Jordan Lawlar (hamstring) continues rehab assignment

Morales has four homers in 43 plate appearances since being called up, giving him a .279/.279/.651 line. We’d say he’s still looking for his first walk, but that doesn’t really seem to be the case. Morales split time pretty evenly between first and third in the minors this year, but the Nationals have thus far only used him at first in the majors. It could set up a battle between he, Abimelec Ortiz and Andrés Chaparro at first base for the Nationals in spring.

Lord was the Nationals’ second most valuable pitcher behind MacKenzie Gore while making 19 starts and 29 relief appearances last year. This year, he opened up in the pen and has made only five starts, all of which were short. This is the ninth time this season he’s gotten either nine or 10 outs, but he’s never topped 3 1/3 innings. One more out today probably would have earned him a win; he exited in the fifth before the Nationals scored three runs in the sixth. He’s remained pretty useful, posting a 3.78 ERA in 83 1/3 innings despite missing four weeks with a side issue in July.

Cruz entered a 4-1 game with two on and two outs in the eighth and struck out Spencer Torkelson to end the threat. He then allowed one run on three singles before closing out the ninth. Cruz has a 7.45 ERA and an 8/8 K/BB in 9 2/3 innings since arriving from the Yankees in the Luis García Jr. trade. The stuff is there to make him probably the Nationals’ most intriguing internal closer candidate next year. They should really aim for some outside help, though.

Valdez opened with five scoreless innings today to lower his ERA from 4.06 to 3.94, but he gave up three straight singles to start the sixth, with his one out coming because of a baserunning miscue. He was lifted down 1-0, with his ERA sitting at 3.98. However, the remaining runner came around to score off Tyler Kinley, pushing Valdez’s ERA back up to 4.03 to end the year. He also fell to 10-12. The collapse of his strikeout rate this year seems like a bad sign going forward, but at least he did turn back into a very strong groundball pitcher over the last four months. He might be through as a top-20 fantasy starter, but he should still offer some mixed-league value next year.

Another good game for McGonigle with no one driving him in. He’s scored just once in seven games, even though he has 12 hits and three walks in the span. It looks like he was going to reach the century mark in runs scored as a rookie, but he’s stuck on 95 now with just three games to go.

On a day that the rest of the Tigers combined to strike out five times. For Torkelson, this follows a game Tuesday in which he was 0-for-0 with three walks and a HBP. He’s been in the midst of a strong September after briefly being dropped into more of a platoon role. We’ll just have to wait and see if 25 homers and a .228/.328/.423 line is sufficient to get him another year in Detroit.

As expected, Santillan will require surgery to address a labral tear in his left hip. There’s a chance that his rehabilitation process stretches into next spring. There should be a definitive return timetable following the procedure.

It seemed implausible that Lagrange, who faced hitters in a live batting practice session on Wednesday, would factor into New York’s playoff pitching plans after suffering a shoulder injury back in July. The hard-throwing 23-year-old top prospect has yet to ascend to the majors, but it’s possible he could debut as a reliever in the postseason. His triple-digit velocity would make him a certifiable weapon out of the bullpen, if the Yankees decide to go that route. He’s a fascinating talent that fantasy managers should be paying attention to heading into next year.

Steer has been on the shelf with a wrist sprain since late July. There should be a definitive return timetable following next week’s surgical procedure. The hope is that he’ll be ready for spring training after a full offseason of rest and rehabilitation.

Peters returns to center field and will hit seventh following a three-game absence after a full-speed collision with the center-field wall that left him with a shoulder contusion last Friday. The 26-year-old breakout sensation was fortunate to avoid serious injury and only miss a couple games. The White Sox find themselves one game behind the Guardians for the AL Central division crown and are close to wrapping up the final AL Wild Card playoff spot, if they don’t surpass Cleveland.