MLB Player News

Severino was struck on the back of the left shoulder by a batted ball during pregame warmups Saturday, David Lennon of Newsday reports, but he avoided any sort of serious injury and is being treated with ice.

Severino was examined by team trainers for several minutes Saturday after being hit while playing catch in the outfield, but it seems he is only dealing with a bruise on his non-throwing arm and not any sort of injury that will be a major concern moving forward. Severino's next start is scheduled for Tuesday against the Rays.

Manager Terry Francona said Clevinger will pitch out of the bullpen for the remainder of the season, Zack Meisel of The Athletic Cleveland reports.

Clevinger has been stellar over his last five starts, compiling a 0.61 ERA and 34:10 K:BB in 29.2 innings, but he'll shift to a relief role as the Indians cut down their rotation ahead of the playoffs. Given the way he's been pitching lately, Clevinger figures to carry a prominent role in Cleveland's bullpen. "We plan on using him as a weapon," Francona said about his new role. Look for the 26-year-old to serve as an important multi-inning reliever for the Indians down the stretch and in the playoffs.

Paxton, who threw 73 pitches in Thursday's start against the Rangers, saw his fastball reach as high as 98.4 mph during the outing, Josh Horton of MLB.com reports. "It just felt like when I needed something, I could go get it, velocity-wise," Paxton said. "The velocity was better, and I was executing pitches in better locations as a whole."

The figure is impressive in and of itself, but also represents a very encouraging improvement over what Paxton was able to muster in his first start back from a disabled list stint due to a pectoral injury. The southpaw had only hit the low 90s with his fastball in that appearance, but he managed to average 94.7 mph Thursday. He's poised to potentially make two more starts before season's end, with the first slated to come against the Athletics next Tuesday.

Gibson (12-10) allowed three runs on five hits and two walks striking out six across seven innings to earn the victory.

Gibson gave up single runs in three different innings while receiving six runs of support which helped him earn his 12th victory of the campaign. Despite his 5.02 ERA on the season, he's now fired quality starts in six of his last seven outings while lowering his ERA over a full run during that time, making him a player who's been a strong fantasy option down the stretch. He'll make his next start Thursday against the Indians.

Hammel (8-13) allowed seven runs on eight hits while striking out four batters through just 3.1 innings to take the loss against the White Sox on Friday.

Hammel has now allowed 19 runs through 12.2 innings over his past three starts to skyrocket him up to a 5.32 ERA and 1.43 WHIP for the campaign. With his current form in mind, there aren't many scenarios where Hammel could be started confidently in his upcoming start against Detroit.

Verlander (14-8) pitched seven scoreless innings with just a hit and two walks allowed while striking out six batters to take the win against the Angels on Friday.

The veteran righty has now won all four of his starts as an Astro while allowing just two runs through 28 innings. It's an impressive stretch for Verlander, and he could prove to be the high-end arm that puts Houston over the top in the postseason. He's now sporting a 3.38 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 9.4 K/9 for the season, after all. Verlander lines up to make his final start of the regular season against Texas at Globe Life Park in Arlington.

Cobb (12-10) allowed three runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out four across six innings to earn the victory Friday against the Orioles.

Cobb was staked to an early 6-2 lead, and he fired a quality start, leading to his 12th victory of the campaign. He hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in any of his last seven starts, and he's been a solid fantasy option down the stretch. He'll make his next start Thursday against the Yankees.

McCullers (arm) will start Sunday's game against the Angels, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

McCullers has been battling arm fatigue lately and hasn't appeared in a game since Sept. 6. It was recently announced that he was being considered to start Sunday's outing, and that will indeed be the case. McCullers started the season strong, but had a few rough outings in July before missing the month of August to a back injury. Overall he's been a serviceable option for the Astros and will look to return to his initial form as he heads into Sunday's outing with a 3.97 ERA and 1.27 WHIP.

Montgomery has been scratched from his scheduled start Sunday, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.

Jaime Garcia will take the ball, as it seems the Yankees will move back to a five-man rotation. However, it would make sense for Montgomery to start the final game of the regular season against the Blue Jays, which would allow Luis Severino to be saved for the wild-card game. Considering it is unclear when or if he will start again in 2017, Montgomery is a cut candidate in single-season leagues.

Jaye tossed 1.2 innings in relief in Thursday's 12-1 loss to the Twins, surrendering five runs on four walks and three hits while striking out a batter.

Following a disastrous two-start run in which he yielded 13 runs (12 earned) over 5.1 innings, Jaye was banished to the bullpen Thursday with Jordan Zimmermann (neck) cleared to rejoin the rotation following a brief hiatus. Zimmermann labored through the start while lasting just four innings, but Jaye was even worse in relief, He routinely fell behind in the count, throwing first-pitch strikes to just five of the 12 batters he faced, with seven ultimately reaching base. The Tigers' lack of competent bullpen arms probably means that Jaye will make a few more appearances before the season concludes Oct. 1, but don't expect him to provide much in the way of fantasy value while he pitches mostly in lower-leverage spots.