MLB Player News

Jacobsen showed some promise as a reliever last year in the upper levels of the Rangers’ system, posting a 2.29 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 30/10 K/BB ratio across 19 2/3 innings (19 appearances, one start) between Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock. The 27-year-old southpaw links back up with Texas and will provide some additional organizational relief depth.

Schwellenbach will get the ball for the first game, and Chris Sale is scheduled for Game 2. That’s only if Game 2 becomes a must-win for Atlanta, and they’ll likely go with a bullpen game if they clinch a postseason berth with a win. If either team is swept, the Diamondbacks make the postseason over that losing team. If the teams split, Arizona is out and Atlanta along with New York are in.Kinda problematic. Kinda fun.

The homer is Massey’s first since Sept. 11, and it was his first with a man on base since May 24. Despite missing a month with a back injury and playing at less than 100 percent after returning, he ends the year with a decent .259/.295/.449 line. More walks would be nice, but that he greatly reduced his strikeout rate this year (16%, down from 22% previously) while actually improving his power numbers is encouraging.

This would have been Cole Ragans’ day to pitch for the Royals, but he was scratched after the team clinched. Marsh stepped in and proved quite effective, aside from a Gio Urshela homers. He concludes the season 9-9 with a 4.53 ERA. In some years, that would have made him the Royals’ ace. This year, though, it wasn’t enough for a permanent place in the rotation.

It was kind of disappointing to see Bubic only utilized as a reliever in the majors this year after looking like he was taking a step forward as a starter before requiring Tommy John surgery in early 2023. He did, however, prove to be excellent out of the Royals pen, finishing with a 2.67 ERA and a 39/5 K/BB in 30 1/3 innings. The K/BB should have been even better... three of those five walks he issued were intentional. He’ll certainly be on the postseason roster.

The game won’t be replayed because it has zero meaning to the Astros and Guardians. Houston now will begin a Wild Card series against the Tigers on Tuesday, while the Guardians will take on the winner of that series in the ALDS.

The Braves would have clinched with a win today, though with the Mets and D-backs winning, they still would have had to play Monday. Now, things will be decided in Game 2 of the Mets-Braves doubleheader. The team that wins Game 1 will clinch. If either team sweeps, the Diamondbacks advance. If it’s a split, then both the Mets and Braves will move on. Atlanta has Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach as starting options Monday after bypassing them in favor of Morton today. Morton ends the regular season 8-10 with a 4.19 ERA.

The runs came on homers from Carlos Santana and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. That the Orioles let Suárez go long today suggests that he’ll be left off the Wild Card roster, possibly in favor of Cade Povich. He could then come back and start Game 1 of the ALDS if the Orioles advance. Quite the find for Baltimore after returning from South Korea and taking a minor league deal, Suárez ends the regular season 9-7 with a 3.70 ERA.

Ober escaped with a sub-4.00 ERA, finishing 12-9 with a 3.98 ERA. All of the runs today came on James McCann’s homer in the fifth. Ober exited after the inning having thrown just 74 pitches. While the ERA was a bit disappointing, Ober finishes the year fifth in the majors with a 1.00 WHIP and 15th with 191 strikeouts. He definitely returned ample value based on where he was picked this spring.

It came off Randy Dobnak in the eighth. Kjerstad spent his first 10 days back in the majors playing regularly against righties, but with Ryan Mountcastle back, he was out of the lineup for the fourth time in five games today, suggesting that he’s going to be a reserve in the postseason. Of course, the homer can’t hurt. He finishes at .253/.351/.394 in 114 plate appearances this year.

Lewis spent June looking like one of MLB’s best players, but it’s been quite a struggle for him since he returned from a strained adductor in July. He winds up at .189/.255/.267 in September and .211/.275/.357 in 226 plate appearances during the second half. His full-season line is .233/.295/.452 with 16 homers in 325 plate appearances. The good news is that he did manage to stay in the lineup throughout the second half. One imagines he’ll bounce back if he remains healthy, but health is such a question mark that it’s going to be hard to recommend him in the top five rounds of 2025 drafts.