Whitlock (elbow) will begin a throwing program Thursday, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Whitlock will kick off a throwing progression as he works his way back from an internal bracing procedure, which he underwent in May. It's not yet clear what role the Red Sox have in mind for Whitlock in 2025, but that could affect how soon he might be available to pitch for them.

Martinez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds.

Martinez will head to the bench after he started and served as the leadoff hitter in each of the Guardians' last 10 games while slashing .225/.279/.250 with one extra-base hit (a double) and one stolen base. He'll lose out on leadoff opportunities with Steven Kwan (back) setting the table in his return from the injured list, but Martinez may still find his way into the lineup on a semi-regular basis due to his ability to play all over the infield and outfield.

The Blue Jays recalled de Geus from Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday.

De Geus was claimed off waivers earlier this month and will be making his Blue Jays debut whenhe gets into a game. He's collected a 5.00 ERA over 11 relief appearances in the majors this season between stints with the Mariners and Marlins.

The Blue Jays optioned Nance to the minors Wednesday.

Nance pitched both of the last two days and three of the last four, so the Blue Jays are replacing him with a fresh bullpen arm in Brett de Geus, who was called up from Triple-A Buffalo. Unless the Blue Jays bring him back by placing another player on the injured list in a corresponding move, Nance will close the 2024 season with a 4.09 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 19:9 K:BB across 22 innings over his 20 relief appearances for Toronto.

Brennan is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds.

He'll give way in right field to Jhonkensy Noel in the series finale after going 2-for-5 at the dish while picking up starts in both of the past two contests. With Steven Kwan returning from the injured list Wednesday and settling back in as the Guardians' everyday left fielder, Brennan could face a threat for playing time not only from Noel, but also Angel Martinez. Martinez had been serving as the primary replacement in left for the duration of Kwan's absence.

Williams will be used as a bulk reliever in Sunday's game against the Astros, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

All 16 of Williams' appearances with the Guardians to this point in the season have been traditional starts, but the club will try him as a primary reliever in his final regular-season outing, perhaps with an eye on using him similarly in the playoffs. For what it's worth, Williams has a 6.32 ERA in the first inning this season.

The Royals optioned Cruz to Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.

He'll give up his spot on the 28-man active roster with Michael Lorenzen (hamstring) returning from the 15-day injured list to start Wednesday's game versus the Nationals. Cruz has spun 5.2 scoreless frames during his time with the big club in 2024.

The Royals activated Lorenzen (hamstring) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday.

Lorenzen will rejoin the rotation Wednesday versus the Nationals after missing the last four weeks of action with a strained hamstring. The righty was limited to 1.2 and 3.2 innings in his two minor-league rehab appearances, so he'll likely be operating on a restricted workload in what will be his final start of the regular season.

Cantillo is no longer starting Wednesday's game against the Reds and will instead pitch in Friday's series opener versus the Astros, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

The Guardians have locked up a first-round bye for the postseason, so they're switching up their pitching plans in the final week of the regular season. Andrew Walters will now serve as the Guardians' opening pitcher Wednesday in what's expected to be a bullpen game. While Cantillo will pitch Friday, it's uncertain whether he'll be deployed as a traditional starter or a bulk reliever.

Walters will serve as the Guardians' opening pitcher in Wednesday's contest versus the Reds, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

The Guardians are altering their final-week pitching plans after locking up a first-round bye in the playoffs. Walters will serve as the Guardians' first pitcher in what's expected to be a bullpen game in the series finale Wednesday, with Joey Cantillo's next start being pushed back to Friday against the Astros as a result.