Joel Payamps elects free agency from Braves

Aranda has been a platoon player in the past, but not so much recently. He had started all of the Rays’ previous postseason games, and he’s hit .310/.383/.405 in 48 plate appearances. Ryan Vilade is playing first base in his place tonight, and Nick Fortes is catching over Liam Hicks. The lineup: DH Yandy Díaz, 1B Vilade, LF Chandler Simpson, 3B Junior Caminero, 2B Ben Williamson, CF Jonny DeLuca, RF Victor Mesa Jr., C Fortes and SS Taylor Walls.

Muncy was placed on the injured list on September 22nd with left knee chondromalacia, which is a cartilage issue under his kneecap. We don’t know exactly what type of surgery he had or what the specific timeline will be, but it’s been reported that “he’ll begin rehab immediately and is expected to be ready for 2027 Spring Training.”

The Astros said that the surgery was to “address a labral injury and hip impingement that were identified shortly after the season ended.” Loperfido is not expected to miss time during the regular season, but he will be behind in spring training, which could make it hard for him to make the MLB roster out of camp.

Alfaro signed a minor league deal with the Royals in December and hit .223/.287/.468 with 15 home runs in 62 games between Double-A and Triple-A. He also struck out over 41 percent of the time. He will likely get an MLB spring training invite somewhere.

The Roberto Clemente Award, which began in 1971, “is the annual recognition of a Major League player who best represents the game of Baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy, and positive contributions, both on and off the field.” Every team nominates one player for the award, and a panel of former players, journalists, and executives decides on the winner. Lindor was chosen, in part, due to his support for his native Puerto Rico following Hurricanes Maria and Fiona, an annual back-to-school initiative he runs in Queens, support for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, and the Lindor Leaders Program, which, in partnership with New Balance, is a “year-long leadership development initiative for students in Bayside High School’s Sports Medicine Program that focuses on mental health, communication, teamwork, and leadership.”

Baldelli cited family considerations in making the decision. The former Twins manager is currently serving as a special assistant in the Dodgers front office.

When he wasn’t serving a 162-game suspension for betting on baseball, Kelly was effective for the A’s in 2024 and ’25, amassing a 2.92 ERA in 70 innings between the two seasons. His 2026 was a total bust, though, and he sat out the second half after being released by the A’s. He’ll almost certainly have to take a minor league deal if he remains in the U.S.

Not having a GM or a manager isn’t keeping the Astros from adding to their staff. Watson has been an assistant hitting director for the Guardians the last two years.

Hicks was clipped by DL Hall when leading off the sixth inning. He stayed in the game to run the bases for himself and caught another two innings but was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning. The 27-year-old backstop ensures that he’ll be available for Game 3 on Monday in Tampa Bay.

The 26-year-old righty underwent decompression surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in June and was initially given a recovery timeline of 8-10 months. He has made solid progress in his recovery though and is now expected to land on the shorter side of that estimate, making it so he could be ready for the start of the 2027 season. While he has done a terrific job for the Brewers when healthy, he’ll face stiff competition for a spot in the club’s rotation to open the 2027 campaign.