MLB Player News

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.

Armstrong will serve as the Rays' opening pitcher for Saturday's game against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Saturday would have been Zack Littell's turn in the rotation, but he ended up covering 1.1 innings in relief in Friday's 11-4 loss. The Rays also deployed another starting pitcher in Taj Bradley for one inning in relief Friday, likely in a deliberate attempt by manager Kevin Cash to keep all of his rotation options available for a possible wild-card round matchup with this same Blue Jays squad. As a result, the Rays look poised to lean on a melange of relievers to cover the final two games of the regular season, with Armstrong leading off Saturday's contest. Armstrong hasn't covered more than three innings in any of his appearances in the majors or minors this season, so he's unlikely to work deep into Saturday's game to qualify for a win.

Pivetta (10-9) earned the win Friday, allowing two hits and one walk over seven scoreless innings against the Orioles. He struck out 10.

Pivetta ended his season on a high note, notching his fourth double-digit strikeout performance of the year. The 30-year-old righty was fantastic throughout September with a 2.43 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 43:5 K:BB in 33.1 innings. Pivetta ends the year with career lows in ERA (4.04) and WHIP (1.12) with 183:50 K:BB over 142.2 innings.

Clase picked up the save Friday against the Tigers. He allowed one run on one hit over one inning without walking or striking out a batter.

Clase yielded a 391-foot solo homer to Spencer Torkelson to lead off the ninth inning before promptly retiring the next three Detroit batters. Although he has secured a career-high 44 saves, the Cleveland closer has struggled a bit this year, posting a career-worst 3.14 ERA and 8.0 K/9 (compared to a career 1.47 ERA and 9.3 K/9 prior to the season). Clase been especially shaky in September with a 4.63 ERA and 5.4 K/9 over 11.2 innings.

Pressly allowed an unearned run on one hit and struck out one over one inning to earn the save in Friday's 2-1 win over the Diamondbacks.

Pressly danced with danger after Alek Thomas reached on an error and Gabriel Moreno sent him home with an RBI double. Pressly was still able to get the job done, earning his first save since Sept. 9. The closer is up to 31 saves in 37 chances this season while logging a 3.58 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 74:16 K:BB through 65.1 innings overall.

Daniel (1-1) picked up his first big-league win in Friday's 5-1 victory over Oakland, yielded two hits and a walk over five shutout innings out of the bullpen.

Daniel finished the game after starter Chase Silseth allowed one run through four frames. The rookie right-hander threw 47 of 61 pitches for strikes and worked around the only threat he faced in the ninth inning. Since being promoted to the big leagues earlier this month, the 26-year-old made three extended relief appearances for the Angels, registering a 2.19 ERA and 1.30 WHIP across 12.1 frames.

Silseth allowed one run on two hits and three walks over four innings Friday in the Angels' win over Oakland. He struck out three and did not factor in the decision.

Silseth returned from the injured list Friday to make his first appearance since Aug. 26. The lone damage against him came on Brent Rooker's RBI double in the third inning. Silseth posted a 3.96 ERA with a 56:26 K:BB through 52.1 MLB innings this season. In seven appearances since the All-Star break, he registered a 3.21 ERA.

Pagan will start Saturday's game in Colorado after earning a save in Friday's 7-6 win over the Rockies, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

After needing just nine pitches in an easy bottom of the ninth inning Friday to earn his first save of the season, Pagan will now turn right back around to make his first career start a day later. The 32-year-old right-hander will probably only be asked to cover the first inning Saturday for the AL Central-champion Twins. Chris Paddack and Dallas Keuchel are available on three and two days' rest, respectively, and could be capable of covering multiple innings behind Pagan.

Manager Alex Cora announced Friday that Jansen will not pitch again this season, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Jansen was activated off the COVID-19 injured list last weekend, but he hasn't made an appearance since Sept. 12 and the Red Sox don't have a reason to push him out there in their final two regular-season games. The veteran closer is due a $16 million salary from Boston in 2024.