Steven Cruz gives up game-winning homer in loss

McDermott returns to the big leagues for the first time since late August. He’ll fortify New York’s middle relief depth heading into their final two regular-season contests afainst the Nationals. The 28-year-old former starter has posted an underwhelming 5.87 ERA across 7 2/3 innings between the Mets and Dodgers this season.

Yan allowed two runs over 1 2/3 innings against the Nationals on Friday in what will likely be his final appearance of the season. The exuberant 30-year-old rookie showed some promise during an up-and-down few weeks in the majors, posting a serviceable 4.87 ERA, 1.72 WHIP and 26/15 K/BB across 20 1/3 innings of work. He figures to be in the mix for a spot in New York’s bullpen next spring.

It’s challenging to forecast Snell making a significant impact from a volume standpoint, but it’s a phenomenal matchup to close out the regular season. The 33-year-old southpaw was cleared to take the ball as a tune-up for the postseason after departing his previous start back in mid-September after one inning with groin tightness. He’s unlikely to work too deep into his final regular-season outing, but the Giants are rolling out a borderline Triple-A lineup as they limp to the finish line. He’s a worthwhile option in deeper mixed leagues, but fantasy managers shouldn’t expect the Dodgers to push him from a pitch count perspective.

McGonigle enters the final weekend of the season as the favorite to take home the AL Rookie of the Year Award over Guardians starter Parker Messick, who has posted a stellar 2.55 ERA over 183 1/3 innings of work. The 22-year-old hitting machine became just the fifth rookie since 2000 to reach base safely at least 262 times, which broke a Tigers record held by Al Kaline since 1953. He’s going to finish as one of the most impactful late-round picks in recent memory, hitting .276/.376/.425 with 96 runs scored, 17 homers, 70 RBI and 12 steals across 699 plate appearances.

Verlander will take the ball Saturday afternoon against the Pirates at Comerica Park for the final start of his legendary 21-year career. 43-year-old future Hall of Famer will retire as a three-time Cy Young Award winner and the 2011 AL MVP. He enters his final outing ninth on the all-time strikeout list, just ahead of former Tigers teammate Max Scherzer, with 3,554 punchouts that he’s accumulated over more than two decades since 2005. He has been sidelined by hip and hamstring issues since early April.

The Diamondbacks have won a staggering six consecutive contests to pull within a single game of the Phillies for the final NL Wild Card playoff berth with two games left on the schedule. Sánchez’s removal from Arizona’s roster will be to create a roster spot for the club to bring up some additional catching depth after Gabriel Moreno suffered a mild hamstring injury during Friday’s game. The 28-year-old was claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays earlier this month and has played against most right-handed starters as a temporary stopgap.

The Angels are now 62-98 as they try to avoid the first 100-loss season in franchise history. Detmers will finish the year 7-8 with a 3.36 ERA after winning his last four decisions over the final seven weeks. He had a 1.61 ERA and a 61/9 K/BB over 56 innings in his final nine starts.

Miller allowed two runs through five and should have been through the sixth without any damage, but Julio Rodríguez got an oddly late break on a flyball single and Christian Moore ended up homering with two outs on a fly that would have left only eight of 30 ballparks. Miller finishes the year 4-10 with a 4.17 ERA after a very promising start following a six-week absence due to an oblique injury. Alas, the velocity spike that showed up this spring and briefly carried over upon his return in May didn’t stick around at all. He went from looking like a legitimate No. 2 starter in May to more of a middling No. 4 lately.

Even though it hasn’t been a particularly encouraging season overall, Neto is tied for 15th in the majors with his 63 extra-base hits and tied for eighth with 101 runs scored. His .241 average and 212 strikeouts are less impressive. Fortunately for him, having the 12th-highest strikeout total ever only puts him third behind new all-time leader Colson Montgomery and Kyle Schwarber on the 2026 list.

Canzone was robbed of at least a double on his lone out, flying out 404 feet to center in the first. Even so, he had a great night, improving to .264/.335/.486 with 23 homers in 523 plate appearances. He’s hitting lefties even better than righties, so he should be locked in as an everyday player for the Mariners at the beginning of next year.