Braxton Ashcraft dealing with arm fatigue

Richardson was designated for assignment in the middle of August but ultimately re-signed with the Brewers. He has a 6.48 ERA, 1.68 WHIP, and a 47/40 K/BB ratio over 58 1/3 innings in 42 career appearances at the MLB level.

Rafaela is right back in the lineup, batting sixth and playing center field. The 26-year-old has been out since early September with a quad strain, and despite not playing in any rehab games, he’s been hitting off the Trajekt machine and took live at-bats against Garrett Crochet (shoulder) on Tuesday. He may be a bit rusty after the layoff, but the Red Sox could really use a jolt on offense right now.

There is a severe storm coming into the Northeast this weekend, but both the Cubs and Red Sox will likely need these final games for playoff seeding. The current plan is to play two games on Friday and then perhaps move Saturday’s game up to an early game before the weather gets really bad. If that schedule bears out, it would obviously impact the pitching matchups and would likely lead to many hitters sitting out at least one game with three games being played in such close succession. It’s a situation to monitor.

Holliday was placed on the injured list on Monday, and Orioles manager Craig Albernaz confirmed that the 22-year-old has a TFCC tear in his left wrist. Holliday said it is not a complete tear, so he should expect about a 10-week recovery timeline after he has surgery. That should have him ready for the start of spring training in 2027.

O’Neill has been out since August 23rd with shoulder inflammation and was healthy for just 260 plate appearances this season. The Orioles expect the 31-year-old to be ready to start the 2027 season, but he will not be guaranteed any role as he heads into the final year of his contract, where he will make $16.5 million.

The Rays are bringing up Mason Englert as a spot starter on Wednesday, so Cook was sent down to make room. He posted a 4.76 ERA in 5 2/3 innings for the Rays this season. He can still be recalled in time for the AL Divisional Series, but it would likely take an injury in Tampa Bay’s bullpen for that to happen.

Englert will start on Wednesday instead of Ian Seymour. It remains to be seen what the plan is for Seymour, but the Rays clinched the AL East and a bye in the postseason on Tuesday, so they probably just want to give Seymour some time off. Englert has a 4.25 ERA in 82 2/3 innings in Triple-A, but he is not a recommended streamer against the Yankees.

Guerrero Jr. was out on Monday with a back injury and was originally held out of the lineup on Wednesday before being a late addition. He’s clearly not 100 percent, but the Blue Jays will be eliminated from playoff contention with a loss, so there is incentive for their star to try to play through the discomfort.

With Samuel Basallo (concussion) landing on the injured list, Kjerstad, who had been optioned to the minors four days ago, will come back up. The former top prospect is just 4-for-19 (.211) in 11 games with the Orioles this season and was hitting .287/.334/.456 with 11 home runs and 44 RBI in 79 games at Triple-A.

Basallo was hit with a foul tip on Monday, and it turns out that will end his 2026 season. The 22-year-old struggled in his first MLB season, playing through a shoulder injury and hitting .222/.291/.406 with 18 home runs, 54 RBI, and a nearly 27 percent strikeout rate. With Adley Rutschman no longer in town, Basallo will enter 2027 as the starting catcher, but his fantasy value will be impacted by how much of his struggles this season can be attributed to his multiple injuries.