MLB Player News

Manager Scott Servais said Sunday that Kikuchi (knee) is experiencing minimal swelling and is feeling better than expected after being hit by a comebacker during his start in Saturday's 12-5 loss to the Angels, Lauren Smith of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Kikuchi was diagnosed with a bone bruise and inflammation in his right knee after being struck in the fifth inning by a David Fletcher line drive. Despite his positivity about Kikuchi's condition, Servais wouldn't confirm whether the southpaw will be able to make his next start, which is currently set for Saturday in Cleveland.

Manager Tony La Russa said Sunday that Kopech (hamstring) ran sprints and is progressing well in his recovery, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Kopech was placed on the injured list May 31 with a Grade 1 strain of his left hamstring. Per La Russa, everything is going well with the righty's throwing and exercise programs as he eyes a return to the Chicago bullpen. It's not yet clear if he'll be able to be reinstated when eligible June 8, but he doesn't figure to be out much longer than that, assuming all continues to go well with his recovery.

Manager A.J. Hinch said Sunday that Turnbull's right forearm is structurally sound after the 28-year-old underwent further medical evaluations, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports. "It's muscular in nature," Hinch said of Turnbull's injury. "He does have inflammation he's got to deal with, but we were very happy with the initial diagnosis."

The Tigers placed Turnbull on the injured list Saturday with right forearm tightness, a diagnosis he received after being pulled from his start one day earlier. Fortunately for Turnbull, he appears to have avoided a strain of the forearm, and he should be able to treat his injury through rest and rehab while he waits for the inflammation to subside. He remains without a definitive timeline for a return, but one should begin to come into focus once he's cleared to start a throwing program.

Ober was officially recalled from Triple-A St. Paul prior to his start against the Royals on Sunday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The Twins announced Saturday that Ober would take the ball Sunday, and now he's been officially added to the major-league roster. The right-hander will be looking to improve on his previous big-league start, during which he allowed four runs across four innings against the White Sox on May 18. Shaun Anderson (blisters) was placed on the 10-day injured list in a corresponding roster move.

Means has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder strain.

Means exited his Saturday start against Cleveland with shoulder fatigue and has been diagnosed with a shoulder strain. Per Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com, the Orioles are still awaiting the results of an MRI that Means underwent Sunday, so there's still the possibility that there is more to the injury. Zac Lowther was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk in a corresponding roster move.

The Tigers reinstated Urena (forearm) from the 10-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Sunday against the White Sox, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Detroit placed reliever Michael Fulmer (shoulder) on the IL to make room on the active roster for Urena, who spent the minimum amount of time on the shelf with a minor right forearm strain. The Tigers could look to limit Urena's workload slightly more than usual as he returns from the injury, but due to the brevity of his absence, he likely won't need much time to get fully stretched out. Through his first 10 starts of 2021, Urena has posted a 4.14 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 35:22 K:BB in 54.1 innings.

Gibson will not pitch against the Dodgers in Los Angeles next weekend, Sam Blum of the Dallas Morning News reports.

The Rangers want to avoid having Gibson, who is coming off a groin injury, swinging the bat and potentially running the bases. As such, his next start will come after the weekend series in Los Angeles, which likely pushes him until the following Tuesday at Houston.

McCullers (shoulder) is likely to pitch a simulated game this weekend in Buffalo, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

McCullers was placed on the injured list May 23, and the Astros are not giving a timetable for his return to the rotation. Houston's rotation was given a boost recently with Framber Valdez and Jake Odorizzi returning from injuries, but the team will make room for McCullers whenever he's ready.

Berrios (6-2) earned the win Saturday against the Royals after allowing four runs on six hits and two walks while fanning four across six innings.

Berrios wasn't dominant enough to record a quality start and has allowed at least three runs in three of his last five starts, but he's managed to limit the damage and has gone eight straight outings without a loss, posting a 4-0 record with a 3.83 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP and a 43:12 K:BB in that span. His next start is scheduled for next week at home against the Astros.

Irvin (4-7) earned the win over Colorado on Saturday, hurling six innings and allowing one run on six hits and one walk while striking out five.

The southpaw finished with his first quality start since May 15, rebounding nicely after allowing 13 earned runs over 15.2 innings across his previous three starts. Irvin also notched his highest strikeout total since striking out nine Blue Jays on May 4. He induced 15 swinging strikes in the contest and kept Colorado off the scoreboard after allowing a first-inning run. Irvin will carry a 3.89 ERA into his next start, which is tentatively scheduled for Friday at home versus Kansas City.