MLB Player News

Kimbrel gave up one run on one hit and no walks through 1.1 innings to pick up a save against the Yankees in Game 1 of the American League Division Series. He struck out three.

Kimbrel entered the game with two outs in the eighth inning with a two-run lead and promptly forced Andrew McCutchen to fly out to right field. The right-hander gave up a solo home run to Aaron Judge leading off the ninth that made the score 5-4, but Kimbrel proceeded to strike out the next three hitters to nail down the save for the Red Sox. The closer recorded 42 saves with a 2.74 ERA in the regular season and looked just as dominant in his first postseason appearance.

Merryweather (elbow) was traded to the Blue Jays from Cleveland on Friday as the player to be named later in the Josh Donaldson trade.

Merryweather was reported as the PTBNL last month, but he wasn't able to be officially traded since he was on the minor-league disabled list. The right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery back in March, so he may miss some time at the beginning of next season.

Devenski is not on the Astros' 25-man postseason roster for the ALDS against Cleveland, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Devenski had a forgettable July and only logged 6.2 innings over seven appearances in September after spending a month on the disabled list with a hamstring injury. Nonetheless, it comes as a slight surprise to see Devenski left off the roster due to his potential swing-and-miss stuff.

Burdi (elbow) is scheduled to pitch in an instructional league game Thursday, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Burdi is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in July of 2017. The 23-year-old made seven appearances for the AZL White Sox in August, posting a 2.84 ERA with seven strikeouts across 6.1 innings. He's now set to throw a few innings in the instructional league before the Arizona Fall League kicks back up Oct. 9. Burdi is expected to transition to a pitching plan that resembles how he would be used in the big-league bullpen. He could compete for a high-leverage role next spring if his arm is ready.

Manager Aaron Boone said Chapman will serve as the Yankees' closer during Wednesday's AL Wild Card Game against Oakland if the club has a lead to protect heading into the ninth inning, Marc Carig of The Athletic reports.

Though this doesn't come as any sort of surprise, Boone's statement is notable since Chapman has only recorded one save since mid-August due to a knee injury. Dating back to Sept. 20, Chapman has appeared in five games, during which he allowed three runs in 4.1 innings.

Johnson will not make Boston's roster for the ALDS, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Johnson only pitched 12 innings during the month of September, with a majority of those coming as a middle-relief option in the bullpen. Though manager Alex Cora has yet to completely set his roster for Friday's series opener against the Yankees or Athletics, he already told Johnson that he will not be one of the pitchers carried in this round of the postseason.

Hendriks will take the mound as Oakland's opening pitcher for Wednesday's AL Wild Card Game against the Yankees, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

As expected, Hendriks will serve as the "opener" with the club choosing to go the route of a "bullpen game" instead of having a regular starter toe the rubber. Out of the 11 pitchers on the Athletics' roster for this contest, Edwin Jackson is the only typical starter that will be available Wednesday night. Don't expect to see Hendriks remain in the game past the first inning, as he's only recorded more than three outs twice in his last 16 appearances. The right-hander hasn't given up a run in his last 11.1 innings and holds a 0.71 WHIP with nine strikeouts during that span.

The Athletics are expected to use Hendriks as their opening pitcher in Wednesday's American League wild-card game against the Yankees, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Oakland lacks a bona fide ace, so it appears the team will treat Wednesday's contest as a "bullpen game," allowing manager Bob Melvin to take advantage of his cadre of high-quality relief options to quiet a power-packed Yankees lineup. Hendriks served as an opener in eight of his 25 regular-season appearances, logging a 2.08 ERA and 7:3 K:BB across 8.2 innings in those outings.

Littell allowed two runs on three hits and two walks across four innings in a no-decision Sunday against the White Sox. He struck out six.

Littell ran into trouble in the first inning when he allowed two runs on two hits and a walk before escaping the jam. He was much more effective over the rest of his outing, allowing just two more baserunners, but he was removed with 70 pitches under his belt after the fourth. The majority of Littell's appearances this season came in the month of September, and his combined 6.20 ERA did little to inspire the club to give him a closer look. He'll become a free agent this winter and is a candidate to sign another minor-league deal for 2019.

Covey allowed five runs on six hits and two walks across six innings to take the loss Sunday against the Twins. He struck out three.

Covey threw 66 percent of his pitches for strikes and induced 11 groundball outs, but he took a shellacking in the middle innings to sink him to his 14th loss. He allowed three runs on three hits and a walk in the fourth inning and gave up another pair via a two-run home run in the sixth. This was a disappointing end to the season for Covey, who had delivered back-to-back scoreless outings in his previous two. He finishes the campaign with a 5.18 ERA and will look to step up his performance next year.