MLB Player News

Franco (hamstring) hopes to rejoin the major-league roster sometime next week, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Franco has participated in on-field work the last two days, and he said Thursday that his hamstring feels much better. The infielder is eligible to return as early as Tuesday, but the Rays will presumably make sure he's feeling 100 percent healthy before he's activated.

Franco (hamstring) participated in agility drills ahead of Thursday's game against the Tigers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Franco hit off a tee and participated in pregame activities Wednesday, and he continued to work on the field Thursday to test his hamstring. The 20-year-old has made quick progress in his recovery after he was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday, but the Rays will likely exercise caution in bringing him back to preserve his health ahead of the postseason.

Mondesi went 0-for-3 with a walk, a hit-by-pitch, an RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in Wednesday's 12-10 loss to Oakland.

The infielder has now stolen bases in consecutive games after going five contests without a theft. Mondesi is 9-for-10 on the basepaths in 21 games this season. He's posted a .253/.291/.560 slash line with six home runs, 15 RBI and 13 runs scored across 81 plate appearances. While he was initially eased back into the lineup since returning from an oblique injury, he'll make his fourth straight start Thursday while manning the hot corner and batting fifth. Mondesi will likely continue to benefit from the occasional day as the designated hitter to relieve some of the injury risk of playing the field.

Rojas went 2-for-5 with two RBI in Wednesday's 8-6 win over the Nationals.

Rojas is off to a strong start to September, having provided a .304 average, one home run, nine RBI and seven runs in 11 games. Fantasy managers shouldn't count on the Miami leadoff hitter to thrive as a run producer to this extent, but his high contact rate should help prop up his average, and the 32-year-old is a sneaky contributor in the running game. He's already established a career high with 12 stolen bases on the season.

Bichette went 2-for-3 with a home run and five RBI in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Rays.

He took Michael Wacha deep in the first inning for a three-run shot, giving the Jays a lead they would never relinquish. Bichette has four homers in his last eight games while also racking up five multi-hit performances, a hot streak that has pushed his slash line to .293/.341/.470 on the year with 25 homers, 22 steals, 93 RBI and 111 runs.

Diaz started at shortstop for a resting Carlos Correa and went 0-for-4 in Wednesday's 7-2 win over Texas.

Gone are the days of July and August when Diaz was a daily member of the starting lineup, filling in for the then-injured Alex Bregman. He batted .337 with an .893 OPS while getting consistent at-bats over 24 games. Since Bregman's return, Diaz has received sporadic playing time and is 4-for-44 (.091) over 15 games.

Turner went 1-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and a stolen base in a 5-3 win over the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

Turner's steal of second base in the third inning gave him 29 on the campaign, tops in the National League and four more than his closest competitors. His most impressive display of speed came in the sixth frame, however, when he beat out what looked to be a routine grounder for a two-out, run-scoring single. Turner has gone 5-for-15 with a home run, four walks, three RBI and three stolen bases over his past four games.

Manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday that Adames (quadriceps) could be ready to return from the 10-day injured list during the Brewers' home series with the Cardinals that begins Sept. 20, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The Brewers plan to put Adames through more workouts this weekend to gauge the health of his strained left quad, but if all goes well, the 26-year-old looks like he'll be ready to take back duties at shortstop for the final two weeks of the regular season. Luis Urias has been serving as the primary option at the position since Adames was placed on the IL on Sept. 5.

Franco (hamstring) was slated to hit off a tee and take part in some pregame on-field activities Wednesday, the team's official site reports.

It's been a good week for the recovering shortstop thus far, as manager Kevin Cash also received glowing reports about Franco's progress Monday from Major League medical coordinator Paul Harker. Based on current developments, it seems like Franco has a fighting chance at getting at least a handful of games in before the beginning of the postseason, although given the volatile nature of soft-tissue injuries, his progress will bear monitoring.

Correa isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Rangers, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Correa will get a breather after he went 2-for-16 with a double, three RBI and a walk across the last four games. Aledmys Diaz will shift to shortstop and bat second.