MLB Player News

Verlander (hamstring/hip) is scheduled to be reinstated from the 60-day injured list to start Saturday against the Pirates, Jeff Seidel of the Detroit Free Press reports.

The 43-year-old made one start at the beginning of the season before landing on the IL due to a hamstring injury, and he then dealt with hip inflammation while going through his rehab program. Verlander hasn't made any rehab starts and is likely to have a limited workload Saturday. The future Hall of Famer announced in July that he is retiring after the 2026 season, and he'll return to an MLB mound Saturday to close the book on his 21-year career.

The Nationals activated Herz (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Monday.

Herz is set to start Monday's game against the Tigers in what will be his first appearance at the major-league level since 2024, as he's completed the long road back from April 2025 Tommy John surgery. The left-hander made 10 rehab starts, posting a 3.16 ERA and 30:7 K:BB over 25.2 innings. Herz threw 4.1 innings and 65 pitches in his last start Sept. 11, so he'll be on a relatively limited workload versus the Tigers.

The Twins selected Sabato's contract from Triple-A St. Paul on Monday.

Sabato slashed .273/.349/.528 with 25 home runs and a 41:119 BB:K over 113 games this season with St. Paul to earn his first big-league promotion. The 27-year-old first baseman could eat into the playing time of Royce Lewis, who is slashing just .184/.218/.248 over his last 33 games.

The Twins designated Jackson for assignment Monday.

A spot on the 40-man roster was needed for the addition of Aaron Sabato. Jackson has collected a .748 OPS with one home run and a 2:24 BB:K across 73 plate appearances for the Twins this season. There's a good chance he will clear waivers.

Bautista struck out two while allowing one run on two hits and a walk over two-thirds of an inning Sunday against the Brewers.

Bautista made his first appearance for the Orioles in over a year after completing his rehab from 2025 shoulder surgery. The hard-throwing right-hander topped out at 98.1 mph on his sinker, an encouraging sign in spite of a shaky season debut. Bautista could see some high-leverage work in the final week of the campaign, but the focus for him is likely to simply finish the year healthy with an eye toward reclaiming the closer position in 2027.

Hentges (1-7) took the loss in Sunday's 3-1 defeat to the Dodgers, allowing an earned run on three hits in one-third of an inning.

Hentges was activated from the 15-day injured list Saturday and returned to big-league action Sunday. The southpaw entered in the seventh inning and retired the first batter he faced before giving up two singles and a double. He now owns a 3.51 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and 35:23 K:BB across 33.1 innings in 41 outings this season.

Cox went 0-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Dodgers.

Cox reached base on a leadoff walk in the first inning and later stole third before coming around to score. Although he's gone hitless in back-to-back outings, the 25-year-old recorded at least one hit in each of his eight prior games. He's batting .289 with seven runs scored, five RBI and five stolen bases in 43 plate appearances over the last 10 contests. On the campaign, Cox is slashing .281/.324/.422 with 25 runs scored, 15 RBI, a team-high 14 stolen bases and four long balls across 143 plate appearances.

The Twins will call up Sabato from Triple-A St. Paul prior to Monday's game against the Giants, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports.

A first-round pick in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft, Sabato will receive his first promotion to the big leagues after slashing .273/.349/.528 with 25 home runs and a 41:119 BB:K over 113 games this season with St. Paul. The 27-year-old could get regular reps at first base during the final week of the regular season in place of the struggling Royce Lewis.

Benintendi went 0-for-2 on Sunday against the Tigers.

Benintendi grounded out and struck out before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the fourth inning. The performance prolonged his sluggish September, as he now has hit .105 with three doubles, two RBI and six runs scored across 16 games. Benintendi also hasn't been in the lineup since July 22 against a lefty, making it difficult to trust him for volume or quality performance down the stretch.

Luzardo (shoulder) played catch on flat ground Sunday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Luzardo was shut down for nine days due to left shoulder inflammation, but he was cleared to play catch after the stiffness dissipated and he regained range of motion in the shoulder. The left-hander will not return from the 15-day injured list before the end of the regular season, but the Phillies are "very optimistic" about Luzardo's progress, per president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. If Luzardo is ready for the wild-card round, the Phillies could use him in a relief role since he won't have his stamina rebuilt enough to start.