MLB Player News

Winder (shoulder) made the fourth appearance of his rehab assignment Wednesday with Triple-A St. Paul, covering 1.1 innings while allowing two runs on one hit and two walks while striking out one.

Winder, who has been on the 15-day injured list all season with a sore right shoulder, made his first three appearances at Single-A Fort Myers before jumping to Triple-A. The right-hander will presumably stick with St. Paul through at least the weekend before the Twins determine whether he's fit to return from the IL. Thus far during his rehab assignment, Winder has worked out of the bullpen each time out while working between one and two frames, so the Twins appear to be preparing for him to fill a multi-inning relief role. The 26-year-old previously made 11 of his 15 appearances with the big club in 2022 as a starter, but the Twins' rotation depth appears to be in a much better spot this season.

Smith (1-1) took the loss against the Cubs on Wednesday, allowing two earned runs on two walks over two-thirds of an inning.

Smith's control was nowhere to be seen, as he found the strike zone on only five of his 16 pitches after initially inducing an inning-ending groundout from Nico Hoerner when first entering in the fifth. Smith opened the sixth with back-to-back walks before getting the hook and then watched Sam Moll eventually allow both runners to score. Smith has been up and down during his first four appearances, generating scoreless efforts in two of them while allowing a total of three earned runs over 3.1 innings in the other pair of outings.

Fleming worked three shutout innings of relief and collected a hold in Wednesday's 8-0 win over the Reds. He struck out three while giving up one hit and issuing no walks.

Since making his season debut as a starter April 4 in Washington, Fleming has made each of his subsequent three appearances out of the bullpen. Unlike Wednesday, however, Fleming's prior two relief outings had come as a primary pitcher behind an opener. After starter Drew Rasmussen exited after five innings while the Rays held a 7-0 lead, Fleming stepped in to retire nine of the 10 batters he faced before Pete Fairbanks took over in the bottom of the ninth. The Rays' decision to use Fleming as a more traditional reliever Wednesday suggests that Calvin Faucher -- who is expected to work around four innings as a starter Friday versus the White Sox -- will end up being the primary No. 5 option in the rotation until Tyler Glasnow (oblique) returns from the shelf.

Yarbrough will serve as a bulk reliever in Friday's series opener against the Angels in Anaheim, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Taylor Clarke is slated to open for the Royals and work an inning or two before giving way to Yarbrough, who has plenty of experience working as a primary pitcher out of the bullpen dating back to his time with the Rays. Yarbrough has been used as a traditional reliever up to this point during his first season in Kansas City, allowing nine runs with a 4:3 K:BB over nine innings. With Kris Bubic (elbow) recently landing on the injured list, Yarbrough could be in store for several appearances as a bulk reliever.

Clarke will serve as the Royals' opening pitcher for Friday's road game against the Angels, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Clarke will likely work an inning or two before giving way to Ryan Yarbrough, who is expected to work the bulk of the innings in relief while the Royals look to replace the injured Kris Bubic (elbow) in the rotation. It's the first opener assignment for Clarke, who holds a 6.75 ERA but a 12:3 K:BB over eight innings out of the bullpen this season.

Headrick picked up the save Wednesday against Boston. He allowed one run on one hit and two walks while striking out three over three innings.

Headrick had a smooth debut after being called up from Triple-A St. Paul on Sunday. The former ninth-round draft pick will look to establish himself as a long reliever to start his major-league career, though he's not guaranteed to stick in the majors for long.

Clase gave up two hits in a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday to record his sixth save of the season in a 3-2 win over the Tigers. He didn't walk or strike out a batter.

The right-hander pounded the zone, throwing 19 of 22 pitches for strikes. Detroit hitters were able to eke out a couple singles and it took a sliding catch by Will Brennan on a Tyler Nevin bloop to right field to avoid disaster for the Guardians. Clase sports a 2.70 ERA through 10 innings and has gone 6-for-7 on save opportunities, but his 8:4 K:BB isn't yet up to the level he displayed the last two years while racking up 66 saves in 75 chances.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Wednesday that Tate (forearm) will begin a rehab assignment next week, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

Tate was diagnosed with a flexor strain prior to spring training but has been throwing off a mound for a while now. Assuming everything goes well during his upcoming rehab assignment, he should be ready to return around the beginning of May.

Quijada earned a save against the Yankees on Tuesday, striking out two batters in a scoreless inning.

Quijada got the call with the Angels up 5-2 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. The southpaw faced two right-handers in Kyle Higashioka and Anthony Volpe along with switch hitter Aaron Hicks, retiring the trio in order on just 10 pitches. Quijada leads Los Angeles with three saves on the campaign, while Carlos Estevez has two. It bears mentioning that Estevez had pitched twice in the previous three days prior to Tuesday, which may have been a factor in holding him out. Still, Quijada has had a great start to the campaign with seven scoreless innings during which he's posted a 6:1 BB:K, and he appears to be more of a co-closer than a second option.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Wednesday that Kelly is scheduled to undergo surgery to reattach the ulnar nerve in his right elbow, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Kelly, who previously underwent an internal bracing procedure on the elbow in 2020, will avoid Tommy John surgery, but the right-hander still appears to be headed for an extended absence. A timetable for Kelly's return isn't clear yet, as Cora merely said Wednesday that the 28-year-old is out "for a while." The 28-year-old was transferred to the 60-day injured list over the weekend.