MLB Player News

Alexander (thumb) was activated from the minor-league injured list Tuesday at Triple-A Reno, Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com reports.

Alexander suffered a fractured right thumb on a hit-by-pitch back in mid-April and wound up missing exactly two months of minor-league action. The 24-year-old infielder had put up a sensational .458/.618/.792 batting line through 34 plate appearances this season at the Triple-A level prior to the lengthy IL stint.

Mauricio is considered day-to-day at Triple-A Syracuse after an MRI showed a bone bruise in his left ankle, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

The bone bruise stems from a collision at second base back on June 4 and Mauricio will probably be rested until he is fully pain-free. Ultimately, it's a relatively encouraging diagnosis given there is no structural damage. The 22-year-old top infield prospect has been pushing toward his MLB debut while delivering a robust .320/.360/.524 batting line with eight home runs, 35 RBI, nine stolen bases and 38 runs scored through 60 games this season in the International League.

Witt went 0-for-2 with three walks, a stolen base and a run scored in Monday's 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Reds.

Witt had gone 20 games without drawing a walk prior to Monday, though he was able to limit himself to 17 strikeouts over that span. He's striking out at a 20.9 percent rate while walking at a 5.0 percent clip in 2023, making marginal improvements in both areas over his 2022 numbers. The shortstop is also slashing .237/.277/.414 with 10 home runs, 21 steals, 28 RBI and 38 runs scored over 65 contests.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said in an interview on the Talkin' Yanks podcast Tuesday that demoting Volpe to the minor leagues is not something the team has talked about.

"What I'm seeing is in my opinion a guy that is still helping us win games but I'm confident will continue to be in the middle of helping us win games," Boone said. The manager's statement isn't surprising, as you wouldn't really expect him to acknowledge that sending Volpe down was being considered even if it were the case. Perhaps, though, it serves as a much-needed vote of confidence for the rookie following a dreadful start to June, which has dropped his season batting line down to .186/.260/.345. For what it's worth, Volpe's potential replacement, Oswald Peraza, is hitting .311/.384/.597 with 10 homers and seven steals in 28 games at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Crawford went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and two runs in a win over the Marlins on Monday.

The hot-hitting leadoff man set the table for both Teoscar Hernandez and Ty France, coming home on their first-inning double and second-inning home run, respectively. Crawford is now on a three-game tear that's seen him go 7-for-13 and quickly boost his average 18 points to .253. He also continues to help his cause by drawing walks at what is now a 13.4 percent clip, his highest rate since his rookie 2017 season in Philadelphia.

Duran went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in Monday's 9-6 extra-innings loss to the Angels.

Duran's second-inning blast gave the Rangers an early 3-0 lead that eventually expanded to 5-0, but Texas pitching couldn't hold it, and the offense went silent. It was Duran's first homer since returning from the injured list earlier this month. The layoff didn't hurt his plate production. Duran, who's started seven of nine games since being activated, is 8-for-22 (.364) with two doubles, a homer, five RBI and six runs scored over that span.

Edman went 0-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Monday's 4-3 loss to the Giants.

Edman's bat has turned cold -- he's gone 1-for-22 with two walks and two steals over his last six games. The 28-year-old continues to play in center field while the Cardinals navigate the injury-related absences of multiple outfielders. Edman's slump has him down to a .237/.297/.398 slash line with 10 steals, six home runs, 22 RBI and 31 runs scored through 64 contests this season.

Franco isn't in the Rays' lineup for Monday's game against Oakland.

Franco has slashed .250/.300/.429 across the past week and will get a day off Monday to regroup. Taylor Walls will shift over to shortstop to fill in for Franco, allowing Vidal Brujan and Isaac Paredes to cover second and third base, respectively.

Story (elbow) offered August as a rough timeline for when he'll be able to play shortstop when asked Monday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

It remains possible that Story could return sooner as a designated hitter, although that hasn't been decided yet and it's unclear how likely of a scenario it is. Story has increased his throwing to 120 feet as he recovers from an internal bracing procedure of his right elbow and he's aiming to build up to 150 feet.

Wendle is not in the starting lineup Monday versus Seattle, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Wendle will take a seat after he went 2-for-12 with a solo homer and a stolen base while striking out four times during the team's three-game series with the White Sox. Jon Berti will draw the start at shortstop and bat seventh in the series opener with the Mariners.