MLB Player News

Mateo went 1-for-4 with a two-run single in Friday's 5-2 win over Oakland.

Mateo put the final runs on the board for the Orioles, knocking in Ryan Mountcastle and Cedric Mullins on a single in the eighth inning. Prior to Friday, Mateo had gone hitless in his last two games. It was Mateo's first RBI since Aug. 23. Just one more steal would tie Mateo with his teammate Mullins for the American League lead, but the former has not swiped a bag in eight games. He is slashing .227/.274/.394 to go along with a career-high 12 home runs.

Bichette went 3-for-5 with a double and a two-run home run in Friday's 4-0 victory over the Pirates.

The Blue Jays were already up 2-0 in the ninth inning, but Bichette solidified the win with a two-run shot that scored Whit Merrifield. It was Bichette's 18th homer of the season and his first since he hit two versus the Orioles on Aug. 9. The shortstop has been hitting well lately, going 7-for-19 (.368) over his last five games. Bichette has improved his batting average from .259 to .263 over that span.

Edman went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run in Friday's 8-0 win over the Cubs.

Edman put a bow on the Cardinals' big win with his eighth-inning blast. That was his fourth homer in his last 10 games and his career-high 12th long ball of the year. During his recent hot stretch, the infielder has gone 14-for-41 (.341) with 10 RBI, eight runs scored and two steals. He's slashing .258/.319/.398 with 50 RBI, 85 runs scored and 26 stolen bases through 128 games overall.

Baez went 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run home run in Friday's win over the Royals.

The home run was Baez's 12th of the season and first since Aug. 11. He actually hit just the one long ball last month, but the shortstop is notoriously streaky, so a power surge could come at any time. It's been a disappointing first season in Detroit overall for Baez, though he still has the talent to make an impact for fantasy managers down the stretch.

Turner isn't starting Friday against the Padres, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Turner started the first 130 games of the season and will get his first day off Friday after he went just 1-for-12 with a stolen base, a walk and two strikeouts over the last three games. Gavin Lux is starting at shortstop and batting sixth.

Velazquez isn't starting Friday against the Astros, Sarah Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Velazquez has gone 0-for-9 with six strikeouts over his last four matchups and will be held out of the lineup for a second consecutive game. David Fletcher is starting at shortstop and leading off.

Perdomo is out of the lineup for Friday's game versus the Brewers.

Perdomo started the past seven games and will head to the bench after going 5-for-21 with four walks, six RBI, six runs and a stolen base during that span. Wilmer Difo, who was promoted from Triple-A Reno on Thursday, will take over at shortstop Friday.

Berti (hip) is not in Friday's lineup against Atlanta, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Berti left Wednesday's game with right hip soreness and is not ready to get back into the mix. Joey Wendle will start at third base while Charles Leblanc starts at second base.

Rojas (wrist) is starting at shortstop and hitting ninth Friday against Atlanta, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

He was scratched from Wednesday's lineup due to right wrist discomfort, but it was apparently a minor issue. Rojas is hitting .128 with one double over his last 39 at-bats and it's unclear if the wrist had been bothering him prior to Wednesday.

Franco (wrist) said Friday that he feels "super good" and believes he is nearing a return, Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reports.

He started hitting in batting practice at the beginning of this week and hasn't had any issues with his wrist. If all continues to go well, Franco said he expects to go to Triple-A Durham for a few rehab games. This isn't a concrete timeline provided by the team, but it sounds like Franco could be activated as soon as next week.