MLB Player News

Valdez will be available to pitch out of the bullpen during this weekend's series against the Angels, Hunter Atkins of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Manager A.J. Hinch wants Valdez for certain matchups -- most likely lefty-on-lefty situations -- against the Angels' lineup, which featured four left-handed hitters Friday. Valdez's availability out of the bullpen does not impact his role in the rotation; he's still scheduled to start Wednesday afternoon against the Blue Jays.

Berrios didn't factor into the decision against the Athletics on Friday, giving up five earned runs on four hits over 5.2 innings, striking out eight and walking three as the Twins eventually fell 7-6 in 10 innings.

After tossing quality starts in each of his last two outings, Berrios couldn't keep it going in this one as the A's jumped on him for five earned and chased him from the contest after 104 pitches. His 3.93 ERA isn't the number of a fantasy ace, but Berrios has been a solid contributor in other fantasy categories this season, as he's sporting a 1.15 WHIP, 193 strikeouts and 11 wins over his 31 starts in 2018.

Cole (15-5) earned the win in Friday's game against the the Angels. He allowed three earned runs, six hits and no walks over seven innings with 12 strikeouts.

Cole was dominant in the victory, throwing 71 of his 102 pitches for strikes. It was the eighth time this season that Cole has stuck out more than 10 batters in a start, and his strikeout numbers continue to remain elite (272 strikeouts over 194.1 innings in 2018). He owns an impressive 2.92 ERA (2.98 xFIP) on the season, and he'll likely make one more appearance in the regular season before the Astros begin postseason play.

Heaney (9-10) took the loss against the Astros on Friday, allowing six earned runs, five hits and three walks over three innings. He struck out five.

Heaney needed 60 pitches to complete three frames, and all six of the runs he allowed came off the bat of Yuli Gurriel via two home runs. Heaney has now allowed multiple homers in four of his last six starts, and his ERA increased to 4.21 on the year after Friday's outing. He'll look to bounce back in his next start, which is currently scheduled for Wednesday against the Rangers.

Sale struck out seven and walked zero in 3.1 innings Friday against the Indians, allowing two runs on five hits in a no-decision.

Sale stretched out his pitch count again, throwing 73 pitches (48 strikes) in Friday's outing, the most he's thrown in three starts since coming off the disabled list. He would figure to extend things a little further in his next start as the Red Sox gear up for the postseason. The left-hander has a crisp 2.00 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and a 229:33 K:BB in 153.1 innings this season. His next scheduled start will be a matchup with the Orioles at home.

Cobb (finger) has been named Sunday's starter against the Yankees, Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Cobb's bullpen session Friday evidently went well, as he'll receive one at least one more start before the season comes to an end. He's been dealing with a blister on his right finger since early September, but he's feeling healthy enough to take the mound against a tough Yankees lineup.

Paxton (illness) will throw a bullpen session Friday, and if all goes well, he could draw the start Monday against Oakland, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Paxton continues to battle back from pneumonia, and if he feels good during Friday's bullpen, there's a good chance he'll get the nod Monday. The 29-year-old is optimistic he can make two more starts prior to the conclusion of the regular season.

Cobb (finger) will throw a light bullpen session Friday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Cobb had a bullpen session Tuesday and indicated the blister is feeling much better. The 30-year-old remains hopeful he can make another start before the end of the season, though he has yet to receive an official return date.

McCullers (forearm) will return to the team Friday, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

McCullers was sent to the 10-day disabled list with a forearm strain suffered during an at-bat. He tossed one final simulated game Friday without issue, so he's flying to Houston to return to the team ahead of the series opener. Manager A.J. Hinch stated that McCullers will be activated from the DL on Monday at the earliest, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle, at which point he'll be deployed out of the bullpen.

Kluber is listed as the Indians' probable pitcher for Monday's game against the White Sox.

The Indians will activate Trevor Bauer (fibula) from the 10-day disabled list and have him start Friday against the Red Sox, while Adam Plutko will return from a brief stint in the bullpen to start Sunday's series finale. Those two additions will take Kluber out of the mix for a two-start week, as he'll get pushed back to take the hill Monday on five days' rest. Considering Kluber's prior turn Tuesday came on seven days' rest, it appears the Indians' main priority is easing up on their ace's workload down the stretch with the hope of keeping him fresh for the postseason. With that in mind, it's far from a lock that Kluber will make more than one start in the final week of the regular season, despite leading off the Indians' seven-game road trip to close out the campaign.