MLB Player News

Bassitt (face) isn't listed as the probable starter for Thursday's game against the Mariners, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Thursday's series finale was previously mentioned as a possible return date for the 32-year-old but James Kaprielian will instead receive the starting nod. According to Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News, Bassitt felt good after throwing about 30 pitches during a bullpen session Monday, which should still give him an opportunity to return later in the week.

Whitlock's pectoral strain is a minor one but could still send him to the injured list, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Whitlock left Sunday's game against Oakland with what was originally described as right pectoral tightness. It turns out that he's dealing with a strain, but he could still potentially avoid a trip to the injured list. If he doesn't wind up being so lucky, however, he'll only be eligible to return for the final four days of the regular season.

Bielak was recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land on Monday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Bielak was optioned Saturday but is back already without having made a minor-league appearance. He'll offer length out of the bullpen for the Astros, as he's done for most of the season.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Taillon (ankle) will likely begin a minor-league rehab assignment Wednesday, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

Taillon will presumably report to either Double-A Somerset or Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for what should be only one rehab start before he rejoins the big club. The right-hander has been on the shelf for just two weeks with the right ankle tendon sprain, so the one start should be all he needs to fully ramp up. Due to off days this Thursday and next Monday, the Yankees will be able to get by with a four-man rotation until Oct. 2, though Taillon could be added to the mix a few days before then, if desired.

Stripling threw a side session Monday and is slated to either start or work as a bulk reliever in Wednesday's game against the Rays in Tampa Bay, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

He'll be stepping in for at least one turn through the rotation as a replacement for Hyun Jin Ryu, who was placed on the injured list Sunday with a neck strain. Stripling has made two relief appearances for Toronto since being reinstated from the injured list Sept. 11 after about a month-long absence due to an oblique injury. Before the shutdown, he started in 19 of his 20 appearances for the Blue Jays, compiling a 4.34 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 91:28 K:BB across 93.1 innings.

The Yankees reinstated Severino (shoulder) from the 60-day injured list Monday.

Severino's next appearance for the Yankees will be his first since the 2019 postseason, after he missed nearly all of the subsequent two seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery. In recent months, his season debut with the big club has been delayed by setbacks with a strained groin and a stiff right shoulder, but he was finally activated after he checked out fine during a simulated game over the weekend. Because he hasn't had time to fully ramp up, Severino will be limited to a bullpen role for the rest of the 2021 campaign. The Yankees will presumably look to bring Severino back as a member of the rotation in 2022.

Baz's contract was selected as expected Monday ahead of his major-league debut against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Baz was originally in the mix to debut Friday but had to wait an extra three days due to back spasms. The 22-year-old is one of the most exciting pitching prospects in the league. His appeal used to be entirely about his triple-digit heat, as he owned an 11.6 percent career walk rate prior to this season, but he's suddenly found his command this year, walking just 4.4 percent of opposing batters across 17 upper-minors starts. When combined with a stellar 37.9 percent strikeout rate, that's led to a 2.06 ERA. Andrew Kittredge (neck) landed on the injured list to clear a spot on the active roster, while Chris Archer (hip) shifted to the 60-day injured list to make room on the 40-man.

Singer was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list ahead of his scheduled start in the first game of Monday's doubleheader in Cleveland.

Singer had only been on the injured list since Friday, so his quick return seemingly indicates that he was only on the list for precautionary reasons. He'll be looking to bounce back from a poor performance in his previous start which saw the Twins clear the fence against him five times.

The Royals transferred Keller (lat) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.

Keller had already been ruled out for the season after he was shut down in late August with a right lat strain, so the move to the 60-day IL won't affect his recovery timeline. Instead, the transaction opens up a spot on the 40-man roster for Brady Singer, who was reinstated from the COVID-19 IL ahead of his scheduled start Monday in the first game of a doubleheader with Cleveland.

Bieber (shoulder) made the second start of his rehab assignment Sunday with Double-A Akron, striking out four over 3.1 innings while allowing three runs on three hits and a walk.

After tossing 47 pitches in his first rehab start Sept. 14, Bieber increased that count by 10 while returning to work on a normal four-day rest schedule. His command wasn't entirely sharp Sunday, as two of the three hits Bieber surrendered were home runs. Even so, Bieber may be stretched out enough for Cleveland to bring him back from the 60-day injured list and insert him into the rotation at some point during next weekend's series with the White Sox. Bieber, who hasn't appeared for Cleveland since mid-June, would presumably be capped at around 75 pitches in that outing.