MLB Player News

Pepiot (knee) struck out seven batters over 3.1 scoreless innings while scattering one hit and two walks in his rehab start Saturday with Double-A Montgomery.

Pepiot tossed 69 pitches in the rehab outing, which should be the only minor-league start he needs before making his return from the 15-day injured list. The Rays have seemingly already reopened a spot in the rotation for Pepiot, as the club optioned Tyler Alexander -- who had been functioning as the de facto No. 5 starter -- to Triple-A Durham on Sunday. Pepiot rejoined the Rays on Sunday and played catch at Tropicana Field, and he'll likely throw a bullpen session Tuesday or Wednesday before Tampa Bay locks him in for a start this weekend versus the Diamondbacks.

Oviedo (elbow) has increased his throwing distance off flat ground to 105 feet as of Aug. 2, MLB.com reports.

Oviedo has been slowly increasing the distance in which he's playing catch since being cleared to begin a throwing program May 20, approximately six months after he underwent Tommy John surgery. The right-hander is hopeful to be fully cleared for spring training in 2025, but he'll still need to resume mound work and face hitters over the offseason in order to enter camp with no restrictions.

The Twins are expected to call up Matthews from Triple-A St. Paul this week, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Minnesota has an opening in its rotation Tuesday against the Royals, and Matthews looks poised to fill that spot for what will be his MLB debut. The right-hander boasts a 2.60 ERA and 114:7 K:BB over 97 innings covering three stops in the minors in 2024. With Joe Ryan (shoulder) and Chris Paddack (forearm) both expected to miss several more weeks of action, Matthews will have an opportunity to pitch his way into additional starts with the big club.

Ashcraft's placement on Triple-A Indianapolis' 7-day injured list July 12 was the result of recurrent symptoms of lateral forearm tightness, MLB.com reports.

After suffering the injury during his July 6 start for Indianapolis, Ashcraft met with Dr. Keith Meister, who had previously performed the right-hander's Tommy John surgery in 2021. Fortunately for Ashcraft, his latest forearm issue was confirmed to be muscle-related, so the expectation is that he'll be able to recover from the injury with rest and rehab. Ashcraft resumed playing catch in late July and is still hopeful to return to action before the end of the 2024 season.

Jones (lat) covered 2.2 innings and struck out three while giving up two earned runs on one hit and one walk in his rehab start Thursday with Triple-A Indianapolis.

Pitching in a game for the first time since landing on the 15-day injured list July 4 with a Grade 2 lat strain, Jones tossed 47 pitches (30 strikes) and induced six swings and misses. After walking the leadoff batter in the bottom of the first inning, Jones then served up a two-run home run, but he retired the final eight hitters he faced before exiting. The 23-year-old righty will likely need one or two more rehab starts before making his return from the 15-day injured list.

Kelly (3-0) earned a win over the Phillies on Sunday, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two over five innings.

All of the damage against Kelly came in the opening frame after Alec Bohm drove in two runs on a double to center field. From there, Kelly was able to settle in, retiring 14 of the next 16 batters he faced. Kelly wasn't on much of a workload restriction either, finishing with 85 pitches before his day was done. The return of the 35-year-old gives the Diamondbacks a healthy rotation for the first time this year after they also added Eduardo Rodriguez to the mix earlier in the week. Kelly now holds a 2.43 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 23:8 K:BB in 29.2 innings and will face the Rays on the road in his next start over the weekend.

Castillo (10-11) got the win over the Mets on Sunday, allowing one run on four hits and two walks while striking out nine over six innings.

Castillo was engaged in a pitcher's duel with Luis Severino heading into the fifth inning before the Mariners were able to provide him with some cushion on the scoreboard. The lone run against him came on a sixth-inning solo home run by Jeff McNeil. Castillo racked up nine strikeouts for a second straight start and went on a run in the game during which he struck out five consecutive batters. He's now recorded seven straight quality starts while allowing one or fewer runs four times. Castillo owns a 3.40 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 148:40 K:BB in 148.1 innings and will look to keep rolling in a matchup with the Pirates over the weekend his next time on the mound.

Severino (7-6) took the loss Sunday against the Mariners, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out eight over five innings.

Severino had allowed just one run through four innings, which came on a solo home run by Jorge Polanco. He was one out away from getting through the fifth unscathed, but Randy Arozarena extended the inning with an RBI infield single before Cal Raleigh opened things up with a two-run homer. On a positive note, Severino racked up eight strikeouts, his most since he had 10 back on June 23 but he's now given up five homers and 14 runs over his last three starts (15 innings). The 30-year-old now owns a 4.17 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 109:46 K:BB in 133.2 innings. He'll look for some better results when he takes the mound in a weekend series against the Marlins his next time out.

Glasnow did not factor into the decision in Sunday's win over the Pirates, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out four over seven innings.

Glasnow was in control for most of the afternoon outside of a third-inning two-run homer by Andrew McCutchen. He was in line for another win that ended up being spoiled by the Dodgers bullpen again after Anthony Banda allowed a two-run homer to McCutchen in the eighth to tie up the game. Glasnow put together his third consecutive quality start and now sits third in baseball in strikeouts (168) and WHIP (0.95). For the year, the 30-year-old owns a 3.49 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 168:35 K:BB in 134 innings and lines up to face the Cardinals on the road his next time on the mound.

Falter did not factor into the decision in Sunday's loss to the Dodgers. He allowed four runs on seven hits and three walks while recording two strikeouts over four innings.

All four runs against Falter were put up in the first two innings with the Dodgers plating a pair with two outs in the first and second. Falter was able to hold things scoreless over the next two frames, but his day was done after he needed 93 pitches to get through four. Sunday was only the third time this season he's walked three or more batters, and he's now struck out fewer than five batters in in six of his last seven starts while posting just one quality start over that span. For the year, Falter owns a 4.07 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 67:31 K:BB in 101.2 innings. He lines up to face the Mariners over the weekend his next time on the mound.