MLB Player News

After the Rangers took a one-run lead in the top of the ninth, Phil Maton recorded the first out in the bottom of the inning and gave up a base hit before Armstrong was called on to close things out. He worked around another hit, striking out two batters to preserve the win and convert his ninth save of the season.

The Twins suddenly have a vacancy in their starting rotation with Joe Ryan (glute) expected to land on the injured list, so Matthews will have another opportunity to show what he can do at the game’s highest level. The 26-year-old hurler holds a 5.22 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and a 69/26 K/BB ratio over 81 innings in 14 starts with the Twins this season.

Chourio hit a 388-foot homer just over the wall in right center in the first. It would have been a homer in nine ballparks, according to Statcast. Four innings later, he hit a ball 395 feet to a similar area, but just a little too far to the left of where the wall juts in, resulting in a long flyout. Both were impressive shots, though. After a down month of July in which he homered only once, Chourio is 7-for-21 with two homers and four walks to open August.

May, acquired from the Cardinals on Monday, allowed three hits, walked three and struck out five to win for the first time since his one-hit shutout of the Padres back on June 15. He’s allowed just three runs over 17 innings in his last five starts, taking his ERA back down to 4.30. He’s set to face the Padres next week, and given how well his previous two starts this year went against them, he seems like a decent streaming option.

Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe both worked Tuesday and Wednesday, so Aaron Ashby had the eighth and Patrick got the ninth today. It’s Patrick’s fifth save, though his first in which he was summoned only for the ninth. Two of the previous four were of at least three innings.

Ashcraft is now 15 innings over his previous career high from last year, and while it hasn’t taken a toll on his velocity at all, his results are suffering; he’s given up 22 earned runs over 24 innings in his last five starts, taking his ERA from 3.24 to 4.08. There was nothing illegitimate about his first-half numbers, but it could be a bumpy ride here in August and September. He’ll face the Marlins next week.

Lara is 1-for-16 in his last five games, putting him at .224/.333/.345 in 69 plate appearances since his callup. The plan likely is to keep him in the majors for the rest of the season, but he figures to lose playing time after Sal Frelick comes off the injured list, and if he’s struggling at that point, perhaps he could be sent down, rather than Brandon Lockridge.

Pereira had been designated for assignment on Monday. The 25-year-old outfielder slashed .225/.284/.438 with four homers and 11 RBI in 88 plate appearances with the White Sox around stints on the injured list. He’ll add outfield depth for the Cardinals and can continue to be ignored for fantasy purposes.

Ryan suffered the injury during Tuesday’s start against the Royals. No word yet on how long he’s expected to be sidelined for, but it’s a massive blow to the Twins’ rotation as they’re trying to fight for a playoff berth in a weakened American League.

The 32-year-old backstop was cut loose by the Dodgers after appearing in just 16 games at Triple-A Oklahoma City where he slashed an underwhelming .196/.323/.353 with a pair of homers and eight RBI in 62 plate appearances. He’ll add extra catching depth for the Tigers at Triple-A Toledo.

The 38-year-old right-hander was designated for assignment by the Rays on Sunday to clear a spot on their 40-man roster for Freddy Peralta. Kimbrel then passed through waivers unclaimed and refused an outright assignment to Triple-A Durham. He’s now free to explore opportunities elsewhere.