MLB Player News

Mesa is not in the lineup Tuesday for Game 4 of the World Series versus the Brewers.

Mesa has had a rough postseason, going 6-for-39 (.154) with a 34.1 percent strikeout rate. He'll begin Tuesday's festivities on the bench but could make an appearance mid-game. Ryan Vilade will start in right field and will bat seventh as the Rays try to stave off elimination.

The Astros released Velazquez on Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Velazquez is expected to sign with a team in Asia, and the Astros will now have another 40-man roster spot to work with. The 27-year-old slashed .188/.257/.406 with six home runs across 52 regular-season contests between the Cardinals and Astros.

Chourio went 4-for-5 with a double, a stolen base, an RBI and two runs in Game 3 of the World Series against the Rays on Monday.

The 22-year-old provided infrequent but impactful hits early in the playoffs, batting .171 (6-for-35) with two homers and seven RBI in eight games between the division and championship series. Chourio has fully locked in for the World Series, going 8-for-14 with three steals, two RBI and four runs to help give Milwaukee a 3-0 series lead.

Loperfido underwent arthroscopic surgery recently to repair a labral tear and impingment in his right hip, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

The expectation is that Loperfido will be delayed at the beginning of spring training, but it's unclear whether he will be ready to roll come Opening Day. Loperfido logged 121 plate appearances for the Astros in 2026, slashing .214/.311/.330 with just one home run. If healthy, the 27-year-old will compete for a spot on Houston's Opening Day roster.

Watson underwent sports hernia surgery Tuesday and will be sidelined 8-to-12 weeks.

It's not clear how long Watson had been dealing with a sports hernia, but the decision to have surgery was made after he visited with Dr. William Meyers in Philadelphia. Watson should be fully recovered well ahead of spring training. The 23-year-old slashed just .239/.264/.341 with a 3:32 BB:K over his first 27 contests in the majors, but he turned in a .247/.361/.455 batting line with 19 home runs and 24 steals in 98 games with Triple-A Columbus. Watson will compete next year for playing time in the Guardians' outfield.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday that Judge has a follow-up exam scheduled with Dr. Gregory Pearl regarding his rib, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

A calf strain prematurely ended his season, but Judge missed more than three months of action during the regular season with a stress fracture in his ribs. Cashman noted that the team feels like it's "in a good place" with Judge's injury and they expect the slugger to be ready to go for spring training. Barring any surprises, Judge should receive clearance from Dr. Pearl to go through his normal offseason workouts.

Mesa is out of the lineup for Game 5 of the ALCS against the Guardians on Sunday.

The 25-year-old has started all seven of Tampa Bay's playoff games, but he'll head to the bench Sunday against Cleveland lefty Parker Messick. Mesa clubbed a decisive two-run homer in Game 3 of the ALDS versus the Yankees, but overall he's batting just .160 (4-for-25) with 11 strikeouts in October.

Halpin went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run during Game 3 of the ALCS against the rays on Thursday.

Halpin primarily came off the bench during the ALDS against the White Sox, but he's started in center field in all three games so far versus Tampa Bay. The 24-year-old gave Cleveland a 3-2 lead with his two-run blast during the fifth inning, which held up as the final score. Across his four playoff starts, Halpin has gone 4-for-11 with two doubles, the two-run homer and four strikeouts.

Atlanta outrighted Keirsey to Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday, Harrison Smajovits of SI.com reports.

Keirsey has lost his spot on Atlanta's 40-man roster heading into the winter. The speedy Keirsey will remain in the organization as outfield depth. He's managed a lowly .357 OPS in 107 plate appearances at the big-league level.

Vilade is absent from the lineup Tuesday for Game 2 of the ALCS against the Guardians.

The right-handed-hitting Vilade typically started versus lefties this season, but he will begin this one on the bench despite the Guardians sending southpaw Parker Messick to the hill. Speedster Chandler Simpson will start in left field for the Rays.