MLB Player News
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Nick Lodolo SP | CIN
Reds' Nick Lodolo: Set for bullpen role
Lodolo will be available out of the bullpen during the National League Wild Card Series against the Dodgers, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
This news comes after the club announced Zack Littell will start Game 2, and Andrew Abbott would be deployed for a Game 3 start if necessary. Lodolo's lone relief appearance took place in the final game of the regular season Sunday against Milwaukee, when he allowed one run on two hits and two walks over one inning.
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Blake Snell SP | LAD
Dodgers' Blake Snell: Confirmed for Game 1 start
Snell will start Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series against the Reds on Tuesday.
Skipper Dave Roberts hinted Sunday that Snell was in line for the nod in Game 1, and the team confirmed him as the starter Monday evening. Snell looked locked in during his final three appearances of the regular season, posting a 0.47 ERA with 28 strikeouts across 19.0 innings.
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Yoshinobu Yamamoto SP | LAD
Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Getting nod in Game 2
Yamamoto will start Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series against the Reds on Wednesday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Yamamoto finished off the regular season on a high note, tossing 11.1 scoreless frames while striking out 14 in his last two appearances. The 27-year-old drew four starts in the postseason a year ago, posting a 3.86 ERA and 0.96 WHIP with a 15:6 K:BB across 18.2 innings.
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Matthew Boyd SP | CHC
Cubs' Matthew Boyd: Tapped for Game 1 start
Boyd will start Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series on Tuesday against the Padres, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.
Boyd has been named the top choice for Chicago to open up the wild-card round after Cade Horton went down with a rib injury. Shota Imanaga was presumably also in the conversation, but given his shaky 5.97 ERA over his last six starts, it'll be Boyd who gets the call in Game 1, with Imanaga a candidate to follow in Game 2. Boyd faced San Diego in two starts during the regular season, both in April, surrendering two runs on 11 hits and three walks while striking out eight across 11.1 frames.
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Michael King SP | SD
Padres' Michael King: Left out of wild-card rotation
Padres manager Mike Shildt said Monday that King will be available out of the bullpen for the National League Wild Card Series against the Cubs, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
Nick Pivetta and Dylan Cease will start Games 1 and 2, respectively, and Yu Darvish is in line to take the ball in a potential Game 3. King was limited to only five starts from late May on due to shoulder and knee problems, and he posted a 6.11 ERA and 12:9 K:BB over 17.2 innings in those outings. The righty could be added back to the rotation if the Padres advance to the NLDS, but he'll be assigned to the bullpen for the wild-card round.
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Corbin Burnes SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Corbin Burnes: Aiming for July return
Burnes (elbow) said Monday that he's hoping to be ready to rejoin the Diamondbacks' rotation sometime in July next season, Jack Janes of Cronkite News reports.
Burnes underwent Tommy John surgery in June, so a season debut next July, while optimistic, is possible. The pace of Burnes' rehab will ultimately be dictated by the team, and it's unclear whether the Diamondbacks have the same midseason goal as the pitcher. Burnes finished the 2025 season with a 2.66 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 63:26 K:BB across 64.1 innings.
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Hunter Greene SP | CIN
Reds' Hunter Greene: Confirmed for Game 1 on Tuesday
Greene will start Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series against the Dodgers on Tuesday.
The Reds left open the possibility of using Greene out of the bullpen Sunday in the final game of the regular season, but once that didn't happen, he became the obvious choice to take the ball in Game 1. Greene collected a 2.76 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 132:26 K:BB over 107.2 innings covering 19 starts this season. He'll be opposed by Blake Snell on Tuesday.
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Joe Elbis SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Joe Elbis: No appearances in 2025
Elbis didn't make any appearances in the majors or minors during the 2025 season after the Diamondbacks placed him on the restricted list April 15.
After the Diamondbacks added Elbis to their 40-man roster last offseason, he was optioned to Double-A Amarillo early in spring training. The 23-year-old righty then opened the Texas League season on Amarillo's 7-day injured list before eventually reverting to the Diamondbacks' restricted list a few weeks later. Arizona hasn't shed any light on why Elbis didn't end up pitching at all this season, and the Diamondbacks will eventually need to add him back to the 40-man roster or designate him for assignment once he's formally reinstated.
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Nick Lodolo SP | CIN
Reds' Nick Lodolo: Makes relief appearance Sunday
Lodolo (groin) surrendered one earned run on two hits and two walks over one inning of relief in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Brewers.
After exiting his start in Thursday's win over the Pirates due to a right groin injury, Lodolo received a clean bill of health following a bullpen session earlier Sunday, then was called upon to pitch in relief in a must-win game. Though the Reds ultimately came up short, they backdoored their way into the playoffs after the Mets lost to the Marlins later Sunday to cede the third and final wild-card spot to Cincinnati. Now that Lodolo has seemingly put the groin issue behind him, he could be in line to make a start during the Reds' three-game wild-card series versus the Dodgers that begins Tuesday.
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Sean Manaea RP | NYM
Mets' Sean Manaea: Fans three in regular-season finale
Manaea walked two batters, struck out three and yielded zero hits across 1.2 innings during the Mets' 4-0 loss to the Marlins on Sunday. He did not factor into the decision.
Manaea served as the opener for Sunday's regular-season finale with the Mets still fighting for a playoff spot, and he did his part by keeping the Marlins off the board. Manaea began the season on the injured list due to a right oblique strain that he suffered in spring training and didn't make his 2025 debut until July 13. He didn't complete six innings across any of his 15 games (12 starts), and he'll finish the 2025 season with a 5.64 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 75:12 K:BB across 60.2 innings.