October 1, 2025
Seattle Mariners right-hander
Bryan Woo (pectoral) will throw a bullpen session on Thursday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports. It'll be Woo's first time throwing off the mound since he left a win over the Houston Astros on Sept. 19 with pectoral tightness. Fortunately for Woo and the Mariners, the team earned a first-round bye in the playoffs, giving the 25-year-old extra time to recover. Manager Dan Wilson said Wednesday he's optimistic that Woo will be part of the Mariners' roster when they begin the best-of-five ALDS round against either the Cleveland Guardians or Detroit Tigers on Saturday. He's unlikely to start in either of the first two games of the series, according to Kramer, which will leave the Mariners to choose from
Logan Gilbert,
George Kirby, and
Luis Castillo. Woo finished the regular season 15-7 with a 2.94 ERA, a .93 WHIP, and 198:36 K:BB in 186 2/3 innings, helping the Mariners to their first American League West title since 2001.
--Connor ByrneSource: Daniel Kramer - MLB.com
October 1, 2025
San Diego Padres right-hander
Yu Darvish will start the win-or-go-home Game 3 of the NL wild-card series against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports. Darvish was a Cub from 2018-20, but his run with them ended when they traded him to the Padres a few months before the 2021 season began. Four years later, Darvish has a chance to help eliminate the Cubs from the postseason. The 39-year-old is coming off a difficult and injury-limited regular season, though, as he recorded a career-worst 5.38 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP and 68:19 K:BB over 15 starts and 72 innings. Darvish, who will oppose Cubs righty
Jameson Taillon on Thursday, has pitched in 13 playoff games and gone 5-7 with a 3.77 ERA across 71 2/3 frames.
--Connor ByrneSource: Jesse Rogers - ESPN
October 1, 2025
Chicago Cubs right-hander
Jameson Taillon will start in Game 3 of the NL wild-card series against the San Diego Padres on Thursday. After failing to put away the Padres in a 3-0 loss on Wednesday, the Cubs will turn to Tailon in a do-or-die showdown. Taillon ended the regular season in ace-like form over his final six starts, notching a 1.58 ERA with 24 hits allowed, 24 strikeouts, and seven walks in 34 1/3 innings. The 33-year-old took the ball 23 times during the regular campaign and went 11-7 with a 3.68 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP, and 98:27 K:BB across 129 2/3 frames. Taiilon faced the Padres back on April 14 and yielded two earned runs in 5 1/3 innings in a 10-4 loss, though he didn't factor into the decision.
--Connor ByrneSource: Jesse Rogers - ESPN
October 1, 2025
San Francisco Giants first base prospect
Bryce Eldridge (wrist) will undergo surgery to remove a bone spur from his left wrist on Thursday. The 6-foot-7, 240-pound slugger will need about eight weeks to recover, meaning the procedure shouldn't affect his availability for the start of the 2026 season. A first-round pick in 2023 and now one of baseball's best prospects, Eldridge earned his first promotion to the majors in mid-September. The 20-year-old slumped to a .107/.297/.179 line with four RBI, 13 strikeouts, and seven walks over a minuscule sample of 10 games and 36 plate appearances. He slashed a much more impressive .260/.333/.510 with 25 home runs over a combined 433 plate appearances among three minor-league levels in 2025. While it remains to be seen if Eldridge will begin next season in the majors, the Giants are optimistic that he'll be a long-term cornerstone in their lineup.
--Connor ByrneSource: MLB.com
October 1, 2025
The Atlanta Braves announced that Brian Snitker will not return as their manager next season, but he will remain with the organization in an advisory role. The franchise will induct Snitker into its Hall of Fame sometime next season. Set to turn 70 on Oct. 17, Snitker is a Braves lifer who has spent 49 years with the franchise in various roles, including the past nine-plus seasons as their skipper. After taking over on an interim basis in 2016, Snitker went on to retain the position for the long haul and post an 811-688 regular-season record with seven playoff appearances, six National League East titles, and a World Series championship in 2021. He also earned NL Manager of the Year honors in 2018. While Snitker's run as the Braves' manager was eminently successful, the team dealt with a spate of injuries and stumbled to a 76-86 record in his final season at the controls. The Braves are now left to conduct a rare managerial search in the coming weeks. They've had just three managers (Hall of Famer Bobby Cox, Fredi Gonzalez, and Snitker) since 1990.
--Connor ByrneSource: Atlanta Braves
October 1, 2025
Cleveland Guardians outfield prospect
Chase DeLauter will make his major-league debut on Wednesday in Game 2 of the wild-card series against the division-rival Detroit Tigers and right-hander
Casey Mize at Progressive Field. DeLauter is starting in center field and will hit seventh in the batting order. It's a bold move by Cleveland after falling down 1-0 in the series with a loss in Game 1 of the series on Tuesday. The 23-year-old DeLauter has lots of upside, but he also hasn't played in a game since July 11 in the minors due to a right-wrist injury that required surgery. The former first-rounder only played in 42 games at Triple-A Columbus and in the Arizona Fall League this year before his injury and hit .264/.379/.473 with an .852 OPS, seven home runs, 24 RBI and 28 runs scored. The Guards are looking for a spark given their lack of productivity in center field from
Angel Martinez, but DeLauter is a big dice role in the postseason in a must-win game.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
September 30, 2025
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher
Connelly Early is the most likely candidate to start a potential Game 3 of the Wild Card round against the New York Yankees. The Red Sox don't have a ton of viable options right now after
Lucas Giolito (elbow) went down.
Garrett Crochet is starting Tuesday's game and
Brayan Bello has been named as the Game 2 starter. On Tuesday, manager Alex Cora confirmed that Early would likely take the ball if there's a Game 3. The southpaw owns a 2.33 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and a 29/4 K/BB ratio across four starts. It's not an ideal situation, but Early has pitched well in his handful of starts.
--Andy WebbSource: Tim Healey
September 30, 2025
Chicago Cubs relief pitcher
Andrew Kittredge has been named the opener for Game 2 of the wild-card series against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday. Clearly, the Cubs don't have much faith in their starting rotation right now.
Shota Imanaga was expected to start, but now might come in to piggyback off Kittredge. It's worth noting that Kittredge did pitch during Tuesday's victory. He tossed a scoreless inning with one strikeout in the 3-1 victory. However, Kittredge only threw 14 pitches, so he should be able to give the Cubs an inning or two for Game 2. It'll be interesting to see how manager Craig Counsell manages his pitching staff without
Cade Horton (ribs) for this Wild Card series.
--Andy WebbSource: Paul Sullivan
September 30, 2025
Cincinnati Reds outfielder
Austin Hays (back) is returning to the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's Game 1 of the Wild Card round against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Before this, Hays was held out of the final seven games of the regular season due to back spasms. It doesn't appear the issue was ever serious enough to place him on the injured list. Hays will cover left field and bat cleanup against left-hander
Blake Snell. This will be his first start since September 20, so there could be some rust.
--Andy WebbSource: mlb.com
September 30, 2025
Los Angeles Dodgers infielder/outfielder
Enrique Hernandez is in the starting lineup for Tuesday's Game 1 of the Wild Card round. It looks like Hernandez is going to get plenty of chances in this series. The Dodgers have decided not to include
Michael Conforto on the roster for this series. That being said, Hernandez and
Andy Pages figure to see a majority of the time in left field. Hernandez will cover left field and bat eighth against right-hander
Hunter Greene on Tuesday. Fantasy managers should look elsewhere for a DFS option. Hernandez hits much better against left-handed pitching, so he won't be an ideal option here.
--Andy WebbSource: mlb.com
September 30, 2025
Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman
Max Muncy (lower body) is in the starting lineup for Tuesday's Game 1 of the Wild Card round against the Cincinnati Reds. As expected, Muncy is ready to go for the postseason after missing the final four games of the regular season. It doesn't sound like he was dealing with a serious issue. The Dodgers were likely just holding out Muncy for precautionary reasons. He'll cover third base and bat in the cleanup spot against right-hander
Hunter Greene on Tuesday.
--Andy WebbSource: mlb.com
September 30, 2025
New York Yankees right-hander
Luis Gil was left off the Wild Card roster despite a strong showing in limited action this year. The 27-year-old posted a 3.32 ERA, a 1.40 WHIP, and 41 strikeouts across 11 starts. Gil, the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year, was edged out by
Carlos Rodon and
Cam Schlittler for Wild Card spots. His late return from a right lat strain, which delayed his season debut until August 3, left little time to build on his case.
--Julian BrookeSource: MLB.com
September 30, 2025
Cleveland Guardians right-hander
Gavin Williams was one of the lone bright spots in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers in Game 1 of the 2025 Wild Card Series. Making his second career postseason start, the 26-year-old struck out eight and allowed only two unearned runs on five hits and one walk. Williams showed poise and command on the mound, keeping Cleveland within reach despite limited offensive support. While he was tagged with the loss, his performance proved he can handle the October stage.
--Julian BrookeSource: MLB.com
September 30, 2025
Detroit Tigers left-hander
Tarik Skubal delivered a masterful performance to open the 2025 postseason, leading his team to a 2-1 win over the Cleveland Guardians. The 28-year-old went 7 ⅔ innings, striking out 14 while giving up just one run on three hits and three walks. Detroit's offense provided just enough support to secure the narrow victory and give the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three Wild Card Series. Skubal carried his dominant 2.21 ERA from the regular season into October and looks every bit like the frontrunner for the 2025 AL Cy Young Award.
--Julian BrookeSource: MLB.com
September 30, 2025
Toronto Blue Jays right-hander
Chris Bassitt (back) has begun throwing off a mound and is on track to return in time for a potential American League Division Series appearance. The official roster has not been announced as the team finalizes its rotation, but the 36-year-old is expected to be available in some capacity. Bassitt has been sidelined since September 19 with lower back inflammation and is currently on the 15-day injured list. The veteran has made three career postseason starts with the New York Mets and Oakland Athletics, posting a 4.20 ERA and 1.47 WHIP. His return would give Toronto a steady, experienced arm for October, should they need him.
--Julian BrookeSource: MLB.com
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