MLB Player News

The Rays optioned Richards to their taxi squad Sunday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

He'll be replaced on the active roster by Josh Fleming, as the Rays evidently wanted another southpaw available out of the bullpen to counter the Astros' left-handed hitters in the ALCS, which begins Sunday. Richards didn't make an appearance during the Rays' recent five-game ALDS matchup with the Yankees.

The Rays activated Alvarado (shoulder) from the 45-day injured list Sunday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Tampa Bay designated Oliver Drake (elbow) for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Alvarado, while outfielder Brett Phillips was optioned to the Rays' taxi squad to clear a spot on the 28-man active roster. Alvarado hasn't appeared in game for the Rays since Aug. 14 due to the shoulder injury, so manager Kevin Cash could prefer to break the 25-year-old in in lower-leverage spots during Tampa Bay's ALCS matchup with the Astros.

The Rays will add Fleming to their 28-man roster for their ALCS matchup with the Astros that begins Sunday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com

Manager Kevin Cash previously hinted that he wanted to carry 14 pitchers on the Rays' ALCS roster, so Fleming's addition doesn't come as much of a surprise. The rookie southpaw will likely work in low-leverage situations or long relief throughout the series.

Williams (elbow) cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Fresno on Friday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Williams was already likely to miss the entirety of the 2021 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He now won't take up a 40-man roster spot over the offseason while doing so.

Chapman allowed zero hits and had two strikeouts and one walk over 1.1 innings to earn the save in Thursday's Game 4 win over the Rays.

The veteran left-hander entered with a three-run lead during the eighth inning and the Yankees tacked on another run, so he came back for the ninth with a comfortable cushion. It was Chapman's first appearance of the series and second of the playoffs, and manager Aaron Boone figures to be aggressive in his bullpen usage during Friday's winner-take-all Game 5.

Morejon picked up the loss as the opener in Game 3 of the NLDS against the Dodgers on Thursday, giving up three runs on two hits and two walks in just two innings while striking out two batters.

The brief outing was seemingly the plan all along, as Morejon had averaged 2.03 innings per appearance in his 11 previous outings this season. He retired the side in the first inning but struggled in the second, allowing three baserunners and one run. He stayed in the game to start the third but allowed both of the first two batters to reach base, both of whom would come around to score. It was a disappointing outing for the talented young lefty, but the mere fact that he was trusted to open the game with the Padres' season on the line indicates how highly the team thinks of him.

Montgomery gave up two runs on six hits and one walk over five innings during a loss to the Yankees on Thursday in Game 4 of the ALDS. He had one strikeout and didn't factor in the decision.

The left-hander was spared being charged with the loss as opener Ryan Thompson surrendered two runs over 1.2 innings. Yarbrough generated only three swinging strikes on 65 pitches, but he was able to hold New York in check aside from a two-run homer by Gleyber Torres. It will end up being the 28-year-old's only appearance of the postseason if the Rays are unable to win Friday's Game 5 and advance to the ALCS.

Jansen won't be available to pitch during Game 3 of the NLDS against the Padres on Thursday after pitching during the past two games, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Jansen pitched on two consecutive nights to begin the series, including a 30-pitch outing Wednesday as he nearly blew the save. As a result, manager Dave Roberts indicated Jansen won't pitch during the third game as the Dodgers hold a 2-0 lead over San Diego. Roberts said that Thursday's closer will be based on matchups if the Dodgers have a save opportunity. Jansen should be available for the rest of the NLDS if the series continues, even though Roberts didn't commit to using the right-hander as the closer going forward.

Richards will be on the Rays' roster for the remainder of the NL Division Series against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Richards replaces Oliver Drake, who landed on the injured list with a flexor strain. He'll presumably fill a lower-leverage role given that he wasn't originally on the roster and struggled to a 5.91 ERA in 32 innings during the regular season.

Jansen earned a hold after recording two outs and surrendering two runs on three hits with one strikeout and zero walks during the ninth inning of Wednesday's Game 2 win over San Diego.

The veteran right-hander entered with a three-run cushion and struck out the first batter he faced, but he allowed three of the next four batters to reach before being pulled in favor of Joe Kelly, who stranded the inherited runner. Jansen has been lights out throughout his career in the playoffs with a 1.94 ERA over 51 innings entering Wednesday's game, but his role going forward may not be so clear. According to Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register, manager Dave Roberts didn't commit to anything regarding the closer's role and said he's "going to keep thinking through it."