MLB Player News

Woodruff (shoulder) completed the flat-ground portion of his throwing program Sunday and is awaiting to receive clearance to throw off the mound, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The veteran hurler is working his way back from a capsule strain in his right shoulder, an injury that was initially expected to require surgery before Woodruff healed more quickly than anticipated. If Woodruff gains clearance for mound work -- which isn't a given -- the right-hander could have a small chance to pitch at some point in the postseason.

Tidwell will undergo a right elbow UCL repair in mid-October, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury Newsreports.

Surgery for the right-hander was the expected outcome, and now it has officially been scheduled. If Tidwell winds up needing a full Tommy John surgery -- which is likely since he's dealing with a high-grade tear -- he'll be sidelined until the 2028 season.

Houser (forearm) is expected to have a normal offseason throwing program and be ready for spring training, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Houser missed the final month-plus of the regular season while dealing with a right forearm strain. He will continue going through physical therapy for now but is expected to begin his offseason throwing at his normal time. Houser posted a 4.02 ERA and 75:34 K:BB over 109.2 innings in 2026 across 16 starts and 10 relief outings.

Steele (elbow) is not on the Cubs' roster for their wild-card series versus the Padres, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Steele has been out all season while recovering from UCL revision surgery and a flexor strain. He is physically ready to pitch now, having made four rehab appearances this month, but the Cubs have decided he's not a fit for their playoff roster. Steele could earn consideration in subsequent rounds, if his team advances.

Gausman (shoulder) is on the Cubs' roster for the wild-card series against the Padres, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

Gausman injured his left (non-throwing) shoulder during his final start of the regular season last Wednesday. The Cubs have not yet announced their probable starters for Game 2 on Wednesday or a potential Game 3 on Thursday, but it's likely Gausman will start one of those contests. Gausman logged a 4.83 ERA and 57:11 K:BB over 50.1 innings in nine starts after the Cubs acquired him at the trade deadline.

The Padres activated Musgrove (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Tuesday, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Musgrove has not pitched in a major-league game in nearly two full years. He had Tommy John surgery in October 2024, had a setback during spring training and was then slowed earlier this month because he was having difficult recovering in between rehab starts. However, Musgrove was never shut down from throwing, and he's made enough progress to convince the Padres to include him on their roster for their NL Wild Card Series against the Cubs. Musgrove will be available in a relief role.

Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix said Tuesday that Snelling (elbow) is expected to be throwing off a mound during spring training and should be game-ready by May or June, Isaac Azout of FishOnFirst.com reports.

Snelling required an internal brace surgery in May to repair a UCL tear in his left elbow. The recovery time for that type of procedure is shorter than that of a Tommy John rehab, giving Snelling a chance to contribute to the Marlins at some point before the All-Star break next season. The left-hander yielded three runs in five innings in his major-league debut in 2026, and he's been dominant at Triple-A Jacksonville the last two seasons while pitching to a 1.46 ERA and 132:33 K:BB over 98.2 frames.

Pecko is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is not on the Astros' wild-card series roster versus the White Sox, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Pecko tossed three scoreless relief innings in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Athletics, but he apparently came out of the appearance with an injury. It's unclear what exactly he's dealing with, or whether he could be in play for the ALDS if the Astros advance.

Weathers (forearm) is not on the Yankees' wild-card series roster versus the Red Sox, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.

Weathers threw another live batting practice session Monday, so he's progressed well in his recovery from a flexor strain that's kept him out since late August. He could be ready for the ALDS, should the Yankees advance, but the club felt Weathers wasn't quite ready for the wild-card round.

Flaherty (forearm) was reinstated from the 15-day injured list Sunday and struck out one batter while allowing one hit and no walks over two scoreless innings in the Tigers' 4-2 loss to the Pirates in the season finale.

Flaherty, who had been on the shelf since July 21 due to right flexor inflammation, made a pair of rehab appearances with Triple-A Toledo before being cleared to rejoin the Tigers ahead of the season finale. Since he wasn't fully stretched out for a starting role, Flaherty ended up making his first appearance out of the bullpen since the 2023 campaign. The 30-year-old righty is scheduled for unrestricted free agency this winter.