MLB Player News

The Twins announced Monday that Abel was diagnosed with swelling in his right elbow following an MRI but avoided any ligament damage, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Minnesota opted to send Abel in for the MRI after he experienced a setback with his elbow during a bullpen session Friday. While he's been cleared of any major damage, the 24-year-old is still expected to be shut down for a bit to let the inflammation calm down before he starts throwing again. Before suffering the setback, Abel had looked good over a pair of rehab starts with Triple-A St. Paul and most recently struck out five batters over five innings of one-run ball last Tuesday.

Okamoto went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a double and a walk in Monday's 4-2 win over the Astros.

Okamoto accounted for Toronto's first run of the game when he took Hunter Brown deep to lead off the second inning. He later added a double in the seventh inning as part of the rally that put the Jays in the lead for good. The homer was his 17th of the season and his fourth in the last nine games. The slugger has been very productive lately, hitting .297 with an .955 OPS during the month of June. On the season, Okamoto is slashing .234/.316/.460, though his lofty 32.3 percent strikeout rate continues to cap his offensive profile.

Cole (2-2) took the loss Monday against the Tigers, allowing five runs on nine hits and one walk in 4.1 innings. He struck out five.

It was perhaps a season-worst outing for Cole, who surrendered a season-high nine hits and five runs Monday. The 35-year-old right-hander had fired 12.2 scoreless innings to begin the season, but he's struggled to the tune of a 5.95 ERA and 1.47 WHIP across 19.2 frames during the month of June. Cole will be trying to right the ship his next time out in Boston, where he'll carry a 3.62 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 29:9 K:BB over 32.1 innings.

Rojas will start Tuesday's game against the Dodgers, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Joe Ryan had been on track to start Tuesday, but the Twins scratched him a day in advance after he fell ill. In Ryan's stead, the Twins will turn to Rojas, who was reinstated from the 15-day injured list Sunday after making just one rehab appearance, during which he covered 1.1 innings and tossed 33 pitches for Triple-A St. Paul. Barring a pitcher being called up from the minors ahead of Tuesday's game, the Twins won't have an obvious candidate to work in bulk relief behind Rojas. The 23-year-old lefty should be able to provide more length than a typical opener, but he's not expected to work deep enough into his start to qualify for a win.

The Astros announced that Pena left Monday's game with a right hamstring cramp.

Pena was removed from Monday's game in the sixth inning with what is now diagnosed as a right hamstring cramp. Houston's infield, specifically their depth at shortstop, has been brutalized by injuries this season with Carlos Correa (ankle), Braden Shewmake (thigh) and Nick Allen (hamstring) all on the injured list.

Valdez (4-5) notched the win Monday against the Yankees, allowing one run on four hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out eight.

Valdez found himself in top form Monday, tying a season high in punchouts over six strong innings. The 31-year-old southpaw has now thrown at least five innings in eight consecutive starts, and he's also spun at least six frames while yielding two runs or fewer in nine of his 16 outings for the year. Valdez will bring a respectable 3.91 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 75:34 K:BB across 89.2 innings into his next scheduled appearance at home against the Astros.

Varland earned the save Monday against the Astros, striking out one and walking one in a scoreless ninth inning.

Varland was called upon to protect a two-run lead in the ninth inning and successfully closed the door, working around a leadoff walk to Yainer Diaz. The right-hander quickly regrouped after the free pass, inducing a double-play groundball and recording a strikeout to secure his 16th save. Varland has now recorded a save in 11 of his last 15 appearances and owns a sparkling 0.84 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 58:12 K:BB across 43 innings on the season.

Alexander left Monday's game against the Angels early due to right knee discomfort, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

Leody Taveras replaced Alexander at third base in the bottom of the third inning on Monday. Alexander left the game after just one at-bat, going 0-for-1 with a strikeout.

The Twins scratched Ryan from his scheduled start Tuesday against the Dodgers due to an illness, Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com reports.

In Ryan's stead, Minnesota will turn to Kendry Rojas to serve as their opening pitcher Tuesday in what will likely be a bullpen game. The Twins haven't provided word on the severity of Ryan's illness, so it's unclear if he'll be available to pitch in their series later in the week against Colorado or if he'll have his turn in the rotation skipped entirely. The 30-year-old righty has gotten off to a strong start to the 2026 campaign, posting a 5-3 record, 2.99 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 99:18 K:BB across 87.1 innings.

Cease did not factor into the decision Monday against the Astros, allowing two runs on three hits and four walks while striking out eight over 5.2 innings.

Cease surrendered an early RBI-single by Isaac Paredes in the first inning before settling into a groove, retiring 13 consecutive batters at one point while piling up seven strikeouts during the stretch. The right-hander ran into trouble in the sixth, issuing back-to-back walks and then allowing an RBI single to Jose Altuve that ultimately ended his night. Cease's swing-and-miss stuff remained electric, as he recorded his eighth consecutive outing with at least seven strikeouts. Since the beginning of May, the 30-year-old has posted a 2.59 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 61:14 K:BB across 41.2 innings. He is slated to face off against Texas at home next.