MLB Player News

Boxberger threw a scoreless 10th frame and picked up the win in Monday's extra-inning victory over the Tigers.

Boxberger spent the early portion of May working in middle relief, but he has played a more prominent role since the Brewers traded J.P. Feyereisen to the Rays on May 21, and that has resulted in him picking up two wins since that date. The veteran righty has allowed just one hit and posted a 6:2 K:BB in five scoreless innings over his last six appearances, so expect him to remain in the late-inning mix for the time being.

Helsley (3-3) was tagged with the loss Monday against the Dodgers after allowing two runs on two hits in one-third of an inning.

Helsley began the sixth inning following the departure of Jack Flaherty (side) but looked woeful, tossing just seven of 14 pitches for strikes and recording only one out before being lifted. He's on a poor run at the moment, having given up two or more runs in three of his last four relief appearances while allowing at least one run in five of his last seven. Helsley owns an 18.00 ERA and a 3.00 WHIP during that seven-game stretch (five innings).

Triple-A Norfolk placed Phillips on the 7-day injured list Tuesday due to an unspecified issue.

The 26-year-old right-hander likely picked up the injury during his May 27 relief appearance. Phillips has been hit hard in five games for Norfolk in 2021, giving up seven earned runs on seven hits and four walks over 5.1 innings.

Alexander started Monday's game against the Brewers and pitched one scoreless inning. He allowed one hit and struck out two.

Detroit gave Alexander his first start of the season in place of Jose Urena (forearm), and he wasn't allowed to work very deep in the game after not going more than three innings in any of his relief appearances so far. Alexander made 10 starts for the Tigers across the last two years, so he does have some experience in the rotation. He could get stretched out a bit more if he sticks as a starter while Urena is out, though the latter could be back as soon as Sunday.

Manager Dave Roberts said after Monday's 9-4 win over the Cardinals that Treinen wasn't available out of the bullpen due to an unspecified injury, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports. "There was a little something in his pregame, his body didn't feel right, and we wanted to give him an extra day," Roberts said.

Roberts' comments wouldn't seem to suggest Treinen is dealing with a major concern, so the expectation is that he'll be good to go for the final two games of the series with St. Louis. Treinen was lit up for three runs while recording only two outs in his last appearance Friday against the Giants, ending a streak of 10 straight outings in which he hadn't allowed an earned run.

Thompson allowed an earned run across 2.1 innings of relief in Monday's win over the Padres. He gave up three hits and struck out three.

Thompson came into the contest having not allowed a run through his first 15 innings pitched this season, so he was probably due to let someone cross the plate. But the righty still pitched well and owns a spectacular 0.52 ERA. Thompson has given the Cubs valuable length out of the bullpen, as he's retired four or more batters in six of his 10 appearances. Expect the 26-year-old to stick around as long as he's pitching this well.

Maton (1-0) got the win in Game 2 of Monday's doubleheader against the White Sox after allowing a hit and punching out two in a scoreless sixth.

Maton allowed a leadoff double to Yoan Moncada but was able to take care of the next three hitters to get out of the inning with no harm done. The 28-year-old earned both his first win and hold of the year while lowering his ERA to 6.75 to go along with a 26:9 K:BB over 17.1 innings.

Clase allowed a hit but struck out three in Game 2 of Monday's doubleheader against the White Sox, earning his ninth save of the year in the process.

Clase allowed a leadoff single to Jake Lamb but then struck out Leury Garcia, Billy Hamilton and Nick Madrigal to end the game. The 24-year-old now owns a 1.14 ERA and 24:12 K:BB over 23.2 innings this season.

Canterino has a 1.00 ERA and 35 strikeouts with three walks over 18 innings in his first four starts for High-A Cedar Rapids.

Canterino was the Twins' second-round pick in the 2019 first-year player draft, and spent some time last season at the alternate training site for developmental purposes. As a 23-year old pitcher out of college, he could advance quickly if he continues to dominate at High-A.

Smeltzer (elbow) started throwing Monday but said it's difficult to plan the next steps in his rehab, MLB.com reports.

Smeltzer went on the injured list May 12 with nerve irritation in his left elbow. While his timetable to return is uncertain, the Twins have said they do not think there is any structural damage to his elbow.