MLB Player News

Almonte was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a right shoulder strain, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

He didn't recover well from his last outing Tuesday against the Padres and there is no timeline for his return, per manager Craig Counsell. Almonte has a 3.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 20 strikeouts, one win and one save in 15.2 innings through 17 appearances.

Contreras was designated for assignment Saturday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Contreras was out of minor-league options and had a 5.05 FIP and 1.65 WHIP in 12 appearances out of the big-league bullpen, so he was deemed expendable. At the peak of his fantasy value in 2021, Contreras sat 95-97 mph with his fastball as a starting pitcher, but he has averaged under 95 mph in back-to-back seasons, even while working in shorter stints out of the bullpen.

The Marlins optioned Villalobos to Triple-A Jacksonville on Saturday.

Villalobos appeared in three major-league games after having his contract selected by Miami on May 5. He allowed one run on three hits and two walks while striking out three over 4.1 innings. The move corresponds with the Marlins reinstating southpaw Jesus Luzardo (elbow) from the 15-day IL.

The Rays optioned Uceta to Triple-A Durham on Saturday, Tricia Whitaker of Bally Sports Sun reports.

The move corresponds with right-hander Pete Fairbanks (arm) being reinstated from the 15-day injured list. Uceta made two big-league appearances after being called up from Triple-A Durham on Monday. Over that span, the right-hander threw four scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out five.

The Rays reinstated Fairbanks (arm) from the 15-day injured list Saturday, Tricia Whitaker of Bally Sports Sun reports.

Fairbanks played in two games with Triple-A Durham on his rehab assignment, and he threw one scoreless inning with a strikeout in his last outing Thursday. The right-hander joined the Rays on Friday, and he will be available for the weekend series against the Yankees. Before landing on the IL on April 22 with a nerve issue in his throwing arm, Fairbanks logged three saves in eight outings with a 9.00 ERA, 2.29 WHIP and 10:8 K:BB over seven frames.

Burdi completed a perfect one-third of an inning to record a hold in Friday's 2-0 win against Tampa Bay.

Burdi came off the injured list Friday after missing three weeks due to right hip inflammation. He was called upon in the seventh frame to face Richie Palacios with two outs and a runner on first base, and the right-hander threw three pitches before Isaac Paredes was thrown out attempting to steal to end the inning. Burdi has yet to give up a run over 6.2 frames this season, and he's collected three holds along with a victory across eight outings.

Chafin (2-1) allowed three runs on two hits and a walk without recording an out to take the loss Friday against the Astros.

Chafin came on in the eighth inning with Detroit up 2-1 but he couldn't hold Houston in check and got saddled with his first loss of the season. The lefty has now allowed runs in consecutive appearances, which has pushed his ERA from 1.35 to 3.86. That's closer to the 4.73 ERA Chafin posted with Arizona and Milwaukee last year, though he was better in his last stint with the Tigers back in 2022, when he posted a 2.83 ERA.

Brown (1-1) tossed 3.2 scoreless innings of relief to earn the win in Friday's 7-2 victory over the Pirates. He allowed two hits and a walk while striking out six.

Starter Javier Assad got the hook after 4.1 innings and 89 pitches, which opened the door for Brown to provide some valuable long relief. The 24-year-old was sharp as he recorded a season- and career-best six strikeouts, and the rookie picked up his first MLB win in the process. Brown's fantasy value is limited in his long-relief role, but he's pitched well so far as a rookie, compiling 33 strikeouts across 31.1 innings and posting a 3.73 ERA. The upside is there in the long term.

Jax gave up a run on two hits and a walk in the ninth inning Friday while striking out one, recording his fifth save of the season in a 3-2 win over the Blue Jays.

Jhoan Duran got the call in the eighth inning to face the top of Toronto's order, leaving the ninth for Jax, but Jax ran into trouble with two outs after a Bo Bichette single kicked off a Jays rally. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli has been using Duran as a relief ace rather than a pure closer and Duran has three saves and three holds in six appearances since coming off the IL in late April, but Jax hasn't been the sole beneficiary of the available opportunities -- Caleb Thielbar and Cole Sands have also picked up saves since Duran's season debut. Brock Stewart (shoulder) could also end up in that mix once he gets healthy. Jax has a 3.06 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 23:7 K:BB through 17.2 innings on the season, and while Duran should see the majority of the save chances for the Twins, his main understudy could creep into the low double digits in saves by the time the season is done.

Duran walked one batter in a scoreless eighth inning Friday to record his third hold of the season in a 3-2 win over the Blue Jays.

The right-hander once again got used as a fireman rather than a closer, facing the top of the Toronto order in the eighth rather than being held back for the ninth. Griffin Jax wound up giving up a run in ninth but still came away with the save. Duran has three saves and three holds in six appearances since coming off the IL on April 30, and he's been lights out in general, posting a 0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP and 8:1 K:BB through six innings. His usage could hurt his fantasy value in standard 5x5 roto or points formats that count saves but not holds, but Twins manager Rocco Baldelli isn't likely to change up how he deploys Duran as long as it keeps working.