MLB Player News

Vargas went 2-for-3 with two home runs, a walk, three RBI and a strikeout in Saturday's win over the Mariners.

Vargas went yard in the third inning off Luis Castillo, and he repeated the dose in the fifth frame against reliever Josh Simpson. This was Vargas' first multi-homer performance of the season, and he is now up to nine long balls while racking up an .840 OPS with 21 RBI, 28 runs and six steals across 38 games.

Jung went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's win over the Cubs.

Jung was one of three players who recorded multi-hit performances for the Rangers in this win, and the third baseman left his mark with a solo shot in the bottom of the second. This three-hit performance snapped a mini 0-for-12 slump for Jung, who preceded that downturn at the plate with a 13-game hitting streak. Jung is now hitting .319 with an .891 OPS, five homers, 20 RBI and 15 runs on the season.

Goldschmidt went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in an extra-inning loss to Milwaukee on Saturday.

Goldschmidt started at first base and worked as the Yankees' leadoff hitter, which certainly paid off when the veteran slugger walloped a game-opening homer. He went on to add two singles and finished as the lone Yankee in the contest to record multiple hits. Goldschmidt has started five of New York's past six contests, though that's largely due to Ben Rice (who worked as the DH on Saturday) missing four games due to a hand injury. With that said, Goldschmidt has perked up with the bat in May -- after entering the month batting a tepid .179, he's since hitting .296 (8-for-27) with two homers, seven runs and five RBI across eight contests.

Castillo (0-4) was tagged with the loss Saturday against the White Sox, allowing four runs on five hits across four frames. He struck out six.

This loss against Chicago ballooned Castillo's woeful ERA to 6.57 across 38.1 innings in eight outings this year. He's lost his past three starts and has given up at least four runs in each of those games. Castillo has been confirmed to start Thursday against the Astros, but according to Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, after that the Mariners plan to piggyback him with Bryce Miller in the rematch series against the White Sox that runs May 18-20.

Kay (2-1) earned the win Saturday against the Mariners after allowing one unearned run on three hits and two walks across five innings. He struck out five.

Kay struggled in two late-April starts with 12 earned runs allowed, but he seems to have turned things around with a 1.80 ERA in his past two outings. Kay has given up two earned runs or fewer in six of his eight starts this season, though his overall numbers remain a bit shaky with his matchup with the Mariners reducing his ERA to 4.89 and WHIP to 1.57. He is expected to make his next start on the road against the Cubs next weekend.

Beeks (2-1) earned the win in relief Saturday against the Cubs after tossing 1.1 scoreless innings. He struck out one with no hits or walks allowed.

Jack Leiter tossed 4.2 scoreless innings but finished just one out short of securing the win, and Beeks was credited with it after finishing the fifth frame and pitching the sixth. Beeks, who improved to 2-1 with a 2.65 ERA, was sharp, needing just 13 pitches (nine strikes) to record four outs. This was a bounce-back effort for Beeks, as he allowed two runs in one-third of an inning against the Yankees in his previous outing last Thursday.

Schlittler tossed six scoreless innings in a no-decision against Milwaukee on Saturday, allowing two hits and striking out six batters without issuing any walks.

Schlittler was hit in the back of his leg by a line drive in the first inning and was visited by a trainer. He remained in the game and promptly struck out the following batter to prove that he was fine. Schlittler proceeded to give up only one hit following the first frame and finished with his fourth scoreless outing of five-plus innings across his first nine starts. Schlittler has been especially dominant of late, giving up a meager two earned runs across 31.2 frames over his past five appearances. It's still early in the campaign, but Schlittler is looking like a viable AL Cy Young Award candidate. He leads qualified MLB pitchers with a 1.35 ERA, ranks second with a 0.81 WHIP and has the fifth-most strikeouts (59) while carrying a 5-1 record through 53.1 innings.

Leiter tossed 4.2 scoreless innings but didn't factor into the decision Saturday against the Cubs. He allowed three hits and five walks while fanning six.

Leiter had some command issues Saturday, as the five walks were a season-worst mark for him, but he was able to keep Chicago off the board despite allowing eight baserunners. The free passes prevented him from pitching deep enough to qualify for the win, which would have been his first victory since his season debut. This solid outing reduced his ERA to 4.85 and WHIP to 1.41. Leiter is expected to make his next start on the road against the Astros.

Witt went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run against Detroit in a 5-1 win Saturday.

Witt hit a grounder up the first-base line in his first plate appearance, and the ball bounced off the side wall in right field and past outfielder Kerry Carpenter. That was enough for Witt to motor all the way home for his second career inside-the-park homer. Of course, it counts just the same as if Witt had slugged the ball over the outfield fence, and he now has five home runs over his past 13 contests after opening the campaign with a 27-game homerless stretch.

Morris will serve as the Twins' starting pitcher for Sunday's series finale against the Guardians, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Despite tossing two-thirds of an inning during the Twins' 2-1 win over the Guardians in 11 innings Saturday, Morris will pick up his first MLB start Sunday. Expect the Twins to treat the series finale in Cleveland as more of a bullpen day, though Morris should be capable of providing more length than the typical opener after previously operating as a starter at Triple-A St. Paul to begin the season and having covered three-plus innings on three occasions since being called up to Minnesota on April 11. With Taj Bradley (pectoral) recently joining Mick Abel (elbow) on the injured list, the Twins could have a spot available in the rotation for Morris until the team reclaims some health.