MLB Player News

Chivilli didn’t fare so well in five relief appearances earlier this season with the Rockies, but he’s back in the majors as extra bullpen depth for Saturday’s contest against the Mets.

Fantasy managers can exhale after Witt made an early exit from Monday’s contest against the Twins after being hit by a pitch in the left forearm. It doesn’t appear to be a serious concern for the 24-year-old fantasy superstar moving forward. He’s back at shortstop and batting second on Tuesday night at Target Field.

Suárez will face hitters over the weekend either in another simulated game or in a minor league rehab start for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, which would put him on track to rejoin Philadelphia’s starting rotation mix in the later stages of next week. The 28-year-old lefty has been out since late July due to lower back soreness.

No real surprise here after Buxton made an early exit from Monday’s victory over Kansas City with right hip discomfort. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters Buxton remains day-to-day after undergoing an MRI on Tuesday to determine the severity of the issue. The club is still waiting for the results and will re-evaluate him over the next few days to determine his next steps. There should be some clarity on his status at some point later this week, but it wouldn’t be shocking if he wound up requiring another trip to the injured list.

Varland has joined the Twins ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Royals and figures to take the ball for Wednesday’s series finale. The 26-year-old righty allowed three runs over 4 2/3 innings last Friday in a spot start against the Guardians. There isn’t a ton of streaming appeal here for fantasy purposes, but Varland has shown some flashes at the highest level over the past few seasons, which is enough to keep him on fantasy manager’s radar screens.

Abrams is back in Washington’s lineup following a three-game absence due to upper back tightness. Back issues can be notoriously tricky matters, but there’s optimism that the extra time off will allow the 23-year-old speedster to put the issue to bed. We’ll see.

Tena remains out of Washington’s lineup following an early exit from Sunday’s game due to a right thumb injury. X-rays came back negative and Nationals manager Davey Martinez told reporters he thinks the 23-year-old rookie, who is dealing specifically with a fingernail injury, will be ready to return at some point this week.

The positive news here for fantasy managers is that Pivetta has been cleared to take the ball on Thursday against the Orioles after having his previous start skipped due to arm fatigue.

Criswell is eligible to be activated as early as Friday and figures to rejoin Boston’s starting rotation in place of an injured James Paxton (calf) at some point in the coming days after landing last Friday on the COVID-19 injured list.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora added that Slaten will get a couple additional bullpens under his belt before heading out on a minor league rehab assignment. The 26-year-old rookie reliever has been on the shelf since early July due to right elbow inflammation.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters there’s a good chance Hendriks will progress to a minor league rehab assignment afterwards. The 35-year-old former closer, who is working his way back from last year’s Tommy John surgery, figures to be an option for Boston’s high-leverage mix at some point in September.