Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that right-hander Cooper Criswell (illness) will likely be activated from the seven-day COVID injured list in order to start on Friday at Camden Yards against the division-rival Baltimore Orioles. Not only will Criswell return to the starting rotation on Friday, but he figures to stick around for the foreseeable future with left-hander James Paxton unlikely to pitch again this year after suffering a partial calf tear earlier this week. The 28-year-old Criswell won't be a recommended fantasy streamer in his return from a rough bout with COVID against one of the best offenses in baseball, though. Criswell last started for the Red Sox on July 23 and is likely to be limited from a pitch-count perspective coming off an illness. He's posted a 4.02 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP and below-average 18.7% strikeout rate over a career-high 71 2/3 innings in 2024.

Boston Red Sox veteran right-handed reliever Liam Hendriks (elbow) will start a minor-league rehab assignment on Sunday, likely with Triple-A Worcester, barring any setbacks. The Red Sox want to see Hendriks throw around seven outings in the minors before allowing him to make his 2024 debut. Hendriks has nearing an end to his long recovery from Tommy John surgery and will join Boston's bullpen for the stretch run this year. The 35-year-old Aussie has been an All-Star three times in his 13 years in the big leagues and also has 116 career saves, so he'll give the big-league bullpen plenty of experience alongside closer Kenley Jansen. However, given Hendriks' long layoff, there's a good chance he'll be eased into high-leverage relief situations when he eventually makes his Red Sox debut, which may not come until September.

Texas Rangers right-hander Max Scherzer (shoulder) said he's "turned a corner" and plans to throw a bullpen session on Friday. Scherzer, who has made only eight starts in 2024 due to various injuries, last pitched for the Rangers on July 30 against the St. Louis Cardinals, when he allowed three earned runs in four innings for his fourth loss of the season. He's been battling right-shoulder fatigue of late but is feeling better after receiving a nerve injection this week. The 40-year-old future Hall of Famer and three-time Cy Young winner will now begin building his arm back up and could even need a short minor-league rehab assignment before rejoining the Rangers' starting rotation. Scherzer can still be effective in the right matchups, but he's far from his prime and is quickly running out of time to help in fantasy leagues.

The Detroit Tigers are calling up shortstop prospect Trey Sweeney from Triple-A Toledo, according to a source. The former first-round pick has been on a tear of late in the minors and was one of two prospects that the Tigers acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline in late July for right-hander Jack Flaherty. Per MLB Pipeline, the 24-year-old is considered the Tigers' No. 20 prospect. Since joining the Mud Hens, Sweeney has hit .381/.447/.667 with two home runs, nine RBI and four steals in 11 games. In 96 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City with the Dodgers, he hit .255/.334/.427 with 13 homers, 62 RBI and 16 stolen bases. The 6-foot-3, 212-pounder from Eastern Illinois figures to play regularly for the out-of-contention Tigers and could take starts away from the struggling Javier Baez at shortstop down the stretch.

Despite not dealing with any structural damage, Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (hip) was placed on the 10-day injured list on Thursday. The Twins are calling up infielder Edouard Julien from the minors in a corresponding move. Buxton was pulled with right-hip discomfort in Monday's series opener against the Kansas City Royals, and the Twins made the move to put him on the IL after he was held out of the lineup for the third straight game in Thursday's series opener in Texas against the Rangers. There's no guarantee that the oft-injured outfielder will be ready when he's eligible to come off the IL on Aug. 23. In the 30-year-old's absence, expect Austin Martin and Manuel Margot to split playing time in center field. Martin is starting in center and batting ninth on Thursday against Rangers left-hander Cody Bradford.