MLB Player News

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.

Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll said that Sands (forearm) played catch on consecutive days last week and is expected to spend about a month on the injured list, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Minnesota placed Sands on the IL on May 2 due to a right forearm strain, so the Twins appear to be viewing early June as a rough target date for the 28-year-old reliever's return. Before landing on the shelf, Sands had collected one win, one save and three holds while posting a 4.63 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 11:4 K:BB in 11.2 innings across 12 appearances.

Abel (elbow/triceps) resumed playing light catch Wednesday, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Initially placed on the 15-day injured list April 20 due to right elbow inflammation, Abel hit a snag in his recovery earlier this month, when he experienced soreness in his right triceps following a bullpen session. Abel appears to have responded well after receiving a cortisone injection to address the triceps issue, but he could be built up more slowly in his throwing program following the recent setback. The right-hander will gradually increase his throwing distance off flat ground before advancing to throwing off a mound and then facing hitters.

Laweryson (forearm) worked around a walk to deliver a scoreless inning in his rehab appearance Saturday with Triple-A St. Paul.

Laweryson is working his way back from a right forearm strain, which sent him to the 15-day injured list back on April 11. Since he's been shelved for five weeks with the injury, Laweryson may need at least a couple more tune-up appearances in the minors before slotting back into the Minnesota bullpen.

Rojas is slated to start Monday's game against the Astros at Target Field, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

The Twins will slot Rojas into the rotation spot that belonged to Simeon Woods Richardson, who may have been moved to the bullpen after logging a 7.71 ERA and 1.86 WHIP over his first nine starts of 2026. Rojas has worked as a starter for most of his minor-league career but made all but one of his five appearances for Triple-A St. Paul out of the bullpen this season before being called back up to the majors earlier this month. Since Rojas hasn't covered more than 3.1 innings in an appearance at any level this season and will be pitching Monday on three days' rest, he likely won't be asked to cover the five innings he would need to hit to qualify for a win. Minnesota could end up turning to Woods Richardson for multiple innings out of the bullpen once Rojas exits the game.

Woods Richardson is expected to be available in relief for Monday's game against the Astros while Kendry Rojas makes his first MLB start, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

While Twins manager Derek Shelton hasn't provided word on what exactly Woods Richardson's role will look like moving forward, the right-hander may have lost his spot in the rotation after going 0-6 with a 7.71 ERA and 1.86 WHIP in 42 innings through his first nine starts of the season. Monday would have been Woods Richardson's turn in the rotation, but the Twins will instead give Rojas a look in a starting role. Since Rojas will be pitching on three days' rest and hasn't covered more than 3.1 innings between his nine appearances in the big leagues and minors this season, he'll likely be in line for a limited workload in his start. As such, Woods Richardson could be needed to eat some innings out of the bullpen.

Bradley (pectoral) struck out three and allowed one earned run on two hits and two walks across 1.2 innings in a rehab start Sunday for Triple-A St. Paul.

Placed on the 15-day injured list May 9 due to right pectoral inflammation, Bradley looks to be trending toward an abbreviated stint on the shelf. Though he didn't look especially sharp Sunday, Bradley was able to cover around 65 pitches on the day. After tossing 42 pitches before exiting the game midway through the second inning, the right-hander threw in the bullpen afterward to build up his count, per Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune. Manager Derek Shelton told Nightengale that Bradley will be re-evaluated Monday before the Twins determine his next steps. If the Twins are satisfied with how Bradley looks physically, the team could have him bypass a second rehab start and bring him back from the IL for next weekend's series in Boston.

Twins manager Derek Shelton suggested that Buxton (hip) is likely to avoid the injured list and return to the lineup soon after the outfielder worked out on the field prior to the Twins' games Saturday and Sunday against the Brewers, Matthew Leach of MLB.com reports. "The fact that he's out there moving around, I think we're trending in the right direction," Shelton said of Buxton. "And then we'll have a better idea [about Buxton's potential return] after he gets out and moves around."

Buxton hasn't played since Wednesday while he contends with right hip flexor soreness, but he appears to be confident that he'll return to the lineup in a matter of days. The outfielder will presumably go through another pregame workout Monday, after which the Twins will decide if he's fit to return to the lineup for the series opener versus the Astros. While Buxton has been on the bench the past four games, Ryan Kreidler and James Outman have shared center field, and right fielder Austin Martin has been elevated to the leadoff spot.

Emerson went 0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored in Sunday's 8-3 loss to the Padres.

While Emerson was held hitless in his major-league debut, he did score Seattle's first run of the game after drawing a lead-off walk in the sixth inning. The 20-year-old Emerson was recalled from Triple-A to serve as the Mariners' primary third baseman in the absence of Brendan Donovan (groin), though he could also now see time at shortstop after J.P. Crawford (triceps) left Sunday's contest after he was hit by a pitch. Emerson appeared in 38 games at Triple-A Tacoma this season, where he slashed .255/.347/.469 with seven homers and 10 stolen bases.

Ramirez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, two walks and an additional run scored in Sunday's 10-3 win over the Reds.

Ramirez took Tejay Antone deep for a two-run homer in the eighth inning that capped Cleveland's offensive outburst Sunday. The blast was his seventh homer of the season and his first in 24 games after he homered six times over his first 24 contests. While the superstar third baseman hasn't fully returned to his usual elite offensive form -- batting .229 with 19 RBI in 48 games -- he still holds an impressive .358 OBP and leads MLB with 20 stolen bases.