MLB Player News

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.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Tuesday that while Bassitt is probably the leading candidate to start a potential Game 3 of the AL Wild Card Series, he's not locked in, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Kevin Gausman will take the hill for Game 1 on Tuesday, while Jose Berrios gets the ball for Wednesday's Game 2. While Bassitt represents the logical choice to start Game 3, Schneider didn't rule out using the righty in relief in the first two games or perhaps taking a different approach to Game 3. Bassitt comes into the playoffs riding high, having struck out 12 over 7.2 scoreless frames in his final regular season start.

Ryu is not on the Blue Jays' AL Wild Card Series roster, Mike Wilner of the Toronto Star reports.

Ryu wasn't going to get a start in the series and has made just one relief appearance in his entire career, so his exclusion from the roster isn't a surprise. He could potentially be added should the Jays advance to the ALDS.

Bradley will not be part of the Rays' AL Wild Card Series roster, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays need only three starting pitchers for the series and plan to carry 15 position players, so Bradley isn't going to make the cut. They will have the ability to reset their roster prior to the ALDS, if they advance, and it's possible Bradley could be added on then.

Berrios will start Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series on Wednesday against the Twins, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet reports.

The Blue Jays confirmed earlier in the day that Kevin Gausman will take the ball for Game 1, and it'll be Berrios who gets a shot in the second game of the series. The right-hander gave up four runs in each of his last two starts of the regular season, so he'll look for a better result in Wednesday's outing.

Gausman will start Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series for the Blue Jays on Tuesday versus the Twins, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com.

Once the Blue Jays clinched a playoff spot and were able to scratch Gausman from his scheduled start in their regular season finale, it was obvious they were doing it in order to set him up for Game 1 of the Wild Card Series. Gausman finished the regular season on a high note, tossing a combined 13 shutout frames in his last two starts. He'll be opposed by Pablo Lopez on Tuesday.

Montgomery will start for the Rangers in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series versus the Rays on Tuesday.

Montgomery has been the Rangers' best starter by a large margin since the trade deadline and with Max Scherzer (shoulder) injured and Nathan Eovaldi struggling he was a shoo-in to be tapped for the Game 1 start. The left-hander will be opposed by the Rays' Tyler Glasnow.

Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said Monday that he expects Turnbull to compete for a job in the rotation next spring, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Turnbull missed all of the 2022 season following Tommy John surgery and suffered through a lost 2023 campaign. He was limited to just 15 starts this year due to neck and toe injuries and, when healthy, didn't pitch well either in the majors (7.26 ERA) or minors (6.23 ERA). Turnbull ended the season healthy at Triple-A Toledo, though, and should have a normal offseason. It's possible Turnbull could have been seen as a non-tender candidate, but it sounds like the Tigers plan to keep him around and hope he can bounce back in his walk year.

Sears (5-14) took the loss Sunday against the Angels after giving up three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out four over four innings.

Sears allowed multiple home runs in a start for the first time since Aug. 26 and failed to go at least five innings for the first time since Aug. 20. He allowed 33 home runs in total this season, which was the most by an Oakland pitcher since 2013. The 27-year-old finishes 2023 with a 4.54 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 161:53 K:BB in 172.1 innings. He figures to be one of the Athletics' top returning arms in 2024.

Scherzer (shoulder) has been limited to flat-ground work since throwing a light bullpen session last Wednesday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Scherzer hasn't had a setback as he works his way back from a teres major muscle strain in his right shoulder. However, he did indicate that he didn't feel as good as he hoped to when throwing off the bump. "I'm still in the recovery process from a strain," Scherzer said. "I think the thing I learned from my bullpen session is how much you need the teres major to get down the slope of the mound. The slope really amplifies it way more than I thought." Scherzer remains hopeful of returning at some point during the playoffs for the Rangers but is not setting a target date. "I guess the best way to put it is you feel better than you actually are," he said. "The next time I get on the mound, I want to be a lot stronger. I've got to be the that much more healed."