MLB Player News

White Sox general manager Rick Hahn announced Monday that Madrigal recently underwent surgery on his left shoulder, James Fegan of The Athletic reports. The second baseman is expected to require 5-to-6 months of the recovery time.

After jamming his left shoulder in an Aug. 4 game, Madrigal spent most of the month on the injured list before being activated. Following his reinstatement, Madrigal quickly caught fire at the dish, slashing .349/.385/.384 over his final 24 regular-season contests. Despite closing the campaign with a flurry at the dish, offseason surgery was always expected to be in the cards for Madrigal. Based on the timeline the White Sox provided, Madrigal likely won't be at full strength for the start of spring training, but he'll still have a decent chance at being ready to go for Opening Day. Once cleared to play, Madrigal should be locked into an everyday role at the keystone.

Bregman went 2-for-4 with a solo homer, a walk and a pair of runs in Monday's ALDS Game 1 win over Oakland.

Bregman scored the first of Houston's 10 runs with a solo homer in the top of the fourth inning. He later came around to score on Carlos Correa's ninth-inning single. He's now homered 11 times in 47 career playoff games.

The Rangers outrighted Rivera (elbow) to Triple-A Nashville on Friday.

Texas initially dropped Rivera from its 40-man roster Sept. 4, but he ended up reverting to the 10-day injured list after undergoing elbow surgery, which may keep him sidelined for the start of the 2021 campaign. The Rangers formally activated and DFA'd Rivera again in a procedural move after the regular season ended, officially taking him off the 40-man roster. The utility infielder saw action in four games in 2020, going hitless in five plate appearances.

Machado went 1-for-5 with a solo homer in Thursday's NL Wild Card Series Game 2 win over the Cardinals.

Machado went back-to-back with Fernando Tatis Jr. in the sixth inning as both San Diego stars homered off Giovanny Gallegos to bring their team from down by four to tied. Machado is still searching for success in the postseason, as he owns a career .212/.262/.394 slash line in 25 games, though he does have five homers in those contests.

Urshela went 2-for-5 with a grand slam and an additional run scored in Wednesday's Game 2 series-clinching victory over Cleveland.

He also flashed the leather with some good plays in the field. Urshela's fourth-inning blast put the Yankees up 5-4, but each team went on to score five more runs in the 10-9 game.

The Cubs outrighted Wisdom to their alternate training site Monday.

Wisdom went unclaimed off waivers after being designated for assignment last weekend, so he'll stick around in the Cubs' organization for now. Assuming Wisdom joins the Cubs for spring training, he'll realistically be competing for a roster spot at Triple-A Iowa rather than with the big club.

The Cubs activated Vargas (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list Wednesday, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

The utility man will be up with the Cubs for their wild-card series with the Marlins, which begins Wednesday. Before his regular season came to an end when he was placed on the IL on Sept. 21 with a right hamstring strain, Vargas slashed .196/.222/.314 in 54 plate appearances across stints with the Diamondbacks, Twins and Cubs.

Riley (quadriceps) will start at third base and bat ninth Wednesday in Game 1 against the Reds.

We already knew that he was going to be in the Game 1 lineup, despite the fact he is not fully healthy. Riley will have his work cut out for him facing righty Trevor Bauer, who has held same-handed hitters to a .146/.205/.220 line this season.

Senzel is starting in center field and leading off Wednesday in Game 1 against the Braves.

Senzel hit .074 in 30 plate appearances against lefties this season, but he only struck out four times over that tiny sample, so the Reds are showing confidence in their young outfielder by starting him against southpaw Max Fried. "We're going with our best lineup, everything that's happened in the past is behind us," Bell told C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic. "We knew Nick had a tough challenge this season, since then he's gotten more at-bats."

Vargas (hamstring) could be included on the Cubs' postseason roster, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Vargas was sidelined for the final week of the regular season, but manager David Ross said Tuesday that he could return for the postseason. If Vargas is included on the roster, he'd serve as middle-infield depth after slashing .196/.222/.314 with three RBI over 51 at-bats with the Diamondbacks, Twins and Cubs during the regular season.