MLB Player News

Manager Don Mattingly said the Marlins hope Rojas (finger) will be activated this weekend during the three-game series against the Cubs, Craig Mish of SportsGrid.com reports.

The veteran shortstop began a rehab assignment Sunday at Triple-A Jacksonville, so a weekend return would provide him a few games in the minors before being activated. Rojas landed on the shelf with a dislocated and fractured left index finger May 28 and it appears he's set to be activated after missing about three weeks.

Baez (thumb) remains out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Mets.

Thumb soreness cost Baez the first three games of last week and sent him back to the bench for Sunday's game. His latest absence will last at least two games, with the Cubs yet to specific exactly when he'll return to the lineup. Sergio Alcantara starts at shortstop in his absence.

Vincej signed a minor-league contract with the Mariners on June 3 and was assigned to the organization's rookie-level Arizona League affiliate.

After electing free agency following the 2019 season, Vincej appeared to be transitioning into a post-playing career, as he had accepted a coaching position at Pepperdine, his alma mater. The 30-year-old infielder has apparently since reconsidered his stance, and he'll attempt to reboot his career with Seattle, the organization in which he spent the 2018 campaign. Vincej enjoyed cups of coffee in the big leagues with both Cincinnati and Seattle in 2017 and 2018, respectively, appearing in 10 games between the two clubs.

Schmitt was named the Low-A West Player of the Week on Monday after he went 9-for-20 with four home runs, three walks, five runs and 10 RBI over his last five games for Low-A San Jose.

Schmitt endured a brutal start to the 2021 campaign, but he lifted his batting average 60 points on the heels of a huge week. The 22-year-old third baseman has still been a below-average player for the balance of the season, with his .208/.277/.455 slash line equating to a 92 wRC+. Better days should be in the forecast for Schmitt, who is striking out at a more-than-acceptable 16.1 percent rate but has been victimized by an unsustainably low .171 BABIP.

Fletcher went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 10-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

Fletcher kicked off a four-run second inning with a sacrifice bunt that scored Taylor Ward and ended up scoring from first on a single that was mishandled in the outfield by Ketel Marte. He would later have an RBI double in the sixth and then scored once again in the eighth on a two-run blast from Jared Walsh. The 27-year-old is now slashing .261/.292/.303 with nine extra-base hits, 19 RBI, 35 runs scored and three stolen bases on the year. There is definitely room for improvement as those averages are currently on pace to be the lowest in his impressive four-year career.

Crawford went 3-for-5 with an RBI in Sunday's win over Cleveland.

Crawford has hit safely in eight of the Mariners' last 10 games and has seven RBI, six runs scored and an 8:8 BB:K during that span, so the shortstop has been doing a good job at the top of the order. Crawford also has a decent .342 on-base percentage, a figure that would represent his best mark in that category since his rookie year in 2017.

Bogaerts went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and a strikeout in Sunday's 18-4 loss to the Blue Jays.

Bogaerts had missed the last two games due to a knee injury, but he returned to the lineup Sunday and homered in his first at-bat. However, Boston's offense was unable to keep up with the Blue Jays' hot bats in the loss. The shortstop is now hitting .325 with 12 home runs, 39 RBI and 38 runs this season.

Bichette went 4-for-5 with a home run, a double, five runs, three RBI, a stolen base and a walk in Sunday's 18-4 win over the Red Sox.

Bichette has been quite productive to begin the series in Boston, and he displayed his power and speed in Sunday's blowout win. Across the last three games, the 23-year-old has gone 7-for-15 with two home runs, seven runs and five RBI.

Rojas (finger) was scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Sunday at Triple-A Jacksonville, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Rojas didn't get the chance to play after Sunday's contest was postponed due to inclement weather, and with Jacksonville off the schedule until Tuesday, the Marlins could look to reassign him to a different affiliate to get in some action. In any case, the fact that he's now beginning a rehab assignment suggests that Rojas' return to the big-league roster is imminent, with his activation from the 10-day injured list likely to come later this week. Once reinstated, Rojas will likely take over as the Marlins' everyday shortstop, with rookie Jazz Chisholm moving back to second base.

Fletcher will bat ninth and start at second base in Sunday's series finale against the Diamondbacks.

Even with the Angels needing the pitcher to hit for the three-game weekend series in Arizona, Fletcher continues to serve as the team's No. 9 hitter. He's filled that spot in the batting order for every game dating back to May 19, and manager Joe Maddon has shown no inclination to push Fletcher up in the lineup. Fletcher is hitting a credible .267 over that 23-game stretch, but a .321 on-base percentage to go with only four extra-base hits (three doubles, one triple) have muted the impact of his solid batting average.