MLB Player News

Taylor was not included as part of the Astros' roster for their ALDS matchup against the White Sox.

Taylor spent the entirety of the regular season in the majors, outside of a brief rehab stint in late May, but he's apparently not seen as one of the team's top 12 pitchers despite the fact that he recorded a 3.16 ERA in 42.2 innings. The decision appears to be a strategic one, as the Astros will carry just a single left-handed reliever (Brooks Raley) against a White Sox team that skews heavily right-handed. If the Astros advance to the ALCS and decide they need a second lefty, Taylor will likely return to the roster.

Jansen was awarded the win in Wednesday's wild-card victory over the Cardinals after striking out three while allowing one hit in a scoreless ninth inning.

Manager Dave Roberts turned to Jansen to keep the game tied at 1-1 in the top of the ninth, and the decision paid off. He worked around a one-out single by Tommy Edman, allowing Chris Taylor to win the game with a walkoff homer in the bottom of the inning. Jansen now owns a 2.35 ERA in 50 career playoff appearances. Notably, he's only recorded a save in 18 of those, so expect Roberts to continue using him in non-save situations as needed.

Yarbrough isn't on the Rays' ALDS roster, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Yarbrough will be available in an emergency situation as part of the team's taxi squad, but he was a notable exclusion from the roster following a slow finish to the season. The southpaw posted a 9.00 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in 21 innings across his final five starts of the year, and it's not yet clear whether he'll return if the Rays advance to the ALCS.

Barnes isn't on the roster for the ALDS, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Barnes earned 24 saves during the 2021 campaign, but he struggled across the final two months of the season and recorded a 9.26 ERA and 2.23 WHIP in 11.2 innings since the start of August. Adam Ottavino will likely be the favorite for ninth-inning duties during the postseason series against the Rays.

General manager Ross Atkins said Wednesday that Pearson will be assessed this week to determine whether a procedure is required to address a sports hernia, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Pearson dealt with a groin injury in August but rejoined the major-league club for the final month of the season and felt strong to close out the year. The right-hander served mainly as a reliever in 2021, but Atkins said that the team still views him as a multi-inning pitcher. It's not yet clear whether he'll join the starting rotation in 2022, but Atkins also indicated that the Blue Jays will consider Pearson's health and workload when determining his role.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Soto (finger) will enter the 2022 season as Detroit's closer, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Though Hinch declined to name Soto as the club's closer at any point in 2021, the 26-year-old lefty was clearly the club's top high-leverage reliever before being shut down for the final two weeks of the season with a fractured left ring finger. The first-time All-Star ultimately concluded the campaign with a 3.39 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and a 76:40 K:BB in 63.2 innings while collecting six wins, seven holds and going 18-for-19 in save chances. Now that he's been formally named as Detroit's full-time closer, Soto could be in store for a larger share of the late-inning opportunities in 2022 after seven other Tigers combined for 24 saves in 2021.

Manager Mike Shildt said Cabrera (finger) is ready for Wednesday's NL Wild Card Game against the Dodgers, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Cabrera exited Friday's contest with left middle finger discomfort and didn't pitch in the final two games of the season, but he's good to go for Wednesday's one-game playoff. The 24-year-old should continue to fill a high-leverage role out of the bullpen after recording 28 holds and posting a 3.73 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 77:36 K:BB over 70 innings this season.

Williams underwent successful surgery to repair his fractured right hand over the weekend, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

President of baseball operations David Stearns previously said Williams may be healthy in time for the World Series if the Brewers make it that far, and that timeline apparently remains unchanged. The 27-year-old posted a 2.50 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 87:28 K:BB over 54 innings with three saves and 23 holds while operating as the setup man for closer Josh Hader, so it's a significant blow for Milwaukee in the playoffs. Game 1 of the World Series is Oct. 26, so the right-hander has exactly three weeks to get healthy and build up his arm. He'll head to the spring training facility in Arizona to go through his rehab work.

Cousins (biceps) is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list Friday prior to the Brewers' National League Divisional Series with Atlanta, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

President of baseball operations David Stearns said that Cousins is "good to go" for the upcoming playoff series. The reliever has been on the 10-day IL since Sept. 25, but his return is a welcome one after he generated a 2.70 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 30 appearances this season.

Taylor (back) was activated off the injured list Tuesday and added to Boston's wild-card roster, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Taylor missed the end of the regular season with a back issue, but it was evidently a fairly minor one. He'll give Boston a useful left-handed relief option, as he finished the year with a 3.40 ERA in 47.2 innings of work.