MLB Player News

Kepler (illness) is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Twins.

Kepler had to be pulled from Thursday's contest versus the Marlins due to illness and will miss at least one start. Nick Castellanos will patrol right field and bat seventh in Friday's series opener.

Atlanta claimed Manoah off waivers from the Blue Jays on Friday and optioned him to its spring training complex.

Manoah was somewhat surprisingly designated for assignment by Toronto earlier this week and Atlanta has decided to roll the dice on the 27-year-old. The righty has been limited to just 10 rehab starts in 2025 after coming back from Tommy John surgery, and he's posted a 3.96 ERA and 35:23 K:BB across 38.2 innings. Manoah hasn't had much success at the big-league level since 2022, when he held a 2.24 ERA over 31 starts. He's under team control through 2027 and will likely compete for a spot in the Atlanta rotation next season.

Atlanta transferred Albies (hand) to the 60-day injured list Friday.

Albies was placed on the injured list Tuesday with a fractured left hamate. Friday's move is purely transactional, opening up a spot on the 40-man roster for Alek Manoah, who was claimed off waivers from Toronto. Albies is expected to be fully healthy in time for training camp.

McDonald is slated to start Friday's game against the Rockies in San Francisco.

The rookie right-hander will be awarded another turn through the rotation after he performed well against the Dodgers in his first MLB start this past Sunday, striking out three while allowing one earned run on six hits and one walk over six innings. McDonald will look to build on that performance with another positive outing against the Rockies, which could improve his chances of being part of the Giants' Opening Day rotation in 2026.

Young is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the White Sox.

Young isn't part of the starting nine for a second straight game after making three consecutive starts in center field. Robert Hassell will patrol center field instead.

House is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the White Sox.

House will yield to Paul DeJong at third base for a second straight game. House had started in Washington's four previous contests. The 22-year-old rookie is slashing .236/.255/.327 with four home runs and five stolen bases in 267 plate appearances.

Leahy is lined up to serve as the Cardinals' opening pitcher for Sunday's game against the Cubs, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

As long as Leahy isn't needed to pitch in relief Friday or Saturday, he'll lead off a bullpen game in the final day of the regular season. Leahy has never started a game at the big-league level, but the Cardinals plan to stretch him out next season for a potential spot in the rotation. The 28-year-old hasn't gone more than two innings in any of his last 15 appearances, so his workload will be limited Sunday.

Kelly is out of the lineup for Friday's game against St. Louis.

Kelly will yield to Reese McGuire behind the dish for Friday's series opener. It looks to be just a rest day for Kelly, who had caught four consecutive games leading up to the contest.

The Cubs activated Tucker (calf) from the 10-day injured list Friday.

Tucker has finally been cleared to return to action after missing most of September with a strained left calf. He will start in the designated hitter spot and bat cleanup during Friday's series opener against the Cardinals. Tucker could see regular starts at DH this weekend and during next week's National League Wild Card Series as the Cubs look to protect his calf.

Winn's surgery to repair a torn right meniscus was successful, and he's expected to be a full-go in time for spring training, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The 23-year-old shortstop expects to be 100 percent by January. Winn played through the injury for several months before being shut down in mid-September. He slashed .253/.310/.363 with nine home runs and nine stolen bases across 537 plate appearances in 2025.