MLB Player News

Gray (groin) threw a bullpen session Wednesday, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Gray has been out of action since late July due to a right groin strain, and Wednesday appears to be the first time he's thrown off a mound since suffering the injury. The 32-year-old will require time to build back up to a starter's workload through either simulated games or a rehab assignment, so he'll likely a few weeks away from coming off the 15-day injured list.

Manager Bruce Bochy said Wednesday that Eovaldi (oblique) will make his next start Saturday against the Twins, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Eovaldi suffered a low-grade right oblique strain during his most recent start this past Saturday versus the Yankees, but he was able to throw a bullpen session Wednesday without any problems. Now seemingly past the oblique injury, he'll receive a few extra days of rest before returning to the Texas rotation. Eovaldi will match up against a Twins offense that ranks fourth in the American League with a .755 OPS for the season.

Varland (0-5) took the loss Wednesday against the Royals, allowing three earned runs on eight hits and one walk in six innings. He struck out three.

Optioned to Triple-A following Friday's start, Varland was recalled Wednesday to make his second start since June 16. The 26-year-old managed to notch his first quality start of the season, but he was fortunate to surrender just the three runs. The right-hander allowed baserunners in all six innings he pitched while yielding solo home runs to Bobby Witt and Paul DeJong. Varland will continue to vie for the Twins' fifth rotation spot with Joe Ryan (shoulder) and Chris Paddack (forearm) sidelined, but his 6.14 ERA and 1.64 WHIP across 36.2 innings this season do not inspire confidence.

Pepiot (knee) is scheduled to be activated from the 15-day injured list to start Friday versus the Diamondbacks, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The right-hander has been sidelined for the past month due to an infection in his right knee from a bug bite, but he's ready to rejoin the Rays after one rehab appearance with Double-A Montgomery. Pepiot threw 69 pitches across 3.1 innings during the outing, so he could still have minor workload limitations in his first start back with Tampa Bay. The 26-year-old has a 3.92 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 94:31 K:BB across 87.1 innings this season.

Ragans (10-7) picked up the win Wednesday against the Twins, allowing one earned run on five hits over seven innings. He struck out eight without issuing a walk.

The only run surrendered by Ragans came on a solo shot by Carlos Santana in the fourth inning. Other than that blemish, Ragans cruised through seven innings, striking out eight or more batters for the first time since July 5. The southpaw has now collected wins in five of his past six starts, pitching to a 2.87 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 40:10 K:BB in 37.2 innings during that stretch. He'll look to stay in the win column in his next start, currently scheduled for early next week against the Angels.

The Yankees recalled Warren from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday.

Warren will make a spot start Wednesday in Chicago against the White Sox. He has coughed up 12 runs over 9.2 innings in his previous two starts with the Yankees this season, though he notched 12 strikeouts. Warren is expected to be sent back down to Triple-A after the game.

Dunning will start Wednesday's game in Boston.

Dunning's last eight appearances have all come in relief, although he has been stretched out to more than 60 pitches a couple times over that span. His last appearance came Sunday when he threw two innings against the Yankees, so he likely won't be asked to work deep into Wednesday's outing.

The Rays promoted Curet from High-A Bowling Green to Double-A Montgomery on Wednesday.

The 21-year-old righty earned the bump up to Double-A after turning in a 3.28 ERA and 122:49 K:BB across 93.1 innings at Bowling Green. Curet already possesses a spot on the Rays' 40-man roster, though he probably won't be a realistic option for the Tampa Bay rotation until the second half of the 2025 season.

Lugo (13-7) took the loss Tuesday as the Royals were routed 13-3 by the Twins, surrendering eight runs (seven earned) on nine hits and two walks over four-plus innings. He struck out four.

Minnesota put runs on the board in four of the five innings Lugo worked, including three in the fifth after the veteran right-hander put the first four batters he faced on the bases before getting the hook. Lugo's amazing beginning to the season has wilted in the summer heat -- he's allowed at least five runs in four of his last six starts, stumbling to a 5.73 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 25:10 K:BB through 37.2 innings over that stretch. He'll look to bounce back in his next outing, which is scheduled to come at home early next week against the Angels.

Crawford (8-9) picked up the win Tuesday, giving up four runs on three hits and a walk over 5.1 innings in a 9-4 victory over the Rangers. He struck out four.

The right-hander was actually perfect through five innings as he retired the first 16 batters he faced, but the wheels came off quickly for Crawford in the sixth as he threatened to squander a 6-0 lead. The Boston bullpen was able to put out the fire, however. Crawford has been tagged for at least four runs in five straight starts since the All-Star break, stumbling to a 9.75 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 19:6 K:BB through 24 innings over that stretch while serving up an incredible 13 homers. The fact that he was able to keep the ball in the yard Tuesday offers some hope he could be turning things around, but he'll still be a risky play in his next outing, which lines up to come on the road this weekend in Baltimore.