MLB Player News

Rays manager Kevin Cash said Friday that Cleavinger (forearm) has been cleared to be part of the ALDS roster, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Cleavinger was unavailable for almost all of September as he dealt with left forearm tightness, but he's been throwing for a couple weeks and will be available for the ALDS. The veteran southpaw had an up-and-down 2026 campaign, finishing with a 4.79 ERA and 54:22 K:BB over 41.1 frames.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said Friday that Simpson (foot) is good to go for the ALDS against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Simpson was held out of the last couple regular-season games as he battled a sore right foot, but he feels fine after a week of rest. The speedy outfielder slashed .306/.333/.356 with 46 stolen bases for the Rays this season and will be deployed in left field by the American League East champs.

Judge's (calf) availability for the ALDS against the Rays "remains up in the air," Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Judge suffered a moderate right calf strain a little more than two weeks ago. He's gone through workouts this week, but Judge will need to show he can run the bases without issue before receiving clearance to be on the ALDS roster. Complicating matters is that if Judge is limited to designated hitter, Ben Rice would have to play first base and push Luis Garcia out of the lineup.

Skubal will start Game 1 of the NLDS against Atlanta on Saturday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

The Dodgers have an embarrassment of riches in their rotation, and they'll opt for Skubal over Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 1. Presumably, Yamamoto will take the ball in Game 2, with Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow lurking. Skubal made 10 starts for the Dodgers after landing in Los Angeles at the trade deadline, logging a 2.61 ERA and 70:13 K:BB across 62 innings.

Wells (forearm) said Friday that he'll be ready to go for the ALDS against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Wells went down with right forearm tightness in mid-Sedptember, but he's bounced back quickly and doesn't appear to be in any danger of missing out on ALDS play. The tall right-hander has collected a 2.38 ERA and 72:18 K:BB over 72 frames between the Orioles and Rays in 2026.

Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said Friday that Thomas (intercostal) is a candidate to be added to the roster for the NLDS, Harrison Smajovits of SI.com reports.

Thomas has been shelved since mid-September with a left intercostal strain, but he took pregame batting practice before Thursday's win over the Phillies and has responded well to treatment. With the bevy of left-handers available for the Dodgers, the right-handed-hitting Thomas is a good bet to join the Atlanta roster for the NLDS.

Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said Friday that Perez (back) will not be available for the NLDS against the Dodgers, Aiden Stepansky of MLB.com reports.

Perez isn't eligible to return from his lower-back inflammation until Game 3 of the NLDS on Tuesday, but he will not be activated at any point during the series. It's possible the lefty is an option for the NLCS, should Atlanta advance, though it's unclear whether Perez has done any throwing since the injury.

Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said Friday that Elder (knee) will not be available for the NLDS against the Dodgers, Aiden Stepansky of MLB.com reports.

Elder underwent arthroscopic right knee surgery less than a month ago. He progressed to live batting practice Monday and could be in play if Atlanta advances to the NLCS, but the club doesn't feel he's ready to contribute just yet. Elder posted a 4.11 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 121:49 K:BB over 149 innings covering 26 starts for Atlanta this season.

Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said Friday that Sale starting NLDS Game 2 versus the Dodgers on Sunday is "still on the table" after Sale threw 1.1 scoreless innings Thursday to close out the wild-card series win over the Phillies, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.

Sale threw 21 pitches Thursday, and Weiss cautioned Friday regarding the lefty that the club is "gonna err on the side of giving him (time to rest) if it's even close." It seems Weiss' preference would be to hold Sale back for Game 3 in Atlanta on Tuesday, but it would not be a surprise if the left-hander talks his way into a start Sunday.

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.