MLB Player News

Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said Sunday that Donovan will receive a platelet-rich plasma injection for his strained left groin as well as his adductor and is expected to resume baseball activity in 2-to-3 weeks, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Seattle placed Donovan on the 10-day injured list Sunday, and given that he won't be on track to resume on-field activity for at least another two weeks, he's not a candidate to return to action when first eligible May 26 and will see his absence extend into June. Donovan previously missed about three weeks of action earlier this season after straining the same groin, so the Mariners could proceed more cautiously with bringing him back from the shelf this time around. For however long Donovan is out of action, Colt Emerson is expected to serve as the Mariners' everyday third baseman.

Melton (elbow) is expected to build up to four innings early this week in his fourth rehab start, which will come with Triple-A Toledo, MLB.com reports.

In his third rehab start and first with Toledo this past Wednesday, Melton struck out three over two scoreless innings. During that outing, Melton built his pitch count up to 54 pitches (33 strikes) and sported a fastball that topped out at 98.7 miles per hour. Though Melton and Justin Verlander (hip) appear to be trending toward returns from the 60-day injured list around when they're first eligible to be activated in late May, the Tigers could have room in the rotation for both pitchers. Detroit already has a new opening after Ty Madden (forearm) was moved to the IL on Sunday, and ace Tarik Skubal (elbow) doesn't look on track to reclaim a spot until some point in June at the soonest.

Rice went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Sunday's extra-inning loss to the Mets.

Rice opened the scoring in the contest with a solo blast to center field in the third inning. The long ball was his third over his past six games and his 15th overall this season. Rice is tied for fourth in the majors in home runs, is tied for 12th with 31 RBI and leads the league with a 1.077 OPS through 42 games.

Verlander (hip) tossed a three-inning, 50-pitch simulated game Friday, MLB.com reports.

Rather than heading out on a minor-league rehab assignment, Verlander is seemingly electing to stay with the Tigers and build up his pitch count through a series of sim games as he works his way back from left hip inflammation, which sent him to the injured list back on April 4. Verlander reportedly displayed improvement with his pitch quality and velocity during Friday's throwing session and is set to throw a longer simulated game in the middle of this week. Verlander appears to be tracking toward a return from the 60-day IL around when he's first eligible May 31 or soon thereafter.

Matthews is slated to start Tuesday's game against the Astros at Target Field.

Though he had struggled to a middling 4.72 ERA and 1.52 WHIP over seven starts with Triple-A St. Paul to begin the season, Matthews turned in a gem in his 2026 MLB debut after being called up by the Twins last week. In his start last Thursday versus the Marlins, Matthews struck out five while allowing just four hits and one walk over seven scoreless frames. He'll be rewarded with a second turn through the rotation on the back of that stellar performance, and another strong showing against the Astros could set Matthews up for a longer-term stay with the big club.

The Twins announced Wednesday that Soto, who is recovering from a wrist ligament sprain, began playing catch out to 105 feet earlier this month and could resume throwing off a mound during the upcoming week, MLB.com reports.

Soto closed the 2025 season on Cedar Rapids' IL after requiring surgery in August to remove a partially detached bone spur from his right elbow, but he appears to have made a full recovery from that procedure. Instead, it's the wrist issue that has thus far kept him out of action to begin the 2026 season. Though he could be closing in on mound work, Soto still appears to be a few weeks away from making his season debut for Cedar Rapids.

The Twins announced Saturday that Rodriguez is still experiencing some discomfort in his strained left thumb and has yet to resume swinging a bat,

Rodriguez had slashed .247/.417/.506 with six home runs and three stolen bases over 25 games for Triple-A St. Paul to begin the season before suffering the thumb injury May 1 on a headfirst slide into first base. The Twins won't clear him to swing the bat until he's free of symptoms of the thumb injury, so Rodriguez would still appear to be at the week-to-week stage of his recovery process.

Roden (shoulder) has resumed taking light swings and is hopeful to begin a throwing program Monday, MLB.com reports.

After failing to win a spot on the Twins' Opening Day roster, Roden was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul coming out of spring training. He was making a case for a call-up after slashing .275/.425/.464 with three home runs and two steals in 19 games at St. Paul, but the left-handed hitter was shut down in late April and placed on the 7-day injured list after suffering a torn labrum in his right (throwing) shoulder. Roden is expected to require a three-week buildup with his throwing program before beginning a rehab assignment in the lower levels of the minors, so he would appear unlikely to rejoin the St. Paul lineup until around the middle of June.

Varsho went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, a triple, two runs scored and an RBI in Sunday's win over the Tigers.

Both extra-base hits came off Jack Flaherty as part of two-run frames from the Jays in the first and third innings. Varsho has found a groove in May, and over the last eight games he's batting .367 (11-for-30) with four XBH, one steal, six runs and six RBI.

Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll said Saturday that Festa is unlikely to return before the All-Star break after experiencing a setback in his recovery from a right shoulder impingement earlier this month, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Shoulder problems kept Festa on the shelf for most of the second half of the 2025 campaign, and though he appeared to be close to 100 percent healthy for the start of spring training, he ended up being shut down in late February after being diagnosed with the impingement. He was able to start throwing in late March, only to be shut down again when he felt renewed soreness in his shoulder after facing hitters in a simulated game at the Twins' spring training facility in Florida. Festa underwent a stem-cell injection in his shoulder May 8 and will be on a no-throw program through at least the end of the month before he begins ramping up again.