MLB Player News

Duffey was removed from Sunday's start against the Nationals in the fifth inning after he was struck in the right shoulder by a line drive, James Wagner of the Washington Post reports.

Team trainers and manager Paul Molitor met with Duffey on the mound before quickly deciding to pull the right-hander from the game, ending his afternoon with one run allowed on five hits and two walks over four innings. It's too early to tell if Duffey's injury is anything significant, but more clarity on that front should come when he's evaluated in the locker room.

Santiago won his second straight start Saturday versus Seattle, allowing just two runs over six innings with seven strikeouts and two walks.

The lefty is off to an excellent start to the season, as he now has a 2.70 ERA to go along with 27 strikeouts through 26.2 innings. Santiago made his first career All-Star appearance in 2015, and he has shown through four starts that it was not a fluke. He will look to make it three straight wins in Friday's start versus the Rangers.

Duffey was recalled from Triple-A Rochester after Saturday's game, and he will start Sunday for the Twins in the series finale against the Nationals.

Ervin Santana was scratched with a stiff back, so Duffey was recalled, as he is on the 40-man roster and last pitched Monday, so he will be on an extra day of rest. Santana's ailment is not expected to be a long-term issue, so Duffey could very easily be optioned back down after his start Sunday. Last year he posted a 3.10 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 58 innings over 10 MLB starts, and he was working with a 1.72 ERA and 1.40 WHIP with 13 strikeouts in 15.2 innings over three starts at Triple-A this year.

Smith (forearm) is tentatively scheduled to begin his rehab assignment Tuesday at Triple-A Pawtucket, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal reports.

Smith is set to make an appearance in an extended spring training game Saturday and if all goes well, he'll set out on his rehab assignment Tuesday. The Red Sox have said that Smith will need three rehab appearances before coming off the disabled list, making an early May return a possibility. Smith started the season on the disabled list after suffering a forearm strain in spring training.

Shaw pitched a shutout inning while striking out two against Detroit on Friday.

Shaw self-combusted twice this season which has led to a bloated 14.29 ERA through 5.2 innings of action. Besides those two outings, the right-hander has faired quite well, allowing two hits while striking out six in 4.1 scoreless innings. If Shaw can limit the home runs, he should be able to settle down and become a more reliable reliever, especially with a great strikeout rate early on this season.

Duffey will be recalled from Triple-A to start Sunday's game against the Nationals, LaVelle Neal of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Scheduled starter Ervin Santana has been scratched due to a stiff back, so the Twins will recall Duffey to take the hill in his place. Duffey made 10 starts for Minnesota in 2015, going 5-1 and posting a 3.10 ERA across 58 innings. He's off to a fairly strong start at Triple-A this season, holding a 1.72 ERA while allowing three earned runs in 15.2 innings.

Smith (forearm), who is scheduled to throw one inning in an extended spring training game Saturday, will likely need three appearances in the minor leagues before being activated, the Boston Globe reports.

After Saturday's appearance, Smith is expected to begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment next week. On that schedule, he could be activated from the disabled list around May 3. The ultimate goal is to have him pitch in back-to-back games before the organization adds him to the active roster.

Chavez (back) tossed 1.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen against Oakland on Friday night.

He allowed a hit and struck out one during the outing. Thus far in 2016, Chavez has been effective out of the Toronto bullpen, posting a 9:1 K:BB, 1.50 ERA, and 1.17 WHIP over six appearances.

Kimbrel retired the only batter he faced to collect his fifth save Friday against the Astros.

The Red Sox had a five-run lead in the ninth, but after the bullpen allowed a run and two additional runners on base, Kimbrel retired Carlos Correa on six pitches to close out the contest. After a rocky outing earlier this month, he's gotten back on track by holding opponents scoreless in his last six outings.

McHugh (1-3) allowed five runs on 10 hits and one walk while striking out three over four innings to take the loss Friday against the Red Sox.

McHugh allowed runs in each of the four innings he pitched, and left the contest with a 5-0 deficit in a game the Astros would go on to lose. Aside from one excellent start, he's allowed 14 earned runs over 9.2 innings in his other three starts and his ERA has risen to 7.56 while his WHIP now stands at 2.10. He'll try to get back on track in his next start Wednesday at the Mariners.