MLB Player News

The Pirates recalled Sisk from Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday.

The Pirates needed a rested arm after they had a bullpen game Wednesday against the Cardinals. Sisk has pitched well in 39 relief outings with the big club, logging a 3.16 ERA and 48:23 K:BB over 42.2 innings.

The Pirates optioned Curtis to the Florida Complex League on Thursday.

Curtis logged 3.2 innings in Wednesday's loss to the Cardinals, yielding a pair of runs. He required 71 pitches to cover his 3.2 frames, so Curtis is being replaced in the Pirates' bullpen by a fresh arm.

Hjerpe is expected to work as a piggyback pitcher behind starter Kyle Leahy in Thursday's game against the Pirates.

Since being called up from Triple-A Memphis on Sept. 6, Hjerpe has made all three of his appearances to date as part of a piggyback tandem with Leahy, whose workload the Cardinals are deliberately looking to keep in check as the season winds down. The rookie left-hander has had mixed results thus far, going 1-0 with a 12:6 K:BB while yielding six earned runs and giving up four hits across nine innings.

Nunez went 1-for-2 with a walk, a run scored and two stolen bases in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Tigers.

Getting the start at shortstop and batting ninth, Nunez swiped second and third base after poking a one-out single in the seventh inning, putting himself in position to score the Nationals' final run of the night. In the process, he became the franchise's single-season steals leader with 49, passing the 47 stolen bases CJ Abrams produced in 2023. Nunez is three steals clear of the Rays' Chandler Simpson for the major-league lead, with less than a week remaining on the calendar.

Cruz gave up a run on three hits over 1.1 innings Wednesday, recording his first career save in a 4-2 win over the Tigers. He struck out two without walking a batter.

The right-hander topped out at 100 mph with his sinker as he gets another chance to establish himself as a high-leverage option for the Nationals. Acquired from the Yankees at the trade deadline, Cruz has struggled in his first exposure to big-league hitters this season, and through 9.2 innings for the Nats he's stumbled to a 7.45 ERA, 2.17 WHIP and 8:8 K:BB. He has some of the best pure stuff on the staff, however, and is working on adding a splitter to his repertoire as a weapon against lefties. Cruz could have a very prominent spot in Washington's bullpen plans next year.

Dion (2-2) picked up the win in Wednesday's 4-2 victory over the Tigers, allowing one run on three hits and a walk over two relief innings. He struck out four.

Brad Lord took on the largest workload during a bullpen day for the Nationals, tossing 3.1 scoreless frames ahead of Dion, but the southpaw was the pitcher of record when his team broke open a scoreless tie with a three-run sixth inning. Dion has been a versatile option since being acquired from the Guardians at the trade deadline, and over 14 appearances (one start) and 28 innings for the Nats he's produced a 3.21 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 28:13 K:BB with two wins, a save and a hold.

Flores is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Cardinals.

Henry Davis has been Paul Skenes' personal catcher this season, so it will be Davis behind the dish for Skenes' final outing in 2026. Flores went hitless in the first two games of the series.

Reynolds is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest against the Cardinals.

It's the first day off since June 19 for Reynolds, who is just 5-for-40 (.167) at the plate over his last eight games. Jake Mangum will grab a start in left field while Reynolds rests.

Carroll went 1-for-4 with a triple and two RBI in Wednesday's 5-3 win over Colorado.

Carroll finished off the scoring in a four-run first inning with a two-out, two-run triple. It turned out to be the game-winning knock. The triple was his league-leading 17th of the season and tied a career-best mark set in 2025. He's provided some key hits as the Diamondbacks chase a postseason berth; Carroll has two doubles, one triple, three home runs and 14 RBI over his last 11 contests.

McLean earned the win Wednesday against the Rangers after allowing two runs on three hits and a walk while striking out five over seven innings.

McLean allowed just one hit in the first four innings before the Rangers scored twice in the fifth. However, McLean responded by retiring Texas in order in both the sixth and seventh, keeping the game level until Marcus Semien's go-ahead homer in the eighth. The 2026 season was a disaster for the Mets, and while McLean also endured some struggles here and there, he ended the year on a strong note. He allowed two or fewer runs in seven of his final eight starts, posting a 2.20 ERA with a 38:22 K:BB across 49 innings over that span. On the season, McLean went 12-10 with a 3.16 ERA and 1.17 WHIP across 31 starts and 179.2 frames.