MLB Player News

Lopez and the Twins are expected to finalize a four-year, $73.5 million contract extension Monday, Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reports.

Lopez had been slated to hit free agency after the 2024 season but looks set to remain in Minnesota through the 2027 campaign. The right-hander has had a fantastic start to his Twins career, riding a new sweeper and velocity bump to a 1.73 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 33:6 K:BB across 26 innings through his first four starts.

Houck is listed as Boston's starting pitcher for Thursday's game versus the Twins, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Houck might eventually be booted from the rotation with Brayan Bello returning from the 15-day injured list Monday and James Paxton (hamstring) not far off from being activated either, but Houck will make at least one more start as the Red Sox use a six-man rotation this week. The right-hander has been effective in his career both as a starter (3.39 ERA) and reliever (2.68 ERA) and holds a 4.50 ERA in three starts this season.

Gambrell (ankle) made his season debut Thursday in High-A Greenville's 10-8 loss to Asheville, covering 4.2 innings and striking out six while allowing four earned runs on seven hits and four walks.

Though Gambrell wasn't sharp in his season debut, the Red Sox organization was likely just content to see the right-hander healthy again after he had his entire 2022 campaign wiped out by an ankle injury. The 25-year-old will likely need to string together several quality outings in a row before Boston will entertain promoting him to Double-A Portland.

The Red Sox activated Bello (forearm) from the 15-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Monday versus the Angels at Fenway Park.

After opening the season on the shelf due to a forearm issue, the right-hander was excellent in his lone rehab start at Triple-A Worcester on April 11, striking out four over six frames of one-run ball. Fantasy managers in shallower leagues may want to take more of a wait-and-see approach with Bello before inserting him into lineups, but he should be rostered in most deeper leagues.

Gray (elbow) said he was essentially pain free and is expected to throw his in-between starts bullpen session Wednesday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. "I really think I dodged a bullet," Gray said. "I came out of it less sore than I thought I'd be."

Gray intended to play catch Sunday and again Monday before Wednesday's bullpen. If all goes well, the right-hander is planned to start Friday against Oakland, which ranks 26th in OPS (.683).

Sears did not factor into the decision Sunday, allowing two runs on four hits over six innings. He struck out three.

Sears pitched well overall but was punished by the long ball in Sunday's outing. The 27-year-old allowed a solo blast to Tommy Pham in the second to get the scoring started for the Mets. He eventually retired 13 straight batters before allowing another solo home run in the sixth, this time to Francisco Lindor to put the Mets back up 2-1. Sears earned his first quality start in three tries this season and now sits at a 4.60 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and a 12:2 K:BB over 15.2 innings. He's tentatively lined up to face the Rangers on the road next weekend.

Butto gave up one run on five hits and four walks in a no decision versus the Athletics on Sunday. He struck out two.

Butto supplied the Mets with a solid effort after he stepped in to pitch on short notice. The 25-year-old showed some struggle with his command, throwing just 43-of-83 pitches for strikes but he did induce a 50 percent ground ball rate and was able to limit the damage overall. Butto will likely be optioned back to Triple-A Syracuse on Monday and could be a candidate for another call up if the Mets' rotation faces any more injuries.

Miley (2-1) earned the win Sunday, pitching seven shutout innings while allowing four hits and striking out eight against the Padres. He did not walk a batter.

Miley was engaged in a pitcher's duel with Yu Darvish and turned in one of his better outings in recent memory. He completed seven innings for the first time since May 16 and his eight strikeouts were his most since Sept. 7, 2021. Miley typically isn't known for being a strikeout type of pitcher, but he was able to neutralize the Padres' lineup with relative ease. The 36-year-old has tossed shutouts in two-of-three starts to kick off the year and now stands at a 1.50 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and a 14:3 K:BB over 18 innings. He tentatively lines up to face the Red Sox at home next weekend.

Darvish (0-2) allowed one run on four hits and two walks over seven innings Sunday, striking out 12 while taking the loss against the Brewers.

Darvish was locked into a pitcher's duel with Wade Miley and came out on the wrong side despite a dazzling performance. The 36-year-old had solid command of all his pitches, finishing with 10-plus strikeouts for the 50th time in his career. Darvish was defeated via small ball after Garrett Mitchell reached via a bunt single in the second inning. He got to second on a balk and then stole third before crossing the plate on a sacrifice fly by Brian Anderson. It was a nice bounce-back outing from Darvish, who lowered his ERA to 3.44 to go with a 1.09 WHIP over 18.1 innings. He'll be in search of his first win of the year when he takes the mound next weekend against the Diamondbacks.

Keller did not factor into the decision Sunday, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks over six innings against the Cardinals. He struck out three.

Keller surrendered a run in the opening frame and then kept the Cardinals' bats quiet until the sixth when Lars Nootbaar tied the game at three with a two-run blast to right field. Keller commented after the game that he didn't feel "too crisp" during the outing but still found a way to grind out a third consecutive quality start. The 27-year-old will take a 3.80 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and a 25:10 K:BB over 23.2 innings into his next start, which is projected to take place at home against the Reds.