MLB Player News

Minnesota placed Mahle (elbow) on the 15-day injured list Wednesday.

The Twins recalled Louie Varland from Triple-A St. Paul in a corresponding move, and he'll slot into Mahle's spot in the rotation for the foreseeable future. Mahle was diagnosed last week with a right arm posterior impingement and flexor pronator strain and won't be cleared to resume a throwing program for another four weeks. Even if Mahle experiences no setbacks and is cleared to start throwing again by the end of the month, he'll still likely need another two weeks beyond that to get his arm reconditioned for a starting role.

Minnesota recalled Varland from Triple-A St. Paul ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday versus the White Sox.

The right-hander is sliding into the rotation spot vacated by Tyler Mahle (elbow), who was placed on the 15-day injured list due to a flexor pronator strain. Varland registered a 4.20 ERA and 25:4 K:BB over 15 innings with St. Paul prior to the promotion, and he's worth consideration for those looking for a streaming option for Wednesday.

Lynch (shoulder) covered 2.1 innings and struck out six while allowing two earned runs on four hits and one walk in his first rehab start Tuesday for Double-A Northwest Arkansas.

Lynch has resided on the Royals' 15-day injured list all season with a left shoulder strain, so his appearance Tuesday was his first at any level during the 2023 campaign. Aside from serving up a two-run, two-out home run in the second inning, Lynch was generally sharp while tossing 59 pitches (37 strikes) in the outing. He'll likely need one or two more rehab starts to build his pitch count up to the 75-to-90 range before he's cleared to rejoin the big-league rotation.

Houck didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 7-6 win over the Blue Jays, surrendering six runs on six hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out five.

The right-hander cruised through four innings before suddenly falling apart in the fifth and getting tagged for all six of Toronto's runs, including a three-run shot by Daulton Varsho. Houck made it through one more frame before exiting after 96 pitches (57 strikes), and Boston's bats were able to get him off the hook for his second loss of the year. He'll take a 5.34 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 29:13 K:BB through 32 innings into his next outing, likely to come this weekend in Philadelphia.

The Rays acquired Anderson from the Reds on Wednesday in exchange for cash considerations, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Tampa Bay already has three starting pitchers on the injured list (Shane Baz, Jeffrey Springs and Tyler Glasnow) and another (Josh Fleming) sustained a foot injury Tuesday, so the addition of the 35-year-old Anderson should improve the organization's rotation depth. Anderson will presumably slot into the Triple-A Durham rotation after logging a 4.30 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 19:13 K:BB across 23 innings over his five starts with the Reds' top affiliate in Louisville.

Kikuchi didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 7-6 loss to the Red Sox, coughing up five runs on nine hits over 4.1 innings. He struck out two without walking a batter.

The southpaw got hit hard, as five of the nine hits off him went for extra bases including homers by Christian Arroyo and Masataka Yoshida. Kikuchi is once again having trouble keeping the ball in the park -- after serving up 23 homers in 100.2 innings in 2022 (a 2.06 HR/9), he's already been taken deep eight times in 31.1 innings to begin 2023 (a 2.30 HR/9), and only some good fortune has kept his 4.02 ERA from being closer to his 5.44 FIP. He could be a risky play in his next outing, likely to come this weekend on the road against the surprising Pirates.

Cole didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Guardians, giving up two runs on five hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out eight.

The right-hander fired 69 of 108 pitches for strikes and generated 32 called or swinging strikes en route to his sixth quality start in seven outings this season, with Cole missing the seventh by only one out. He'll take a dazzling 1.35 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 52:14 K:BB through 46.2 innings into his next start, likely to come at home early next week against the A's.

Bibee didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Yankees, giving up two runs on four hits over 5.1 innings. He struck out five without walking a batter.

Making his second career MLB start, Bibee was unfazed by pitching in Yankee Stadium and blanked New York for five innings before fellow rookie Anthony Volpe tagged him for a homer in the bottom of the sixth. Bibee has been outstanding since his promotion, posting a 13:0 K:BB through his first 11 big-league innings, and he'll look to keep rolling in a home start early next week against the Tigers.

Wells (2-1) got the win over the Royals on Tuesday, allowing four runs on three hits and three walks while striking out four over six innings.

Wells was punished by the long ball in Tuesday's outing, as all three hits he gave up were home runs. Bobby Witt and MJ Melendez took him deep in the first inning to put up three quick runs for the Royals. He wound up retiring 14 of the next 16 batters following the second home run before Salvador Perez led off the sixth with a solo blast to center. Wells got plenty of support from his offense, leading to second consecutive win for the 28-year-old. He's fared well overall so far, posting a 3.34 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 27:6 K:BB over 25 innings. A tougher test lies ahead for Wells, who is projected to face Atlanta on the road over the weekend.

Sandoval (3-1) got the win over the Cardinals on Tuesday, allowing one run on three hits and three walks while striking out four over five innings.

Sandoval retired 13 of the first 14 hitters he faced, but he eventually ran into a little trouble in the fifth. The Cardinals singled twice, and Tyler O'Neill wound up crossing the plate on a groundout from Andrew Knizner for their only run of the evening. Outside of an April 20 outing against the Yankees, Sandoval has allowed two runs or fewer in all of his other starts, although he has only tossed more than five innings twice, and his 1.6 K/BB is currently on track to be the worst mark of his career. The 26-year-old will carry a 2.93 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 24:15 K:BB into his next projected start against the Astros next week.