MLB Player News

Varsho was unavailable for Friday's game against the Pirates due to food poisoning, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Varsho's absence Friday shielded him from facing left-hander Bailey Falter, but the Blue Jays have now revealed they held the 27-year-old out due to illness rather than an unfavorable matchup. Davis Schneider moved from second base to left field Friday to cover for Varsho, and he may continue to do so if Varsho's condition doesn't improve Saturday.

Larnach went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 6-1 win over the Astros.

Larnach drew his fourth consecutive start hitting leadoff, as he appears to have secured that role against right-handed starters for the Twins. The 27-year-old outfielder launched a 401-foot home run off Ronel Blanco in fifth inning, extending Minnesota's lead to 4-1. Overall, Larnach is slashing .268/.327/.443 in 107 plate appearances this season.

Lopez (5-5) earned the win in Friday's 6-1 victory over Houston, allowing one run on six hits and one walk over seven innings. He struck out nine.

Lopez appeared to be in the form that led him to a seventh place finish in the 2023 AL Cy Young race. The Minnesota right-hander generated an impressive 17 whiffs en route to his six punchouts while lowering his season ERA to 4.84 in 67 innings. The lone blemish on his evening was the 348-foot solo shot Alex Bregman hit into Houston's Crawford Boxes in the fourth inning. Lopez faces a difficult test in his next start -- he's lined up to face a formidable Yankees lineup in New York next week.

Blanco (5-1) took the loss Friday against Minnesota, allowing four runs on three hits and three walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out six.

Blanco faced 20 batters, marking a season low, not including his May 14 start against Oakland when he was ejected after three innings for a foreign substance. The Houston right-hander also yielded a season-high four runs, pushing his ERA up to 2.44 overall in 59 innings. Blanco is tentatively scheduled to make his next start against the Cardinals at home next week.

Kimbrel earned the save in a 3-1 win over the Rays on Friday, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.

Kimbrel has now gone 7.2 innings without allowing a hit, recording 10 strikeouts in that span while improving to 13-for-16 in save chances this year. He's lowered his ERA to 3.00 with a 0.95 WHIP and 31:9 K:BB across 21 innings.

Romano wasn't available for Friday's game against the Pirates due to elbow soreness, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports.

Manager John Schneider said Romano's elbow has not recovered properly following his last outing Wednesday against the White Sox. The team is officially labeling his injury as "soreness" for now, but the Jays should have a better idea of what Romano is dealing with ahead of Saturday's contest. The 31-year-old righty has not looked like his usual self this season, posting a 6.59 ERA and 1.46 WHIP across 13.2 innings.

Bibee (4-1) allowed a run on three hits and a walk over 6.1 innings Friday, striking out seven and earning a win over the Nationals.

Bibee dominated in six shutout frames before Washington finally pushed home a run in the seventh. He's turned in three straight quality starts, dropping his season ERA from 4.34 to 3.74 during that span. The 25-year-old righty has allowed two or fewer runs in seven of his first 12 starts. He'll carry a 69:18 K:BB into his next start, which is expected to be at home against the Royals next week.

Suarez didn't factor into the decision Friday against Tampa Bay, allowing one run on four hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out five.

Suarez allowed a lone run in the second inning before settling in and blanking the Rays over his final three frames, allowing just one additional hit. The 34-year-old Suarez has allowed just one run over nine innings in two starts since returning to Baltimore's rotation. Overall, he's 2-0 with a 1.57 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 29:10 K:BB across 34.1 innings this year. With John Means (elbow) and Tyler Wells (elbow) both out for the year, Suarez could be in for an extended look as a starter. He's currently in line for a road matchup with Toronto in his next outing.

Kwan went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, an RBI and a walk in Friday's win over the Nationals.

Kwan returned from the injured list after missing nearly the entire month of May but showed no signs of rust. He singled three times, including an RBI knock in the eighth inning. He's produced five multi-hit performances in his last eight appearances. Kwan owns a strong .365/.420/.504 slash line with 30 runs scored and a 12:12 BB:K through 150 plate appearances.

Schanuel was scratched from the Angels' lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Mariners due to left thumb soreness.

Schanuel was originally set to start at first base and bat in the leadoff spot Friday, but thumb problems will prevent him from doing so. Willie Calhoun will cover first base in Schanuel's place, moving Matt Thaiss into the DH spot while batting seventh.