MLB Player News

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Thursday that Ryan (illness) is "a tick behind" Gilberto Celestino (illness) in the two players' respective recoveries from positive COVID-19 tests, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Celestino has cleared all COVID-19-related protocols and is participating in a workout at Target Field on Thursday, so Baldelli's comments would seem to imply that Ryan needs at least one more negative COVID-19 test before he's able to report to the team facility. Minnesota is uncertain if Ryan will require a rehab start prior to being activated from the COVID-19 injured list, but because he's been away from the team since testing positive for the virus May 25, he'll almost certainly need an extended bullpen outing at the very least before the Twins are comfortable slotting him back in the rotation. With that in mind, Ryan seems unlikely to make a start during the Twins' upcoming three-game series in Toronto that begins Friday.

Whitlock (2-1) earned the win Wednesday, allowing one run on five hits and zero walks over six innings against the Reds. He struck out zero.

Whitlock was dominant and scattered five singles across six innings as he cruised to his second win of the season. However, he failed to record a strikeout for the first time as a starter this year, which limited his overall fantasy output. Regardless, the youngster still sports a 3.02 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP across eight starts and 44.2 total innings. His next outing is tentatively scheduled for next week against the Angels.

Kopech (1-2) took the loss Wednesday, allowing five runs on six hits and four walks over three innings against the Blue Jays. He struck out four.

After tossing seven scoreless innings against the Yankees on May 22, the White Sox opted to give the right-hander extra rest heading into Wednesday's matchup. However, Kopech appeared rusty and allowed runs in all three innings he pitched, including a three-run homer to Danny Jansen in the bottom of the third. Despite the poor start, Kopech still sports a 2.20 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP and has 43 strikeouts across 45.0 innings. His next start is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday's matchup with the Dodgers.

Ober (1-2) took the loss after allowing five runs on nine hits across six innings during Wednesday's 5-0 loss to the Tigers. He recorded four strikeouts and zero walks.

Ober allowed a leadoff double in the first inning to Willi Castro, who came around to score on an RBI single from Jonathan Schoop two batters later. However, the right-hander was able to settle down and throw three scoreless innings before finding himself in trouble again in the fifth. Ober allowed five of the first six to reach in that frame, including three doubles, which led to four more earned runs. After seven starts this season, Ober's ERA sits at 4.01 ERA, but he sports a 29:7 K:BB across 33.2 innings. His next start is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday's matchup with the Yankees.

Irvin didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Astros, allowing one run on six hits and two walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out two.

The southpaw tossed 57 of 89 pitches for strikes before getting the hook one out short of his fourth straight quality start. Irvin isn't dominant, but when healthy he's been getting the job done for an Oakland squad in need of stability in the rotation, working at least five innings in seven straight trips to the mound without giving up more than three earned runs in any of them. He'll carry a 2.96 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 28:11 K:BB through 45.2 innings into his next outing.

Verlander didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 5-4 in over the A's, giving up three runs on two hits and two walks over seven innings. He struck out six.

The future Hall of Famer took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, but an Elvis Andrus double and Christian Bethancourt homer quickly put Verlander on the hook for a loss until Houston rallied in the top of the ninth. He still delivered his seventh quality start of the season, and Verlander will take a 2.23 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 61:12 K:BB through 64.2 innings into his next outing.

Gray allowed one run on three hits and two walks while striking out 12 over seven innings against Tampa Bay on Wednesday, but he did not factor in the decision.

This was Gray's best start of the campaign, as he went seven innings for the first time and racked up a season-high 12 strikeouts. He held the Rays scoreless through six frames before giving up a Randy Arozarena solo homer in the seventh. The veteran right-hander lowered his ERA to 4.83 with the quality start, and he'll look to build upon the impressive outing in his next appearance, which is scheduled to take place in Cleveland early next week.

Springs pitched five innings against Texas on Wednesday, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out seven. He did not factor in the decision.

Springs allowed a solo homer to Sam Huff in the second inning and another to Nathaniel Lowe in the fourth, but the Rangers didn't get any additional extra-base hits or score any more runs against him. The southpaw's season ERA actually rose to 1.88 despite the decent outing, highlighting how well he's pitched for the Rays this year. Springs also tied his season high with seven strikeouts in the outing, and he has notched 20 punchouts over his past 16.2 frames.

Ray (4-6) allowed four earned runs on six hits and three walks while striking out six across five innings to take the loss Wednesday against Baltimore.

Ray was undone by a poor second inning, as he allowed two of the first three batters he faced to reach base prior to serving up a three-run homer to Rougned Odor. Ray has now allowed a home run in each of his last six starts, resulting in a 5.64 ERA in that span. He's racked up 74 strikeouts across 65.2 innings this season, but his 4.93 ERA remains inflated due to his inability to keep the ball in the yard.

Bradish allowed two earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out six across 4.2 innings Wednesday against the Mariners. He did not factor into the decision.

Bradish was given an early three-run lead, but he was pulled after 80 pitches and failed to qualify for the win. He suppressed runs effectively enough, but Bradish struggled to consistently find the strike zone and has allowed eight walks across his last 16 innings. He's struggled to work deep into games as a result, completing five innings in only one of his last four starts. Overall, Bradish has a 6.82 ERA with a 35:11 K:BB across 33 innings.