MLB Player News

Hoffman (4-3) earned the win Thursday against the Orioles after tossing a scoreless seventh inning, allowing one hit and striking out two.

Hoffman allowed a two-out single to Jackson Holliday, who then stole second base, but he ended the threat by striking out Blaze Alexander. Hoffman has two wins, two saves and a hold over his last five appearances, allowing zero runs and posting a 9:0 K:BB across five innings, and the right-hander owns a 2.84 ERA across 12.2 innings (13 appearances) since the beginning of May. That's a step in the right direction compared to the 6.39 ERA he posted over March and April.

Corbin didn't factor into the decision Thursday against the Orioles, allowing one run on four hits and a walk across five innings. He struck out four.

Corbin wasn't able to repeat his strong showing from May 23 against the Pirates, when he fanned seven over six innings of one-run ball. However, he continues to limit the damage and has been a reliable option on the mound. Since an April 10 debut for the Blue Jays in which he allowed four runs on four innings against the Twins, Corbin owns a 3.18 ERA in his last nine starts and 45.1 innings, posting a 33:13 K:BB and allowing more than two earned runs just twice over that stretch. However, things will get tougher for him in his next start, as he's scheduled to pitch on the road against Atlanta next week.

Gimenez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a strikeout in Thursday's win over the Orioles.

Gimenez went deep in the top of the third inning and now has six homers on the year. This was the first time he'd left the yard since a two-HR performance against the Rays on May 11. He's hitting just .165 with a .512 OPS in 25 games since the beginning of the month.

Duran went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in Thursday's 5-1 loss to Houston.

Duran returned to action after being removed from Wednesday's game with an illness that was deemed to not be serious. He started at shortstop for the injured Corey Seager (back) and continued to make a case for a regular gig in the starting lineup. During the month of May, Duran has slashed .283/.327/.478 with three home runs, 18 RBI, two steals and 13 runs across 25 contests.

Langford (forearm) is expected to take live batting practice Friday, MLB.com reports.

This will be the second batting practice session of the week for Langford, who also took BP on Monday. If Friday's session goes well, he'll likely get the green light to begin a new rehab assignment after he got pulled off his last one in early May.

Varland recorded his eighth save of the season in Thursday's win over the Orioles, allowing one hit over 1.1 scoreless innings. He didn't record a strikeout.

The 28-year-old right-hander entered the game with two outs in the eighth inning and saw catcher Brandon Valenzuela pick off Pete Alonso at first base to close out the frame. Varland allowed a one-out single to Leody Taveras in the ninth, but he'd close the door on an O's comeback by getting Jackson Holliday to ground out. Varland has gone 8-for-8 in save chances this season while sporting a pristine 0.30 ERA and 1.07 WHIP through 27 appearances (30 innings). He's also on a run of 14 straight outings without allowing an earned run dating back to April 26.

Pena went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Rangers.

Pena led off the contest with a 424-foot blast off Nathan Eovaldi, setting the tone for Houston in the victory. After going 17 games without a homer to start the year, a stretch interrupted by a five-week stay on the IL due to a hamstring strain, Pena now has two in his last three games. He's batting .256 with a .689 OPS, 12 runs scored, six RBI and two steals through 90 plate appearances this season.

Jung went 2-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Thursday's 5-1 loss to Houston.

Jung had half of the Rangers' four hits and snapped a homerless streak of 14 games with his second-inning blast. While he's sustained a batting average north of .300 since a mid-April resurgence, Jung's run production has taken a dip in May. He's slugged just .396 on the month with two home runs and five RBI over 23 games.

Smith (illness) rejoined his teammates at Globe Life Field on Thursday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

The infielder originally landed on the injured list May 3 due to a strained glute before dealing with wrist inflammation and then spending time in the hospital due to a bout of viral meningitis. Smith did some light workouts and jogging Thursday as he begins to ramp up his activity level. Prior to the stay on the IL, Smith had been the Rangers' primary second baseman, but that may not be the case when he's ready to return as both Justin Foscue and Ezequiel Duran have made inroads since then.

Durbin went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Thursday's 10-2 loss to Atlanta.

Durbin had a run-scoring double and then scored on a bloop single in the fourth inning. It would be an understatement to say the former Brewer has struggled at the plate this season, as he entered the game on a 2-for-26 stretch and left Fenway Park following the game with a .172 batting average. Thursday's start was just Durbin's third in the last nine games, as he's losing playing time at third base to Nick Sogard and Isiah Kiner-Falefa.