MLB Player News

Blackburn (forearm) will throw to minor-league hitters sometime Thursday according to manager Bob Melvin, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Blackburn was originally set to throw a batting practice session next Monday, but the timetable for him to face hitters appears to have been bumped up. The 24-year-old right-hander has been sidelined since late in spring training, and he's apparently been making steady progress since beginning a throwing program in mid-April.

Lynn (1-4) took the loss against the Cardinals on Wednesday, allowing three runs on four hits and four walks over three innings while striking out five.

While the strikeouts were at least vaguely encouraging, Lynn was once again unable to locate the ball in the strike zone with any consistency, throwing 46 of 82 pitches for strikes in yet another early exit. The right-hander has lasted six innings in only two of his eight starts for the Twins, putting tremendous pressure on the team's bullpen, and barring a drastic turnaround in his 7.0 BB/9, it's hard to see how Lynn can keep his rotation spot much longer. Nonetheless, he's penciled in for his next trip to the mound Tuesday at home against the Tigers.

Bergman pitched seven scoreless innings Wednesday, striking out five and allowing two hits in the loss to the Rangers. He did not factor into the decision.

Called up earlier in the day for a spot start, Bergman was fantastic, taking a perfect game through 4.2 innings and ultimately allowing just two baserunners in all. The 30-year-old hasn't had much success in the majors before and posted a 5.34 ERA with Triple-A Tacoma in 16 starts last season, so the dominant outing certainly comes as a welcome surprise. It's unclear if Bergman will remain with the big-league club going forward, but he may have done enough to earn a second start on the heels of Wednesday's performance.

Lewicki tossed four scoreless innings of relief in Wednesday's 6-0 loss to Cleveland, allowing three hits and a walk while striking out four.

The 26-year-old, just called back up from Triple-A Toledo the day before, was as good as Wednesday's starter Ryan Carpenter was bad, and Lewicki's yeoman efforts gave the rest of the Tigers' bullpen a well-deserved rest. He's been in the rotation this year for Toledo, albeit with a shaky 5.06 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in 32 innings, and while this stay in the majors will likely be a brief one, he could have put himself in position for a future spot start with this performance.

Hammel (0-5) took the loss Wednesday, allowing five runs on 10 hits while striking out two over six innings against the Rays.

Hammel found himself in trouble early, allowing three runs in the first inning and things didn't get much better the rest of the way. The 35-year-old has been getting hit hard all season to the tune of a 6.28 ERA and 1.47 WHIP with only 4.6 K/9. At this point, it'll be tough to put much faith in him regardless of the matchup. Hammel lines up to take on the Cardinals on Tuesday.

Kaprielian (elbow) is dealing with shoulder soreness, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Kaprielian's recovery from 2017 Tommy John surgery has been slowed after his shoulder started barking at him. He'll take some time off to let the soreness subside before resuming his rehab program. The 24-year-old prospect was originally hoping to join High-A Stockton by midseason.

Bergman's contract was selected from Triple-A Tacoma ahead of his start Wednesday against the Rangers.

The 30-year-old has been unspectacular at best over parts of four seasons in the majors, posting a 5.58 ERA in 201.2 career innings. To be fair, three of those seasons did come in Colorado, but a 13.9 percent strikeout rate doesn't play well in any park. He's posted a solid 3.40 ERA in eight starts for Tacoma this season, so he could be interesting in a pitcher-friendly park against a sputtering Rangers lineup, but his track record leaves little reason to believe he'll be an effective option long term.

Groome's Tommy John surgery was successful Tuesday, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports.

Groome, the 12th overall pick in the 2016 draft, is an exciting talent, but injuries have limited him to just 17 career minor-league starts. He's flashed promise over those starts, posting a 11.9 K/9, but he's also recorded a 4.9 BB/9 and a 5.37 ERA. His surgery will keep him out for the remainder of the season and a large portion of 2019, though he'll still be just 20 years old when he returns.

The Blue Jays will option McGuire to Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

McGuire worked 3.1 innings of long relief in Tuesday's 12-2 loss to the Mets, surrendering three runs on four hits and a walk while striking out three. Given his extensive usage, McGuire was unlikely to be available for the next couple of days, so the Blue Jays recalled Danny Barnes from Triple-A in a corresponding move to provide some reinforcement for the bullpen.

Cole struck out seven and walked two in a no-decision against the Angels on Tuesday, allowing three runs on five hits in five innings.

For the first time this year, Cole didn't make it into the sixth inning. He was done in by a couple home runs and walks that stretched his pitch-count to 98 by the end of five. Despite the short outing, Cole still leads all MLB pitchers with 93 strikeouts, and his .166 batting average against trails only his teammate Justin Verlander for best in the majors. He will take on the Giants at home in his next start.