MLB Player News

Valdez (2-2) earned the win Saturday, allowing three runs on eight hits without walking a batter over seven innings against Atlanta. He struck out nine.

Valdez pitched around loud contact Saturday. Atlanta hitters had an exit velocity of 95 mph or more on 13 of Valdez's pitches, but six of those resulted in outs. A year after leading MLB in quality starts, the lefty has posted four straight quality starts. Valdez has a 2.25 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 32 innings.

Raya (shoulder) gave up two runs on a hit and three walks over 2.2 innings Friday with four strikeouts for High-A Cedar Rapids. He reached 97 mph with his fastball, TwinsDaily.com reports.

It was Raya's first outing of the season as he began the season on the injured list after experiencing shoulder tightness during spring training. Raya made a strong impression last season at Low-A Fort Myers with a 3.05 ERA and 10.5 K/9. He'll need to show he can stay healthy at High-A.

Cease did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing three runs on six hits and one walk over four innings during a 4-3 loss to the Rays in extras. He struck out five.

Cease allowed a two-run home run to Randy Arozarena in the first inning and was pulled with 101 pitches after he surrendered back-to-back singles to start the bottom of the fifth. The right-hander has given up three or fewer runs in each of his first five starts, but his four innings Saturday were a season low. He currently sports a 2.73 ERA and has a 34:13 K:BB through 26.1 innings.

McClanahan did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk over six innings during a 4-3 win over the White Sox in extras. He struck out 10.

McClanahan struck out a season-high 10 but allowed solo home runs to Eloy Jimenez and Yasmani Grandal, marking the first long balls he's surrendered this year. However, the left-hander was still in line for the win until the White Sox tied the game at 3-3 in the eight inning. McClanahan has given up two or fewer runs in each of his first five starts this season and currently sports a 1.86 ERA with a 37:12 K:BB through 29 innings.

The Twins will call Ober up from Triple-A St. Paul to start Sunday's game against Washington, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Ober recorded a 3.21 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 11 starts last year but failed to win a rotation spot this spring following the offseason addition of Pablo Lopez. If he was disappointed in that decision, it didn't show up in his minor-league numbers, as he struck out 30.1 percent of opposing batters en route to a 2.55 ERA in four starts for St. Paul. He's nominally up just to give the Twins' starters some extra rest, but if Kenta Maeda's ankle injury requires a trip to the injured list, Ober could stick around for more than one outing.

Springs (elbow) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Saturday, Tricia Whitaker of Bally Sports Sun reports.

The move was an expected one, as Springs will undergo Tommy John surgery Monday, a procedure which will cost him all of this season and a substantial portion of next year. The transaction clears space on the 40-man roster for the Rays to select Hector Perez's contract.

DeGrom (wrist) will start Sunday for the Rangers after reporting no issues during his side session Friday, Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com reports.

DeGrom was able to throw without issues Friday and will end up not missing a single start after leaving Monday's start against the Royals on Monday with wrist soreness. The right-hander may be on a close watch, but everything suggests the 34-year-old will be ready to roll against one of the worst lineups in baseball in the Athletics.

Lopez (1-2) took the loss Saturday, allowing five runs on eight hits and two walks over four innings in a 10-4 loss to the Nationals. He struck out six.

Lopez struggled out of the gate as he allowed two runs in both the first and second innings. He'd give up one more in the fourth before his exit. It's a disappointing effort for a variety of reasons, including the fact that he had given up just five runs in total coming into the start, and he was facing a lackluster Washington lineup in Saturday's effort. The struggles saw his ERA bump to 3.00 from the 1.73 it was prior to the start, and Lopez will get a chance to rebound in his next scheduled start against the Royals.

Cole did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing four hits and two walks over 5.2 scoreless innings against the Blue Jays. He struck out four.

Cole and Alek Manoah both left their starts unblemished, so both come away with hard-luck no-decisions. Cole wasn't as dominant as he was against the Twins on Sunday, when he fired a two-hit shutout, but it's another scoreless appearance for the 32-year-old ace. This also makes five consecutive starts where Cole has given up no more than two runs, and his ERA is now a sparkling 0.79 to go along with a 36:10 K:BB over 34 innings. He's lined up to face the Rangers in Texas next week.

Manoah did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing two hits and a walk over seven scoreless innings against the Yankees. He struck out five.

Manoah was outstanding against the Yankees on Saturday, but he was matched zero-for-zero by Gerrit Cole and the New York bullpen. The right-handed Manoah needed just 85 pitches to get through his seven frames, with 57 of those landing for strikes. It's a nice rebound for the 25-year-old after he allowed 10 runs over nine innings in his previous two outings against the Rays and Tigers. If there's one concern, it's that Manoah has not missed bats at anything close to a high level in his five outings, as this makes five straight starts where he's struck out no more than five batters.