MLB Player News

Wendle (wrist) is working out with High-A Charlotte and could begin a rehab assignment as soon as Wednesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Wendle suffered a fractured right wrist in late April and has recently been ramping up his baseball activities in advance of the rehab stint. The 29-year-old will likely require at least a handful of rehab games before returning to the majors after the month-long layoff.

Crawford (ankle) may begin a rehab assignment over the weekend, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Crawford was spotted taking part in some fielding drills Monday, and he should be in line to embark on a minor-league stint by the weekend. Dee Gordon (wrist) and Ryon Healy (back) are also closing in on a rehab assignment.

Pennington was activated from the 7-day injured list and released from his contract Tuesday, Conor Foley of The Times-Tribune reports.

Pennington had been on the injured list with a hamstring injury, but he's been released by the Yankees organization following his activation, per Foley. The 35-year-old hit .196 over 92 at-bats for the RailRiders.

Owings was released by the Royals on Tuesday.

Owings had a regular role for the Royals early in the season but lost it after posting an anemic .133/.193/.222 slash line in 41 games (good for a wRC+ of 8). His career line now sits at .242/.285/.368 through parts of seven seasons, leaving him an end-of-the-bench option at best.

Seager went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Monday's 3-1 win over the Diamondbacks.

Seager's fourth-inning long ball -- his eighth of the season -- was one of just two extra-base hits on the night for the Dodgers, but it was enough to give the team the win in the series opener with Walker Buehler outdueling Robbie Ray. With a .316/.422/.737 batting line over his last 11 games, Seager is finally beginning to meet expectations for fantasy managers, who likely invested a top-100 pick in him on draft day.

The Yankees have selected Smith with the No. 67 overall pick in the 2019 first-year player draft.

A solid, yet unspectacular shortstop from LSU, Smith has a chance to develop into a utility infielder at the highest level -- he was announced as a second baseman on draft night. He is just 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, and is unlikely to develop 20-homer power. He got on base at a .429 clip as a junior, which enabled him to compile 17 steals on 21 attempts, but he is not a plus runner and would need to replicate that OBP to post 15-plus-steal seasons in pro ball. His infield defense and average hit tool could get him to the majors, but he is unlikely to ever be much of a fantasy asset.

Baez went 2-for-4 with a double, a solo home run, two runs scored and three RBI in Monday's 8-1 win over the Angels.

Baez recently dealt with a heel injury that kept him out of the lineup Saturday, and the slugger went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in his return Sunday, but he looked just fine in this one. The 26-year-old is up to 14 home runs and 37 RBI, and he's well on his way to another outstanding season.

Gordon (wrist) is expected to embark on a rehab assignment later in the week, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Gordon progressed to taking swings in the batting cage over the weekend, though the Mariners have no intention of rushing him back from the injured list. He remains without a timetable for a return and will need to get some swings in rehab games prior to his activation.

Crawford (ankle) participated in some fielding drills prior to Monday's game against the Astros, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Crawford reportedly felt good following pregame drills, and skipper Scott Servais stated shortly after that it's possible the shortstop could return to the team sometime during Seattle's upcoming road trip, which runs from June 7 to June 16. Dylan Moore figures to continue seeing time at shortstop until Crawford is activated from the injured list.

Ahmed isn't in Monday's starting lineup against the Dodgers.

Ahmed has been struggling at the dish over his last three contests (1-for-12), so he'll get the night off with Walker Buehler set to toe the rubber for the visiting Dodgers. Ketel Marte gets the nod at shortstop and will hit fifth with Ahmed out of the mix.