MLB Player News

Nolin elected free agency Friday.

Nolin made a three-inning appearance for the Marlins in April but otherwise spent the entire 2023 campaign in the minors. The 33-year-old southpaw compiled a 4.37 ERA and 1.40 WHIP over 22.2 innings at Triple-A Jacksonville but didn't make any appearances after the All-Star break due to an unspecified injury.

Gonzalez elected free agency Sunday.

Gonzalez will explore his options on the open market after spending the entire 2023 campaign in the Marlins organization. The 31-year-old right-hander made just three appearances for the big club and was instead a mainstay in the rotation at Triple-A Jacksonville, accruing a 6.07 ERA and 1.60 WHIP over 121.2 innings.

Smeltzer elected free agency Sunday.

Smeltzer will get a head start on finding his next landing spot after spending the 2023 season in the Marlins organization. He made nine appearances spanning 22.1 innings at the big-league level, pitching to a 6.45 ERA and 1.48 WHIP.

May announced Monday during a stream on his personal Twitch account that he has retired from professional baseball, SNY.tv reports.

May, who turned 34 years old in September, still appeared to have something left in the tank after recording 21 saves while pitching to a 3.28 ERA and 1.37 WHIP over 46.2 innings with Oakland in 2023, but he'll choose to walk away from the game rather than pursuing a short-term deal with the Athletics or another club in free agency. Over parts of nine seasons in the majors with the Twins, Mets and Athletics, May notched 36 wins, 33 saves and 67 holds and accrued a 4.24 ERA across 450.1 career innings.

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.

Burdi elected free agency Sunday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

The 28-year-old remained with the Dodgers after being outrighted off the 40-man roster in early June, but he'll now enter the open market. Burdi never made an appearance for Los Angeles but pitched in three games for Tampa Bay earlier in the season, and he allowed five earned runs across four 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.

Atlanta general manager Alex Anthopoulos said Friday that Matzek (elbow) is expected to be ready for spring training, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

After undergoing Tommy John surgery in October 2022, Matzek resumed throwing in late May and remains on pace to return to Atlanta's bullpen for the start of 2024. The 32-year-old lefty holds a 2.92 ERA and 1.22 WHIP since joining the team in 2020.