Sewald (shoulder) said he "felt great" after a recent throwing session and is optimistic that he can play a key role for the Tigers toward the end of the regular season and into the playoffs, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Sewald, who was transferred to the 60-day injured list after coming over from the Guardians in a July 31 trade, is ineligible to return until Sept. 10. While that doesn't give the veteran righty a lot of time to impact fantasy squads, he might help the Tigers in real life once he fully recovers from his moderate teres major strain. With Tommy Kahnle struggling recently, the team could use another battle-tested bullpen option, and Sewald has World Series experience from his time with the Diamondbacks in 2023.

Perkins is slated to start Saturday's game against the Orioles at Camden Yards.

Perkins posted a 2.75 ERA while working as a reliever in his first eight MLB appearances, before being moved into the rotation this past weekend. In his first career start Sunday, the young righty struck out four over three innings but was tagged for four earned runs on five hits and three walks. The Athletics intend to develop him as a starter, so Perkins should have an extended runway in the rotation even after his inauspicious first start. Perkins tossed a season-high 62 pitches in that loss to the Diamondbacks, so he may have some kind of workload restriction in place for his second start.

The Astros designated Contreras for assignment Thursday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

The Astros sent Contreras down to Triple-A on Sunday, and he'll now be stripped of his spot on the 40-man roster in favor of Enyel De Los Santos, who signed a major-league deal with the team on Thursday. Contreras carries a 6.75 ERA and 1.58 WHIP through 12 innings in the big leagues this season, but his 3.34 ERA in the minors may be enough for another team to take a chance on him.

The Astros optioned Hernandez to Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Although he's pitched two scoreless innings since being elevated from Triple-A on Friday, Hernandez will head back to the minors in order to make room for the newly signed Enyel De Los Santos. Hernandez boasts a 1.70 ERA and 0.97 WHIP through 37 innings at Sugar Land, and if he continues at that pace, he more than likely will find himself back in Houston later this season.

De Los Santos signed a one-year, major-league contract with the Astros on Thursday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

De Los Santos elected free agency after being DFA'd by Atlanta on July 30, and he'll now find a new home in the Astros' bullpen. The 29-year-old owns a 4.53 ERA and 1.31 WHIP through 43.2 innings this season and is likely ticketed for a middle-relief role in Houston. In order to clear roster space, the Astros optioned Nick Hernandez to Triple-A Sugar Land and designated Luis Contreras for assignment.

The White Sox designated Varland (undisclosed) for assignment Thursday.

Varland had been on the White Sox's 40-man roster all season, but he had pitched exclusively in the minors before landing on Triple-A Charlotte's injured list in July. Over 5.1 innings with Charlotte, Varland posted a 5.01 ERA and 1.96 WHIP. He made his last appearance for the affiliate June 28 and was later shifted to the 60-day IL, so the White Sox apparently weren't counting on him pitching again until at least late August or early September. He's likely to go unclaimed off waivers and could go back on Charlotte's IL if he opts to stay in the organization and accept an outright assignment to Triple-A.

The Orioles optioned Rodriguez to Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday.

The move frees up a spot on the 26-man active roster for right-hander Rico Garcia, who was claimed off waivers from the Mets. Rodriguez was a waiver claim himself last month and gave up two runs over one inning in his lone appearance with the Orioles this season.

Hill earned a hold against the Rangers on Wednesday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter without giving up any runs over two-thirds of an inning.

Hill handled the seventh inning and saw two runners get on base against him -- one on a single and another on catcher's interference. He departed after notching two outs, and Yerry De Los Santos was able to finish the frame without allowing either of the inherited runners to score. Hill had a rough start to the second half, but he's back on the right track with five consecutive scoreless appearances. Overall, he has a 2.63 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP, 13 holds and a 27:13 K:BB over 51.1 frames spanning 54 outings this season.

Munoz earned a save against the White Sox on Wednesday, allowing one run on one hit and two walks while striking out one batter over one inning.

Munoz entered with a three-run cushion in the ninth frame, but the last-place White Sox certainly made him work for the save. Munoz's outing began with a solo homer by Michael Taylor, and the All-Star closer then walked the next two batters to put the tying runs on base with no outs. However, Munoz was able to right the ship, retiring the next three batters to escape the jam. Though his eight-game scoreless streak came to an end, he nabbed his 26th save of the campaign, tied for fourth most in the majors.

Hatch (1-0) earned the win against the Tigers on Wednesday, allowing two hits and one walk with three strikeouts over 4.1 scoreless innings.

Hatch was excellent in bulk relief, throwing 38 of 56 pitches for strikes while limiting the Tigers to just two singles. The 30-year-old gave up two runs in a one-inning outing for the Royals on Friday and had posted a 4.22 ERA with a 78:28 K:BB over 91.2 innings at Triple-A Omaha before being claimed off waivers by the Twins this week. Though he's made just two major-league appearances this season, Wednesday's performance likely earned him another look with Minnesota.