MLB Player News

Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins told reporters over the weekend that the injections Manoah was given in his right shoulder late in the season were initiated by the pitcher, Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun reports.

"It was his decision," Atkins said. "We supported him. He made the decision on his own to move in that direction. There were no structural issues." The GM also acknowledged that Manoah "disagreed with the decision" to option him on both occasions, which "created some frustration." However, Atkins also noted that Manoah has not asked to be traded and the GM is "very much looking forward to him being back in our rotation" next season. While it seems as though Manoah might need to mend some fences with the organization, his primary concern will be to figure out what happened in 2023 and rectifying it.

Kremer will start for the Orioles on Tuesday in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Rangers.

It was seemingly either going to be Kremer or Kyle Gibson, who now appears likely to start a potential Game 4. Kremer finished out the regular season on a high note with a 2.89 ERA over his last 10 starts, including 5.1 shutout frames in his final outing. He'll be going up against Nathan Eovaldi on Tuesday as the Orioles try to stave off elimination.

France and Jose Urquidy are being considered to start for the Astros in Game 4 of the ALDS versus the Twins on Wednesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Manager Dusty Baker seemingly ruled Hunter Brown out when he used the righty in relief in Game 2. France really struggled in the final two months of the regular season in collecting a 5.84 ERA, but he posted a 2.85 mark prior to that. Urquidy pitched to a 5.29 ERA this season while missing time with a shoulder issue, although he pitched well in a spot start in his final appearance of the regular season.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Monday that Verlander is "probably not" an option to start Game 4 of the ALDS against the Twins on short rest, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Houston has not yet announced a Game 4 starter, but it doesn't sound like Verlander is under consideration. Instead, Verlander would presumably be in line to take the ball in a potential Game 5. The Astros are turning to Cristian Javier in Game 3 after splitting the first two games of the series. It figures to be J.P. France or Jose Urquidy starting Game 4 for Houston after Hunter Brown was used in relief in Game 2.

Valdez allowed five runs on seven hits and three walks across 4.1 innings, taking the loss in Sunday's 6-2 defeat against the Twins in Game 2 of the ALDS. He struck out five.

Valdez is a typically reliable member of the Astros rotation, although he is no stranger to the occasional volatile outing. Sunday's start marked the sixth time in 32 starts this season that the southpaw has given up five or more earned runs. Valdez gave up three of his runs on at-bats by Carlos Correa, who knocked in runners in both the first and fifth innings to stick Valdez with the loss. The sixth-year pitcher has fared better overall in the postseason for his career, pitching to a 3.82 ERA and 1.26 WHIP across 73 innings with 80 strikeouts.

Lopez earned the win in Sunday's 6-2 victory over the Astros in Game 2 of the ALDS, giving up six hits and one walk across seven scoreless innings. He struck out seven.

Lopez was utterly dominant in his return to the mound after pitching in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series against the Blue Jays. The right-hander experienced some pressure in the fourth inning when a Michael Brantley hit moved Kyle Tucker to third base, but Lopez was able to strike out Chas McCormick to escape any damage. Sunday's performance improved his standout pitching stats this postseason to a 0.71 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with two wins and ten strikeouts across 12.2 innings.

Rodriguez was handed the loss in Sunday's 11-8 defeat against the Rangers in Game 2 of the ALDS, allowing five runs on six hits and four walks across 1.2 innings. He struck out two.

Rodriguez had a rough welcome to the postseason, getting tagged early by the Rangers offense. The bulk of the damage came on a litany of singles in the second inning, and with his pitch count climbing the team turned to the bullpen to escape the jam. Rodriguez had a decent start to his MLB career during the regular season, pitching to a 4.35 ERA and 1.34 WHIP across 122 innings with 129 strikeouts.

Montgomery did not factor into the decision in Sunday's 11-8 victory over the Orioles in Game 2 of the ALDS, giving up five runs (four earned) on nine hits and one walk across four innings. He struck out two.

Montgomery was unable to replicate his success from his prior postseason start. The southpaw loaded the bases in the first inning, then allowed an RBI single to Aaron Hicks that put the Orioles on the board. He was spotted a seven-run lead by the third inning but let things get tighter again in the fifth by allowing a home run to Gunnar Henderson. Montgomery now has a 2.55 ERA and 1.53 WHIP across 17.2 innings with 14 strikeouts for his career in the postseason.

Manager Bruce Bochy announced Eovaldi will start Game 3 of the ALDS against the Orioles on Tuesday, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

The right-hander started Game 2 of the wild-card series against Tampa Bay and allowed just one run on six hits and no walks while striking out eight over 6.2 innings to help Texas advance. Eovaldi had a rough finish to the regular season with 15 runs given up across his final three starts, but he didn't let that downturn affect his performance to open the playoffs.

Javier will start Game 3 of the ALDS at Minnesota on Tuesday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez were chosen to start the first two games of the series, and Javier will take the mound for Houston's road opener of the playoffs. The right-hander posted a career-worst 4.56 ERA in 31 starts this season, though he finished the campaign on a strong note with six scoreless innings at Arizona last weekend.