MLB Player News

Severino returns to Minnesota just a few weeks after being removed from the club’s 40-man roster. The 25-year-old first baseman has yet to make his big-league debut, but has showed some decent pop in the minors, with 21 round-trippers in 128 contests last year for Triple-A St. Paul.

The Diamondbacks jumped on Mitchell Parker in the first inning of this one, as Lourdes Gurriel Jr. smacked a run-scoring double and Suárez followed with a mammoth 466-foot (111.7 mph EV) two-run shot that proved to be the difference in the ballgame. It was his only hit in four trips to the plate on the afternoon. On the season, the 33-year-old slugger is now slashing .231/.311/.509 with 16 long balls and 44 RBI.

Gurriel got the Diamondbacks on the board first in this one with an RBI double off of Mitchell Parker in the opening inning. He then rode home on a two-run blast off the bat of Eugenio Suarez. As a team, the Diamondbacks had just three hits in the contest, but that’s all the offense they would need. On the season, the 31-year-old outfielder is now hitting .251/.291/.436 with eight homers, 33 RBI and three stolen bases.

Martinez looked like a dominant force in this one, getting Keibert Ruiz on a pop out to first base to start the inning before striking out Jose Tena and Daylen Lile in succession to end it. He needed just 13 pitches (nine strikes) to get the job done in this one. On the season, Martinez now sports a 3.46 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and a 16/7 K/BB ratio over 13 innings on the season while securing four saves in his first five opportunities.

Mena was thrust into action in the sixth inning on Sunday after Corbin Burnes exited with an injury. He went on to allow just one hit and one walk over two scoreless frames while striking out a pair of batters. He has yet to allow an earned run over 5 2/3 innings with the Diamondbacks this season while posting a 0.53 WHIP and a 7/2 K/BB ratio. If he keeps it up, he could work his way into a high-leverage role at the back of the Diamondbacks’ bullpen.

Abrams smacked a two-out single into right field off of Corbin Burnes in the fifth inning, swiped second base and scored the Nationals’ lone run on an RBI single off the bat of Nathaniel Lowe. That would be his only hit in four a-bats on the day. For the season, the dynamic 24-year-old shortstop is now hitting .273/.346/.486 with eight homers, 19 RBI and 10 stolen bases (in 12 attempts).

The left-hander walked two while striking out a pair of batters in the ballgame. All of the scoring done against him came in the opening inning as Lourdes Gurriel Jr. roped an RBI double and Eugenio Suarez added a two-run blast. Parker settled in nicely afterwards and finished his day with four scoreless frames, but the damage had been done. He’ll attempt to improve upon a disappointing 4.71 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 42/28 K/BB ratio (65 innings) when he does battle against the Rangers on Saturday.

Lovullo also noted that Burnes will undergo an MRI exam on Monday to determine the extent of the injury. The Diamondbacks’ skipper also stated his level of concern as “more than minimal”. It’s a terrible break for the Diamondbacks and for fantasy managers who are likely to be without their ace for at least a couple of weeks and potentially longer. The Diamondbacks won’t have any additional updates until after Monday’s exam so fantasy managers need to have alternative options on hand for next week as it seems extremely unlikely that Burnes would be able to make his next scheduled start.

Already coming off a fantasy May, Ramírez started June on the right note by crushing the ball today. In fact, his 397-foot homer was only his third hardest-hit ball, behind a 110.5-mph groundout and a 108.0-mph single. Those were his second- and eighth-hardest-hit balls of the year.

Williams was a big success today even though his velocity was down some. The same thing happened against the Twins two starts ago; he was down about 1-1.5 mph on all of his pitches yet still turned in one of his better starts. Last time out, his fastball was back up to 97.1 mph in a weaker showing against the Dodgers. Today, he averaged 95.6 mph yet allowed just one hit. Williams is already a difficult enough pitcher to get a read on, and the fluctuating velocity isn’t helping. Still, it’s nice that he’s succeeding with his cutter, a pitch he didn’t use at all in his first four starts, used sparingly in his next five and now has featured prominently in his last three outings. He’ll face the righty-heavy Astros next, which makes for a tough matchup given his reverse splits.

Clase struck out two in another easy outing. His last three appearances have all seen him throw exactly 10 pitches in perfect innings.