MLB Player News

Oviedo (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Worcester on Thursday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Oviedo has been out since early April due to a flexor strain in his right elbow, but after building up gradually over the course of the season, he's now ready to test his elbow in a game setting. The 28-year-old will likely require multiple rehab outings before rejoining Boston's bullpen, but the door is open for him to return before the end of the regular season.

The Rays selected Hopkins' contract from Triple-A Durham on Saturday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Hopkins spent most of the season working in the rotation at Durham, but after struggling as a starter, the team moved him to the bullpen in August. Now that he's pitched six consecutive shutout innings at Triple-A as a reliever, the 24-year-old righty will join the big club to help bolster the Rays' bullpen. He'll be making his MLB debut whenever he gets into a game.

Castillo is slated to pitch in bulk relief behind opening pitcher Sean Newcomb during Saturday's game against the Cardinals, James Fegan of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The top of the St. Louis lineup typically features two left-handed hitters (Bryan Torres and Alec Burleson) against right-handed pitchers, so the White Sox will have the left-handed Newcomb work the first inning or two in order for Castillo to draw some more favorable matchups when he eventually enters the game. Castillo will be pitching in relief for the first time since being acquired by the White Sox at the trade deadline, with the role change coming after he logged a 7.52 ERA, 1.71 WHIP and 23:8 K:BB in 26.1 innings through his first six starts with the club.

Kikuchi didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Nationals, allowing one run on three hits and four walks over four innings. He struck out five.

The lefty needed 88 pitches (54 strikes) to record 12 outs as Kikuchi failed to last at least five innings for the first time in four starts since returning from shoulder inflammation. After a bumpy outing against the Rangers on Aug. 23, Kikuchi's been stingier, posting a 1.59 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 17:8 K:BB over his last 17 innings and three trips to the mound. He'll look to tighten things up in his next start, which is scheduled to come at home next week against the Mariners.

Prielipp is slated to start Saturday's game against the Guardians in Minnesota.

Prielipp made his last two appearances for Minnesota out of the bullpen, working in bulk relief behind opener Andrew Morris in a Sept. 1 win over the Tigers and then piggybacking starter Joe Ryan in Monday's 5-4 loss to Detroit. The Twins will separate Prielipp and Ryan and give them standalone starts to close out the weekend series versus the Guardians, though Prielipp will likely have his workload monitored to some degree. The Twins skipped Bailey Ober's turn in the rotation this week, but it's possible that he could be called upon to piggyback Prielipp on Saturday.

Valdez (10-10) picked up the win Friday, allowing one unearned run on six hits and two walks over six innings in a 6-2 victory over the Rockies. He struck out two.

The veteran southpaw delivered his fourth straight quality start, and 16th of the season, on 90 pitches (58 strikes). Valdez has found a groove late in the year, and over his last eight outings since the beginning of August he's produced a 2.86 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 29:19 K:BB in 50.1 innings with a 5-3 record. He'll look to keep rolling in his next start, which is set to come on the road next week in Toronto.

Arrighetti is slated to pitch in bulk relief behind opening pitcher Spencer Miles in Saturday's game against the Orioles in Toronto, Patrick Ho of the Toronto Star reports.

Since being acquired from the Astros at the trade deadline, Arrighetti has gone 0-4 with an 8.04 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 6.8 K-BB% over 15.2 innings across four appearances (two starts) for the Blue Jays. Toronto is hoping to coax better results from Arrighetti by having him enter after Miles covers the first few innings of Saturday's contest, but Arrighetti's recent form makes him far from a dependable streaming option.

Verlander (hamstring/hip) threw a mound session Saturday with hitters standing in, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Although the batters Verlander faced weren't taking any swings, Saturday's session marks a tangible step forward for the future Hall of Famer. He's already confirmed that he will retire at the end of the year, and the Tigers are hoping that he'll be able to make one last start during the final weekend of the regular season.

Williams is slated to make his next start Monday against the White Sox in Cleveland, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

After delivering his eighth double-digit strikeouts performance in his last 11 starts during his most recent appearance this past Sunday versus Detroit, Williams won't end up pitching this week. Instead, the Guardians will bump Williams back from his normally scheduled turn through the rotation Saturday against the Twins to have him start Monday in the series opener versus the White Sox, who currently hold a half-game lead atop the AL Central standings. Williams will tentatively line up for two starts next week, with his second turn set to come Sept. 20 versus the Athletics.

Cantillo could be a candidate to pitch in bulk relief behind opener Daniel Espino in Saturday's game against the Twins,

Saturday would have been Gavin Williams' turn in the rotation, but the Guardians elected to push their ace back two days in the schedule so that he can pitch the series opener versus the division-leading White Sox. Espino will get the starting nod in Williams' stead, though he's expected to be limited to 1-to-2 innings before turning the game over to the bullpen. After most recently getting roughed up for four runs on three hits and five walks in just 2.1 innings in Monday's loss in Baltimore, Cantillo will be available on four days' rest and could pitch in relief for the first time all season. The Guardians also have Slade Cecconi on hand as another option to cover multiple innings out of the bullpen.