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.

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.

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.

Holmes struck out one in a perfect ninth inning to notch his 30th save of the season in Sunday's 6-4 win over Pittsburgh.

He finally picked up his 30th save of the season Sunday, his first since Aug. 30. The 31-year-old struggled in September, going 1-for-4 in save chances with two holds, a 6.00 ERA, a 1.67 WHIP and an 8:6 K:BB in nine innings. Holmes' 13 blown saves easily led MLB, but he still had a productive year as the Yankees primary closer, posting a 3.14 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 68:22 K:BB.

Slaten allowed one hit and zero walks in a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his second save of the season in Sunday's season finale against Tampa Bay.

Slaten allowed a bunt single to Dylan Carlson to lead off the ninth but otherwise had no trouble wrapping things up. With incumbent closer Kenley Jansen on the injured list, Slaten was able to notch his first save since March 31. The 27-year-old Slaten had an encouraging rookie season out of the Red Sox bullpen, pitching to a 2.93 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 58:9 K:BB in 55.1 innings with six wins, 13 holds and two saves. The 37-year-old Jansen is set to become a free agent, so Slaten could find himself in the mix for saves next season.