Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday that Schlittler would start Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series versus the Red Sox on Thursday, if necessary, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.

Schlittler solidified himself as the best option for a potential Game 3 by striking out nine over seven shutout innings against the Orioles in his final regular-season start. The rookie right-hander finished the campaign with a 2.96 ERA and 84:31 K:BB over 73 frames covering 14 starts. With Schlittler pegged for Game 3, Luis Gil and Will Warren will either be in the bullpen for the first round of the postseason or left off the roster.

Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Monday that Rutschman remains "front and center" as the organization's top catcher, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

Though Baltimore signed Samuel Basallo to a $67 million extension in August, the 21-year-old is regarded as a bat-first prospect who won't yet be entrusted to handle a full-time catching role in the big leagues. Basallo instead projects to see most of his reps at first base and designated hitter in 2026 while occasionally mixing in behind the plate, so long as Rutschman maintains health. When available this past season, Rutschman continued to provide value defensively, but his offensive production continued its downward trend from his 2022 rookie campaign. Over 365 plate appearances in 2025, Rutschman turned in a .673 OPS and supplied underwhelming counting statistics (nine home runs, zero steals, 37 runs and 29 RBI) in his 90 games. Set to turn 28 in February, Rutschman still has time to regain his prior form at the plate, but investing in him in 2026 fantasy drafts may require some blind faith on the part of fantasy managers.

Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Monday that Rodriguez (elbow) will begin ramping up his throwing program in October, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Rodriguez missed the entire 2025 season due to multiple issues with his pitching arm and eventually had a right elbow debridement to remove a bone spur in August. Barring setbacks, Rodriguez is expected to be ready for the beginning of spring training. Even if he stays healthy in 2026, Rodriguez is likely to have some workload restrictions in place following a lost season.

Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Monday that the team plans for Wells to be a starting pitcher next season, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

It's possible Wells opens next season in the bullpen if the Orioles make multiple high-impact starting pitcher acquisitions this offseason, but the righty set himself up well to be a member of the 2026 rotation after collecting a 2.91 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 18:2 K:BB over 21.2 innings in four September starts following a return from UCL revision surgery. Because he's totaled just 62.1 frames over the last two seasons, Wells' workload will likely be monitored closely in 2026.

Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Monday that Kjerstad has been undergoing treatments for a medical condition, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Kjerstad last played at Triple-A Norfolk on July 25 due to what the team had described as fatigue. Elias declined to say whether the treatments were related to myocarditis, a condition Kjerstad was diagnosed with shortly after being drafted in 2020, which delayed his professional debut until 2022. Kjerstad has responded well to the treatments and is expected to be ready for spring training. It's possible Kjerstad's medical issue affected his performance in 2025, as he slashed a woeful .192/.240/.327 in 54 games for the Orioles and an even-worse .149/.225/.248 over 27 contests with Norfolk.

Burger said after Sunday's 9-8 extra-inning loss to the Guardians that he plans to undergo surgery later this week to repair a torn tendon sheath in his left wrist, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Burger initially sprained the wrist in mid-August and spent about two weeks on the injured list before returning to action for the final month of the season. However, Burger struggled to a .206 average while striking out at a 28.4 percent clip in September, bringing his slash line down to .236/.269/.419 over 103 games during his first campaign in Texas. Burger -- who also required stints on the shelf due to oblique and quadriceps injuries -- had received a cortisone shot to relieve discomfort in his wrist prior to his return from the IL, but he's hopeful that surgery will offer more permanent relief after he felt the tendon "popping" in and out of place over the past few weeks. Burger is under club control through 2028, and despite his disappointing debut season in Texas, he currently projects to head into spring training atop the depth chart at first base.

Lynch (6-2) earned the win Sunday against the Athletics. He struck out three over 2.1 perfect innings.

Lynch closed the regular season in dominant fashion, retiring all seven batters he faced with a trio of punchouts. His 4.76 FIP is worth noting, but the southpaw turned in solid surface numbers in 2025, recording a 3.06 ERA and 1.36 WHIP over 57 appearances and 67.2 innings. The Royals didn't lean on him consistently in high-leverage situations, but he generally delivered when used and often provided more than just a single inning, as he did Sunday.

Massey went 4-for-5 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 9-2 victory over the Athletics.

Massey capped the regular season swinging well, tying his season high with four hits -- his second four-hit effort in the past five games. Even with that strong finish, it's been a rough year for the utility man, who battled multiple injuries and struggled when on the field, slashing .244/.268/.313 with nine doubles, three homers and 20 RBI across 77 games.

Garcia went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI, a run scored and a walk in Sunday's win over the Athletics.

Garcia wasted no time, ripping a leadoff double on the first pitch of the game before adding a sacrifice fly in the second inning and an RBI single in the fourth. The strong regular-season finale lifted his 2025 OPS to an even .800 with 39 doubles, five triples, 16 homers, 74 RBI and 23 stolen bases across 160 games, cementing a breakout year after he posted just a .613 OPS in 157 games last season.

Jensen went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and two additional runs scored in Sunday's victory over the Athletics.

Jensen capped Sunday's regular-season finale with three hits, highlighted by a towering 482-foot homer in the seventh inning that stretched the lead to six. The young catcher hasn't looked overmatched since his Sept. 2 call-up, batting .300/.391/.550 with six doubles, three homers and 13 RBI across 20 games. Despite having a disappointing 2025 in which they missed the postseason, the Royals may have a future star behind the plate in Jensen, especially as Salvador Perez ages.