MLB Player News

Fairbanks (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Durham on Sunday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Fairbanks apparently felt good after he faced hitters in Port Charlotte on Thursday, as he'll now return to game action with the minor-league club. Since the right-hander has spent time building up through bullpen sessions and live batting practice, he's unlikely to require many rehab appearances before he rejoins the Rays.

Zimmermann is dealing with a severe right ankle sprain and could miss the rest of the season, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

Zimmermann was slated to return to the starting rotation last weekend, but he sprained his ankle while exercising. The southpaw had spent two months recovering from biceps tendinitis, and he'll now be sidelined indefinitely due to his ankle injury.

Barlow landed on the 10-day injured list due to a blister Friday.

Barlow appeared to be emerging as the closer for Texas, recording the team's last two saves, but he won't see any more time in the ninth or any other inning for at least 10 days. Nick Snyder's contract was selected to take his place in the bullpen.

Fleming will be available out of the bullpen during Friday and Saturday's games against the White Sox, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

It's not clear if the southpaw will move to the bullpen permanently, but that decision will likely depend on a variety of factors, including how Chris Archer (forearm) performs in his return from the injured list Sunday. In any scenario, Fleming should be an option to provide length out of the bullpen in the coming days.

Montero was diagnosed with a strained right lat Friday and has yet to resume throwing, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Montero has spent the minimum 10 days on the injured list with what was originally described as shoulder soreness. As it turns out, the injury is worse than originally reported, and he won't be returning any time soon. It's not yet clear exactly when the Astros expect him back.

Valdez was designated for assignment by the Orioles on Friday.

Valdez surprisingly emerged to record his first three career saves in 2020 and saved eight more games in the early part of this year during his age-36 season, but he hasn't been good enough for high-leverage opportunities since, struggling to a 5.76 ERA in 45.1 innings. He's allowed at least one run in five of his last six outings, and the Orioles have evidently seen enough. They'll drop the veteran from the roster to give innings to younger options down the stretch, including 28-year-old Chris Ellis, who was claimed off waivers from the Rays on Friday.

Pressly (5-1) earned the win in relief Thursday against the Royals after tossing a scoreless ninth inning, allowing two hits.

Pressly gave up singles to Carlos Santana and Hunter Dozier, and he found himself with runners on the corners and two outs, but he retired Hanser Alberto on a groundout to come away unscathed. An offensive explosion in the top of the 10th allowed him to earn the win, but perhaps more importantly, Pressly has now tossed five straight scoreless outings.

Warren earned the save Thursday against the Tigers after tossing two perfect innings with a pair of strikeouts.

Warren entered in the eighth inning and shut down the Tigers on just seven pitches. With Raisel Iglesias having pitched the night before, Warren stayed in to close things out in the ninth, this time doing so on 10 pitches to pick up his first career save. The right-hander has compiled a solid 2.08 ERA and 1.08 WHIP across 13 innings at the big-league level this year.

Sewald allowed an unearned run on one hit and no walks while striking out one across one inning to earn the save Thursday against the Rangers.

Sewald pitched the 11th inning and was given a two-run lead to work with. He allowed only a two-out single, though that allowed the designated runner to score from second base. Sewald recorded the final out one batter later, and he now has six saves on the season. It is worth noting that Diego Castillo was brought into the game in a save situation in the ninth inning, and he surrendered a three-run home run to lose the lead. In addition to Castillo and Sewald, Drew Steckenrider has also factored into the Mariners' closer picture of late. Sewald has two of the team's five saves since Castillo was added to the roster.

Sulser struck out one and walked one in a scoreless inning during Thursday's 7-2 loss to Tampa Bay.

While Sulser has seen high-leverage work as recently as late July, Baltimore's 15-game losing streak has left him little opportunity to pitch with the team ahead. The 31-year-old has given up two runs on four hits and two walks over 5.2 innings through six August appearances. He owns a reasonable 2.80 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 56:20 K:BB across 45 innings while adding five saves and three holds this year.