MLB Player News

Almonte (knee) was sent to Triple-A Oklahoma City on a rehab assignment Saturday.

Almonte has been out since he injured his right knee while pitching in Colorado on Aug. 11. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has said that the pitcher probably would not be ready until around the start of the NLCS. If the Dodgers get to that point, the 29-year-old will have gone over two months since the injury.

Kinley (0-4) allowed one earned run on two hits while striking out one to take the loss Friday against the Twins.

Kinley entered the game in the ninth inning with the score knotted at 6-6. He allowed a pair of singles to begin the frame before ultimately allowing the game-winning run to score on a sacrifice fly. Despite maintaining an ugly 6.46 ERA and 1.70 WHIP across 15.1 innings this season, Kinley has earned three of Colorado's last four saves and is likely to be called upon if a save situation arises in the team's final two games.

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.

Weems (5-0) was credited with the win Friday, giving up one run on two hits and two walks over one inning of relief in the Nationals' 10-6 victory over Atlanta. He struck out one.

The 30-year-old right-hander got tagged for a run for the third time in his last four appearances as he experiences a late-season fade, but Weems was still able to vulture one more win. He's stumbled to a 5.06 ERA, 1.59 WHIP and 10:10 K:BB through 10.2 innings in September, and he's far from guaranteed a key role in the Nationals' 2024 bullpen despite his 96 mph fastball and sharp slider.

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.

Ginkel struck out one over one inning in Friday's 2-1 loss to Houston.

Ginkel made his first appearance since a blown save/loss Monday, when he told manager Torey Lovullo he was good to pitch after throwing 28 pitches the previous day. Following Monday's game, he admitted he wasn't "feeling great." Ginkel looked good Friday, setting the side down in order on nine pitches (seven strikes).

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.

Winn (1-3) took the loss Friday versus the Dodgers, allowing six runs on six hits and striking out five without walking a batter over 5.1 innings.

Winn was tagged for three home runs to account for all of the offense against him in his return from a nine-day stint on the COVID-19 injured list. Winn closes the season with a 4.68 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 35:8 K:BB over 42.1 innings across nine appearances (five starts) in his first big-league campaign. The 25-year-old righty will likely have a chance to compete for a rotation spot in spring training next year.