MLB Player News

Wentz will be called up from Triple-A Toledo to start Wednesday's game against the Athletics, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Wentz owns a strong 33.8 percent strikeout rate through five starts for Toledo this season, though that's come with a 13.0 percent walk rate and a 4.12 ERA. Since his return from March 2020 Tommy John surgery last May, he owns a mediocre 4.42 ERA over 23 starts in the minors, but the Tigers will nevertheless give him a chance on the biggest stage. He'll at least get a relatively easy opponent to debut against, but he'll need to find the strike zone more consistently if he's to stick in the majors.

Pepiot traveled with the Dodgers to Pittsburgh on Monday and could start Wednesday's series finale, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Manager Dave Roberts indicated Saturday that Pepiot could get a call-up soon, and while that's yet to be confirmed, it looks as though he might be about to get his shot. The 24-year-old owns a 2.05 ERA and a 33.0 percent strikeout rate in six Triple-A starts this season, though he's also walked 11.0 percent of opposing batters and has never posted a single-digit walk rate at any level of the minors. Those numbers match his scouting reports, as he has good stuff led by an excellent changeup but also has notable command issues, something which could eventually send him to the bullpen.

Castillo (shoulder) was activated from the injured list as expected Monday ahead of his season debut against the Brewers.

Castillo has been out all year after dealing with shoulder soreness during spring training. He's good to go now after making three rehab starts, a stretch in which he allowed one run on seven hits in 10.1 innings while striking out 16, though he also walked eight batters. He threw 4.1 frames in his most recent rehab start, so he'll likely have the chance to pitch deep enough to get a win Friday but may not be quite up to full speed.

The Rangers announced Gray's early exit from his start Monday against the Yankees was due to left knee soreness.

Texas described Gray's removal from the contest with one out in the fifth inning as precautionary, but the severity of his injury won't be known until he's re-evaluated Tuesday. According to Levi Weaver of The Athletic, Gray apparently felt something in his knee while fielding an Isiah Kiner-Falefa bunt earlier in the contest, but this latest issue isn't considered as serious as the low-grade MCL sprain that previously sent him to the injured list. Gray was cruising prior to his departure, ending the day with four punchouts over 4.1 scoreless innings while scattering three walks and two hits. He won't factor into the decision after exiting with the game tied at 0-0.

Gray left his start Monday against the Yankees with a team trainer, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Gray exited with one out in the fifth inning, though that arguably doesn't count as an early exit, as he'd thrown just three innings in his return from a knee injury in his previous start. He'd pitched well up to that point, striking out four while walking three and allowing just two hits in 4.1 scoreless innings. The extent to which his removal was injury-related should become clear after the game.

Urena elected free agency Monday instead of accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Nashville.

Urena lost his roster spot when rosters shrank to 26 players last week, as his 3.52 ERA in 7.2 innings of relief to start the season came with a very poor 3:5 K:BB. He went unclaimed on waivers and will probably have to settle for a minor-league deal considering that he owns a 5.45 ERA since the start of the 2019 season.

Baz (elbow) is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session Monday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Facing live hitters marks the next step forward in the rehab process for Baz, who has been sidelined since undergoing arthroscopic surgery in late March to remove loose bodies from his right elbow. He initiated a throwing program just over two weeks ago and has thus far checked out fine while advancing from long tossing to pitching bullpen sessions, which seemingly keeps him on pace to return from the 60-day injured list when first eligible June 6. For that to become a reality, however, Baz will need to avoid any setbacks upon facing hitters and eventually, making multiple minor-league starts as part of a rehab assignment.

German (shoulder) has thrown multiple bullpen sessions and is expected to face live batting practice soon, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

German has missed the entirety of the 2022 campaign so far while dealing with right shoulder impingement syndrome, but manager Aaron Boone said Monday that "everything is going well, according to plan," setting the right-hander up to face live BP in the near future. The 29-year-old has been able to throw all of his pitches at his bullpen sessions, a positive sign for his eventual return in early-mid June following a likely multi-outing rehab assignment. German posted a 4.58 ERA and 1.18 WHIP over 98.1 innings last year, racking up 98 strikeouts while starting 18 games and appearing in 22 total. The Yankees have yet to decide what his role will be when he ultimately returns.

Abbott has a 0.67 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 40:7 K:BB across 27 innings spanning five appearances (four starts) for High-A Dayton.

Those eye-popping numbers include a stretch of three consecutive outings in which Abbott recorded double-digit strikeouts. If there's one knock on Abbott here, it's that he's a little on the older side (a few weeks short of 23) to be considered a big-time prospect in High-A, so his real test will come when he inevitably gets pushed up to Double-A in the near future. If he keeps succeeding like this, he'll garner a lot of attention very quickly. Unlike a lot of other young arms, he's been finishing six innings fairly regularly (three times in his five appearances), which could enable him to move quickly through the organization.

Snell is scheduled to make his third rehab start at Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

With Snell set to continue his rehab assignment, the Padres will temporarily delay making any changes to their six-man rotation, which will allow back-end arms MacKenzie Gore and Nick Martinez to pick up at least one more start. Considering that Snell built up to four innings and 66 pitches in his last rehab start May 4, he shouldn't face any major restrictions with his workload when he makes his return from the 10-day injured list next week for his 2022 debut with the big club. Assuming he comes out of Tuesday's outing with El Paso with no setbacks, Snell could be brought back from the IL to start as early as Sunday's game in Atlanta, though it's possible the Padres wait until next week's series in Philadelphia to add him back into the rotation.