MLB Player News

Gasper is expected to be sidelined 4-to-6 month after undergoing distal right biceps tendon surgery Friday, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.

The 4-to-6 month timeline is for Gasper's return to game action, so there's a good chance he'll be held out of spring training action initially, and his availability for Opening Day isn't a given. Gasper slashed .251/.357/.466 with 10 home runs and a 27:39 BB:K over 67 games in 2026.

Smith will serve as an opener Saturday in Game 1 of the ALDS against the Guardians, James Fegan of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Smith tossed three scoreless frames in Game 1 of the wild-card series versus the Astros, and the White Sox will turn back to the lefty Saturday on three days' rest. The lefty will be capable of covering multiple innings against Cleveland, if needed, but it will be a bullpen game for the White Sox.

The Royals outrighted Little to Triple-A Omaha on Thursday.

Little was claimed off waivers by the Royals in August but never pitched for them at the major-league level. The lefty reliever has collected a 2.97 ERA over parts of four seasons in the majors, but he's also got a 1.40 WHIP and 17.6 percent walk rate. Little will remain in the organization as bullpen depth.

Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said Thursday that Singer was plagued by blister issues during the season, Mike Petraglia of CLNSCincy.com reports.

Singer was unavailable for a bit during spring training because of a blister problem, but he didn't miss any starts during the regular season. However, the blister issues could have affected his performance, as Singer posted a career-worst 5.85 ERA, 1.59 WHIP and 126:62 K:BB over 157 innings. The 30-year-old hurler will be a free agent this offseason.

Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall revealed Thursday that Myers recently underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair the AC joint in his left shoulder, Mike Petraglia of CLNSCincy.com reports.

Myers spent time on the injured list this season with the AC joint issue. The cleanup procedure should not affect Myers' availability for the beginning of spring training. Myers slashed .268/.352/.425 versus lefties in 2026 and should at least have a short-side platoon role with the Reds in 2027.

Cole will start Game 1 of the ALDS against the Rays on Saturday.

The Rays were much better against right-handers (fourth in OPS) than left-handers (25th in OPS) this season, but the Yankees will roll with Cole rather than lefty Carlos Rodon in Game 1. Cole made three starts against the Rays in the regular season, logging a 2.50 ERA and 16:7 K:BB over 18 frames.

Nola was charged with the loss Thursday in Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series against Atlanta. He gave up three runs on two hits with one strikeout and two walks across 1.2 innings.

The right-hander retired Drake Baldwin to start the bottom of the first inning but then issued two straight walks before serving up a three-run homer to Michael Harris, which proved to be an insurmountable deficit for Philadelphia. It was a second consecutive disappointing year for Nola, who finished the 2026 regular season with a 4.67 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 177:59 K:BB over 175.1 innings. Now heading into his age-34 campaign in 2027, he still has four years and nearly $100 million remaining on his contract, so Nola's spot in the Phillies' rotation is likely secure despite his 5.14 ERA in 50 regular-season starts the past two years.

Harris went 1-for-3 with a three-run home during Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series against the Phillies on Thursday.

The 27-year-old outfielder put Atlanta in control early with a three-run homer in the bottom of the first inning, which ended up being all the runs it would need in the 6-2 victory. It was a productive three-game set for Harris, who went 5-for-11 with two runs scored in addition to Thursday's long ball. After posting a career-worst .677 OPS during the 2025 regular season, Harris rebounded in a big way this year with 26 homers and an .812 OPS over 155 regular-season games, and he remains a key contributor in the playoffs.

Sale pitched 1.1 scoreless innings to close out Atlanta's victory over Philadelphia in Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series on Thursday. He allowed one hit and no walks while striking out three.

Sale threw 95 pitches during Atlanta's Game 1 win, and he returned to the mound only two days later to eliminate the division-rival Phillies. The veteran left-hander induced five whiffs on 21 pitches Thursday as he made just his second relief appearance since the 2018 playoffs, when he worked out of the bullpen twice during Boston's World Series run. Even without the relief appearance, Sale would have been on short rest to start Game 1 of the NLDS against the Dodgers on Saturday, which makes him a logical candidate to pitch Sunday in Game 2, especially since that would still him up for a potential winner-take-all Game 5.

Marsh is absent from the lineup Thursday in Game 3 of the wild-card series versus Atlanta.

Atlanta is going with a lefty opener in Ray Kerr, so the left-handed-hitting Marsh will begin the contest on the bench. Right-hander Grant Holmes is expected to handle bulk relief Thursday, and Marsh is a good bet to enter the game at some point after Holmes takes over. Bryan De La Cruz is starting in left field for the Phillies in Game 3.