MLB Player News

Flaherty (hamstring) will start Wednesday against the Yankees in Game 5 of the World Series, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Flaherty reported having issues with his hamstring toward the end of his previous start in Game 1, but the injury was considered minor from the start and will not prevent him from making what will almost certainly be his final appearance of 2024. The 29-year-old right-hander has allowed 14 earned runs over 20.2 innings this postseason, though he surrendered only two runs in 5.1 frames in his last matchup versus New York.

Manager Dave Roberts said Saturday that Flaherty was removed from his start in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday due to hamstring tightness, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Flaherty's hamstring reportedly began bothering him just before he threw the pitch that Giancarlo Stanton sent 412 feet into left field during the sixth inning. While Flaherty's injury was enough to force him out of the game after 90 pitches, the Dodgers don't believe it will affect his availability for the rest of the series, keeping him in line to start a potential Game 5.

Buehler will start Monday against the Yankees in Game 3 of the World Series, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

After allowing six earned runs in his first start of the postseason, Buehler was able to bounce back by throwing four scoreless frames during his outing against the Mets in the NLCS. He'll look to build upon the positive momentum he gained from his last start, though that may be easier said than done against a Yankees offense that led the American League with a .762 OPS during the regular season.

Yamamoto will start Saturday in Game 2 of the World Series versus the Yankees, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Yamamoto has allowed seven earned runs over just 12.1 innings across his three postseason appearances and will be facing a Yankees offense that has posted a .759 OPS during the team's playoff run. However, the 26-year-old righty found success against The Pinstripes when he faced them in June, throwing seven shutout innings while allowing just two hits and two walks.

Flaherty has been named the Dodgers' starter for Game 1 of the World Series versus the Yankees on Friday, Noah Camras of DodgersNation.com reports.

Flaherty made his last start in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Mets this past Friday, so he will head into Game 1 of the World Series with six full days of rest. The right-hander had an excellent start in Game 1 of the NLCS, shutting out the Mets across seven innings. However, the Mets got to him in his second outing, scoring eight runs in just three innings. With Flaherty set to go Friday, it is likely Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler will start the following two games, respectively.

Gray is on track have a normal offseason after finishing the regular season on the 15-day injured list with right forearm flexor tendinitis, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Gray missed his final start of the season because of the forearm issue, but his offseason training is expected to be unaffected. The right-hander held a 3.84 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 203:39 K:BB across 28 regular-season starts during his first year in St. Louis.

Blackburn underwent surgery Oct. 11 to repair a cerebrospinal fluid leak, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

Per the Mets, it's a procedure which typically carries a return to play timeline of 4-5 months. That would seemingly give Blackburn a shot to be ready in time for Opening Day, provided there are no setbacks along the way. If healthy, Blackburn should open the 2025 season in the Mets' rotation. He held a 4.66 ERA and 59:21 K:BB over 75.1 innings covering 14 starts between the Athletics and Mets in 2024.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza indicated that Senga is unlikely to pitch Friday in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Dodgers, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Mendoza had previously said Senga would be used in some capacity. However, David Peterson will start the game and it now appears Mendoza doesn't intend to use Senga in relief, barring an emergency. Senga started Game 1 of the NLCS and yielded three runs with a 0:4 K:BB over 1.1 innings.

Peterson will start Game 5 of the NLCS against the Dodgers on Friday, Pat Ragazzo of SI.com reports.

Peterson last pitched in Game 1 of the NLCS, though he's appeared exclusively out of the bullpen throughout the playoffs. He has yet to complete more than three innings in any of his six postseason appearances, and Kodai Senga sounds likely to also play a significant part of the Mets' plans Friday.

Flaherty will start in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Mets on Friday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Flaherty was dominant in Game 1 of the series, striking out six batters over seven shutout innings en route to a 9-0 victory. He'll look to put on a similar performance Friday against a Mets offense that owns a .698 OPS across nine postseason contests.