MLB Player News

Wendle is not starting Saturday's game against Atlanta.

Despite coming off a monster, three-hit performance, Wendle, a .175 hitter against lefty pitching, is omitted from the lineup against southpaw Max Fried. Yandy Diaz will start at third base, with Ji-Man Choi playing first base.

Franco went 2-for-6 with a triple and two runs in an extra-inning win over Atlanta on Friday.

Franco's average had dipped below .200 on the last day of the first half, but the rookie phenom bounced back nicely in his return to action Friday. The three-bagger was Franco's first at the big-league level, and he's now laced five of his 14 hits for extra bases.

Bichette went 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored Friday in the Blue Jays' 10-2 win over the Rangers.

Fresh off his first All-Star Game appearance, Bichette kept the momentum going as the Blue Jays kicked off their second-half slate. Bichette's pair of singles extended his hitting streak to seven games and helped lift his season-long average to .295.

Wendle went 3-for-5 with a double, a walk, an RBI and a run scored in Friday's 7-6 win over Atlanta.

Wendle came out of the break hot with his seventh game of at least three hits this year. He doubled and eventually scored his first time up and then notched a pair of singles and a walk the rest of the way. The 31-year-old has now hit safely in eight of his last nine games and for the year is slashing .281/.343/.457 with seven homers, 34 RBI, 46 runs scored, six steals and an 18:63 BB:K over 283 plate appearances. Wendle has played well enough to earn the first All-Star bid of his career but is still being platooned against left-handers, which hurts his upside.

Anderson went 2-for-4 with a triple and a run scored in Friday's 7-1 loss to Houston.

Anderson collected two of the team's three hits in the loss. He entered the All-Star break on a 12-game hitting streak and extended it to 13 with a first-inning triple. The shortstop came around to score on Yoan Moncada's double, giving him 13 runs over the past nine games. Anderson's slashing .397/.426/.517 over the streak.

Mondesi (oblique) is progressing well and has begun swinging, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Mondesi has dealt with two oblique strains and one to his hamstring this season, limiting him to just 10 games. He's trending in the right direction again, and the Royals appear pleased with his progress, but it's not clear when exactly the team expects him back on the field.

Correa (illness) was activated from the COVID-19 injured list Friday.

The 26-year-old missed the final three games before the All-Star break while feeling under the weather, but he'll rejoin the active roster for the start of the season's second half. Correa will reclaim the everyday role at shortstop and is hitting .288/.385/.510 with 16 homers, 20 doubles, 52 RBI and 61 runs through 82 games in 2021.

Diaz (hand) went 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI for the rookie-level Gulf Coast Astros on Thursday.

This starts the clock on Diaz's 30-day rehab assignment. The utility player has been out since June 5 with a fractured left hand. While he's been sidelined, Robel Garcia and Abraham Toro have picked up the slack around the infield.

Volpe was promoted to High-A Hudson Valley on Tuesday, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

New York's first-round pick in 2019, Volpe has been very impressive in 54 games with Low-A Tampa to start 2021, showing off both a high-upside bat and a solid glove. The 20-year-old shortstop slashed .302/.455/.623 with 12 homers and 49 RBI across 257 plate appearances. Volpe will now move on to Hudson Valley, where he'll look to continue his ascent through the Yankees' system.

Martinez is hitting .263/.350/.474 with eight homers, two steals, 40 RBI and 30 runs across 52 games at Low-A Dunedin.

The 19-year-old hasn't done anything to assuage concerns about his hit tool, as he's striking out at a 27.3 percent clip. That said, he's performed better as the season's gone along. After posting a .772 OPS in May, he improved that figure to .802 in June, and it's 1.049 in July so far. Martinez has drawn enough walks to maintain a solid OBP, and there's no question that he has power. He should at least make it to High-A by season's end, but the ultimate test of his prospect status will be whether he can keep his strikeouts down once he reaches the two highest levels of the minors.