MLB Player News

Payamps (undisclosed) was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list Monday.

Payamps had been on the injured list since Saturday, but his brief absence signals that he didn't test positive for COVID-19. The right-hander will be available out of the bullpen for Tuesday's series opener against Oakland.

McHugh will serve as the Rays' opening pitcher in Monday's game against the Blue Jays in Toronto, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

McHugh has 124 career MLB starts under his belt, but the Rays aren't expected to have him pitch more than 2-to-3 innings before turning the game over to the bullpen. Ryan Yarbrough is expected to be available in a bulk-relief role, making him the Rays pitcher most likely to factor into any decision. Since returning from the injured list in early August, McHugh has covered 13.2 innings over eight appearances, giving up three runs (two earned) on nine hits and four walks while striking out 10.

Yarbrough is expected to work as a bulk reliever behind opener Collin McHugh in Monday's game against the Blue Jays in Toronto, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

After Yarbrough was pummeled for seven runs over two innings while working as a traditional starter his last time out Sept. 6 in Boston, manager Kevin Cash will see if the lefty can deliver better results while working out of the bullpen. Though he won't necessarily be the first pitcher out of the bullpen once McHugh exits, Yarbrough projects to cover the most innings of any Rays arm and is thus the most likely candidate to factor into any decision.

De Los Santos was claimed off waivers by the Pirates on Monday.

De Los Santos was designated for assignment by the Phillies on Sunday after posting a 6.75 ERA in 28 innings this season, but it's not too surprising to see another team taking a chance on him. His underlying numbers aren't bad, as his strong 30.7 percent strikeout rate should ordinarily be enough to overcome a sub-par 10.2 percent walk rate. Given that he's still just 25 years old, it's certainly not out of the question that he eventually becomes a useful piece for the Pirates. It looks as though he'll remain in the minors for now, as Pittsburgh cleared a 40-man roster spot for him by transferring Steven Brault (lat) to the 60-day injured list but did not clear a spot on the active roster.

Trivino fired a scoreless ninth inning in a loss to the Rangers on Sunday, recording a strikeout.

Following a disastrous five-appearance stretch between Aug. 21 and Sept. 4 during which he yielded 13 earned runs on eight hits over 3.2 innings, Trivino bounced back to provide back-to-back scoreless one-inning, one-strikeout efforts during the weekend series against Texas. Manager Bob Melvin gave the embattled reliever six days between appearances after the last game of the former sample, and the time away from the mound may have helped reset the right-hander mentally. Despite the improved form versus the Rangers, high-leverage opportunities may be at a premium for Trivino during the remainder of the regular season.

Diekman, who fired a scoreless eighth inning during which he allowed a walk and struck out the side in a loss to the Rangers on Sunday, hasn't allowed a run in nine of his last 10 appearances.

The veteran left-hander seems to be really hitting his stride down the stretch, and he's forged an impressive 13:4 K:BB across the nine innings covering the entirety of the aforementioned sample. Diekman did stumble against the Blue Jays four appearances ago by allowing three earned runs on three hits, but he's otherwise largely invoked memories of the career-best form he exhibited in 2020.

Bauman served up six runs on four hits and two walks while striking out two across three innings of relief in Sunday's 22-7 loss to the Blue Jays.

Baumann was one of the many Orioles pitchers victimized by the hot-hitting Toronto offense over the weekend, as the Blue Jays put up 44 runs during the three-game series. The 25-year-old righty is still regarded as one of Baltimore's most promising young arms, but he's unlikely to provide much fantasy value down the stretch as a multi-inning reliever for a 46-97 team.

Borucki was recalled by Toronto on Monday.

Borucki has thrown 19.1 innings at the big-league level this season, recording an unremarkable 5.12 ERA but an encouraging 1.14 WHIP. Trent Thornton was optioned to clear a spot for him in the bullpen.

The Blue Jays optioned Thornton to Triple-A Buffalo on Monday.

Toronto will cycle Thornton out of its bullpen for a fresher arm in lefty Ryan Borucki, who was recalled from Buffalo in a corresponding move. Thornton was unlikely to be available to pitch for at least two days after he struck out four and gave up a run in two innings of relief in Sunday's 22-7 win over the Orioles.

Cabrera notched his 24th hold in a win over the Reds on Sunday, firing a scoreless eighth inning during which he allowed a hit and recorded two strikeouts.

The left-hander appears to be hitting his stride again after a three-appearance stretch in late August during which he allowed nine earned runs. Cabrera has bounced back to forge four straight scoreless efforts spanning 5.1 innings, a sample during which he's also recorded six strikeouts and a victory in addition Sunday's hold. As a battle-tested southpaw, Cabrera is highly likely to continue seeing higher-leverage opportunities for what remains of the regular season.