MLB Player News

Woodruff allowed one hit and struck out 10 batters over six scoreless innings in a no-decision against Cincinnati on Monday.

Woodruff made his first big-league appearance since April 30 after spending time on the shelf due to a shoulder injury. The veteran right-hander showed absolutely no signs of rust, as he retired the first 16 batters he faced and allowed just one baserunner overall (on a Tyler Stephenson sixth-inning single). Woodruff racked up a season-high 10 punchouts, and the only thing holding him back from an even more impressive performance was a restricted workload that limited him to 79 pitches over six innings. Woodruff said after the game that he felt "pretty much the same" physically throughout the start, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, so he appears to have emerged without any setbacks. Woodruff should be able to build up his pitch count as he racks up more starts, and he is next lined up to take the mound at home versus the Cubs.

Griffin (8-2) earned the win Monday against the Phillies, allowing one run on four hits while striking out nine over 7.1 innings.

Griffin recorded the deepest outing of his major-league career Monday, as the left-hander held the Phillies scoreless through six frames before Brandon Marsh finally got to him with a solo homer in the seventh. The nine strikeouts matched a season high for Griffin. He has limited opponents to one run or fewer in five of his last six starts while posting a stellar 1.78 ERA and 35:5 K:BB during that span. Griffin will carry that momentum into his next scheduled outing on the road against Baltimore.

Rocker took a no-decision Monday against the Marlins, allowing two runs on five hits and no walks in five innings of relief. He struck out nine.

The Rangers have now deployed Rocker behind an opener twice this season, and the results so far have been promising to say the least. The 26-year-old right-hander twirled 7.2 shutout innings the last time he worked as a reliever during his May 19 outing, and he fanned a season-high nine Monday. It would make sense for Texas to use Rocker in long relief out of the bullpen once again this weekend in Toronto, where he'll try to further improve on a 4.14 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 65:30 K:BB across 74 innings.

Phillips took a no-decision Monday against the Rangers, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks in six innings. He struck out four.

It was Phillips' finest showing as a starter this year, as he turned in his first quality start Monday. The 28-year-old right-hander also threw a season-high 89 pitches, suggesting he's just about fully stretched out and ready to handle a traditional starter's workload going forward. Phillips, who has a 3.09 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 49:30 K:BB over 58.1 innings, tentatively lines up to take at least one more turn through Miami's rotation in St. Louis over the weekend.

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.