MLB Player News

Correa (back) hopes to embark on a minor-league rehabilitation assignment at some point next week after resuming baseball activities last weekend, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Correa was able to aggressively hit off a tee a couple times this week and is set to field ground balls prior to Houston's game against Texas on Saturday. The shortstop added that he's been running and participating in agility drills without any issues and that his back "feels great." He will likely need to compete in multiple games at the minor-league level before rejoining the Astros' roster, but this is obviously another step in the right direction.

Correa (back) hit off a tee for a second consecutive day Wednesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Manager A.J. Hinch described Correa as "aggressively" hitting off a tee. The injured shortstop has slowly ramped up his baseball activities and will likely require a brief rehabilitation stint before returning to Houston's active roster.

Wendle went 2-for-3 in a win over the Yankees on Wednesday.

Wendle has put together a well-rounded offensive effort in July, as his .367/.433/.617 line over 67 plate appearances is partly comprised of four doubles, a triple and three home runs. The 28-year-old has supplemented his solid offensive contributions with plenty of defensive versatility, logging time at second base, third base, shortstop and left field thus far in 2018.

Fletcher went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored in Wednesday's 11-3 win over the White Sox.

Fletcher got a rare start at second base while Ian Kinsler received a day of rest. The rookie has started 11 consecutive games for the Halos, but a good chunk of those starts was due to Albert Pujols' stay on the disabled list. With the latter back in action, Fletcher will have to outplay Luis Valbuena at the hot corner in order to continue his recent run of playing time.

Diaz (thumb) will get the nod at shortstop and bat ninth Wednesday against the Twins, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Diaz had been day-to-day with a left thumb injury, but he appears to be good to go as he'll return to the lineup for the series finale. He missed the last two games due to the issue. The 27-year-old is hitting .254 with nine homers and 25 RBI through 73 games in 2018.

Diaz was unavailable Tuesday with a left thumb injury and is considered day-to-day, the Associated Press reports.

It was a bit odd that Diaz had missed two straight games, as he is hitting .289/.304/.489 with two home runs in 15 games (45 at-bats) this month, so the fact he is dinged up clears things up. Lourdes Gurriel is the hottest hitter on the team, so when Diaz is ready to return, he will likely compete primarily with Devon Travis and Yangervis Solarte for at-bats in the short term.

Correa (back) hit off a tee Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

He had begun running and playing catch, and did some more of both Tuesday, but this marks the first time he has swung a bat recently. A report from Monday stated that Correa was at least two weeks away from coming off the disabled list. This means he could return around mid-August.

Mondesi is out of Tuesday's lineup against the Tigers, Maria Torres of The Kansas City Star reports.

He was reinstated from the family medical emergency list earlier in the day after missing four games, but the Royals may be looking to ease him back into action. Alcides Escobar is starting at shortstop and hitting ninth.

Diaz is out of Tuesday's lineup against the Twins, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

It certainly seems that Lourdes Gurriel, who was activated from the disabled list Sunday and has started the last three games, has passed Diaz on the organizational depth chart at shortstop. Diaz is hitting .289/.304/.489 with two home runs in 15 games (45 at-bats) this month, so the Jays should still find some playing time for him, but don't expect him to play every day going forward.

Mondesi was reinstated from the family medical emergency list prior to Tuesday's game against the Tigers.

This was an anticipated move for Mondesi, who was away from the team for four games to deal with some family issues. He is hitting .297/.316/.514 with two home runs and two steals (on four attempts) in 10 games (37 at-bats) in July. Look for him to be in the lineup most days over the rest of the season, as he is one of the few building blocks on the big-league roster.