MLB Player News

Rafaela (quad) is expected to be activated from the injured list Wednesday, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.

Rafaela has been on the injured list since Sept. 6 with a right quad strain and began rehabbing at Triple-A Worcester on Thursday. He didn't appear in a rehab game with the WooSox but has been hitting against a Trajekt machine, and the Red Sox now believe he's ready to return and use their final five regular-season games to get back into a rhythm before the postseason.

Anderson (5-7) allowed three runs on five hits across six innings to take the loss Tuesday against the Nationals. He struck out five.

Anderson mostly pitched well but served up two home runs to CJ Abrams, including a two-run shot in the seventh inning, to account for all of the damage in an eventual 3-1 loss. The righty tossed five scoreless frames in his last outing and has a tidy 2.76 ERA across 45.2 innings since the beginning of August. Overall, Anderson now has a 3.67 ERA and 114 strikeouts in a career-high 108 innings this season split between the bullpen and rotation. He's not currently in line to make any more 2026 starts, though it's unclear exactly how the Tigers will deploy their pitchers over the final four games of the year with the team eliminated from the playoff race. Either way, Anderson has shown some promise as a starter down the stretch, which figures to put him in the mix for a 2027 Opening Day rotation spot.

Varsho isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against Seattle due to a left wrist injury, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Manager Joe Espada said that Varsho could still be available off the bench Tuesday, but the Astros may also play it safe and give the 30-year-old a full day to rest while Brice Matthews starts in center field.

Texas activated Helman (hand) from the 60-day injured list Tuesday.

Helman has not seen game action since June 13, after suffering multiple fractures in his right hand. Before being sidelined, the 30-year-old recorded just 35 plate appearances, slashing .167/.235/.300 with one homer and two RBI. The Rangers transferred Cal Quantrill (lat) to the 60-day IL, clearing a spot for Helman on the active and 40-man rosters.

The Rangers placed Quantrill (lat) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.

Quantrill will not pitch again this season after being transferred to the 60-day IL on Tuesday. The right-hander posted a 2.86 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 81:25 K:BB across 110 innings this season. Texas activated Michael Helman (hand) from the 60-day IL, replacing Quantrill on both the active and 40-man rosters.

Texas placed Pederson (hand) on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to Sept. 19.

The veteran left-handed-hitting Pederson will head to the 10-day IL, effectively ending his regular season. Pederson has not played since Sept. 12 because of soreness in his fractured left hand. If the 34-year-old indeed misses the remainder of the regular season, he will end his 2026 campaign holding a slash line of .235/.329/.487 with 26 homers and 53 RBI over 431 plate appearances. Pederson could return for the playoffs is Texas is able to qualify.

Varsho is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Mariners, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic.

For the second straight game, Varsho will exit the starting nine. The Astros will send out Brice Matthews to center field, and he will bat ninth against Logan Gilbert on Tuesday.

MRI results on Munoz's right knee came back negative Tuesday, Shannon Drayer of SeattleSports.com reports.

Imaging on Munoz's knee didn't reveal any significant issue, and he could be available to pitch in Tuesday's game against the Astros if he responds well to pregame treatment. Otherwise, Gabe Speier and Jose Ferrer would likely be the Mariners' top high-leverage options.

Cortes is not in the lineup Tuesday versus the Angels.

The Angels have southpaw Yusei Kikuchi starting on the mound Tuesday, so the left-handed bat of Cortes will be out of the lineup to begin the game. The Athletics' starting outfielders Tuesday are Henry Bolte, Denzel Clarke and Lawrence Butler.

McNeil is not in the lineup Tuesday versus the Angels.

The left-handed bat of McNail is on the bench as the Angels send southpaw Yusei Kikuchi to begin the game on the mound Tuesday. Tommy White is in the lineup at first base and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer is at second base.