MLB Player News

Manzardo isn't in the starting lineup Saturday for Game 5 of the ALDS against the Tigers, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

With left-hander Tarik Skubal set to start the game for Detroit, the left-handed bat of Manzardo will step out of the starting nine Saturday. His absence will put David Fry in the DH spot, batting second.

Manzardo is not in the lineup Monday for Game 2 of the ALDS against the Tigers, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

It's lefty ace Tarik Skubal on the bump for the Tigers, so the left-handed hitting Manzardo will grab a seat. David Fry is in the designated hitter spot and batting second for the Guardians.

Martinez is starting at DH and batting sixth in Sunday's Game 2 of the NLDS versus Philadelphia.

Martinez began Game 1 on the bench but came on as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning and delivered an RBI single. Jesse Winker was the starter at DH in that contest, and he'll move to the bench to begin the second game of the series. Sunday will mark Martinez's second start at DH for the Mets in the postseason, while Winker has started in that role three times.

Athletics general manager David Forst revealed Friday that Rooker underwent right forearm extensor surgery Tuesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Rooker evidently dealt with discomfort in his elbow/forearm for the bulk of the season. It certainly didn't affect his performance at the plate, as he posted a .927 OPS with 39 home runs, but it could be at least part of the reason he didn't start a game in the outfield after May. Rooker is expected to be 100 percent healthy for the start of spring training.

Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said Friday that the team plans to exercise Ozuna's $16 million club option for 2025, Grant McAuley of 92.9 The Game Atlanta reports.

The decision was a gimme after Ozuna slashed .302/.378/.546 with 39 home runs and 104 RBI in 2024. The veteran slugger didn't play a single inning in the outfield this season, so Jorge Soler will have to play the outfield in 2025 if Atlanta intends on him being a regular next season. It's not ideal from a defensive standpoint, but Atlanta wasn't going to let Ozuna walk after he was the team's best offensive player in 2024.

Martinez will start at designated hitter and bat sixth Wednesday in Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series against the Brewers, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Martinez yielded to Jesse Winker at designated hitter in Game 1, although he came off the bench to deliver a two-run single. The 37-year-old put up just a .368 OPS in September for the Mets.

Martinez is not in the lineup Tuesday for Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series against the Brewers, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Martinez saw his playing time cut down the stretch of the regular season as he struggled to a .368 OPS in September. Jesse Winker had similar struggles in the final month but will get a shot at designated hitter in Game 1 versus righty Freddy Peralta.

Alvarez (knee) will start at designated hitter and bat second Tuesday in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series versus the Tigers, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez missed the final week of the regular season with a right knee sprain, but he's progressed sufficiently enough to be included on the Astros' wild-card series roster and in their Game 1 lineup. The 27-year-old slashed .308/.392/.567 with 35 home runs in 147 games this season.

Alvarez (knee) will do some hitting and running Monday at Minute Maid Park to test out his potential availability for the wild-card series, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Astros manager Joe Espada had said Sunday that Alvarez was going to take batting practice Monday, and now he's revealed that the slugger will do some running, too. How he feels during and after the workout will determine whether Alvarez will be part of the team's roster for the first round of the postseason. Alvarez has missed a little over a week of action with a right knee sprain.

Burleson went 2-for-4 with a walk and three RBI in Sunday's 6-1 win over the Giants.

Burleson hit an RBI single in the fifth inning and drove in two more runs with another single in the sixth. While he was a bright spot for most of 2024 for the Cardinals, Burleson hit just .202 and slugged a mere .226 in September while slipping back into a strong-side platoon role. He finishes the year with a .269/.314/.420 slash line, 21 home runs, 78 RBI, 71 runs scored, 20 doubles and nine stolen bases over 152 games.