MLB Player News

Albers' contract was selected by the Twins on Thursday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Albers failed to land a spot on the Twins' Opening Day roster, but he was relatively effective at Triple-A St. Paul and recorded a 3.86 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 91 innings across 16 appearances (15 starts). The southpaw hasn't made an appearance in the majors since 2017 but should serve as a low-leverage reliever out of Minnesota's bullpen.

McClanahan (8-4) picked up the win Thursday after holding the Orioles to one run on five hits and a walk while striking out eight across five innings.

McClanahan cruised to his fourth straight win by tying his career high with eight punchouts while receiving ample run support from his teammates. It was the ninth time this season that the southpaw has pitched into at least the sixth inning, doing so in only 79 pitches this time around. His recent success has improved his season stats to a 3.63 ERA and 1.28 WHIP across 94.1 innings.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that Severino was cleared of any structural damage to his right shoulder after receiving a second medical opinion, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports. Severino will be shut down from throwing for the next week before the Yankees re-evaluate him.

Severino hasn't made an appearance for the Yankees since the 2019 postseason after undergoing Tommy John surgery in February 2020, but the health of his right elbow no longer appears to be a concern. The right-hander previously had a minor-league rehab assignment halted in mid-June when he incurred a Grade 2 groin strain, and after restarting his rehab assignment earlier this month, he made just two appearances for Double-A Somerset before experiencing tightness in his right shoulder. While he was fortunate to avoid any major damage to the shoulder, Severino's uncertain timeline to resume throwing could make it a challenge for him to make it back to the Yankees before the end of the season. If Severino does get activated from the 60-day injured list, he may have to work out of the bullpen, given the lack of time he'll have to build up his pitch count for starting duties.

Dunn (shoulder) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Thursday.

The right-hander has been on the injured list since June 18, so his move to the 60-day IL doesn't impact his recovery timetable and clears room on the 40-man roster for Kevin Padlo, who was claimed off waivers from the Rays on Thursday. Dunn had a setback in his recovery in early August but resumed mound work last week. However, it's not yet clear when he'll return to game action.

Blackburn (0-1) took the loss in a defeat at the hands of the White Sox on Wednesday, allowing three earned runs on five hits and three walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out three.

The right-hander was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas earlier Wednesday and responded relatively well on the road in a daunting matchup. Two of the three runs Blackburn surrendered came on Luis Robert singles, and he didn't allow any balls to leave the park. Blackburn checked into his first majors stint of 2021 with 21 appearances (18 starts) under his belt at Triple-A, but those have largely been poor -- he forged a 5-7 record, 5.69 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in that span, making him a tenuous multi-start option in the absence of Chris Bassitt (face).

Heaney (8-8) took the win over Boston on Wednesday, hurling seven innings and allowing two runs on one hit and two walks while striking out four.

Things didn't start well for the southpaw, as Xander Bogaerts took him deep to right field in the first frame. Heaney bounced back impressively, however, holding the Red Sox to one hit and no runs over the remainder of his outing. The veteran has struggled to keep the ball in the park since joining New York -- nine of the 16 hits he has allowed have left the yard -- but his superb outing against the division-rival Red Sox could be a step toward a turnaround. Heaney is tentatively scheduled to face Atlanta on the road early next week.

Arihara (shoulder) tossed a 35-pitch simulated game Tuesday and could begin a minor-league rehab assignment next week, the Associated Press reports.

Texas signed Arihara to a two-year, $6.2 million deal this winter with the expectation that he would be a mainstay in the rotation, but he made only seven starts before going on the injured list in early May with a shoulder aneurysm that required surgery. The 29-year-old initially appeared likely to be shut down for the season, but he progressed quicker than anticipated and now looks on pace to rejoin the big club by early September. According to the report, Arihara is only expected to make two rehab appearances before being reinstated from the 60-day IL, so his workloads will likely be limited if Texas brings him back in a starting role.

Gonzales evened his record at 5-5 after holding the Rangers to scoreless over 5.1 innings Wednesday in the Mariners' 3-1 victory. He scattered six hits and one walk and struck out three.

Since being tagged for a season-high-tying seven earned runs July 3 against Texas, Gonzales has avenged that loss in his subsequent three matchups with the Rangers, all of which have come within his last four outings. In those most recent three starts versus Texas, Gonzales has posted an 0.88 ERA and 0.74 WHIP in 20.1 innings. He'll draw a tougher matchup his next time out, with a road date in Oakland likely awaiting Gonzales on Monday or Tuesday.

Berrios didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 8-5 loss to the Nationals, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out three.

The right-hander served up a three-run shot to Juan Soto in the first inning, but he settled down after that and gave the Jays a chance to rally -- which they did in the top of the seventh inning, getting Berrios off the hook for the loss. However, Brad Hand promptly gave the game away in the bottom of the frame. Through four starts for Toronto since coming over from Minnesota at the trade deadline, Berrios has a 3.80 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 19:8 K:BB through 21.1 innings.

Cobb (wrist) played catch Wednesday without issues, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Cobb hasn't pitched in nearly a month while dealing with wrist inflammation. Progress had previously been slow, with reports from last week indicating the injury wasn't responding well to treatment. He appears to be turning a corner, though it remains to be seen when he'll be ready for game action.