MLB Player News

Scherzer (shoulder) threw 25 pitches in his bullpen session Friday, Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com reports.

Scherzer noted afterwards that he's aiming to throw 40 pitches in his next session Sunday. The 40-year-old was placed on the 15-day injured list Aug. 2 due to right arm fatigue, and he received a nerve injection in his throwing shoulder two weeks later. Scherzer's timeline to return to the Rangers' rotation should become clearer following Sunday's throwing session.

The Red Sox activated Criswell from the COVID-19 injured list Friday, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Criswell was unavailable for the past week due to the virus but is expected to serve as a bulk reliever in Friday's game against the Orioles, following opener Brennan Bernardino. James Paxton's likely season-ending calf injury opens up the fifth spot in the Red Sox' rotation and Criswell is the current favorite to fill it, although Rich Hill could eventually be in the mix after he was inked to a minor-league deal Friday.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Friday that Suarez is likely to start Sunday's game against the Red Sox, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Suarez was initially on track to take the hill Saturday, but the Orioles will bring up Cade Povich from Triple-A Norfolk to make a spot start that day, giving Suarez and the rest of the members of the Orioles rotation some extra rest. Hyde said that he does not plan at this time to move to a six-man rotation, so Povich may be sent back to Triple-A or shift to the bullpen after Saturday's outing. Suarez could eventually shift to the bullpen as well, but a move to a relief role doesn't seem to be imminent.

The Rays activated Pepiot (knee) from the 15-day injured list Friday, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.

Pepiot will start Friday's game against the Diamondbacks after being on the sidelines for the past month due to an infection in his right knee. The right-hander made one rehab start with Double-A Montgomery, throwing 69 pitches while striking out seven over 3.1 scoreless innings. Pepiot figures to be limited to around 80 pitches in Friday's outing.

Suarez is no longer scheduled to start Saturday's game against the Red Sox, Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun reports.

The responsibility will instead fall to Cade Povich, who will be recalled from Triple-A Norfolk. Suarez has been terrific since re-entering the rotation in place of the injured Grayson Rodriguez (lat), tossing 11.2 scoreless innings with an 11:3 K:BB. It's not clear whether Suarez will simply be pushed back or is being moved to long relief, which is his likely role in the postseason for the Orioles.

The Orioles will recall Povich from Triple-A Norfolk to start Saturday's game against the Red Sox, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Povich will be added to the taxi squad Friday before officially joining the active roster Saturday. Albert Suarez had been in line to start Saturday, but the club could be moving him back to the bullpen. Povich has mostly struggled in his eight starts with Baltimore, posting a 6.27 ERA and 25:23 K:BB over 37.1 innings. However, the lefty has gone seven innings in both of his last two starts for Norfolk.

Bradford did not factor into the decision in a loss to the Twins on Thursday, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks over six innings while striking out two.

The southpaw got tagged for a leadoff homer by Willi Castro and a Kyle Farmer triple to open the second inning, with the latter resulting in a second run for Minnesota following a fielding error by Leody Taveras. However, Bradford would then keep the Twins off the scoreboard over the next four frames before being relieved by Jose Leclerc to begin the seventh. It marked Bradford's third quality start of the campaign and his first since April 10 against the Athletics. He's allowed three or fewer runs in all three of his starts this month, posting a 14:3 K:BB over that stretch.

Ober did not factor into the decision in a win over the Rangers on Thursday, allowing two runs on seven hits and three walks over seven innings while striking out three.

All of the damage against Ober came in the opening frame when he allowed four of the first batters to reach base, leading to two runs coming across for Texas. The right-hander then held the Rangers scoreless over the next five frames, logging his 10th consecutive quality start. Ober has surrendered just one home run over his last four outings, though he's also issued multiple walks in four straight. Thursday's no-decision also snapped a four-game winning streak for the 29-year-old.

Pivetta (5-8) took the loss against the Orioles on Thursday, allowing three runs on three hits and one walk while striking out six over five innings.

Pivetta kept the Orioles off the scoreboard for the first three innings before surrendering a two-run homer to Gunnar Henderson in the fourth and then a leadoff shot to Cedric Mullins to open the fifth. It marked the fourth consecutive start in which the right-hander has coughed up two long balls and he's also given up at least three runs in three of his last four outings. Pivetta has lost four of his last five decisions (spanning eight starts). However, he's also racked up six or more strikeouts in six of his last seven starts.

Eflin (9-7) picked up the win over the Red Sox on Thursday, allowing one run on five hits over six innings while striking out eight.

Eflin allowed hits in four of his six innings of work but managed to keep Boston's offense at bay, aside from a leadoff homer by Wilyer Abreu to open the fourth. The right-hander induced 12 whiffs on the night and racked up a season-high eight strikeouts while not issuing a free pass for the second time in his last four starts. Eflin is now 4-0 since being acquired by the Orioles, logging quality starts in all four outings. Through three starts this month he carries a 1.40 ERA to go along with a robust 18:2 K:BB.