MLB Player News

Ramirez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Red Sox.

Ramirez's bat is coming around -- he's hit safely in seven of his last eight games, going 8-for-32 (.250) with two homers and nine RBI in that span. For the season, he's slashing .240/.253/.427 with four homers, 19 RBI, 16 runs scored, a stolen base, four doubles and a triple through 22 games. Ramirez remains firmly in the heart of the order and continues to be regularly involved in run production, even with his lackluster on-base numbers so far.

Barlow (1-2) struck out one without allowing a baserunner over two-thirds of an inning to earn the win Tuesday over the Red Sox.

Barlow entered with one on and one out in the top of the seventh inning. The baserunner, Rob Refsnyder, was erased when he was caught stealing, and Barlow struck out Enmanuel Valdez to end the inning. The Guardians then rallied ahead in their half of the frame. After a rough start to the season, Barlow has limited opponents to one run on three hits and a walk over his last 5.1 innings. It is notable that he entered the game with the Guardians behind while Hunter Gaddis, who has worked himself into the late-inning mix, pitched the eighth. Barlow is at a 4.09 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 13:7 K:BB through 11 innings overall, adding a save and five holds through 12 appearances.

France (0-3) took the loss Tuesday, allowing five runs on five hits and four walks over five innings against the Cubs. He struck out six.

France endured a nightmare first inning, yielding a two-run home run to Cody Bellinger and a three-run homer to Mike Tauchman. However, he settled in following the frame, allowing just one hit in his final four innings while keeping Chicago off the scoreboard. France has now given up multiple home runs in back-to-back starts. Despite his struggles, France will likely have another go-around in the rotation due to the Astros lacking healthy arms, and he's projected to make his next start against Cleveland this weekend.

Lopez allowed three runs on four hits and two walks over four innings Tuesday in a 6-5 win over the White Sox. He struck out six in a no-decision. He said after the game he was a physically fine despite a noticeable drop in his fastball velocity during the game, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Lopez's final pitch in the fourth inning was 91.9 mph, his slowest four-seam fastball while a member of the Twins, according to Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com. Lopez didn't allow any runs in the first three innings but struggled in the fourth inning by allowing a three-run home run. It was a disappointing performance considering he was facing a struggling offense. However, it sounds like his worrisome velocity drop may not indicate a bigger problem.

Canterino (shoulder) has started throwing between 40-60 feet, Betsy Helfland of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Canterino suffered a rotator cuff strain in mid-March. There's no timetable for his return, but at least he's started to make progress. The right-hander missed all of 2023 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, so expect the Twins to be cautious with his return.

Headrick (forearm) was moved to the 60-day injured list at Triple-A St. Paul, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. "It's just going to take some time to build back up," Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said.

Headrick was in the running for one of the Twins' final bullpen spots but began the season at Triple-A. He suffered the injury April 8. He had given up two runs in seven innings before he was hurt.

Kiermaier was removed from Tuesday's game against the Royals due to left hip flexor discomfort, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Kiermaier went 0-for-2 during Tuesday's loss before being replaced on defense heading into the bottom of the sixth inning. The Blue Jays are officially considering him day-to-day, so his injury doesn't appear to be too serious, but it's possible the team holds him out of the lineup for a game or two to ensure he gets back to 100 percent.

Clase earned the save Tuesday against the Red Sox, striking out three in a perfect ninth inning.

Called upon to protect a three-run lead in the ninth, Clase made quick work of the middle of Boston's order, striking out the side en route to his seventh save this year. Clase's allowed just one hit in his last four innings while logging seven strikeouts in that span. He lowered his ERA to 0.75 with a 0.92 WHIP and 13:1 K:BB across 12 innings this season.

Houck (3-2) took the loss Tuesday against the Guardians, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out four.

After twirling a complete-game shutout in his last start against Cleveland, Houck picked up where he left off, blanking the Guardians through six innings. However, he'd allow the first three batters to reach safely in the seventh, as Houck would ultimately be charged with two runs and the loss. Still, it's been an excellent start to the campaign for the 27-year-old Houck -- he has a sparkling 1.65 ERA with a 0.98 WHIP and 32:5 K:BB through his first five starts (32.2 innings). Houck's currently lined up for a two-start week -- he's slated to face the Cubs at home Sunday.

Lively did not factor into the decision Tuesday against the Red Sox, allowing one run on five hits while striking out seven over 6.1 innings.

Lively held Boston off the board until Wilyer Abreu's solo home run in the seventh inning, though Cleveland couldn't break through against Tanner Houck until the bottom half of the frame, leaving Lively with a no-decision. The 32-year-old right-hander's pitched well in his first two starts this year, both coming against the Red Sox. Lively's allowed three runs through 11.1 innings while posting an impressive 14:1 K:BB. He should get at least one more start before Gavin Williams (elbow) is able to rejoin the rotation -- Lively's currently slated for a tough road matchup in Atlanta on Sunday.