MLB Player News

Rays manager Kevin Cash said that Pepiot (knee) is expected to be released from a New York City hospital Monday and will fly back to Florida to continue receiving treatment, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.

Pepiot landed on the 15-day injured list Sunday with an infection in his left knee, but Cash added Monday that while the hurler has some residual soreness, he's walking and moving around fine. The right-hander will be eligible for activation Aug. 3 and looks to have a shot to be back by that date or shortly thereafter.

Crawford dropped to 6-8 on the season in Sunday's 9-6 loss to the Dodgers after allowing six earned runs on seven hits while striking out two over five innings.

Crawford had given up just one home run and one run total across his three July starts heading into Sunday's outing, but he struggled to keep the ball in the yard in Los Angeles. He was staked to an early 2-0 lead, which disappeared by the third inning. He proceeded to serve up five solo home runs before all was said and done, while the sixth run he allowed coming on an RBI double by Gavin Lux in the first inning. His two strikeouts were also a season low, as he registered nine whiffs on 77 pitches. Sunday was certainly an outing to forget for the 28-year-old, though he's still been one of the better pitchers in the Red Sox rotation for much of the season. Crawford now owns a 3.37 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 112:29 K:BB in 117.2 innings and will look to bounce back in his next start, which is expected to come against the Yankees next weekend.

Blanco (9-5) took the loss Sunday against the Mariners, allowing four runs on six hits and a walk while striking out five over 5.2 innings.

The right-hander gave up a two-run triple to Dylan Moore in the second inning and then surrendered a solo homer to Jorge Polanco in the fourth, with one more run getting charged to Blanco after he exited the game in the sixth. The Mariners produced some hard contact against Blanco, though he was still able to generate 19 whiffs on the afternoon. He has just one win over his last five starts and will look to change that over the weekend against the Dodgers. The 30-year-old owns a 2.75 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 105:43 K:BB in 114.2 innings.

Woo (4-1) got the win over the Astros on Sunday, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out five over 5.2 innings.

All the significant damage against Woo came off the bat of Yordan Alvarez, who clubbed a solo home run in the fourth inning before lacing an RBI triple in the sixth en route to a cycle. Woo only threw 73 pitches, but Sunday was his longest outing since he went six innings June 6. It was also the sixth time in 10 starts this season he hasn't issued a walk. It was an excellent bounce back effort from the 24-year-old after his worst start of the year July 12. Woo will carry a 2.54 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 34:5 K:BB in 49.2 innings into his next start, which lines up to come against the White Sox over the weekend.

Kremer (4-6) allowed three runs on five hits and three walks across 5.1 innings Sunday, striking out two and taking a loss against Texas.

Kremer kept the Rangers quiet for three innings before Jonah Heim knocked a three-run homer in the fourth. Kremer has now failed to complete six innings in six straight outings. Over that span, he's registered a 5.65 ERA while going 1-4. The 28-year-old righty owns a 4.43 ERA with a 66:28 K:BB through 69 innings. His next start is projected to come at home against the Padres.

Heaney (4-10) allowed two hits and three walks over five scoreless innings Sunday, striking out four and picking up a win over the Orioles.

Heaney wasn't overly efficient and needed 100 pitches to get through five frames. Still, he kept the Orioles off the board. The southpaw's allowed three or fewer earned runs in 15 consecutive starts since the start of May. During that span, he's gone 4-7 with an impressive 2.81 ERA and 79:20 K:BB. On the year, Heaney owns a 3.60 ERA through 100 frames. His next outing is expected to come in Toronto.

Estes allowed two runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out four over 5.2 innings Sunday against the Angels. He did not factor into the decision.

Estes held the Angels scoreless through three innings despite some traffic on the bases before they finally scratched a run across in the fourth. He then would surrender a solo home run to Mickey Moniak in the fifth and couldn't quite get through the sixth after allowing a two-out walk and single. Estes has allowed two runs or fewer in five of his last six starts, three of which have come against the Angels. He will take a 5.11 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 53:17 K:BB in 68.2 innings into another projected outing against the Angels over the weekend.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said Sunday that Pepiot (knee) won't be in store for an extended stay on the 15-day injured list and should be activated in close to the minimum amount of time, MLB.com reports.

Pepiot had been lined up to start Tuesday's game in Toronto, but he was instead placed on the IL on Sunday after developing swelling in his right knee over the All-Star break. After getting the knee checked out, Pepiot was determined to have suffered an infection, but he's already showing signs of improvement after getting IVs in and antibiotics at a New York City hospital Saturday. Pepiot won't be cleared to resume throwing into the inflammation in his knee subsides, but the Rays are hopeful he'll be ready to start the ramp-up process within the next few days. In Pepiot's absence Tuesday, the Rays are likely to either treat the series opener with the Blue Jays as a bullpen day or call up Tyler Alexander from Triple-A Durham to cover the bulk of the innings.

Gausman (8-8) picked up the win Sunday against Detroit, allowing four runs on five hits and three walks across 6.2 innings. He struck out five.

All four runs against Gausman came on one swing of the bat, with Justyn-Henry Malloy launching a grand slam in the fifth inning. Two of the three baserunners aboard for Malloy's long ball reached via walk. In spite of the grand slam, Gausman came away with his second consecutive victory and completed at least six innings for the fourth time in five starts. Although the 33-year-old has been significantly less effective this season, he still owns a palatable 4.55 ERA with 109 strikeouts through 110.2 innings. Gausman is on track for a home start against the Rangers next weekend.

Rasmussen (elbow) recorded a strikeout as part of a 1-2-3 first inning in his rehab start Sunday with Triple-A Durham.

Per Aram Leighton of JustBaseball.com, Rasmussen touched 99 miles per hour with his fastball and spotted 11 of his 15 pitches for strikes in the rehab outing, his first competitive action at any level since he underwent an internal brace procedure on his right elbow last July. Though the right-hander is expected to prepare for a starting role with the big club heading into the 2025 season, the Rays will ease him back from elbow surgery as a multi-inning reliever in 2024. Rasmussen will likely make at least a few more appearances in the minors before the Rays bring him back from the 60-day injured list, likely in early-to-mid August.