MLB Player News

Hopkins has been included on the Rays' roster for the ALCS, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.

He will take the roster spot of Garrett Cleavinger, as the Rays will swap out a righty for a lefty in their bullpen. Hopkins made six appearances out of the bullpen down the stretch for the Rays, allowing three runs with a 7:6 K:BB in 5.1 frames. The 24-year-old has electric stuff, but manager Kevin Cash might not feel comfortable using Hopkins in high leverage due to his control problems.

Cleavinger will not be on the Rays' ALCS roster, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.

Cleavinger returned from a forearm injury in time to be part of the ALDS roster, but the southpaw did not make an appearance against the Yankees. He's roster spot will be absorbed by Brody Hopkins.

Whitlock was diagnosed with a fractured right tibia after the Red Sox were eliminated from the postseason in the wild-card round, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Whitlock pitched through leg pain during the final month of the regular season, and only after undergoing imaging following the wild-card series did he discover he'd suffered a fracture. He'll spend roughly six weeks in a walking boot but should avoid surgery, and he's expected to be fully healthy by the time spring training begins.

White Sox manager Will Venable said Thursday that Fedde and Anthony Kay are likely bulk relief options in ALDS Game 4 versus the Guardians, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Hagen Smith will take the ball first and is likely to cover multiple frames, but it will be yet another playoff game where the White Sox use their bullpen early and often. Fedde has made one appearance this postseason, striking out three over two scoreless innings during the AL Wild Card Series clincher against the Astros.

Baker gave up no hits and one walk in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Yankees on Wednesday.

Tampa Bay may have swept New York, but the series was hardly a breeze as Baker was needed for the save in all three games. The right-hander issued a one-out walk Wednesday -- the first baserunner he allowed in the series -- but retired the next two batters to close out the ALDS. Including the playoffs, Baker has converted 33 consecutive save chances and is unscored upon in his past 10 appearances.

Smith will serve as the opener Thursday in Game 4 of the ALDS against the Guardians, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Smith has given up one earned run in 6.1 innings across his three postseason appearances, and the White Sox will turn to him again to pitch the first inning of Game 4. Erick Fedde is a likely candidate to follow Smith out of the bullpen.

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.

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.

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.

Taylor earned the save in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Guardians on Monday. He was charged with no runs and allowed one hit with no walks or strikeouts.

The right-hander was called upon with two out and one on during the eighth inning, and the inherited runner scored immediately on an RBI triple. Taylor closed out the frame one pitch later and then delivered a clean ninth, throwing just seven pitches to five batters in total. The 24-year-old fired four scoreless frames Saturday to pick up the save in the series opener and has yet to give up a run with an 11:1 K:BB across 7.2 innings this postseason.