MLB Player News
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Luis Garcia SP | HOU
Astros' Luis Garcia: Requires UCL, flexor surgery
Garcia's right elbow surgery Wednesday involved a reconstruction of his UCL and repair of his flexor tendon, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
The Astros had already previously ruled Garcia out for next season, and now the team has offered more details regarding the operation on Garcia's pitching arm. It's the second time Garcia has had his UCL repaired, as he missed most of the last two seasons following Tommy John surgery. The 2026 season is the final one Garcia is under team control, so he will likely be non-tendered this offseason.
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Cody Bradford RP | TEX
Rangers' Cody Bradford: Full participant in spring training
Rangers general manager Ross Fenstermaker said Friday that he expects Bradford (elbow) to be a full participant during spring training, but an exact timeline for the pitcher is undetermined, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Bradford underwent an internal brace procedure in late June to repair the UCL in his left elbow. It's a less invasive surgery and comes with a shorter rehab than Tommy John, but it still seems highly unlikely Bradford will be ready for the start of next season. A clearer picture on the southpaw's timetable should be available during spring training.
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Nathan Eovaldi SP | TEX
Rangers' Nathan Eovaldi: Might require sports hernia surgery
Rangers general manager Ross Fenstermaker said Friday that Eovaldi (shoulder) will visit a physician in Phoenix next week to determine whether he will require sports hernia surgery, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Eovaldi's season ended in late August when he was diagnosed with a right rotator cuff strain. However, Fenstermaker noted that Eovaldi's shoulder injury is not expected to impact his offseason throwing program. The bigger concern now appears to be Eovadi's groin area, though more will be known about his status moving forward following next week's exam. Eovaldi had a fabulous 2025 campaign, posting a 1.73 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 129:21 K:BB across 130 innings. He's under contract with the Rangers through 2027.
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Kevin Gausman SP | TOR
Blue Jays' Kevin Gausman: Tapped for ALDS Game 1 start
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Friday that Gausman will start Saturday in Game 1 of the ALDS against the Yankees, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Gausman started the team's regular-season finale Sunday and will come back on five days' rest to take the ball in the Blue Jays' first postseason contest. The right-hander held a 3.59 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 189:50 K:BB over 193 innings this season, and he was particularly good in the second half with a 2.81 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 85:16 K:BB across 83.1 frames. The Yankees have yet to announce their Game 1 starter, but it could be Luis Gil after he was left off the wild-card roster.
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Connelly Early SP | BOS
Red Sox's Connelly Early: Takes loss against Yankees
Early allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and one walk while striking out six over 3.2 innings to take the loss in Thursday's wild-card game against the Yankees.
Early got through three innings with minimal trouble, recording multiple strikeouts in both the second and third frames. However, he got into trouble in his final inning of work, surrendering four hits and a walk to account for all of the runs against him. Early was also hurt by some shaky defense behind him, and he was ultimately outdueled by fellow rookie Cam Schlittler.
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Cameron Schlittler SP | NYY
Yankees' Cam Schlittler: Dominates Red Sox
Schlittler threw eight scoreless innings while allowing five hits and striking out 12 to earn the win in Thursday's wild-card game against Boston. He did not issue a walk.
Schlittler matched up against fellow rookie Connelly Early in Thursday's decisive Game 3 and turned in a historic performance. Schlittler dominated Boston's lineup, generating 18 swinging strikes on 107 total pitches, while efficiently recording 24 outs. His next postseason outing should come in Game 4 of the ALDS against the Blue Jays.
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Bryan Woo SP | SEA
Mariners' Bryan Woo: Feeling good after bullpen session
Woo's (pectoral) bullpen session went as planned Thursday, Curtis Crabtree of Fox 13 Seattle reports.
There weren't many details provided about Woo's throwing session, but it was deemed a success by the team. More details about his availability should come Friday, as the Mariners want to see how Woo is feeling following a day of recovery before announcing their pitching plans for the ALDS.
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Slade Cecconi SP | CLE
Guardians' Slade Cecconi: Records seven outs in Game 3
Cecconi didn't factor into the decision during Thursday's loss to the Tigers, giving up one earned run on two hits and a walk while striking out three batters across 2.1 innings.
Cecconi kept the Tigers off the board through the first two innings of the game with little trouble, but back-to-back singles from the Tigers in the third were all manager Stephen Vogt needed to see to take his starter out of the game after just 47 pitches. Reliever Tim Herrin allowed one of the inherited runners to score, preventing Cecconi from finishing his Guardians postseason debut unblemished. With Cleveland now shifting its focus to the 2026 campaign, Cecconi should have a good chance at cracking the Opening Day rotation after turning in a 4.30 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across 132 innings in the regular season.
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Jack Flaherty SP | DET
Tigers' Jack Flaherty: Four strikeouts in Game 3
Flaherty didn't factor into the decision in Thursday's 6-3 win over Cleveland, allowing one earned run on three hits and two walks while striking out four batters across 4.2 innings.
Flaherty turned in a very strong performance in Thursday's do-or-die meeting, giving up just one run on an RBI single from Jose Ramirez in the fourth inning. The right-hander wasn't able to make it through the fifth inning, however, which kept him from earning the win once Detroit took the lead on a sixth-inning homer from Dillon Dingler. Now that the Tigers have earned the right to face the Mariners in the ALDS, Flaherty figures to make at least one more start in the postseason -- possibly during Game 3 on Tuesday.
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Shane McClanahan SP | TB
Rays' Shane McClanahan: Expected to be healthy for camp
Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said Tuesday that he expects McClanahan (triceps) to be "fully ready" for the start of spring training, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
McClanahan was limited to just two rehab starts in 2025 due to a nerve issue in his left triceps, an injury which eventually required surgery in August. The expectation is that he will have a relatively normal offseason and be on a regular pitching schedule for spring training. That said, it's an uncommon injury McClanahan is coming back from, and the fact that he experienced numerous starts and stops this season should give fantasy managers pause with the southpaw heading into 2026. McClanahan hasn't pitched in a major-league game since August 2023, having gone Tommy John surgery that month, so he could have some workload restrictions in 2026 even if he's healthy, Neander acknowledged.