MLB Player News

The Blue Jays plan to promote Lopez from Triple-A Buffalo ahead of Tuesday's game against the Nationals, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Toronto likely won't confirm Lopez's call-up or announce a corresponding transaction until shortly before Tuesday's 7:05 p.m. ET opening pitch, but the 22-year-old will presumably fill a utility role while he's up with the Blue Jays. Between stops at Buffalo and Double-A New Hampshire this season, Lopez has slashed .324/.398/.451 with three home runs and 12 stolen bases across 359 plate appearances. He's logged time at second base, shortstop and all three outfield spots in 2021, so he could be a candidate to pick up reps while Cavan Biggio (back) is on the injured list and with George Springer (ankle) day-to-day.

Diaz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and and an additional RBI in Monday's 7-6 loss to the Royals.

Diaz extended a hit streak to eight games when he launched his seventh homer of the season to lead off the fifth inning. He later singled home a run but was cut down at second trying to stretch it into a double. He's hit safely in 16 of 17 games, going 25-for-72 (.347) with four home runs, five doubles, 16 RBI and 10 runs scored during that stretch. That level of production has been key for the Astros as Alex Bregman (quadriceps) is slow to return. The injured third baseman is waiting to start a second rehab appearance and may not be back until next week.

Correa went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 7-6 loss to the Royals.

Correa's 430-foot blast in the sixth inning was his 19th of the year and briefly put the Astros on top 4-3. He's gone deep three times over the last 10 games after snapping a 20-game skid without a homer. The All-Star shortstop improved his season OPS to .838 with 45 extra-base hits this season.

Franco is out of the lineup Monday versus Baltimore, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Franco started the last 11 games and will head to the bench after posting a .783 OPS during that stretch. Joey Wendle will take over at shortstop in the series opener.

Mondesi is dealing with scar tissue in his right oblique, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

Mondesi's rehab assignment was shut down due to oblique tightness, and he's apparently dealing with effects from the right oblique issue that he dealt with earlier in the season. The 26-year-old will be able to continue throwing and fielding, and he'll also continue to swing from the right side while backing off his left-handed swings. It's not yet clear when Mondesi will be ready to return to game action.

Mateo went 2-for-4 with an RBI in Sunday's 6-2 loss to the Red Sox.

Mateo has settled into an everyday role in the middle infield for Baltimore since he was claimed off waivers Aug. 5, and he's done little to dissuade manager Brandon Hyde from keeping him out of the lineup. The 26-year-old is currently in the midst of a six-game hitting streak, but since he's still maintaining a 28.7 percent strikeout rate on the season, fantasy managers shouldn't bank on Mateo being anything more than a neutral contributor in the batting-average category. Instead, most of Mateo's value will likely come from his top-flight speed. He's already collected three steals during his time in Baltimore and owns an 8-for-9 success rate over only 129 big-league plate appearances on the season.

Franco went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a double Sunday in the Rays' 5-4 loss to the Twins.

Franco's sixth blast of the season came off Edgar Garcia in the sixth inning and cut the Rays' deficit to one run. The star rookie is still sitting on a so-so .244 average for the season, but he's shown improvement at the dish following a slow start to his big-league career. Through 12 games in August, Franco is slashing .255/.327/.489 with a 4:6 BB:K.

Mondesi experienced oblique tightness during his rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha and returned to Kansas City on Sunday to be evaluated, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The 26-year-old joined Omaha in early August for the rehab stint and went 0-for-13 through five games, but he hasn't seen the field since Tuesday due to the oblique tightness. Mondesi landed on the shelf with a strained left oblique June 21, and he was sidelined for the first two months of the season by a strained right oblique. It's unclear which injury he aggravated, but it will push back his recovery timeline regardless. A new timetable for his return should be established once he's reevaluated by the team doctors.

Fletcher went 2-for-4 with a walk, a run and a stolen base in Saturday's loss to Houston.

The infielder helped generate a run in the first inning by singling, stealing second and coming around to score on a base hit by Jared Walsh. Of Fletcher's 11 steals this season, six have come in his past 12 games. His .305 average is second on the team to Mike Trout (calf), though Trout has played in only 36 games to Fletcher's 114.

Chang went 2-for-3 with a walk, a triple, a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Friday's 7-4 win over the Tigers.

Called up from Triple-A earlier in the day, Chang celebrated his return to the majors in style, launching a solo shot off Joe Jimenez in the sixth inning. The 25-year-old utility player got the start at third base in this one, but he's seen action at all four infield spots this season for Cleveland and most of his action during this stint could come at first base with Bobby Bradley (knee) sidelined. On the year, Chang is slashing just .195/.234/.346 through 141 plate appearances with three homers and 18 RBI.