MLB Player News

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Thursday that he's informed Realmuto the catcher will receive more days off in 2027, Matt Gelb and Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic report.

He made 122 starts behind the plate in 2026 in his age-35 season. However, his downward trend offensively continued, as Realmuto slashed only .205/.283/.331 with 11 home runs across 467 plate appearances. Dombrowski didn't rule out acquiring an upgrade at backup catcher this offseason, which could allow manager Don Mattingly more confidence in giving Realmuto extra rest.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Thursday that the team plans for Schwarber to play around 30 games at first base next season, Matt Gelb and Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic report.

Schwarber made eight appearances (six starts) at first base in 2026, but the Phillies would like to play him in the field more often in 2027 in order to free up the designated hitter spot for others. The 33-year-old Schwarber has been utility-only eligible in most fantasy leagues over the last three years, but it sounds likely that he will pick up first base eligibility next season.

The Reds and Cabrera avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract Thursday.

Cabrera was claimed off waivers from the Yankees in September and went 4-for-13 at the dish during a late-season audition. The 27-year-old has an underwhelming career .233/.293/.344 batting line over parts of five major-league seasons, but he offers the ability to play virtually all over the diamond and will like slot into a utility role for the Reds in 2027.

The Brewers are expected to start Drohan on Thursday in Game 4 of the NLCS, Tom Verducci of SI.com reports.

Though he made 19 starts for the Brewers during the regular season, Drohan has not pitched in more than two weeks and is not stretched out to handle a regular starter's workload. Thus, it could be more of an opener assignment than a traditional start for the left-hander. Dustin May is a candidate to cover some innings out of the bullpen as the Brewers look to finish off the series sweep.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Thursday that he plans to have Turner open next season at shortstop, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Turner had a bounce-back season defensively in 2025, but he regressed in 2026 with a minus-10 Outs Above Average, per Statcast, which was the worst mark of his career. The Phillies don't plan to have Turner change positions, but Dombrowski noted Thursday that he told the player personally he'd have to play better defensively in order to remain at shortstop. Turner had a down year offensively, as well, slashing .242/.297/.378 in 157 regular-season contests.

The Phillies re-signed Mayza to a one-year contract Thursday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Mayza gave the Phillies some quality work this regular season, posting a 3.48 ERA and 64:18 K:BB over 67.1 frames. The veteran southpaw will be entering his age-35 season in 2027 and will be deployed in middle relief out of the Philadelphia bullpen.

Atlanta outrighted Williams to Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday.

Williams cleared waivers after being booted off the 40-man roster, but his outright assignment is merely a precursor to minor-league free agency. The 30-year-old utility player has slashed .212/.272/.280 over parts of six big-league seasons.

Megill struck out two and didn't allow a baserunner over 1.1 innings to earn the save in Game 3 of the NLCS against the Dodgers on Wednesday.

The right-hander was tasked with recording the final four outs of Wednesday's contest and closed things out with ease for his fourth save of the playoffs. Megill has surrendered just one hit with a 6:2 K:BB over 5.2 scoreless frames through five postseason appearances.

Gasser didn't factor into the decision in Game 3 of the NLCS against the Dodgers on Wednesday, allowing just three hits and one walk with three strikeouts over five scoreless innings.

The rookie left-hander certainly wasn't dominant, but he kept Los Angeles off the board by scattering three singles, a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Gasser didn't have a long leash and was pulled at 72 pitches (47 strikes), but that's not a major surprise in just his second postseason start. He's now surrendered only one run with a 6:2 K:BB across nine frames in those two outings, cementing his spot as the Brewers' No. 3 starter as they sit one win away from the World Series.

Snell was charged with the loss in Game 3 of the NLCS against the Brewers on Wednesday, giving up four runs on four hits with nine strikeouts and two walks across six-plus innings.

Jackson Chourio went deep on the first pitch of the game, but Snell then locked in with five scoreless frames and headed into the seventh having retired 14 consecutive batters. Having just been handed a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth, the left-hander then issued a leadoff walk to Andrew Vaughn before Jake Bauers finished an 11-pitch at-bat with a two-run homer, which was then followed by a Garrett Mitchell solo shot. Snell was dominant for much of the contest, but the homers that bookended his performance were a hole the Dodgers' struggling offense couldn't escape. He's lined up to start a possible Game 7 next week, but Los Angeles is on the brink of elimination while staring down a 3-0 series deficit.