MLB Player News

X-rays on Herrin's left elbow came back negative following his removal from Wednesday's game against Minnesota, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Herrin was hit on the elbow by a comebacker in the sixth inning, but he appears to have escaped the incident with nothing more than a bruise. He may be unavailable out of the bullpen for a game or two to recover from any lingering soreness, though an extended absence doesn't seem likely.

Baker earned the save in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Yankees, allowing one hit and no walks with three strikeouts in a scoreless ninth inning.

Baker was summoned to protect a three-run lead in the ninth inning and struck out the side after allowing a leadoff single. It was the second straight night with a save for the 31-year-old, who has now converted 14 consecutive save chances dating back to May 17. He owns a 1.73 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 41:11 K:BB across 36.1 innings this season and is up to 25 saves, one behind major-league leader Cade Smith.

Dobnak took a no-decision Wednesday against the Mets, allowing no runs on three hits and three walks in 5.2 innings. He struck out two.

Working in bulk relief, Dobnak kept the New York bats in check with a scoreless outing Wednesday. The 31-year-old right-hander has given up just two runs on nine hits and four walks in 9.2 major-league innings so far this year, and he was able to build up to 95 pitches Wednesday in his second appearance of 2026. Stephen Kolek (personal) figures to be activated from the bereavement list by the time the All-Star break is finished, so Dobnak is a likely candidate to revert back to Triple-A Omaha.

Herrin was removed from Wednesday's game against the Twins after getting hit on the elbow by a comebacker, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Herrin was replaced on the mound immediately after taking an 89.4-mph line drive off his left (throwing) elbow in the sixth inning. He'll likely be sent in for X-rays to determine whether he suffered a fracture, and an update on his status should come in the near future.

The Twins placed Raya on the 15-day injured list Wednesday due to a right shoulder impingement.

Raya tossed two scoreless frames during his most recent appearance Saturday, but he seems to have come out of that outing with a shoulder issue. The rookie reliever will be eligible to return from the IL in late July, but the nature of the injury suggests he could be in line for a longer absence.

Kelly was placed on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Worcester with a right elbow injury, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Kelly has made 17 appearances out of the Red Sox's bullpen this season, holding a 3.31 ERA and 14:7 K:BB over 16.1 innings. It's unclear how long he might be out, but Kelly won't be an option for the Red Sox in the immediate future.

Bowman signed a minor-league contract with the Twins on Wednesday.

Bowman will report to Triple-A St. Paul as he kicks off his third stint with the Twins of 2026. The veteran reliever initially signed a minor-league deal with Minnesota in January before opting out of his contract ahead of Opening Day, and then re-signed with the Twins shortly thereafter before opting out of his contract again in May. He had most recently been pitching in the Blue Jays organization, turning in a 10.38 ERA and 1.59 WHIP across 8.2 innings over nine appearances at Triple-A Buffalo before being released over the weekend.

Blanco (elbow) struck out two over two perfect innings in a rehab appearance Tuesday with Triple-A Sugar Land.

After throwing 60 pitches and 4.1 innings in his third rehab outing last Wednesday with Double-A Corpus Christi, Blanco tossed 27 pitches (18 strikes) over two frames Tuesday before the game was called after the seventh inning due to inclement weather. While it's possible that Blanco was able to do some additional throwing in the locker room or bullpen to build on his workload, the abbreviated appearance could take him out of consideration to return from the 60-day injured list and fill the open spot in the Houston rotation this Sunday at Texas. If Blanco instead makes another rehab appearance later this weekend and if the Astros are satisfied with the quality of his stuff and his velocity, he'll likely be cleared to come off the IL following the All-Star break.

Sands (forearm) tossed a perfect inning in his rehab appearance with Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday.

Initially placed on the injured list May 2 due to a right forearm strain, Sands was cleared to start a rehab assignment in early June but was pulled off of it after experiencing a setback following his lone appearance. Just over a month later, Sands was able to complete a throwing program and gain clearance to restart the minor-league assignment, and the results from his first outing on the farm were encouraging. He averaged 93.7 mph with his four-seam fastball Tuesday, just over a half-tick above his season average (93.0) over his 12 appearances with the Twins prior to landing on the shelf. Sands could be ready to rejoin the Minnesota bullpen following the All-Star break.

Cruz will serve as the Royals' opening pitcher for Wednesday's game against the Mets.

He'll draw his second start of the season, though Cruz is expected to work just one or two innings before giving way to the bullpen. Randy Dobnak hasn't been used since making a four-inning relief appearance last Thursday against the Rays, so the Royals could turn to him to cover multiple frames out of the bullpen once Cruz exits the contest.