MLB Player News

Bowman signed a minor-league contract with the Twins on Wednesday.

Bowman will report to Triple-A St. Paul as he kicks off his third stint with the Twins of 2026. The veteran reliever initially signed a minor-league deal with Minnesota in January before opting out of his contract ahead of Opening Day, and then re-signed with the Twins shortly thereafter before opting out of his contract again in May. He had most recently been pitching in the Blue Jays organization, turning in a 10.38 ERA and 1.59 WHIP across 8.2 innings over nine appearances at Triple-A Buffalo before being released over the weekend.

Elko (knee) has been cleared to begin a rehab assignment with High-A Winston-Salem, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.

Elko underwent surgery last October to repair a torn ACL in his right knee and is finally ready to test out his rebuilt knee in games. The 27-year-old should eventually be assigned to Triple-A Charlotte, where he will give the White Sox organizational depth at first base. Elko is no longer on Chicago's 40-man roster, having been non-tendered over the winter before re-signing on a minor-league contract.

Blanco (elbow) struck out two over two perfect innings in a rehab appearance Tuesday with Triple-A Sugar Land.

After throwing 60 pitches and 4.1 innings in his third rehab outing last Wednesday with Double-A Corpus Christi, Blanco tossed 27 pitches (18 strikes) over two frames Tuesday before the game was called after the seventh inning due to inclement weather. While it's possible that Blanco was able to do some additional throwing in the locker room or bullpen to build on his workload, the abbreviated appearance could take him out of consideration to return from the 60-day injured list and fill the open spot in the Houston rotation this Sunday at Texas. If Blanco instead makes another rehab appearance later this weekend and if the Astros are satisfied with the quality of his stuff and his velocity, he'll likely be cleared to come off the IL following the All-Star break.

McCullers (shoulder) struck out four and allowed four runs (two earned) on three hits and three walks across four innings in a rehab start Tuesday with Triple-A Sugar Land.

In the third start of his rehab assignment, McCullers covered four innings for a second outing in a row, though he was able to push his pitch count up to 77 (43 strikes) after tossing 60 pitches in his previous appearance for Sugar Land. Though he wasn't as sharp Tuesday as he had been his previous two times out, McCullers has still fared well overall during his minor-league assignment, posting a 2.45 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 11:4 K:BB in 11 innings. The next steps for McCullers remain unclear; though the veteran right-hander is stretched back out, Astros general manager Dana Brown didn't mention him as a candidate to fill the since-demoted Mike Burrows' spot in the rotation the next time it comes up Sunday against the Rangers, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. With that in mind, McCullers may be headed for another rehab appearance Sunday before returning from the 15-day injured list following the All-Star break and potentially handling a bullpen role.

Sands (forearm) tossed a perfect inning in his rehab appearance with Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday.

Initially placed on the injured list May 2 due to a right forearm strain, Sands was cleared to start a rehab assignment in early June but was pulled off of it after experiencing a setback following his lone appearance. Just over a month later, Sands was able to complete a throwing program and gain clearance to restart the minor-league assignment, and the results from his first outing on the farm were encouraging. He averaged 93.7 mph with his four-seam fastball Tuesday, just over a half-tick above his season average (93.0) over his 12 appearances with the Twins prior to landing on the shelf. Sands could be ready to rejoin the Minnesota bullpen following the All-Star break.

Sandoval (biceps) is scheduled to start Thursday's game against the White Sox in Chicago, Sean McAdam of MassLive.com reports.

The Red Sox brought Sandoval back from the 60-day injured list Monday, but he'll end up waiting for a few days before making his first big-league appearance since June 21, 2024, after enduring a lengthy recovery from internal brace surgery and multiple arm-related setbacks. Sandoval was sharp over the course of his six-start minor-league rehab assignment, generating a 1.96 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 18:6 K:BB across 18.1 innings between four outings with Triple-A Worcester and two with Double-A Portland. The southpaw built up to 68 pitches in his final rehab start over the weekend, so he could have a light workload restriction in place while he slots into the spot in the Boston rotation that previously belonged to Connelly Early (elbow), who was moved to the IL last week.

Keys went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI in Tuesday's win over the Giants.

With George Springer still out of the lineup, Keys made his sixth straight start and put together a strong effort. The rookie has gone 5-for-21 (.238) to begin July with a homer, four runs and five RBI in those six games, but a shaky 38.1 percent strikeout rate. Springer could be back in action as soon as Wednesday, which would leave Keys without a clear path to regular playing time.

Cruz will serve as the Royals' opening pitcher for Wednesday's game against the Mets.

He'll draw his second start of the season, though Cruz is expected to work just one or two innings before giving way to the bullpen. Randy Dobnak hasn't been used since making a four-inning relief appearance last Thursday against the Rays, so the Royals could turn to him to cover multiple frames out of the bullpen once Cruz exits the contest.

Twins manager Derek Shelton said Tuesday that Jeffers (hand) will remain on his rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul "for at least the next three or four days," Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com reports.

Jeffers has shown no signs of rust offensively in his first four rehab contests, going 6-for-13 with a pair of home runs. However, he has yet to catch back-to-back games, and the Twins want Jeffers to build up his workload behind the dish before returning to the active roster. With only five games remaining for the Twins before the All-Star break, it seems the club will wait until the start of the second half before activating its catcher. Jeffers has been out since late May following surgery for a fractured left hamate bone.

Baz (4-9) took the loss Tuesday, giving up three runs on six hits and three walks over six innings as the Orioles fell 5-2 to the Cubs. He struck out three.

The right-hander tossed 63 of 100 pitches for strikes in his second straight quality start and seventh of the season, but Baltimore's hitters were shut down by Matthew Boyd for six frames to leave Baz stuck with the loss. All seven of those quality starts have come since May 15, a stretch in which Baz has delivered a 3.30 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 52:23 K:BB over 62.2 innings but has just a 3-5 record to show for it. He's set to make one more start before the All-Star break, at home this Sunday against the Royals.