MLB Player News

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Cooper announced Sunday via his personal Instagram account that he has retired from professional baseball.

Cooper began the 2025 season at Triple-A Gwinnett in the Atlanta organization, but he was released in May and never caught on with a new team after that. The 34-year-old played in parts of eight major-league seasons, finishing with a solid .265/.333/.427 batting line and 57 home runs. Cooper made one All-Star team in 2022 with the Marlins.

Lee went 3-for-4 with two RBI in Sunday's 4-0 win over the Rockies.

Lee recorded three singles in the season finale, driving in the team's final runs on a two-run base hit in the eighth. With that, the 27-year-old outfielder recorded his 34th multi-hit performance in 150 regular-season appearances. During that span, he slashed .266/.327/.407 with 73 runs scored, 55 RBI, 51 extra-base hits -- including eight long balls -- 10 stolen bases and an 11.5 percent strikeout rate across 617 plate appearances.

Devers went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Sunday's 4-0 win over the Rockies.

Devers launched his 35th homer of the 2025 campaign in the fourth inning, extending his hit streak to eight games. He later reached base on a fielder's choice in the eighth before coming around to score the Giants' final run. Devers was traded to San Francisco in June and appeared in 163 regular-season games between the Giants and Red Sox. Overall, he slashed .252/.372/.479 with 109 RBI, 99 runs scored and one stolen base across 729 plate appearances. His 35 homers marked his highest total since 2021.

Chapman went 1-for-4 with a double in Sunday's 4-0 win over the Rockies.

Chapman lined a double to left field in the fourth inning, marking his 23rd two-bagger of the 2025 campaign. The third baseman took a slight step back in his second season with San Francisco, during which he missed significant time due to a sprained right hand. Over 128 regular-season games, the 32-year-old slashed .231/.340/.430 with 76 runs scored, 61 RBI, 21 home runs and nine stolen bases across 535 plate appearances.

Burger said after Sunday's 9-8 extra-inning loss to the Guardians that he plans to undergo surgery later this week to repair a torn tendon sheath in his left wrist, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Burger initially sprained the wrist in mid-August and spent about two weeks on the injured list before returning to action for the final month of the season. However, Burger struggled to a .206 average while striking out at a 28.4 percent clip in September, bringing his slash line down to .236/.269/.419 over 103 games during his first campaign in Texas. Burger -- who also required stints on the shelf due to oblique and quadriceps injuries -- had received a cortisone shot to relieve discomfort in his wrist prior to his return from the IL, but he's hopeful that surgery will offer more permanent relief after he felt the tendon "popping" in and out of place over the past few weeks. Burger is under club control through 2028, and despite his disappointing debut season in Texas, he currently projects to head into spring training atop the depth chart at first base.