MLB Player News

The Twins activated Lopez (hamstring) from the 15-day injured list Friday.

Lopez will make his return to the Twins' rotation Friday against the Angels after missing the past two weeks with a right hamstring strain. He made one rehab start with Triple-A St. Paul this past Saturday, going 4.2 innings and throwing 63 pitches. Lopez hasn't reached the 80-pitch mark since April 2 versus the White Sox, so his workload could be limited Friday.

Baez, who opened the year on the development list, was assigned to Double-A Corpus Christi on April 15 but has not yet played in a game.

Baez was a pretty big disappointment at High-A in 2024, logging a .300 OBP and 0.20 BB/K as a 20-year-old playing half his games in the hitter-friendly park in Asheville. His body and athleticism has also trended in the wrong direction, so he's a power-only corner outfield prospect who doesn't project to get on base enough to play everyday at the highest level. He may still be working with the coaching staff at Double-A or dealing with an undisclosed injury, given that he hasn't played in a game despite being assigned 10 days ago.

Manager Rocco Baldelli said Thursday that Ryan Jeffers will take on a larger role, which will result in fewer starts for Vazquez, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

The catching duo has split playing time fairly evenly across the past two seasons, and Jeffers has made 14 starts to Vazquez's 11 early in 2025. The Twins are changing their strategy behind the plate, however, with Vazquez's career .581 OPS with the club finally catching up to him. The veteran backstop still brings plenty of defensive value and is a good fit as a backup catcher, but it should be Jeffers that receives the lion's share of the starts from now on.

Manager Rocco Baldelli said Thursday that Jeffers will operate as more of an everyday catcher going forward, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Jeffers and Christian Vazquez each made 81 starts behind the plate last season, and they've had a fairly even split of playing time early in 2025 with 14 and 11 starts, respectively. Vazquez's continued offensive struggles (career .581 OPS with Minnesota) will finally prompt a strategy change, with Jeffers now poised to operate as more of a clear No. 1 catcher. The 27-year-old hasn't been particularly productive through 67 plate appearances himself with a .254/.343/.339 slash line, but he had a .732 OPS in 2024 and carries more upside than Vazquez.

Springs (hamstring) is listed as the Athletics' scheduled starting pitcher for Saturday's game against the White Sox in Sacramento.

Springs exited in the third inning Sunday against the Brewers due to right hamstring tightness, but follow-up testing didn't turn up anything concerning. After completing his between-starts bullpen session without incident, Springs will be ready to take the hill on five days' rest. Acquired from the Rays in the offseason, Springs has gotten off to a rough start to his tenure with the Athletics, going 3-2 with a 5.64 ERA, 1.66 WHIP and 8.7 K-BB% in 22.1 innings through his first five outings.

Anthony returned to playing the outfield at Triple-A Worcester this week after previously being limited to designated hitter duties due to right shoulder soreness.

Anthony started in the DH spot for nine straight games as he dealt with minor soreness in his throwing shoulder, but he played left field in the first game of a doubleheader Wednesday and shifted to right field Thursday. The top prospect has slashed .308/.444/.590 with five home runs, two stolen bases and a 21:20 K:BB over 99 plate appearances this season with Worcester. Now that the 20-year-old is back to playing defense, it would not be a surprise if he earns a promotion to the major leagues sooner rather than later, although there's no obvious spot for him in the Boston outfield at the moment.

Diaz went 3-for-5 with a double, a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base Thursday against the Diamondbacks.

Diaz continues to swing a hot bat, recording his third three-hit game in his last five starts. He also stole his second base of the season, which is notable because his career high in a campaign is three, and he had zero stolen bases across each of the last two seasons.

Narvaez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Mariners.

The backstop cut the Red Sox's deficit to one in the eighth inning with an opposite-field blast off Gabe Speier. It's Narvaez's second homer this year, both of which have come in his last five games. The 26-year-old is slashing .210/.269/.371 with eight runs scored and six RBI through 67 plate appearances this season, though he'll likely be relegated to backup duties soon with Connor Wong (finger) scheduled to begin a rehab assignment this weekend.

Arozarena went 0-for-2 with three walks, a run scored and a stolen base in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Red Sox.

Arozarena is now 8-for-8 in stolen base attempts this year, putting him well on pace to surpass the 20-steal mark for a fifth straight year and potentially challenge the career-high 32 he recorded in 2022 while with the Rays. The 30-year-old outfielder is batting just .200 with four home runs in the early going, but he's posted what would be a career-high 17.4 percent walk rate through his first 113 plate appearances.

Rivas went 2-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and a stolen base in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Red Sox.

Rivas has impressed while starting three of Seattle's last four games, going 6-for-12 in that span. The 27-year-old switch-hitter has primarily started against left-handed pitching, though he's making a case for a more prominent role in the Mariners' lineup. Rivas appeared in 43 games last season, slashing .233/.333/.274 with 10 runs scored, eight RBI and three steals.