MLB Player News

Wallner will serve as the Twins' designated hitter and cleanup batter in Wednesday's game against the Cubs.

Wallner has now started in nine consecutive matchups with right-handed pitching and may have supplanted Jose Miranda as the Twins' preferred option at DH. The Twins will have room for both players in the lineup Wednesday, however, as Royce Lewis will get the day off to open up third base for Miranda. Wallner comes into Wednesday's contest having produced a 1.431 OPS over his last 10 games.

Lewis is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs.

After starting in each of the Twins' last eight games while batting .222 with three home runs, two doubles, 11 RBI and six runs, Lewis will get a breather for the Wednesday afternoon contest. Jose Miranda will spell Lewis at third base and bat third.

Buxton (back) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs.

He'll stick on the bench for the third game in a row while he contends with lower-back stiffness, which stems from a collision with the outfield wall in Sunday's win over the White Sox. The Twins are off Thursday, so the team is seemingly hopeful that a full four days of rest will be enough for Buxton to move past the back issue before it opens a four-game series with the Guardians with a doubleheader Friday.

Urena is scheduled to start Wednesday's game against the Astros at Globe Life Field.

He'll be making his second straight turn through the rotation, despite being tagged for seven earned runs in four innings in a loss to the Red Sox his last time out Friday. Texas will have a spot in the rotation available for as long as both Jon Gray (groin) and Max Scherzer (shoulder) are on the shelf, but another poor showing Wednesday could nonetheless put Urena at risk of being moved to the bullpen, if not cast off the roster. Long relievers Cody Bradford and Dane Dunning loom as alternatives for the No. 5 spot if Urena can't get the job done.

Raley went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Tuesday's loss to the Tigers.

Raley finally got the Mariners on the board with a solo home run in the fifth. It was his second home run over the last four games, a span during which he's compiled six RBI. Despite the recent production, Raley has been struggling at the dish for quite a while now, slashing .146/.247/.341 while striking out 32.3 percent of the time in 93 plate appearances since July 2. For the year, he's slashing .228/.288/.419 with 13 homers, 35 RBI, 38 runs, nine steals and an 11:99 BB:K in 314 plate appearances.

Castillo (9-11) took the loss Tuesday against the Tigers, allowing three runs on eight hits and no walks while striking out nine over six innings.

Castillo kept the Tigers off the board until they plated the first run of the game in the fourth. Two more runs were scored against him in the fifth after the Tigers compiled four singles in the inning. It was the fourth time this season he's given up at least eight hits in a game, though only one hit went for extra bases. He also tied his season high in strikeouts and posted his sixth straight quality start. Castillo has been one of the most consistent pitchers in all of baseball this season, posting a 3.48 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 139:38 K:BB in 142.1 innings this year. He lines up to face the Mets on Sunday to complete a two-start week.

Holton secured a one-out save in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Mariners after punching out the only batter he faced.

Holton was called on to record the final out of the game after Beau Brieske gave up a run and then put the tying run on base. Holton wasn't fazed by the Mariners lifting Luke Raley for pinch hitter Mitch Garver; Holton attacked Garver and sat him down on three pitches to pick up his fourth save of the year. Holton is now working on 15 consecutive scoreless outings dating back to June 29, during which he's added three saves, two holds and a win while posting an 18:3 K:BB in 22 innings. For the year, the 28-year-old lefty owns a 2.69 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 51:12 K:BB in 63.2 innings.

Montero (2-5) got the win over the Mariners on Tuesday, allowing one run on four hits and a walk while striking out eight over six innings.

Montero had his best outing of the season in a dominant effort Tuesday night. It was just the second time he's allowed one or fewer runs in a start and his eight strikeouts set a new career high. He faced the minimum through three, with his lone mistake coming on a solo home run to Luke Raley in the fifth. Montero ran into some trouble in the sixth but was able to get out of a jam with two runners on and nobody out. The 23-year-old now owns a 5.62 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 42:13 K:BB in 49.2 innings and will look to keep rolling in a projected start against the Giants over the weekend.

Mahle (0-1) took the loss Tuesday as the Rangers were downed 4-2 by the Astros, allowing one run on five hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out two.

Making his season debut after completing his recovery from Tommy John surgery, Mahle tossed an efficient 76 pitches (49 strikes) but had the misfortune of facing Framber Valdez, who took a no-hitter into the ninth inning. Mahle should fill a rotation spot for Texas the rest of the way in 2024, and he should get stretched out further in his next outing, which lines up to come on the road early next week in Boston.

Meadows went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and two RBI in Tuesday's win over the Mariners.

Meadows plated the first run of the ballgame with a two-out single in the fourth and then extended the lead with a solo blast in the eighth. He now has multiple hits in both of his starts since being activated off the injured list. It's a small sample, but Meadows has looked much more comfortable at the dish since returning, though it's possible manager A.J. Hinch eases him back into action with planned off days after Meadows missed about a month due to a strained hamstring. The 24-year-old is now slashing .161/.264/.455 with four homers, eight RBI, 13 runs, four steals and a 12:36 BB:K in 106 plate appearances.