MLB Player News

Meidroth is out of the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Rockies due to left hamstring discomfort, James Fegan of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Manager Will Venable downplayed the issue, saying that the 25-year-old is available off the bench. However, Meidroth is reportedly playing through a variety of injuries, and with Chicago now locked into the playoffs, it wouldn't be surprising to see him receive additional rest over the final weekend of the regular season.

Scherzer could be the starter for the Blue Jays' regular-season finale against the Reds on Sunday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

With the Blue Jays eliminated from playoff contention, Sunday's game could be Scherzer's final start in his major-league career, in what would be in front of the home crowd at Rogers Centre. It hasn't exactly been the final season that the veteran right-hander has hoped for, with Scherzer sporting a 3-9 record (across 17 starts) with a 6.14 ERA and 1.36 WHIP across 77.2 innings. Still, Sunday's matinee would be the opportunity for Scherzer to end his career on a high note, assuming he hangs up the cleats during the offseason.

Cease (shoulder) said Friday that he anticipates having a relatively normal offseason, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Surgery was ruled out, but Cease will take some downtime over the next several weeks to allow the inflammation in his shoulder to subside. He still expects to be ready for the start of spring training in 2027. A Cy Young candidate throughout much of the campaign, Cease finishes the 2026 season with a 2.40 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 239 strikeouts across 29 starts and 169 innings.

Bateman (hip) is expected to return to the starting lineup Saturday against the Reds, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Bateman left Monday's game with right hip discomfort and has not seen the field since, but he is making progress and it sounds like he will play again this weekend, even with the Blue Jays now officially out of playoff contention. Depending on how Bateman responds to pregame work Friday, he could be available off the bench for the series opener against Cincinnati.

Gasper will likely miss the AL Wild Card Series against the Yankees after suffering a biceps injury during the first game of Friday's doubleheader against the Cubs, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

The results of Gasper's MRI have not been disclosed, but it sounds like the Red Sox are preparing to be without him for at least the first round of the playoffs. Gasper was injured on a swinging strikeout in the fifth inning of Friday's matinee. Manager Chad Tracy said afterward that Gasper was in "some pretty good discomfort."

Rafaela remains out of the starting lineup for the second game of Friday's doubleheader against the Cubs, Ari Alexander of 7 News Boston reports.

Right hamstring tightness forced Rafaela from Wednesday's game -- his very first game back from a right quad strain -- though he was back in the lineup Thursday. He may be dealing with some lingering effects of the hamstring injury. It's also possible the Red Sox are just playing it safe with their playoff seeding now set.

Santander (shoulder) will not be returning to the Blue Jays this season, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Santander had been working his way back from left shoulder surgery, advancing to a rehab assignment earlier this month. However, he had a back issue crop up during his assignment, and the Blue Jays ultimately decided to have him get an early start on his offseason training. Santander did not make a single big-league appearance this season and has totaled just 54 regular-season games played in his first two years with Toronto.

The Red Sox recalled Paez from Triple-A Worcester after the first game of Friday's doubleheader against the Cubs.

Paez will be up to provide length out of the bullpen in the nightcap, replacing Raymond Burgos on the active roster. Paez has allowed a whopping 14 runs in 6.2 innings in the majors, but he fared well in five starts with Worcester this season, posting a 2.08 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 26:3 K:BB in 21.2 innings. He threw six innings of one-run ball in his most recent Triple-A outing back on Sept. 15.

The Red Sox optioned Burgos after the first game of Friday's doubleheader against the Cubs.

Burgos tossed two hitless and scoreless innings in Game 1, fanning three. With MLB not allowing teams to add an extra player for twin bills in September, Boston went ahead and swapped Burgos out for a fresh arm in Jedixson Paez.

Meidroth is not in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Rockies.

Meidroth has been running hot lately, collecting multiple hits in each of his last three games and slashing .385/.429/.615 over his last 10 games. However, he will get a breather Friday as the White Sox go with Sam Antonacci at second base and Randal Grichuk in left field against right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano.