MLB Player News

Lucas (undisclosed) struck out three while giving up one hit and one walk over three scoreless innings Saturday in Triple-A Buffalo's 3-2 win over Omaha after being reinstated from the 7-day injured list earlier in the day.

Lucas had started in six of his previous seven appearances with Buffalo prior to being shelved with the unspecified injury, but he was used out of the bullpen in his return to action Saturday, working in tandem with CJ Van Eyk, who covered the first 3.1 innings. Before his recent absence due to the injury, Lucas had made five appearances (four starts) for Toronto earlier this season, logging a 5.82 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 21.2 innings. Unless additional injuries strike the Toronto rotation, Lucas likely won't be in line for a starting assignment with the big club in the near future.

Bichette went 2-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored and two RBI in Sunday's win over the Giants.

The shortstop has unleashed a barrage of two-baggers over the last couple weeks. Bichette has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games, slashing .362/.423/.574 over that stretch with seven doubles, a homer, six RBI and seven runs.

Barger went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's win over the Giants.

His fifth-inning shot off Spencer Bivens capped an impressive power display from the Blue Jays, as seven of the team's nine hits on the day went for extra bases. Barger is slashing a dazzling .340/.364/.698 through 15 games in July with five of his 14 homers on the season and 16 of his 42 RBI.

Springer went 2-for-4 with a double, a solo home run and a second run scored in Sunday's win over the Giants.

The veteran outfielder has come out flying after the All-Star break, racking up six hits in the three-game set against San Francisco. Springer's fifth-inning long ball off former teammate Robbie Ray was his 17th homer of the season, and through 15 contests in July, he's slashing a blistering .351/.413/.702 with six home runs, three steals, 13 runs and 14 RBI.

Nance struck out three over 1.2 perfect relief innings to record his first hold of the season in Sunday's win over the Giants.

The 34-year-old right-hander was called up to bolster an injury-ravaged Toronto bullpen last weekend, and Nance has been surprisingly effective, allowing just an unearned run over three appearances and 3.2 innings with a 5:1 K:BB. With the Blue Jays likely to add more depth at the trade deadline and set to get setup options like Yimi Garcia (ankle/elbow) and Nick Sandlin (elbow) back in the next couple weeks, Nance's stay in the majors could end up being fairly brief.

Fitzgerald (hamstring) went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI on Sunday in Triple-A St. Paul's 6-1 win over Louisville after being reinstated from the 7-day injured list earlier that day.

Fitzgerald was on the shelf for just under a month due to a right hamstring strain. The 31-year-old infielder got the chance to make his MLB debut with the Twins in May, but he's spent the bulk of the campaign at Triple-A, slashing .293/.382/.492 with seven home runs and five steals in 220 plate appearances.

Rodriguez was placed on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A St. Paul on Friday with a right oblique strain, MLB.com reports.

Rodriguez had just returned to action shortly before the All-Star break after missing more than a month of action with a right hip injury, and he now appears likely to be shelved for multiple weeks once again. The top prospect has had extreme difficulty staying healthy in his professional career, as he has yet to reach 100 games played in a season.

Ober (hip) struck out three over four scoreless frames in his first rehab start with Triple-A St. Paul on Friday.

Ober got his pitch count up to 50 in the outing, with 43 of those offerings going for strikes. Per Dan Hayes of The Athletic, Ober averaged 90.4 mph with his four-seamer, which is a bit below his season average. While it's possible Ober rejoins the Twins' rotation this week, the club might elect to give him one more rehab start to continue building up his pitch count. Ober has been out for all of July with a left hip impingement.

Manoah (elbow) gave up one run on three hits over two innings for Single-A Dunedin on Sunday. He struck out two without walking a batter.

The right-hander tossed 28 pitches (16 strikes) in his second rehab outing as he enters the final stretch of his recovery from an internal brace procedure performed last June. Per Mitch Bannon of The Athletic, Manoah will need at least three more rehab starts before the Blue Jays will consider activating him from the 60-day IL, but at the moment there isn't a spot for him in the big-league rotation, and the team may well have added further depth at the trade deadline before he's ready to return.

Varsho (hamstring) started in center field Sunday in a rehab appearance for Single-A Dunedin, going 1-for-3 with a home run and four RBI.

He was lifted after six innings in this one, his third rehab contest, but Varsho is getting closer to coming off the injured list. The 29-year-old will likely be moved to a higher-level affiliate this week and may not be activated until he plays on consecutive days, but Varsho might be back patrolling center field for the Blue Jays by this weekend.