MLB Player News

Means (forearm) will begin his rehab assignment Sunday with Triple-A Norfolk.

Means didn't pitch in spring training, so he'll continue ramping up in the minors. He had a flare-up with his surgically repaired left elbow in October, putting him behind in the spring. Means is likely to need just about all of his 30-day rehab window to get up to speed, so his major-league season debut should be expected in mid-to-late April if he avoids setbacks.

Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey revealed Saturday that DeSclafani will be out for the season after undergoing flexor tendon surgery on his right elbow, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The silver lining is that DeSclafani did not undergo Tommy John surgery, but the right-hander will be sidelined for the season. DeSclafani experienced right elbow soreness at the beginning of March, and while he was able to throw some bullpen sessions and a minor-league game, he will ultimately not play in 2024. Louie Varland is now cemented as the Twins' fifth starting pitcher.

Bradish (elbow) is headed to Sarasota on Saturday to continue his throwing rehab program, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Bradish threw a 35-pitch bullpen session Friday after being placed on the team's 15-day injured list Thursday. There's no exact timeline for his return, but Bradish was able to utilize all of his pitches during his throwing session, and GM Mike Elias said previously that he expected Bradish back early in the first half. With the Orioles in 2023, Bradish went 12-7 over 30 starts while recording a 2.83 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 168:44 K:BB over 168.2 innings.

Civale (1-0) picked up the win Friday over the Blue Jays, allowing one run on four hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out six.

A George Springer solo shot in the third inning accounted for the only damage off Civale. The 28-year-old right-hander tossed 53 of 86 pitches for strikes but only generated five swinging strikes, a reminder that he's never delivered big strikeouts numbers in his career over a prolonged stretch. Civale did post a 58:11 K:BB over 45.1 innings after joining the Rays last season from the Guardians, but that came with a 5.36 ERA thanks to seven homers allowed, and a 1.37 WHIP.

Bassitt (0-1) took the loss Friday against the Rays, giving up five runs (four earned) on six hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out six.

Two errors behind him by Bo Bichette did Bassitt no favors, but most of the damage off the veteran right-hander came when he left a cutter over the middle of the plate in the third inning and Brandon Lowe crushed it for a grand slam. Bassitt threw 95 pitches (63 strikes) and generated an impressive 31 called or swinging strikes, but after serving up 28 homers in 200 innings last season -- both career highs -- his ability to keep the ball in the park is worth monitoring in 2024.

Kirby (1-0) earned the win in Friday's 1-0 victory over the Red Sox, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out eight over 6.2 scoreless innings.

Kirby settled in after issuing a pair of walks in the first inning, allowing just two baserunners over his final 5.2 frames en route to a 1-0 victory. The 26-year-old right-hander went 13-10 last year with a 3.35 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and a stellar 172:19 K:BB across 31 starts. Kirby's next start is expected to come Tuesday in the Mariners' home matchup with the Guardians.

Stripling (0-1) allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits and two walks over five innings Friday, striking out six in a 6-4 loss to Cleveland.

Stripling struggled right out of the gate by yielding three runs in the first inning, including a two-run shot from Jose Ramirez. Stripling managed to turn in a few scoreless frames before Cleveland pushed two more runs across in the fifth. His velocity was down a bit, with his fastball averaging just under 91.0 mph after he averaged 92.0 mph with the Giants last season. The veteran righty is currently in line to face the Red Sox at home next week.

Allen struck out three and yielded three runs on six hits and zero walks over five-plus frames Friday en route to earning a win in Cleveland's 6-4 victory over Oakland.

Allen opened the game with three scoreless innings before J.D. Davis launched his first of two home runs off the Guardians' starter. Allen allowed multiple home runs in just three of his 24 starts last season. He forced 14 whiffs on 82 pitches, which would've been his fourth-highest single-game total in 2023. The southpaw is currently in line to start in Seattle next week.

Rodon yielded a run on five hits and three walks over 4.1 innings Friday against the Astros. He struck out four and did not factor in the decision in a 7-1 win.

Rodon coughed up a run in the first inning but was able to avoid danger throughout the rest of his start, including a third-inning jam when he punched out Jose Abreu and Chas McCormick to strand a pair of runners. After posting a brutal 6.85 ERA in 2023, Rodon looked shaky at times Friday but generally kept the game under control. He forced 11 whiffs and the fastball touched 98 mph. The 31-year-old southpaw is currently in line to start in Arizona next week.

Javier allowed four hits and a walk over six shutout innings during Friday's 7-1 loss to the Yankees. He struck out six and didn't factor in the decision.

The Yankees only managed to put two runners in scoring position against Javier and he had no trouble working through that traffic. The 27-year-old threw 56 of 90 pitches for strikes, though he only forced eight whiffs. Still, it was an impressive outing against a strong Yankees lineup after Javier posted a 4.56 ERA across 162 innings in 2023. He's currently lined up to face the Blue Jays at home next week.