MLB Player News

General manager David Stearns said Hader is expected to pitch out of the bullpen in 2019, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Hader was touted as one of the top left-handed starting pitching prospects entering the 2017 season, but his success out of the bullpen over the past two years has prompted the Brewers to commit to keeping him in a multi-inning, high-leverage relief role. The electric southpaw can still provide plenty of fantasy value as a reliever, as evidenced by his 6-1 record, 12 saves, 2.43 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 15.8 K/9 across 81.1 innings in 2018.

Ferguson is not on the Dodgers' World Series roster.

Ferguson spent both the NLDS and NLCS on the roster, appearing in six games and facing a combined 10 batters, retiring nine and walking one. He'll be replaced by Scott Alexander for the World Series.

Alexander is back on the Dodgers' roster for the World Series.

Alexander's only career playoff experience came in the NLDS, when he threw one scoreless inning against the Braves. He was replaced on the NLCS roster by Julio Urias but is back for the World Series, taking the place of Caleb Ferguson.

Jansen struck out the only batter he faced to get the save in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series.

After Caleb Ferguson and Ryan Madson combined to get the first two outs of the ninth inning, Jansen struck out Mike Moustakas on four pitches to pick up the save in Game 5. The closer has been lights out in the postseason, striking out seven and earning three saves in 5.1 scoreless innings.

Hader has been ruled out for Game 2 against the Dodgers after pitching three innings in Game 1 on Friday, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Hader was lights out in the series opener, tossing three scoreless frames and allowing two hits while fanning four on a season-high 46 pitches. Manager Craig Counsell ruled Hader out for Saturday's matchup shortly after the conclusion of Game 1 but stated that Hader will be available for Game 3 in Los Angeles on Monday. This comes as expected, given Counsell's reluctance to use Hader on back-to-back days throughout the regular season. Milwaukee's skipper did announce that everyone else in the bullpen was available to throw for the team Saturday, per Zach Heilprin of the Wisconsin Sports Zone Network.

Alexander is not on the Dodgers' NLCS roster against the Brewers, Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports reports.

Alexander was on the NLDS roster during the club's matchup with the Braves but will be replaced by Julio Urias for this upcoming round. In the series against Atlanta, Alexander -- in his lone appearance -- tossed a spotless ninth inning in Game 3. Since postseason rosters are flexible after each round, there's a chance Alexander will be an active member of the team for the World Series should the Dodgers defeat Milwaukee.

Barraclough was traded to Washington from Miami on Wednesday in exchange for international bonus pool money, Dan Kolko of MASN Sports reports.

Barraclough had a rough second half with the Marlins in 2018, logging a 13.50 ERA and 2.48 WHIP across 13.1 innings dating back to July 21. The right-hander missed a few weeks with back stiffness during that stretch. On the flip side, he posted a 1.28 ERA over 44 appearances in the first half and should provide the Nationals with a solid middle-to-late option out of the bullpen moving forward. Barraclough still has three more years of club control on his contract.

Nelson (shoulder) should have a "relatively normal" offseason after completing his rehab, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports. "His formal rehab is complete. He has returned to pitching," general manager David Stearns said. "That is a great thing to say."

Nelson has been sidelined since September of 2017 with a shoulder injury, but the right-hander is now back with the Brewers and resting after wrapping up his rehab in Arizona. While this is an encouraging step for Nelson, who is hoping to be ready for spring training, he's not in the clear yet. "Now it's, let's go into a normal offseason, get his rest, and then do an intelligent ramp-up to spring training and see where we are then," Stearns added. "There are still a lot of unknowns here. We have been very explicit about that throughout this. But his return to pitching, we're all happy with it."

Biddle was left off Atlanta's 25-man roster for the NLDS against the Dodgers.

Biddle will not be available for this series after struggling a bit over the last couple weeks of the regular season. Dating back to Sept. 6, the reliever has given up eight earned runs on eight hits and eight walks in 7.1 innings.

Edwards (forearm) said he'll be ready to go for Game 1 of the NLDS on Thursday if the Cubs advance, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Edwards was left off the roster for Tuesday's NL Wild Card Game against the Rockies due to forearm discomfort, but the reliever doesn't expect the issue to keep him from pitching the rest of the playoffs should the Cubs advance. The 27-year-old has been one of Chicago's best relievers this season, posting a 2.60 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 67:32 K:BB through 52 innings.