MLB Player News

Mondesi (oblique) is progressing well and has begun swinging, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Mondesi has dealt with two oblique strains and one to his hamstring this season, limiting him to just 10 games. He's trending in the right direction again, and the Royals appear pleased with his progress, but it's not clear when exactly the team expects him back on the field.

Correa (illness) was activated from the COVID-19 injured list Friday.

The 26-year-old missed the final three games before the All-Star break while feeling under the weather, but he'll rejoin the active roster for the start of the season's second half. Correa will reclaim the everyday role at shortstop and is hitting .288/.385/.510 with 16 homers, 20 doubles, 52 RBI and 61 runs through 82 games in 2021.

Diaz (hand) went 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI for the rookie-level Gulf Coast Astros on Thursday.

This starts the clock on Diaz's 30-day rehab assignment. The utility player has been out since June 5 with a fractured left hand. While he's been sidelined, Robel Garcia and Abraham Toro have picked up the slack around the infield.

Volpe was promoted to High-A Hudson Valley on Tuesday, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

New York's first-round pick in 2019, Volpe has been very impressive in 54 games with Low-A Tampa to start 2021, showing off both a high-upside bat and a solid glove. The 20-year-old shortstop slashed .302/.455/.623 with 12 homers and 49 RBI across 257 plate appearances. Volpe will now move on to Hudson Valley, where he'll look to continue his ascent through the Yankees' system.

Martinez is hitting .263/.350/.474 with eight homers, two steals, 40 RBI and 30 runs across 52 games at Low-A Dunedin.

The 19-year-old hasn't done anything to assuage concerns about his hit tool, as he's striking out at a 27.3 percent clip. That said, he's performed better as the season's gone along. After posting a .772 OPS in May, he improved that figure to .802 in June, and it's 1.049 in July so far. Martinez has drawn enough walks to maintain a solid OBP, and there's no question that he has power. He should at least make it to High-A by season's end, but the ultimate test of his prospect status will be whether he can keep his strikeouts down once he reaches the two highest levels of the minors.

Franco went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in a loss to the Blue Jays on Sunday, pushing his average down to .197 across his first 66 big-league plate appearances.

The rookie phenom is naturally still experiencing the ups and downs inherent in a player's first foray against major-league pitching, with Franco closing out the first half of the season by striking out in six of nine plate appearances over the last two games. Despite the occasional struggles, Franco has certainly showed glimpses of his expansive upside at the plate, recently putting together an eight-game hitting streak during which he struck out at a modest 11.8 percent clip. Considering his prodigious talent, fantasy managers should have plenty to look forward to in the second half of the campaign as Franco continues to master the intricacies of big-league arms.

Fletcher went 4-for-5 with a solo home run and four RBI in Sunday's 7-1 win over the Mariners.

Fletcher got the Angels on the board with a game-tying solo home run off Hector Santiago in the third inning but that was just the beginning of his day. He later added a two-run single in the fifth and then drove in another run in the seventh to put the Angels out front 4-1. The 27-year-old has now notched a hit in 24 straight games dating back to June 13 with Sunday's performance being the best of the bunch. He'll head into the All-Star break slashing .309/.336/.381 with 19 extra-base hits, 32 RBI, 52 runs scored, four steals and 14:37 BB:K over 354 plate appearances.

Crawford went 3-for-4 with a run scored in Sunday's 3-1 win over Washington.

The shortstop has had an excellent year, but he's impressed even more in July. He's hit safely in nine straight games, going 20-for-36 (.556) with a home runs, seven RBI and seven runs scored in that span. Crawford has been fueled by five contests with three or more hits during the scorching streak. He's lifted his season slash line up to .289/.364/.556 with 18 home runs, 58 RBI, 48 runs scored and seven stolen bases, as well as a well-earned All-Star nod.

Bogaerts went 1-for-4 with a home run and a walk in Sunday's loss to the Phillies.

The star shortstop went yard in the second inning off Brandon Kintzler and now has 15 long balls on the season. Bogaerts ends the first half of the campaign on a four-game hitting streak and with an excellent .321 average, as well as a team-high .930 OPS.

The Reds have selected McLain with the 17th overall pick in the 2021 first-year player draft.

As with most college shortstops with good hit tools, McClain's profile is otherwise lacking in clear impact potential. He can handle shortstop but may fit better at second base or center field. At 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, there are concerns about how much power will come with what could be a high batting average. When he hits a home run, he is typically top-spinning a grooved fastball up in the zone or hitting a wall scraper to the opposite field. He hit .333/.434/.579 with nine home runs, nine steals (on 10 attempts) and a 34:34 K:BB in 47 games as a junior at UCLA. If the hit tool is as good as advertised, McClain's defensive versatility and plus speed will allow him to play almost every day and chip in around 20 steals. However, a potential swing change in pro ball designed to unlock more power could compromise his hit tool, so the eventual offensive output is fluid.