MLB Player News

The Yankees reinstated Montas (shoulder) from the 60-day injured list Saturday.

Montas has been held out all season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder in February, but he will return to the Yankees' pitching staff for the final two games of the season. The 30-year-old righty gave up one run over three innings during a rehab assignment in Triple-A, and he could make an appearance out of the bullpen before the end of the year. Jasson Dominguez (elbow) was transferred to the 60-day IL to free up a 40-man spot for Montas, and Randy Vasquez was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Bautista (elbow) will undergo Tommy John surgery in October, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Bautista's 1.48 ERA, 33 saves and 46.4 percent strikeout rate helped the Orioles get back to the playoffs this season, but he won't get to be part of the roster as they push to make their first World Series since 1983. Tommy John surgery seemed possible when Bautista was first diagnosed with a UCL injury back in late August, but the fact that he quickly resumed throwing and had recently advanced to a 25-pitch simulated game seemed to indicate that he'd avoided a worst-case scenario. Instead, he'll miss not only this year's playoffs but the entirety of next season as well. In less significant news, he also signed a two-year contract extension, per Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com, buying out his first year of arbitration and giving him peace of mind as he recovers. Yennier Cano will continue handling closer duties in Bautista's absence.

Lopez was designated for assignment Saturday, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.

The Orioles claimed Lopez off waivers from the Marlins on Sept. 2. During his month with Baltimore, he had a 5.25 ERA with a 1.25 WHIP in 12.0 innings. In a corresponding move, Bruce Zimmermann was recalled.

Zimmermann was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on Saturday, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.

Zimmermann's last appearance in the majors was back on July 4. Since being optioned, the pitcher has a 4.75 ERA across 53.0 innings in Triple-A. In a corresponding move, Jorge Lopez was designated for assignment.

Vest will serve as the Tigers' opening pitcher Saturday against the Guardians, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

The Tigers are treating their penultimate game of the regular season as a bullpen day, with Vest unlikely to work more than an inning or two before giving way to a slew of relievers. Vest will be serving as an opener for the fourth time this season.

Hill was called up by Detroit on Saturday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Hill will give the Tigers an extra arm in the bullpen after the unit was tasked with tossing 6.2 frames Friday. Joey Wentz, the ineffective starter in Friday's contest, was optioned in a corresponding move.

Criswell was recalled from Triple-A Durham on Saturday.

Criswell is back in the majors for the first time since Aug. 19, when he tossed two innings out of the bullpen while serving as the Rays' 27th man for a doubleheader with the Angels. The right-hander's final appearance in the minors came Tuesday, when he struck out two over two scoreless innings. He could be deployed as a bulk reliever in Saturday's game in Toronto behind Shawn Armstrong, who is set to open the game but is unlikely to cover more than 1-to-3 innings.

Cruz is slated to open Saturday's game against the Yankees.

He'll be operating as an opener for the second weekend in a row, after he had previously worked an inning in last Sunday's contest versus the Astros before giving way to bulk reliever Alec Marsh. The Royals haven't formally named a bulk reliever for Saturday's contest, but Marsh is available on five days' rest and should end up covering most of the innings out of the bullpen once Cruz exits the contest.

Armstrong will serve as the Rays' opening pitcher for Saturday's game against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Saturday would have been Zack Littell's turn in the rotation, but he ended up covering 1.1 innings in relief in Friday's 11-4 loss. The Rays also deployed another starting pitcher in Taj Bradley for one inning in relief Friday, likely in a deliberate attempt by manager Kevin Cash to keep all of his rotation options available for a possible wild-card round matchup with this same Blue Jays squad. As a result, the Rays look poised to lean on a melange of relievers to cover the final two games of the regular season, with Armstrong leading off Saturday's contest. Armstrong hasn't covered more than three innings in any of his appearances in the majors or minors this season, so he's unlikely to work deep into Saturday's game to qualify for a win.

Pivetta (10-9) earned the win Friday, allowing two hits and one walk over seven scoreless innings against the Orioles. He struck out 10.

Pivetta ended his season on a high note, notching his fourth double-digit strikeout performance of the year. The 30-year-old righty was fantastic throughout September with a 2.43 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 43:5 K:BB in 33.1 innings. Pivetta ends the year with career lows in ERA (4.04) and WHIP (1.12) with 183:50 K:BB over 142.2 innings.