MLB Player News

Eovaldi (1-0) allowed one run on four hits and no walks while striking out eight in 5.1 innings to earn the win over the Yankees in Tuesday's AL Wild Card Game.

Eovaldi tossed six scoreless innings in his final regular-season start of the 2021 campaign, and he maintained his success in his first postseason outing of the year. The righty exited the contest after he gave up a solo home run to Anthony Rizzo with one out in the sixth inning, but Eovaldi is a strong candidate to make a start in the upcoming ALDS against the Rays.

Cole (0-1) allowed three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out three in two innings to take the loss against the Red Sox in Tuesday's AL Wild Card Game.

Cole closed out the regular season with a 7.64 ERA and 1.58 WHIP in 17.2 innings across his last three starts, and he was unable to right the ship in Tuesday's winner-take-all matchup. He gave up a two-run blast in the first inning and exited the game with no outs in the third inning after he gave up a solo home run. The right-hander made 30 starts in his second season with the Yankees and posted a 3.23 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 181.1 innings.

Aiken was released by Cleveland on Wednesday.

Aiken was selected in the first round of the 2015 First-year Player Draft but never progressed past the Low-A level and didn't pitch in 2021. The southpaw posted a 4.95 ERA and 1.82 WHIP in 132.2 innings across 29 appearances (27 starts) in his last two minor-league seasons.

Manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Kershaw (forearm) isn't dealing with any ligament damage, but Kershaw won't be available during the playoffs, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

It's relatively good news for Kershaw as he's avoided a potential UCL injury, but it's still a tough blow for him and the Dodgers, which will now be without their longtime ace should the team win Wednesday's NL Wild Card Game. The veteran left-hander is poised to become a free agent this offseason for the first time in his career, and it appears he'll have the benefit of entering 2022 ostensibly healthy.

Burnes will start Game 1 of the National League Division Series against Atlanta on Friday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The announcement isn't much of a surprise, as Burnes has been Milwaukee's best starter over the past two seasons and is in the mix for the 2021 NL Cy Young award. The 26-year-old had an 11-5 record and posted a 2.43 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 234:34 K:BB across 167 innings (28 starts) this season. He also lines up to start Game 5, if necessary, since he's taking the mound in the series opener. Brandon Woodruff will pitch for Milwaukee in Game 2 on Saturday.

Rasmussen is the top candidate to start Game 3 of the ALDS against the Red Sox or Yankees but could be used in relief in one of the first two games, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Rasmussen has pitched in both roles this season, starting 10 games while appearing out of the bullpen in 15 more. He owns an excellent 1.93 ERA as a starter compared to a 3.97 mark in relief, but that doesn't entirely line up with his underlying numbers, as he's struck out just 18.2 percent of opposing batters in a starting role compared to 29.4 percent as a reliever. The Rays famously care as little as any team about traditional pitcher roles, so Rasmussen will likely handle multiple innings at a time in some capacity, but exactly when those innings will come is tough to predict.

Baz will start Game 2 of the ALDS against the Red Sox or Yankees on Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays will elect to go with talent over track record here. Baz has only been a major leaguer for 15 days and has only made three MLB starts, but he's looked excellent, posting a 2.03 ERA while striking out 36.7 percent of opposing batters and walking just 6.1 percent. That comes after he struck out 37.9 percent of opposing batters en route to a 2.06 ERA in 17 starts in the upper minors.

McClanahan will start Game 1 of the ALDS on Thursday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

It's quite an honor for a rookie to get the ball in the first game of the postseason for the No. 1 seed in the American League, but it's hard to say it's undeserved. McClanahan finished his debut season with a well-supported 3.43 ERA across 25 starts, striking out 27.3 percent of opposing batters while walking 7.2 percent. This won't actually be his first taste of the postseason; he made four relief appearances in last year's playoffs despite not pitching a single time in the 2020 regular season.

Valdez will start Game 2 of the ALDS against the White Sox on Friday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Valdez stumbled slightly in September, allowing four runs in three of his five starts that month, though it would be unfair to say he enters the playoffs in a true slump, as his 3.94 ERA over the course of the month is a perfectly respectable number. He'll follow Lance McCullers, who starts Game 1. Both starters would be on full rest if the series stretches to five games, so it's possible both could pitch twice in the series if necessary.

McCullers will start Game 1 of the ALDS against the White Sox on Thursday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

McCullers was edged out for the ERA lead among the Astros' regular rotation members this season, as Framber Valdez beat him by a very narrow margin of 3.14 to 3.16. McCullers will get the ball in Game 1, with Valdez starting Game 2.