MLB Player News

The Athletics are expected to use Hendriks as their opening pitcher in Wednesday's American League wild-card game against the Yankees, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Oakland lacks a bona fide ace, so it appears the team will treat Wednesday's contest as a "bullpen game," allowing manager Bob Melvin to take advantage of his cadre of high-quality relief options to quiet a power-packed Yankees lineup. Hendriks served as an opener in eight of his 25 regular-season appearances, logging a 2.08 ERA and 7:3 K:BB across 8.2 innings in those outings.

Littell allowed two runs on three hits and two walks across four innings in a no-decision Sunday against the White Sox. He struck out six.

Littell ran into trouble in the first inning when he allowed two runs on two hits and a walk before escaping the jam. He was much more effective over the rest of his outing, allowing just two more baserunners, but he was removed with 70 pitches under his belt after the fourth. The majority of Littell's appearances this season came in the month of September, and his combined 6.20 ERA did little to inspire the club to give him a closer look. He'll become a free agent this winter and is a candidate to sign another minor-league deal for 2019.

Covey allowed five runs on six hits and two walks across six innings to take the loss Sunday against the Twins. He struck out three.

Covey threw 66 percent of his pitches for strikes and induced 11 groundball outs, but he took a shellacking in the middle innings to sink him to his 14th loss. He allowed three runs on three hits and a walk in the fourth inning and gave up another pair via a two-run home run in the sixth. This was a disappointing end to the season for Covey, who had delivered back-to-back scoreless outings in his previous two. He finishes the campaign with a 5.18 ERA and will look to step up his performance next year.

Yacabonis didn't factor into the decision in Sunday's 4-0 victory over Houston, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out one over four scoreless innings.

Yacabonis lowered his ERA to 5.40 following his seventh start of the season, capping of the 2018 campaign with 12 appearances for the Orioles. Yet again, he wasn't put in a position to pick up his first win since his arm isn't built up enough to last into the middle innings and due to the anemic Orioles' offense, which failed to provide him with any run support until the bottom of the fourth frame.

Yarbrough (16-6) tossed three innings and earned the win Sunday, allowing a run on two hits and a walk while striking out two in the victory over Toronto.

After the Ryne Stanek fired two scoreless frames to start the game, Yarbrough held Toronto to just one run while the Rays' offense heated up and gave him plenty of run support in the 9-4 win. The 26-year-old rookie enjoyed a very unique season, racking up 147.1 innings despite only starting six games. Yarbrough ends the 2018 campaign with a 3.91 ERA and a 128:50 K:BB.

Armstrong struck out one batter and allowed a hit in a scoreless inning to earn the save in the win over Texas on Sunday.

Armstrong was wonderful down the stretch for the Mariners, posting a 1.23 ERA and a 15:3 K:BB ratio in 14.2 innings after being called up in late August. He should be in line to have an important bullpen role with Seattle next season.

Yarbrough is expected to be available in relief for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Yarbrough's last appearance came Sept. 24, so the five days of rest between outings should keep him available as the Rays' primary pitcher is manager Kevin Cash elects to go that route. However, with the season wrapping up Sunday, it's possible Cash deviates from that plan and instead opts to go with a "bullpen game" behind opener Ryne Stanek. Though Yarbrough would still pitch in that scenario, his workload could be more limited than it has been in his most recent outings.

Junis (9-12) picked up the win Saturday, allowing three runs on eight hits and a walk over six innings while striking out six in a 9-4 victory over Cleveland.

The right-hander finished the year on a high note, delivering quality starts in five of his final six outings and posting a 3.46 ERA and 32:3 K:BB in 39 innings over that stretch. Junis' first full season in the Royals' rotation had its ups and downs, and he'll need to rein in his 1.4 HR/9 if he's going to significantly improve on his 4.42 ERA, but his outstanding control (2.2 BB/9) should have him locked into a rotation spot heading into next spring.

Treinen allowed one hit but struck out two batters to turn in a scoreless ninth inning and earn the save Saturday against the Angels.

Treinen allowed an infield single to the leadoff hitter prior to setting down the Angels' lineup to earn his 38th save of the season. This campaign marked his first as a full-time closer, and he responded by posting a tremendous 0.79 ERA and 0.83 WHIP with 98 strikeouts across 79.1 innings.

Stanek will serve as the Rays' opener Sunday against the Blue Jays, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander will again serve as the first option on a Rays bullpen day as Tampa Bay closes out its promising season. Stanek carries a 3.08 ERA, 10.9 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 58 games, including a 3.55 ERA in 28 starts -- over which he's accumulated only 38 innings. The Rays haven't yet confirmed the primary pitcher, but Ryan Yarbrough is the most likely candidate.