MLB Player News

Pepiot (knee) is scheduled to make a rehab start Saturday with Double-A Montgomery, MLB.com reports.

Pepiot has been on the shelf since July 21 with an infection in his right knee that had stemmed from a spider bite, but after the swelling in his knee subsided, he was able to complete a bullpen session before tossing a three-inning simulated game earlier this week. The right-hander looked to be a candidate to return from the injured list to take the mound Saturday against the Orioles, but the Rays will instead have him report to Montgomery for what's expected to be a one-start rehab assignment. Manager Kevin Cash said Pepiot is likely to throw 65-to-75 pitches in Saturday's rehab outing.

Daniel will make his next start Sunday in Washington against the Nationals, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Daniel was roughed up in his most recent loss Wednesday in the first game of a doubleheader with the Yankees, taking a loss while giving up five earned runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out four. Even though Daniel handled a relatively standard workload (83 pitches) in that outing, the Angels will have the right-hander return to the mound on three days' rest rather than his usual four or five Sunday. The Angels haven't specifically said that Daniel will be on a workload restriction against the Nationals, though it wouldn't be surprising if that is the case.

Hamilton went 1-for-2 with a double and two RBI in Friday's 8-4 loss to the Astros.

Hamilton provided Boston's lone hit with runners in scoring position in the second inning when his double plated two runs. Other than that, the Red Sox went hitless in 11 at-bats with RISP. Hamilton is slowly emerging from a slump and is 6-for-15 with three doubles, a home run, five RBI and two stolen bases over his last five games.

Duran went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, a run scored and a stolen base in Friday's 8-4 loss to Houston.

Duran put himself in scoring position multiple times, but the Red Sox were unable to deliver key hits, as they went 1-for-12 with RISP. The stolen base was his 28th, tying him for fifth in MLB. He continued a torrid stretch of hitting, which includes multiple hits in 12 of the last 21 games. Duran is slashing .368/.417/.674 with 11 doubles, three triples, four home runs, 17 RBI, 18 runs and six steals during that stretch.

Jimenez went 3-for-4 in Friday's 4-1 win over the Rays.

Jimenez already has four multi-hit efforts as an Oriole, and he played in his seventh game with the team Friday. All three of his hits in this contest were singles. Still, Jimenez appears to have been jolted awake by the change of scenery after struggling with the White Sox prior to the trade deadline. The 27-year-old is up to a .264/.315/.368 slash line with five home runs, 20 RBI, 19 runs scored, three stolen bases and 11 doubles over 72 contests this year.

Mullins went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 4-1 win over the Rays.

Mullins' playing time has been slipping again in August -- he sat out consecutive games earlier in the week. He's responded by going 3-for-8 across his last two contests, but he's been ceding work in center field to Colton Cowser. Mullins is at a .221/.276/.396 slash line with 12 homers, 40 RBI, 48 runs scored and 19 stolen bases over 106 games this season, but without a guaranteed role versus right-handed pitchers, he's a risky fantasy option.

Cowser went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's 4-1 win over the Rays.

The 24-year-old went deep on the fourth pitch of the game, and the Orioles led wire-to-wire against their divisional foes. Cowser's power has come back in a big way, and he's gone 28-for-81 (.346) with six homers and 20 RBI over 21 games since the All-Star break. The outfielder's seeing a full-time role between left field and center field, and he's up to 18 long balls, 54 RBI, 52 runs scored and seven stolen bases through 109 contests. The one flaw in his profile has been an elevated strikeout rate -- he's struck out 26 times since the break, including four times Friday.

Naylor went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in a 6-3 loss to the Twins during the second game of Friday's doubleheader.

Naylor put the Guardians ahead 3-2 in the fifth inning, but Minnesota shot right back with a Matt Wallner three-run blast in the bottom of the frame. In the matinee, a 4-2 loss for Cleveland, Naylor was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. The first baseman has four homers and 12 RBI over his last 10 games, going 10-for-38 (.263) in that span. Overall, he has 26 homers, 85 RBI, 66 runs scored, 18 doubles, five stolen bases and a .243/.322/.484 slash line through 108 games this season.

Gimenez went 3-for-7 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored across both games of Friday's doubleheader versus the Twins.

Gimenez logged a steal in the matinee before picking up his fourth multi-hit effort in six contests during the nightcap. The second baseman has gone 19-for-53 (.358) over his last 14 games, a vast improvement on his .259 batting average for the year. He's added a paltry .647 OPS with 17 steals, five home runs, 47 RBI and 48 runs scored across 108 contests.

Rocchio went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in a 4-2 loss to the Twins during the first game of Friday's doubleheader.

Rocchio got the Guardians on the board in the seventh inning of the matinee but went 0-for-4 in the nightcap. The 23-year-old has started six of the last eight games at shortstop, seemingly clawing back a starting role over Daniel Schneemann at the highly contested position for Cleveland. Rocchio has gone just 5-for-22 over eight contests in August, and he's slashing .206/.297/.312 with five homers, eight stolen bases, 23 RBI and 38 runs scored over 103 games this season.