MLB Player News

The Padres will start Ray in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Brewers on Saturday.

With Michael King and Nick Pivetta making starts in the Padres' wild-card series victory over the Cubs, Ray was the obvious choice to take the ball in the lid-lifter versus the Brewers. Ray struggled in nine starts after landing in San Diego at the trade deadline, holding a 5.02 ERA and 33:27 K:BB over 43 frames.

The Pirates signed Urquidy to a minor-league contract Thursday.

Urquidy inked a major-league contract with the Pirates last offseason and made five appearances for them before being traded to the White Sox. The 31-year-old swingman collected a 4.95 ERA and 30:7 K:BB across 36.1 innings between the Pirates, White Sox and Phillies in 2026.

The Mariners claimed Toglia (shoulder) off waivers from the Reds on Friday.

Toglia is recovering from late August surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder, but the Mariners felt he was worthy of a waiver claim even though he'll spend the next few months rehabbing. The 28-year-old was dreadful in limited action for the Reds in 2026, going 3-for-26 with 12 strikeouts.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Friday that Ortiz (knee/abdomen) is "progressing in the right direction" and expected to be on the NLDS roster, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Ortiz was banged up down the stretch of the regular season, nursing knee, abdominal and groin issues. It's a fair assumption that the infielder isn't 100 percent, but he's doing well enough to strap it on for the NLDS. Ortiz should be the Brewers' primary third baseman during the postseason as long as he holds up physically.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Friday that Rodon will start either Game 3 or a potential Game 4 of the ALDS versus the Rays, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.

It's possible Rodon is needed in relief in Game 1 or 2, but if he's not he'll take the ball in Game 3 or a potential Game 4. Rodon's final regular-season start was against the Rays, and he dazzled with eight strikeouts across eight shutout innings. The Yankees are turning to Gerrit Cole in Game 1 and Cam Schlittler in Game 2.

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.