MLB Player News

It’s not a death knell for pitchers, but shoulder surgery is far worse than Tommy John surgery in terms of long-term recovery and performance, so it’s unclear whether Woodruff will revert to form as an upper-echelon fantasy contributor in 2025 and beyond. However, it’s a worthwhile risk for the Brewers to take after non-tendering him back in November. The 31-year-old righty underwent right shoulder anterior capsule surgery last October and isn’t expected to be ready to return until the 2025 campaign.

Ohtani is enjoying an MVP season at the plate, but off the field he’s also completing his rehab from Tommy John surgery. Roberts said the club isn’t counting on Ohtani to pitch in the playoffs, but if everything lined up perfectly then we could see him on the mound. Roberts didn’t specify if Ohtani would be used as a starter or reliever if he were to pitch, though it’s difficult to imagine he would be able to build up his pitch count to be a starter with the playoffs less than a month away. Ohtani served as the closer for team Japan in the World Baseball Classic last year so he has some experience pitching out of the bullpen.

Merrifield suffered a fractured left foot last week. The fracture is still healing, but after a week off he’s willing to try to play through the injury. Merrifield is hitting .243 with one home run, three RBI and five stolen bases in 34 games since joining the Braves.

Reyes was designated for assignment earlier this week. He was called up to the big club the week before but appeared in only one game without receiving an at-bat. Reyes will remain in the organization as infield depth.

O’Loughlin was designated for assignment earlier this week. He passed through waivers unclaimed and has the option to elect free agency. Even if he does accept his outright assignment, he can become a minor league free agent at the end of the season. O’Loughlin had a 4.66 ERA, 1.86 WHIP and six strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings for the Athletics this year.

Young was also promoted to president of baseball operations. A Dallas native, Young became the general manager before the 2021 season. He was effectively running the baseball operations after Jon Daniels was fired towards the end of the 2022 season. In Young’s first full season in charge, the Rangers won their first World Series title in the franchise’s history. Even after an uneven 2024 season, it’s hardly a surprise that the club wants Young steering the ship for years to come.

Uceta was suspended for two games after hitting Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos intentionally. Rays manager Kevin Cash was suspended for one game. Uceta has a 1.49 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 51 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings on the year.

Ramirez was designated for assignment by the club earlier this week to make room for Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He passed through waivers unclaimed. Ramirez has the option to reject the assignment in favor of free agency, but even if he accepts the 35-year-old can become a minor league free agent at the end of the season. Ramirez had a 6.08 ERA in 13 1/3 innings with the Dodgers this year, but was really good with the Yankees when he had a 2.66 ERA in 40 2/3 innings in 2023.

The fascinating thing about T-Mobile Park in Seattle is how it’s a terrible park for offense yet a perfectly fine one for homers. There were four hit in tonight’s game, none of which would have been out in more than half of MLB’s parks. Lowe’s opposite field shot in the seventh was projected at 349 feet and would have been a homer in exactly six ballparks. That homer brought the Rangers to within two runs. Lowe then had the go-ahead hit in a three-run eighth inning on what, in our humble opinion, was an obvious error from second baseman Jorge Polanco. Lowe is batting .375/.500/.594 through 11 games this month.

Rocker’s slider was outstanding, producing 13 missed swings the 33 times he threw it. None of the three balls in play against it were hit harder than 84 mph. He needed a season-high 74 pitches to get through four innings, so the victory was never in play. Still, he definitely met expectations and demonstrated how he could become a force in fantasy leagues next year. He might start again versus the Jays or Mariners next week.

Since taking his first blown save on Aug. 18, Yates has made 11 appearances that have resulted in nine saves and two wins. His ERA is back down to 1.27 for the year.