MLB Player News

The Twins optioned Albers to Triple-A St. Paul on Sunday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Albers loses his roster spot after yielding nine runs on 10 hits in three innings Saturday against the Rays. The lefty had been effective in his first two outings of the season, but Saturday's onslaught was enough to send him to St. Paul. Albers could certainly return at some point in September for a spot start or as an injury replacement.

Farrell (oblique) was activated from the 60-day injured list Sunday, Brandon Warne of Access Twins reports.

Farrell is back in Minnesota's bullpen after an oblique strain sidelined him since late June. The righty was an effective relief option in 13 games before getting injured, as he posted a 1.76 ERA and 17:6 K:BB in 15.1 innings. He takes the roster spot of Andrew Albers, whom the Twins optioned Sunday.

Groome was promoted to Double-A Portland and earned the win in his debut Saturday against New Hampshire, Tyler Maun of MLB.com reports. He struck out a career-high 10 batters and allowed two hits over five innings.

Nothing about Groome's stay at High-A Greenville suggested he deserved the promotion, but the change of scenery may be what the 2016 12th-overall pick needed. Prior to his promotion, Groome went 3-8 with a 5.29 ERA over 81.2 innings (18 starts) for the Drive. The left-hander has endured multiple injuries over five years in the minors, including 2018 Tommy John elbow surgery, which had limited him to 66 innings since 2016. Groome is up to 86.2 innings in 2021.

The Tigers shut down Teheran (shoulder) for the 2021 season, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Teheran suffered a shoulder strain in early April after making one start, which was a five-inning, one-run effort against Cleveland on April 3. He'll presumably be ready for the beginning of 2022, although it remains to be seen which club the pending free agent will pitch for next season.

The Red Sox selected Crawford from Triple-A Worcester. He'll start Sunday's game against Cleveland, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

The righty has appeared in six games for Triple-A Worcester, posting a 5.52 ERA and 39:8 K:BB in 29.1 innings. His numbers with Double-A Portland, highlighted by a 3.30 ERA and 64:5 K:BB, are much more impressive, so it will be interesting to see how he fares in his big-league debut Sunday. Crawford doesn't figure to be part of the Red Sox's pitching staff for the remainder of the season, although COVID-19 could sideline more pitchers and create additional opportunities for the 25-year-old.

Allard (3-12) took the loss in Saturday's 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Angels, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and a walk with four strikeouts in 5.2 innings.

Allard was efficient Saturday, needing just 82 pitches to navigate 5.2 innings, but he was stung by the long ball and his team's dormant bats. The 24-year-old was engaged in a heated pitcher's duel with Los Angeles starter Jose Suarez until Shohei Ohtani tagged Allard for a three-run home run in the sixth inning to make it a 4-0 game. Even though he took another loss, Allard has shown signs of improvement in the season's second half as he's averaged six innings per start over his last six turns. He'll look to keep it going against Oakland next weekend.

Suarez (6-7) got the win in Saturday's 4-1 victory over the Rangers, allowing one run on five hits with eight strikeouts in a complete game.

Suarez showed the promise Los Angeles desperately needed Saturday, retiring the first nine Rangers he faced and never facing any real threats. He took a shutout into the ninth but permitted Texas' lone run with one out and was still able to slam the door on the resounding victory. The outing was only Suarez's second without surrendering any free passes and the eight strikeouts are his most in any start of his major-league career. He currently lines up to face Houston next weekend.

Lynch exited Saturday's start against the White Sox in the third inning due to a cut on his finger, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Lynch's injury played a role in his struggles Saturday since he had trouble finishing his pitches due to the cut on his finger. Prior to his departure, he allowed six runs on five hits and three walks while striking out three in 2.2 innings to take the loss. The southpaw lines up to make his next start on the road against Minnesota on Friday, but it's not yet clear whether he'll be able to pitch.

Blackburn (0-2) allowed four runs on nine hits and struck out three in 3.2 innings, taking the loss versus Toronto on Saturday.

On the bright side, he didn't walk a batter, but it didn't matter when he allowed Toronto to tee off for three home runs. Blackburn's outing Saturday was the shortest of his four starts this season. He's posted a 4.12 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 12:4 K:BB across 19.2 innings overall. The 27-year-old lines up for a more favorable start versus Texas in next weekend's three-game series.

Berrios (10-7) allowed three runs on four hits and struck out seven in 6.2 innings to earn the win Saturday over Oakland.

The right-hander turned in his second straight quality start with a strong showing Saturday, although Toronto's bullpen nearly let a seven-run lead slip away in the ninth inning. Berrios is beginning to look more like himself again after an inconsistent August. He has a 3.55 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 169:40 K:BB through 159.2 innings. He's also gone 16.2 innings without walking a batter. The 27-year-old lines up for a tough road start against the Yankees next week.