MLB Player News

Manager Dave Roberts stated Monday that Sasaki will be on the roster for the team's National League Wild Card Series against the Reds, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Sasaki has looked sharp since his return from a right shoulder impingement, racking up four strikeouts in two scoreless relief appearances (two innings) during the final week of the regular season. Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia and Blake Treinen may be LA's top options in high-leverage situations heading into the postseason, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see Sasaki called upon in a key scenario or two given his electric stuff.

Littell will start Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series against the Dodgers on Wednesday, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Littell hadn't been particularly effective down the stretch of the regular season, accruing a 4.91 ERA over 25.2 frames during his final five appearances, but he'll toe the rubber in LA for Game 2. He found success in his last start against the Dodgers on July 30, allowing two hits and four walks while striking out four across five scoreless innings.

Lodolo will be available out of the bullpen during the National League Wild Card Series against the Dodgers, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

This news comes after the club announced Zack Littell will start Game 2, and Andrew Abbott would be deployed for a Game 3 start if necessary. Lodolo's lone relief appearance took place in the final game of the regular season Sunday against Milwaukee, when he allowed one run on two hits and two walks over one inning.

Hurt (elbow) threw a live batting-practice session Monday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Hurt saw action at Triple-A Oklahoma City down the stretch of the regular season, and the fact that he's getting work ahead of Tuesday's Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series against Cincinnati may mean he's being considered for postseason play. Clarity on whether Hurt will be active for the series will come closer to first pitch Tuesday.

Snell will start Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series against the Reds on Tuesday.

Skipper Dave Roberts hinted Sunday that Snell was in line for the nod in Game 1, and the team confirmed him as the starter Monday evening. Snell looked locked in during his final three appearances of the regular season, posting a 0.47 ERA with 28 strikeouts across 19.0 innings.

Yamamoto will start Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series against the Reds on Wednesday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Yamamoto finished off the regular season on a high note, tossing 11.1 scoreless frames while striking out 14 in his last two appearances. The 27-year-old drew four starts in the postseason a year ago, posting a 3.86 ERA and 0.96 WHIP with a 15:6 K:BB across 18.2 innings.

Smith (hand) will take more swings in the batting cage Monday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Smith responded well to taking swings in the batting cage Saturday, and if Monday's session goes well, the catcher will face some live pitching Monday night. If the session goes poorly, Smith would likely be ruled out for the Dodgers' upcoming wild-card round series against the Reds beginning Tuesday. In his absence, Ben Rortvedt has been handling the bulk of the workload behind the plate, and he would likely do so if Smith can't give it a go versus Cincinnati.

Muncy (lower body) will be available for Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series against the Reds on Tuesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Muncy has been trending in the right direction over the last few days after being held out at the end of the regular season due to lower-body soreness, and Ardaya notes that he'll get a few more swings in Monday evening during a live BP session. Assuming he's able to avoid any kind of last-minute setback, expect Muncy to be in the starting nine for Tuesday's matchup.

Boyd will start Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series on Tuesday against the Padres, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Boyd has been named the top choice for Chicago to open up the wild-card round after Cade Horton went down with a rib injury. Shota Imanaga was presumably also in the conversation, but given his shaky 5.97 ERA over his last six starts, it'll be Boyd who gets the call in Game 1, with Imanaga a candidate to follow in Game 2. Boyd faced San Diego in two starts during the regular season, both in April, surrendering two runs on 11 hits and three walks while striking out eight across 11.1 frames.

Alvarez will undergo surgery in the coming days to repair a sprained UCL in his right thumb, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez suffered the injury in late August, but he elected to delay surgery until the offseason and returned to play in early September. The operation could delay Alvarez's offseason workouts a bit, but it should not affect his availability for the beginning of spring training.