MLB Player News

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that German (shoulder) could be ready to face live hitters soon, Max Goodman of SI.com reports.

Boone's comments come a day after German threw a bullpen session, during which the right-hander used all of his pitches. German is expected to throw another side session within the next few days, and if all goes well, he could take the next step forward in his recovery from a strained shoulder by facing hitters. German looks on track to return from the 10-day injured list before the end of the season, though he likely won't have enough time to build up for a starting role.

Bassitt (face) will have a throwing session on flat ground Wednesday, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Bassitt has progressed well in his recovery since undergoing successful facial surgery Aug. 24, and his next step will be a bullpen session Saturday, assuming he has no issues Wednesday. The 32-year-old remains without a clear timeline for his return, but he could retake the field this season if he's able to avoid any setbacks in his rehab work.

Wacha will make his next start Friday against the Tigers, but Rays manager Kevin Cash said Chris Archer would likely piggyback Wacha during the game, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Though Wacha turned in a quality start his last time out Sept. 3 against the Twins en route to claiming his first win since July 7, he's still viewed as little more than the No. 5 or 6 pitcher in the Tampa Bay rotation. Archer is held in similar regard, and Cash feels that both could generate better results while handling lighter workloads as part of a tandem. The Rays will likely wait and see how the tandem fares Friday before determining whether to proceed with the piggyback arrangement moving forward, but the setup would seem to favor Archer more than Wacha for fantasy purposes. Even if Wacha works longer of the two pitchers Friday, Archer would be better positioned to factor into any decision.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Perez (illness) completed his quarantine and is set to fly to Boston later Wednesday to rejoin the team for workouts, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

After a team off day Thursday, the Red Sox will head to Chicago for a three-game series with the White Sox, but Perez isn't expected to accompany the team. Instead, Cora said the veteran lefty would likely head out on a minor-league rehab assignment, as Perez looks to get his arm reconditioned after being shut down due to his positive COVID-19 test. Perez isn't believed to have experienced any significant side effects since catching the virus, so he may only need to make one rehab appearance before joining the Boston bullpen.

Gil was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre ahead of Wednesday's start against the Blue Jays.

Gil was sent down in mid-August and posted a 2.81 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in 16 innings across his last three starts in the minors. The right-hander has tossed 15.2 scoreless innings in three major-league starts in 2021, and he'll be in contention to remain with the Yankees as a starter or high-leverage reliever if he performs well once again Wednesday.

Kaprielian didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against the White Sox after allowing one run on five hits and two walks while fanning four across four innings.

Kaprielian struggled a bit with his control and hit two batters, but this can still be considered as a positive outing for him after he had given up a combined 10 earned runs across nine frames over his previous two trips to the mound. He's made 19 starts on the season, and while he's been inconsistent at times, he still owns a decent 3.81 ERA across 101.2 innings.

Ryan is scheduled to start Wednesday's game against Cleveland.

After a mostly encouraging showing in his MLB debut Sept. 1 against the Cubs -- Ryan gave up three runs on three hits and a walk while striking out five over five innings -- the 25-year-old right-hander will stick in the Minnesota rotation for a second straight turn. Given that he's an older prospect, the Twins aren't expected to impose any major restrictions on Ryan's workload the rest of the season, so he should get a full run of starts in September as the organization looks to assess whether he's a fit for the Opening Day rotation in 2022.

Lyles (8-11) earned the win Tuesday against Arizona after tossing seven innings of one-run ball, allowing three hits and two walks while fanning three.

Lyles piggybacked Spencer Howard's two-inning outing by pitching the rest of the game en route to his eighth win of the campaign. This was his second straight quality start and third in his last four trips to the mound overall. His season ERA stands at 5.43, and while he's been pitching well of late, he has lacked consistency all year long. Nevertheless, it's worth noting he has given up three or fewer runs in three of his last four appearances.

Matz (11-7) picked up the win in Tuesday's 5-1 victory over the Yankees, allowing one run on seven hits over six innings. He struck out six without walking a batter.

The southpaw fired 65 of 93 pitches for strikes en route to his third quality start in his last four outings and his eighth of the season. Matz has been stingy since the All-Star break, posting a 2.22 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 40:15 K:BB through 52.2 innings over his last 10 starts.

Whitley (elbow) reported to the Astros' spring training facility this week to begin a throwing program, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Whitley underwent Tommy John surgery in March and still has another 6-to-8 months before getting into game action. That will unfold in the minors, as the right-hander has thrown just 86 innings of affiliated ball since 2017. The one-time elite pitching prospect has tumbled down the rankings since the beginning of 2018, when he was suspended 50 games for violating MLB drug policy. An oblique injury, a mechanical adjustment that led to a 12.21 ERA in 2019 and an arm injury that prevented him from participating in the abbreviated 2020 season then served to further derail him.