MLB Player News

Lukes went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Astros.

Lukes provided Toronto's only offense with a solo homer in the first inning, but he was lifted in favor of Myles Straw to face lefty Josh Hader in the ninth. It continued a strong June for the 31-year-old Lukes, who's hit safely in 16 of 20 games while batting .300 with three home runs, six RBI and eight runs scored this month. For the year, he's slashing .301/.344/.420 with three long balls, 15 RBI and 16 runs scored across 156 plate appearances.

Hader earned the save in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Blue Jays, allowing no hits and one walk with two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth inning.

Hader was summoned to protect a two-run lead in the ninth inning and worked around a one-out walk to close things out. In 10 appearances since returning from the injured list June 3, the 32-year-old has converted all six of his save opportunities while posting a 0.90 ERA, 0.40 WHIP and 16:2 K:BB across 10 innings. After missing the first couple months of the season due to a bicep injury, Hader has quickly reminded everyone that he's one of the top closers in MLB.

Cameron (4-5) took the loss Wednesday against the Rays, allowing five runs on eight hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out five.

It was a tough night for Cameron, who gave up three runs in the third inning and another two in the fourth. The left-hander has now given up 12 earned runs over 14.1 frames in his last three starts after posting a 1.13 ERA across 24 innings in his previous four outings. Cameron will look to turn things around in his next start, currently scheduled as a rematch with the Rays at home next week.

Legumina will serve as the Rays' opening pitcher Thursday against the Royals, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.

Legumina has given up two earned runs across his last two outings, but the Rays will trust him to handle the beginning of Thursday's series finale nonetheless. The 29-year-old was able to record five outs before being pulled during his last opening assignment, and he'll presumably remain in the game Thursday for a similar amount of time before turning the ball over to bulk reliever Ian Seymour.

Baker earned the save in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Royals, allowing a run on one hit while striking out two in the ninth inning.

Baker gave up a solo home run to Josh Rojas with one out in the ninth that cut Tampa Bay's lead to two, but the right-hander rebounded to set down the next two Royals and pick up his 20th save this season. The homer marked the first run that Baker has given up in his last 13 innings. He's been excellent overall this season, posting a 2.01 ERA with 0.89 WHIP and 35:11 K:BB across 31.1 innings.

Jax (3-5) earned the win Wednesday over the Royals, allowing two unearned runs on five hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out seven.

It was a strong outing for Jax, as he set a season high with seven strikeouts. The right-hander has been excellent of late, allowing just two earned runs across 20 innings in his last four starts while posting a 21:4 K:BB. Since moving into Tampa's rotation, Jax has posted a 2.27 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP and 41:13 K:BB across 11 starts (43.2 innings). He's tentatively lined up for a rematch with the Royals on the road his next time out.

Woo (6-6) took the loss Wednesday against the Pirates, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks over four innings. He stuck out four.

After holding Pittsburgh hitless through three innings, Woo unraveled in the fourth, when he gave up four runs on six hits, including two doubles and a triple. It's been a streaky year overall for Woo -- the right-hander has held opponents scoreless across seven innings in two of his last five starts, though he's given up 17 runs over 15.1 frames in his other three outings in that span. Woo's ERA now sits at 4.26 through 16 starts (93 innings) this season with a 1.04 WHIP and 92:18 K:BB. He'll look to rebound his next time out, tentatively slated to come next week at home against the Angels.

Torkelson went 1-for-3 with a walk, a double and two runs scored in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Yankees.

Torkelson made an impact without going deep as he provided all of Detroit's offense against Ryan Weathers and three New York relievers. The slugging first baseman is still very much a boom-or-bust option who's batting only .203 in 20 games this month and .211 for the season. While it wasn't the case Wednesday, Torkelson often needs to leave the yard to offer fantasy value because he doesn't make consistent contact at the plate.

Cortes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants.

Cortes will be left out of the starting nine for the fourth straight game, with two of his absences coming against right-handed pitching. The 28-year-old has been holding down a strong-side platoon role in right field or at designated hitter for much of the season, but his playing time looks to be trending down while he's stuck in an extended rut at the plate. Over his last 11 games, Cortes has gone 2-for-30 and has drawn just one walk, bringing his on-base percentage down from .402 to .359 for the season.

The Twins announced Wednesday that Abel will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow, Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com reports.

An MRI on Abel's elbow revealed that he didn't suffer any ligament damage after he experienced a setback following a bullpen session last Friday, but the 24-year-old will opt to go under the knife anyway after receiving a second opinion. He remains without a recovery timeline, though the Twins will likely have a better idea of when or if he might be ready to return from the 15-day injured list once the procedure is completed.