MLB Player News

Kay (2-1) earned the win Saturday against the Mariners after allowing one unearned run on three hits and two walks across five innings. He struck out five.

Kay struggled in two late-April starts with 12 earned runs allowed, but he seems to have turned things around with a 1.80 ERA in his past two outings. Kay has given up two earned runs or fewer in six of his eight starts this season, though his overall numbers remain a bit shaky with his matchup with the Mariners reducing his ERA to 4.89 and WHIP to 1.57. He is expected to make his next start on the road against the Cubs next weekend.

Beeks (2-1) earned the win in relief Saturday against the Cubs after tossing 1.1 scoreless innings. He struck out one with no hits or walks allowed.

Jack Leiter tossed 4.2 scoreless innings but finished just one out short of securing the win, and Beeks was credited with it after finishing the fifth frame and pitching the sixth. Beeks, who improved to 2-1 with a 2.65 ERA, was sharp, needing just 13 pitches (nine strikes) to record four outs. This was a bounce-back effort for Beeks, as he allowed two runs in one-third of an inning against the Yankees in his previous outing last Thursday.

Schlittler tossed six scoreless innings in a no-decision against Milwaukee on Saturday, allowing two hits and striking out six batters without issuing any walks.

Schlittler was hit in the back of his leg by a line drive in the first inning and was visited by a trainer. He remained in the game and promptly struck out the following batter to prove that he was fine. Schlittler proceeded to give up only one hit following the first frame and finished with his fourth scoreless outing of five-plus innings across his first nine starts. Schlittler has been especially dominant of late, giving up a meager two earned runs across 31.2 frames over his past five appearances. It's still early in the campaign, but Schlittler is looking like a viable AL Cy Young Award candidate. He leads qualified MLB pitchers with a 1.35 ERA, ranks second with a 0.81 WHIP and has the fifth-most strikeouts (59) while carrying a 5-1 record through 53.1 innings.

Leiter tossed 4.2 scoreless innings but didn't factor into the decision Saturday against the Cubs. He allowed three hits and five walks while fanning six.

Leiter had some command issues Saturday, as the five walks were a season-worst mark for him, but he was able to keep Chicago off the board despite allowing eight baserunners. The free passes prevented him from pitching deep enough to qualify for the win, which would have been his first victory since his season debut. This solid outing reduced his ERA to 4.85 and WHIP to 1.41. Leiter is expected to make his next start on the road against the Astros.

Witt went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run against Detroit in a 5-1 win Saturday.

Witt hit a grounder up the first-base line in his first plate appearance, and the ball bounced off the side wall in right field and past outfielder Kerry Carpenter. That was enough for Witt to motor all the way home for his second career inside-the-park homer. Of course, it counts just the same as if Witt had slugged the ball over the outfield fence, and he now has five home runs over his past 13 contests after opening the campaign with a 27-game homerless stretch.

Morris will serve as the Twins' starting pitcher for Sunday's series finale against the Guardians, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Despite tossing two-thirds of an inning during the Twins' 2-1 win over the Guardians in 11 innings Saturday, Morris will pick up his first MLB start Sunday. Expect the Twins to treat the series finale in Cleveland as more of a bullpen day, though Morris should be capable of providing more length than the typical opener after previously operating as a starter at Triple-A St. Paul to begin the season and having covered three-plus innings on three occasions since being called up to Minnesota on April 11. With Taj Bradley (pectoral) recently joining Mick Abel (elbow) on the injured list, the Twins could have a spot available in the rotation for Morris until the team reclaims some health.

Massey went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in Saturday's 5-1 victory versus the Tigers.

Massey's three-run shot in the fourth frame gave the Royals a 5-0 lead. It was the infielder's second long ball over his past four games after he went deep just once across his first 23 contests of the campaign. Massey isn't a big power guy, but he did hit a combined 29 home runs over the 2023 and 2024 regular seasons, so he may have more pop in his bat than the three long balls he tallied across 277 plate appearances last year.

Buxton went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and an RBI double in Saturday's 2-1 extra-innings win over the Guardians.

The center fielder's incredible power surge continued, and he even accounted for Minnesota's entire output in both hits and runs Saturday. Buxton opened the game with a first-inning homer and then delivered an RBI double in the 11th inning. Over his last 23 games (103 at-bats), he is batting .301 with 13 homers, four doubles, 20 RBI and 20 runs scored. He's also hit safely in 19 contests during that stretch.

Madden allowed three runs on two hits and two walks while striking out five batters over six relief innings in a no-decision versus Kansas City on Saturday.

Detroit opted to go with an opener Saturday, so Madden didn't enter until the third frame. That saved him from being tagged with a loss, though it also prevented him from notching a quality start, which he would have earned otherwise with three runs allowed across six innings. Madden covered a starter's workload, tossing 87 pitches, 53 of which were strikes. The right-hander has worked in bulk relief in each of his two outings so far this season and has fared well, as he tossed five scoreless frames with seven punchouts in his previous appearance May 4 versus Boston. Given that success, the Tigers may opt to keep deploying Madden behind an opener, but regardless he seems likely to continue working as a rotation piece for Detroit.

Garcia secured the save Saturday against Cleveland, retiring all three batters he faced with no strikeouts during the 11th inning.

The journeyman reliever nabbed his first save of the season in extra innings Saturday, which was highlighted by an impressive play by Kody Clemens at second base for the game's final out. With a 10.64 ERA, 2.00 WHIP and 4:4 K:BB over 11 innings for the Mets and Twins this year, Garcia doesn't appear to be in the mix for steady high-leverage work going forward despite Saturday's showing.