MLB Player News

Hildenberger allowed a solo home run but still managed to record his fourth save Thursday against the Athletics.

The Twins turned to Hildenberger in the save situation Thursday after bypassing him in favor of Taylor Rogers and Matt Magill in a similar situation Tuesday. Hildenberger was noted as the favorite by manager Paul Molitor, though he has now allowed five home runs across his last eight innings. If he is able to emerge as the preferred closer, he could provide a decent number of saves down the stretch as the Twins remain competitive despite not being in playoff contention.

Beeks is expected to pick up most of the innings Friday against the Red Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Diego Castillo will "open" Friday's tilt, but it will be Beeks who is tasked with eating multiple innings. Beeks threw four scoreless frames against the Red Sox in his last outing, notching three strikeouts and allowing just three baserunners.

Leclerc earned his sixth save of the season Wednesday, pitching a scoreless ninth inning against Oakland with two strikeouts, two walks and a hit by pitch.

Leclerc entered with a two-run lead but certainly made the outing an interesting one, loading the bases before striking out Nick Martini to end the game. The 24-year-old has been successful in all six save chances since Keone Kela was dealt at the deadline and hasn't allowed a run since July 25.

Johnson allowed three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out three over 4.1 innings in Wednesday's win over the Indians. He did not factor into the decision.

Johnson gave up a two-run homer in the first to Edwin Encarnacion, and though he settled down from that point and was staked to a 6-2 lead by the end of the fourth, he was unable to last long enough for the win. The left-hander has worked to a mediocre 5.87 ERA over 23 innings in August, but with Chris Sale (shoulder) on the shelf and Eduardo Rodriguez (ankle) needing at least one more rehab start before being activated, Johnson figures to get another turn. He'll draw a more favorable matchup Tuesday against the Marlins.

Junis (6-12) got the loss Wednesday, allowing four runs (two earned) on nine hits while striking out five over 5.2 innings against the Rays.

Junis was hit early and often, allowing at least one runner to reach second base in all six innings of work except the third. Even still, Wednesday marked the fourth straight start in which the 25-year-old conceded two or fewer earned runs, and he's maintaining an impressive 26:5 K:BB across 22 innings in that span. He'll carry a 4.70 ERA and 1.33 WHIP into Tuesday's matchup with the Tigers.

Robertson (shoulder) is doing better but likely remains unavailable Wednesday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. When healthy, Robertson will form part of a temporary closer in the absence of Aroldis Chapman (knee), according to Jack Curry of YES Network.

The length of Chapman's absence won't be known until after he undergoes an MRI, but until he returns, Robertson, Dellin Betances and Zach Britton are expected to split save opportunities. That could mean Britton getting the call when a run of lefties is up with Betances and Robertson battling for opportunities against righties. Betances has posted a stellar 0.82 ERA with a 19:1 K:BB since the All-Star break, though Robertson's 3.18 ERA and 16:4 K:BB are perfectly adequate, and he also has more closing experience with 135 career saves compared to 32 for his teammate.

Manager Aaron Boone said Betances will be an option to close while Aroldis Chapman (knee) is on the disabled list, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.

With Chapman expected to be out until at least September, the Yankees are expected to "mix and match" between Betances, Zach Britton and David Robertson (shoulder) in the ninth inning. Betances could be the team's No. 1 option given his recent form, as the 30-year-old has compiled a pristine 0.82 ERA and 19:1 K:BB over 11 appearances since the All-Star break.

Chapman (knee) was placed on the 10-day disabled list Wednesday with left knee tendinitis.

Chapman exited Tuesday's game with left knee discomfort after throwing just six pitches -- and only one strike -- with diminished velocity. The flamethrower indicated after the game that the issue was to the same knee and same area as the tendinitis that has bothered the closer throughout the season, though he added that the pain was "more than usual" Tuesday. He was sent for an MRI to determine the severity of the injury, though the results remain unknown at this point, leaving his possible return date up in the air. Chapman will be eligible to return at the beginning of September. In the meantime, David Robertson (shoulder), Dellin Betances and Zach Britton are the leading candidates to fill in for Champan in the ninth inning.

Fulmer (oblique) will return from the disabled list to start Friday against the White Sox, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Fulmer will be limited to around 70 pitches in his first start for the Tigers since injuring his oblique July 14. While he's not quite ready to handle a full workload, the right-hander looked sharp in a pair of minor-league rehab starts for High-A Lakeland -- striking out 11 across six scoreless innings -- which prompted the Tigers to bring him back on a restricted pitch count. Prior to landing on the DL, Fulmer compiled a 4.50 ERA across 19 starts (112 innings).

Harvey (shoulder) was diagnosed with mild tendinitis in his elbow after suffering a minor setback during a recent throwing session, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Harvey continues to be snake-bitten by injuries as this latest setback occurred just weeks after he dealt with a little forearm stiffness. Through all of this, he's been sidelined since the beginning of June with a shoulder issue. The club has yet to remark on a timetable for his eventual return, but fortunately, he avoided any further complications and should be able to resume throwing soon.