MLB Player News

Valdez could be recalled from Triple-A Round Rock to start Saturday's game against the Athletics, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Valdez is in the mix for a spot start over the weekend, though the team has yet to officially announce who will take the mound Saturday. The southpaw's last major-league outing came in mid-July, surrendering seven runs (four runs) on six hits and four walks while fanning four over four innings against the Angels.

Ramirez was sent outright to Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday.

Ramirez has posted a 4.50 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with four strikeouts over eight innings since being reinstated from the injured list July 30, but he'll head to the minors following Thursday's roster move. He'll have the option of either accepting an assignment with the Bees or becoming a free agent.

Mejia (personal) was reinstated from the restricted list Thursday.

Mejia was placed on the restricted list Tuesday due to personal reasons, though his absence from the team didn't last long. He'll return to the Angels' bullpen, where he's posted an 8.22 ERA and 2.04 WHIP with a 23:17 K:BB over 23 innings this season.

Severino (shoulder) threw a 30-pitch bullpen session Thursday, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.

Severino reported feeling good following his bullpen session and was pleased with his velocity. His next step will likely be pitching 10-to-15 pitches to hitters Sunday, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports. If all goes well, the 25-year-old would likely head to Tampa to begin a rehab assignment before a return to the major-league roster. The right-hander is expected to perform as a reliever if he is ready to return to the majors this season.

Schmidt was promoted to Double-A Trenton on Thursday, Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com reports.

While he had an injured list stint for an undisclosed injury in the middle of the season, this has been a fantastic coming-out party for Schmidt on the whole. He logged a 3.84 ERA, 2.88 FIP, 1.31 WHIP and 69:24 K:BB in 63.1 innings at High-A Tampa. If he can prove fairly durable going forward and slightly improve his fastball command, Schmidt could develop into a quality big-league starter. He could reach the majors next year.

Kikuchi, who is scheduled to make his next start Sunday against the Blue Jays, could be temporarily dropped from the rotation the following week for rest purposes, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

When the Mariners signed Kikuchi this offseason, the team's initial plans called for limiting the southpaw to an abbreviated outing around every 5-to-6 turns through the rotation in an effort to mimic his rest schedule from his time his Japan. Seattle hasn't been as committed to that plan in the second half, but with an off day next week and Felix Hernandez (lat) on track to rejoin the rotation, there should be an opportunity for Kikuchi to receive some maintenance. Along with Hernandez's impending return from the 60-day injured list, prospect Justus Sheffield is expected to be called up from Double-A Arkansas and receive some starts down the stretch. Those two arrivals could result in the Mariners rolling out a six-man rotation for the remainder of the season, which would afford Kikuchi an extra day of rest between his future outings.

German is not expected to have his innings capped for the season, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

Even though German is at 120 innings pitched between the major-league club and Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre, the Yankees are not expected to restrict his innings at the end of the season. The right-hander missed several weeks with a hip flexor strain in June which helped to provide a natural limitation on innings, and the Yankees' report signals that he no longer has limitations. The 27-year-old carries an ERA of 3.96 with a 124:26 K:BB through 20 starts at the major-league level this season.

Manager AJ Hinch said Thursday that he expects Cole (hamstring) to slot back into the Houston rotation next week, Jim Bowden of The Athletic reports.

Hinch didn't pinpoint a specific day for Cole's return, but the presumption is that he'll take the hill when his next turn in the rotation comes up Monday in Detroit. That would set Cole up for a two-start week, with his second turn coming next weekend at home versus the Angels. Before the Astros confirm his availability, however, Cole will likely need to complete a bullpen session and/or throw a live batting practice session to prove his sore right hamstring isn't an issue.

Milone will serve as a bulk reliever behind opener Matt Wisler in Thursday's game against the Tigers, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Wisler hasn't worked more than two innings in any of his four turns as an opener, so Milone shouldn't see any significant workload reduction as he transitions back from a traditional starting role. Milone has been at his best this season while working out of the bullpen behind an opener, turning in a 4.44 ERA while holding opponents to a .227/.257/.492 slash line across 48.2 innings.

Eovaldi (1-0) picked up the win Wednesday after throwing two scoreless innings of relief against the Indians.

Eovaldi's role on the staff is fluid. Prior to Wednesday's game, manager Alex Cora mentioned Eovaldi has a possible starter this weekend, but that was before the right-hander was needed for two innings and 24 pitches Wednesday. He also pitched in Tuesday's game, so his status with respect to this weekend is unclear. With Andrew Cashner having pitched himself out of the rotation and David Price (wrist) on the injured list, there's a need for Eovaldi as a starter.