MLB Player News

Woods Richardson (illness) will be activated from the 15-day injured list to start Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays in Toronto, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Woods Richardson has missed most of the month while recovering from a procedure to remove a parasite from his digestive tract. He's made enough progress in his recovery to make two rehab appearances in the minors, with the right-hander giving up four runs (three earned) over 5.1 innings while striking out eight batters and walking two. Though the Twins saw enough from Woods Richardson to welcome him back into the rotation, he'll likely be on a limited workload after covering 3.1 innings and 64 pitches his last time out for Triple-A St. Paul this past Thursday.

Helsley was charged with a blown save Tuesday against Philadelphia, allowing two runs on one hit and two walks in one-third of an inning. He struck out one.

The poor performance came in the eighth inning, as Helsley continues to struggle in a setup role with the Mets. The hard-throwing right-hander now has a disastrous 10.38 ERA, 2.31 WHIP and 11:7 K:BB over 8.2 innings for New York. It wouldn't be surprising to see the club use Helsley in lower-leverage situations until he bounces back.

Gasper went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored in Tuesday's win over Toronto.

Gasper was 2-for-3 with a run scored before belting a clutch, game-tying shot in the ninth inning. It was his first career home run and his first hit since July 26. He entered Tuesday's game in an 0-for-26 slump before the three-hit performance. Gasper owns a .491 OPS through 77 MLB plate appearances this season.

Topa allowed a run on two hits in one inning of work while earning a save over Toronto on Tuesday. He struck out one batter.

Topa was given a 7-4 lead in the ninth inning and worked around an RBI double by Daulton Varsho to convert the save chance. It was Topa's fourth save of the year, and they've all come since Aug. 5. He's converted all four of his save chances and earned one hold since the trade deadline. During that span, Topa owns a 1.53 ERA across 11.2 innings.

Bassitt did not factor in the decision during Tuesday's loss to Minnesota, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out six over 5.2 innings.

Bassitt worked through five shutout innings before yielding a two-run homer to Luke Keaschall in the sixth. Bassitt was in line for his first win since July 23 before Toronto's bullpen fumbled the lead. He's struggled with his command and control lately; Bassitt has walked multiple batters in five straight outings, registering a 27:14 K:BB over 27 frames during that span. In six starts since his last win, he's produced a 5.22 ERA, raising his season mark to 4.14 over 150 innings. Bassitt is lined up to start in Cincinnati next week.

Hoffman (8-5) yielded four runs on three hits and a walk while taking a loss against the Twins on Tuesday. He recorded two outs and was charged with a blown save.

Hoffman served up a leadoff homer to Mickey Gasper to immediately blow the save opportunity. Matt Wallner then ripped with a three-run shot to put the game out of reach. It's the first time Hoffman has given up more than one run in an outing since he coughed up three runs against the Athletics on July 11. Since then, he had posted a 1.84 ERA over 15 appearances. Hoffman has blown three of his last five save chances and has converted 28 of his 35 chances this season. His ERA jumped to 4.77 through 54.2 innings after Tuesday's rough outing. If his struggles continue, Brendon Little or Yariel Rodriguez could be in line to see some ninth-inning work.

Springer went 4-for-5 with two solo homers and four runs scored in Tuesday's loss to Minnesota.

Springer singled and scored in the first inning before knocking the first of his two home runs in the second. He went deep again in the fifth before ending his big night with another single and run scored in the ninth. Since returning from the injured list, Springer has gone 16-for-42 (.381) with six home runs in 10 games. He's having a terrific bounce-back campaign, slashing .301/.388/.541 with 44 extra-base hits and 79 runs scored through 111 contests.

Luzardo took a no-decision Tuesday against the Mets, allowing four runs on five hits and three walks in four-plus innings. He struck out five.

Luzardo made it through four scoreless innings to begin his outing, but the Mets got to him for four runs in the fifth. It was the southpaw's shortest start since July 4 against the Reds, which also disrupted his streak of five consecutive appearances of at least six innings. Luzardo has a 4.23 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 175:51 K:BB over 149 innings, and he's next set to take the ball against an Atlanta team that's slugging a pitiful .333 versus left-handed pitching since the beginning of August.

Ober did not factor in the decision during Tuesday's win over Toronto, allowing four runs on 10 hits while striking out three over five innings. He did not issue a walk.

Ober struggled early Tuesday, coughing up three runs in the first two innings. He served up two solo homers to George Springer, including one in his fifth and final inning of work. Ober is still searching for his first win since May 3 and would've fallen to 4-8 if not for a late comeback by the Twins. Since that last victory, he's 0-6 with a 5.83 ERA across 80.1 frames. For the year, Ober owns a 5.14 ERA with a 96:25 K:BB in 22 starts. He's currently projected to face the White Sox at home next week.

Manaea took a no-decision Tuesday against the Phillies, allowing two runs on six hits and no walks in 4.2 innings. He struck out eight.

Tuesday was a step in the right direction for Manaea, who had given up at least four runs in each of his prior four starts. The 33-year-old left-hander has not yet tossed at least six innings in any of his first nine outings this season, though he's fanned at least six on five occasions so far. Manaea will be looking to further improve on his 5.01 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 53:8 K:BB in his next appearance, which is tentatively scheduled for this weekend versus the division-rival Marlins.