MLB Player News

Stewart (elbow) has been throwing off flat ground from 90 feet as of Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

Slowly but surely, Stewart is increasing his throwing distance as he works his way back from right elbow soreness. Twins head athletic trainer Nick Paparesta said that Stewart could be cleared to begin throwing bullpen sessions by late August, which would keep hope alive for a September return from the 60-day injured list.

Ortega was recalled from Triple-A Rochester on Sunday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

After getting sent down to Rochester on July 26, Ortega turned in a 0.87 ERA with 15 strikeouts against two walks across 10.1 innings over his seven appearances. He'll now get the chance to fill a middle-innings role in the Minnesota bullpen after the Twins optioned the struggling Jordan Balazovic to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

The Twins optioned Balazovic to Triple-A Rochester on Sunday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Balazovic will head back to the minors after giving up three runs on three hits and three walks over an inning out of the bullpen in Saturday's 7-4 loss to the Pirates. He's struggled with an 8.71 ERA and 7:8 K:BB ratio in 10.1 innings over his last seven appearances. Balazovic could return to the Twins in September if he can rebound with a sustained run of success at Triple-A.

Romano picked up the save in Saturday's 4-3 win over Cincinnati. He allowed a hit and a walk while striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning.

Romano was tasked with preserving a one-run lead in the ninth inning and immediately found himself in hot water, allowing the first two batters to reach on a walk and a base hit. The All-Star closer then induced a flyout, a swinging strikeout and a groundout to end the threat and earn his 30th save. Romano has successfully converted both of his save opportunities since his return from the injured list.

Barria gave up nine runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out three batters over 2.1 innings in a loss to the Rays in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday.

Angels starter Patrick Sandoval had a rough outing of his own, and Los Angeles was already down 6-0 when Barria entered in the bottom of the fifth. Things got much worse for the team when Barria surrendered seven runs in the following frame, but manager Phil Nevin let the right-hander take his lumps, keeping him in the contest for another inning, during which he allowed two more runs. While the first two knocks the Rays notched against Barria were infield singles, the veteran gave up plenty of hard contact as well and served up three homers. He's been tagged for 13 runs over 3.1 frames across his past two outings, raising his ERA from 3.86 all the way up to 5.32.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Pivetta will work as a bulk reliever in Sunday's game against the Yankees behind opening pitcher Josh Winckowski, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Pivetta operated as a traditional starter in both of his last two appearances, but he'll return to a familiar bulk-relief role Sunday while the Red Sox deploy him behind Winckowski, who is unlikely to work more than 1-to-3 innings before being pulled from the contest. The arrangement should improve Pivetta's odds of factoring into any decision, though it may take some strikeout upside off the table while he presumably covers fewer innings than he might as a traditional starter. The Red Sox are expected to get Tanner Houck (face) back from the 15-day injured list either Monday or Tuesday and plan on having him fill a spot in the rotation, so Pivetta could end up sticking in a bullpen role permanently moving forward.

Winckowski will serve as the Red Sox's opening pitcher for Sunday's game against the Yankees, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

After making 14 starts for Boston as a rookie in 2022, Winckowski has worked exclusively as a reliever for the Red Sox thus far in his second season in the majors. Though he'll be serving as a starter for the first time in 45 appearances, Winckowski is unlikely to cover more than 1-to-3 innings before turning the game over to Nick Pivetta, whom manager Alex Cora said will work the bulk of the innings in relief. Winckowski enters Sunday's contest with a 3.20 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 57:18 K:BB in 64.2 innings to go with three wins, two saves and 15 holds.

Foley pitched a scoreless ninth inning with two strikeouts to record the save in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Guardians.

Foley now has seven saves this season, with three of them coming in his last four appearances as he's taken over as Detroit's primary closer, displacing Alex Lange. Foley has a strong 2.63 ERA overall, though his ERA in August sits at 4.32, in part due to allowing three earned runs in an outing Wednesday. As long as the righty displays better command than Lange and avoids blowups, he should stick as the team's top option for saves.

Lopez earned a save over the Rays in the first game of a twin bill Saturday, allowing one hit and striking out two batters over one scoreless inning.

Angels closer Carlos Estevez has struggled of late, though his lack of usage in a save situation in the matinee of the doubleheader was probably due to him throwing 43 pitches over 1.2 frames while taking the loss Friday. Lopez thus assumed closer duties with Los Angeles up a run in the ninth inning, and he worked around a leadoff single to secure the save. It was his second save in nine games since joining the Angels on July 26, and he's given up only two runs while posting a 16:3 K:BB across 9.2 frames during that stretch. There's no indication that Estevez has lost his closing role, but Lopez has pitched well enough since joining the team to take over ninth-inning duties if manager Phil Nevin does eventually decide to go in a different direction.

Silseth allowed five runs on five hits and three walks while striking out four batters over 3.2 innings in a no-decision in the Angels' 7-6 win over the Rays in Game 1 of a doubleheader Saturday.

Though Silseth fell behind by two runs in the first frame, the Angels bounced back to give him a 6-2 lead through three innings. The right-hander couldn't take advantage, however, as he was lifted with two outs in the fourth. Silseth surrendered three runs on four hits and a walk in that frame, with two of the knocks against him leaving the park. The 23-year-old nailed down a spot in the rotation on the strength of a four-start stretch between July 19 and Aug. 13, during which he posted a 1.59 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 31:5 K:BB across 22.2 innings. Saturday's poor outing probably won't lead to him leaving the rotation, though it's worth noting that Griffin Canning -- who has come out of the bullpen in each of his past two appearances after starting in each of his initial 16 contests this season -- took the win Saturday as a result of giving up just one run over 3.1 frames.