MLB Player News

Buxton went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk and three runs scored in Wednesday's 8-6 win over the Tigers.

This was the second multi-hit effort of the season for Buxton, who has struggled to get much going at the plate. He's also drawn a walk in three straight games. The outfielder is batting .214 with a .625 OPS through 11 contests, and he's added one RBI, eight runs, three doubles and one triple, through he's yet to hit a home run or attempt a stolen base. Buxton has been atop the lineup for the last three games, including one against a right-handed pitcher, but he'll need to build off this performance to avoid dropping down the order.

Funderburk walked one and hit one batter while not allowing a hit or a run in two-thirds of an inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 8-6 win over the Tigers.

Funderburk made things interesting, but he managed to get the job done for his first save of the season. The Twins utilized Justin Topa and Cole Sands earlier in the contest, and Taylor Rogers may have been unavailable after pitching three times in the previous four days, leaving the bullpen short staffed. This was a fifth straight scoreless outing for Funderburk, who has pitched three hitless innings while issuing four walks in that span. He has a 3.18 ERA and 6:6 K:BB over 5.2 innings while adding a 1-1 record and three holds so far in 2026. While he may continue to see some high-leverage work, his early performance suggests his pitching will cause some stress. Funderburk is the fourth Twins pitcher to log a save this season, leaving no clarity to who will handle the bulk of the closing duties.

Ober (1-0) allowed two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out two over 5.2 innings to earn the win over the Tigers on Wednesday.

Ober came up an out short of a quality start, but this was still his best outing of the season. The 30-year-old had gone just four innings in each of his first two games. Ober threw 64 of 99 pitches for strikes Wednesday and limited the damage to the sixth inning. He has a 5.27 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 7:4 K:BB through 13.2 innings so far. Ober's lack of strikeouts is a concern, especially after he posted a career-worst 7.4 K/9 during the 2025 regular season. He's averaging just 89.1 mph on his four-seam fastball this year, down from 90.3 mph last year, so his strikeout numbers are unlikely to rebound if the velocity remains down. Ober is tentatively projected to make his next start at home versus the Red Sox.

Valdez (1-1) allowed eight runs on 10 hits, two walks and a hit batsman while striking out two over five-plus innings to take the loss versus the Twins on Wednesday.

Valdez gave up six runs in the first inning, and the Tigers weren't able to recover from that. He had posted quality starts in his first two outings this season, but he fell far short of that threshold Wednesday. Valdez now has a 4.76 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 12:5 K:BB through 17 innings over three starts. The veteran southpaw will want to bounce back in his next outing -- he allowed at least four runs in eight of his last 10 regular-season starts in 2025, so this poor outing could snowball. He is tentatively lined up for a home start versus Royals early next week.

Kuhnel struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Yankees.

This was Kuhnel's second appearance of the season, and he was trusted with a one-run lead that the Athletics had earned in the top of the ninth inning. He got the job done on 12 pitches (eight strikes), finishing with a strikeout of Ryan McMahon. Mark Leiter had the Athletics' first save of the campaign, but he also leads the team with two blown saves, one of which was Tuesday. Scott Barlow and Hogan Harris were both utilized earlier in the game Wednesday while the score was tied at 2-2. The closer job could very well be up for grabs, but it's unclear if Kuhnel will be a serious contender for ninth-inning duties. With most of the Athletics' relievers getting hit hard early in the campaign, simply pitching at an average level could help Kuhnel at least secure high-leverage work.

Duran went 1-for-3 with a run scored in Wednesday's 3-0 win over Seattle.

Duran started at third base for a second straight game, as primary starter Josh Jung (undisclosed) remained out of the lineup. Texas manager Skip Schumaker described Jung as "banged up" but available to play if needed. That suggests Duran's run could end soon.

Severino allowed two runs on four hits and five walks while striking out seven over five innings to take a no-decision Wednesday versus the Yankees.

It was another shaky performance for Severino, who has walked at least three batters in all three of his starts so far. He threw 54 of 100 pitches for strikes Wednesday and at least appears to be fully stretched out, but he'll need to improve his control to work as a true innings-eater at the head of the Athletics' rotation. Through 13.1 innings, he has a 5.40 ERA, 1.80 WHIP and 17:13 K:BB. Severino has benefited from not allowing a home run yet, but he's put too much traffic on the basepaths to avoid trouble. His next start is projected to be at home versus the Rangers.

Wolfram picked up a hold Wednesday against the White Sox, fanning one and allowing one hit with no walks in a scoreless seventh inning.

Wolfram is now up to three holds so far this year, and he's emerging as a key piece out the Baltimore bullpen in the early going. Through his first five frames, the left-hander owns a 3.60 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 9:2 K:BB and should continue to work in a mix of middle-relief and high-leverage spots.

Warren allowed two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out five over 4.2 innings to take a no-decision Wednesday versus the Athletics.

Warren threw 48 of 85 pitches for strikes. He was rolling until the fourth inning, when the Athletics were able to pick up both of their runs against him, including the tying run coming across on a wild pitch. Warren has limited damage fairly well through three starts, maintaining a 3.07 ERA despite a 1.30 WHIP and 14:5 K:BB over 14.2 innings. However, his pitching hasn't led to longer starts with just one outing of at least five frames, and he'll need to work on his efficiency to get more sustained success. He is tentatively lined up for a home start versus the Angels early next week.

Tovar went 2-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI on Wednesday against the Astros.

Tovar completed a five-run rally in the second inning with a two-out RBI double. He added another two-bagger in his next plate appearance to mark only his second multi-hit effort of the season and first since March 30 -- a span of six starts. Tovar has managed 12 hits across 45 at-bats to begin the new campaign, though that's been paired with a 29.8 percent strikeout rate and only one stolen base and one home run.