MLB Player News

Wendle will sit Thursday against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Wendle hits the bench even with the right-handed Gerrit Cole on the mound for the Yankees. Yandy Diaz gets the start at third base.

Strange-Gordon has one hit in his last 20 at-bats for Triple-A Indianapolis.

The second baseman is among several candidates who might see time at second base in Pittsburgh before season's end. He's likely behind Rodolfo Castro, Wilmer Difo, Tucupita Marcano and Erik Gonzalez (side) in the pecking order, but Strange-Gordon's stolen base ability will put him on the fringe of the fantasy radar if he receives that chance. The 33-year-old is hitting .252 with five homers and six steals split between three Triple-A teams in 2021.

Story went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer and a walk in Wednesday's 8-7 loss to the Angels.

Story's only hit of the night came early as he launched a two-run homer in the first inning for a quick 2-0 lead. The 28-year-old has seen a dip in his hitting and overall power this season, as he's slashing .240/.313/.429 with 13 homers, 48 RBI, 48 runs scored, 17 steals and 32:90 BB:K over 371 plate appearances. He's struggled in 11 games since the All-Star break with a .586 OPS and 36.7 percent strikeout rate.

Diaz went 2-for-5 with a double and three RBI in Wednesday's 11-4 win over the Mariners.

Diaz continues to fill in for the injured Alex Bregman (quadriceps), who remains on a rehab assignment that should run through next week. In the two games since coming off his own stay on the injured list, Diaz has four hits, two doubles, four RBI and two runs over 11 plate appearances.

Smith will be traded from the Yankees to the Rangers along with Trevor Hauver, Ezequiel Duran and Glenn Otto in exchange for Joey Gallo and Joely Rodriguez, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Smith has spent the 2021 campaign with both Low-A Hudson Valley and High-A Tampa. He has experienced success at both levels, though that should be expected given that he is nearly 24. It's possible the Rangers push him to Double-A, which should provide a more realistic idea of his future potential.

Duran will be traded by the Yankees to the Rangers along with Trevor Hauver, Josh Smith and Glenn Otto in exchange for Joely Rodriguez and Joey Gallo, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Duran has spent the 2021 season with High-A Hudson Valley and experienced plenty of success. He's maintained a .290/.374/.533 line -- good for a 141 wRC+ -- while striking out a 23.9 percent clip and walking 9.4 percent of the time. Though he won't reach the majors for a few seasons, Duran should be considered among the Rangers' better middle-infield prospects.

Bichette went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a stolen base Wednesday against the Red Sox.

Bichette produced Toronto's only run in the second game of a doubleheader, singling home Vladimir Guerrero in the fourth inning. He stole second base later in the frame, his team-leading 15th swipe of the season. Bichette is 8-for-15 in four games since being moved to the cleanup spot over the weekend and is now slashing .297/.349/.484 with 18 homers in 430 plate appearances on the year.

Seager's (hand) recovery has progressed well, and he is hoping to be activated from the injured list during the team's weekend series against Arizona, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Seager has been sidelined since mid-May due to the fracture in his right hand. He is currently playing in simulated games at the team's spring training facility in Arizona and has not experienced any soreness for several days. It was previously reported that Seager would need a rehab assignment in addition to the simulated game action, though it appears that plan may have now changed.

Crawford (oblique) believes he'll be activated from the 10-day injured list Thursday, Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

The veteran shortstop resumed baseball activities over the weekend, and he's apparently progressed significantly in his rehab work over the past few days. Crawford landed on the shelf July 19 with a strained oblique, and it appears he won't require a rehab assignment before being activated.

Bogaerts (wrist) is starting at shortstop and batting third in Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Blue Jays, Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe reports.

Manager Alex Cora said Bogaerts would start Game 2 after sitting the first contest of the twin bill, and the shortstop is indeed in the lineup for the nightcap. The 28-year-old ended up missing three games due to soreness in his left wrist, but he's back in action after taking a couple days to recover from the injury.