MLB Player News

Garcia (elbow) went through pitchers' fielding practice with his Astros teammates during the club's pre-ALDS workout Thursday, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Since he's less than five months removed from Tommy John surgery, Garcia wasn't allowed to participate in the throwing portion of PFPs. The right-hander is slated to be sidelined at least until around midseason of next year.

Valdez will start for the Astros on Sunday in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Twins, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Houston will go with Justin Verlander for the series opener before turning to Valdez in Game 2. Valdez was a little shaky in his final two starts of the regular season with 10 runs (nine earned) allowed over 9.1 innings, although he fanned 17 batters to finish with an even 200 strikeouts on the season.

Verlander will start for the Astros on Saturday in Game 1 of the ALDS versus the Twins, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

The Astros have co-aces with Verlander and Framber Valdez, and manager Dusty Baker will go with the former for the series opener while holding the latter back for Game 2. Verlander collected a 2.73 ERA over his final five starts of the regular season for Houston. He will be pitching on six days' rest Saturday.

Scherzer (shoulder) threw what he described as a "real" bullpen session Wednesday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Scherzer threw a light bullpen session a week ago but still felt sore the day of and the day after, which prompted him reverting to flat-ground work. However, he said of the intensity of Wednesday's session that he "was able to step on it more" and he came out of it "pain free." If he recovers well, he could ramp things up more in another bullpen session or perhaps even face hitters. Grant writes that while it "still remains unlikely" Scherzer could be ready for the ALDS, "things seem to change quickly with him." Of course, the Rangers must advance out of the AL Wild Card Series first or Scherzer's progression will be a moot point.

Ryan will start Game 3 of the AL Wild Card Series versus the Blue Jays on Thursday, if necessary, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Ryan had been lined up for the start, so this doesn't come as a surprise. The Twins hope they can save him for the ALDS, of course, which they would be able to do if they are able to eliminate Toronto with a Game 2 victory. Ryan boasted a 197:34 K:BB over 161.2 innings during the regular season, but his 4.51 ERA points to the inconsistency he dealt with.

Lopez earned the win in Tuesday's 3-1 victory over the Blue Jays in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series, allowing one run on five hits and two walks across 5.2 innings. He struck out three.

Lopez had a solid outing in his second career postseason start, mainly relying upon the defense behind him to take care of a bevy of outs on contact. Things began to break down a bit for the right-hander in the sixth inning after he allowed an RBI single to Kevin Kiermaier, but he was pulled with the lead intact. He had a 3.68 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 38 strikeouts across 29.1 innings in September heading into the contest.

Gausman took the loss after giving up three runs on three hits and three walks across five innings in Tuesday's 3-1 defeat against the Twins in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series. He struck out five.

Gausman entered the postseason with a 2.43 ERA across 29.2 innings in September, but he was unable to keep it rolling in Tuesday's loss. His weak spot proved to be Royce Lewis, to whom Gausman conceded two home runs in the first and third innings. The team ultimately decided to hand things over to the bullpen after only 73 pitches, which may leave the right-hander available if needed to cover a few outs later in the series. Gausman now has a 4.91 ERA and 1.13 WHIP across 25.2 career postseason innings with 30 strikeouts.

Glasnow took the loss in Tuesday's 4-0 defeat against the Rangers in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits and five walks across five innings. He struck out eight.

Glasnow had his ups and downs in his 10th career postseason start, and he ultimately struggled to keep runs off the board. The blame cannot be placed solely on the right-hander, however, as the team also committed three errors behind him. While the 16 whiffs Glasnow compiled in the contest speak to some level of dominance against the Rangers lineup, he also struggled with his command, most notably throwing a wild pitch in the fifth inning that allowed Corey Seager to score. He now has a 5.72 ERA and 1.49 WHIP with 61 strikeouts across 45.2 postseason innings in his career.

Montgomery allowed six hits across seven scoreless innings to pick up the win in Tuesday's 4-0 victory over the Rays in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series. He struck out five.

Coming off a season where he mustered a career-best 3.20 ERA across 188.2 innings, Montgomery carried that momentum with him into the postseason. The southpaw looked sharp in the contest, picking apart the Rays lineup to earn the first postseason win of his career. Tuesday's outing marked the fifth quality start in a row for Montgomery dating back to the regular season, and the fourth time in that sample in which he logged seven innings.

Scherzer (shoulder) isn't included on the Rangers' roster for their AL Wild Card Series versus the Rays that begins Tuesday.

Scherzer's absence doesn't come as a surprise, considering he recently had to pause his throwing program after not feeling as well as he had hoped during a light bullpen session. Working his way back from a teres major muscle strain in his right shoulder, Scherzer still hopes to be available at some point during the playoffs. It's not a guarantee that it will happen, however, and it might require the Rangers to make a deep postseason run.