MLB Player News

Bautista (shoulder) could begin a minor-league rehab assignment in late August, per MLB.com.

Bautista has been facing live hitters, with his most recent session coming Saturday. The right-hander is working his way back from shoulder surgery, which he underwent last August, and it sounds like he has a real chance to make his season debut at some point in September. With Ryan Helsley's (elbow) timeline for a return still uncertain, Bautista could rejoin Baltimore's bullpen before Helsley.

Banks (forearm) has progressed to throwing bullpen sessions, per MLB.com.

Banks' next step will be live batting practice, which could come next week. The left-hander is recovering from a strained left forearm, and he appears unlikely to rejoin Philadelphia's bullpen until sometime in mid-to-late September.

Pirates manager Don Kelly said that Bachar will start Sunday's game against the Red Sox at PNC Park, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Paul Skenes had been slated to take the hill for the series finale with Boston, but the Pirates will instead push their struggling ace back a few days in the pitching schedule and insert Bachar as a spot starter. The 31-year-old right-hander previously made four starts for the Marlins but has made all four of his appearances out of the bullpen since the Pirates acquired him Aug. 3. Bachar will be pitching on three days' rest after covering three innings and tossing 46 pitches in relief during Wednesday's 8-2 loss to Miami. He'll be operating with a limited pitch count Sunday and is unlikely to work deep enough into the contest to qualify for a win.

Seymour did not factor into the decision in Saturday's 4-3 extra-inning loss to the Orioles, allowing three runs on six hits and one walk with nine strikeouts over six innings.

Seymour yielded two homers but was otherwise impressive, throwing 69 of 93 pitches for strikes with 16 whiffs. The 27-year-old has now logged three straight quality starts to open August, tallying 25 punchouts during that stretch. He'll take a 4.11 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 115:31 K:BB across 96.1 innings this season into a home matchup with Toronto next week.

Kittredge (2-3) blew a save but earned the win in Saturday's 4-3 extra-inning win over the Rays.

Kittredge was called on to protect a one-run lead in the ninth inning but allowed three straight hits with two outs to blow the save. However, he was credited with the win after the Orioles came through in the 10th. It ends a run of five straight appearances without allowing an earned run for the veteran, who owns six saves and eight holds to go along with a 3.62 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 31:10 K:BB across 37.1 innings this season.

Manaea did not factor into the decision in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Nationals, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over 6.1 innings.

Manaea entered the sixth inning with a 2-1 lead before surrendering a three-run homer to Brady House. While the end result was disappointing, the southpaw generated 17 whiffs on 93 pitches and has now completed at least six frames in five straight outings. He'll take a 4.22 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 113:37 K:BB across 111 innings this season into a road matchup with the White Sox next weekend.

Dion did not factor into the decision in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Mets, allowing one walk while striking out seven over 4.1 hitless and scoreless innings.

Dion entered with two outs in the first inning and dominated the Mets, throwing 41 of 64 pitches for strikes with 11 whiffs. The southpaw has thrived with his new club, firing eight scoreless frames and picking up one win in three appearances since debuting with Washington on Aug. 5. For the year, he owns a 3.25 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 33:5 K:BB across 27.2 innings between the Guardians and Nationals.

Cruz (0-1) blew a save and took the loss against the Mets on Saturday, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk with one strikeout while recording one out in the ninth inning.

With Clayton Beeter used against the heart of the Mets' order in the eighth inning, Cruz got the ball with a one-run lead in the ninth. He allowed the first three batters he faced to reach base before ultimately surrendering a walk-off single to Francisco Lindor. It's been a rough go for the 26-year-old, as he's yielded five earned runs and blown two saves in five appearances with his new club. On the year, he owns a 6.48 ERA, 2.04 WHIP and 10:6 K:BB across just 8.1 innings with the Yankees and Nationals.

The Rangers designated Gonzales for assignment Saturday.

The Rangers will push Gonzales off the active and 40-man rosters to create roster space for Jakob Junis (thigh), who returned from the 15-day injured list Saturday. Gonzales has surrendered just one run in 6.2 innings with the Rangers but carries a 7.57 ERA and 1.87 WHIP across 69 frames in the minors this season.

The Rangers reinstated Junis (thigh) from the 15-day injured list Saturday.

Junis went on the injured list July 30 due to a left adductor strain. He was on the IL for just beyond the minimum and didn't need to embark on a rehab assignment. He'll join the Rangers for the rest of the team's weekend road series against the Athletics, to which he'll bring a 2.70 ERA and 1.08 WHIP across 40 innings this season. Marco Gonzales was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.