MLB Player News

Santiago (shoulder) threw his second bullpen in three days Saturday and could be activated from the DL to start Thursday against the White Sox, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The Twins had debated whether to move Santiago to the bullpen, but it sounds like he'll return as a starter given how the back end of the rotation has struggled.

Junis gave up five runs on eight hits while striking out six over 5.1 innings Saturday against the Angels.

Cameron Maybin and Albert Pujols both took the rookie deep in his fourth career start. While he is capable of missing bats, his 5.56 ERA and 1.72 WHIP illustrate the ratio damage he can do. If he remains in the big-league rotation, Junis will face the Blue Jays in a home series next weekend.

Fulmer (6-5) allowed three runs on six hits in 6.2 innings during Saturday's loss to the Rays. He struck out three batters and walked four.

After allowing 10 runs over his previous two starts (11.2 innings), Fulmer bounced back to toss a quality start despite getting tagged with his fifth loss of the season. The 24-year-old wasn't at his sharpest, however, as he walked more batters than he struck out for the first time this season. Still, Fulmer sports a respectable 3.45 ERA over 13 starts (86 innings). His next turn in the rotation is scheduled for Thursday against the Mariners.

Kahnle entered Saturday's game with one out and two men on in the seventh inning and induced an inning-ending double play in a 5-2 win over Toronto.

Kahnle went on to pitch the eighth inning as well, striking out two to finish off a scoreless 1.2 innings for his seventh hold of the season. The 27-year-old right-hander has emerged as the high-leverage option for manager Rick Renteria, who hasn't had Nate Jones (elbow) since early May. With 48 strikeouts over 28.1 innings, Kahnle is looking like an effective setup man who won't be dislodged from his current role when Jones returns.

Merritt allowed three runs (two earned) over four innings against the Twins in Saturday's win. He allowed seven hits and notched a pair of strikeouts in his spot start and was optioned after the game.

The Indians provided Merritt plenty of run support, staking him to a three-run lead before he even took the mound. Merritt was serviceable as a spot starter, but it was clear even before he was recalled Saturday that he wouldn't stick in the rotation beyond this outing. He'll head back to Triple-A Columbus as a starter and figures to stay there for the foreseeable future barring a rash of injuries to the Indians' rotation.

Busenitz had his contract purchased from Triple-A Rochester ahead of Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Indians, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

As expected, Busenitz will join the Twins as an extra bullpen arm Saturday. He'll take the spot of Adam Wilk, who was designated for assignment following Game 1. Although Busenitz isn't considered a top prospect, he could stick around in the big-league bullpen if he is able to replicate the impressive numbers he put up with Rochester (2.15 ERA and 32:9 K:BB in 29.1 innings).

Robertson cruised through the ninth inning to pick up his 11th save of the season Saturday against the Blue Jays. He stuck out two batters and didn't allow a baserunner while finishing the inning with 14 pitches.

Saturday was Robertson's first clean inning since May 29, a span of four outings. His ERA is down to 3.20 and he owns a strong 0.87 WHIP alongside a 13.26 K/9. Robertson continues to be a reliable option in the back end and his 11 saves rank him eighth in the American League.

Coulombe (1-1) fired 1.1 scoreless innings in Friday's 7-6 win over the Yankees, recording a strikeout.

The lefty snuffed out a seventh-inning threat by getting Chase Headley on a swinging strikeout with two aboard and then kept the Yankees at bay in the eighth as well. It was Coulombe's first victory of the season and also extended his streak of not allowing an earned run to 10 appearances. Friday's effort brought his ERA down below 2.00 for the first time since after his first appearance of the season.

Manaea didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 7-6 win over the Yankees, giving up five earned runs on eight hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out seven.

The young lefty did have the advantage of facing a Yankees squad that was sitting a couple of regulars, but he turned in a serviceable performance in many respects despite giving up five runs. Manaea notched 17 swinging strikes among his 107 pitches and was mainly done in by two mistakes, a three-run home run by Aaron Judge in the third and a solo shot by Chris Carter in the sixth. The 25-year-old did an impressive job keeping the ball down otherwise, inducing 11 groundballs overall. The outing did snap a five-start winning streak for Manaea, but he'll look to start a new one when he takes on the Astros at home next Wednesday.

Curtis was optioned to Double-A Arkansas on Saturday.

After two stellar outings for the Mariners earlier in the year, Curtis struggled Friday night, uncorking two wild pitches, hitting a batter and serving up a home run in a three-inning outing. Now that he's likely unavailable to pitch for the next few days, he'll return to the minors in favor of Rob Whalen, a fresh arm recalled from Triple-A Tacoma in a corresponding move.