MLB Player News

Baez (back) fielded grounders and participated in infield drills Monday, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News reports.

Baez has been on the injured list since Thursday due to back spasms, but he was able to resume baseball activities for the first time ahead of Monday's game against the Giants. The Mets still haven't indicated when the 28-year-old will return to game action, but Monday's participation in drills was an encouraging step in his recovery.

Seager is not in the lineup Monday against the Mets, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Seager will receive a day off after starting the past 12 games and posting an .872 OPS during that stretch. Trea Turner will shift to shortstop while Max Muncy and Albert Pujols start at second and first base, respectively.

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.

Rojas is not in the lineup Monday against Atlanta, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Rojas started the last 10 games and will take a seat after slashing .342/.390/.500 with a homer, three doubles, four RBI, eight runs and two stolen bases in that stretch. Jazz Chisholm will shift to shortstop while Isan Diaz starts at the keystone for Miami.

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.

The Reds recalled Barrero from Triple-A Louisville on Monday.

The 23-year-old infielder will be joining the big club for the first time in 2021 after getting a 24-game trial with Cincinnati during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. With the benefit of playing on an everyday basis in the minors this season, Barrero has improved his plate approach and has tapped into more power, slugging 17 home runs between Louisville and Double-A Chattanooga in 2021 after having left the yard only 14 times in his first three professional seasons. Though Cincinnati views Barrero as a potential long-term solution in the middle infield, he may be relegated to a depth role during his upcoming stint in majors. Second baseman Jonathan India (.860 OPS) has been a National League Rookie of the Year frontrunner, while shortstop Kyle Farmer has overcome a sluggish start to the season to churn out a .971 OPS since the All-Star break.

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.

Turner went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, a stolen base, four runs and one RBI in Sunday's 14-4 win over the Mets.

The 28-year-old reached base five times on the night, as he was also hit by a pitch in his final plate appearance. Though his Dodgers debut was delayed by a stint on the COVID-19 injured list, Turner has quickly settled in as the team's leadoff hitter. He's hit .265 with 10 runs, three RBI and two steals through his first nine games with Los Angeles.

Adames went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and two runs scored in Sunday's 2-1 win over Pittsburgh.

The shortstop scored on an error in the first inning and came home on a Christian Yelich double in the third to account for all of Milwaukee's run-scoring in the contest. Adames added his fifth stolen base in nine attempts. He's been good in August, going 16-for-52 (.308) with four home runs, four doubles, seven RBI, 10 runs scored and two steals in his last 13 games.