MLB Player News

The Rays named Rasmussen as their starting pitcher for Game 1 of the ALCS against the Guardians on Monday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Tampa Bay's three-game sweep of the Yankees made it easy to set up their ace to start Game 1 of the ALCS, so this announcement is hardly a surprise. Rasmussen dominated New York in the division series, striking out 10 with just one hit and two walks allowed across eight scoreless innings.

McClanahan (forearm) won't be available to pitch during the rest of the postseason, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

It would have been a great story for the left-hander to rejoin the Rays during their playoff run after going down with forearm soreness in early September, but it's not a major surprise he's been ruled out given that there's been no indication he's close to game ready. McClanahan also spent time on the IL earlier in the season due to a back issue, limiting him to 24 starts. He posted a 3.36 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 106:39 K:BB across 118 innings this season and is entering his penultimate year of arbitration eligibility in 2027. Manager Kevin Cash indicated that McClanahan should be fully ready for the start of spring training, per Topkin.

The Dodgers added Wrobleski to their roster for the NLCS against the Brewers, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.

The southpaw was left off the roster for the NLDS, but Los Angeles will shore up its pitching staff for the best-of-seven championship series. Wrobleski was a key rotation piece for much of the regular season before coming out of the bullpen for his final six appearances. He posted a 3.66 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 118:31 K:BB across 140 innings.

Burke was charged with the loss in Game 5 of the ALDS against the Guardians on Saturday, giving up two runs on four hits with four strikeouts and no walks over five innings.

The White Sox couldn't have asked for much more from Burke, who surrendered the only runs of the game on a two-run homer by Jose Ramirez during the fourth inning. The right-hander can hardly be faulted for the long ball given that the pitch was a mere 0.74 feet off the ground, which is the lowest pitch hit for a home run in the playoffs since tracking was implemented in 2008. Burke received his first taste of the postseason this year and equipped himself well in three games with a 3.77 ERA, 0.70 WHIP and 18:1 K:BB across 14.1 innings.

Williams earned the win in Game 5 of the ALDS against the White Sox on Saturday, striking out 12 and allowing one hit and two walks across 5.2 scoreless innings.

Williams took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, but he was unable to complete that frame after loading the bases via a hit-by-pitch, a single and a walk. Still, it was a dominant performance from the right-hander, who helped the Guardians set an MLB record for strikeouts in a nine-inning game -- both regular season and playoffs -- with 21, per Sarah Langs of MLB.com. Williams made two starts and one relief appearance during the ALDS, punching out 24 with a 1.54 ERA and 0.94 WHIP over 11.2 innings. He now tentatively lines up to start Games 3 and 7 of the ALCS against the Rays, but manager Stephen Vogt has already shown he's willing to utilize his starter pitchers flexibly this postseason.

Misiorowski will start Game 1 of the NLCS against the Dodgers on Sunday.

Misiorowski took the mound to begin the opening contest of the NLDS against San Diego, and the Brewers will turn to their ace again to begin their best-of-seven series against Los Angeles. The 24-year-old is a strong contender to take home the NL Cy Young Award after posting a 1.80 ERA and 0.80 WHIP across 174.2 innings in the regular season, but he wasn't quite as dominant during his first postseason outing, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk while fanning six batters in four innings.

Skubal will start Game 1 of the NLCS against the Brewers on Sunday, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

Skubal was brilliant during his start in Game 1 of the NLDS against Atlanta, giving up just one earned run on two hits and two walks while striking out seven batters over six innings. He'll aim to maintain his success as he takes the mound to open the series against the Brewers, whom he gave up six runs (five earned) to over 12 innings in the regular season.

Williams will start Game 5 of the ALDS versus the White Sox on Saturday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Williams finished out the Guardians' Game 4 victory Thursday, throwing 18 pitches in a scoreless inning on what would have typically been his bullpen day. That appearance will not, however, prevent him from starting Saturday's winner-take-all contest. Williams struck out 11 and was charged with two runs over five-plus innings in Game 2, taking a no-decision. He will be opposed by Sean Burke in Game 5.

Olson (shoulder) is taking part in a throwing progression and is expected to be ready for spring training, MLB.com reports.

Olson missed the entire 2026 season following a right shoulder labral repair in early February. Setbacks cannot be ruled out as he works his way back from major shoulder surgery, but as things stand right now the Tigers believe he'll be ready to compete for a rotation spot during spring training.

White Sox manager Will Venable said Friday that Burke will start Saturday in Game 5 of the ALDS versus the Guardians, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Burke got the win in bulk relief in Game 2 of the series, yielding just one run over 5.1 innings while fanning six batters. The White Sox have elected to have the right-hander make a traditional start in Saturday's winner-take-all affair. He is expected to be opposed by Gavin Williams.