MLB Player News

Buxton hit for the cycle, going 5-for-5 with a double, a triple, a home run, two RBI and three runs scored during Saturday's 12-4 win over the Pirates.

After giving the Twins a scare when he was hit on the hand by a pitch earlier this week, Buxton has shown he's feeling 100 percent and then some. On Saturday, his bobblehead day, he gave the crowd at Target Field a show by hitting for the first cycle in the stadium's history and the first by a Twin since 2019. The 31-year-old's five-hit performance brought his slash line to .286/.350/.571 on the season to go along with 21 home runs, 55 RBI and 17 stolen bases. His .921 OPS is second amongst qualified MLB outfielders, trailing just Aaron Judge.

Adams moved to 1-0 while working out of the bullpen in Saturday's 12-4 win over the Pirates, covering four innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits and one walk while striking out three.

For the second Saturday in a row, Adams was deployed in bulk relief behind Cole Sands while the Twins looked to fill a hole in the rotation. After yielding five earned runs over four innings in his MLB debut last week against Tampa Bay, Adams performed much better Saturday and came away with his first big-league win after getting plenty of run support from his mates. With Zebby Matthews (shoulder) set to begin a rehab assignment Sunday and potentially on track to return from the injured list on the other side of the All-Star break, Adams may not be guaranteed another bulk-relief appearance for the Twins.

Burger (quad) isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Astros.

Burger said after leaving Friday's game with quad discomfort that he expected to play in Saturday's contest. Instead, the Rangers will keep him on the bench to begin the game, and he could also sit out Sunday if the Rangers want to make sure he's at 100 percent coming out of the All-Star break. Ezequiel Duran will start at first base instead and bat ninth Saturday while Burger sits.

Javier (elbow) struck out two and allowed three runs (two earned) on one hit and three walks over 1.1 innings in a rehab start Friday in the rookie-level Florida Complex League.

Making his first start at any level since undergoing Tommy John surgery June 6, 2024, Javier unsurprisingly looked rusty.He needed 35 pitches just to record four outs, but assuming he's not dealing with anything more than normal soreness in his surgically repaired elbow coming out of the rehab start, Javier should be able to build on that workload in his next outing. The 28-year-old righty is expected to need most of the 30-day rehab window to get ramped up before potentially making his return from the 60-day injured list in early or mid-August.

Judge went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a two-run home run during Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Cubs.

After smashing a two-run home run in the ninth inning to finally put the Yankees on the board, Judge has recorded at least one RBI in six straight games with 10 total over that stretch. The 33-year-old is in the midst of another MVP-caliber season and perhaps the best year of his already illustrious career, slashing .358/.465/.739 with 35 home runs and 81 RBI with one game to go before the All-Star break.

Varsho (hamstring) is slated to begin a rehab assignment in the Florida Complex League on Monday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Varsho landed on the injured list June 1 with a strained left hamstring, and a setback he suffered in late June has caused his stay on the IL to run a bit longer than originally anticipated. After running the bases multiple times this week without any issues, he's now been given the go-ahead to return to competition. The Blue Jays haven't committed to a target date for the 29-year-old's return, though there's a chance he'll be ready for the start of the second half.

Mountcastle (hamstring) is expected to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Norfolk on July 22, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

A Grade 2 right hamstring strain has kept Mountcastle on the injured list since the end of May. By beginning minor-league play July 22, the 28-year-old is still in a position to be activated when first eligible July 30, as he'll have more than a full week to ramp up in Triple-A.

Akin (shoulder) will throw live batting practice at the Orioles' complex in Florida on Monday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Assuming everything goes well during Akin's live session, the plan is for him to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk sometime next week. The 30-year-old southpaw has been on the IL since July 2, so he likely won't need more than one or two tune-up appearances in the minors before rejoining the Orioles.

Manager Alex Cora said Saturday that he hasn't discussed with Houck (elbow) about what his role will look like once he returns from the 15-day injured list following the All-Star break, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

The Red Sox recalled Richard Fitts from Triple-A Worcester on Saturday, and Cora indicated that he would get the first chance at replacing the injured Hunter Dobbins (knee) in the rotation. Unless the Red Sox decide to commit to a six-man rotation or elect to move Walker Buehler to the bullpen, Houck doesn't look as though he'll have a starting role waiting for him once he's activated. The skipper's hesitance in clearing a spot in the rotation for Houck is justified, as the right-hander owns a hefty 8.04 ERA and 1.69 WHIP through nine starts. He had an up-and-down performance during his five rehab starts between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester, submitting a 5.74 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in 15.2 innings.

Fried was removed from Saturday's game against the Cubs due to a blister on his left index finger.

Fried threw 73 pitches in a rare disaster of a start between him constantly looking at his thumb and getting some unfortunate bounces off weak contact and then an error in what will be his shortest start of an All-Star season. He gave up four runs (three earned) and struck out a modest two hitters while throwing just 39 strikes. The one bit of positive news here is that Fried and the Yankees have the All-Star break working in their favor ahead of Fried's next scheduled start.