Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Zach Eflin turned in a strong performance in Friday night's victory over the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field, firing seven shutout innings with seven strikeouts. In his first start against his former Rays team since being traded away before the late-July deadline, Eflin picked up his eighth win of the season after scattering just four hits and one walk on Friday night against Tampa Bay. It's been a bit of a disappointing season for the 30-year-old veteran right-hander, but he does sport a rock-solid 3.83 ERA and 1.15 WHIP along with a stellar 104:15 K:BB across 129 1/3 frames ahead of a tough matchup on Thursday against the Boston Red Sox.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Taijuan Walker (finger) will return from the injured list to start Tuesday's game at Citizens Bank Park against the division-rival Miami Marlins. Walker allowed one run on two hits while striking out three hitters in five innings on Wednesday in a minor-league rehab start with Double-A Reading, and he'll next rejoin Philadelphia's rotation to start in Tuesday's contest against Miami. He's been recuperating from inflammation in his right index finger on the injured list since June 23. Although the 31-year-old veteran right-hander holds a poor 5.60 ERA and 1.49 WHIP with a 43:21 K:BB over 53 innings (10 starts) for the Phillies this season, he'll certainly have a bit of low-end streaming value in his first start back at home against the last-place Marlins.

Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano (elbow) returned to Toronto on Friday prior to the series opener against the visiting Oakland Athletics. He hasn't resumed throwing yet, but manager John Schneider said the club is mapping out a plan and that Romano is "progressing well" from a right elbow impingement. It's been five weeks since Romano underwent arthroscopic surgery on his elbow. Fantasy managers can expect to get him back potentially before the end of 2024, but given that the Jays are out of the playoff picture, it's still possible he won't return this season. The hard-throwing 31-year-old right-hander owns a shaky 6.59 ERA and 1.46 WHIP over 13 2/3 innings, but he has converted eight of his nine save chances. Veteran righty Chad Green has taken over as Toronto's stopper and become a must-roster fantasy asset in Romano's stead, logging a 1.89 ERA, 18 strikeouts, and nine saves in 17 appearances since July 2.

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot (knee) will make a minor-league rehab start for Double-A Montgomery on Saturday. The Rays are sending him to Double-A rather than Triple-A Durham to avoid inclement weather. Pepiot is slated to throw somewhere between 65 and 75 pitches in his rehab outing, manager Kevin Cash said before Friday's game against the division-rival Baltimore Orioles. There was initially some hope that the 26-year-old right-hander, who holds a promising 3.92 ERA ,1.07 WHIP, and 94:31 K:BB in 17 starts for the Rays this season, would be able to come off the injured list without needing any rehab action as he made his way through his throwing progression from a right knee infection, but Pepiot now won't be back until the middle of next week at the earliest. Given that it hasn't been a particularly lengthy absence, he shouldn't require more than an appearance or two in the minors before rejoining Tampa Bay's rotation.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Wenceel Perez (abdomen) exited with left abdominal tightness in Friday night's game against the hosting San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. He drew one walk in two plate appearances, getting replaced by Bligh Madris in Detroit's outfield. Perez hasn't been all that fantasy relevant in 2024, but he's played a big role for the Tigers in 97 games, slashing .242/.298/.386 with nine home runs, 49 runs scored, and nine stolen bases over 378 plate appearances. The 24-year-old switch-hitter should be deemed day-to-day prior to Saturday's matchup against the Giants. If Perez isn't in the lineup for a day or two, Madris and Zach McKinstry would be in line for an uptick in at-bats, with Matt Vierling (back) nursing a back issue.