MLB Player News

Morris (forearm) struck out three and issued one walk while allowing no hits over two shutout innings Saturday after being reinstated from Triple-A St. Paul's 7-day injured list.

Morris made his first appearance for St. Paul since June 19 after completing his recovery from a right forearm strain. The 23-year-old holds a 4.27 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 63:25 K:BB in 65.1 innings over his 14 starts with the Triple-A club this season.

Martin is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Yankees.

Martin had started in the final two games of the Twins' weekend series with the Royals but will head to the bench as Minnesota kicks off a three-game set in New York. With Byron Buxton (rib) making his return from the injured list Monday, Martin will no longer be in line for steady reps in center field, but he could factor into the mix for starts at either corner-outfield spot.

Roden (thumb) is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Yankees.

Roden will be on the bench for at least one game after he exited late in Sunday's 11-inning win over the Royals due to a jammed thumb. With Roden out of the lineup, Kody Clemens will make a start in left field, which opens up first base for Edouard Julien.

Ohl didn't record a strikeout and allowed one hit and one walk over 2.2 scoreless innings of relief in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Royals in 11 innings.

Ohl made a 2.2-inning start in his previous appearance Wednesday against the Tigers before moving back to the bullpen this weekend. He entered the game in the top of the fifth inning and was able to preserve the Twins' one-run lead before being lifted midway through the seventh, enabling him to come away with his first career hold. The Twins still have an open spot in the rotation that will need to be filled Tuesday against the Yankees, but given his usage Sunday, Ohl is unlikely to serve as anything more than an opener if he draws the start that day.

Gipson-Long (neck) struck out three and allowed two earned runs on five hits and one walk over 4.1 innings in his latest rehab start Wednesday with Triple-A Toledo.

Gipson-Long built up to 57 pitches in his second rehab start since he resumed his assignment earlier this month after a two-week layoff caused by a recurrence of neck stiffness. The Tigers appear committed to letting Gipson-Long get stretched out as a starter during his rehab assignment, but the right-hander may not have a spot in the big-league rotation waiting for him once he's ready to return from the 15-day injured list.

Morales did not factor into the decision Sunday, allowing no hits and five walks over 2.2 scoreless innings against the Orioles. He struck out four.

Morales didn't allow a hit in his first MLB start Sunday, but five walks and just 25 strikes on 57 pitches limited him to recording only eight outs. The rookie debuted Aug. 1 against the Diamondbacks, giving up one run over two innings in relief, before earning his first start. Earlier this year, he regularly worked deep into games for Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas from mid-April to mid-June, but the right-hander hasn't gone beyond three innings in an outing since the start of July. With the pitching staff in flux and Luis Severino (oblique) now on the injured list, it remains to be seen what role Morales will fill moving forward.

Massey (wrist/back/ankle) went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored with Triple-A Omaha on Sunday.

Massey resumed his rehab assignment Saturday for a fractured right wrist and left ankle sprain after a setback caused by back tightness. He's looked sharp since returning, going 4-for-9 with two RBI over two games at Triple-A Omaha. It's been a frustrating recovery process for the utilityman, with multiple injuries piling up, and he was already scuffling at the plate before landing on the injured list June 10, slashing just .202/.221/.258 in 56 games for the Royals.

Williams struck out the side in a perfect sixth inning against Houston on Sunday.

Williams had been struggling entering Sunday, taking two blown saves and two losses with a 15.43 ERA over his previous five appearances. While he was dominant in fanning all three batters he faced on a combined 11 pitches Sunday, it's perhaps even more notable that he came into the contest in the sixth frame with New York down 4-0. Of note as well is that his entrance was initiated by fill-in manager Brad Ausmus after manager Aaron Boone was ejected in the third inning. It's a complex situation, but Williams' usage Sunday could be an indication that the Yankees want to give him lower-leverage work at least temporarily in order to help him right the ship, as they did earlier in the campaign after the veteran reliever struggled out of the gate. If that is indeed the plan, a move out of the ninth-inning role not be temporary this time given that New York acquired an experienced closer at the trade deadline in David Bednar, who has gone 1-for-3 in save chances since joining the Yankees but has posted a strong 10:3 K:BB with a 3.00 ERA over six innings.

Lorenzen (oblique) struck out four batters and allowed three earned runs on seven hits and three walks over 5.2 innings Sunday in a rehab start with Double-A Northwest Arkansas.

Lorenzen looks ready to return from the 15-day injured list after completing his second rehab start, during which he built up to 85 pitches. Before landing on the injured list July 14 due to an oblique strain, the right-hander posted a 4.61 ERA and 1.30 WHIP over 99.2 innings. While Cole Ragans (shoulder) likely remains week away from coming off the IL, Lorenzen's upcoming return means that Kansas City will have only two rotation spots available for him and trade-deadline pickups Bailey Falter and Ryan Bergert. Though Bergert has pitched well over his first two outings with Kansas City, he has minor-league options remaining, which could put him at the most risk of losing his starting spot once Lorenzen is activated. Lorenzen could make his return to the big club as soon as this weekend's series versus the White Sox.

Fulmer allowed two earned runs on one hit and four walks while striking out three batters over five innings of long relief in Sunday's 9-5 loss to the Tigers.

Jack Kochanowicz started for the Angels and was roughed up, giving up seven runs (six earned) over three-plus frames to get stuck with the loss. Fulmer entered in the fourth and remained on the mound for the remainder of the contest, throwing 85 pitches to Kochanowicz's 84. While Fulmer was wild -- only 49 of his offerings were strikes, and he walked four batters -- the only hit he gave up was a two-run home run to Riley Greene. The right-hander's pitch count was his second-highest of the season, falling just shy of the 88 he tallied against Texas on July 10. Kochanowicz was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake following the poor start, and while Los Angeles has not yet announced how it plans to handle his spot in the rotation, Fulmer is a logical candidate to step into a starting role, given the hefty workload he handled Sunday.