Junior Caminero helps Rays clinch playoff spot

Martinez was designated for assignment by the Red Sox in August. The 32-year-old has a 4.03 ERA in 145 MLB innings in his career, mostly spent with the Astros.

Miller played in just one game for the Cubs this season and had no plate appearances. He did hit .295/.345/.443 with seven home runs and 12 steals in 113 Triple-A games and will get a camp invite somewhere.

Falter was designated for assignment by the Braves in the middle of September. He posted a 10.38 ERA in 13 innings in 2026 and has a 4.73 ERA in his 479 MLB innings. He will undoubtedly get a Spring Training invite somewhere.

Palacios gave Tampa Bay a commanding four-run advantage by smacking a two-run single to center field off Yankees reliever Brent Headrick with two outs in the fifth inning. The Rays used a contact-oriented approach to neutralize New York’s ace Cam Schlittler, holding him to just a pair of strikeouts, before ultimately chasing him from the contest in the fifth. With the victory, Tampa Bay takes a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series and has a chance to punch their ticket to the ALCS during Game 3 at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday.

Rice was one of the few bright spots as New York committed a whopping four errors to fall into an 0-2 hole in the best-of-five series. The 27-year-old slugging first baseman took Rays starter Freddy Peralta deep in the early stages of the contest before tattooing an eighth-inning blast off lefty reliever Ian Seymour. It was his second multi-homer performance in four games this postseason. The Yankees will attempt to stave off elimination when the series resumes with Game 3 in New York on Wednesday.

Baker got the call with Tampa Bay holding a three-run advantage entering the final frame. He got Spencer Jones and George Lombard Jr. to ground out harmlessly before coaxing a game-ending ground ball from Jazz Chisholm Jr. The 31-year-old All-Star stopper has closed out both Rays’ victories to open the best-of-five series.

Peralta was gone from the contest by the time Tampa Bay erupted for four runs in the fifth inning. He did his job early on, limiting New York to just a solo homer by Ben Rice. He struck out three and only issued one walk. The 30-year-old has looked completely rejuvenated over the last couple weeks, posting a microscopic 0.79 ERA across 34 innings during his final six regular-season outings. He’ll be ready to take the ball if the Yankees somehow manage to get the best-of-five series to a winner-take-all contest.

Schlittler didn’t get much help from New York’s defense, which committed a staggering three errors in the opening frame alone and allowed an unearned run to cross the plate. The Yankees committed four errors overall, which led to half of the runs against him being unearned. The Rays also became the first team to truly get to the Yankees’ rising superstar, chasing him from the contest in the fifth inning while limiting him to a season-low two strikeouts. The 25-year-old ace, who is a virtual lock to take home the American League Cy Young Award in a few weeks, would be in line to start a potential winner-take-all Game 5 if New York can somehow extend the series that far.

Montgomery put Chicago ahead for good by slicing an opposite-field double down the right-field line against Cleveland reliever Erik Sabrowski in the sixth inning. It was his lone hit in four at-bats, but it came at an opportune moment in the low-scoring affair at Progressive Field. The 23-year-old former first-round pick is just 3-for-15 to open the postseason. With the victory, the White Sox have a chance to punch their ticket to the ALCS when they host the Guardians for Game 3 at Rate Field on Wednesday night.

Ramírez, who did manage to walk and score a run in this one, has gone 0-for-6 with three strikeouts during the first two contests of the best-of-five series. The Guardians have mustered just three runs on seven hits combined during that span. They’ll attempt to stave off elimination when the series shifts to Chicago for Game 3 on Wednesday evening.