MLB Player News

Fletcher will lead off and play shortstop Saturday against the Indians.

Fletcher was originally stationed on the bench, but he was a late addition to the lineup in place of Andrelton Simmons (undisclosed).

Mondesi (shoulder) recently progressed to hitting off a tee, but his return timetable is still up in the air, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports. "He's making progress, but it's probably, realistically going to be a while," manager Ned Yost said earlier this week. "You definitely want him back before the year's out. You want to make sure, going into next year, that he's all right. He's working diligently. I don't know. I'm hoping."

Not long after his return from a groin injury, Mondesi landed back on the injured list after suffering a left shoulder subluxation July 16. Fantasy owners were hoping for a relatively quick turnaround, but the quotes from Yost don't inspire much confidence. Despite all the missed time, Mondesi still leads the majors in stolen bases with 31 in 35 attempts.

Fletcher is not in Saturday's lineup against the Indians.

He is hitting .262/.340/.333 with zero home runs and two steals in 42 at-bats over his last 10 games. Luis Rengifo will start at second base and lead off.

Diaz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored in Friday's 10-2 win over the Mariners.

Friday's performance was the first multi-hit game for the infielder since his return from a hamstring injury July 22. Diaz is up to seven homers, 27 RBI and 21 runs scored in 38 games this season. It's expected the 29-year-old will fill a utility role while the Astros' lineup is at full strength.

Correa went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in Friday's 10-2 win over the Mariners.

Correa did his damage in the fifth inning, taking Mariners reliever Reggie McClain deep to extend the Astros' lead to 8-0 at the time. The shortstop is up to 14 homers, 43 RBI and 30 runs scored in 57 games this season while producing a .285/.350/.542 line.

Gordon (quadriceps) ran and took batting practice Friday, and he's expected to start a rehab assignment early next week, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Gordon continues to ramp up his baseball activities, and he could come off the injured list sometime next week if all goes according to plan. He's expected to work out with the team over the weekend in Houston before heading out on a minor-league stint. Seattle expects Gordon to play in one or two minor-league contests before being reinstated from the IL, per Johns.

Velazquez (thumb/hamstring) was activated off the 7-day injured list by Triple-A Columbus on Friday.

Velazquez was acquired by the Indians in early July and spent the last couple weeks playing in rehab games in the Arizona League. The 25-year-old had a .271/.329/.450 slash line with four home runs in 34 games prior to landing on the shelf, and figures to return to the majors for September's roster expansion.

Bogaerts went 4-for-4 with two home runs, a double and three RBI in Thursday's 9-4 loss to the Rays.

The Red Sox were swept by the Rays, turning around a homestand that began with three consecutive wins over the Yankees. Despite that, Bogaerts enjoyed this stay at Fenway Park, going 15-for-34 with four home runs, four doubles and eight RBI over seven games. He leads the Red Sox with 25 home runs and 84 RBI.

Crawford went 1-for-4 with a two-run single, a walk and a stolen base in a loss to the Rangers on Wednesday.

Crawford snapped a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the fourth with a single to right that brought home Aaron Nola and Kyle Seager. Crawford limped to a .167 average overall in July, but he's shown signs of life recently by hitting .276 (8-for-29) with two doubles, a triple, seven RBI, seven walks, three stolen bases and three runs over his last eight games.

Adames went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs overall in a win over the Red Sox on Wednesday.

Adames' bat finally started to show some signs of life at the plate as July wound down, as he went 6-for-17 with a double, three homers and five of his six RBI for the month over the last five games. The modest sample of success will perhaps represent the start of a resurgence at the plate for Adames, who hit just .193 overall in July after generating an encouraging .273 figure in June.