MLB Player News

Gonzales will begin the Mariners' AL Wild Card Series versus the Blue Jays as a member of the taxi squad.

Gonzales will be ineligible to pitch in the series unless he gets added to the active roster. The 30-year-old wrapped up the 2022 campaign with a 4.13 ERA and 1.33 WHIP and will provide the Mariners with an additional depth option at their disposal.

Flexen will not be an active member of the Mariners' opening roster for their AL Wild Card Series against the Blue Jays, starting the series on their taxi squad.

Flexen will likely be unavailable to pitch in the series barring any injuries to the Mariners' pitching staff and bullpen. The right-hander finished the 2022 regular season with a 3.73 ERA and 1.33 WHIP with 95 punchouts over 137.2 innings in 33 appearances, including 22 starts.

Castillo will start Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series against the Blue Jays on Friday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Castillo finished the regular season Saturday by giving up one run over six innings against the A's, and he'll take the mound in the postseason opener for Seattle. The 29-year-old righty was acquired from the Reds at the trade deadline and delivered a 3.17 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 77:17 K:BB across 65.1 frames in 11 starts with the Mariners.

Gausman (finger) will throw a bullpen session Thursday, Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun reports.

The right-hander exited his final start of the regular season Sunday due to a laceration on his middle finger, and the bullpen session will help determine whether he'll be available to start during the AL Wild Card Series versus the Mariners. The Blue Jays have been encouraged by Gausman's recovery thus far, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca, and he's the leading candidate to start Saturday in Game 2, assuming he checks out fine after throwing Thursday.

Gonzales did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing four runs (three earned) on eight hits and two walks over seven innings against the Tigers. He struck out five.

Gonzales allowed all four runs on RBI singles, though one of the two runs that scored on Jeimer Candelario's fourth-inning knock did so because of a throwing error. The lefty did not impress during his final 15 starts of the season, recording a 5.08 ERA over 88.2 innings. The 30-year-old's 4.13 ERA and 1.33 WHIP during 2022 were his worst marks in five seasons as a full-time member of Seattle's rotation.

Watkins allowed one earned runs on two hits and two walks while striking out three across 3.1 innings in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Blue Jays. He did not factor into the decision.

With nothing to play for, the Orioles opted to limit Watkins' workload in his final start of the season -- particularly after he needed 27 pitches to complete his first inning of work. He successfully suppressed runs for much of the campaign, though he had a 7.59 ERA across his final 21.1 innings and four starts. Watkins concluded the season with a 4.70 ERA and a 63:30 K:BB across 105.1 innings.

Waldichuk (2-2) allowed three hits and one walk while striking out four across seven scoreless innings to earn the win Wednesday against the Angels.

Waldichuk ended his season in impressive fashion, turning in the longest start of his career. He posted a 7.15 ERA across his first five big-league starts, but he allowed only one earned run across his final 12 frames and two starts to end the campaign on a positive note. The end result was a 4.93 ERA and 33:10 K:BB across 34.2 innings, and Waldichuk should be a strong candidate to begin the 2023 season in the Oakland rotation.

Valdez (17-6) earned the win Wednesday, allowing two hits and one walk over five shutout innings against Philadelphia. He struck out 10.

Valdez was electric on Wednesday, running through hitters with a mix of curveballs, sinkers and cutters over the course of five innings. Eight of his 10 strikeouts came on swings and misses, and he produced a total of 15 swinging strikes on the afternoon. It was a great bounce-back effort for Valdez after allowing 10 runs over his previous two starts. It was also just the second time since July 3 that the left-hander recorded double-digit strikeouts in an outing.

German (2-5) took the loss Wednesday after throwing 4.1 innings against the Rangers, surrendering four runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out six batters.

German was ineffective, giving up four runs while allowing eight batters to reach base. The outing was only the third time all year that he gave up multiple home runs, as he allowed two solo shots in the contest. German will finish the regular season with a 3.61 ERA and 1.16 WHIP while punching out 58 batters over 72.1 innings in 15 appearances including 14 starts.

Varland (1-2) earned the win Wednesday, allowing zero runs on four hits and zero walks over five innings against the White Sox. He struck out five.

In the final game of the season, Varland recorded his first career win with a dominant performance against the White Sox. For the first time this season, Varland did not walk a batter, and he fanned five, his second-highest strikeout total of the season. After recording a 3.06 ERA in 126.1 innings across the minors this season, Varland struggled to begin his big-league career to the tune of a 4.71 ERA entering Wednesday, but the scoreless effort dropped his ERA to 3.81 and gives him positive momentum heading into the offseason.