MLB Player News

Minnesota exercised Gray's (hamstring) $12.5 million club option for 2023 on Sunday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Gray finished the 2022 season on the injured list, but he put together a solid campaign, posting a 3.08 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with a 117:36 K:BB across 119.2 frames. He'll serve as the Twins' top rotation arm heading into 2023, barring any major additions this winter.

Valdez pitched six innings and earned the win during Saturday's 4-1 victory over the Phillies in Game 6 of the World Series, allowing one run on two hits and two walks while striking out nine.

The only blemish on the night for Valdez came on a solo home run from Kyle Schwarber in the top of the sixth inning. The southpaw's sinker was electric in Game 6 -- of the nine outs from balls in play, his sinker forced six ground outs. The other nine outs came from strikeouts, the third consecutive game for Valdez with nine punchouts. The 28-year-old finished the postseason 3-0 with a stellar 1.44 ERA and 33 strikeouts across 25 innings. Valdez was arguably the best pitcher on the Houston staff and a major contributor to their postseason success.

Wheeler pitched 5.1 innings and took the loss during Saturday's 4-1 defeat to the Astros in Game 6 of the World Series, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk while striking out five.

Wheeler was locked in Saturday night, keeping the potent Houston offense scoreless until his final inning. The 32-year-old was pulled from the game in the sixth inning after a hit-by-pitch, a groundout and a single, leaving it up to Jose Alvarado to work out of the jam. Unfortunately, Alvarado surrendered a three-run home run to Yordan Alvarez, giving the Astros a 3-1 lead and putting Wheeler in position to take his second loss of the World Series. Wheeler finished the playoffs with a 1-3 record and a 2.78 ERA across 35.2 innings in what was the first postseason of his nine-year career.

GM Brian Cashman said Friday the Yankees will exercise Severino's $15 million club option for 2023, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.

Severino had covered only 18 innings from 2019 to 2021 due to Tommy John surgery, but he returned to New York's rotation last season and posted a 3.18 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 112:30 K:BB across 102 innings (19 starts). The right-hander missed two months with a lat injury but was reliable when healthy, so it's not a major surprise to see the Yankees picking up the option.

Syndergaard pitched three innings and took the loss during Thursday's 3-2 defeat to the Astros in Game 5 of the World Series, allowing two runs on three hits and zero walks while striking out four.

Syndergaard got off to a tough start in Game 5, allowing a leadoff double to Jose Altuve and an RBI single to Jeremy Pena. Although he was able to limit the damage to one run in the first inning, the Astros jumped ahead with a solo shot from Pena in the fourth inning, knocking Syndergaard from the game. The 30-year-old has a modest 3.33 ERA across 8.1 innings in the postseason with eight Ks.

Verlander pitched five innings and earned the win during Thursday's 3-2 victory over the Phillies in Game 5 of the World Series, allowing one run on four hits and four walks while striking out six.

Verlander surrendered a leadoff homer to Kyle Schwarber in the first inning and seven more Phillies reached base in the first three frames, but he was able to work out of multiple jams without allowing another run. Pitching in his 17th season, Verlander recorded his first World Series win on the mound Thursday night. The righty has struggled to a 5.85 ERA over 20 innings in this postseason, but one more Houston victory would give him his second World Series ring.

Nola pitched four innings and took the loss during Wednesday's 5-0 loss to the Astros in Game 4 of the World Series, allowing three runs on seven hits and zero walks while striking out four.

Nola was outdueled by Astros starter Cristian Javier, who kept the Phillies hitless through six innings. The 29-year-old Nola allowed three singles in a row before being removed in the fifth inning, and the bullpen was not able to help him out. Jose Alvarado hit the first batter he faced and then surrendered a two-run double to Alex Bregman in what eventually became a five-run fifth inning. After two starts of six innings and zero earned runs for his first two postseason starts, Nola has now allowed at least three runs in the last three appearances while failing to get through five innings each time. He is 2-2 with a 5.36 ERA across 15.2 innings in the postseason.

Javier pitched six scoreless innings and earned the victory during Wednesday's 5-0 win over the Phillies in Game 4 of the World Series, allowing zero hits and two walks while striking out nine.

Javier delivered the best postseason performance of his young career in Game 3, keeping the Phillies hitless through six outstanding innings. Javier was removed after 97 total pitches, but the Houston bullpen would go on to complete the combined no-hitter, which was just the second no-no in World Series history. The only flaw on the night for the 25-year-old was that both walks he allowed resulted in steals of second base, although both runners were stranded at the keystone. Factoring in Wednesday's blanking, Javier now has a 0.74 ERA with 16 Ks over 12.2 innings this postseason.

Suarez pitched five scoreless innings and earned the win during Tuesday's 7-0 victory over the Astros in Game 3 of the World Series, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out four.

Suarez made his second appearance of the World Series after coming in for relief during Game 1, and he notched his second postseason win on the mound. The southpaw rarely found himself in trouble against the feisty Houston lineup -- the Astros had runners on first and third with two outs in the second inning but he was able to strike out Chas McCormick to end the inning. The 27-year-old is now 2-0 with a solid 1.27 ERA across 14.2 innings during the playoffs, showing off his reliability and versatility in his first career postseason. Suarez threw 76 pitches, so it is unclear if he will take the mound again before the World Series is over.

McCullers pitched 4.1 innings and took the loss during Tuesday's 7-0 defeat to the Phillies in Game 3 of the World Series, allowing seven runs on six hits and one walk while striking out five.

Bryce Harper started the home-run parade in the first inning with a 402-foot blast, and the Phillies did not let up against McCullers for the entire night. The 29-year-old righty allowed just four homers across 47.2 innings during the regular season, but the Phillies tagged him for five in Game 3. The five homers represent the most that McCullers has ever allowed in a single game, and the seven earned runs were his most surrendered in a start since Aug, 5, 2020. If he doesn't get a chance to avenge himself, Tuesday's start may leave McCullers with a sour taste in his mouth as the season comes to a close -- his postseason ERA jumped from 2.45 to 4.17 after his struggles during Game 3 in Philadelphia.