MLB Player News

With lefty Framber Valdez on the bump for the Astros, the Twins lineup for Game 2 drastically changed. Donovan Solano, Kyle Farmer, and Willi Castro enter, while Edouard Julien, Alex Kirilloff, and Matt Wallner start the game on the bench. The veteran infielder started most games against southpaws down the stretch for Minnesota and slashed .282/.369/.391 with 43 runs scored across 450 plate appearances. Sure, he lacks the punch of most of the Twins hitters, but his OBP against left-handers is too hard to pass up.

With both Harrison Bader (hamstring) and Jared Oliva (wrist) landing on the injured list, the Giants need to change up their outfield. Brennan and Drew Gilbert were both called up on Wednesday, and it seems likely that Brennan will most likely serve as the fourth outfielder for now.

With Harrison Bader (hamstring) landing on the injured list, it will be Gilbert getting a shot to take his place. The 25-year-old is hitting .289/.389/.400 with one home run and 11 runs scored in 11 games at Triple-A. He struggled in his first MLB opportunity last year, but he should get a chance to start in center field in the short-term.

We’ve seen quite a few hamate bone fractures this year, so we have a good sense of the recovery timeline. It should be about 6-8 weeks before Oliva could be in the mix to be back up with San Francisco.

Bader has been battling some hamstring soreness since spring training and was removed from the lineup earlier this week. It seems like the Giants are going to give the veteran a chance to fully shut down and make sure his hamstring is healed before getting back on the field.

Backhus was sent to Triple-A just a week ago, but will be back with Zach Pop (calf) landing on the injured list. The 28-year-old left-hander has allowed three runs on four hits in three innings for the Phillies with a 4/1 K/BB ratio.

Pop filled in as the opener for Andrew Painter (migraine) on Sunday but has not pitched since. Now we know why. As of now, we’re not expecting this to be a long absence.

Mathews also allowed just one hit and three walks while striking out eight. It was his best start of the season, but he does still sit with a 5.56 ERA on the year. He’ll need to string a few more of these together before being in the mix for a call-up.

Tong did strike out 10 in this one, but he also walked three and allowed two home runs. The 22-year-old has missed plenty of bats so far this season with a 23/10 K/BB ratio in 15 1/3 innings, but he has also allowed 15 runs (12 earned) on 11 hits. He’ll need to keep working on getting the command in check.

Chivilli struggled this spring but has thrown 8 1/3 scoreless innings at Triple-A this season while allowing just two hits and posting a 9/2 K/BB ratio.

Manager Rob Thomson said he wanted to break up his two righties, but that means that Painter will be on a full week’s rest since his last performance was also on Sunday. Sánchez will now be pitching on regular rest.