MLB Player News

Correa went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run, an additional run, a walk and a strikeout in a 12-1 victory over Texas on Thursday.

Correa singled in the second inning, opened the scoring with a 442-foot bomb to center in the fourth and walked and scored in the eighth. The outing continues a strong September for Correa, who's slashing .302/.364/.528 with three home runs and three doubles for the month.

Franco (hamstring) hopes to rejoin the major-league roster sometime next week, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Franco has participated in on-field work the last two days, and he said Thursday that his hamstring feels much better. The infielder is eligible to return as early as Tuesday, but the Rays will presumably make sure he's feeling 100 percent healthy before he's activated.

Franco (hamstring) participated in agility drills ahead of Thursday's game against the Tigers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Franco hit off a tee and participated in pregame activities Wednesday, and he continued to work on the field Thursday to test his hamstring. The 20-year-old has made quick progress in his recovery after he was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday, but the Rays will likely exercise caution in bringing him back to preserve his health ahead of the postseason.

Mondesi went 0-for-3 with a walk, a hit-by-pitch, an RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in Wednesday's 12-10 loss to Oakland.

The infielder has now stolen bases in consecutive games after going five contests without a theft. Mondesi is 9-for-10 on the basepaths in 21 games this season. He's posted a .253/.291/.560 slash line with six home runs, 15 RBI and 13 runs scored across 81 plate appearances. While he was initially eased back into the lineup since returning from an oblique injury, he'll make his fourth straight start Thursday while manning the hot corner and batting fifth. Mondesi will likely continue to benefit from the occasional day as the designated hitter to relieve some of the injury risk of playing the field.

Bichette went 2-for-3 with a home run and five RBI in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Rays.

He took Michael Wacha deep in the first inning for a three-run shot, giving the Jays a lead they would never relinquish. Bichette has four homers in his last eight games while also racking up five multi-hit performances, a hot streak that has pushed his slash line to .293/.341/.470 on the year with 25 homers, 22 steals, 93 RBI and 111 runs.

Diaz started at shortstop for a resting Carlos Correa and went 0-for-4 in Wednesday's 7-2 win over Texas.

Gone are the days of July and August when Diaz was a daily member of the starting lineup, filling in for the then-injured Alex Bregman. He batted .337 with an .893 OPS while getting consistent at-bats over 24 games. Since Bregman's return, Diaz has received sporadic playing time and is 4-for-44 (.091) over 15 games.

Franco (hamstring) was slated to hit off a tee and take part in some pregame on-field activities Wednesday, the team's official site reports.

It's been a good week for the recovering shortstop thus far, as manager Kevin Cash also received glowing reports about Franco's progress Monday from Major League medical coordinator Paul Harker. Based on current developments, it seems like Franco has a fighting chance at getting at least a handful of games in before the beginning of the postseason, although given the volatile nature of soft-tissue injuries, his progress will bear monitoring.

Correa isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Rangers, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Correa will get a breather after he went 2-for-16 with a double, three RBI and a walk across the last four games. Aledmys Diaz will shift to shortstop and bat second.

Anderson isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Angels.

Manager Tony La Russa said Tuesday that Anderson will start every other day for the time being, so he'll be on the bench after going 1-for-5 in Tuesday's win. Leury Garcia will start at shortstop and bat seventh.

Mondesi went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base in Tuesday's 10-7 win over Oakland.

Mondesi has struggled a bit since returning from his most recent oblique injury, going just 6-for-36 with 16 strikeouts in his last 10 games. Despite the poor hitting, he's swatted two home runs and stolen seven bases in that span while settling in as Kansas City's primary third baseman. Injuries have made this a mostly lost season for the infielder, who has a .264/.284/.583 slash line across just 76 plate appearances.