MLB Player News
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Paul Goldschmidt 1B | NYY
Yankees' Paul Goldschmidt: Not starting versus lefty
Goldschmidt is not in the lineup Thursday for Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series versus the Red Sox.
Goldschmidt typically starts against all left-handers, but he will begin this contest on the bench as the Red Sox send southpaw Connelly Early to the hill. The left-handed-swinging Ben Rice -- who homered as part of a two-hit day in Game 2 -- will occupy first base for the Yankees.
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Spencer Torkelson 1B | DET
Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Good to go for Game 3
Torkelson (foot) will start at first base and bat cleanup Thursday in Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series against the Guardians.
Torkelson had X-rays after fouling a ball off his foot in Game 2 and also was hit on the hand/wrist by a pitch, but he's ready to roll for Thursday's winner-take-all tilt. The 26-year-old is 1-for-6 with one RBI and a 1:3 BB:K in the first two games of the series.
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Spencer Torkelson 1B | DET
Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: X-rays on foot are negative
Torkelson underwent X-rays on his right foot which came back negative after Wednesday's loss to the Guardians in Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
Torkelson was hit in the hand by a Cade Smith pitch in the ninth inning, but it was his foot that was imaged after he fouled a ball off his leg earlier in the game. He is expected to be fine to play in Thursday's winner-take-all Game 3. Torkelson went 0-for-3 with a walk, in addition to the hit-by-pitch, in Wednesday's contest.
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Bryce Eldridge 1B | SF
Giants' Bryce Eldridge: Out eight weeks after wrist surgery
Eldridge will undergo surgery to remove a bone spur from his left wrist and is expected to need eight weeks to recover, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Eldridge got a late start to this season after suffering a wrist injury during spring training. It's unclear how much the wrist might have bothered him throughout the 2025 campaign, but he and the Giants have decided it's best to get it surgically corrected now. Eldridge's availability for spring training is not expected to be affected, and the 20-year-old will have a chance to make the Opening Day roster after getting a cup of coffee late this season.
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Ben Rice 1B | NYY
Yankees' Ben Rice: Taking seat in Game 1
Rice is not in the lineup Tuesday for Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series against the Yankees.
With tough southpaw Garrett Crochet toeing the rubber for the Red Sox, the left-handed-hitting Rice will begin the contest on the bench. It will be Paul Goldschmidt at first base and Austin Wells doing the catching for the Yankees.
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Garrett Cooper 1B | ATL
Garrett Cooper: Ends playing career
Cooper announced Sunday via his personal Instagram account that he has retired from professional baseball.
Cooper began the 2025 season at Triple-A Gwinnett in the Atlanta organization, but he was released in May and never caught on with a new team after that. The 34-year-old played in parts of eight major-league seasons, finishing with a solid .265/.333/.427 batting line and 57 home runs. Cooper made one All-Star team in 2022 with the Marlins.
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Jake Burger 1B | TEX
Rangers' Jake Burger: Headed for wrist surgery
Burger said after Sunday's 9-8 extra-inning loss to the Guardians that he plans to undergo surgery later this week to repair a torn tendon sheath in his left wrist, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Burger initially sprained the wrist in mid-August and spent about two weeks on the injured list before returning to action for the final month of the season. However, Burger struggled to a .206 average while striking out at a 28.4 percent clip in September, bringing his slash line down to .236/.269/.419 over 103 games during his first campaign in Texas. Burger -- who also required stints on the shelf due to oblique and quadriceps injuries -- had received a cortisone shot to relieve discomfort in his wrist prior to his return from the IL, but he's hopeful that surgery will offer more permanent relief after he felt the tendon "popping" in and out of place over the past few weeks. Burger is under club control through 2028, and despite his disappointing debut season in Texas, he currently projects to head into spring training atop the depth chart at first base.
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Nick Kurtz 1B | ATH
Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Caps off season with 36th homer
Kurtz went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Sunday's 9-2 loss against the Royals.
The rookie slugger provided Oakland's only offense of the night with a 423-foot blast off Sam Long in the eighth inning, marking his 36th homer of the season and his seventh since September 10. Over that span, he hit .233 with 13 RBI while continuing to show his game-changing power. Kurtz looks like the clear favorite for AL Rookie of the Year honors, as he'll finish the regular season with an impressive .290/.383/.619 slash line, 26 doubles, 86 RBI and 90 runs scored to go along with his outstanding long-ball total across 488 plate appearances.
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Ben Rice 1B | NYY
Yankees' Ben Rice: Powers Yanks with pair of homers
Rice went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Orioles.
Rice was a majority of the Yankees' offense Sunday as he took Kyle Bradish deep in the first inning to open the scoring before launching another long ball in the eighth that gave New York a late lead for good. The performance marked Rice's second multi-homer game of the season and pushed his total to 26 on the year. The 26-year-old wraps up the year with a respectable .255/.337/.499 slash line alongside 28 doubles, 65 RBI and 74 runs scored across 528 plate appearances.