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    Liam Hendriks retires after 14-year career

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    FA Relief Pitcher #31
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    Liam Hendriks announced his retirement from professional baseball.

    For all Hendriks accomplished during his lengthy major-league career, it will be his inspiring comeback after beating non-Hodgkin lymphoma that he is remembered for most. The 37-year-old reliever hangs up his spikes after a 14-year odyssey where he spent time with six different organizations, compiling 116 saves along with a 3.88 ERA across 663 2/3 innings. He was a three-time All-Star in addition to being a two-time winner of the Mariano Rivera Reliever of the Year Award.
Is Harper a future MLB Hall of Famer?
Dan Patrick shares his takeaways from Wednesday night's Wild Card action and wonders if Bryce Harper will be in the MLB Hall of Fame.

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  • FA Relief Pitcher #31
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    Hendriks tossed four scoreless innings for Triple-A Iowa before presumably triggering the opt-out clause in his minor league deal with Chicago last week. The 37-year-old former closer should be able to latch on somewhere if he chooses to continue his career.
  • CHC Relief Pitcher #31
    Hendriks made his debut for the Cubs after signing a minor league deal with them on May 13th. The 37-year-old sat 94.2 mph on his four-seam fastball and got five whiffs on eight total swings, mostly with his slider. Fastball command and velocity will be crucial for Hendriks if he wants to pitch meaningful innings in the Cubs’ bullpen.
  • CHC Relief Pitcher #31
    Hendriks was with the Twins to begin the season, but had an opt-out clause that he enacted prior to the end of spring training. His four-seam fastball was averaging below 94 mph this spring, and he’s missed significant time with injuries over the last few seasons. He remains a feel-good story because of all he has had to overcome over the last few seasons, but his days of being an impactful fantasy reliever are likely over.
  • FA Relief Pitcher #31
    Liam Hendriks had an opt-out in his contract and presumably informed the Twins that he would like to exercise that. The veteran allowed three runs on nine hits in seven innings this spring, while striking out five and walking five. His four-seam fastball averaged just 93.9 mph on Thursday against the Red Sox, and he gave up two hard-hit balls in one inning of work. With Hendriks no longer on the roster, the Twins could split the ninth inning between Cole Sands and Taylor Rogers, depending on the handedness of the hitters due up in the ninth.
  • MIN Relief Pitcher #31
    Hendricks has given up one run over four innings this spring, striking out two in the process. The 37-year-old averaged 93.6 mph with his fastball today, which is down four mph from his last time healthy and effective with the White Sox in 2022. He probably doesn’t project as an above average reliever at this point, but even if he’s just adequate, he might wind up with a fair number of saves in a weak Twins pen.
  • MIN Relief Pitcher #31
    The 37-year-old hurler has thrown just 18 2/3 innings in the big leagues over the past three seasons, but as long as he’s healthy he could wind up being an integral part of the Twins’ bullpen. If he looks strong this spring, he could compete with Taylor Rogers and Justin Topa for save chances, making him worthy of a late-round flier in deeper mixed leagues.
  • FA Relief Pitcher #31
    It’s a full circle for Hendriks, who signed with the Twins as a teenager and made his major league debut for the club in 2011. One certainly can’t count on Hendriks staying healthy at age 37 after throwing just 18 2/3 innings in the majors the last three years, but if he does, there’s a good chance he’ll wind up leading the Twins in saves, given the state of their pen. If he impresses this spring, he could be worth a flier.
  • FA Relief Pitcher #31
    Hendriks is facing an extended absence after undergoing elbow surgery back in late September. The 36-year-old former closer wound up making just 14 relief appearances for the Red Sox during his two years with the club. It’s unclear whether there will be any interest on the open market, but he’s unlikely to find himself in any high leverage spots in the near future.
  • BOS Relief Pitcher #31
    It’s officially a right elbow ulnar nerve transposition surgery with posterior interosseous nerve release. Hendriks insisted throughout the second half of the season that he intends to continue pitching, but he’s obviously not going to be an option for Boston during the postseason. The 36-year-old will likely hit free agency this offseason, assuming the Red Sox decline their end of his mutual option for 2026. It’s unclear at the moment how this latest surgical procedure impacts his readiness for next spring.
  • BOS Relief Pitcher #31
    Cora added that Hendriks has been shut down from throwing after experiencing forearm tightness a couple weeks ago. The latest development slams the door on Hendriks potentially making it back to Boston’s bullpen mix for the postseason. The 36-year-old former closer has been out since late May recovering from hip inflammation.

Rotoworld

  • PHI Relief Pitcher #59
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    Phillies’ manager Don Mattingly confirmed that closer Jhoan Duran is expected to be available for Game 3 of the Wild Card Series against the Braves.

    Duran was brought into Game 1 in the seventh inning, allowing three runs over two innings and throwing 27 pitches in a losing effort. He was then held out of action in Game 2 due to soreness after the extended outing in Game 1. If the Phillies have a lead to protect late in the game on Thursday, expect Duran to get the call.
  • PHI Left Fielder #33
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    Edmundo Sosa (groin) returned to the Phillies’ starting lineup for Game 3 of the Wild Card Series against the Braves on Thursday.

    Sosa was removed from Wednesday’s game due to a groin injury that he aggravated while hustling out an infield single. He’ll start at third base and bat seventh for the Phillies on Thursday evening. Bryan De La Cruz will start in left field in place of Brandon Marsh. Here’s the full lineup that the Phillies will use against Braves’ opener Ray Kerr to start Thursday’s game: Trea Turner (SS), Kyle Schwarber (DH), Bryce Harper (RF), Alec Bohm (1B), Bryson Stott (2B), Bryan De La Cruz (LF), Edmundo Sosa (3B), J.T. Realmuto (C) and Justin Crawford (CF).
  • ATL Designated Hitter #8
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    Dominic Smith will serve as the Braves’ designated hitter for Game 3 of their Wild Card series against the Phillies on Thursday.

    It’s the first start of the series for Smith, who has appeared as a pinch-hitter and struck out in each of the first two games. Mike Yastrzemski will also return to the starting lineup for Game 3 after sitting in Game 2. Sean Murphy and Ha-Seong Kim will open the game on the bench for the Braves. Here’s the full lineup that the Braves will deploy in a must-win game against Phillies’ right-hander Aaron Nola: Drake Baldwin (C), Ronald Acuña Jr. (RF), Matt Olson (1B), Michael Harris II (CF), Mauricio Dubon (SS), Mike Yastrzemski (LF) Austin Riley (3B), Ozzie Albies (2B) and Dominic Smith (DH)
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    Cardinals acquired RHP Brian Curley from the Diamondbacks.

    Curley serves as the player to be named later to complete the deal from August 3 that sent Lars Nootbaar to the Diamondbacks. While the results weren’t great, the 23-year-old hurler did some nice things during his first professional season, posting a 5.28 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and a 130/34 K/BB ratio over 116 innings in 25 appearances (23 starts) between High-A Hillsboro and Double-A Amarillo. He’s likely to open the 2027 season at Double-A Springfield where he’ll function as extra rotation depth for the Cardinals.
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    Yankees sent RHP Alexander Cornielle outright to the FCL Yankees.

    Cornielle made one appearance for the Yankees during the final weekend of the season. He’ll become a minor league free agent.
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    Torey Lovullo is getting a new two-year deal to stay on as Arizona’s manager, the Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro reports.

    Some thought the Diamondbacks would move on from Lovullo if they didn’t make the postseason, but he’s staying on a new deal that will expire alongside GM Mike Hazen’s following the 2028 season. Lovullo is 750-768 in 10 years at the helm for the D-backs. His teams have reached the postseason twice, losing to the Dodgers in the NLDS in his first year in 2017 and falling to the Rangers in the World Series in 2023.
  • CIN 2nd Baseman #15
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    Reds sent INF/OF Ivan Johnson outright to Triple-A Louisville.

    Johnson, 27, went 1-for-16 in 16 games with the Reds this year before finishing the season in the minors. He hit .247/.354/.424 with 11 homers and 15 steals in 73 games while mostly playing second base and left field for Louisville.
  • CLE Relief Pitcher #35
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    Colin Holderman, who was out for most of September with wrist inflammation, said he intends to undergo surgery and will miss the postseason.

    Holderman said the wrist has been an issue for him for four years. He was quite good this season anyway, posting a 2.73 ERA in 54 appearances before going down. He’s due about $2.5 million in arbitration, which could make him a trade candidate.
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    The A’s are moving on from hitting coach Chris Cron and quality control coach Marcus Jensen.

    The A’s previously fired pitching coach Scott Emerson in July. Cron had been with the A’s as a hitting coach since 2022. Jensen was part of the organization since 2007, becoming an assistant hitting coach in 2015 and the quality control coach in 2023.
  • CLE Starting Pitcher #77
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    The Guardians will go with Parker Messick in Game 1 and Gavin Williams in Game 2 against the White Sox.

    The team concluded the season with Williams pitching Saturday and Messick going Sunday, but the order will be reversed now. Vogt didn’t announce anything beyond Game 2. It’s the AL teams with an extra day off between Games 1 and 2 this year, so they’ll only need three starters and Messick would be able to come back and start Game 4 on four days’ rest.