MLB Player News

The Twins plan to activate Gray (pectoral) from the 15-day injured list to start Wednesday in Seattle, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Gray will be one of two top-of-the-rotation arms rejoining the Twins this week, as Joe Ryan (illness) will be activated from the COVID-19-related later Tuesday ahead of his scheduled outing against the Mariners. After landing on IL on June 2 with the right pectoral strain, Gray wasn't sent out on a minor-league rehab assignment, but he threw a 30-pitch simulated game Friday and should be able to give the Twins around four to six innings Wednesday.

The Twins will activate Ryan (illness) from the COVID-19-related injured list to start Tuesday's game in Seattle, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Minnesota will get two key rotation cogs back in the fold for the series in Seattle, as Sonny Gray (pectoral) will be activated from the 15-day injured list to start Wednesday. The Twins will officially reinstate Ryan shortly before Tuesday's 10:10 p.m. ET opening pitch after the rookie right-hander tossed three scoreless innings in a rehab start with Triple-A St. Paul last Thursday. Because he hasn't pitched for the big club since May 21 after testing positive for COVID-19 and tossed only 40 pitches in his rehab outing, Ryan may be limited in his return.

Liberatore was recalled ahead of his scheduled start in Game 1 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Pirates.

Liberatore will be the 27th man for the doubleheader, which suggests he could head right back to the minors after his outing. He hasn't done quite enough to stick permanently in the big-league rotation through his first three starts at the highest level, posting a 5.54 ERA and 10:8 K:BB, though a date with the Pirates could help him improve those numbers.

Flexen (2-8) took the loss against Minnesota on Monday, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out five over five innings.

Flexen yielded plenty of traffic on the bases Monday, allowing multiple baserunners in four of his five frames. Still, he did a good job of limiting the damage, allowing a two-run homer to the second batter he faced in the first inning but keeping a strong Twins offense off the scoreboard the rest of the way. Flexen's early trouble was enough to send him to his eighth loss -- tied for second-most in the majors -- though his 4.30 ERA suggests that he hasn't been as bad as the record implies. In fact, the right-hander has posted a solid 3.04 ERA across 23.2 innings over his past four starts, though a 1.39 WHIP and 16:8 K:BB during that stretch isn't great.

Singer did not factor in the decision against San Francisco on Monday, allowing two runs on two hits and five walks while striking out five over five innings.

Singer allowed only two hits -- both doubles -- in his five frames, but he yielded a season-high five walks. Four of the free passes came consecutively in the third inning, when Singer couldn't find his control and walked in a pair of runs with two outs. Walks hadn't been an issue for Singer this season -- he entered Monday having yielded just four free passes across 35.1 frames -- but the right-hander has been worse in that area in previous campaigns. After hurling 16.2 scoreless innings over four appearances across a month-long period in April and May, Singer has come back to earth by giving up 15 earned runs over 20.2 frames in his past four starts.

Wood (4-5) earned the win over Kansas City on Monday, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out five over six innings.

The veteran southpaw endured a rough third inning during which the Royals put up two runs on two hits and a walk to take an early lead. Wood settled down from there, retiring the final 10 batters he faced and getting credit for the win as a result of San Francisco taking the lead in the half-inning following his departure from the contest. This was Wood's first win in six starts -- a span of over a month. He's posted a 4.11 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 60:16 K:BB across 61.1 innings on the season.

Kelly (5-4) took the loss against Cincinnati on Monday, pitching six innings and allowing five runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out seven.

There were some positives to Kelly's performance -- he racked up 14 swinging strikes, struck out seven and completed six innings for the second straight game -- but he was unable to take advantage of an early 4-1 lead. After holding the Reds to one run through four frames, the right-hander gave up three runs in the fifth and another in the sixth to fall behind. Overall, Kelly yielded more than three runs for the first time in five starts and for just the second time through 13 outings this season. His 3.68 ERA is respectable, though it comes with a less-promising 1.35 WHIP.

Steele allowed one run on six hits over seven innings in Monday's loss to the Padres. He struck out three and did not factor in the decision.

Steele gave another strong performance but he's still looking for his first win since April 9. The only run he allowed came in the third inning from Jake Cronenworth's RBI single. Over his last two outings, Steele has been charged with two earned runs over 14 frames, lowering his season ERA to 4.33 across 12 starts. The 26-year-old is projected to face Atlanta at home this weekend.

Darvish (6-3) allowed one run on five hits over eight innings Monday, striking out seven and earning a win over the Cubs.

Aside from Yan Gomes' solo shot in the second inning, it was smooth sailing for Darvish as he picked up his second straight win. He's yielded just one run on seven hits over his last 15 frames, lowering his season ERA to 3.35 through 75.1 innings. The veteran righty has allowed two or fewer runs in eight of his 12 starts this year. Darvish is lined up to start in Colorado this weekend.

Javier allowed two runs on five hits and three walks over six innings in Monday's loss to Texas. He struck out seven and did not factor in the decision.

The only damage against Javier through the first six innings came during the third frame on Kole Calhoun's sacrifice fly. He was removed from the game after walking Brad Miller to begin the seventh and was charged with that run while Ryne Stanek was pitching. Javier now owns a 3.20 ERA with a 63:19 K:BB through 50.2 innings this season. He's walked eight batters while giving up eight runs over his last 13.2 frames. The 25-year-old is projected to face the White Sox at home this weekend.