MLB Player News

Overton (back) is scheduled to make his second rehab start with Triple-A Louisville on Sunday, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Even though Overton has resided on the injured list since late April and the season is nearing its end, manager David Bell said that the Reds' initial plan is to have the right-hander build up for a starting role. In his first rehab start Tuesday with Louisville, Overton struck out four while allowing three unearned runs on two hits and two walks. Considering that he tossed 61 pitches in that outing, Overton could be cleared to rejoin the Reds as soon as the back end of next week if he builds up to the 70-to-80-pitch range during his upcoming start with Louisville on Sunday.

Wood (shoulder) is scheduled to resume throwing this weekend, and he expects to come to a decision with the Giants about whether he'll pitch again this season based on how he fares during the session, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Since the Giants are effectively out of the running for a playoff spot and Wood has a sketchy track record on the health front, he's not eager to push for a return in 2022 unless he's completely certain that he won't be at risk of aggravating the left shoulder impingement that landed him on the 15-day injured list Sept. 3. Even if Wood feels comfortable coming off the IL before the season ends in the first week of October, he could be limited to a bullpen role.

Ortiz was returned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday, Chris Halicke of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Ortiz served as the 29th man during Tuesday's doubleheader against the Reds and allowed a hit and three walks while striking out five in 5.2 scoreless innings during his start in the nightcap. In spite of his encouraging performance, he'll head back to the minors for now. If the Pirates need an extra starter at some point over the final few weeks of the regular season, Ortiz will likely be one of the top names in consideration to fill in.

Greene (shoulder) will be reinstated from the 15-day injured list to start one of the two games during Saturday's doubleheader against the Cardinals, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Greene made three rehab starts in September and posted a 2.57 ERA, 15:2 K:BB and 1.14 WHIP in seven innings. He built up to 66 pitches over three innings during his most recent outing and will likely be on some sort of pitch count during Saturday's start against St. Louis. The Reds haven't yet announced which game of the doubleheader the right-hander will start, but his activation is imminent.

Ortiz didn't factor into the decision in a 1-0 win over the Reds during the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader, allowing only one hit and three walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out five.

The 23-year-old was extremely impressive in his big-league debut, tossing 56 of 83 pitches for strikes and exiting one out short of a quality start. Ortiz has the stuff to back up that performance -- he reached 100 mph with his fastball six times in the game while mixing in a slider and changeup, and his final fastball of the night popped 99.9 mph. After posting a 138:38 K:BB through 124.1 innings in the high minors this season, the breakout prospect appears on track to claim a spot in the Pirates' 2023 rotation, if not for the final weeks of 2022.

Oviedo (3-2) picked up the win in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Reds, allowing only one hit and two walks over five scoreless innings in a 6-1 victory. He struck out four.

Making only his fourth start of the season, Oviedo put together his best performance so far in a Pittsburgh uniform, tossing 44 of 74 pitches for strikes and giving up his only hit with one out in the fifth inning. The 24-year-old has a 3.72 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 10:10 K:BB through 9.2 innings since joining the Pirates.

Dunn was activated from the COVID-19 injured list Wednesday.

He only spent two days on the IL after dealing with an illness. Dunn has a 6.10 ERA and 1.58 WHIP through seven appearances (31 innings), so with Hunter Greene and Graham Ashcraft nearing returns, Dunn could be shifted to a long-relief role before the end of the season. He last pitched Sunday, so he will be available as a starter this weekend in St. Louis.

Ashcraft (biceps) was sent on a rehab assignment to Double-A Chattanooga on Wednesday.

He has been sidelined for four weeks with biceps soreness, but he seems on track to rejoin the big-league rotation before the end of the season. Ashcraft had a 2.67 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 24:8 K:BB in 33.2 innings over his last five starts before landing on the IL. He'll likely toss around 45-to-50 pitches Wednesday before making another rehab start at Triple-A Louisville early next week.

Wright (18-5) earned the win during Tuesday's 5-1 victory over San Francisco, allowing one run on three hits and three walks with four strikeouts in 5.1 innings.

Wright surrendered one run on two hits in the first inning and loaded the bases in the second but proceeded to face the minimum over the next 10 batters and fell in line for his MLB-leading 18th victory when Atlanta took the lead in the third. It was a nice rebound from eight runs in four innings during his last start. Wright carries a 3.18 ERA into his next outing, currently scheduled to come early next week against Washington.

Darvish (14-7) took the loss during Tuesday's 2-0 victory over Seattle, allowing two hits with seven strikeouts in seven scoreless innings.

Darvish permitted single baserunners in the first and seventh frames while retiring 16 straight batters in between, facing one over the minimum. The 36-year-old possesses a 3.16 ERA and 0.95 WHIP with 175 strikeouts across 176.2 innings in 27 starts. He tentatively lines up to pitch again this week Sunday against Arizona.