MLB Player News

Muncy is absent from the lineup Tuesday for Game 3 of the NLDS against Atlanta.

With ace lefty Chris Sale taking the ball for Atlanta, the lefty-swinging Muncy will begin the festivities on the bench. Muncy has homered in each of the first two games of the series, and he's a candidate to appear off the bench in Game 3. Enrique Hernandez will cover third base for the Dodgers on Tuesday.

Ohtani will start at designated hitter and will bat fifth Tuesday in Game 3 of the NLDS against Atlanta.

It's the lowest Ohtani has batted since back in 2020 when he was still with the Angels. Ohtani has gone 1-for-4 at the plate in each of the first two games of the series, and he collected just a .503 OPS with zero home runs and a 34.9 percent strikeout rate over his final 18 regular-season contests. With Ohtani down in the No. 5 spot for Game 3, Mookie Betts has been elevated to the leadoff role.

Yastrzemski is absent from the lineup Tuesday for Game 3 of the NLDS against the Dodgers.

The left-handed-hitting Yastrzemski didn't start the first two games of the series versus lefty hurlers, and he will remain out of the lineup for Game 3 even though righty Yoshinobu Yamamoto is toeing the rubber. Mauricio Dubon will play left field, Ha-Seong Kim will handle shortstop and Sean Murphy is serving as Atlanta's designated hitter.

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."

Peralta didn't factor in the decision in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Yankees on Monday, giving up a run on three hits with three strikeouts and one walk across 4.2 innings.

Peralta served up a solo homer to Ben Rice during the fourth inning but was otherwise able to keep New York off the board. It continued a strong run of form for the right-hander, who has now surrendered one or no runs in each of his past seven starts dating back to late August. Peralta has a 0.93 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 30:10 K:BB over 38.2 innings during that span.

Schlittler took the loss in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Rays on Monday. He gave up four runs (two earned) on six hits with two strikeouts and one walk over 4.1 innings.

The right-hander certainly wasn't at his best as he generated just seven whiffs on 76 pitches, but the Yankees defense was a major detriment with four errors, including three during the opening frame. On Monday, Schlittler was unable to live up to the ace-level numbers he put up during the regular season (1.95 ERA 11.1 K/9), but it's hard to fault him too much given how poorly the defense behind him played from the opening batter. The 25-year-old likely isn't lined up to make another start during the ALDS, but he could be available sooner than usual with the Yankees already facing elimination after two games.

Manager Aaron Boone confirmed that Fried will start Wednesday's Game 3 of the ALDS against the Rays, Chelsea Janes of SNY.tv reports.

It will be one week since Fried last pitched when he toes the rubber in Game 3 on Wednesday, so he should be fully rested in a must-win matchup for the Yankees. The southpaw looked sharp in his first outing of the postseason in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series against Boston, earning the victory after allowing one run on three hits and one walk while fanning six over six frames.

Taylor earned the save in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Guardians on Monday. He was charged with no runs and allowed one hit with no walks or strikeouts.

The right-hander was called upon with two out and one on during the eighth inning, and the inherited runner scored immediately on an RBI triple. Taylor closed out the frame one pitch later and then delivered a clean ninth, throwing just seven pitches to five batters in total. The 24-year-old fired four scoreless frames Saturday to pick up the save in the series opener and has yet to give up a run with an 11:1 K:BB across 7.2 innings this postseason.