MLB Player News

Swanson said his left hand is improving "slowly, but surely," Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Swanson missed the final five games of the regular season after suffering a partially torn ligament in his left hand. While the shortstop is a long shot to make the Braves' NLDS roster, Swanson said he's hoping to be ready for the NLCS should the Braves advance without him. Charlie Culberson will likely fill in for Swanson at shortstop against the Dodgers.

Swanson (hand) is not expected to return in time to make the Braves' NLDS roster, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Swanson missed the final five games of the regular season after suffering a partially torn ligament in his left hand. Charlie Culberson will likely be the Braves' starting shortstop against the Dodgers, but Swanson could be ready to return should his team advance to the NLCS without him.

Swanson (hand) didn't take any swings Monday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Swanson was unable to take a step forward in his recovery process with just a few days remaining until the NLDS begins. If he can't ramp up his baseball activities in the next few days, he won't be included on the 25-man roster. Swanson could still return for the NLCS, given the Braves advance to the next round of the postseason.

Bichette has been removed from the Arizona Fall League roster due to minor elbow and knee soreness, John Lott of The Athletic reports.

It sounds like he is dealing with some nagging injuries after playing 131 games for Double-A New Hampshire this season. He will take advantage of a lengthy layoff to rest up before making his Triple-A debut in April. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. figures to beat Bichette to Toronto, but it's possible we see both of the organization's top prospects reach the majors at some point in 2019.

Adames went 2-for-4 with a run in a win over the Blue Jays on Sunday.

Adames wrapped up the 2018 campaign with three straight two-hit efforts and a spectacular second half of the season overall. The rookie didn't begin hitting his stride until shortly after the All-Star break, hitting .329 from August 1st onward. Adames will head into spring training 2019 with a lock on the everyday shortstop job, with Rays management and fantasy owners alike undoubtedly intrigued about what he might be capable of during the course of a full major-league season.

Baez went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double and three runs scored in Sunday's 10-5 win over the Cardinals.

Baez's strong performance helped the Cubs to a win and a one-game playoff with the Brewers for the NL Central division title on Monday. The 25-year-old has been dynamic all season, as he's posted new career highs with 34 home runs, 40 doubles, 101 runs scored, 111 RBI and 21 steals. Baez could very well end up as the NL MVP at the end of the year.

Bogaerts went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and a double in Sunday's 10-2 win over the Yankees.

Bogaerts was on the bench two of the last four games as the Red Sox geared up for the playoffs, but he continued his hot September nonetheless. The 25-year-old finishes the regular season with a .288/.360/.522 slash line with 23 home runs and 103 RBI in 513 at-bats.

Lindor went 1-for-4 with a walk, a solo home run, two stolen bases and two runs scored Sunday against the Royals.

Lindor took Eric Skoglund deep in the third inning to end the regular season with 38 home runs, a new career best. His two stolen bases brought his total to 25 on the season, another career-best mark. Lindor matched, and even improved, in many areas from his breakout 2017 season, suggesting he will be a legitimate contributor across all five categories for several seasons to come.

Gordon is out of the lineup Sunday against the Rangers, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Nelson Cruz, Kyle Seager, Denard Span and Ryon Healy are the only regular or semi-regular players in the lineup as Seattle wraps up its regular season. If Gordon goes unused off the bench, he'll wrap up his first campaign with the Mariners with a porous .268/.288/.349 slash line across 588 plate appearances. Perhaps most troubling, Gordon's involvement in the run game took a major hit during his age-30 campaign. After swiping 60 steals in 72 attempts with Miami in 2017, Gordon nabbed only 30 steals in 42 tries this season.

Swanson (hand) took dry swings Saturday but felt some discomfort, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Manager Brian Snitker seemed somewhat lukewarm about Swanson's availability for the NLDS before the weekend, and David O'Brien of The Athletic reports that this development has made him more uneasy, if anything. An official announcement regarding the shortstop's status might not come until Wednesday, so it will be important for him to ramp up his activity quickly in the next couple days.