MLB Player News

Correa told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic on Sunday that, since being diagnosed with plantar fasciitis in his left foot in late May, "every step is a struggle."

"Every step is a struggle. It's not easy to deal with," Correa said. "Out of all the things I've played with in my career, there's nothing more painful than what I've been through this year. But I'm pushing through it. If it had been a free-agent year, I probably would have sat out more time to let it heal. But I'm here to help the team win games. Just my presence, I feel I need to be out there." Correa's nagging foot issue no doubt at least partly explains his struggles this season, as he's managed just a .708 OPS through 117 games. He has been better of late with an .882 OPS across his last 18 contests and said he feels an obligation to continue playing through discomfort as the Twins try to wrap up a playoff spot.

Grissom was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Grissom made just two starts after taking Ozzie Albies' spot on the roster when the latter landed on the injured list with a hamstring strain. With Albies now back in the fold, Grissom will return to Gwinnett to play regularly.

Schmitt went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's 8-5 win over Atlanta.

Schmitt homered twice over his first three major-league games, but that was it for his power until Sunday. The homer drought lasted 71 contests. The infielder is at a .199/.252/.292 slash line with 26 RBI, 23 runs scored, two stolen bases and 11 doubles through 236 plate appearances this season. Schmitt appears to have a lock on a short-side platoon role at third base while providing cover around the infield as a strong defender, but he hasn't hit well enough (2-for-19 in August) to justify a full-time role for a team in the wild-card chase.

Volpe went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in Sunday's 7-4 loss to the Rays.

Volpe launched a two-run shot to right-center field off Zack Littell in the fourth inning to put the Yankees up 4-2. The long ball was his fifth this month and brought him up to 18 on the year, which puts him in a tie with Bo Bichette for sixth-most among shortstops this season. Despite some growing pains as a rookie, Volpe has managed to put together a productive fantasy campaign and is now slashing .218/.296/.398 with 53 RBI, 50 runs, 20 steals and a 44:129 BB:K in 478 plate appearances.

Pena went 5-for-6 with a triple, a double and three RBI in Sunday's 17-4 win over the Tigers.

Pena began his day with a double and also tripled home three runs in the eighth. He's enjoying his best month of the season at the plate, slashing .333/.426/.425 with seven RBI, 15 runs and a 13:18 BB:K in 24 games. Pena has not been able to replicate the same power he showcased his rookie season with just 10 home runs compared to the 22 he hit last year. Sunday was his first game with multiple extra base hits since June 9 and his first game with multiple RBI since he had four July 29.

Witt went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Mariners.

Witt has done it all in August, batting .340 (34-for-100) with eight home runs, nine steals and 21 RBI over 24 contests this month. He'd posted just fine ratios through July, but he's now at a strong .278/.318/.502 slash line with 26 long balls, 38 thefts, 81 RBI and 73 runs scored across 129 games overall. Witt should continue to perform well as the Royals' No. 2 hitter down the stretch.

Smith is hitting .392 with six home runs and 19 RBI over the 76 plate appearances he's logged with Triple-A Las Vegas since being optioned to the Aviators on Aug. 5.

Smith also has a pair of steals and walks apiece along with 15 runs over that 18-game span, which comes on the heels of a six-game rehab assignment with the Aviators during which he posted a .381 average and 1.123 OPS. The 27-year-old's big-league body of work has been in stark contrast to those numbers, however, as Smith has a forgettable .191/.216/.330 slash line over 34 games with the Athletics this season. Consequently, it's uncertain a non-contending team like Oakland will invest a spot in Smith when rosters expand Sept. 1.

Kessinger (illness) began a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sugar Land on Saturday and went 1-for-3 with a walk while playing nine innings at third base.

Kessinger has already spent the required seven days on the COVID-19-related injured list, so he'll be eligible for activation whenever the Astros deem him ready. Prior to being deactivated, Kessinger had been seeing light work as a utility man for Houston.

The Blue Jays announced that Bichette was removed from Sunday's game against the Guardians due to right quadricep tightness, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

Bichette went 0-for-3 on the day and may have suffered the injury in his final at-bat in the bottom of the fifth, when he was slow to get out of the batter's box on a groundout to second base. Santiago Espinal stepped in at shortstop in the next half inning to replace Bichette, who can be viewed as day-to-day heading into Monday's series opener versus the Nationals.

Bichette was removed ahead of the sixth inning of Sunday's game against the Guardians due to an apparent lower-body injury, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports. He went hitless in three at-bats prior to departing.

Though the nature of Bichette's injury isn't yet known, Matheson notes that the shortstop wasn't running close to full speed out of the batter's box while grounding out to second base in the bottom of the fifth inning. Santiago Espinal came off the bench to replace Bichette in the top of the sixth. Expect the Blue Jays to provide an update on Bichette's condition later Sunday.