MLB Player News
-
Grant Taylor RP | CHW
White Sox's Grant Taylor: Cleared for AFL
Taylor (lat) is slated to pitch in the Arizona Fall League for the Glendale Desert Dogs.
Taylor missed LSU's 2023 national championship season following Tommy John surgery and missed most of this season with a lat strain, so this is a chance for him to make up for lost time. It's a weak crop of pitching prospects in the AFL, and Taylor has the stuff to stand out, headlined by a mid-90s fastball, low-90s cutter and a pair of breaking balls. He posted a 1.13 ERA, 0.63 WHIP and 25:1 K:BB in 16 innings over four starts for Single-A Kannapolis earlier this year.
-
Jake Cousins RP | NYY
Yankees' Jake Cousins: Activated off IL for ALDS
Cousins (pectoral) was activated off the 15-day injured list Saturday ahead of Game 1 of the American League Division Series versus Kansas City, per MLB's transaction log.
Cousins finished the regular season on the injured list due to a pectoral strain but was able to toss a series of bullpen sessions ahead of the playoffs. The right-hander was able to prove his health and will serve as a relief option for New York against the Royals. Cousins has posted a 2.37 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 53:20 K:BB while logging eight holds and one save over 38 innings this season.
-
Tyler Holton RP | DET
Tigers' Tyler Holton: Will be opener in Game 1
Holton will serve as the Tigers' opening pitcher Saturday for Game 1 of the ALDS in Cleveland, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
Holton pitched in both games of the wild-card series versus the Astros, including as an opener in Game 2. That means he will technically be "starting" back-to-back postseason games for the Tigers, but the bullpen will be heavily involved Saturday.
-
Felix Bautista RP | BAL
Orioles' Felix Bautista: Expected to be full go in spring
Orioles general manager Mike Elias said Thursday that he expects Bautista (elbow) to more or less be without restrictions at the start of spring training, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Bautista started throwing off the mound in August and will be 16 months removed from Tommy John surgery by February. As long as he looks good during Grapefruit League play, he should regain the closer role for Baltimore heading into 2025. Bautista posted a 1.48 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 110:26 K:BB over 61 innings while notching 33 saves in 2023.
-
Tyler Holton RP | DET
Tigers' Tyler Holton: Opening Game 2
Holton will open Game 2 of the Tigers' wild-card series versus Houston on Wednesday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
After turning in a 2.19 ERA and 0.78 WHIP through 94.1 innings in the regular season, Holton will now be rewarded with an opener assignment in the playoffs as the Tigers look to advance to the ALDS. He'll likely only remain in the game for an inning or two before turning things over to Reese Olson, though Holton has reached three frames in four of his 66 appearances.
-
Jake Cousins RP | NYY
Yankees' Jake Cousins: Expected to be ready for ALDS
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday that Cousins (pectoral) is on track to be ready for the ALDS, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
Cousins will throw another bullpen session Wednesday, which should be the last hurdle he needs to clear before being included on the ALDS roster. The right-handed reliever hasn't pitched in a game in nearly two weeks because of a right pectoral strain.
-
Gregory Santos RP | SEA
Mariners' Gregory Santos: Wraps '24 with scoreless efforts
Santos, who was activated from the injured list last Monday, subsequently made two relief appearances during which he fired two scoreless innings while allowing one hit and recording one strikeout.
Santos got back on the bump at the major-league level for the first time since July 31 when he earned his second hold with a scoreless seventh inning in the series opener against the Athletics on Friday. He logged one more frame during Sunday's regular-season finale, getting through the eighth inning on just nine pitches. It was a modest but encouraging season-ending sample for Santos, who didn't make his 2024 debut until July due to a lat strain and then missed nearly two months with a biceps injury. The hard-throwing right-hander played on a one-year deal this season, and it remains to be seen if the Mariners will want to take another look considering Santos logged all of 7.1 innings across eight appearances due to the injuries.
-
Ryan Yarbrough RP | TOR
Blue Jays' Ryan Yarbrough: Piggybacks opener
Yarbrough allowed four hits over 3.2 scoreless innings in a no-decision Sunday. He struck out three during the loss to Miami.
Yarbrough did not allow a runner to reach scoring position during his outing. He gave up four runs over his final 26.1 innings, dropping his season ERA from 3.86 to a career-best 3.19. He threw 98.2 innings in 44 appearances this season with the Dodgers and Blue Jays.
-
Kris Bubic RP | KC
Royals' Kris Bubic: Steps in for save
Bubic picked up the save Sunday against Atlanta, allowing one hit and no walks with one strikeout across a scoreless ninth inning.
The Royals opted for Bubic in the ninth inning, giving regular closer Lucas Erceg extra rest ahead of the playoffs. Bubic capitalized with his first save of 2024. Erceg hasn't pitched since Thursday, though that outing was his third in as many days. Bubic should see high-leverage work in the postseason, but save opportunities are still expected to go to Erceg.