MLB Player News

Messick allowed a run on six hits and a walk while striking out two over three innings in a no-decision versus the Royals on Sunday.

Messick's start was a shorter one, as expected, since the Guardians had nothing to play for in the regular-season finale. This outing will function to keep him on a normal schedule heading into the playoffs, where he's expected to get a start in the ALDS. Messick allowed no more than three runs in any of his last 15 starts of the season, providing excellent consistency. He ends the regular season with a 12-9 record, 2.56 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 193:49 K:BB over 186.1 innings through 32 starts.

Martinez (15-6) took the loss Sunday against the Phillies, allowing four runs on seven hits and a walk across 2.2 innings. He struck out one.

Martinez gave up a run in the first inning on a Bryson Stott two-out double before the Phillies put up a three spot in the second. The right-hander would ultimately depart in the third, after throwing 50 pitches. Coming into Sunday, Martinez had held opponents to three runs or fewer in each of his previous six outings, posting a 2.52 ERA across 35.2 innings in that span. Martinez will finish the regular season with a 3.10 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 109 strikeouts across 31 starts (180 innings).

Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters Sunday that he expects to have Rodon pitch out of the bullpen for the American League Wild Card series against the Red Sox, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports.

The Yankees already announced their rotation for the Wild Card series, with Cam Schlittler taking the mound for Game 1 on Tuesday, followed by Max Fried and Gerrit Cole. Rodon will thus be deployed out of the bullpen, though he could return if the Yankees make a deep run in the postseason. He posted a 7-3 record across 16 starts this season with a 2.67 ERA and 1.06 WHIP across 84.1 innings.

Sunday's regular-season finale between the Yankees and Orioles has been canceled due to inclement weather and will not be rescheduled.

Rodriguez was slated to be recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to pitch in Sunday's regular-season finale, but the game has been rained out and will not be made up at a future date. Rodriguez made his major-league debut April 29 and started in six games for the Yankees, going 0-3 with a 5.40 ERA and 1.58 WHIP across 26.2 innings.

Baz will not start in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Yankees due to inclement weather, and the game will not be rescheduled.

Sunday's game didn't carry much meaning, given that the Yankees are locked in as the No. 4 seed in the American League playoffs and the Orioles are eliminated from postseason contention. Baz will end the 2026 regular season with a 6-15 record across 31 starts and a 4.11 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 154:63 K:BB over a career-high 179.2 innings.

The Astros optioned Blanco to the minors Sunday.

The move corresponds with Raynel Delgado being recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land, and he will provide the Astros with depth in the infield for Sunday's regular-season finale. Blanco will end the regular season with a 6.68 ERA and 1.37 WHIP across 33.2 innings.

Schlittler will start against the Red Sox on Tuesday in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series.

There had been some talk that New York might go with lefty Max Fried in the series opener, but manager Aaron Boone ultimately settled on Schlittler as his Game 1 starter. Schlittler is the favorite to win the AL Cy Young Award after he went 14-6 with a 1.95 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 239:49 K:BB over 193.2 innings for the Yankees during the regular season.

The Red Sox reinstated Houck (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Sunday. He will start Boston's regular-season finale against the Cubs.

Houck will return to make a lone big-league appearance in 2026 on the final day of the regular season after completing his long recovery from hybrid UCL reconstruction surgery. The right-hander made four minor-league rehab appearances in September, most recently completing 3.1 innings on 42 pitches for Triple-A Durham on Sept. 19. Houck will likely be operating with a limited workload Sunday and may not work deep enough into his start to qualify for a win.

Lambert will start Sunday's game against the Athletics in Sacramento, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Lambert was believed to have made his final appearance of the regular season during his 2.2-inning start in Thursday's series opener, but since the Astros have yet to punch their ticket to the postseason, he'll end up getting the ball on two days' rest in Game 162. The Astros will clinch the AL West title with a win or a Rangers loss, so the team is expected to make all of its top pitchers available for Sunday's contest. Given that he's pitching on short rest, Lambert is unlikely to work deep enough into the game to qualify for a win.

Johnson allowed four runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out three over five innings in a no-decision versus the Mariners on Saturday.

Johnson allowed 12 runs over 27.2 innings over his five games in September, a step back from his strong August but still a decent way to wrap up the campaign. He closes out at a 5-9 record, 5.04 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 79:43 K:BB through 100 innings over 22 games (19 starts). Johnson's work late in the season should keep him in the mix for a spot in the rotation moving forward.