MLB Player News

Franco is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Blue Jays, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

An 0-for-5, four-strikeout performance Friday dropped Franco's average to .211 in 57 big-league at-bats. Despite his struggles at the plate, the Rays figure to be patient with their top prospect as he adjusts to MLB pitching. Taylor Walls will start at shortstop and bat sixth Saturday.

Fletcher went 3-for-5 with a solo home run in a loss to the Mariners on Friday.

Fletcher didn't waste any time making sure his torrid streak would continue another day, as he led off the contest with a solo shot to left field. He went on to collect two more base knocks, making it four straight games in which he has collected multiple hits. Fletcher's current 22-game overall hitting streak is the longest in the majors this season and the longest by an Angel since Garret Anderson's 23-game streak in 2008, per MLB Stats. Over the course of his streak, Fletcher is batting .427 with 17 runs and 11 RBI.

Anderson went 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI and three runs in Friday's 12-1 blowout of the Orioles.

In his last five games, the shortstop has gone 13-for-21 with four doubles, three walks and nine runs, raising his batting average from .289 to .312 in the process. Hitting before Yoan Moncada and Jose Abreu would be an enviable spot for any player, but Anderson would probably be having a phenomenal stretch offensively even without their help from the second and third spots of Chicago's lineup. His situation only figures to improve once Eloy Jimenez (pectoral) returns in a month or so.

Correa (illness) was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Friday due to health and safety protocols, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

At this point the transaction appears to be a precautionary measure with Correa feeling under the weather Friday. The shortstop should remain questionable for Saturday's game against the Yankees, at least until Houston provides an additional update. Taylor Jones was recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land in a corresponding move.

Diaz (hand) will hit on the field Friday, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Diaz hit off a tee last Saturday and is now set to take part in batting practice for the first time since fracturing his left hand June 6. It's not entirely clear when he's targeting a return, but he'll likely need to go on a minor-league rehab assignment before being activated. His initially recovery timeline was 4-6 weeks, so assuming that holds, Diaz has a strong chance of being reinstated by the end of July.

Correa is not in the starting lineup Friday against the Yankees due to illness, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Correa went hitless in 11 at-bats during a three-game set against Oakland that wrapped up Thursday. The specifics of his illness aren't clear at this point, but he can considered questionable to return to the lineup Saturday. Robel Garcia will bat ninth as the shortstop Friday.

Anderson went 4-for-4 with a walk, a double, an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Twins.

After a rest day Tuesday, Anderson extended his hitting streak to nine games, during which he's slashed .410/.452/.487. He's delivered four multi-hit performances during the run, though he has yet to hit a homer.

Bichette went 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBI in Wednesday's 10-2 win over the Orioles.

He took Cesar Valdez deep in the sixth inning, Bichette's 16th homer of the year. The 23-year-old has eight multi-hit performances in the last 13 games and sports a dazzling .396/.458/.566 slash line over that stretch.

Bogaerts went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, one RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Angels.

The shortstop led off the sixth inning with a double and scored on a Christian Arroyo single. Bogaerts added an RBI double in the eighth to pull Boston within a run, but that was as close as it got. The 28-year-old went 0-for-8 in his last two games, but his performance Wednesday put an end to the mini-skid. For the year, he's slashing .323/.385/.535 with 13 home runs, 49 RBI, 54 runs scored, five stolen bases and 27 doubles through 348 plate appearances. He's racked up 100 hits in 82 games.

Wendle isn't starting the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against Cleveland, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Wendle went 1-for-3 with a double and two runs in Wednesday's matinee, but he'll retreat to the bench with left-hander Sam Hentges starting the second game. Wander Franco will shift to third base while Taylor Walls starts at shortstop.