MLB Player News

Montes de Oca (elbow) has begun a throwing program, Metsmerized Online reports.

Montes de Oca is nearly seven months removed from Tommy John surgery and is finally testing out his rebuilt elbow with some catch at the Mets' spring training complex in Florida. The big reliever will be sidelined until around midseason next year.

MLB announced Monday that Abreu's two-game suspension for throwing at the Rangers' Adolis Garcia in last Friday's Game 5 of the ALCS was upheld following an appeal, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. Abreu will serve the suspension for the first two games of the 2024 regular season.

The ruling comes as good news for the Astros, as Abreu won't have to miss Monday's Game 7 and will remain eligible to pitch should Houston earn its way to the World Series. Abreu has been the top setup option in front of closer Ryan Pressly in 2023, finishing the regular season with 24 holds and five saves to go with a 1.75 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 100:31 K:BB across 72 innings.

De Leon (elbow) elected free agency Monday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

De Leon had been removed from the Twins' 40-man roster and has decided to hit the free-agent market rather than accept an outright assignment. The right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery in July and will miss most, if not all, of the 2024 campaign.

Abreu (suspension) is appealing his two-game suspension, and he's eligible to pitch in Sunday's contest with the Rangers.

Abreu will have his appeal hearing Monday, so he will technically be available to pitch if needed in Game 6 of the ALCS. The right-hander was suspended for two games after he hit Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia in Game 5.

Abreu was suspended two games and fined an undisclosed amount of money for throwing at Adolis Garcia in Game 5 of the ALCS, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Abreu's suspension will begin immediately, which will keep him out for the remainder of the ALCS. However, Abreu will likely appeal the decision, which would allow the 26-year-old reliever to continue pitching until his hearing. Abreu has been a crucial part of Houston's bullpen during its postseason run, surrendering just one run over 6.1 innings while racking up 11 strikeouts.

The Mets placed Nittoli on outright waivers Friday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Nittoli was able to hold his own during his brief major-league stint in 2023, but he put up a 4.64 ERA and 1.41 WHIP through 42.2 innings in Triple-A. He will have the option to become a free agent if he clears waivers.

The Mets placed Kay on outright waivers Friday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Kay will join five other Mets players on the waiver wire in an effort from the team to clear space on the 40-man roster. The 28-year-old southpaw put up a 6.14 ERA and 1.50 WHIP across 14.2 innings between the Cubs and Mets.

The Twins sent De Leon (elbow) outright to Triple-A St. Paul on Friday.

De Leon posted a 4.67 ERA and 1.21 WHIP through 17.1 innings in the majors before undergoing Tommy John surgery in July. De Leon is expected to miss most, if not all, of next season.

The Rockies sent Rolison (undisclosed) outright to Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday.

Rolison missed nearly all of last season due to injury, pitching just five innings with Albuquerque across two starts and giving up seven runs in the process. The 26-year-old southpaw hasn't pitched a full season since 2021, and he'll likely need to improve upon his 6.57 ERA at Triple-A before reclaiming a spot on Colorado's 40-man roster.

Stanek earned the win in Thursday's 10-3 victory over the Rangers in Game 3 of the ALCS, throwing two-thirds of an inning.

Stanek required minimal effort to secure a win, throwing a single pitch to induce a double play to end the inning. The team would then go on to stack up four runs to break the tie in the following inning, leaving Stanek with the decision. Stanek is now up to three wins for his career in the postseason, during which he has pitched to a robust 2.00 ERA and 0.72 WHIP with 20 strikeouts across 18 innings.