MLB Player News

Sheets went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run Sunday against the Athletics.

Sheets hasn't started frequently against lefties in the last few weeks, though he was at first base and hitting fifth against southpaw JP Sears on Sunday. He proceeded to take Sears deep in the first frame to tally his second homer of the season without the handedness advantage and 10th total of the campaign. Despite the productive stretch, Sheets has just a .131 ISO and .685 OPS across 477 plate appearances.

The Twins designated Dobnak for assignment Monday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for Cole Irvin, who has been claimed off waivers. Dobnak made it back to the majors briefly in 2024 for the first time since 2021, allowing five runs over 7.2 frames covering four relief appearances. Given his $2.25 million salary, Dobnak is a good bet to pass through waivers unclaimed.

The Twins claimed Irvin off waivers from the Orioles on Monday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Irvin remained in the Baltimore organization after being designated for assignment back in late July, but he did not pass through waivers this time around. The left-hander offers the Twins the versatility to be used as a starter or reliever, but he'll probably be bound for the bullpen after having not started a game since August. Irvin will officially join the Twins' 28-man active roster Tuesday.

Harvey (back) resumed playing catch last week but remains without a clear timeline for returning from the 15-day injured list, MLB.com reports.

After landing on the IL on Aug. 10 with mid-back tightness, Harvey was cleared to resume throwing off a mound three weeks later, but he was shut down from throwing for a week after he didn't respond as well as hoped to the bullpen session. The Royals haven't indicated that Harvey has experienced any setbacks since he started playing catch, but it's unclear if he'll be ready to get back on the mound in the coming days. Before being deactivated, Harvey had accrued a 4.44 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 55:16 K:BB across 50.2 innings while notching two wins, one save and 28 holds in 49 relief appearances between the Royals and Nationals on the season.

Smith recently resumed throwing bullpen sessions, but he's still experiencing back tightness and is without a clear timeline for a return from the 15-day injured list, MLB.com reports.

Smith had been contending with back issues for several weeks before the Royals placed him on the IL on Aug. 26. Though it's encouraging that Smith hasn't been shut down from throwing, he'll likely need the soreness in his back to subside a bit more before the Royals are comfortable bringing him back. It's unclear if Smith has a legitimate chance at being activated before the regular season ends Sept. 29.

Lorenzen (hamstring) struck out four and allowed one earned run on two hits and two walks over 3.1 innings in his rehab start Friday with Triple-A Omaha.

Lorenzen took the hill for Omaha on two days' rest after opening his rehab assignment with a 1.2-inning appearance for Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Tuesday. According to MLB.com, Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Sunday that Lorenzen felt more soreness than usual in his most recent rehab outing, so he'll be re-examined in Kansas City this week before the club determines his next step. Alec Marsh has been filling in as the Royals' No. 5 starter while Lorenzen has been on the shelf with a left hamstring strain.

Taylor (bicep) moved his rehab assignment to Triple-A Omaha on Sunday and made a one-inning appearance against Toledo, allowing one earned run on two hits and one walk.

Taylor moved his rehab to Triple-A after he gave up one unearned run across three innings over his three appearances at Double-A Northwest Arkansas. The lefty reliever has been on the shelf all season while recovering from a left bicep nerve injury, but he looks poised to make his 2024 debut for the Royals at some point over the final two weeks of the campaign.

Santos (biceps) fired two-thirds scoreless innings in Triple-A Tacoma's loss to Oklahoma City on Sunday, issuing two walks and recording a strikeout.

Santos made his second rehab appearance in three days for the Rainiers and bounced back from having allowed a run over two-thirds of an inning in Friday's outing. The right-hander threw another 18 pitches Sunday, although only seven landed for strikes. Santos has exhibited control issues in each of his last two appearances, but from a workload standpoint, he certainly seems to be ready for activation.

The Rays optioned Sulser to Triple-A Durham on Monday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Sulser hasn't allowed a run in 11.2 innings with the Rays, but he has minor-league options remaining and that works against him. Colin Poche (shoulder) has returned from the 15-day injured list in a corresponding move.

Urias drew his first start since Sept. 4 in Sunday's win over the Rangers and went 0-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch and a run.

Urias was making his first appearance of any kind since that game, one in which he'd rapped out three extra-base hits and knocked in four runs. Despite that stellar performance, Urias had not been able to crack the starting nine again with Josh Rojas healthy and getting regular run at the hot corner. Urias limped to a .152 average and .580 OPS across his first 35 games at the big-league level this season before being demoted to Triple-A Tacoma, but he'd earned a call back up by posting a strong .260 average and .789 OPS across 78 games with the Rainiers.