MLB Player News

Lee (back) went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and played seven innings at shortstop Sunday in his first rehab game with Single-A Fort Myers.

A lumbar strain forced Lee to the 10-day injured list prior to Opening Day, but now that he's started up a rehab assignment, he could be ready to make his return to the Twins around the middle of April. Expect Lee to eventually shift his assignment to Triple-A St. Paul, and he'll likely get some exposure to two or three different infield spots before Minnesota signs off on him making his MLB season debut. Second base or third base look to be Lee's most likely avenues to seeing consistent at-bats with the big club, as both Jose Miranda and Edouard Julien have gotten off to slow starts to the season at the plate.

Francis (1-1) took the loss Sunday versus the Mets, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out six.

Francis worked around six singles over his 90 pitches, out of which he generated 10 whiffs. The New York lineup was unable to square up the Toronto right-hander, as the pair of runs they were plated in the third inning came on a Pete Alonso single and Brandon Nimmo sacrifice fly. Francis now sports a 3.18 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with a 10:5 K:BB over his first 11.1 innings. The 28-year-old lines up to make his next start at Baltimore next weekend.

Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said Sunday that Lewis has been doing some hitting and running but has had "no change in his status" in his recovery from a moderate hamstring strain, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Lewis suffered the injury in mid-March, and it's not a surprise he's still limited to light activities after just a few weeks. A clearer return timeline could come into focus once the 25-year-old is able to ramp up his baseball work. Brooks Lee (back) is also on the injured list, leaving Jose Miranda and Willi Castro to handle the workload at third base.

Manager Bruce Bochy said Sunday that Jung (neck) is scheduled to be activated from the 10-day injured list and start at third base Tuesday against the Cubs, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The 27-year-old is finishing up his rehab assignment with Double-A Frisco on Sunday and will travel with the big club for the three-game series in Chicago. Jung played in just two games before going down with the neck spasms and went 3-for-7 with an RBI.

Astros general manager Dana Brown said Sunday that Valdez is dealing with some fatigue and a sore throat, putting his status in question for his scheduled turn through the rotation Tuesday in Seattle, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

The left-hander could still be available to pitch Tuesday, but for now the Astros are leaving Tuesday's starter as "to-be-announced." In his first two starts of the season, Valdez has a 3.17 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 13:6 K:BB across 12 innings.

Naylor is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.

Naylor launched his first home run of the season Saturday for his first hit in four games, and he'll take a seat for Sunday's matchup versus Halos lefty Tyler Anderson. Austin Hedges will step in behind the plate to catch for Guardians righty Luis L. Ortiz.

Jones is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.

Jones has collected just three hits with 10 strikeouts through his first 23 plate appearances of the season, and he'll hit the bench Sunday versus Halos lefty Tyler Anderson. Jhonkensy Noel will take over in right field for the series finale.

Newman is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians.

With just one hit through his first 13 at-bats of the season, Newman has begun to lose playing time and will now hit the bench for the third time in four games. Tim Anderson will draw a second straight start at shortstop and seems to have at least temporarily leapfrogged Newman on the depth chart.

Anderson will start at shortstop and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Guardians.

After going 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run in Saturday's 10-4 win, Anderson will pick up a second straight start. He may have inched ahead of Kevin Newman in the competition for primary duties at shortstop, though playing time at the position remains fluid.

Moncada (thumb) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.

As expected, Moncada will miss out on a second straight start while he tends to a thumb injury. Luis Rengifo will fill in at third base in place of Moncada, who is unlikely to be available off the bench Sunday but could return to the lineup in the Angels' next game Tuesday at Tampa Bay.