MLB Player News

Pederson (hand) is not yet swinging a bat, but the swelling in his left hand has gone down over the past few days, MLB.com reports.

Pederson missed a fourth consecutive game Thursday after suffering a slight fracture of his left hand Saturday when he was hit by a pitch. The first three of those four missed contests were against left-handers, so Pederson would not have been in the starting lineup anyway, but he was replaced at DH on Thursday by Josh Jung against Boston right-hander Sonny Gray. The Rangers are scheduled to face another right-hander Friday, Toronto's Dylan Cease.

Cantillo is expected to pitch in bulk relief behind opener Daniel Espino in Friday's game against the Athletics, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

The Guardians will go back to the well with the Espino/Cantillo pairing for a second straight turn through the rotation after the duo combined for 10 punchouts over six scoreless frames in a 4-3 loss to the Twins last Saturday. Though Cantillo hasn't notched a victory in any of his last six appearances (five starts), being deployed in bulk relief should nonetheless increase his chances of qualifying for a win more than if he was used as a traditional starter.

Butler went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 10-1 loss to the Rays.

Butler provided the lone run for the Athletics, crushing a solo homer in the sixth inning. The outfielder has gone yard five times in his past 11 games, though he's hitting just .209 (9-for-43) during that stretch. On the year, Butler is slashing .231/.319/.390 with 17 homers, 59 RBI, 58 runs and 10 stolen bases in 145 contests.

Leiter (ankle/biceps) has begun playing catch again and is expected to throw a bullpen session this weekend, MLB.com reports.

Leiter is aiming to rejoin the Rangers during the final week of the regular season as the team pushes for a spot in the postseason. The right-hander, who initially landed on the injured list in June after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle, experienced soreness in his right biceps during a rehab assignment earlier this month.

Espino is slated to serve as the Guardians' opening pitcher for Friday's game against the Athletics, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Espino will draw his second start in less than a week, but he's not expected to cover more than an inning or two before giving way to the bullpen. Lefty Joey Cantillo is available on five days' rest and is expected to work in bulk relief behind Espino.

Stewart went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Thursday's 8-2 loss to the Dodgers.

Stewart socked his 32nd home run of the season in the fourth inning. The blast was the first in 16 games for the rookie, who entered Thursday with just three RBI over his previous 15 contests.

Steer (wrist) has been taking dry swings and is preparing to hit off a velocity machine next week, MLB.com reports.

Steer, who is unlikely to play again during the 2026 regular season, will ramp up while the Reds finish the regular season on the road in Atlanta and Toronto. Following his work on the machine, Steer is ticketed for Arizona, where he may get at-bats in the Arizona Fall League.

Jenkins went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run and a second run scored in Thursday's 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Angels.

He was the one to force extras, taking Ben Joyce deep in the ninth inning to tie the game at 3-3. Jenkins had gone 0-for-16 over his previous six games. The outfield prospect is still adjusting to the majors -- even with this big game, he's batting just .143 with a .556 OPS, two homers, seven RBI, seven runs scored and a stolen base over his first 17 contests for the Twins.

Gomez (2-4) allowed two runs (one earned) on one hit and one walk while recording just one out, taking the loss and a blown save in a 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Angels on Thursday.

After going nearly all year without blowing a save chance, Gomez has done just that in back-to-back appearances. He's allowed seven runs (six earned) over six innings in September to stumble late in the campaign. Gomez is at a 4.22 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 61:37 K:BB with 22 saves in 24 chances and six holds over 64 innings. Given that the Twins are fading out of playoff contention, it's unlikely Gomez will lose many meaningful opportunities over the last week-plus of the season. That said, he is unlikely to be available Friday after pitching three consecutive days, which may have played a role in his blown saves.

Bradley allowed three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out nine over seven innings in a no-decision versus the Angels on Thursday.

Bradley has allowed 12 runs over his last 31.2 innings while posting a 41:11 K:BB in that span. His strikeout numbers have fluctuated at times this year, but he's ending the campaign on a high note in that regard. The 25-year-old is now at a 3.81 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 199:73 K:BB across 172.1 innings over 30 starts on the year. Bradley's last start of the campaign is projected to come in San Francisco next week.