MLB Player News

Hjerpe is expected to work as a piggyback pitcher behind starter Kyle Leahy in Thursday's game against the Pirates.

Since being called up from Triple-A Memphis on Sept. 6, Hjerpe has made all three of his appearances to date as part of a piggyback tandem with Leahy, whose workload the Cardinals are deliberately looking to keep in check as the season winds down. The rookie left-hander has had mixed results thus far, going 1-0 with a 12:6 K:BB while yielding six earned runs and giving up four hits across nine innings.

Cantillo is slated to pitch in bulk relief behind opener Daniel Espino in Thursday's game at Boston, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

For a third straight appearance, Cantillo will work in relief of Espino, who is likely to be limited to 1-to-2 innings. Cantillo has looked sharp out of the bullpen, posting a 13:2 K:BB while giving up just three hits over 10 shutout frames.

The Royals recalled Bivens from the Arizona Complex League on Thursday.

Bivens will give the Royals another bullpen option while Steven Cruz (paternity) is away. The 32-year-old Bivens has been touched up for 10 runs (eight earned) over five innings covering his four outings in the big leagues this season.

Gibson (2-3) picked up the win in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against Toronto, allowing three hits and two walks over 6.2 scoreless innings. He struck out seven.

In his first big-league start since June 30, Gibson took advantage of a demoralized Blue Jays squad that had been eliminated from playoff contention in the first half of the twin bill. The result was the best start of the 24-year-old righty's brief career, as he fired 65 of 92 pitches for strikes in his first quality start. He's struggled to find much consistency in 2026, either in the majors or at Triple-A, but with Trevor Rogers and Chris Bassitt both set to reach free agency this offseason, there could be a spot in the 2027 rotation for Gibson.

The Royals placed Cruz on the paternity leave list Thursday.

By rule, Cruz will miss the next 1-to-3 games while welcoming a new baby, so he should be back for Sunday's season finale, at minimum. Cruz has registered three of the past four saves for the Royals, which includes his eighth save of the season in Wednesday's win over the White Sox. While Cruz is away, the Royals could turn to Nate Pearson for save chances.

Garcia is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest versus the White Sox.

The Royals have given Garcia one day off per series since he returned from the injured list last week. After reaching base seven times in the first two games of the three-game set, he'll grab a seat during Thursday's matinee. Nick Loftin will play third base in Garcia's stead.

Caglianone is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the White Sox.

Caglianone had started the last four contests, going 7-for-15 at the plate. He'll get a breather during Thursday's afternoon tilt. John Rave will patrol right field and will occupy the No. 7 slot in the Royals' batting order.

Alonso went 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run home run in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader sweep of the Blue Jays.

The first baseman took future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer deep in the fifth inning, Alonso's ninth homer in September and his 41st of the season. His first year with Baltimore has gone as well as the team could have hoped -- in addition to an .871 OPS that's tied for the second-best mark of his career, he's reached the 40-homer mark for the fourth time and the 100-RBI plateau for the fifth time. Alonso also needs to cross the plate just four more times to record his second season with 100-plus runs.

Kittredge recorded his 11th save of the season in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Blue Jays, giving up a hit and striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning.

The right-hander has remained in the late-inning mix even with Felix Bautista back in the fold, and Kittredge (two) and Rico Garcia (four) have split Baltimore's last six saves. Since the beginning of August, Kittredge has collected two wins, three holds and seven saves in 19 appearances with a 3.63 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 12:2 K:BB over 17.1 innings.

Bassitt (9-5) picked up the win in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader sweep of the Blue Jays, allowing two runs on seven hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out two.

It was something of a revenge game for veteran right-hander, as with the victory Bassitt helped eliminate his former club from playoff contention while keeping Baltimore's faint wild-card hopes alive. Bassitt has been on a roll to close out the 2026 regular season, winning five of his last six starts while posting a 3.63 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 28:12 K:BB over 34.2 innings.