MLB Player News

Cincinnati claimed Thompson off waivers from the Royals on Thursday.

The former Rangers prospect was let go by Texas this past August and finished out the 2023 season with the Royals' Triple-A affiliate in Omaha. Thompson has great speed and is only 25 years old, but he owns a weak .242/.286/.305 batting line with one home run in 241 career major-league plate appearances.

Atlanta signed Johnson to a two-year, $14.25 million contract extension Wednesday.

Johnson will make $7 million in both 2024 and 2025, and the new deal also includes a $7 million club option (or $250,000 buyout) for 2026. The 32-year-old right-hander was acquired from the Rockies this past July and went on to deliver a 0.76 ERA and 32:5 K:BB over his final 23.2 regular-season innings with the NL East champions. He then carried that over into the playoffs, logging three scoreless relief appearances in the best-of-five NLDS against the Phillies.

Kennedy was claimed off waivers by the Cardinals on Wednesday.

Kennedy, 25, played in 40 games at the major-league level for the Diamondbacks from 2022-23, slashing .206/.293/.299 with one home run. He was most recently in the Athletics organization after they claimed him off waivers, but he didn't appear in the big leagues with them. Kennedy posted an .887 OPS with five homers in 101 contests at the Triple-A level this season and is likely headed back to the minors to start 2024.

Gallen will start Friday in Game 1 of the World Series against the Rangers, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Gallen was available in relief but wasn't needed as the Diamondbacks disposed of the Phillies in Game 7 of the NLCS on Tuesday to advance to the World Series. He'll be pitching on five days' rest after taking a loss in each of his two NLCS outings. The Rangers have not yet named a Game 1 starter.

Peralta underwent flexor tendon surgery on his left arm Tuesday, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Peralta broke news of the surgery when he posted pictures of himself post-op, and now we know what kind of procedure he had done. The outfielder is expected to be ready to hit and throw again by March, but his readiness for Opening Day would seem to be very much in question. Harris notes that Peralta played through the injury since around the All-Star break, which could help explain a .578 OPS and zero home runs in the second half. Peralta, 36, will be a free agent this offseason.

Suarez allowed three runs on six hits across 4.2 innings to take the loss in Tuesday's 4-2 defeat to the Diamondbacks in Game 7 of the NLCS. He struck out six.

Suarez's luck finally ran out, as he allowed three runs in a postseason outing for the first time in nine career playoff games. The majority of the damage came in the fifth inning, when Corbin Carroll knocked in an RBI single. Jeff Hoffman then replaced Suarez and allowed Carroll to score, which left Suarez with an additional run and stuck him in line for the loss. Suarez's postseason concludes with a sterling 1.93 ERA and 0.80 WHIP with 19 strikeouts across 18.2 innings.

Carroll went 3-for-4 with two runs, two RBI and two stolen bases in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Phillies in Game 7 of the NLCS.

Carroll had a much-needed offensive breakthrough in Tuesday's outing since he had gone 3-for-24 in the prior six games of the series. The rookie outfielder is now in second place for steals in this postseason with four total and showed his utilization of elite-level sprint speed to generate runs. Carroll is now slashing .295/.396/.455 with two home runs, nine runs and six RBI in 44 at-bats this postseason.

Pfaadt did not factor into the decision in Tuesday's 4-2 victory over the Phillies in Game 7 of the NLCS, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks across four innings. He struck out seven.

Pfaadt once again chained together a successful outing, pitching only four innings in the contest as the team turned things over to the bullpen in a do-or-die game. Despite the shorter appearance, Pfaadt still impressed in the strikeout column. He has now pitched to an 11.9 K/9 in 16.2 postseason innings, compared to a 8.8 mark across 96 regular-season innings. The hope heading into the World Series is that Pfaadt can maintain his newly discovered strikeout gains and continue his postseason success. He has pitched to a 2.70 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with 22 strikeouts in those 16.2 playoff innings.

Thompson pitched 1.1 perfect innings en route to a win in Tuesday's 4-2 victory over the Phillies in Game 7 of the NLCS.

Thompson was summoned into the game in the fifth inning with Kyle Schwarber in scoring position at second base, but he managed to escape the jam and pitch a clean sixth. Thompson's high ground ball rate, which accounted for 61.2 percent of balls in play against him in 30.2 regular-season innings, allows him to pitch to contact and helps to generate perfect outings like Tuesday's performance. So far this postseason, Thompson has a 2.53 ERA and 1.22 WHIP across 10.2 innings with eight strikeouts.

Sewald pitched a perfect inning to close out the game in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Phillies in Game 7 of the NLCS.

Sewald has yet to give up a run in the playoffs this year, putting together a dominant run of six saves in as many opportunities. The right-hander generated flyouts on all three outs as the Phillies were likely attempting to make any kind of contact to spare elimination. The 33-year-old closer will now have the opportunity to prepare for his first World Series. He has pitched to a 0.50 WHIP across eight scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts this postseason.