MLB Player News

Fletcher made his first career start as a pitcher for Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday, striking out six over five innings while allowing two earned runs on three hits and and one walk in a 5-2 win over Norfolk.

Primarily an infielder since entering the professional ranks in 2015, Fletcher saw action in five games with Atlanta earlier this season and has been making regular starts at second base for Gwinnett since being outrighted off the 40-man roster in late April. However, the 29-year-old recently informed club officials that he had been tinkering with a knuckleball, and he impressed enough in workouts for the Gwinnett coaching staff to give him the chance to pitch in games earlier this month. Fletcher was tagged for six earned runs over six innings across his first four relief appearances for Gwinnett, but upon stepping into a starting role Wednesday, he delivered his lengthiest and best outing yet. Fletcher will likely need to turn in at least a few more quality performances on the mound for Gwinnett before Atlanta contemplates bringing him back on the big-league roster as a pitcher and utility infielder. There's also the matter of an ongoing investigation from Major League Baseball into Fletcher's involvement with the same Southern California bookmaker used by Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. According to Tisha Thompson of ESPN.com, sources familiar with the booking operation relay that Fletcher didn't place any bets on baseball, but clarity on whether Fletcher will receive any punishment related to his gambling activities won't become clear until the investigation concludes.

Wendle has elected free agency Thursday after decling an outright assignment to Triple-A Gwinnett.

Wendle was with Atlanta for just three days and didn't play in a game before being designated for assignment. He had enough service time to become a free agent rather than reporting to Gwinnett. Wendle will now be on the lookout for a new organization.

Frazier is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Twins.

Frazier will give way to Nick Loftin at second base after occupying the keystone in four of the previous five contests. Though he'll be on the bench against a right-hander (Chris Paddack), the lefty-hitting Frazier is still expected to see the bulk of the starts at second base while Michael Massey (back) is on the injured list.

Lopez went 2-for-4 with a walk, two runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's win over the Padres.

The 25-year-old infielder has seized the starting job at second base in the wake of the Luis Arraez trade. Through 30 games in the majors this season, Lopez is slashing a solid .273/.313/.429 with three homers, three steals, 11 runs and 15 RBI, and Statcast has graded him in the 89th percentile for outs above average on the defensive side of the ball. Given his career .288/.354/.401 line over nearly 1,000 plate appearances at Triple-A, this level of production seems very sustainable for Lopez, and he could even get more aggressive on the basepaths -- he's stolen 42 bags in 53 attempts at Triple-A.

Lowe is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Athletics.

The lefty-hitting Lowe will head to the bench for the series finale while the Athletics bring southpaw Hogan Harris to the hill. Amed Rosario will fill in at second base in place of Lowe, who is slashing just .174/.296/.391 in eight games since being reinstated from the 10-day injured list May 20.

Julien is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Royals.

With Thursday's contest being a day game after a night game, manager Rocco Baldelli will give rest to several key regulars. Along with Julien, Alex Kirilloff, Max Kepler and Trevor Larnach will rest as the Twins open up room in the lineup for reserves Kyle Farmer, Carlos Santana, Manuel Margot and Christian Vazquez.

Rodgers went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's win over the Guardians.

Rodgers grounded out in his first at-bat before launching a two-out, two-run homer off Logan Allen in the following frame as part of a six-run inning for Colorado. The home run was just the second on the season for the second baseman and his first this month, during which he's now batting .291 with nine RBI and nine runs scored. Rodgers has also hit safely in each of his last eight games.

Wendle cleared waivers Wednesday and was sent outright to Triple-A Gwinnett, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Wendle signed a big-league contract with Atlanta on Friday, but he was DFA'd three days later without playing in a game and will now join the team's Triple-A affiliate. The 34-year-old infielder has played in 18 games this season for the Mets, slashing .222/.243/.250 across 37 plate appearances.

Drury (hamstring) said Wednesday that he is aiming to return from the injured list June 11, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Drury has been making steady progress since landing on the injured list May 9 due to a left hamstring injury. He got back to hitting in batting cages last week and recently began baseball activities and a running progression. The 31-year-old infielder will likely embark on a minor-league rehab assignment before being activated, though the Angels have not said when that might begin.

The Angels reinstated Stefanic (quad) from the 60-day injured list Wednesday and optioned him to Triple-A Salt Lake.

Stefanic has been on the injured list all season due to a left quad strain. He began playing rehab games at rookie ball May 13 and moved to Triple-A on May 21, going 9-for-19 with six RBI in six games with the Bees. He'll remain in Salt Lake despite being fully healthy, and Jose Cisnero (shoulder) will move to the 60-day IL to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Stefanic.