MLB Player News

Simpson is out of the lineup Wednesday for ALDS Game 3 versus the Rays.

The left-handed-hitting Simpson was predominately an everyday player for the Rays this season, but he'll begin this one on the bench as the Yankees send southpaw to Fried to the bump. Ryan Vilade is getting a start in the outfield in place of Simpson, who is 1-for-8 at the plate in the first two games of the series.

McMahon is absent from the lineup Wednesday in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Rays.

The Yankees typically like to have McMahon's glove at third base when groundball pitcher Max Fried is on the mound, but they're desperate for offense so McMahon will take a seat. It will be Jose Caballero manning the hot corner for the Bronx Bombers.

Chisholm is not in the lineup Wednesday for ALDS Game 3 against the Rays.

Chisholm made one of the Yankees' four errors in their Game 2 loss, and he's hitless so far in the series. As a result, the lefty-swinging Chisholm will sit out versus righty Nick Martinez, who has fairly neutral splits. Anthony Volpe is covering second base in Game 3 as the Yankees try to stave off elimination.

Benintendi is absent from the lineup Wednesday for Game 3 of the ALDS against the Guardians.

The Guardians are starting a right-handed opener in Daniel Espino, but with either lefties Foster Griffin or Joey Cantillo likely to pitch in bulk relief, the lefty-swinging Benintendi will begin the contest on the bench. Benintendi is 1-for-5 with one RBI and a 2:3 BB:K so far during the postseason. Sam Antonacci is occupying the designated hitter spot, and Randal Grichuk will play left field as the White Sox try to close out the Guardians.

The Astros anticipate that Schiavone could be ready for his major-league debut early on in the 2027 season, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Schiavone had a breakout 2026 campaign, slashing .252/.391/.531 with 32 home runs and 32 stolen bases across three levels to become the first minor-league catcher in 45 years to complete a 30-30 season. The 23-year-old does have swing-and-miss concerns, having struck out at a 32 percent clip in 2026, but he has an interesting skill set for fantasy if he can make enough contact. Schiavone will likely open the 2027 season back at Triple-A Sugar Land, where he played his final nine games this season.

Espino will be the Guardians' opener Wednesday in Game 3 of the ALDS against the White Sox, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

He'll be opposed by another opener in Chicago's Sean Newcomb. Espino logged a 4.11 ERA and 25:7 K:BB over 15.1 innings for the Guardians during the regular season, and he made a scoreless appearance for the White Sox in Game 1 of the ALDS. The Guardians haven't divulged plans for who will follow Espino, but Foster Griffin is a prime candidate for a bulk role if Cleveland wants to go that route.

Newcomb will serve as an opener Wednesday in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Guardians, James Fegan of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Newcomb tossed two shutout innings in Game 2, though he let a pair of inherited runners score. The lefty will be tasked with covering an inning or two in Game 3 as part of another bullpen game for the White Sox. The Guardians have not yet named a Game 3 starter, but Foster Griffin is a prime candidate to take the ball.

Baker earned the save by retiring all three batters he faced during the ninth inning of Game 2 of the ALDS against the Yankees on Monday. He did not record a strikeout.

The right-hander finished up a 1-0 shutout in the series opener Saturday and needed just nine pitches to retire the side Monday to give the Rays a 2-0 series lead. Baker entered the playoffs having converted 30 consecutive save opportunities, and he's added two more to his ledger in Tampa Bay's first two games of the postseason.

Rice went 2-for-3 with a walk and two solo home runs during Game 2 of the ALDS against the Rays on Monday.

The 27-year-old slugger launched solo shots during the fourth and eighth innings, but the rest of the Yankees offense stayed dormant in Tampa Bay. It's already Rice's second two-homer game of the playoffs, which matches the number of times he achieved that feat across 154 contests during the regular season. After scoring nine runs in both wild-card games last week, Rice's two solo shots are the only offense New York has managed in the first two games of the ALDS.

The Red Sox view Mead as the team's starting second baseman heading into the offseason, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.

Mead never had a chance to show what he could do after coming over from the Nationals at the trade deadline. He suffered a fractured wrist in just his second at-bat in a Boston uniform, and while he was added to the AL Wild Card Series roster following Roman Anthony's hand injury, he didn't log an at-bat. However, the Red Sox are confident in Mead's ability following a stellar 2026 campaign in Washington, and he should have every opportunity to win the job a the keystone. "That would be, I would say, broadly our plan," said manager Chad Tracy when asked about second base. "He was acquired for a reason. You see the numbers that kind of project at least toward a 30-home run season. And adding that, we were really excited about that."