MLB Player News

McArthur (elbow) is expected to be ready for the start of spring training, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

McArthur was diagnosed with a Grade 1 UCL sprain in his right elbow in mid-September, resulting in a premature end to his season. While a Grade 1 sprain is the least severe, there is always going to be some long-term concern when UCL damage is involved. For now, though, the expectation is McArthur will be ready for spring training after some rest and rehab.

Avila is on the Guardians' roster for the ALCS versus the Yankees, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Avila was not on Cleveland's ALDS roster, but after it used its bullpen heavily against the Tigers it makes sense to add some more relief protection. The 27-year-old Avila is capable of pitching multiple innings, having tallied 74.2 frames over 50 appearances while posting a 3.25 ERA during the regular season for the Guardians.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Blue Jays recalled Eisert from Triple-A Buffalo on Sunday.

Eisert was up as bullpen protection in the season finale and went two scoreless innings against the Marlins. Yariel Rodriguez was sent down in a corresponding move.