MLB Player News

Diaz went 2-for-5 with a double, a run scored and four RBI in Friday's 9-2 win over the Rays.

The utility player was right at the heart of a big night by the Houston offense, collecting one RBI on a third-inning groundout and another on a single in the seventh before capping the team's scoring with a two-run double in the ninth. Diaz heads into May hitting .259 with one homer, seven runs and 11 RBI through 17 games.

Correa went 4-for-5 with two doubles, a run scored and an RBI in Friday's 9-2 win over the Rays.

He tied Michael Brantley for the team lead in hits on a night when the Astros banged out 15 knocks in total. Correa finishes up an impressive April hitting .303 with four homers, 13 RBI and 16 runs through 25 games.

Anderson went 2-for-5 with a run, an RBI and two stolen bases in Friday's 5-3 loss to Cleveland.

Anderson was a force in the third inning Friday. He singled in a run before swiping second base and coming around to score on a Yoan Moncada base hit. He stole another bag after singling in the fifth, giving him five on the season. The 6-foot-1 shortstop is slashing .313/.343/.478 through 70 plate appearances.

Mondesi (oblique) has progressed to participating in batting practice at the alternate training site, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

The 25-year-old began taking part in some baseball activities a couple weeks ago, but advancing to taking batting practice is a significant step as he returns from an oblique strain. Mondesi figures to be a couple weeks away from rejoining the Royals, and he'll likely take part in minor-league rehab games before returning to the majors.

Franco will open the season with Triple-A Durham, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 20-year-old phenom has yet to play above High-A and only spent 52 games at that level in 2019, but it's no surprise that the Rays see him as a Triple-A player following a year of development at the team's alternate training site. It would be no surprise if Franco dominates Triple-A pitching, as he has one of the best hit tools for a prospect in recent memory, as evidenced by his .336/.405/.523 slash line and 7.0 percent strikeout rate in 175 career minor-league games. The Rays have yet to offer much clarity on when he's expected to make his big-league debut, but his assignment to the highest level of the minors indicates they don't think he's far off.

Bichette went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 8-2 loss to the Nationals.

His eighth-inning shot off Daniel Hudson wrapped up the scoring on the night. Bichette snapped an 0-for-15 skid with this performance, and while his counting-stat production (six homers, three steals, 13 RBI and 17 runs through 23 games) is right on course, his .253 batting average is below expectations so far.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

After recently starting nine times during a 10-game span, Diaz will be on the bench for the third day in a row Wednesday. The return of Jose Altuve from the COVID-19 injured list earlier this week appears to have closed Diaz's window for regular playing time. He'll now transition back into a utility role, which may only afford him a start or two per week when the Astros have their full complement of position players available.

The Royals plan to have Witt begin the minor-league season at Double-A Northwest Arkansas, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Kansas City's decision to send Witt to Double-A rather than Triple-A Omaha shouldn't have much bearing on when the prized prospect gets a big-league call-up, which will likely come at some point this summer. Since Witt has yet to make his debut in affiliated ball, the Royals may just want to see how he fares against high-level minor-league competition for a period of time before summoning him to the majors. Witt has been developed as a shortstop up to this point, but since Adalberto Mondesi (oblique) will have that position locked down once activated from the injured list, the 20-year-old may get some exposure to second base as well as the outfield during his time at Northwest Arkansas.

Wendle is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Athletics, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

The lefty-hitting Wendle will get a breather with southpaw Cole Irvin on the bump for Oakland. With Wendle on the bench, Yandy Diaz and Willy Adames will fill out the left side of the infield.

Fletcher went 2-for-5 with a double and a strikeout in Tuesday's 6-1 loss to Texas.

Fletcher led off the game with a double and singled in the seventh but the Angels' big bats were unable to bring him home. The middle infielder's slash line now sits at .265/.284/.570.