MLB Player News

Espino will be the Guardians' opener Wednesday in Game 3 of the ALDS against the White Sox, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

He'll be opposed by another opener in Chicago's Sean Newcomb. Espino logged a 4.11 ERA and 25:7 K:BB over 15.1 innings for the Guardians during the regular season, and he made a scoreless appearance for the White Sox in Game 1 of the ALDS. The Guardians haven't divulged plans for who will follow Espino, but Foster Griffin is a prime candidate for a bulk role if Cleveland wants to go that route.

Murphy was scratched from the lineup for Tuesday's NLDS Game 3 against the Dodgers, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Murphy had been slated to start at designated hitter, but Atlanta has opted to shift Ronald Acuna to DH as he deals with some knee soreness. Lane Thomas will enter the lineup in Murphy's place, playing right field.

Acuna is starting at designated hitter rather than right field in Tuesday's ALDS Game 3 versus the Dodgers due to a sore right knee, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Acuna remains sore after banging up his knee on a slide Sunday in Game 3, so Atlanta will ease the stress on him a bit by inserting him into the DH slot. Lane Thomas will patrol right field for Atlanta. Acuna is 2-for-9 with two runs scored and a stolen base in the first two games of the series.

Newcomb will serve as an opener Wednesday in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Guardians, James Fegan of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Newcomb tossed two shutout innings in Game 2, though he let a pair of inherited runners score. The lefty will be tasked with covering an inning or two in Game 3 as part of another bullpen game for the White Sox. The Guardians have not yet named a Game 3 starter, but Foster Griffin is a prime candidate to take the ball.

Mahle revealed Tuesday that the abdominal pull he suffered prior to his Game 2 against the Phillies in the NL Wild Card Series is no longer an issue, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.

Mahle felt a tug in his abdominal area while warming up in the bullpen before the game. However, the hurler said he didn't feel soreness during the outing when he tossed seven innings of one-run ball, nor did he feel anything during a recent bullpen session. Mahle is scheduled to start Game 4 of the NLDS versus the Dodgers on Wednesday.

Edman is absent from the lineup Tuesday for Game 3 of the NLDS in Atlanta.

Atlanta is starting lefty Chris Sale, and the switch-hitting Edman has always been a better hitter from the right side of the plate. However, Edman hit just .203/.288/.335 in his final 50 regular-season contests and is hitless in the first two games of the series, so his recent struggles are taking precedence. Miguel Rojas will slot in at second base in place of Edman.

Muncy is absent from the lineup Tuesday for Game 3 of the NLDS against Atlanta.

With ace lefty Chris Sale taking the ball for Atlanta, the lefty-swinging Muncy will begin the festivities on the bench. Muncy has homered in each of the first two games of the series, and he's a candidate to appear off the bench in Game 3. Enrique Hernandez will cover third base for the Dodgers on Tuesday.

Ohtani will start at designated hitter and will bat fifth Tuesday in Game 3 of the NLDS against Atlanta.

It's the lowest Ohtani has batted since back in 2020 when he was still with the Angels. Ohtani has gone 1-for-4 at the plate in each of the first two games of the series, and he collected just a .503 OPS with zero home runs and a 34.9 percent strikeout rate over his final 18 regular-season contests. With Ohtani down in the No. 5 spot for Game 3, Mookie Betts has been elevated to the leadoff role.

Yastrzemski is absent from the lineup Tuesday for Game 3 of the NLDS against the Dodgers.

The left-handed-hitting Yastrzemski didn't start the first two games of the series versus lefty hurlers, and he will remain out of the lineup for Game 3 even though righty Yoshinobu Yamamoto is toeing the rubber. Mauricio Dubon will play left field, Ha-Seong Kim will handle shortstop and Sean Murphy is serving as Atlanta's designated hitter.

Baker earned the save by retiring all three batters he faced during the ninth inning of Game 2 of the ALDS against the Yankees on Monday. He did not record a strikeout.

The right-hander finished up a 1-0 shutout in the series opener Saturday and needed just nine pitches to retire the side Monday to give the Rays a 2-0 series lead. Baker entered the playoffs having converted 30 consecutive save opportunities, and he's added two more to his ledger in Tampa Bay's first two games of the postseason.