MLB Player News

Julien went 2-for-4 with two solo homers in Thursday's win over the White Sox.

Julien has shown good power early in the season with seven home runs and a .513 SLG, with three of those long balls coming in his past four contests. He's hitting just .213 and has a 31.9 percent strikeout rate, which is a marginal increase on his strikeout rate from last season.

Santana went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, his first of the season, in Thursday's 6-3 victory over the White Sox.

After a dreadful start to the campaign (.347 OPS and one extra base hit in his first 16 games), Santana is finally showing some signs of life at the plate. He's 4-for-18 with a double and home run in his last five games, which is good for a .778 OPS.

Woods Richardson gave up two runs on seven hits and one walk over five innings in Thursday's win over the White Sox, but he didn't factor in the no-decision. He struck out six.

Woods Richardson pitched well enough to likely keep him in the rotation for at least another start or two as the Twins look for a fifth starter. He's shown increased velocity this season with an average 93.2-mph fastball, which is up nearly three ticks from last season. The 23-year-old has given up just three runs with an 11:2 K:BB across 11 innings through two starts.

Verlander didn't factor into the decision Thursday, allowing three hits and four walks with seven strikeouts over 4.1 scoreless innings against the Cubs.

Verlander couldn't complete five innings Thursday, getting pulled after 95 pitches. His inefficiency and lack of control led to four walks, but he kept each baserunner from reaching home plate. Through two starts Verlander owns a 1.74 ERA with 11 strikeouts across 10.1 innings. A matchup with the Guardians likely awaits next week.

Perez went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run during Thursday's 2-1 win over the Blue Jays.

Although Thursday's game was called after five innings due to poor weather, Perez managed to make an impact, swatting a game-deciding, two-run shot off Jose Berrios in the first frame. Over the Royals last two series, Perez is batting .435 with eight RBI and one strikeout across 27 plate appearances.

Berrios (4-1) took the loss Thursday against Kansas City, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks with a strikeout over five innings.

All of the damage against Berrios came via a Salvador Perez two-run home run in the first inning. Berrios failed to complete six innings for the first time this season, an impossible task considering Thursday's game was called due to rain after five frames. The outing snapped Berrios's scoreless inning streak that spanned 21.2 innings. He's tentatively scheduled for another start against the Royals early next week.

Ragans (1-2) earned the win Thursday against the Blue Jays, allowing one run on three hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out four.

Ragan technically pitched a complete game Thursday, with the outing being called after five innings due to rain. Regardless of the shortened game, Ragans managed to bounce back from a horrific start against the Orioles on Apr. 20 and got in the win column for the first time this season. Outside of his start against Baltimore, Ragans owns a 1.91 ERA with 33 strikeouts across 28.1 innings pitched. He's tentatively scheduled for a rematch with the Blue Jays in Toronto early next week.

Naylor went 0-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Thursday's 6-4 win over the Red Sox.

Naylor has gone hitless in his last two games -- it's just the second time this season he's been held without a hit in consecutive contests. He was able to pick up his first steal in three attempts this year with his lone trip on base Thursday. Despite the brief slump, he's still slashing .295/.366/.557 with six home runs, 20 RBI, 13 runs scored and five doubles over 101 plate appearances in a starting role at first base.

Rocchio went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in Thursday's 6-4 win over the Red Sox.

Rocchio has gone 3-for-12 over his last four contests and continues to see a starting role at shortstop. He's yet to do much with the steady at-bats, slashing .205/.280/.301 with two steals on three attempts, four RBI, 10 runs scored, seven doubles and no home runs through 23 contests. With Gabriel Arias batting .280 in a utility role, it's unclear how much longer Rocchio will go relatively unchallenged for his spot in the lineup.

Gaddis (1-0) earned the win, allowing a hit in two-thirds of an inning without being charged with a run Thursday versus the Red Sox. He did not strike out or walk a batter.

Gaddis allowed an inherited runner to score, which cut the Guardians' lead to 5-4 at the time. He was able to escape the jam, and he was ultimately credited with the win despite being the third reliever to pitch after starter Triston McKenzie. Gaddis has not been charged with a run over 12.1 innings this season, adding a 16:3 K:BB and six holds across 13 appearances. The right-hander's strong start to the campaign has earned him a setup role, though Thursday's outing shows that he's trusted to work in any high-leverage situation.