MLB Player News

Stanek earned the win in Thursday's 10-3 victory over the Rangers in Game 3 of the ALCS, throwing two-thirds of an inning.

Stanek required minimal effort to secure a win, throwing a single pitch to induce a double play to end the inning. The team would then go on to stack up four runs to break the tie in the following inning, leaving Stanek with the decision. Stanek is now up to three wins for his career in the postseason, during which he has pitched to a robust 2.00 ERA and 0.72 WHIP with 20 strikeouts across 18 innings.

Zimmermann underwent core muscle surgery Thursday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

He is expected to be ready for the start of spring training. Zimmermann, 28, spent the majority of the 2023 season with the Orioles' Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk, posting a 4.42 ERA across 21 starts. He held a 4.73 ERA in seven major-league relief appearances.

Diaz cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The Angels are doing some 40-man roster housecleaning and Diaz is one of the guys to lose his spot. He will remain in the organization.

Leclerc tossed a perfect inning to earn the save in Sunday's 2-0 victory over the Astros in Game 1 of the ALCS. He struck out one.

Leclerc's string of dominance continued Sunday, as he pitched a perfect inning for the second appearance in a row. While Leclerc was not typically featured as a closer in the regular season, earning only four saves in 57 innings of work, he has now successfully converted both of the team's' saves in the postseason, which may signal more opportunities down the road. In October, Leclerc has pitched to a mint 1.54 ERA and 0.83 WHIP with seven strikeouts across six innings.

Blanco is on the Astros' roster for the ALCS against the Rangers, which begins Sunday night in Houston, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

The right-hander was absent for the ALDS but will be available for the championship series with Jake Meyers off the roster. Blanco made seven starts in 17 appearances and had a 4.50 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 52:28 K:BB across 52 innings this season, and he's likely to be a long-relief option for Houston.

Burke wasn't included on the Rangers' roster for the ALCS against the Astros, which starts Sunday night in Houston, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Burke made just one appearance between the ALDS and wild-card series, allowing two runs on a hit and a walk over one-third of an inning against the Orioles. The left-hander was a key reliever for Texas during the first four months of the season with a 2.72 ERA and nine holds, but he's surrendered 18 earned runs in 19 appearances since Aug. 1, including the postseason.

Manager Dusty Baker said Saturday that Graveman (shoulder) will not be on the Astros' ALCS roster, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Shoulder discomfort caused Graveman to be sidelined for the ALDS, and his condition has not improved since then. There's still a chance the 32-year-old righty makes it back in time for the World Series, but significant progress would have to be made relatively quickly in order for that to happen.

The Mariners claimed Ort (elbow) off waivers from Boston on Friday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Ort struggled to a 6.26 ERA and 1.57 WHIP through 23 innings in the majors in 2023, and his season was cut short by an elbow injury in early July. The 31-year-old righty likely won't have a significant role should he crack the Mariners' bullpen.

Long cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday.

The Athletics needed to do some 40-man roster maneuvering and felt Long's spot could be put to better use. He put up a 5.60 ERA and 32:21 K:BB over 45 innings out of Oakland's bullpen this season.

Ort (elbow) was placed on outright waivers Wednesday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Ort struggled to a 6.26 ERA over 23 innings for the Red Sox this season and finished the year on the injured list because of nagging elbow inflammation. The 31-year-old right-hander holds a career 6.27 ERA in 47 total major-league appearances and seems likely to pass through waivers unclaimed.