MLB Player News

Manager Bob Melvin indicated over the weekend that Ray (elbow) could be activated from the 60-day injured list and start for the Giants during the club's four-game road series against the Dodgers that begins Monday, MLB.com reports. "I don't want to get ahead of myself, but there's a good chance he'll be pitching in L.A," Melvin said. "It's a big deal. He's probably not going to go out there and throw 120 pitches his first time out, but he got up a sixth time [in his rehab start Friday]."

Ray completed the 10th and presumably final start of his rehab assignment Friday, throwing 78 pitches over 5.1 scoreless innings for Triple-A Sacramento. The veteran southpaw underwent Tommy John surgery last May but rung up a 45:6 K:BB over 29.1 innings during his rehab stint. After pitching on four days' rest for Sacramento on Friday, Ray is likely to make his Giants debut either Wednesday or Thursday. A road matchup with the division-leading Dodgers isn't the most appealing draw, but his strikeout upside makes him a worthwhile pickup in most fantasy leagues, even if managers aren't keen on including him in active lineups right away.

High-A Cedar Rapids reinstated Prielipp (elbow) from its 60-day injured list Monday.

After requiring surgery last July to address a torn UCL in his left elbow, Prielipp opened the season on Cedar Rapids' IL before he was cleared to begin a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Florida Complex League shortly before the All-Star break. He received the green light to rejoin Cedar Rapids after turning in two dazzling rehab outings in the FCL, with the southpaw striking out eight while issuing no walks and allowing just two hits over four scoreless innings between those starts. Prielipp should make his 2024 debut for Cedar Rapids later this week but will likely have his pitch count monitored carefully.

Poteet (tricep) threw lightly from a mound Friday but has yet to be cleared for full bullpen sessions, MLB.com reports.

Though he isn't moving quickly through his throwing program after being cleared to start playing catch just over two weeks ago, Poteet has thus far avoided any setbacks with his right tricep strain. He made four starts for the Yankees before landing on the 15-day injured list June 18, but he'll likely have to settle for a bullpen role once he's activated, if New York doesn't choose to option him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre instead.

Paxton (8-2) earned the win Sunday over the Red Sox, allowing three runs on four hits and four walks while striking out seven over five innings.

Paxton served up a two-run homer to Jarren Duran on just the third pitch of the game but was able to settle in from there and hold the Red Sox scoreless until the sixth inning. Control issues remain an issue for Paxton, as he's issued 15 walks and given up 17 runs over his last 22.2 innings. For the year, the 35-year-old owns a 4.43 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 64:48 K:BB in 89.1 innings. He lines up to face the Astros on the road over the weekend.

Cobb (hip/shoulder) struck out four and scattered two hits and one walk over five scoreless innings in a rehab start Saturday with Triple-A Sacramento.

Making the fifth start of his rehab assignment, Cobb jumped up a couple levels after having previously pitched in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League and with Single-A San Jose. He needed 60 pitches to record 15 outs in what was his lengthiest rehab appearance to date. Cobb looks to be nearing the finish line in his recovery from left hip surgery as well as a sore pitching shoulder, the latter of which resulted in his throwing program being slowed down earlier this season. Per MLB.com, manager Bob Melvin said Sunday that the organization is still determining the next step for Cobb, but the veteran righty appears to be on track to make one more rehab start with Sacramento before coming off the 60-day injured list during the Giants' next homestand, which begins Friday and runs through July 31.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said that Pepiot (knee) is expected to be released from a New York City hospital Monday and will fly back to Florida to continue receiving treatment, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.

Pepiot landed on the 15-day injured list Sunday with an infection in his left knee, but Cash added Monday that while the hurler has some residual soreness, he's walking and moving around fine. The right-hander will be eligible for activation Aug. 3 and looks to have a shot to be back by that date or shortly thereafter.

The Mets are expecting to get about five innings and 85 pitches out of Senga (shoulder/triceps) in his season debut, which is scheduled for Friday against Atlanta, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

The right-hander built up to 79 pitches in his final rehab start Saturday for Triple-A Syracuse, so an 85-pitch workload may even be a conservative estimate. Senga has missed the entire season so far due to arm issues that first cropped up in late February, and he'll throw one more bullpen session Tuesday to get checked out before the Mets activate him from the 60-day injured list and lock him in for Friday's start.

Hackenberg struck out 16 batters over seven innings for Double-A Mississippi on Sunday, allowing one run on three hits without walking a batter.

The 22-year-old right-hander dominated an overmatched Pensacola lineup, and the 16 strikeouts were the highest single-game total in the minor leagues this season. Hackenberg began 2024 with High-A Rome and earned a promotion in late June with a 3.64 ERA and 62:28 K:BB through 12 starts. A second-round pick in 2023 out of Virginia Tech who got an over-slot bonus of $2 million, Hackenberg is still working on developing a third pitch, but when everything is in sync the way it was Sunday, he pounds the zone with a mid-90s sinker and solid slider.

Crawford dropped to 6-8 on the season in Sunday's 9-6 loss to the Dodgers after allowing six earned runs on seven hits while striking out two over five innings.

Crawford had given up just one home run and one run total across his three July starts heading into Sunday's outing, but he struggled to keep the ball in the yard in Los Angeles. He was staked to an early 2-0 lead, which disappeared by the third inning. He proceeded to serve up five solo home runs before all was said and done, while the sixth run he allowed coming on an RBI double by Gavin Lux in the first inning. His two strikeouts were also a season low, as he registered nine whiffs on 77 pitches. Sunday was certainly an outing to forget for the 28-year-old, though he's still been one of the better pitchers in the Red Sox rotation for much of the season. Crawford now owns a 3.37 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 112:29 K:BB in 117.2 innings and will look to bounce back in his next start, which is expected to come against the Yankees next weekend.

Blanco (9-5) took the loss Sunday against the Mariners, allowing four runs on six hits and a walk while striking out five over 5.2 innings.

The right-hander gave up a two-run triple to Dylan Moore in the second inning and then surrendered a solo homer to Jorge Polanco in the fourth, with one more run getting charged to Blanco after he exited the game in the sixth. The Mariners produced some hard contact against Blanco, though he was still able to generate 19 whiffs on the afternoon. He has just one win over his last five starts and will look to change that over the weekend against the Dodgers. The 30-year-old owns a 2.75 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 105:43 K:BB in 114.2 innings.