MLB Player News

The Royals reinstated Mondesi (oblique) from the 10-day injured list ahead of Wednesday's game against Cleveland.

The Royals have yet to release their lineup for Wednesday's game, but it's expected to include Mondesi for the first time since June 20. According to Josh Klingler of 610 Sports Kansas City, manager Mike Matheny said Mondesi would be deployed as a designated hitter in his first few games back from the IL before evaluating him for a return to an everyday role in the infield. Mondesi was highly productive in the 10 games he's played this season for the Royals with four home runs, one stolen base and a .361 batting average, but given the multiple lower-body injuries he's experienced with in recent months, he could get more frequent days off and run more conservatively on the bases throughout September.

Anderson was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain Wednesday, retroactive to Aug. 29.

Anderson had dealt with recurring leg soreness recently and was forced to miss the last two games as a result, and he'll now be placed on the 10-day IL after he was diagnosed with a hamstring strain. Manager Tony La Russa initially downplayed the severity of the shortstop's injury, so it wouldn't be surprising to see him return following a brief absence. However, Leury Garcia, Danny Mendick and Romy Gonzalez are in line for playing time at shortstop in Anderson's absence.

Mondesi (oblique) will serve as the designated hitter in Wednesday's game against Cleveland, Josh Klingler of 610 Sports Radio Kansas City reports.

Mondesi has been on the injured list since mid-June, but he resumed a rehab assignment Aug. 19. Across six games during his most recent stint in the minors, he went 7-for-22 with two homers, six runs, three stolen bases and two walks. The 26-year-old has missed most of the season due to oblique issues. Although he'll be limited to serving as the designated hitter for now, manager Mike Matheny said the team will monitor Mondesi's health to determine when he'll be able to return to the field.

Correa went 2-for-4 with a double in Tuesday's 4-0 loss to Seattle.

Correa has reached base in 14 straight and has 10 walks during that stretch. The frequent base-on-balls are a promising sign for the shortstop, whose walk rate fell to 7.4 percent in 2020. It's back to normal levels this season, as Correa maintains a career-high 12.9 BB%.

Bogaerts was removed from Tuesday's game against the Rays due to a positive test result for COVID-19, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Bogaerts hit an RBI single before being pulled from Tuesday's contest due to the positive test, and he's now the seventh player that will move to the COVID-19 injured list as part of the Red Sox's current outbreak. Enrique Hernandez and Christian Arroyo also tested positive, leaving Boston with minimal depth in the middle infield. Bogaerts will be sidelined for at least the next 10 days and won't rejoin the team until he clears the health and safety protocols.

Bogaerts was removed from Tuesday's game against the Rays in the second inning for an unknown reason, Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe reports. He recorded an RBI single in his lone plate appearance before being replaced by Yairo Munoz.

Per Andersen Pickard of MLBDailyDish.com, the shortstop's departure did not appear to be due to an injury, so it's at least possible his exit is related to COVID-19 protocol. The Red Sox should provide an update later Tuesday. Jonathan Arauz shifted to shortstop with Munoz entering the game at second base.

Velazquez is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Angels.

Velazquez is 5-for-20 with three doubles, three runs and seven strikeouts in his past seven games, and he'll take a seat Tuesday for the second time in the past three contests. Gio Urshela will shift to shortstop while Rougned Odor starts at the hot corner.

Franco went 1-for-5 with a two-run single in a win over the Red Sox on Monday and now has 10 RBI over his last 13 games.

Franco is slashing an outstanding .377/.431/.566 during that span as well while striking out at a minuscule 3.4 percent clip. The 20-year-old phenom is progressively approaching the caliber of production he consistently managed against overmatched minor-league arms since the start of his pro career in 2018, and with just over a month still remaining in the regular season, he could be at his peak heading into the postseason.

Anderson (leg) is still dealing with soreness and is not starting Tuesday's game against the Pirates, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

The infielder misses yet another start with leg soreness. Manager Tony La Russa has repeatedly downplayed the significance of Anderson's absences, but continued omissions from the lineup will add to the concern that Anderson may be nursing a more serious injury than La Russa is letting on. Leury Garcia is playing shortstop and batting eighth Tuesday.

Triple-A Worcester placed Downs on its 7-day injured list Monday with thumb inflammation, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

The injury is viewed as a minor one and isn't expected to keep Downs on the shelf for much longer than the minimum amount of time, but it's a frustrating development nonetheless in what's been a disappointing campaign for the 23-year-old. Back in spring training, Downs appeared likely to receive his first big-league call-up at some point in 2021, but that's no longer in the forecast while he's struggled to the tune of a .179/.263/.314 slash line over 336 plate appearances at Worcester. In addition to striking the ball with little authority (28.6 percent hard-hit rate), Downs has seen his strikeout rate balloon to 32.4 percent at Triple-A, a huge jump from the 20 percent rate he posted between stops at High-A and Double-A in 2019.