MLB Player News

Scherzer will start Sunday's regular-season finale against the Reds, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Scherzer said that he's still undecided about whether he'll retire after this season, but he'll officially get to make at least one more start on a big-league mound before he hangs up his cleats. The 42-year-old hasn't been particularly effective this season, posting a 6.14 ERA and 1.36 WHIP across 77.2 innings, but facing a Reds offense that's turned in a .690 OPS since the beginning of September could allow him to end his Hall of Fame career on a high note.

The Nationals designated Hampton for assignment Saturday.

Hampton was claimed off waivers from the Yankees on Sept. 12, and he'll now be pushed off the 40-man roster before making his organizational debut. His roster spot will go to Connelly Early (elbow), who returned from the 60-day IL to start Saturday's game against the Mets.

The Nationals reinstated Early (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Saturday.

Out since July 1 with left elbow inflammation, Early has since been traded from Boston to Washington and will be making his debut with the Nationals on Saturday. The left-hander pitched just 2.2 innings over the course of two rehab outings and is expected to throw roughly 2-to-3 innings Saturday before handing the ball to Jake Irvin for bulk-relief work. Luis Perales was optioned to Triple-A to make room on the active roster for Early, and Chase Hampton was DFA'd to clear a 40-man spot.

The Tigers optioned Sears to Triple-A Toledo on Saturday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Sears will depart the active roster to make room for Justin Verlander (hamstring/hip), who was activated to start Saturday's contest. Sears posted a 2.16 ERA and 1.03 WHIP over 58.1 innings in the minors this season but struggled mightily in the big leagues, allowing 15 earned runs in just 19 frames.

The Tigers reinstated Verlander (hamstring/hip) from the 60-day injured list ahead of his start Saturday against the Pirates, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

After missing the majority of the season due to hamstring and hip issues, Verlander will return from the IL to make what will be the final start of his Hall of Fame career. He never made any rehab appearances in the minors, so his outing Saturday is likely to be brief. Andrew Sears was optioned to the minors to make room for Verlander on the active roster, and Kerry Carpenter (foot) moved to the 60-day IL to free up a 40-man spot.

Chandler (8-10) took the loss Friday as the Pirates fell 8-7 to the Tigers, coughing up six runs on four hits and four walks over 2.2 innings. He struck out two.

The 24-year-old right-hander did manage to avoid serving up a homer for the first time in five September starts, but there wasn't much else encouraging about Chandler's performance. He needed 77 pitches (42 strikes) to record just eight outs, and he heads into the offseason having stumbled to a 6.65 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 23:12 K:BB in 23 innings over the final month. A late fade isn't all that surprising however, considering he's thrown a career-high 154 innings in 2026. Chandler will head into next season with a spot in the rotation seemingly sewn up, barring some significant additions to the Pirates' staff.

Jobe (3-3) allowed two runs on three hits across 5.1 innings to earn the win in Friday's 8-7 victory over the Pirates. He walked two and struck out eight.

Jobe put a cap on his 2026 campaign with another strong performance as he came within one strikeout of matching a season high. Across his final three starts of the year, the young righty posted a 2-1 record, 3.06 ERA and 0.79 WHIP while striking out 25 batters across 17.2 innings. Overall, Jobe finishes with a 3.91 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 51 strikeouts in 46 innings, making his return from Tommy John surgery a success. He'll now get the offseason to gear up for 2027, and Jobe looks like a potential breakout candidate as he gets further removed from his surgery and his workload presumably increases.

Lopez (7-5) earned the win Friday against the Astros after allowing one run on two hits and two walks while striking out four over six innings.

Lopez kept Houston off the scoreboard through three innings before Christian Walker launched a solo homer in the fourth, which proved to be the only damage against the left-hander. He completed six innings with the Athletics still trailing 1-0, but Oakland's six-run rally in the bottom of the frame flipped the game and put him in position for the win. Lopez needed 94 pitches to navigate his six frames, but most importantly, he delivered a bounce-back performance in his final start of the regular season after he had given up 10 runs in just 2,2 frames against the Guardians on Sept. 19. and lowered his ERA to 5.47. The four-year veteran ends the regular season with career-worst marks of 5.47 ERA and 1.49 WHIP across 27 appearances (24 starts) and 123,1 innings.

Brown (6-4) took the loss Friday against the A's after allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits and four walks while striking out four over 5.1 innings.

Brown carried a 1-0 lead into the sixth inning, but a fielding error by Jose Altuve sparked the Athletics' comeback. He departed after a sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third with one out, and Bennett Sousa immediately surrendered a two-run single to Michael Stefanic, with the inherited runners giving Brown his two runs allowed. The right-hander otherwise held the Athletics to two hits, but his four walks raised his pitch count and kept him from working deeper into the game. Even though this outing didn't end as Brown or the Astros would've wanted, the right-hander ended the regular season on a strong note, allowing two or fewer earned runs in seven of his last eight starts, and just two over his last 15.1 frames. He ends the regular season with a 3.19 ERA in 20 starts and 107.1 innings, making it the third straight season in which he posted a regular-season ERA below 3.50.

Bennett didn't factor into the decision in the first game of Friday's doubleheader against the Cubs, allowing three hits and a walk over 3.2 scoreless innings of relief. He struck out one.

The southpaw took the mound to begin the third inning after opener Alec Gamboa had coughed up three runs, and Bennett steadied the ship for the Red Sox as they mounted a comeback, although he was no longer the pitcher of record when his team finally took the lead. Bennett's role on Boston's postseason staff isn't yet clear, but a 4.91 ERA since the beginning of August suggests he could be headed for the bullpen.