MLB Player News

The Rangers designated Speas for assignment Saturday.

After giving up three runs over two innings during a brief major-league stint in July, Speas was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock, and the selection of Matt Bush from the minors will now push Speas off the 40-man roster. Speas will likely go unclaimed off waivers and projects to begin next season in Triple-A.

The Yankees optioned Vasquez to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday.

Vasquez will end up as the Yankees' roster casualty as Frankie Montas (shoulder) returns from the 60-day injured list. Despite a lackluster season in Triple-A with a 4.59 ERA, the 24-year-old righty was solid out of the bullpen for the Yankees, posting a 2.87 ERA and 1.27 WHIP through 37.2 innings.

The Yankees reinstated Montas (shoulder) from the 60-day injured list Saturday.

Montas has been held out all season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder in February, but he will return to the Yankees' pitching staff for the final two games of the season. The 30-year-old righty gave up one run over three innings during a rehab assignment in Triple-A, and he could make an appearance out of the bullpen before the end of the year. Jasson Dominguez (elbow) was transferred to the 60-day IL to free up a 40-man spot for Montas, and Randy Vasquez was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Bautista (elbow) will undergo Tommy John surgery in October, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Bautista's 1.48 ERA, 33 saves and 46.4 percent strikeout rate helped the Orioles get back to the playoffs this season, but he won't get to be part of the roster as they push to make their first World Series since 1983. Tommy John surgery seemed possible when Bautista was first diagnosed with a UCL injury back in late August, but the fact that he quickly resumed throwing and had recently advanced to a 25-pitch simulated game seemed to indicate that he'd avoided a worst-case scenario. Instead, he'll miss not only this year's playoffs but the entirety of next season as well. In less significant news, he also signed a two-year contract extension, per Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com, buying out his first year of arbitration and giving him peace of mind as he recovers. Yennier Cano will continue handling closer duties in Bautista's absence.

Lopez was designated for assignment Saturday, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.

The Orioles claimed Lopez off waivers from the Marlins on Sept. 2. During his month with Baltimore, he had a 5.25 ERA with a 1.25 WHIP in 12.0 innings. In a corresponding move, Bruce Zimmermann was recalled.

Zimmermann was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on Saturday, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.

Zimmermann's last appearance in the majors was back on July 4. Since being optioned, the pitcher has a 4.75 ERA across 53.0 innings in Triple-A. In a corresponding move, Jorge Lopez was designated for assignment.

Vest will serve as the Tigers' opening pitcher Saturday against the Guardians, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

The Tigers are treating their penultimate game of the regular season as a bullpen day, with Vest unlikely to work more than an inning or two before giving way to a slew of relievers. Vest will be serving as an opener for the fourth time this season.

Hill was called up by Detroit on Saturday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Hill will give the Tigers an extra arm in the bullpen after the unit was tasked with tossing 6.2 frames Friday. Joey Wentz, the ineffective starter in Friday's contest, was optioned in a corresponding move.

Criswell was recalled from Triple-A Durham on Saturday.

Criswell is back in the majors for the first time since Aug. 19, when he tossed two innings out of the bullpen while serving as the Rays' 27th man for a doubleheader with the Angels. The right-hander's final appearance in the minors came Tuesday, when he struck out two over two scoreless innings. He could be deployed as a bulk reliever in Saturday's game in Toronto behind Shawn Armstrong, who is set to open the game but is unlikely to cover more than 1-to-3 innings.

Cruz is slated to open Saturday's game against the Yankees.

He'll be operating as an opener for the second weekend in a row, after he had previously worked an inning in last Sunday's contest versus the Astros before giving way to bulk reliever Alec Marsh. The Royals haven't formally named a bulk reliever for Saturday's contest, but Marsh is available on five days' rest and should end up covering most of the innings out of the bullpen once Cruz exits the contest.