MLB Player News

Ober was recalled Saturday from Triple-A St. Paul.

Ober will replace the injured Kenta Maeda (triceps) in the Twins' starting rotation, beginning Saturday afternoon against the Royals. The 27-year-old right-hander tossed 5.2 innings of one-run ball last Sunday versus the Nationals and has also been pitching well this season at the Triple-A level. He should make for an attractive pickup in most standard fantasy formats.

Maeda was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a right triceps strain.

Maeda suffered the injury on his last turn through the Twins' rotation Wednesday versus the Yankees. There's no exact timetable yet, but this type of injury will often cost pitchers several weeks. Bailey Ober is up from Triple-A St. Paul and getting the start Saturday versus the Royals.

Giolito didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Rays, giving up two runs on eight hits over six innings. He struck out eight without walking a batter.

The right-hander was away from the team for a few days on the bereavement list, but he didn't miss a turn through the rotation and returned to deliver his third quality start in six outings. Giolito will take a 4.15 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 34:6 K:BB through 34.2 innings into his next start, likely to come next week at home in a series against the Twins.

Eflin didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 3-2 win over the White Sox, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out five.

Facing Chicago for the second straight outing, Eflin served up solo homers to Andrew Vaughn in the first inning and Jake Burger in the second but otherwise was sharp, tossing 47 of 74 pitches for strikes before exiting with the score tied 2-2. Eflin has had an impressive beginning to his Rays tenure despite missing a couple turns in the rotation due to back trouble, posting a 3.00 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 21:3 K:BB through 21 innings. He'll look to run his record to 4-0 in his next start, likely to come next week in a home series against the Pirates.

Manoah didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 3-2 win over the Mariners, giving up two runs on six hits and four walks over five innings. He struck out seven.

The right-hander once again had trouble finding the strike zone consistently, walking at least four batters for the fourth time in six starts, but Manoah also set a new season high in strikeouts, as he produced 29 called or swinging strikes among his 100 pitches. The 25-year-old's wildness has led to a 4.88 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and 28:20 K:BB through 31.1 innings, but he'll try to regain last year's form in his next outing, likely to come next week in Boston.

Castillo didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Blue Jays, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out four.

For the second straight start, Castillo didn't pitch into the sixth inning, and this time he came away with a season low in strikeouts, managing only 18 called or swinging strikes in 95 pitches -- a far cry from his 28.9 percent CSW rate on the year. The right-hander also served up his first homer of 2023, a second-inning solo shot by Alejandro Kirk. Despite what was for him a relatively mediocre outing, Castillo still sports a 1.82 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 38:8 K:BB through 34.2 innings, and he'll look to regain some dominance in his next start, likely to come in Oakland next week.

Rucinski (0-1) took the loss Friday, allowing five runs on 11 hits and one walk over 5.2 innings against Cincinnati. He struck out one.

This was Rucinski's first start in MLB after pitching in Korea the past four years, and he totaled just five swinging strikes against Cincinnati. The right-hander is also coming off a hamstring injury, so it might be a while before he's fully back up to speed. The 34-year-old is tentatively slated to face the Mariners in his next start.

Crawford allowed one run on three hits and struck out three over four relief innings in Friday's 5-2 loss to Cleveland.

Crawford has been dominant coming out of the bullpen. The minor-league starter has allowed one run on five hits while walking none and striking out 10 over 12.1 innings of relief. Garrett Whitlock's elbow injury opened a spot in the rotation, but the Red Sox called up Brayan Bello to start Saturday, which means Crawford will remain in the bullpen.

Dunning (2-0) allowed two runs on three hits and struck out one over 3.1 innings to pick up Friday's win over the Yankees. He also hit a batter and threw a wild pitch.

Dunning came in for injured starter Jacob deGrom (forearm) during the middle of the fourth inning when the Rangers were up, 5-0. It was the second time this season that the multi-inning reliever picked up a win in an injury-shortened start by deGrom. Dunning is the most likely candidate to enter the rotation if deGrom's injury turns out to be more sinister than the wrist injury that forced him to leave a game against Kansas City on April 17.

Valdez (2-3) took the loss Friday, allowing three runs on eight hits over seven innings against the Phillies. He struck out three and did not walk a batter.

Valdez had another solid outing, but Houston's lack of run support turned it into an undeserved loss. The southpaw has not walked anyone in either of his last two starts, both of which lasted seven innings. The 29-year-old has generally been reliable, posting a 2.54 ERA and 1.15 WHIP to start off the year.