MLB Player News

Even though Nimmo is out of the lineup due to a virus, we also need to acknowledge that he has come out of the gates slow in the second half, hitting .140 with no home runs and 30 strikeouts in 23 games. Harrison Bader will start in center field on Thursday with Jeff McNeil sliding to right field so that Jose Iglesias can enter the lineup at second base. As far as Nimmo is concerned, he needs to start hitting again soon because Starling Marte is nearing a return from his rehab assignment, and that outfield is going to get a bit more crowded.

The 39-year-old Carrasco has twice been designated for assignment by the Braves this season and signed back to the team. This will now be the third time they have selected his contract to the big league roster. Carrasco has allowed two runs on six hits in 7 1/3 innings while striking out four and not walking a batter. It remains to be seen how long he’ll last on the roster this time.

The Twins’ top prospect has been out since the beginning of May with a Grade 2 AC joint sprain in his left shoulder. The Twins are hoping that he can progress to live batting practice this week and then begin a rehab assignment next week. He would then likely return to games at Triple-A St. Paul, where he had a .250/.389/.386 slash line with two homers and five steals in 24 games.

Festa was diagnosed with a right shoulder impingement back at the end of March and has spent the entire season on the injured list. He is still three weeks from throwing off a mound, so even if everything progresses without setbacks, the earliest he would be an option for the Twins is likely in mid-August.

Roden has been on the injured list since April 24th after suffering a shoulder injury on April 17th. If he does get his batting practice sessions in this week, he will likely begin a rehab assignment next week and then would likely need at least two weeks of games before the Twins would even consider bringing him up to the big leagues. There’s also a chance he’s activated off the injured list and kept at Triple-A, where he began the season.

Jeffers had surgery on May 20th to fix his fractured hamate bone. The original timeline was four to six weeks, so it’s nice to see that the cast is already off. He has not resumed swinging a bat, but that should come towards the middle of June.

Wilkinson, also known as Tugboat, came to the Giants early in May as part of the Patrick Bailey trade. The 23-year-old left-hander made three starts for the Giants in Double-A and has a 1.87 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, and 49/13 K/BB ratio across 43 1/3 total Double-A innings this season. If he adapts well to Triple-A, he could be an option for the Giants down the stretch.

Nootbaar will get at least two additional rehab contests under his belt before potentially being activated for Friday’s series opener against the Reds, which is when his rehab assignment clock expires. The 28-year-old is working his way back from offseason surgery on both heels. He should make it back to St. Louis by the end of the week.

Ekness hit the injured list with a right calf strain prior to Monday’s series opener against the division-rival Nationals. The intriguing rookie southpaw has posted a strong 1.69 ERA and 5/5 K/BB ratio across 5 1/3 innings over six appearances in a pair of stints with the Marlins this season. He’s unlikely to rejoin Miami’s relief mix until around next month’s All-Star break.

Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll told reporters Monday that Rojas is already feeling better and could be cleared to resume throwing at some point this week. It’s an encouraging update after the 23-year-old rookie hit the injured list with elbow inflammation last Friday. He’s going to miss at least a couple weeks, but it doesn’t appear that he’s headed for an extended absence.

The Rockies erased a 6-3 deficit by scoring five in the top of the eighth, only to see the Angels tie things up in the bottom of the inning. In the ninth, Kyle Karros singled, McCarthy doubled and TJ Rumfield delivered a sac fly to make it 9-8, and the Rockies held on this time. With the Rockies having three outfielders on the IL, McCarthy has been an everyday player of late, starting 17 straight games. The good times won’t last forever, but he’s a mixed-league outfielder right now.