MLB Player News

Orioles general manager Mike Elias said Thursday that Means' left elbow checked out fine and the pitcher will participate fully in spring training, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.

Means was excluded from the team's ALDS roster because of elbow soreness, which initially raised a red flag considering this was his first year back from Tommy John surgery. However, the left-hander was expected to be ready for the ALCS had the Orioles advanced, so there never appeared to be much internal concern about the setback. Means posted a 2.66 ERA and 10:4 K:BB over 23.2 innings in 2023 after rejoining Baltimore's rotation late in the season.

Scherzer (shoulder) will throw another simulated game Wednesday, Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com reports.

Scherzer pitched three innings (two against hitters) of a sim game ahead of the ALDS, and Wednesday's session will be a test to see how deep into a game he can go. The 39-year-old is recovering from a right teres major strain and may still be held off the Rangers' roster for the ALCS, but Scherzer remains well ahead of schedule in his rehab process.

Urquidy will start Wednesday against the Twins in Game 4 of the ALDS, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

Urquidy seemed to be slated for a bullpen role ahead of Houston's ALDS matchup with Minnesota, but he'll instead get the nod to start as the Astros looks for their seventh consecutive ALCS berth. The 28-year-old righty threw nine straight shutout innings over his final two regular-season outings and has yet to appear in the postseason.

Gibson will be available out of the bullpen in Game 3 of the ALDS on Tuesday versus the Rangers, Danielle Allentuck of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

Gibson would seemingly be an option to start a potential Game 4, but the Orioles are facing elimination from the best-of-five series and will take an all-hands-on-deck approach into Game 3. The veteran right-hander went 15-9 with a 4.73 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 157:55 K:BB over 192 innings (33 starts) during the regular season. He has yet to pitch in the 2023 postseason.

Ryan will get the start in Game 4 of the ALDS on Wednesday versus the Astros, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Ryan has not yet pitched in the 2023 postseason, though he was lined up to start a potential Game 3 of the AL Wild Card Series before the Twins finished off a two-game sweep of the Blue Jays. The 27-year-old right-hander registered an underwhelming 4.51 ERA in 29 regular-season starts, but he showed improved swing-and-miss stuff and excellent command while tallying 197 strikeouts with only 34 walks across 161.2 innings.

Gray (forearm) is on track to rejoin the rotation if the Rangers advance to the ALCS, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Gray landed on the 15-day injured list just before the end of the regular season due to tightness in his lower right forearm, but he has apparently been trending well with his side work. Max Scherzer (shoulder) could also potentially become an option for Texas in the best-of-seven ALCS, rounding out a four-starter mix that already includes Jordan Montgomery and Nathan Eovaldi. If at least Gray is able to return, Andrew Heaney and Dane Dunning would most likely operate in bulk relief.

Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins told reporters over the weekend that the injections Manoah was given in his right shoulder late in the season were initiated by the pitcher, Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun reports.

"It was his decision," Atkins said. "We supported him. He made the decision on his own to move in that direction. There were no structural issues." The GM also acknowledged that Manoah "disagreed with the decision" to option him on both occasions, which "created some frustration." However, Atkins also noted that Manoah has not asked to be traded and the GM is "very much looking forward to him being back in our rotation" next season. While it seems as though Manoah might need to mend some fences with the organization, his primary concern will be to figure out what happened in 2023 and rectifying it.

Kremer will start for the Orioles on Tuesday in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Rangers.

It was seemingly either going to be Kremer or Kyle Gibson, who now appears likely to start a potential Game 4. Kremer finished out the regular season on a high note with a 2.89 ERA over his last 10 starts, including 5.1 shutout frames in his final outing. He'll be going up against Nathan Eovaldi on Tuesday as the Orioles try to stave off elimination.

France and Jose Urquidy are being considered to start for the Astros in Game 4 of the ALDS versus the Twins on Wednesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Manager Dusty Baker seemingly ruled Hunter Brown out when he used the righty in relief in Game 2. France really struggled in the final two months of the regular season in collecting a 5.84 ERA, but he posted a 2.85 mark prior to that. Urquidy pitched to a 5.29 ERA this season while missing time with a shoulder issue, although he pitched well in a spot start in his final appearance of the regular season.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Monday that Verlander is "probably not" an option to start Game 4 of the ALDS against the Twins on short rest, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Houston has not yet announced a Game 4 starter, but it doesn't sound like Verlander is under consideration. Instead, Verlander would presumably be in line to take the ball in a potential Game 5. The Astros are turning to Cristian Javier in Game 3 after splitting the first two games of the series. It figures to be J.P. France or Jose Urquidy starting Game 4 for Houston after Hunter Brown was used in relief in Game 2.