MLB Player News

Lopez suffered a lat strain on the back of his pitching shoulder during Tuesday's 10-3 win over the Athletics and is likely to be placed on the injured list, the Phil Miller of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports. "It's not the greatest news to hear, to have to deal with, but if there's a silver lining it's that it wasn't that posterior cuff or that I didn't feel anything blowing up," Lopez said after the game.

Lopez was removed in the sixth inning after feeling soreness in his shoulder after throwing warmup pitches. He was still able to come away with his fifth win of the season, giving up two earned runs on fur hits and three walks while striking out four over five frames. Lopez is set to undergo further testing Wednesday before the Twins confirm the diagnosis of a lat strain, but at least his initial outlook doesn't seem to be too ominous. Triple-A St. Paul starters David Festa and Simeon Woods Richardson would appear to be the leading candidates to enter the big-league rotation the next time Lopez's turn comes up.

Bello came away with a no-decision in Tuesday's 4-3 extra-inning loss to the Angels, giving up three runs on seven hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out four.

After struggling to complete five innings in a start through most of May, Bello began June with a much sharper outing, tossing 65 of 103 pitches for strikes in his third quality start of the year. The 26-year-old right-hander will carry a 3.91 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and 33:24 K:BB through 46 innings into his next trip to the mound, which is scheduled to come at home early next week against the Rays.

Kikuchi came away with a no-decision in Tuesday's 4-3 extra-inning win over the Red Sox, giving up three runs on eight hits and five walks over five-plus innings. He struck out five.

The left-hander tossed only 56 of 99 pitches for strikes in a shaky outing, but Kikuchi had limited the damage until running out of gas in the sixth inning, when he began the frame with two free passes sandwiched around a two-run homer by Ceddanne Rafaela before getting the hook. Kikuchi has walked at least four batters in four straight starts, but Rafaela's long ball was the first homer he's served up during that stretch, allowing him to escape with a 2.11 ERA in 21.1 innings despite a worrisome 20:18 K:BB. Kikuchi will try to tighten things up in his next trip the mound, which lines up to come at home early next week against the A's.

Bieber (elbow) will have his rehab start for Double-A Akron pushed back a day to Friday, MLB.com reports.

Bieber's next rehab start was originally slated for Thursday, per Zach Meisel of The Athletic, but Meisel followed up with a note indicating the start will now come Friday, which confirms the MLB.com report. Bieber's first rehab start was in the Arizona Complex League where he tossed 2.1 scoreless frames for the ACL Guardians.

Francis (2-7) took the loss Tuesday against the Phillies, allowing seven runs (six earned) on seven hits and two walks while striking out two in 1.2 innings.

The Phillies plated six runs in the first against Francis, which included back-to-back home runs from Trea Turner and Bryce Harper among the six hits they had in the inning. Francis has given up 17 home runs, the most in baseball. He's allowed seven hits or more in four starts and has allowed multiple homers five times. He'll aim to rebound on the road against Minnesota this weekend.

Rodon (8-3) picked up the win in Tuesday's 3-2 victory over the Guardians, allowing one run on five hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out eight.

The veteran southpaw was locked in a pitchers' duel with Tanner Bibee most of the way, but back-to-back solo shots by Jazz Chisholm and Anthony Volpe to lead off the bottom of the seventh broke open a 1-1 tie. Rodon has won seven straight decisions, with his last loss coming back on April 13, and during his undefeated stretch he's rattled off seven quality starts in nine trips to the mound with a 1.27 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 70:15 K:BB in 56.2 innings. He'll look for his eighth straight win in his next outing, which is scheduled to come at home this weekend against the Red Sox.

Bibee (4-6) took the loss Tuesday, giving up three runs on four hits and two walks over 6.1 innings as the Guardians fell 3-2 to the Yankees. He struck out six.

The right-hander delivered his fifth quality start of the year on a season-high 107 pitches (63 strikes), but back-to-back solo shots by Jazz Chisholm and Anthony Volpe to lead off the seventh inning broke a 1-1 tie and stuck Bibee with the loss. After failing to strike out more than five batters in any outing through mid-May, Bibee seems to have re-discovered his ability to miss bats, posting a 3.44 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 21:6 K:BB over his last three starts and 18.1 innings. He'll look to keep rolling in his next trip to the mound, which lines up to come at home this weekend against the Astros.

Gilbert (elbow) will make his second rehab start with Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Manager Dan Wilson said Tuesday that the Mariners will re-evaluate Gilbert following his minor-league outing. If all goes well, Wednesday's appearance could be the right-hander's last during his assignment as he works his way back from a right elbow flexor strain. Gilbert's earliest possible return to Seattle's rotation looks to be some time early next week, when the team begins a three-game series Monday against the Diamondbacks in Arizona.

Lopez (0-4) took the loss Tuesday versus the Twins, allowing five runs on five hits and a walk while striking out nine over 4.1 innings of relief.

The Athletics haven't announced their pitching plans for this series, aside from having Grant Holman serve as an opener Tuesday. That made this a somewhat unexpected outing for Lopez, who was pitching on regular rest after his short 1.2-inning start last Thursday against the Blue Jays. Lopez was tagged for three home runs Tuesday, all of which were solo shots. His workload was normal at 96 pitches (56 strikes), but the results continue to be troublesome for the southpaw, who is now at a 7.20 ERA, 1.75 WHIP and 26:10 K:BB across 20 innings through seven appearances (four starts). Lopez may still have a leg up on Osvaldo Bido for a spot in the rotation in the short term, as Bido worked as more of a traditional reliever following Lopez's bulk-relief outing.

Smith (2-3) earned the win Tuesday, allowing three hits and two walks over 5.1 scoreless innings against the Tigers. He struck out six.

Smith neutralized the Tigers' offense, recording his fourth scoreless outing of the season. The right-hander has impressed in his rookie campaign, posting a 2.45 ERA and 1.14 WHIP across 62.1 innings. While the White Sox remain at the bottom of the AL Central, Smith has been a clear bright spot.