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    Jonny DeLuca goes 3-for-5, doubles twice

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    TB Right Fielder #21
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    Jonny DeLuca finished 3-for-5 with two doubles and a steal against the A’s on Wednesday.

    DeLuca mostly plays against lefties, but he got a start with Chandler Simpson resting today. He actually has a better OPS against righties than lefties this year (.776 to .731), but the Rays haven’t truly bought in. If typical form holds, he’ll start against the one lefty and probably one of the three righties the Orioles throw in their upcoming four-game series.
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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  • TB Right Fielder #26
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    With left-hander Parker Messick on the mound for the Guardians in Game 5, the Rays will change things up with Vilade starting in right field and batting third while Williamson takes over at second base and will bat eighth. Here’s the full lineup that Rays’ skipper Kevin Cash will deploy as the Rays look to take control of the ALCS on Sunday: Yandy Díaz (DH), Jonathan Aranda (1B), Ryan Vilade (RF), Junior Caminero (3B), Chandler Simpson (LF), Jonny DeLuca (CF), Liam Hicks (C), Ben Williamson (2B) and Taylor Walls (SS).
  • TB Left Fielder #14
    The Rays will utilize the same starting nine that they used in Thursday’s loss in Game 3, but the batting order has changed. Simpson moves up from fifth to third while Junior Caminero slides into the cleanup spot. Here’s the full lineup that the Rays will deploy against Shawn Armstrong and a host of Guardians’ relievers: Yandy Diaz (DH), Jonathan Aranda (1B), Simpson (LF), Junior Caminero (3B), Liam Hicks (C), Victor Mesa Jr. (RF), Jonny DeLuca (CF), Richie Palacios (2B) and Taylor Walls (SS).
  • TB Right Fielder #26
    Vilade posted an .818 OPS against southpaws during the regular season and will get a chance to face Guardians starter Foster Griffin at Tropicana Field to kick off the best-of-seven showdown. The 27-year-old lefty-masher blasted a solo homer off Yankees ace Max Fried during Tampa Bay’s series-clinching victory last week. Here’s the full lineup: Yandy Díaz (DH), Jonathan Aranda (1B), Junior Caminero (3B), Vilade (LF), Victor Mesa Jr. (RF), Jonny DeLuca (CF), Ben Williamson (2B), Taylor Walls (SS) and Nick Fortes (C).
  • TB 3rd Baseman #13
    Rays manager Kevin Cash isn’t making any changes following a series-opening victory where Jonathan Aranda’s solo homer was enough for a nearly-flawless Drew Rasmussen, who took a no-hit bid into the eighth inning. Caminero, who is likely to finish near the top of AL MVP Award balloting, finished a phenomenal regular season with 42 home runs, reaching the lofty 40-homer plateau for the second straight season. Here’s the full lineup: Yandy Díaz (DH), Jonathan Aranda (1B), Junior Caminero (3B), Liam Hicks (C), Chandler Simpson (LF), Victor Mesa Jr. (RF), Jonny DeLuca (CF), Richie Palacios (2B) and Taylor Walls (SS).
  • TB Right Fielder #21
    One Ray came to play today, as DeLuca took Zach Wheeler and Alex McFarlane deep for his 10th and 11th homers. He finishes the year at .266/.300/.426 in 370 plate appearances. The only problem for the Rays is that he was better against righties than the lefties he typically started against for most of the year. Depending on how the offseason goes, the Rays could give DeLuca a chance to open next year as their starting center fielder, with Jacob Melton potentially overtaking him later if he can stay healthy.
  • TB Left Fielder #14
    Simpson is dealing with a sore foot after fouling a ball off his foot during Friday’s win over Philadelphia. He’s considered day-to-day, but day-to-day doesn’t play often in games that mean nothing, and that’s what this one means for Tampa Bay. Jonny DeLuca takes Simpson’s place in the lineup.
  • TB Center Fielder #31
    Mullins has not started against any of the last five left-handed pitchers the Rays have faced, and they will face Carlos Rodon and Max Fried on Tuesday, which means it’s unlikely that Mullins starts either game. Jonny DeLuca should continue to take his place in center field, but it’s interesting to note that both Chandler Simpson and Victor Mesa Jr. are in the lineup on Tuesday and have started against the last three lefties. They may both be emerging as full-time players for the Rays.
  • TB Right Fielder #21
    Part of the Rays’ platoon brigade, DeLuca notched two early hits off the Athletics’ left-handed starter Brady Basso and helped Tampa Bay build an early lead. With a .281 batting average against lefties this season, DeLuca consistently hits in the heart of the order against them and is a solid deep league, daily streamer on Friday and Saturday with two more lefties on the schedule.
  • TB Right Fielder #25
    Mesa Jr. was activated off the injured list on Tuesday and right back in the starting lineup against a lefty. He went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and is right back in there against a right-handed pitcher. Jonny DeLuca started on Tuesday, and Cedric Mullins is starting in center field and batting seventh tonight, so it appears that those two may be in a platoon.
  • TB Right Fielder #21
    DeLuca has been playing every day since Victor Mesa Jr. went on the injured list, and he’s gone 19-for-64 (.297) in August with five runs scored, five RBI, and three steals. He could be a deeper league asset in fantasy if he’s going to continue to play this often.

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