MLB Player News

Giolito (elbow) exercised his $19 million player option for 2025 on Thursday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Giolito was unlikely to receive anything close to a $19 million salary in free agency after missing all of 2024 due to an elbow procedure he underwent in March, so it's unsurprising to see him opt into another year with the Red Sox. The 30-year-old right-hander started a throwing program in early August, though it remains unclear if he'll be ready to go for the start of spring training.

Cole took a no-decision Wednesday versus the Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series, getting charged with five runs (zero earned) on four hits and four walks over 6.2 innings. He struck out six.

All five unearned runs came in the top of the fifth inning on two singles, a double, a walk and two errors. One of the singles was credited to Mookie Betts on what should have been an inning-ending groundout, but Cole failed to cover first base. The first Dodgers run scored on that play and four more followed before Cole finally escaped the frame. Cole settled back in after that and was in line for the win when he was pulled with one on and two out in the seventh, but the Dodgers tallied a couple runs in the eighth to go ahead for good. In five starts this postseason, Cole held a 2.17 ERA and 22:10 K:BB over 29 frames.

Gil received a no-decision Tuesday, yielding four runs on five hits over four-plus innings as the Yankees took Game 4 of the World Series over the Dodgers. He walked two and struck out one batter.

Gil served up a two-run homer to Freddie Freeman in the first inning before settling in to face one over the minimum from the second to fourth frames. The right-hander remained in to start the top of the fifth but was pulled after allowing a leadoff homer to Will Smith and a walk to Tommy Edman. The Yankees' bullpen locked things down after that with five scoreless frames. Gil has lasted four innings in both of his postseason outings, yielding a total of six runs. He does not project to start another game during the World Series but could be available in relief, if needed, should the Yankees extend the series back to Los Angeles.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday that the blister issue Rodon dealt with during his World Series Game 2 start is "manageable" and is not expected to prevent him from making another start, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

The blister might have affected Rodon's command against the Dodgers, particularly with his slider. However, it does not appear he's in danger of missing a start, which is tentatively slated for Friday in Game 6, if necessary. Rodon yielded three home runs and four runs in total in his Game 2 loss.

Gil will start Tuesday against the Dodgers in Game 4 of the World Series, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Gil allowed three earned runs over 5.2 innings when he went up against the Dodgers in early June, and his performance has been trending downward as of late, as he's yielded 12 runs in 15 frames across his last three outings. He'll be following Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt in the rotation, as his two teammates will start Games 2 and 3, respectively.

Cortes (elbow) was added to the Yankees' World Series roster Friday.

Cortes has been shelved since late September with a left flexor strain but had faced hitters a couple times over the past week and bounced back with no issues. The left-hander is expected to be used in relief by the Yankees, although it's unclear how many innings he might be able to go.

Schmidt will start Monday against the Dodgers in Game 3 of the World Series, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Schmidt has allowed four earned runs over 9.1 innings across his two postseason appearances, and he'll have the challenging task of keeping quiet a Dodgers offense that's posted an impressive .785 OPS during the playoffs. The 28-year-old righty will follow Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon in New York's World Series rotation.

Rodon will start Saturday in Game 2 of the World Series against the Dodgers, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.

The southpaw was the obvious choice to follow Game 1 starter Gerrit Cole, and Rodon revealed Thursday that he's been told he will indeed take the ball in Game 2. In three starts so far this postseason, Rodon holds a 4.40 ERA and 22:1 K:BB over 14.1 frames. He will be opposed by Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday that there's a "good chance" Cortes (elbow) will be on the team's World Series roster, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.

Cortes will throw another live batting practice session Tuesday and, as long as he gets through that with no concerns, it sounds like he'll be part of the Yankees' roster for the Fall Classic against the Dodgers. It's expected that Cortes would be used as a reliever, although Boone hasn't officially committed to that. The southpaw has been out since late September with a left flexor strain.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday that Cole will start Friday in Game 1 of the World Series, Laura Albanese of Newsday reports.

The Yankees wrapping up the ALCS in five games allowed them to set up their rotation as they wanted, and that means Cole taking the ball in Game 1. Boone added that Cole will likely be followed by Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil, in that order, although he has not yet etched that into stone. Cole holds a 3.31 ERA and 12:6 K:BB over 16.1 innings in three starts this postseason.