MLB Player News

Pena (wrist) was activated off the injured list at Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Previous reports indicated that Pena was unlikely to play this season after undergoing surgery on his wrist in April. As it turns out, he'll be able to play for a month at the Triple-A level and could also play fall or winter ball. He's already played six games at the rookie-league level while on a rehab assignment, going 8-for-20 at the plate.

Wendle isn't starting Saturday's game against the Orioles, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Wendle has seen his playing time drop against left-handed pitchers recently, and he'll head to the bench with southpaw John Means on the mound for Baltimore. Yandy Diaz will shift to the hot corner while Jordan Luplow starts at first base.

Crawford went 2-for-6 with a double and two runs in an extra-innings loss to the Royals on Friday.

Crawford generated his fourth two-hit effort of the second half of August, an 11-game span in which he's had a bit more trouble than usual making contact (23.1 strikeout rate). Despite the up-and-down nature of his recent performances, the veteran shortstop does have a solid .263 average and .326 on-base percentage, boasts a career-high 28 doubles and is one home run and eight RBI short of tying his personal bests in those categories.

Chang went 1-for-3 with a home run in a loss to Boston on Friday.

Chang provided some insurance Friday in what was a solo home run off Boston starter Eduardo Rodriguez in the seventh inning. Drawing the start at first-base, Chang extended his current hitting streak to four consecutive games, as well as at-least one hit in five of his last six games.

Mateo (back/hip) is out of the lineup Friday against the Rays, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Mateo will be sidelined for the third straight contest after exiting Tuesday's game with soreness in his hip and lower back. According to Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com, the 26-year-old's condition has improved, and he may be able to retake the field this weekend. Ramon Urias will once again move to shortstop while Kelvin Gutierrez starts at third base.

Franco went 3-for-5 with two doubles and two runs in a win over the Phillies on Wednesday.

Franco continued his torrid tear at the plate, one that's seen him lace multiple hits in three of his last four games and hit safely in nine consecutive contests overall. The 20-year-old phenom, who never hit below .315 at any minor-league stop, appears to be well on his way to gaining similar mastery over big-league arms and now boasts a .790 OPS through 216 plate appearances.

Bogaerts is not in the lineup Thursday against the Twins, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Bogaerts started the past 26 games and will receive a breather after going 1-for-13 in his past three contests. Enrique Hernandez will take over at shortstop while Christian Arroyo starts at the keystone.

Volpe is hitting .305/.416/.588 with eight homers, seven steals, 22 RBI and 37 runs over 34 games with High-A Hudson Valley.

After crushing Low-A to the tune of a 1.078 OPS, it's been more of the same in High-A, where he's sitting on a 1.004 OPS. All told, Volpe has now smashed 20 homers and stolen 28 bases in 88 minor-league games this season. His strikeout rate's up a bit and his walk rate's down a bit since the promotion, but both are still solid. Few prospects in the game have raised their stock as much as Volpe has this season, as the 20-year-old -- a 2019 first-round pick -- was considered a glove-first shortstop before this big breakout. The bat has clearly caught up, and then some.

Witt went 3-for-5 with a homer, two doubles, three RBI and three runs for Triple-A Omaha against Iowa on Wednesday.

He also homered and drove in four on Tuesday, continuing his ongoing demolition of Triple-A pitching. Witt is now batting .299/.356/.628 with 11 homers and seven steals since his promotion -- an even better line than what we saw from him in Double-A earlier this season. Fantasy managers have got to be champing at the bit to get him into their lineups, considering that Witt has put up 27 homers and 21 steals across 93 games in the minors this season.

Mateo (back/hip) isn't starting Thursday against the Angels, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Mateo exited Tuesday's game due to lower-back and hip soreness, and he'll remain out of the lineup for a second consecutive game. Ramon Urias will shift to shortstop while Kelvin Gutierrez takes over at the hot corner.