MLB Player News

Okert (hamstring) is not included on the Astros' wild-card roster against the White Sox, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Okert has been out since early September while recovering from a strained right hamtring. He threw a bullpen session Monday, but it wasn't enough to convince the Astros he was ready. Okert could be in play for the ALDS, should his club advance.

Pecko is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is not on the Astros' wild-card series roster versus the White Sox, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Pecko tossed three scoreless relief innings in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Athletics, but he apparently came out of the appearance with an injury. It's unclear what exactly he's dealing with, or whether he could be in play for the ALDS if the Astros advance.

Weathers (forearm) is not on the Yankees' wild-card series roster versus the Red Sox, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.

Weathers threw another live batting practice session Monday, so he's progressed well in his recovery from a flexor strain that's kept him out since late August. He could be ready for the ALDS, should the Yankees advance, but the club felt Weathers wasn't quite ready for the wild-card round.

The Royals transferred Cruz (personal) from the paternity list to the restricted list Sunday.

After going on paternity leave Thursday, Cruz spent the maximum three days on the list. Rather than having Cruz return for the season finale Sunday versus the Guardians, the Royals instead shifted him to the restricted list, which opened up a spot on the 40-man roster for James McArthur (elbow), who was reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Cruz finished the 2026 season with a 4.30 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 65:20 K:BB in 58.2 innings and will likely be added back to the 40-man roster this offseason.

The Red Sox transferred Slaten (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Tuesday, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

The transaction makes space for the return of Garrett Crochet (lat) from the 60-day IL. Slaten had previously been ruled out for the remainder of the season after getting a PRP injection to address degenerative changes in his flexor mass.

The Red Sox activated Crochet (shoulder) from the 60-day injured list Tuesday, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.

Crochet has not appeared in a game since late April due to a strained left lat. However, the left-hander has checked off all the necessary boxes in order to convince the Red Sox he was ready for the American League Wild Card series against the Yankees. Crochet will be used in a relief role.

The Yankees activated Grisham (hamstring) from the 15-day injured list Tuesday, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

Grisham has been sidelined for the past three-plus weeks with a strained right hamstring, but he's advanced workouts to the point that the Yankees felt comfortable including him on their playoff roster. With Aaron Judge (calf) still out, the Yankees could use Grisham in center field and Spencer Jones in right field against right-handers.

The Tigers optioned Hurter to the rookie-level Florida Complex League on Sunday.

The transaction was merely procedural, as Hurter wasn't in line to pitch in Sunday's season finale versus the Pirates after tossing 1.2 innings in relief a day earlier. The Tigers reinstated Jack Flaherty (forearm) from the 15-day injured list in a corresponding move. Hurter wrapped up the 2026 season with a 3.06 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 24:15 K:BB in 35.1 innings across 29 appearances.

Flaherty (forearm) was reinstated from the 15-day injured list Sunday and struck out one batter while allowing one hit and no walks over two scoreless innings in the Tigers' 4-2 loss to the Pirates in the season finale.

Flaherty, who had been on the shelf since July 21 due to right flexor inflammation, made a pair of rehab appearances with Triple-A Toledo before being cleared to rejoin the Tigers ahead of the season finale. Since he wasn't fully stretched out for a starting role, Flaherty ended up making his first appearance out of the bullpen since the 2023 campaign. The 30-year-old righty is scheduled for unrestricted free agency this winter.

The Yankees activated Stanton (calves) from the 60-day injured list Tuesday, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

Stanton has been sidelined since late April due to injuries to both calves, but he increased his baseball activities enough in recent days to convince the Yankees to carry him on their American League Wild Card Series roster against the Red Sox. The 36-year-old could be limited primarily to a pinch-hitting role for the Yankees.