MLB Player News

Ober (7-7) took the loss Saturday against Texas, striking out five while allowing six runs on 10 hits and one walk in five innings.

Most of the damage came in the second inning, when the Rangers plated four runs. Ober opened the season as part of the Minnesota rotation but may have to battle for a starting role next year -- he posted just two quality starts in 13 outings after coming off the injured list in early July. He'll finish the campaign with a 4.47 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 96:37 K:BB over 131 innings.

Jax was removed from Saturday's start against the Phillies due to a lower-back contusion, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Jax took a 104 mph comebacker off the bat of Trea Turner in the third inning, which ended up being a groundout for the Phillies shortstop to end the inning. Steven Matz took the mound for the Rays in the fourth, but it could have been a precautionary decision to remove Jax from the game, seeing as Tampa Bay is locked in as the top seed for the American League playoffs. His status will be worth monitoring over the coming days leading up to the ALDS opener Oct. 3.

Verlander didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Pirates, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk over 5.1 innings. He struck out six.

In his first start since March 30, and the final outing of his Hall of Fame career, the 43-year-old Verlander showed he still had something left in the tank. He did serve up solo shots to Brandon Lowe and Jacob Gonzalez and left the mound in line for a loss, but the Tigers made sure that didn't happen by rallying in the ninth inning, as Eduardo Valencia walked it off with a homer. When Verlander did get lifted after 91 pitches (57 strikes), it was his daughter who came to the mound instead of manager A.J. Hinch to collect him and lead him into retirement. Verlander finishes his career with 3,560 strikeouts, eighth all time in MLB history.

Yesavage (5-6) took the loss Saturday as the Blue Jays fell 5-1 to the Reds, allowing one run on two hits and one walk over two innings. He struck out three.

The 23-year-old right-hander was able to make two abbreviated starts in the final week of the season after returning from minor knee surgery, with Yesavage getting limited to just 30 pitches (19 strikes) Saturday. He pitched well in his two frames, but a solo shot by JJ Bleday in the second inning put Cincinnati in the lead for good. Yesavage ended his first full season in the majors having thrown 97.2 innings over 20 starts while producing a 3.69 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 97:47 K:BB, giving him a baseline to build from in 2027.

Scherzer will start Sunday's regular-season finale against the Reds, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Scherzer said that he's still undecided about whether he'll retire after this season, but he'll officially get to make at least one more start on a big-league mound before he hangs up his cleats. The 42-year-old hasn't been particularly effective this season, posting a 6.14 ERA and 1.36 WHIP across 77.2 innings, but facing a Reds offense that's turned in a .690 OPS since the beginning of September could allow him to end his Hall of Fame career on a high note.

The Tigers optioned Sears to Triple-A Toledo on Saturday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Sears will depart the active roster to make room for Justin Verlander (hamstring/hip), who was activated to start Saturday's contest. Sears posted a 2.16 ERA and 1.03 WHIP over 58.1 innings in the minors this season but struggled mightily in the big leagues, allowing 15 earned runs in just 19 frames.

The Tigers reinstated Verlander (hamstring/hip) from the 60-day injured list ahead of his start Saturday against the Pirates, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

After missing the majority of the season due to hamstring and hip issues, Verlander will return from the IL to make what will be the final start of his Hall of Fame career. He never made any rehab appearances in the minors, so his outing Saturday is likely to be brief. Andrew Sears was optioned to the minors to make room for Verlander on the active roster, and Kerry Carpenter (foot) moved to the 60-day IL to free up a 40-man spot.

Jobe (3-3) allowed two runs on three hits across 5.1 innings to earn the win in Friday's 8-7 victory over the Pirates. He walked two and struck out eight.

Jobe put a cap on his 2026 campaign with another strong performance as he came within one strikeout of matching a season high. Across his final three starts of the year, the young righty posted a 2-1 record, 3.06 ERA and 0.79 WHIP while striking out 25 batters across 17.2 innings. Overall, Jobe finishes with a 3.91 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 51 strikeouts in 46 innings, making his return from Tommy John surgery a success. He'll now get the offseason to gear up for 2027, and Jobe looks like a potential breakout candidate as he gets further removed from his surgery and his workload presumably increases.

Lopez (7-5) earned the win Friday against the Astros after allowing one run on two hits and two walks while striking out four over six innings.

Lopez kept Houston off the scoreboard through three innings before Christian Walker launched a solo homer in the fourth, which proved to be the only damage against the left-hander. He completed six innings with the Athletics still trailing 1-0, but Oakland's six-run rally in the bottom of the frame flipped the game and put him in position for the win. Lopez needed 94 pitches to navigate his six frames, but most importantly, he delivered a bounce-back performance in his final start of the regular season after he had given up 10 runs in just 2,2 frames against the Guardians on Sept. 19. and lowered his ERA to 5.47. The four-year veteran ends the regular season with career-worst marks of 5.47 ERA and 1.49 WHIP across 27 appearances (24 starts) and 123,1 innings.

Brown (6-4) took the loss Friday against the A's after allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits and four walks while striking out four over 5.1 innings.

Brown carried a 1-0 lead into the sixth inning, but a fielding error by Jose Altuve sparked the Athletics' comeback. He departed after a sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third with one out, and Bennett Sousa immediately surrendered a two-run single to Michael Stefanic, with the inherited runners giving Brown his two runs allowed. The right-hander otherwise held the Athletics to two hits, but his four walks raised his pitch count and kept him from working deeper into the game. Even though this outing didn't end as Brown or the Astros would've wanted, the right-hander ended the regular season on a strong note, allowing two or fewer earned runs in seven of his last eight starts, and just two over his last 15.1 frames. He ends the regular season with a 3.19 ERA in 20 starts and 107.1 innings, making it the third straight season in which he posted a regular-season ERA below 3.50.