MLB Player News

Dunning will start Sunday's game against the Mariners, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The Rangers will call on Dunning to pitch on only three days of rest with an opportunity to clinch the division on the line. He tossed a gem in his last outing Wednesday against the Angels by firing seven scoreless innings on 87 pitches, so it's unclear as to how long he'll be able to go Saturday.

Heaney didn't factor into the decision Saturday as the Rangers won 6-1 over the Mariners, allowing five hits and a walk over 4.1 scoreless innings. He struck out two.

While the southpaw didn't record the win, he was a key part of Texas' playoff-clinching victory. Heaney tossed 85 pitches (51 strikes) in his first start since Sept. 4, and he extended his streak of appearances without giving up an earned run to five. The Rangers still need a win Sunday, or an Astros loss, to lock up the AL West crown and a first-round bye in the playoffs, but if they wind up with a wild-card spot, Heaney could play a big role in that series too with Jon Gray (forearm) and Max Scherzer (shoulder) both currently on the IL. On the season, Heaney has a 4.15 ERA and 151:60 K:BB through 147.1 innings.

France (personal) is back with the Astros and is available out of the bullpen, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

France was scratched from his scheduled start against Arizona on Friday due to a family emergency. While his absence lasted just one day, he won't get another chance to start.

The Rangers optioned Latz to Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday.

In order to make room for Matt Bush, who was selected from Triple-A on Saturday, the Rangers will push Latz off the active roster and back to the minor leagues. The 27-year-old lefty has made three appearances for the Rangers this season and has yet to surrender a run through 6.1 frames.

Heaney is scheduled to start Saturday's game against the Mariners in Seattle, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The veteran southpaw has made his last six appearances in relief, with the most recent outing coming in the series opener Thursday, when he tossed a 17-pitch scoreless inning. Given that he hasn't covered more than five innings in a game since late August, Heaney could end up serving as more of an opener or piggyback starter rather than a traditional starter Saturday. The Rangers will have Martin Perez (five days' rest) and Cody Bradford (three days' rest) available as potential bulk-relief options to work behind Heaney.

Wentz was optioned off the active roster Saturday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Wentz wasn't going to pitch again after starting Friday's game against the Guardians, so he'll exit the roster to give the Tigers another bullpen arm, with Garrett Hill taking his place. Wentz will end the season with a 6.90 ERA and 1.68 WHIP in 105.2 innings of work.

Marsh is scheduled to serve as a bulk reliever behind opener Steven Cruz in Saturday's home game against the Yankees, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Marsh hasn't started since Sept. 2, but he continues to make regular turns through the Kansas City rotation while pitching behind an opener. Serving as a bulk reliever has increased Marsh's fantasy appeal, as the rookie right-hander has scooped up wins in three of his last four outings while pitching to a 4.00 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 19:7 K:BB in 18 innings during that stretch.

Kikuchi (11-6) picked up the win Friday, giving up three runs on five hits and two walks over five-plus innings in an 11-4 victory over the Rays. He struck out four.

The southpaw blanked Tampa for five innings before fading in the sixth and giving up three straight extra-base hits to open the frame, but the Jays were already up 8-0 at that point. Kikuchi stumbles into a likely postseason run -- Toronto needs just one more win, or a Seattle loss, to clinch a wild-card spot -- with a 5.02 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 35:10 K:BB through 28.2 innings in September.

Bradley didn't factor into the decision Friday during the Rays' 11-4 loss to the Blue Jays, allowing one run on two hits in an inning of relief. He struck out one without walking a batter.

The rookie right-hander tossed 21 pitches (16 strikes) in his brief appearance, but this usage doesn't necessarily mean Bradley is shifting to the bullpen for the postseason. With Tampa Bay already locked into the top wild-card spot in the American League and likely to face Toronto to begin the playoffs next week, manager Kevin Cash elected not to give the opposition a good look at any of the starting pitchers the Rays might be using -- Aaron Civale got the start but left the mound after 40 pitches, while Zack Littell also tossed 35 pitches in relief. Bradley finishes the regular season with a shaky 5.56 ERA and 1.38 WHIP through his first 103.2 big-league innings, but the 22-year-old righty's 129:39 K:BB highlights his upside.

Littell didn't factor into the decision Friday during the Rays' 11-4 loss to the Blue Jays, coughing up three runs on three hits and two walks over 1.1 relief innings. He struck out one.

Aaron Civale tossed 40 pitches as the starting pitcher and was charged with the loss during a game in which the Rays never led, but both Littell (35 pitches) and Taj Bradley (21 pitches) also saw action out of the bullpen, as manager Kevin Cash wanted to keep all his options open for his playoff rotation while not giving Toronto -- Tampa's likely opponent in the wild-card round -- a good look at any of them. Littell closes the books on a regular season that saw him post a 4.10 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 74:12 K:BB through 90 innings split between the Rays and Red Sox.