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Marcus Stroman SP | NYY
Yankees' Marcus Stroman: Starting in Cortes' place
Stroman will start Wednesday's game against the Orioles in place of Nestor Cortes (elbow), who was placed on the 15-day injured list.
Stroman had been demoted to the bullpen earlier this month and picked up a three-inning save in his lone relief appearance Sept. 17 in Seattle. He's now needed back in the rotation, at least temporarily, with Cortes out through at least the ALDS. Stroman threw 64 pitches in the outing versus the Mariners and shouldn't have much of a workload restriction Wednesday given that his other 28 appearances this season were starts.
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Nestor Cortes SP | PHI
Yankees' Nestor Cortes: Lands on IL with flexor strain
The Yankees placed Cortes on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a left elbow flexor strain.
The loss of Cortes is a big blow to the Yankees' pitching depth just ahead of the postseason, especially after the lefty had submitted a 1.58 ERA over his last 40 innings. He will be eligible for activation Oct. 7 if the Yankees have him replace another injured player, but Cortes is more likely to remain out of the entirety of the ALDS, and possibly longer. Marcus Stroman will fill Cortes' spot in the rotation Wednesday versus the Orioles.
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Myles Straw LF | TOR
Guardians' Myles Straw: Sent back to minors
The Guardians optioned Straw to Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday.
He gave Cleveland a little outfield protection while it was without Steven Kwan (back), but Straw will lose his spot on the 28-man active roster after Kwan was reinstated from the injured list in a corresponding move. Straw has spent virtually the entire season at Columbus, posting a .651 OPS with 30 stolen bases.
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Steven Kwan LF | CLE
Guardians' Steven Kwan: Activated from injured list
The Guardians activated Kwan (back) from the 10-day injured list Wednesday. He'll bat leadoff and start in left field in the Guardians' series finale with the Reds.
Kwan has been out since mid-September with back inflammation but has been cleared to return to action to knock a little rust off ahead of the postseason. The outfielder has had a rough second half (.588 OPS) but had reached base 11 times over his last four games before going on the IL.
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Hunter Strickland RP | LAA
Angels' Hunter Strickland: Takes loss in rough outing
Strickland (3-2) took the loss against the White Sox on Tuesday, allowing three runs on two hits and one walk while retiring one batter.
Strickland entered in the eighth inning following seven scoreless frames by starter Jack Kochanowicz. Strickland was able to retire the first batter he faced but then gave up a pair of doubles and a walk to result in a run. Brock Burke came on in relief for the veteran hurler and gave up two more hits, which allowed another pair of runners to cross the plate. Though he wasn't charged with a blown save, the outing didn't help Strickland's case for grabbing any remaining save opportunities in an Angels bullpen that doesn't have a clear closer following Ben Joyce's shoulder injury and subsequent placement on the injured list.
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Chas McCormick LF | CHC
Astros' Chas McCormick: Won't return this week
McCormick (hand) will not accompany the Astros on their road trip to Cleveland this weekend, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
McCormick has been ramping up his activities and will continue to work out back in Houston, but he will not return from the 10-day injured list before the end of the regular season. The 29-year-old should still have a good shot to be ready in time for the wild-card round, provided he responds well to facing live pitching back in Houston this weekend. McCormick has put up a disappointing .577 OPS over 267 plate appearances in 2024, but he had gone 10-for-24 at the plate over his last eight games before fracturing his right hand in mid-September.
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Yordan Alvarez DH | HOU
Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Ruled out through weekend
Alvarez (knee) will remain in Houston to work with the training staff and will miss the Astros' final series of the regular season this weekend in Cleveland, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Alvarez's regular season thus comes to a close, though manager Joe Espada noted that the slugger's sprained right knee is feeling better. Still, Alvarez has yet to resume baseball activities, so he'll continue to rehab back in Houston with the goal of returning in time for the start of the wild-card round, which begins Tuesday.
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Ross Stripling SP | KC
Athletics' Ross Stripling: Throws live batting practice
Stripling (back) completed a live batting practice session Tuesday, MLB.com reports.
The veteran right-hander presumably got through the session without any issues, and it's the third box he's checked off within the last week after also completing bullpen sessions last Wednesday and Saturday. Assuming Stripling doesn't have any residual effects from Tuesday's activity in coming days, he remains a candidate to be activated at some point during the final series of the season that begins Friday against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park.
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Shea Langeliers C | ATH
Athletics' Shea Langeliers: Another productive night
Langeliers went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and two runs in a win over the Rangers on Tuesday.
Langeliers crossed home plate both times on base, scoring on Tyler Soderstrom's first-inning double and Zack Gelof's sixth-inning go-ahead sacrifice fly. The hot-hitting backstop is finishing the regular season on a tear, as he now boasts a six-game hitting streak as well as nine extra-base hits, 14 RBI and an .825 OPS across the 88 plate appearances covering his last 23 games.
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Jacob Wilson SS | ATH
Athletics' Jacob Wilson: Contributes game-winning hit
Wilson went 1-for-3 with a walk-off RBI single and a walk in a win over the Rangers on Tuesday.
The rookie drove home Zack Gelof with one out in the ninth inning to snap a 4-4 tie and send the Athletics home winners in their penultimate night game at Oakland Coliseum. Wilson now has singles in three straight games, but he's shown very little pop since his late-August return from a long IL stint with just four extra-base hits across 86 plate appearances.