Espino (shoulder) will serve as the opening pitcher for Triple-A Columbus on Saturday versus Omaha.

It will be the first game appearance since April 2022 for Espino, who is working his way back from March 2024 surgery to repair his right shoulder capsule and rotator cuff. The 24-year-old was once one of the top pitching prospects in the game but has had his career derailed by numerous arm injuries. Espino will knock some rust off with Columbus this weekend and is then slated to pitch in the Arizona Fall League.

Lowder (oblique/forearm) recently underwent an MRI on his right shoulder that came back negative, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.

Reds manager Terry Francona noted that Lowder -- who hasn't pitched since Sept. 13 -- was having trouble recovering in between appearances. While imaging came back clean, Lowder's rehab will be slowed, which effectively ends his season. He's been limited to just five rehab appearances this season due to forearm, oblique and now shoulder issues.

The White Sox placed Perez on the 15-day injured list Friday with a left shoulder strain.

Perez was forced to depart his last start against the Orioles in the fourth inning with the injury, and it will officially end his season. The veteran left-hander was limited to only 56 frames this season due to elbow and shoulder issues, but he fared pretty well when on the bump, posting a 3.54 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 44:22 K:BB. Perez will be a free agent this offseason.

Atlanta selected Lara's contract from Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday.

Lara has split time between the rotation and bullpen at Double-A Columbus and Gwinnett this season, posting a 7.73 ERA and 104:65 K:BB over 68.2 innings. The 22-year-old has electric stuff but has really struggled to throw strikes at every level. Atlanta will take a look at Lara as a bullpen arm down the stretch.

Rodriguez-Cruz will be promoted from Double-A Somerset to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Rodriguez-Cruz earned the late-season promotion after posting a 2.42 ERA and 173:57 K:BB over 145 innings between High-A Hudson Valley and Somerset. Acquired from the Red Sox last offseason in the Carlos Narvaez trade, Rodriguez-Cruz leads all minor leaguers with his 173 strikeouts.

Buehler will follow Taijuan Walker in a tandem start Friday in Arizona, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Aaron Nola will take the ball Saturday and Ranger Suarez will go Sunday for the Phillies. The rotation realignment not only sets up Cristopher Sanchez for the first game of the postseason, it also allows the club to get a look at Buehler in a different role, with the idea that he might be used in long relief in the playoffs. Buehler was solid in his Phillies debut last week against the Royals, striking out three over five innings of one-run ball. He'll have a better chance of picking up a win Friday as the second leg of a piggyback start.

Walker will be piggybacked by Walker Buehler on Friday in Arizona, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Walker will get the ball first in the tandem start. The Phillies initially operated with a six-man rotation when Buehler was added to the mix, but they're realigning things in order to set up Cristopher Sanchez for the first game of the postseason. Walker has struggled lately, collecting a 7.20 ERA and 14:9 K:BB over 25 innings covering his last five starts.

Tolle allowed one unearned run on three hits while striking out four over three relief innings in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Athletics.

Tolle, who last pitched eight days ago, made his first appearance as a reliever after the team announced Wednesday that the left-hander would be shifting to the bullpen. Boston manager Alex Cora gave starter Brayan Bello the hook after 70 pitches and four innings, as the Red Sox have slipped and are just 1.5 games ahead of the surging Guardians for the final wild-card spot. Tolle didn't get any help from Trevor Story, who committed two errors in the game.

Gordon (6-7) took the loss Thursday against the Marlins, surrendering four runs (three earned) on five hits and one walk while striking out four over six innings.

The right-hander was burned in the third inning, giving up back-to-back home runs -- a two-run shot to Liam Hicks followed by a solo blast from Otto Lopez. Gordon has struggled with the long ball recently, serving up six homers in his last three starts. Despite the home runs, the 27-year-old has otherwise been steady, delivering five quality starts in his last six outings. Over that stretch, Gordon has lowered his ERA by nearly two full runs, and he'll look to keep trending in the right direction when he faces the Mariners in his final start of the season next week. He owns a 6.00 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 59:17 K:BB across 72 innings for the Rockies in 2025.

Webb (14-11) allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk while striking out five over seven innings, taking the loss Thursday versus the Dodgers.

Webb was a little more in control than Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but the Giants weren't able to give their ace enough run support to overcome his missteps in the sixth inning. This was still better than the six-run outing Webb had at home versus the Dodgers last Saturday. The 28-year-old is now at a 3.27 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 211:44 K:BB through 195.2 innings over 32 starts. He's projected for one more start this season in a home game versus the Cardinals, which will give him a chance to reach the 200-inning mark for the third straight season.