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    No update on Esmerlyn Valdez (hand) after hit-by-pitch

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    PIT Right Fielder #55
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    The Pirates didn’t provide an update on Esmerlyn Valdez (hand, wrist) following Monday’s game against the Diamondbacks.

    It’s surprising that the Pirates didn’t offer a postgame update after Valdez was hit by a pitch during the early stages of Monday’s series opener against the Diamondbacks. The power-hitting 22-year-old appeared to get hit in the left hand/wrist area and presumably underwent X-rays to determine whether he suffered any fractures. It’s possible there was too much swelling to be able to tell anything on initial imaging. There should be some much-needed clarity on his status leading into Tuesday’s contest.
Passan: Lockout and 2027 season both 'inevitable'
Jeff Passan joins John Fanta and Jay Croucher on Fanta in 60 to talk why he believes there will be an MLB season in 2027, who he's taking in Game 6 of the ALCS, the Yankees and more.

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  • PIT Right Fielder #55
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    Valdez winds up on the shelf after suffering the injury during Friday’s game against the Cubs. He’s likely done for the season with just over two weeks left. The power-hitting 22-year-old wraps up a strong rookie campaign with a .232/.345/.510 slash line with 40 runs scored, 17 homers and 47 RBI across 287 plate appearances in 72 games. His all-or-nothing approach, which yielded a 37 percent strikeout rate in his first taste of the majors, is going to result in some extended cold spells, but he’s capable of launching homers in bunches when he’s locked in at the dish.
  • PIT Right Fielder #55
    No surprise after Valdez was removed from Friday’s game with hamstring discomfort. It sounds like a potential injured list situation, but the Pirates have the roster flexibility to wait a couple days before making that decision, if that’s how they want to proceed. It’ll be Jake Mangum taking over in right field for the moment.
  • PIT Right Fielder #55
    The Pirates are calling it hamstring discomfort, but Valdez had to be helped off the field. Unless was just a really bad cramp, Valdez’s season is most likely over. That would mean more at-bats for Jake Mangum and Billy Cook, unless maybe the Pirates want to give Jhostynxon Garcia a try. Garcia, though, just returned from injury in Triple-A.
  • PIT Right Fielder #55
    The homer off Davis Martin was Valdez’s third in 34 games after he hit 14 in 37 games to open his major league career. He’d seem to be in line to lose some playing time once Ryan O’Hearn comes off the IL, though probably not as much as he’d lose if O’Hearn were ready to play right field right away. Most likely, he’ll be limited to DH and first base initially.
  • PIT Right Fielder #55
    Valdez was a great story earlier this year, and he should certainly get a chance to compete for a lineup spot in 2027, but he has really struggled of late. In 39 games since the All-Star break, he is hitting .189/.335/.379 with six home runs and 18 RBI but also a 39.6 percent strikeout rate and just a 71.7 percent zone contact rate. Those contact issues are going to continue to be a major obstacle to his fantasy value unless he can find a fix, and he does not need to be rostered in redraft leagues right now.
  • PIT Right Fielder #55
    After four weeks of being stuck on 14 homers, Valdez has collected two in his last four games. He’s racking a lot more strikeouts than hits of late, but at least he has drawn some walks to keep his OBP up; he’s batted .197/.337/.325 with 40 strikeouts in 95 plate appearances this month. He’ll probably remain in the lineup most of the time until Ryan O’Hearn returns, something that’s at least a couple of weeks away from happening.
  • PIT Right Fielder #55
    Valdez doubled in the first inning and came around to score when Bryan Reynolds followed with a double of his own. He doubled again in the third, this time scoring on a Brandon Lowe groundout. The 22-year-old was off to an electric start in his big league career, but he has slumped in August with a strikeout rate pushing 40 percent. The slump coincides with a stretch in which the entire Pittsburgh lineup has struggled to produce. Valdez will ultimately be a streaky hitter with big power and big swing-and-miss.
  • PIT Right Fielder #55
    Since taking a scary-looking hit by pitch last Tuesday, Valdez is 1-for-23 in his last eight games. Ronny Simon is starting in right field against RHP Dustin May.
  • PIT Right Fielder #55
    Valdez managed to avoid serious injury, with initial X-rays came back negative for any fractures, after being hit in the left wrist by a pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning on Monday night. He’s back in right field and hitting cleanup following the injury scare. The 22-year-old rookie slugger has been an unexpected revelation for Pittsburgh, and fantasy managers as well, hitting .290/.386/.702 with 14 homers and 36 RBI across 145 plate appearances in 38 games this season. He’s overdue for some regression in the batting average department based on his plate skills, but the over-the-fence power is very real and it’s fantastic.
  • PIT Right Fielder #55
    Valdez had to be removed from the game and appeared to be in clear pain. However, the X-rays revealed no fracture, so the 22-year-old will simply wait for the pain and swelling to go down before re-entering the lineup. Both the Pirates and fantasy managers can breathe a sigh of relief.

Rotoworld

  • MIL Starting Pitcher #53
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    Brandon Woodruff said he was sitting 90-92 mph while throwing 23 pitches to Brewers hitters Tuesday.

    Woodruff is hoping to be included on the Brewers’ World Series roster after missing the last 4 1/2 months with a shoulder injury. His velocity apparently is back close to the 91.8 mph he averaged with his fastball in nine starts before going down this season. Still, it seems like something of a long shot that he’ll be activated.
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    Orioles re-signed LHP Jayvien Sandridge to a minor league contract.

    Sandridge, a 27-year-old reliever, opened the season on the Orioles’ 40-man, but he gave up six runs in 5 1/3 innings in six appearances for Triple-A Norfolk and then missed the rest of the year, The left-hander has made one career major league appearance, giving up two runs in two-thirds of an inning for the Yankees in 2025.

  • HOU Starting Pitcher #58
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    The Astros are hiring Spencer Medick as their director of pitching.

    Medick, 35, spent the last four years in the Yankees’ system, serving as a Triple-A pitching coach this year. He had a very brief career in the minors in the Diamondbacks’ system, posting a 1.17 ERA in 30 2/3 innings as a Rookie-ball reliever in 2014. That wasn’t enough to keep him around, though, and he finished his pitching career in indy ball in 2018.
  • HOU Designated Hitter #44
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    Sources told The Athletic that the Astros are looking at the Brewers’ Matt Kleine, the White Sox’s Josh Barfield and the Cardinals’ Randy Flores in their hunt for a general manager.

    Chandler Rome says it’s unclear if the team is still considering any of its current assistant GMs — Charles Cook, Gavin Dickey and Connor Huff — for the head job replacing Dana Brown, who was let go in August. Kleine, Barfield and Flores are all assistant GMs for their teams. Kleine previously interned for the Astros in 2007 before being hired by the Brewers and working his way up.
  • MIL Starting Pitcher #53
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    The Brewers might exclude Brandon Woodruff from the World Series roster out of concern that the league wouldn’t allow them to replace him in the event of a shoulder setback.

    The rule for replacing injured players in the postseason is that it has to be a new injury, so the Brewers might be stuck with Woodruff on the roster and unable to pitch if something goes wrong. Woodruff hasn’t pitched since June because of a shoulder injury that was originally thought would require season-ending surgery. If he’s added to the World Series roster, it could be at the expense of Kyle Harrison, who has yet to pitch in the postseason.
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    Yankees SS prospect Dax Kilby went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, a triple, and two steals in Arizona Fall League action on Monday.

    The 19-year-old had an inconsistent first full professional season, hitting .242/.427/.403 in 36 games with four home runs and 12 steals. However, he also had a 35/40 K/BB ratio and showed elite plate discipline. Kilby is hitting .290 with a .964 OPS in Arizona Fall League action and now has four steals. He should begin next season in Single-A, and it remains to be seen what his long-term positional fit is with George Lombard Jr. now up with the Yankees at shortstop.
  • SF Relief Pitcher #73
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    Randy Rodríguez (elbow) threw a scoreless inning in the Arizona Fall League on Monday.

    Rodríguez allowed one hit but struck out two in his inning of work. Perhaps more importantly, he sat 96.5 mph, which was up from 95 mph in his first outing, and he touched 98 mph on the radar gun. The 27-year-old has yet to allow a run in his AFL action and could be the favorite for saves in San Francisco heading into the 2027 season.
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    Cardinals OF prospect Tai Peete went 4-for-4 with a walk, two doubles, a triple, an RBI, two runs scored, and two steals in Arizona Fall League action on Monday night.

    Peete was everywhere in this one. The 21-year-old now has six steals, three doubles, and two triples in AFL action, while hitting .361 with a 1.091 OPS. Peete, who came over in an offseason trade for Brendan Donovan, missed over two months this season with an illness, but finished the year strong at Double-A. He figures to start there again in 2027, but a hot start, paired with his strong AFL results, could lead to a Triple-A promotion in short order.
  • CLE Left Fielder #38
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    Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan could be back on the trade block this offseason, according to Robert Murray.

    Murray reported that many teams expressed interest in acquiring Kwan at this year’s trade deadline, but the Guardians saw a chance to make a playoff run and opted to hold onto their outfielder. Now, with Kwan entering the final year of his deal and the Guardians unlikely to sign him to an extension, the market for him is likely to heat up again. Kwan had a down year in 2026, hitting .282/.382/.349 with three home runs and 32 RBI; however, he was sixth in baseball in WAR from June 30 to the end of the regular season, and some teams may see that as a sign that he is due for a bounce-back in 2027.
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    Junior Caminero hit a two-run homer as the Rays beat the Guardians 7-3 in Game 6 of the ALCS on Monday.

    The Rays advance to their third-ever trip to the World Series with the win. Caminero took Cade Smith deep off the pole with a runner on, and it gave the 23-year-old slugger his first homer of the postseason after he walloped 42 of them in the regular campaign. He seemed to enjoy it, as it took him nearly 40 seconds to round the bases. Let the kids play. The 23-year-old also singled and walked to improve his playoff OPS to .814 over his nine postseason games. Caminero and the Rays will begin the Fall Classic against the Brewers on Friday, and both organizations will have a chance to win their first-ever championship.
    - Christopher Crawford