MLB Player News

The Cardinals indicated that part of the reason O’Brien opened up in a setup role was that he was behind after his calf injury this spring. The results didn’t really agree with that assessment, but all seems right now anyway. The Cardinals used Ryne Stanek in the seventh and Jojo Romero in the eighth tonight, so they were clearly intending for O’Brien to close. He’s probably not a lock to record all of the team’s save chances, but he is the best bet in their pen and should be picked up wherever he’s available.

Sánchez will head to free agency this offseason after a six-game stint with the Diamondbacks where he went 2-for-15 after being claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays in mid-September. The 28-year-old corner outfielder hit just .260/.318/.416 with eight homers and one steal in 299 plate appearances before Toronto decided to pull the plug. He should be able to land on his feet as a strong-side platoon outfield option somewhere this offseason.

Kelly will remain with Chicago as organizational depth after passing through waivers unclaimed. The 26-year-old lost his spot after the Cubs claimed Julian Aguiar from the Reds over the weekend. He made one appearance in the big leagues earlier this season, tossing 1 1/3 scoreless frames.

Gomes noted that Henriquez is trending in a positive direction, which seems to indicate that he’ll be on Los Angeles’ playoff roster when they kick off an NL Division Series matchup this weekend. The hard-throwing 24-year-old high-leverage specialist posted a strong 2.85 ERA and 71/25 K/BB ratio across 60 innings before hitting the injured list with lower back discomfort on September 14.

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.

Bregman is ready for the start of the postseason after returning to Chicago’s lineup less than one week after suffering multiple facial fractures when he was hit by a foul ball in the on-deck circle. It’ll be rookie Pedro Ramírez filling in at the hot corner with Bregman limited to DH as he continues to recover. Here’s the full lineup for Tuesday’s series opener in San Diego: Pete Crow-Armstrong (CF), Bregman (DH), Michael Busch (1B), Seiya Suzuki (RF), Ian Happ (LF), Nico Hoerner (2B), Ramírez (3B), Carson Kelly (C) and Dansby Swanson (SS).

Matthews is expected to be ready for the start of next season, but it’s a variable that could potentially impact his availability. The 26-year-old continues to show flashes of fantasy potential, but struggled to an inflated 4.90 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 116/39 K/BB ratio across 130 1/3 innings over 23 starts this past season.

One of the top prospects in baseball, Jenkins hit just .226/.293/.393 with four homers, 10 RBI and one steal in 93 plate appearances over 26 games after receiving a late-season promotion to Minnesota. The 21-year-old former top-five pick should be a full-go at the start of spring training given the nature of the procedure, but fantasy managers should monitor his status throughout the offseason to ensure that he’s on track for the outset of the regular season.

The biggest surprise here is sparkplug Samad Taylor getting a chance to face Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd in the second spot in the order with Dustin Harris presumably set to come off the bench in his place once Chicago goes to the bullpen. Here’s the full lineup as San Diego kicks off the postseason at Petco Park with Michael King on the hill: Tatis Jr. (RF), Taylor (LF), Manny Machado (3B), Ty France (1B), Jackson Merrill (CF), Austin Hays (DH), Xander Bogaerts (SS), Jake Cronenworth (2B) and Luis Campusano (C).

Mahle was phenomenal for Atlanta, compiling a microscopic 1.99 ERA across 54 1/3 innings over nine starts after coming over from the Giants as an under-the-radar trade-deadline pickup. The 32-year-old will be making his first career postseason start when he gets the ball with a chance to eliminate the division-rival Phillies.

Sánchez will attempt to keep Philadelphia’s postseason hopes alive after Atlanta rallied for a comeback win during the late stages of Tuesday’s series opener at Truist Park. The odds are stacked against the Phillies since teams that win the opening contest in the best-of-three Wild Card Series era have gone on to win 21 of 24 times. The 29-year-old lefty rapped up another phenomenal regular season with a 2.91 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 231/45 K/BB ratio across 207 innings of work. This will be one of the biggest spots of his career.