MLB Player News

Given the nature of the injury, Alexander’s season is probably over. The 35-year-old lefty has pitched to a strong 2.51 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 20/10 K/BB ratio across 28 2/3 innings (34 appearances) this season in his Athletics debut.

Mense was the Giants’ hitting coach last season and appeared set to carry on in that role, but he’s instead moving on to take the same job with another team. Prior to 2026, he spent four years as an assistant hitting coach in Toronto. The 42-year-old spent parts of five seasons in the Marlins system before ending his playing career in indy ball in 2012.

The 28-year-old Marsh had a 4.96 ERA in 33 starts and 10 relief appearances for the Royals between 2023 and ’24, but he hasn’t pitched in a game since.

He is coming off Oct. 2025 surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder, and the Royals never really had anything to say about his progress last season before taking him off their 40-man roster last month. Once healthy, he’ll probably spend time in Triple-A trying to work his way back to the majors.

He also went 2-for-4 in his first game. The Phillies seem to be leaning towards keeping De La Cruz around next year after he hit .280/.349/.413 in 34 games in the second half of the season. If so, it’d probably be as a platoon partner to Brandon Marsh in left field.

Tena, who was DFA’d by the Nationals on Monday, is making a case for some team to claim him off waivers. The appearance was his second since joining Estrellas earlier this week. He’s played for the club every year since 2022.

This after he pitched five scoreless frames his first time out. Lao, 27, requested his release from the Nationals to pitch in Japan last season, but he wound up missing much of the year and throwing just 20 2/3 innings between the majors and minors. He’s a free agent now and could aim for a return to the U.S. He might land a major league deal if he keeps pitching like this.

Gonzalez is tied with Hernán Pérez for the home run lead in Venezuela and is first with 22 RBI. Only David Peralta has a better OPS. His success might increase the chances that the Twins move on from Royce Lewis this winter. Gonzalez is a natural outfielder, but he was introduced to first base last season and could fit there with Minnesota’s outfield looking quite crowded.

Acuña has been a star in Venezuela the last two years, posting a .914 OPS in 2024 and a .939 OPS with eight homers and 12 steals in 39 games last year. Of course, it hasn’t really translated to the majors yet, and he probably would have been better off spending last season in Triple-A than being stuck in a bench role for the White Sox while being out of options. There’s still hope for Acuña as a potential regular or at least a frequently used super utilityman; he’s a legitimate center fielder and middle infielder, he shows league-average bat speed and he’s struck out only 19 percent of the time as a major leaguer. But he needs to play, and now that the White Sox are contenders, he’s probably not going to get that opportunity in Chicago.

Jiménez tried to pull off a late-season return for Atlanta after two years of knee problems, but he wasn’t activated after allowing two runs over 2 2/3 innings in three appearances for Triple-A Gwinnett. A fine setup man for the Braves in 2023 and ’24, Jiménez is now a free agent. He’ll need to show better stuff this winter than he did in his three Triple-A appearances in order to net more than a minor league deal this winter.

West’s homer was his sixth, tying him with Jack O’Dowd for the league lead. The 2025 13th-round pick is hitting .274/.378/.597 in 19 games. He finished at .226/.300/.394 with 20 homers and 20 steals in 124 games in High-A ball last season.

One of a handful of AFL players with major league experience, Sullivan went 0-3 with an 8.87 ERA in five starts for the Rockies last season. He’s getting some extra work in now after missing much of the second half with a shoulder impingement, and he’s been one of the league’s best pitchers with a 3.07 ERA and a very impressive 20/1 K/BB in 14 2/3 innings. The Rockies will surely add some pitching this winter, but if they leave an opening or two in their rotation, Sullivan will be in the mix next spring.