MLB Player News

The Twins plan to re-evaluate Abel (elbow) on Sept. 1, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Abel was placed on the shelf April 20 due to right elbow inflammation and appeared to be on the cusp of a return in late June before suffering a setback and ultimately requiring arthroscopic surgery July 1. Given that he won't even be cleared to throw until he's re-evaluated and will required an extended ramp-up period, Abel appears likely to remain out until the end of the regular season Sept. 27. Even if Abel avoids any further snags when he's eventually cleared to throw and makes it back from the injured list before the end of the season, he won't have enough time to get built back up as a starter and will be ticketed for a relief role.

The Twins optioned Gray to Triple-A St. Paul on Monday.

Gray had started just one of the last four games and four of the past 11 contests. He'll head to St. Paul, while Ryan Kreidler assumes the bulk of the starts at shortstop for the Twins. Gray's demotion frees up a spot on the active roster for the return of Byron Buxton (hip) from the injured list.

Raya (shoulder) struck out two and allowed two earned runs on one hit and one walk across one inning in a rehab appearance Saturday with Triple-A St. Paul.

Raya appears to be tracking toward an abbreviated stay on the injured list after the Twins deactivated him July 8 due to a right shoulder impingement. He averaged 94.4 mph with his four-seam fastball Saturday, with that velocity being right on par with his season-long average. According to Dan Hayes of The Athletic, Raya is slated to cover two innings and throw around 35 pitches in his next outing with St. Paul on Tuesday in what could be his final rehab appearance before he gets reinstated.

The Twins activated Buxton (hip) from the 10-day injured list Monday.

Buxton had been shelved for nearly two weeks after aggravating a right hip injury, but he's ready to go for the start of the Twins' four-game series in Cleveland that begins Monday. He skipped a rehab assignment, as the Twins were satisfied with the work Buxton put in in recent days between his hitting and defensive drills. Tristan Gray was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul in a corresponding move.

Blubaugh struck out three and gave up one hit and one walk in a two-inning relief appearance in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Orioles in 11 innings.

With no saves and just four holds this season, Blubaugh hasn't handled a high-leverage role for Houston but has found success as a multi-inning reliever. He's been especially effective over his last 15 appearances, recorded multiple strikeouts in all but one of those outings while pitching to a 2.22 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 25.4 K-BB% across 28.1 innings during that stretch.

Jobe (elbow) struck out three and allowed one unearned run on three hits and no walks across three innings Sunday in his rehab start with Double-A Erie.

Jobe now has three rehab starts under his belt as he works his way back from May 2025 Tommy John surgery. Across those outings, Jobe has compiled an excellent 8:0 K:BB while giving up just two runs (one earned) in 7.1 innings. The right-hander built up to 44 pitches Sunday, so he'll probably need at least two more starts in the minors to increase his workload to a level that would put him in consideration for a spot in the Detroit rotation. The Tigers could also look to bring Jobe back from the 60-day injured list as a tandem starter or bulk reliever if they don't clear a spot for him at the trade deadline.

Javier struck out two and gave up a double over a scoreless inning of relief in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Orioles.

Javier made a three-inning start against the Rangers in the Astros' final game of the first half July 12, but he's moved back to the bullpen coming out of the All-Star break. Houston could hand Javier a starting role at some point later on this season, but the club won't have room for him for the foreseeable future with Ronel Blanco (elbow) set to fill the fifth spot in the rotation when he comes off the 60-day injured list Monday.

Teng struck out three and allowed one hit and one walk across 2.1 innings of relief Sunday in the Astros' 5-2 loss to the Orioles.

Before landing on the injured list July 1 due to a right knee sprain, Teng had started in each of his previous nine appearances with the Astros. However, with the Houston rotation having since reclaimed some health, Teng looks like he'll have to settle for a bullpen role while he's with the big club for the time being. Given that Teng tossed 46 pitches Sunday and likely won't be available in relief for at least the next couple of days, it wouldn't be surprising if the Astros optioned him to Triple-A Sugar Land to clear a spot on the active roster for Ronel Blanco (elbow), who will be activated from the 60-day IL to start Monday versus the Marlins.

Scholtens (wrist) struck out a batter and allowed four earned runs on six hits and one walk across three innings Saturday in a rehab start with Triple-A Durham.

Scholtens moved his rehab assignment to the Rays' top affiliate after he had previously covered 6.1 innings while producing an 8:3 K:BB between two starts in the rookie-level Florida Complex League earlier in the month. The right-hander built up to 66 pitches Sunday, so he may need only one more appearance in the minors before he's stretched out enough to handle a typical starter's workload. The Rays wouldn't appear to have room for Scholtens in their rotation at the moment, so it's more likely that he serves as a multi-inning reliever once he's activated from the 15-day injured list.

The Rays optioned Englert to Triple-A Durham on Saturday.

Englert was returned to Durham after the Rays called him up to serve as the 27th man for Friday's doubleheader with the Red Sox. He started the second game of the twin bill, dropping to 0-3 on the season in the Rays' 5-3 loss while striking out four batters and serving up five earned runs on eight hits and one walk across five innings. Over 14 appearances (three starts) with Tampa Bay this season, producing a 4.54 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 32:8 K:BB across 35.2 innings.