MLB Player News

Smeltzer is slated to work out of the bullpen for this weekend's series versus Kansas City with the Twins listing Randy Dobnak, Jose Berrios and Martin Perez as their probable starters Friday through Sunday,

Smeltzer and fellow rookies Dobnak and Lewis Thorpe made three consecutive starts last weekend in Cleveland, but only Dobnak looks like he'll stick around in the rotation as a replacement for the suspended Michael Pineda. The Twins enter Friday's game four games ahead of the Indians for the division lead and don't have a realistic chance to surpass either the Astros or the Yankees for the top two spots in the American League, which could prompt manager Rocco Baldelli to build in some rest for his starters during the final week of the regular season. If that's the case, Smeltzer would be one of the prime candidates to step in for a spot start.

Rogers pitched a perfect ninth inning against Kansas City on Thursday, striking out two batters to earn the save.

Rogers was called upon in the ninth inning to protect a three-run lead and faced little resistance from the Royals, needing only 14 pitches to set the side down in order. The southpaw has blossomed in his first full season as a closer, converting 28 of 34 save opportunities while posting a 2.30 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 88:10 K:BB over 66.2 innings.

Norris (3-13) took the loss against Cleveland on Thursday, pitching three innings and giving up one run on three hits and no walks while striking out one batter.

Norris has now thrown exactly three innings in each of his last eight starts. While the abbreviated outings help preserve his arm, they have destroyed his fantasy value as he is no longer capable of earning wins or accumulating worthwhile strikeout numbers. In fact, Norris has gone 0-4 since he was placed on an innings limit despite registering a decent 3.75 ERA over 24 innings in that span. Three of those losses -- including the one on Thursday -- have come in outings in which Norris has limited his opponent to a single run. The 26-year-old will likely toss three innings again when he faces the Twins on Wednesday at home in his next scheduled start.

Kay (1-0) picked up the win as the primary pitcher against the Orioles on Thursday, giving up two earned runs on four hits over four innings, striking out three and walking one as the Blue Jays won 8-4.

Working behind an opener for the first time, Kay fared well in limiting the Orioles to a pair of runs and ultimately picking up his first big-league win. It's possible he stays in this role moving forward, which would limit any value he may have since he wouldn't be working deep enough into games to qualify for decisions. Either way, it's hard to assess Kay at this point, given that he only has 14 big-league innings under his belt.

Swanson struck out the side and walked one in the 11th inning to earn the save Thursday against the Pirates.

Swanson was called upon to protect a one-run lead in the 11th frame after the team used Anthony Bass in the ninth to preserve a tied game. Swanson had little trouble closing the game for his first career save, striking out the side. While he has an ugly 6.17 ERA across his first 54 innings in the majors, Swanson has turned in a scoreless outing in nine of his last 11 appearances.

Rodriguez will start Sunday's game against the Astros and get up to around 50 pitches before handing the ball to Jose Suarez, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times reports.

He is currently working on a streak of nine scoreless innings over his last four appearances, having thrown exactly three innings in each of his last two outings. Given this planned usage, he won't qualify for a win.

Betances (Achilles) got a second opinion and will not require surgery, Mike Mazzeo of Yahoo Sports reports.

He will be in a walking boot for a month and will then be reevaluated. The expectation is that he will be ready for spring training, but he is also a free agent after this season, which complicates things a little, as he could probably get a better contract if he is able to throw for teams once fully healthy and looks like his old self.

Blach was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

He will remain in Baltimore's system after logging a 12.00 ERA in 27 innings splitting time between the Orioles and Giants.

King's contract was purchased from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday.

With Domingo German getting placed on administrative leave, King was summoned from the minors to take the open bullpen spot. A stress reaction in his throwing elbow erased his entire first half. Since getting healthy, King logged a 5.33 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 52 strikeouts in 54 innings (12 appearances) in the minors, primarily at Double-A and Triple-A. King, who is more about pitchability and command than high-end stuff, broke out with a big year in 2018 and has a chance to compete for a permanent spot on the big-league roster at some point next year. Look for him to work in low-leverage situations down the stretch.

Poche (5-5) was credited with the win in Wednesday's extra-innings victory over the Dodgers, allowing a hit over a scoreless 10th inning.

Poche needed an ultra-efficient seven pitches to get through the trio of Chris Taylor, Cody Bellinger and the pinch-hitting Jedd Gyorko, despite Taylor notching a leadoff single. It was a resurgent effort from Poche, who'd allowed five earned runs over the 1.2 frames encompassing his three prior appearances, including a pair to these same Dodgers over two-thirds of an inning in Tuesday's series opener.