MLB Player News
-
Michael King SP | SD
Padres' Michael King: Left out of wild-card rotation
Padres manager Mike Shildt said Monday that King will be available out of the bullpen for the National League Wild Card Series against the Cubs, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
Nick Pivetta and Dylan Cease will start Games 1 and 2, respectively, and Yu Darvish is in line to take the ball in a potential Game 3. King was limited to only five starts from late May on due to shoulder and knee problems, and he posted a 6.11 ERA and 12:9 K:BB over 17.2 innings in those outings. The righty could be added back to the rotation if the Padres advance to the NLDS, but he'll be assigned to the bullpen for the wild-card round.
-
Lucas Giolito SP | BOS
Red Sox's Lucas Giolito: Out for wild card with elbow issue
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Monday that Giolito is dealing with a right elbow injury and will not be on the team's American League Wild Card Series roster against the Yankees, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.
If healthy, Giolito would have started a potential Game 3. Instead, he is headed to visit with Dr. Jeffrey Dugas, who performed the right-hander's March 2024 internal brace surgery. More clarity on Giolito's possible availability for later playoff rounds could be available following that exam. Connelly Early would now seem to be the favorite to start a potential Game 3 against the Yankees, though Cora declined Monday to divulge who would pitch that contest.
-
Corbin Burnes SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Corbin Burnes: Aiming for July return
Burnes (elbow) said Monday that he's hoping to be ready to rejoin the Diamondbacks' rotation sometime in July next season, Jack Janes of Cronkite News reports.
Burnes underwent Tommy John surgery in June, so a season debut next July, while optimistic, is possible. The pace of Burnes' rehab will ultimately be dictated by the team, and it's unclear whether the Diamondbacks have the same midseason goal as the pitcher. Burnes finished the 2025 season with a 2.66 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 63:26 K:BB across 64.1 innings.
-
Hunter Greene SP | CIN
Reds' Hunter Greene: Confirmed for Game 1 on Tuesday
Greene will start Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series against the Dodgers on Tuesday.
The Reds left open the possibility of using Greene out of the bullpen Sunday in the final game of the regular season, but once that didn't happen, he became the obvious choice to take the ball in Game 1. Greene collected a 2.76 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 132:26 K:BB over 107.2 innings covering 19 starts this season. He'll be opposed by Blake Snell on Tuesday.
-
Jazz Chisholm CF | NYY
Yankees' Jazz Chisholm: Cleared for wild-card series
Manager Aaron Boone said that Chisholm (forearm) will be available Tuesday for Game 1 of the Yankees' wild-card series with the Red Sox, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
Though he didn't start in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Orioles after being plunked in the left forearm by a pitch a day earlier, Chisholm was deployed off the bench in the regular-season finale, going 0-for-1 with a strikeout while also playing the final two innings at second base. Chisholm has apparently checked out fine following that contest and will be good to go as the Yankees begin their playoff run. With a tough lefty (Garrett Crochet) on the mound for Boston on Tuesday, however, it wouldn't be surprising if the left-handed-hitting Chisholm was held out of the lineup in favor of Amed Rosario, who has gone 6-for-9 against Crochet in his career.
-
Cameron Schlittler P | NYY
Yankees' Cam Schlittler: Would start potential Game 3
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday that Schlittler would start Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series versus the Red Sox on Thursday, if necessary, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.
Schlittler solidified himself as the best option for a potential Game 3 by striking out nine over seven shutout innings against the Orioles in his final regular-season start. The rookie right-hander finished the campaign with a 2.96 ERA and 84:31 K:BB over 73 frames covering 14 starts. With Schlittler pegged for Game 3, Luis Gil and Will Warren will either be in the bullpen for the first round of the postseason or left off the roster.
-
Adley Rutschman C | BAL
Orioles' Adley Rutschman: Viewed as top catcher over Basallo
Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Monday that Rutschman remains "front and center" as the organization's top catcher, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.
Though Baltimore signed Samuel Basallo to a $67 million extension in August, the 21-year-old is regarded as a bat-first prospect who won't yet be entrusted to handle a full-time catching role in the big leagues. Basallo instead projects to see most of his reps at first base and designated hitter in 2026 while occasionally mixing in behind the plate, so long as Rutschman maintains health. When available this past season, Rutschman continued to provide value defensively, but his offensive production continued its downward trend from his 2022 rookie campaign. Over 365 plate appearances in 2025, Rutschman turned in a .673 OPS and supplied underwhelming counting statistics (nine home runs, zero steals, 37 runs and 29 RBI) in his 90 games. Set to turn 28 in February, Rutschman still has time to regain his prior form at the plate, but investing in him in 2026 fantasy drafts may require some blind faith on the part of fantasy managers.
-
Grayson Rodriguez SP | LAA
Orioles' Grayson Rodriguez: Will ramp up throwing in October
Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Monday that Rodriguez (elbow) will begin ramping up his throwing program in October, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Rodriguez missed the entire 2025 season due to multiple issues with his pitching arm and eventually had a right elbow debridement to remove a bone spur in August. Barring setbacks, Rodriguez is expected to be ready for the beginning of spring training. Even if he stays healthy in 2026, Rodriguez is likely to have some workload restrictions in place following a lost season.
-
Tyler Wells SP | BAL
Orioles' Tyler Wells: Expected to be in 2026 rotation
Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Monday that the team plans for Wells to be a starting pitcher next season, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
It's possible Wells opens next season in the bullpen if the Orioles make multiple high-impact starting pitcher acquisitions this offseason, but the righty set himself up well to be a member of the 2026 rotation after collecting a 2.91 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 18:2 K:BB over 21.2 innings in four September starts following a return from UCL revision surgery. Because he's totaled just 62.1 frames over the last two seasons, Wells' workload will likely be monitored closely in 2026.
-
Heston Kjerstad DH | BAL
Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: Receiving treatment for medical issue
Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Monday that Kjerstad has been undergoing treatments for a medical condition, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Kjerstad last played at Triple-A Norfolk on July 25 due to what the team had described as fatigue. Elias declined to say whether the treatments were related to myocarditis, a condition Kjerstad was diagnosed with shortly after being drafted in 2020, which delayed his professional debut until 2022. Kjerstad has responded well to the treatments and is expected to be ready for spring training. It's possible Kjerstad's medical issue affected his performance in 2025, as he slashed a woeful .192/.240/.327 in 54 games for the Orioles and an even-worse .149/.225/.248 over 27 contests with Norfolk.