MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins have reinstated third baseman Miguel Sano from the disabled list after he missed the last 24 games with a strained left hamstring.The Twins sent outfielder Jake Cave on Thursday to Triple-A Rochester.Sano went 6 for 16 with two homers and three walks on a five-game rehab assignment at Rochester. Before he was hurt, Sano batted just .213 with five homers and 14 RBIs with 36 strikeouts in 20 games. Sano, an All-Star in 2017, has never played in more than 116 games in the majors due to injuries.The Twins start a three-game series in Seattle against the Mariners on Friday. They are still missing three regulars from their lineup: shortstop Jorge Polanco (suspension), first baseman Joe Mauer (neck strain) and catcher Jason Castro (knee surgery).___For more AP baseball coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

NEW YORK (AP) — Chicago White Sox catcher Welington Castillo has been suspended for 80 games by Major League Baseball following a positive test for a performance-enhancing substance.The commissioner's office said Thursday he tested positive for EPO. Erythropoietin is a hormone that stimulates the red blood cell production and often has turned up in the test results for cyclists.He is the eighth player suspended this year under the major league drug-testing program.Castillo is in his ninth major league season. The Dominican is batting .267 with six homers and 15 RBIs this year on a team that is 15-31.Barring rainouts, he would be eligible to return Aug, 24 at Detroit. He would lose more than $3.5 million of his $7.25 million salary.

CHICAGO (AP) — Adam Plutko was nervous. Not about making his second major league start, really. It was all about stepping to the plate.Once that was over, everything fell into place.Plutko carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and Andrew Miller provided stellar relief work, helping the Cleveland Indians beat the Chicago Cubs 1-0 on Wednesday night."We know when (Plutko) commands everything, he can be pretty good," manager Terry Francona said. "But on a night when he didn't command real well, he still did pretty damn good."Plutko (2-0) was promoted from Triple-A Columbus to replace the struggling Josh Tomlin in Cleveland's rotation. The right-hander issued each of his four walks in the first two innings, but settled down after a successful sacrifice in the third in his first at-bat since he was a junior in high school in 2009."I was really nervous to hit, and so as soon as I got that bunt down in the third, I felt like a lot more calm and everything was a lot better," he said.Plutko's... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Justin Verlander got some run support for the first time in nearly a month and led the Houston Astros over the San Francisco Giants 4-1 on Wednesday.Verlander (6-2) struck out nine and walked one in six innings, allowing one run and three hits as his major league-leading ERA rose slightly to 1.08. He had given up just three runs over 29 innings during his previous four starts, but the Astros had scored just three runs in that span, getting shut out twice.Ken Giles pitched the ninth to remain perfect in nine save chances.George Springer hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the fifth on a 93 mph fastball from Jeff Samardzija (1-3), driving the ball off the facade above the left-field seats. Carlos Correa added an RBI single later in the inning.INDIANS 1, CUBS 0CHICAGO (AP) — Adam Plutko carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and Andrew Miller provided stellar relief work, helping Cleveland beat Chicago.Plutko (2-0) struck out four and walked four in his second major league... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Adam Plutko carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and Andrew Miller provided stellar relief work, helping the Cleveland Indians beat the Chicago Cubs 1-0 on Wednesday night.Plutko (2-0) struck out four and walked four in his second major league start. The right-hander was promoted from Triple-A Columbus to replace the struggling Josh Tomlin in Cleveland's rotation.Michael Brantley, Francisco Lindor and Rajai Davis had two hits apiece as the AL Central leaders won for the third time in four games. Brantley extended his hitting streak to 12 games, and Davis also contributed a leaping catch against the wall in center, robbing Addison Russell of a likely run-scoring hit in the second.The Indians completed a sweep of their two-game set versus the Cubs in their first appearance at Wrigley Field since they lost the 2016 World Series.Chicago wasted a terrific start by Jon Lester (4-2) in its second straight loss after taking three of four last weekend in Cincinnati. The lefty... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Justin Verlander got some run support for the first time in nearly a month and led the Houston Astros over the San Francisco Giants 4-1 on Wednesday.Verlander (6-2) struck out nine and walked one in six innings, allowing one run and three hits as his major league-leading ERA rose slightly to 1.08. He had given up just three runs over 29 innings during his previous four starts, but the Astros had scored just three runs in that span, getting shut out twice.Ken Giles pitched the ninth to remain perfect in nine save chances.George Springer hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the fifth on a 93 mph fastball from Jeff Samardzija (1-3), driving the ball off the facade above the left-field seats. Carlos Correa added an RBI single later in the inning.BREWERS 9, DIAMONDBACKS 2MILWAUKEE (AP) — Travis Shaw hit a three-run homer and Jesus Aguilar had a go-ahead, two-run single during a seven-run fourth inning to help Milwaukee send Arizona to its seventh straight loss.Brent Suter (4-3)... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Cleveland Indians have placed Brandon Guyer on the 10-day disabled list with a neck strain after the outfielder got hurt in a collision with a fan.Manager Terry Francona says Guyer went into the stands in Houston on Saturday trying to track down a foul ball and "got like a forearm or something" from a fan. The DL move is retroactive to Sunday.The Indians also recalled right-hander Adam Plutko from Triple-A Columbus. Plutko is slated to make his second major league start Wednesday night against the Chicago Cubs.Guyer is batting .150 with three homers and 10 RBIs in 33 games. He becomes the fourth outfielder on Cleveland's DL, joining Bradley Zimmer (left rib contusion), Tyler Naquin (left hamstring strain) and Lonnie Chisenhall (right calf strain).Plutko is replacing Josh Tomlin in Cleveland's rotation. The 26-year-old Plutko made his season debut with the Indians on May 3, pitching 7 1/3 innings in the second game of a doubleheader against Toronto and earning his first major league win.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

A look at what's happening around the majors today:OLD CONNECTIONSRed Sox lefty David Price (4-4), coming off a complete-game victory over Baltimore, pitches against his original team and buddy Chris Archer (3-3) when Boston visits Tampa Bay. "There will be a little bit of banter, but it's all friendly," Archer said. Price might get a chance to face prized Rays prospect Willy Adames, who homered in his major league debut Tuesday night. The 22-year-old shortstop was acquired from Detroit in a three-team trade that sent Price from the Rays to the Tigers on July 31, 2014.THE THROWBACKHouston ace Justin Verlander (5-2) faces San Francisco at home. Verlander lowered his ERA to a big league-best 1.05 by tossing a five-hitter against the Angels last time out, his eighth career shutout and first since 2015 with Detroit. Jeff Samardzija (1-2) is up for the Giants.ON SECOND THOUGHTThe Mariners are down another second baseman after Dee Gordon joined Robinson Cano on the disabled list. Gordon, who... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Mookie Betts hit his major league-leading 16th homer, Chris Sale struck out nine in 7 2/3 innings and the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-2 on Tuesday night.Sale (5-1) gave up four hits and walked two. He has allowed three runs or fewer in his first 11 starts, the longest stretch by a Boston pitcher to open a season since Pedro Martinez's 12 in 2001.Joe Kelly finished the eighth, and Craig Kimbrel got into a bases-loaded jam before finishing his 14th save in 16 chances when Mallex Smith grounded into a game-ending forceout.Willy Adames made his big league debut and hit a solo home run off Sale in his second at-bat. The 22-year-old shortstop prospect went 1 for 4 with three strikeouts.Betts hit a three-run drive in the third off Jake Faria (3-3), who left two batters later because of a strained left oblique.Two hitters following Faria's departure, Wilson Ramos was taken out due to a bruised left hand after Austin Pruitt's 0-2 pitch to Xander Bogaerts... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins acquired first baseman Chris Carter from the Los Angeles Angels for cash considerations in a minor-league trade on Tuesday.The 31-year-old was hitting .255 with 13 home runs and 43 RBIs in 38 games for Triple-A Salt Lake this season. He will join Minnesota's Triple-A affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings.Carter, who led the National League with 41 home runs in 2016, last played in the majors on July 4, 2017 for the New York Yankees. He hit .201 with eight homers in 62 games for New York.The Twins lost first baseman Joe Mauer to the disabled list last weekend with a neck strain and concussion-like symptoms. Regular designated hitter Logan Morrison has started the past four games at first base.

A look at what's happening around the majors Wednesday:OLD CONNECTIONSRed Sox lefty David Price (4-4), coming off a complete-game victory over Baltimore, pitches against his original team and buddy Chris Archer (3-3) when Boston visits Tampa Bay. "There will be a little bit of banter, but it's all friendly," Archer said. Price might get a chance to face prized Rays prospect Willy Adames, who homered in his major league debut Tuesday night. The 22-year-old shortstop was acquired from Detroit in a three-team trade that sent Price from the Rays to the Tigers on July 31, 2014.THE THROWBACKHouston ace Justin Verlander (5-2) faces San Francisco at home. Verlander lowered his ERA to a big league-best 1.05 by tossing a five-hitter against the Angels last time out, his eighth career shutout and first since 2015 with Detroit. Jeff Samardzija (1-2) is up for the Giants.ON SECOND THOUGHTThe Mariners are down another second baseman after Dee Gordon joined Robinson Cano on the disabled list. Gordon,... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Mookie Betts hit his major league-leading 16th homer, Chris Sale struck out nine in 7 2/3 innings and the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-2 on Tuesday night.Sale (5-1) gave up four hits and walked two. He has allowed three runs or fewer in his first 11 starts, the longest stretch by a Boston pitcher to open a season since Pedro Martinez's 12 in 2001.Joe Kelly finished the eighth, and Craig Kimbrel got into a bases-loaded jam before finishing his 14th save in 16 chances when Mallex Smith grounded into a game-ending forceout.Willy Adames made his big league debut and hit a solo home run off Sale in his second at-bat. The 22-year-old shortstop prospect went 1 for 4 with three strikeouts.Betts hit a three-run drive in the third off Jake Faria (3-3), who left two batters later because of a strained left oblique.Two hitters following Faria's departure, Wilson Ramos was taken out due to a bruised left hand after Austin Pruitt's 0-2 pitch to Xander Bogaerts... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Mookie Betts hit his major league-leading 16th homer, Chris Sale struck out nine in 7 2/3 innings and the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-2 on Tuesday night.Sale (5-1) gave up four hits and walked two. He has allowed three runs or fewer in his first 11 starts, the longest stretch by a Boston pitcher to open a season since Pedro Martinez's 12 in 2001.Joe Kelly finished the eighth, and Craig Kimbrel got into a bases-loaded jam before finishing his 14th save in 16 chances when Mallex Smith grounded into a game-ending forceout.Willy Adames made his big league debut and hit a solo home run off Sale in his second at-bat. The 22-year-old shortstop prospect went 1 for 4 with three strikeouts.Betts hit a three-run drive in the third off Jake Faria (3-3), who left two batters later because of a strained left oblique.Two hitters following Faria's departure, Wilson Ramos was taken out due to a bruised left hand after Austin Pruitt's 0-2 pitch to Xander Bogaerts... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Mookie Betts hit his major league-leading 16th homer, Chris Sale struck out nine in 7 2/3 innings and the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-2 on Tuesday night.Sale (5-1) gave up four hits and walked two. He has allowed three runs or fewer in his first 11 starts, the longest stretch by a Boston pitcher to open a season since Pedro Martinez's 12 in 2001.Joe Kelly finished the eighth, and Craig Kimbrel got into a bases-loaded jam before finishing his 14th save in 16 chances when Mallex Smith grounded into a game-ending forceout.Willy Adames made his big league debut and hit a solo home run off Sale in his second at-bat. The 22-year-old shortstop prospect went 1 for 4 with three strikeouts.Betts hit a three-run drive in the third off Jake Faria (3-3), who left two batters later because of a strained left oblique.Two hitters following Faria's departure, Wilson Ramos was taken out due to a bruised left hand after Austin Pruitt's 0-2 pitch to Xander Bogaerts... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Aaron Boone has been ejected from a game for the first time as a big league manager.Boone, managing his 46th game for the New York Yankees, was tossed by home plate Pat Hoberg with two outs in the sixth inning of Tuesday night's game at Texas after apparently arguing balls and strikes from the dugout.Hoberg glanced into the Yankees dugout after calling a high strike that put Gary Sanchez in an 0-2 count. The umpire then ejected Boone, who came out of the dugout and had a few choice words for Hoberg before leaving the field.Sanchez eventually drew a walk against Cole Hamels before Didi Gregorius popped out to end the inning with the Yankees trailing 6-1.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Jake Faria and catcher Wilson Ramos left with injuries in the third inning of Tuesday night's game against the Boston Red Sox.Faria gave up a tiebreaking three-run homer to Mookie Betts, struck out Andrew Benintendi and came out due to a strained left oblique.Ramos bruised the back of his left hand two batters later when hit by an 0-2 pitch from Austin Pruitt to Xander Bogaerts that bounced in the dirt. Ramos was replaced by Jesus Sucre.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Seattle Mariners' Dee Gordon has joined Robinson Cano on the disabled list, just after taking over from the All-Star at second base.Seattle said Tuesday that Gordon hurt his right big toe on May 9 in Toronto and reinjured it Sunday.Manager Scott Servais said the team has known about the injury since Gordon underwent X-rays earlier this month and that Gordon's discomfort was obvious Sunday."He tried to play through it. It just wasn't working," Servais said.Gordon's DL stint is retroactive to Monday. Infielder Daniel Vogelbach was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma and was inserted into the No. 6 slot in the batting order as Seattle's designated hitter.Servais said the Mariners expect the injury to heal on its own with rest and the team wants Gordon to keep off his feet for a while. Gordon did not travel with the club to Oakland."With speed being such a big part of his game, I just think the best thing to do is to let that thing calm down," Servais said.Gordon was acquired... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Steven Souza Jr. is back on the 10-day disabled list.Souza originally strained his right pectoral muscle during spring training and didn't start his big league season until May 3. He reinjured the muscle on a throw from right field Friday night at New York, took two days off and struck out as a pinch-hitter in Monday night's 4-2 loss to Milwaukee."He gave us some feedback today and said his arm is still sore," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said after Tuesday's announcement. "It just made so much sense to put him in the right situation to get healthy and get better."In his first season with Arizona, the 29-year-old Souza is hitting .163 (7 for 43) with one RBI.Outfielder Socrates Brito was recalled from Triple-A Reno and is back in the major leagues for the first time since Oct. 2, 2016.The 25-year-old outfielder was hitting .323 with two home runs and 21 RBIs in 42 games with Reno this season. Brito dislocated his left ring finger while sliding into home plate in a spring training game in 2017, then returned to hit .291 in 78 games with the Aces last season.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

HOUSTON (AP) — The Astros have released former top prospect Jon Singleton, who was serving a 100-game suspension under baseball's minor league drug program after a third positive test for a drug of abuse.The 26-year-old first baseman played 114 games for Houston in 2014-15, hitting .171 with 14 home runs. Singleton spent all of last season with Double-A Corpus Christi, where he batted .205 with 18 homers and 62 RBIs.Months before he reached the majors during spring training in 2014, he discussed his battle with marijuana addiction and alcohol abuse in an interview with The Associated Press. In that interview he said: "At this point it's pretty evident to me that I'm a drug addict."Still, the Astros signed him to a $10 million, five-year contract before he made his major league debut on June 3 of that year. He spent the rest of that season in the majors, where he hit just .168 with 13 homers and 44 RBIs. Singleton played just 19 games in the majors in 2015 and spent all of the 2016 season in Triple-A before being sent to Double-A last year.General manager Jeff Luhnow declined to discuss Singleton's release on Tuesday.___For more AP baseball coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Seattle Mariners' Dee Gordon has joined Robinson Cano on the disabled list, just after taking over from the All-Star at second base.Seattle said Tuesday that Gordon hurt his right big toe on May 9 in Toronto and reinjured it Sunday. The DL stint is retroactive to Monday.Infielder Daniel Vogelbach was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma.Gordon was acquired from Miami during the offseason and shifted to center field, then moved back to the infield when Cano broke a hand when hit by a pitch. Cano then was suspended for 80 games for a positive drug test.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball