MLB Player News

Crawford went 3-for-3 with a two-run homer and a second run scored in Friday's 5-4 win over Texas.

Crawford's fourth-inning shot knotted the game up at 4-4 and gave him his first long ball of the season. The 26-year-old has three multi-hit performances over his last three games to improve his season slash line to .267/.336/.343.

Wendle will sit Friday against the Athletics, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Mike Brosseau will be the third baseman with lefty Sean Manaea on the mound for Oakland. Wendle isn't being strictly platooned this season, though nearly all of his off days have come against southpaws. He's started against six of the 12 the Rays have faced thus far this season.

Mondesi (oblique) is progressing in his recovery but the Royals will not rush him back, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

The switch-hitting shortstop's swing, particularly from the left side, needs a bit more work before he begins his rehab assignment. Mondesi is itching to return, so it sounds like he could move on to the final step in his rehab next week.

Bichette went 3-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and two stolen bases in Thursday's win over the A's.

It was a big day for the shortstop, who has found a groove at the plate. Over the last eight games, Bichette is slashing .343/.378/.571 with two homers, three steals, five RBI and nine runs.

Correa went 0-for-4 in Thursday's 7-4 win over the Yankees.

Correa's hit a rocky patch since delivering a four-hit performance April 30. Since then, the shortstop is hitless over 19 at-bats with six strikeouts, lowering his batting average to .254. He's in no danger of losing his starting gig, but manager Dusty Baker could give him a rest day as a way to get Aledmys Diaz (5-for-9, five RBI over his last three games) into the lineup.

Diaz started in right field and went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Yankees.

Diaz replaced the slumping Kyle Tucker, but manager Dusty Baker affirmed that this was a temporary assignment, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. "This is temporary," the manager said. "This is today. Might not even be the whole game. Kyle was hitting the ball great and then the last few games he's been struggling." Sure enough, Tucker replaced Diaz later in the game.

Franco went 2-for-4 with an RBI double and a solo home run in a win over Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday.

One day after opening the minor-league season with a 3-for-5 night that included a triple and two RBI, Franco launched his first round tripper against Triple-A arms. The 20-year-old's torrid start isn't likely to be fully sustainable, but given Franco's vast talent, it wouldn't be surprising to see him continue thriving consistently until he inevitably forces the organization's hand in terms of a big-league promotion.

Bichette went 1-for-5 with a stolen base and three runs in a victory over the Athletics on Wednesday.

Bichette knocked only one hit but was plenty involved in the offense, crossing the plate in the first, eighth and nine innings. He has been productive hitting near the top of the order this season, swatting seven homers, swiping four bags and scoring 24 runs -- good for fifth in the league in that category.

Smith will miss the start of the season with a hand injury, Jim Callis of MLB.com reports.

It's unclear how serious the injury is. If it's a fracture, Smith could be out months, but Callis notes that the Yankees hope Smith will be able to join an affiliate (likely High-A or Double-A) in the near future.

Franco went 3-for-5 with a triple, stolen base, two RBI and a run in Triple-A Durham's 7-5 win over Memphis on Tuesday.

Playing above the High-A level for the first time in his career, the 20-year-old uber-prospect certainly didn't look out of place. He was responsible for the game's most pivotal hit, as his seventh-inning infield single plated the go-ahead run. Franco is poised to make his MLB debut at some point in 2021, and he could already represent a notable upgrade from the Rays' incumbent shortstop, Willy Adames, who has posted a .546 OPS through 30 games.