 extra-base hits this season.

Franco is out of the lineup Monday versus Baltimore, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Franco started the last 11 games and will head to the bench after posting a .783 OPS during that stretch. Joey Wendle will take over at shortstop in the series opener.

Mondesi is dealing with scar tissue in his right oblique, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

Mondesi's rehab assignment was shut down due to oblique tightness, and he's apparently dealing with effects from the right oblique issue that he dealt with earlier in the season. The 26-year-old will be able to continue throwing and fielding, and he'll also continue to swing from the right side while backing off his left-handed swings. It's not yet clear when Mondesi will be ready to return to game action.

Mateo went 2-for-4 with an RBI in Sunday's 6-2 loss to the Red Sox.

Mateo has settled into an everyday role in the middle infield for Baltimore since he was claimed off waivers Aug. 5, and he's done little to dissuade manager Brandon Hyde from keeping him out of the lineup. The 26-year-old is currently in the midst of a six-game hitting streak, but since he's still maintaining a 28.7 percent strikeout rate on the season, fantasy managers shouldn't bank on Mateo being anything more than a neutral contributor in the batting-average category. Instead, most of Mateo's value will likely come from his top-flight speed. He's already collected three steals during his time in Baltimore and owns an 8-for-9 success rate over only 129 big-league plate appearances on the season.

Franco went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a double Sunday in the Rays' 5-4 loss to the Twins.

Franco's sixth blast of the season came off Edgar Garcia in the sixth inning and cut the Rays' deficit to one run. The star rookie is still sitting on a so-so .244 average for the season, but he's shown improvement at the dish following a slow start to his big-league career. Through 12 games in August, Franco is slashing .255/.327/.489 with a 4:6 BB:K.