MLB Player News

Strange-Gordon signed a minor-league contract with the Pirates on Wednesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Strange-Gordon opted out of his deal with the Cubs on Tuesday, but he'll land another minor-league contract a day later. While the 33-year-old has been assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis for now, he could serve as an option for the major-league club in the near future with Erik Gonzalez (side) unavailable and Adam Frazier included in trade rumors. Strange-Gordon has hit .259 with two home runs, 23 runs, 11 RBI and five stolen bases across 37 Triple-A games to begin the year.

Wendle isn't starting the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against Cleveland, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Wendle went 1-for-3 with a double and two runs in Wednesday's matinee, but he'll retreat to the bench with left-hander Sam Hentges starting the second game. Wander Franco will shift to third base while Taylor Walls starts at shortstop.

Witt is back in the starting lineup Wednesday at Double-A Northwest Arkansas after missing one game due to an ankle injury.

Witt exited Sunday's game after tweaking his right ankle. The top prospect said Monday he expected to be good to go Tuesday, but the club ultimately decided to give him one more day to heal up. Witt will bring a .296/.366/553 slash line and 13 home runs with him into Wednesday's matchup.

Mondesi (oblique) participated in light fielding drills ahead of Wednesday's game against the Reds, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Mondesi has been on the injured list with a left oblique strain since June 21, but he's now resumed some baseball activities. The shortstop was able to field grounders during pregame warmups, although it's worth noting he didn't throw during the drills. The 25-year-old still doesn't have a clear timetable to return, and a better idea of his status could come into focus once he's able to ramp up his intensity.

Cruz has been diagnosed with a forearm strain, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Cruz was placed on the 7-day minor-league injured list Tuesday after he had experienced forearm soreness recently. However, Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that he doesn't believe the injury is particularly serious, and the right-hander could return after 2-to-3 weeks.

Franco isn't starting the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader against Cleveland, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Franco will be out of the lineup for the first time since he was called up by the Rays on June 22. He's slashed .229/.302/.396 with two home runs, seven RBI, seven runs and two stolen bases across 12 major-league games. Taylor Walls will start at shortstop while Vidal Brujan makes his big-league debut at second base.

Fletcher went 4-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored and an RBI in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Red Sox.

The 27-year-old infielder extended his hitting streak to 20 games in impressive fashion. Fletcher is batting .412 (33-for-80) over the course of the streak, pushing his slash line on the year to .295/.324/.352, but he has only four steals in 80 games and is still looking for his first homer.

Crawford went 4-for-5 with a double and three RBI in Tuesday's loss to St. Louis.

The shortstop racked up four hits for the first time this season and plated over half of the Giants' runs in the game. He knocked in two with a third-inning single and drove home another run with a double in the fifth. Crawford has been scorching at the plate of late, going 11-for-17 with two doubles, a triple, two walks and four RBI over his past four games.

Baez went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in Tuesday's 15-10 loss to Philadelphia.

Baez went deep in the sixth and seventh innings, and he also had a sacrifice fly in the fourth. The shortstop has gone deep three times in two games against Philadelphia this week. The 28-year-old is up to 21 long balls, 56 RBI, 41 runs scored and 10 stolen bases through 77 games, although his .234 batting average leaves a bit to be desired.

Arcia went 2-for-3 with a solo home run during Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Pirates.

The 26-year-old supplied Atlanta's lone run of the contest with his solo shot during the first inning, and his third-inning single was one of only three other hits from the offense. Arcia is 4-for-11 with a homer, an additional RBI and an additional run in three games since joining the big-league roster over the weekend.