Munetaka Murakami not in lineup on Friday night

Rocco Baldelli might have been the favorite for the gig before withdrawing from consideration. Now it’s down to Espada, who spent the last three years managing the Astros, and Kanzler, the Cubs’ farm director who would be managing for the first time. A decision should come before the end of the week.

He also had a bone chip removed. Hoffman missed the final weekend of the season, going on the IL with forearm inflammation. It was his first absence of any sort since 2022. He’s expected to resume throwing in eight weeks and should have a normal spring training, if there happens to be a normal spring training. Barring an expensive signing, he seems like the current favorite to close for the Twins next year.

The team says Velázquez is on his way to play in Asia next season. One imagines those foreign player spots in Japan and Korea will be filled pretty quickly this winter, as fringy major leaguers weigh the guaranteed paycheck versus the possibility of a lengthy lockout. The 27-year-old Velázquez hit .188/.257/.406 with six homers in 113 plate appearances for the Cardinals and Astros this year. He’s a lifetime .208/.282/.429 hitter with 37 homers in 728 plate appearances since debuting with the Cubs in 2022.

Anderson was taken by the Red Sox in the third round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of high school, and his first two full professional seasons were just fine. However, he broke out a bit this season, hitting .273/.373/.453 with nine home runs and 46 RBI in 85 games at High-A. In 12 games in the AFL, he’s hitting .349/.491/.674 with three home runs, 14 RBI, and a 16/12 K/BB ratio. One of his home runs was a 115.2 mph grand slam on October 9th, which is the second-hardest-hit ball in the league this season. Anderson is primarily a third baseman, but has played first base in AFL games as well, and could play either corner infield spot at Double-A for the Red Sox to begin the 2027 season.

Peete has been the star of the Arizona Fall League so far. The 21-year-old is hitting .365/.459/.731 in 13 games with two home runs, four triples, nine RBI, 10 steals, and a 15/9 K/BB ratio. Peete missed two months of the 2026 season with an illness, but he has a real chance to start 2027 at Triple-A and be just one step away from making his MLB debut. He’s looking like a major win for the Cardinals, who acquired him from the Mariners for Brendan Donovan last offseason.

In 10 AFL games, Walcott is hitting .231/.319/.385, but he does have 11 RBI and eight steals. The 20-year-old missed the majority of the season after undergoing elbow surgery, so he needs to continue to get his timing back at the plate, but his raw tools are on display. He should start the 2027 season at Triple-A but has a real shot to fight for MLB at-bats.

The 22-year-old is hitting .283/.400/.435 in 12 games in the AFL with five extra-base hits, 13 RBI, seven steals, and a 12/8 K/BB ratio. He played 128 games at Double-A this season, slashing .285/.321/.403 with nine home runs and 27 steals. He doesn’t walk a lot, but he also makes a lot of contact and can play either position on the left side of the infield. He should start 2027 at Triple-A and could push for an MLB call-up with a good season.

Thomas, who was the 42nd overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of the University of Texas, has had a rough start to his professional career. He played 118 games in 2025 but then had a hamate bone injury that had to be surgically repaired. His recovery from that surgery had some false starts, and he was limited to just 32 games this past season. He did hit .282/.357/.435 with four home runs, 17 RBI, and 12 steals in limited action. In 15 AFL games, Thomas is hitting .294/.379/.569 with one home run, 14 RBI, five steals, and a 21/4 K/BB ratio. He’ll likely begin the 2027 season at Double-A.

Fatse had previously worked in the Red Sox organization but was one of the coaches fired in April, along with manager Alex Cora. Fatse was hired by Boston as an assistant hitting coach after the 2019 season and served as hitting coach from 2022 through April of this season. From 2022 through 2025, the Red Sox were fourth in MLB in batting average, 11th in on-base percentage and sixth in slugging percentage, while ranking in the bottom third of the league in walk rate and strikeout rate. After he was fired by the Red Sox, Fatse took a job as a hitting consultant with the Tampa Bay Rays’ research and development group. He will be part of a coaching shakeup in Philadelphia after another early playoff exit.

Jax last started Game 3 against the Guardians in the ALCS and allowed three runs over four innings in what turned out to be a 3-2 loss for the Rays. It’ll be his first career World Series appearance.