MLB Player News

Albers' contract was selected by the Twins on Thursday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Albers failed to land a spot on the Twins' Opening Day roster, but he was relatively effective at Triple-A St. Paul and recorded a 3.86 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 91 innings across 16 appearances (15 starts). The southpaw hasn't made an appearance in the majors since 2017 but should serve as a low-leverage reliever out of Minnesota's bullpen.

Brubaker dropped to 4-13 after giving up seven runs on eight hits and two walks over four innings in Wednesday's 9-0 loss to the Dodgers. He struck out six before being pulled after 82 pitches.

Brubaker put Pittsburgh in an early hole when he allowed a leadoff single to AJ Pollock and then a home run to No. 2 hitter Max Muncy, and things didn't improve much from there for the 27-year-old righty. He yielded two more home runs on the night before departing, and he's now served up multiple jacks in seven of his last nine starts. During that stretch, Brubaker has gone 0-7 with an 8.26 ERA and 1.52 WHIP.

McClanahan (8-4) picked up the win Thursday after holding the Orioles to one run on five hits and a walk while striking out eight across five innings.

McClanahan cruised to his fourth straight win by tying his career high with eight punchouts while receiving ample run support from his teammates. It was the ninth time this season that the southpaw has pitched into at least the sixth inning, doing so in only 79 pitches this time around. His recent success has improved his season stats to a 3.63 ERA and 1.28 WHIP across 94.1 innings.

The Brewers placed Peralta (shoulder) on the 10-day injured list Thursday.

Peralta was pulled in the third inning of his start during Wednesday's win over the Cardinals after experiencing shoulder inflammation, but Brewers manager Craig Counsell suggested after the contest that the right-hander's removal was mostly precautionary in nature. Though the Brewers are still classifying Peralta's shoulder injury as inflammation, the team will err on the side of caution and deactivate him for at least one turn through the rotation. Given that Milwaukee was looking to manage Peralta's workload down the stretch anyway since he's pitched nearly 100 more innings than he did in 2020, his move to the IL isn't necessarily a major red flag. Assuming Peralta is cleared to resume throwing in the next few days, he should be in line for a minimum-length stay on the IL, or close to it.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that Severino was cleared of any structural damage to his right shoulder after receiving a second medical opinion, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports. Severino will be shut down from throwing for the next week before the Yankees re-evaluate him.

Severino hasn't made an appearance for the Yankees since the 2019 postseason after undergoing Tommy John surgery in February 2020, but the health of his right elbow no longer appears to be a concern. The right-hander previously had a minor-league rehab assignment halted in mid-June when he incurred a Grade 2 groin strain, and after restarting his rehab assignment earlier this month, he made just two appearances for Double-A Somerset before experiencing tightness in his right shoulder. While he was fortunate to avoid any major damage to the shoulder, Severino's uncertain timeline to resume throwing could make it a challenge for him to make it back to the Yankees before the end of the season. If Severino does get activated from the 60-day injured list, he may have to work out of the bullpen, given the lack of time he'll have to build up his pitch count for starting duties.

Eflin (kneecap) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Reading on Saturday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Eflin has missed over a month with patellar tendinitis, but it looks as though the Phillies can expect him back for the stretch run. He could be back in late August or early September, depending on how many rehab starts he's asked to make.

Suarez dropped to 5-4 after giving up three runs on eight hits and four walks while striking out two over 4.2 innings in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Suarez had been solid in his first three starts since sliding into the Philadelphia rotation, but a matchup with the 40-81 Diamondbacks surprisingly tripped up the left-hander. Though he did well to keep the ball on the ground -- Suarez only allowed one flyball to the 25 batters he faced -- the free passes and an untimely sequencing of hits ultimately led to his demise. On a more positive note, Suarez built up to 86 pitches Wednesday, so he could handle a more traditional starter's workload moving forward. He tentatively lines up to make his next turn during the Phillies' two-game home series with Tampa Bay on Aug. 24 or 25.

Dunn (shoulder) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Thursday.

The right-hander has been on the injured list since June 18, so his move to the 60-day IL doesn't impact his recovery timetable and clears room on the 40-man roster for Kevin Padlo, who was claimed off waivers from the Rays on Thursday. Dunn had a setback in his recovery in early August but resumed mound work last week. However, it's not yet clear when he'll return to game action.

Blackburn (0-1) took the loss in a defeat at the hands of the White Sox on Wednesday, allowing three earned runs on five hits and three walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out three.

The right-hander was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas earlier Wednesday and responded relatively well on the road in a daunting matchup. Two of the three runs Blackburn surrendered came on Luis Robert singles, and he didn't allow any balls to leave the park. Blackburn checked into his first majors stint of 2021 with 21 appearances (18 starts) under his belt at Triple-A, but those have largely been poor -- he forged a 5-7 record, 5.69 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in that span, making him a tenuous multi-start option in the absence of Chris Bassitt (face).

Flaherty didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Brewers, allowing two earned runs on four hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out eight.

The right-hander turned in his second straight encouraging performance coming off his extended injured-list stint, with solo home runs by Avisail Garcia and Willy Adames accounting for the only two runs against him. Flaherty fired 56 of 92 pitches for strikes in the outing and has a 1.50 ERA and 0.58 WHIP across the 12 innings covering his last two turns. He'll look to keep up the strong work in a likely matchup against the Tigers on Tuesday.