Kilby has two hits, two steals in AFL action

Avoiding the full Tommy John would likely allow Rushing to resume hitting in spring training and catching during the first half of the season. The Dodgers can plug in Hunter Feduccia as Will Smith’s backup while Rushing rehabs, but they might want to try to do better.

He’ll be pitching on 11 days’ rest after throwing 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball in Game 1 of the NLCS. The Brewers have won each of Misiorowski’s last 11 starts, including the final nine of the regular season and his Game 1 outings against the Padres and Dodgers.

Ohtani is slated to resume pitching next year, though Friedman acknowledged that the Dodgers might try something a little different in an effort to get him through the year as a two-way player. Ohtani had a 1.79 ERA in 85 2/3 innings over 14 starts in the first half of this year before knee and biceps injuries limited him to DHing the rest of the way.

Also on the list is Jason Kanzler, who is currently the Cubs’ farm director after previously serving as a hitting coach for the Astros. It doesn’t sound like the Mariners have finished bringing in new candidates quite yet.

Epperson was serving as the manager at Double-A when the Red Sox fired Alex Cora and six other members of the MLB coaching staff back in April. The team wanted to fill roles from within, so Epperson was called up and given the job as third base coach. He will now reportedly be asked to manage Triple-A Worcester, Chas Tracy’s old job. It’s been reported that Cabrera will return to his previous role as the organization’s minor league defensive coordinator. At 29 years old, he was one of the youngest coaches on the Red Sox’s staff this season and will likely get another opportunity in years to come. The Red Sox will likely look outside the organization to fill their roles on the MLB staff.

Suzuki was given one season at the helm for the Angels, a season in which they fired essentially their entire pitching department mid-way through the year, and he will not be given another chance. The former catcher went 62-100 while leading a team that likely never had much of a chance to be competitive. He has apparently been offered a position with the organization as a special assistant, and the Angels will now look for another person to captain a ship that has been lost at sea for over a decade.

Bloss had a difficult 2026 season. He had Tommy John surgery at the end of the 2025 season and then suffered a shoulder strain this past summer while working his way back. He’s been good so far in the Arizona Fall League, with a 2.70 ERA in 6 2/3 innings. In this outing, he touched 96 mph with his fastball and showed off a solid sweeper. He could be an option for Toronto in 2027 if he puts together a strong spring training.

Williams is coming off a mediocre 2026 season that also saw him play through a wrist injury. The 22-year-old hit .233/.340/.384 with nine home runs, 21 steals, and a 79/47 K/BB ratio in 81 games at Triple-A. He’s now hitting .188 with a .597 OPS and five steals in early AFL action. It was not a great first season for the two prospects the Brewers got back in return for Freddy Peralta, but the trade arguably didn’t work out any better for the Mets.

O’Dowd was a light-hitting prospect at the University of Texas and went undrafted. However, he hit .307/.383/.564 with 23 home runs and 91 RBI in 107 games across three levels in his first professional season. He’s also now hitting .313 with a 1.103 OPS, four home runs, and nine RBI in the Arizona Fall League while playing primarily first base and catcher. He should begin next season at Double-A.

In the same press conference, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that he doesn’t anticipate offseason surgery for any Yankees player, which would include Judge. Cashman added that “We feel like we’re in a good place. He can take advantage of the rest of the winter and be ready to go when Spring Training starts.” While it does seem like Judge will be healthy heading into 2027, the bigger question is whether or not the Yankees will utilize the DH spot to take some stress off his body during the season and help him remain healthy for the full season as he gets older.