The Astros activated McCormick (hand) from the 10-day injured list Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

McCormick has been sidelined since mid-September with a small fracture in his right hand, but he's progressed enough to be included on the team's wild-card roster. While an option to get some reps versus lefties, McCormick is not in the Game 1 lineup against southpaw Tarik Skubal.

Verlander is not on the Astros' roster for the American League Wild Card Series versus the Tigers, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Verlander's absence from the roster, while perhaps jarring, is not a surprise, as he wasn't going to make a start in the series and was unlikely to be carried as a reliever. Whether he's on the ALDS roster, should the Astros advance, is a bigger question. Ronel Blanco and Spencer Arrighetti will be available in relief for Houston in the wild-card series.

Alvarez (knee) will start at designated hitter and bat second Tuesday in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series versus the Tigers, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez missed the final week of the regular season with a right knee sprain, but he's progressed sufficiently enough to be included on the Astros' wild-card series roster and in their Game 1 lineup. The 27-year-old slashed .308/.392/.567 with 35 home runs in 147 games this season.

Suarez is not on the Orioles' American League Wild Card Series roster.

Suarez is a candidate to potentially get a start in the ALDS, should the Orioles advance, but the club will need just a max of three starters during the wild-card series. Matt Bowman was also left off the Orioles' roster, with Colin Selby and Cade Povich capturing the final two spots in the bullpen.

The Royals activated Pasquantino (thumb) from the 10-day injured list Tuesday.

Pasquantino was supposed to be sidelined for 6-to-8 weeks when he required surgery to repair a fractured right thumb in early September, but he's beat that timetable by a wide margin and will be part of the Royals' wild-card series roster. The expectation is that Pasquantino will be used at designated hitter, at least initially, which would free up at-bats at first base for Yuli Gurriel and/or Salvador Perez.

Valdez will start Game 1 of the wild-card series versus the Tigers on Tuesday, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

How the Astros ultimately set up their full postseason rotation will be interesting, but there wasn't much question as to whom would take the ball in Game 1. After an inconsistent first half, Valdez held a 1.96 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 87:23 K:BB over 78 frames in 12 second-half starts. He'll be opposed by Tarik Skubal.

Skubal will start Game 1 of the wild-card series against the Astros on Tuesday, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

Skubal will square off against fellow southpaw Framber Valdez. The left-hander is the likely American League Cy Young winner after going 18-4 with a 2.39 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 228:35 K:BB across 192 frames.

Ragans will start Game 1 of the wild-card series against the Orioles on Tuesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Ragans -- who will be opposed by Corbin Burnes -- earns the Royals' first playoff game start since 2015 after collecting a 3.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 223:67 K:BB over 186.1 innings covering 32 starts. The Royals will go with Seth Lugo in Game 2 and Michael Wacha in Game 3, if there is one.

Astros manager Joe Espada said Monday that McCormick (hand) should be "ready to go" for the wild-card series against the Tigers, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

McCormick has been shelved since mid-September with a small fracture in his right hand, but he's been working out for the past week and it appears he will be part of the Astros' wild-card roster. The switch-hitting outfielder has put up just a .577 OPS over 267 plate appearances in 2024.

Alvarez (knee) will do some hitting and running Monday at Minute Maid Park to test out his potential availability for the wild-card series, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Astros manager Joe Espada had said Sunday that Alvarez was going to take batting practice Monday, and now he's revealed that the slugger will do some running, too. How he feels during and after the workout will determine whether Alvarez will be part of the team's roster for the first round of the postseason. Alvarez has missed a little over a week of action with a right knee sprain.