MLB Player News

Yoshida came off the bench to line a two-run single to right-center field on the very first pitch he saw from Yankees reliever Luke Weaver, putting Boston ahead in the seventh after being shut out by Max Fried for six-plus frames. The 32-year-old finished the regular season on a high note with a strong late-September surge at the dish and that confidence has clearly carried over into the postseason.

Volpe’s opposite-field blast against Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet had to feel good for the much-maligned shortstop after a tumultuous regular season where he tied for the American League with 19 errors and was the subject of constant criticism from Yankees fans. He also singled in the eighth inning to snap a streak of 17 consecutive batters retired by Crochet since the round-tripper. The Yankees will have their backs up against the wall in a win-or-go-home Game 2 showdown at Yankee Stadium.

Chapman was summoned to record the final out of the eighth inning after a masterful effort from Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet before coming back out to protect a two-run lead in the final frame after Alex Bregman added some additional insurance with a run-scoring double. It took just five pitches for New York to load the bases on three consecutive hits from Paul Goldschmidt, Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger, which put the tying runs in scoring position. He punched out Giancarlo Stanton on a nasty 92 mph splitter before coaxing a harmless fly out from Jazz Chisholm Jr. and striking out Trent Grisham on a foul tip to preserve the series-opening win.

Crochet delivered a phenomenal performance in his playoff debut at Yankee Stadium, shaking off an early homer to stifle New York’s formidable lineup into the eighth inning. He escaped a first-inning jam with a tailor-made double play from Giancarlo Stanton but wouldn’t be so lucky in the ensuing frame when he served up a go-ahead solo homer to Anthony Volpe. The Yankees generated plenty of loud contact into the middle innings, but he avoided further damage by retiring 17 straight after Volpe’s homer. He was lifted with two outs in the eighth inning after striking out Austin Wells on his 117th pitch of the night. The 26-year-old ace will take the ball in Game 1 of the ALDS against the Blue Jays if the Red Sox manage to close out the best-of-three Wild Card Series.

Fried locked horns with Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet in a throwback pitcher’s duel and authored an impressive performance in his Pinstripes postseason debut, generating 19 swinging strikes and allowing only one extra-base hit over six innings. The 31-year-old southpaw didn’t face much resistance from Boston’s lineup until a pair of fourth-inning hits put a pair of runners in scoring position before he punched out Jarren Duran to eliminate the threat. He wriggled out of another jam in the ensuing frame to keep the Red Sox off the scoreboard. Things began to unravel a bit in the sixth when Carlos Narváez worked a nine-pitch walk against him before a double-play ball off the bat of Nate Eaton got him out of the tight spot. He was forced to settle for a no-decision after Luke Weaver allowed a pair of seventh inning runs following his departure.

Cronin was released by the Marlins back in early September after suffering a significant elbow injury while pitching at Triple-A Jacksonville. The 28-year-old righty is likely to miss all of next season given the timing of the procedure, which typically carries a 12-14 month recovery timetable. He would represent a worthwhile low-risk gamble for a club on a two-year minor league contract since he posted a solid 4.35 ERA across 70 1/3 innings over 56 appearances back in 2024.

Ornelas went unclaimed on waivers after being dropped from Atlanta’s 40-man roster back in mid-September. The 25-year-old infielder got into six games this season between the Braves and Rangers. He’s merely organizational depth at this stage of his development.

Seabold passed through waivers unclaimed after being designated for assignment last week. The 29-year-old righty posted a pedestrian 4.35 ERA across 10 1/3 innings over seven appearances this season in the big leagues.

Hernandez heads to the open market after being removed from Houston’s bullpen mix over the weekend. The 30-year-old righty compiled an underwhelming 5.06 ERA across 10 2/3 innings over 10 appearances this season in the big leagues. He should be able to latch on somewhere this offseason as middle relief depth.

Kittredge will face the top of the Padres’ lineup before handing things over to lefty Shota Imanaga. Chicago took the opening contest of the best-of-three series at Wrigley Field when Matthew Boyd, Daniel Palencia, Drew Pomeranz, Kittredge and Brad Keller combined to hold San Diego to just one run on four hits. It’ll likely be an all-hands situation if the Cubs jump out to an early lead with Jameson Taillon the likely option to pitch a decisive Game 3 showdown.