MLB Player News

Otanez (undisclosed) was activated from the 7-day injured list Friday.

Otanez missed nearly two and a half months while on the mend from an unspecified injury. He appeared in a game for Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday, surrendering one run on two hits while striking out one over one inning.

Stephenson (biceps) will likely make one more minor-league rehab appearance before being activated off the 60-day IL, per MLB.com

Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery said Sunday that Stephenson is "in a good spot" through two rehab outings. In those appearances, the veteran reliever has given up two runs (both in the first outing) on two hits while posting a 4:1 K:BB over two innings. Stephenson has pitched in only one game for the big-league club this season, but it appears he'll be back before the end of August to provide a boost to the Angels' bullpen.

Kopech (knee) has tossed two rehab outings with Triple-A Oklahoma City, allowing three runs on three hits and three walks while striking out three batters over 1.2 combined innings.

Kopech particularly struggled in his first rehab appearance with OKC on Aug. 14, as he gave up three runs and uncorked two wild pitches along with his two walks. Though the veteran reliever was better two days later in his second outing -- he fanned two batters in a scoreless frame -- he issued another free pass and threw just 12 of 24 pitches for strikes. Kopech is on the 60-day IL and isn't eligible to be activated until Aug. 27, so he should have multiple more minor-league outings to try to straighten out his control and shake off lingering rust.

Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said Aug. 6 that Blewett (elbow) has resumed playing catch, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Blewett was placed on the 15-day injured list July 13 due to right elbow discomfort and was set to receive a second opinion on his injury later that month before a decision on his treatment plan was made. Evidently, Blewett received favorable news from doctors, as he wasn't recommended to stop throwing for an extended period. That said, Blewett had yet to resume throwing off a mound since Mansolino provided the latest update on his status, so the righty reliever's return from the IL wouldn't appear to be imminent.

Little allowed an unearned run on a hit and two walks across two innings of relief in a 7-0 loss to the Brewers in the first game of Monday's doubleheader. He struck out four.

Making his first appearance in the majors since April 16, Little held his own and exhibited good swing-and-miss stuff. The big southpaw has struggled with command during his time with the Cubs, but if he can find the strike zone more consistently, he could emerge as a useful reliever due to his hard fastball from the left side. For now, Little figures to work in a low-leverage role while he's at the MLB level.

Hollowell allowed four runs on three hits and four walks across two innings of relief in a 7-0 loss to the Brewers in the first game of Monday's doubleheader. He struck out two.

Hollowell simply couldn't find the strike zone consistently, as he threw just 21 of his 45 pitches for strikes. The righty also uncorked a wild pitch in the rough outing as the Cubs let him take one on the chin to save bullpen arms for the second game Monday. Hollowell was called up to the majors earlier in the day to serve as the team's 27th man, and after the poor performance, he'll likely return to Triple-A Iowa in the near future.

Triple-A Buffalo placed Pina on its 7-day injured list Aug. 6 due to an unspecified injury.

After Toronto optioned him to Triple-A on July 21, Pina made three appearances for Buffalo before being shelved with the injury. The right-hander is without a clear timeline to return from the 7-day IL.

Slaten (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Slaten had been scheduled to throw a live batting practice session Monday. However, he's feeling good enough that the Red Sox have opted to have him skip that session in order to send him out on a rehab assignment right away. Slaten has been shelved since early June with right shoulder inflammation, so he'll likely need multiple appearances in the minors before making his return to the Boston bullpen.

The Giants activated Walker (personal) from the paternity list Monday.

Walker missed the Giants' weekend series against the Rays as he welcomed a new baby to the family, but he'll rejoin the club ahead of its series opener in San Diego on Monday. He'll fill a setup role out of the San Francisco bullpen.

The Tigers optioned Horn to Triple-A Toledo on Monday.

Horn will cede his spot on the 26-man active roster and in the bullpen to right-hander Alex Lange (lat), who was reinstated from the 60-day injured list. After being called up from Triple-A on Thursday, Horn made a pair of appearances during his time with Detroit, striking out three over 3.1 scoreless innings.