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Orioles Outright Evan Phillips

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The Orioles announced Wednesday that right-hander Evan Phillips has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Norfolk. Baltimore’s 40-man roster is down to 36 players.

Phillips, 26, was acquired in the 2018 trade that sent Kevin Gausman and Darren O’Day to the Braves. He’s been up and down with the O’s since that trade, pitching to a 7.36 ERA with an impressive 65 strikeouts (12.3 K/9) but an alarming 36 walks (6.8 BB/9) through 47 2/3 frames as a member of the Baltimore ’pen.

Control issues have been a problem even in the upper minors, although Phillips does also own a 3.41 ERA and 10.8 K/9 in 121 Triple-A innings. Phillips sits a bit north of 94 mph with his heater but doesn’t possess the type of high-end spin rate or swinging-strike rates on the pitch one would expect from a pitcher with his strikeout rates.

Mike Clevinger, Dinelson Lamet Not On Padres’ Wild Card Roster

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The Padres have formally announced their Wild Card Series roster, and neither Mike Clevinger nor Dinelson Lamet is included. Both right-handers recently incurred arm injuries, with Clevinger suffering an elbow strain and Lamet experiencing biceps discomfort. There’s still no formal update on their status, but neither has been ruled out from future rounds. For this round at least, here’s how the roster breaks down:

Right-Handed Pitchers

Left-Handed Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Both Clevinger and Lamet are among the other 12 players in the Padres’ 40-man postseason player pool, the team announced, so they could still be added in future rounds, should the team advance. Beyond Clevinger and Lamet, the other 10 players in San Diego’s pool are as follows: Michel Baez, Luis Perdomo, Taylor Williams, Jose Castillo, MacKenzie Gore, Ryan Weathers, Francisco Mejia, Webster Rivas, Greg Allen and Jorge Ona.

Cubs Set Wild Card Series Roster

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The Cubs designated Josh Osich for assignment and selected Josh Phegley back to their 40-man roster this morning as they set their 28-man roster for their Wild Card Series showdown against the upstart Marlins. Here’s how the roster breaks down:

Right-Handed Pitchers

Left-Handed Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

A resurgent Yu Darvish has spearheaded the Cubs’ rotation in 2020, but he’ll give way to Kyle Hendricks as the Game 1 starter. As has been the case in recent years, the Cubs’ offense has faded late in the season, and the productivity of the lineup will be a focal point this series. Kris Bryant, in particular, has been hobbled by an oblique issue but avoided the IL and is lineup, hitting third against Miami’s Sandy Alcantara.

Much has been made of the team’s bullpen struggles in recent years as well, with Craig Kimbrel’s decline standing out first and foremost, but the once-hittable closer has begun to resemble his peak form over the past six weeks. Dating back to mid-August, Kimbrel has rattled off 12 2/3 innings with a 1.42 ERA and an eye-popping 26-to-7 K/BB ratio. He’s faced 49 hitters in that time and allowed just four hits while punching out more than half of them.

Mike Clevinger “Unlikely” To Pitch In Wild Card Round

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10:47am: The Padres are still evaluating the decision on Clevinger and Lamet after their latest throwing sessions, per Dennis Lin and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter link). It doesn’t sound as though the club is formally committing to either pitcher’s availability (or lack thereof) just yet. They still have a bit more than an hour to submit their roster.

10:04am: Padres right-hander Mike Clevinger is unlikely to pitch in the Wild Card round, Jeff Passan and Jesse Rogers of ESPN report (Twitter link). There is “significant” concern after a Tuesday bullpen session, per the report, which casts doubt not only on Clevinger’s availability for the Wild Card round but for the entire postseason.

Acquired in a blockbuster, nine-player trade with the Indians on the morning of the trade deadline, Clevinger made four starts with the Padres and turned in 19 innings of 2.84 ERA ball with a 19-to-3 K/BB ratio. He was diagnosed with an elbow strain last week, however, and while he’s reportedly been cleared of any UCL damage, his status for the postseason has remained up in the air.

Clevinger’s injury is all the more concerning given that breakout righty Dinelson Lamet exited his most recent start after experiencing discomfort in his right biceps. Both pitchers threw earlier in the week, but it seems as though Clevinger hasn’t progressed to a point where he’s ready for game action. Lamet’s status remains unclear as well.

Marlins Announce Wild Card Series Roster

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The Marlins overcame a Covid-19 outbreak that saw 18 players head to the injured list and beat all preseason expectations to emerge as a playoff club in this year’s expanded format. Miami has finalized its roster for their Wild Card Series showdown against the NL Central champion Cubs — the Marlins’ first postseason appearance since way back in 2003. Here’s how the roster breaks down:

Right-Handed Pitchers

Left-Handed Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

As MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro points out (via Twitter), the Marlins are carrying a hefty seven rookies on their roster — all of whom made their Major League debut in 2020. That list includes each of Sixto Sanchez, Nick Neidert, Braxton Garrett, Trevor Rogers, Jazz Chisholm, Lewin Diaz and Monte Harrison. All seven players are considered potential long-term pieces on what has become one of the youngest clubs in the big leagues.

Miami’s roster might have looked a bit different had right-hander Jose Urena not sustained a broken forearm when he was hit by a comeback line drive last week. The 29-year-old Urena hasn’t had much success over the past couple seasons but would likely have been included as a long relief option. That role will presumably fall to former first-rounders Rogers and Garrett now, who were starters during the regular season.

Manager Don Mattingly told reporters today that the Urena injury contributed to the decision to leave veteran Nick Vincent off the roster in favor of multiple long relievers, which he described as difficult choice (Twitter link via Frisaro). The 34-year-old Vincent had a 2.18 ERA for the Marlins before being tagged for six runs in his final two regular-season appearances. Overall, he wrapped up the year with a 4.43 ERA in 22 1/3 frames, although those last couple hiccups skewed what had been a more successful season on the whole.

Cubs Select Josh Phegley, Designate Josh Osich

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The Cubs have selected the contract of catcher Josh Phegley from their alternate training site and designated left-handed reliever Josh Osich for assignment in order to open roster space, per a club announcement. Phegley will make the team’s Wild Card roster.

Phegley, 32, logged 18 plate appearances with the Cubs earlier this season but struggled in that short sample, collecting just one hit and one walk while getting plunked by a pitch in that time as well. He’ll be a third catcher behind Willson Contreras and Victor Caratini this series and give the Cubs a bench option who hit .233/.282/.397 in 300 games with the A’s from 2015-19.

Osich, also 32, allowed six runs (three earned) on five hits with four strikeouts in just 2 2/3 innings over four games with the Cubs. Osich notched a 4.66 ERA in 67 2/3 innings with the Cubs last year while posting a 61-to-15 K/BB ratio in that time. However, he carries just a 5.02 ERA and 5.21 FIP in 206 1/3 big league innings to this point in his career. Osich can become a free agent if he goes unclaimed on waivers.

Braves Set Wild Card Series Roster; Pache In, Inciarte Out

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The Braves have formally announced their 28-man roster for their upcoming Wild Card Series against the Reds — a roster that includes some notable omissions of former key players and includes a few intriguing rookies. Here’s how it breaks down:

Right-Handed Pitchers

Left-Handed Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Longtime center fielder Ender Inciarte is the most notable player left off the roster. An All-Star in 2017 and a three-time Gold Glover, Inciarte’s bat has continued to wilt in recent seasons — culminating in a disastrous .190/.262/.250 slash through 131 plate appearances in 2020. With Ronald Acuna Jr. capable of handling center field and options like Marcell Ozuna, Nick Markakis and the hot-hitting Adam Duvall in the corners, the Braves have begun to cut back on Inciarte’s playing time.

While he could still have been carried as a game-changing defensive upgrade for the late innings, that role will instead go to the 21-year-old Pache — the organization’s top prospect who draws 80 grades for his defense on most scouting reports. It’s been increasingly clear that Inciarte’s role with the club is dwindling, but leaving him off the playoff roster only further highlights that reality.

Also absent from the club’s Round 1 roster is righty Luke Jackson. The mercurial reliever was outrighted in June 2018 only to surprisingly emerge as one of the club’s few reliable bullpen options in 2019 when he nailed down 18 saves. The pendulum has swung back in the other direction in 2020 though, as Jackson has been clobbered for a 6.84 ERA and seen his K/9 mark nearly halved (13.1 K/9 in 2019; 6.8 in 2020). Had the groin injury that forced righty Chris Martin from the Braves’ season finale proven more serious, perhaps Jackson would have been considered, but Braves fans are surely thrilled to see Martin’s name listed after his dominant 2020 effort.

Elsewhere, Atlanta will entrust its Game 2 outing to former No. 3 overall draft pick Ian Anderson, who rose from top prospect status to key rotation piece in 2020. Anderson still has just six big league starts, but he’s exceeded all expectations with a 1.95 ERA and 41 punchouts through 32 1/3 frames. Catching prospect William Contreras, the younger brother of Cubs star Willson Contreras, is on the roster mostly as a depth option, but his presence only further gives a glimpse into the organization’s future.

The Braves’ late pickup of Pablo Sandoval came as a surprise to many, but the organization clearly sees something in the former Giants star. Despite a dismal .214/.287/.262 slash on the year, including four hitless plate appearances with Atlanta (two walks), the Panda makes the Wild Card roster as a bench piece.

Reds Set Wild Card Series Roster

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The Reds have formally set their 28-man roster for their three-game Wild Card Series showdown against the Braves. Here’s how it breaks down:

Right-Handed Pitchers

Left-Handed Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

The Reds made the decision to leave off starter Anthony DeSclafani and reliever Sal Romano. Instead, they’re carrying right-handed-hitting infielder Matt Davidson as an additional weapon against left-handed pitching and outfielder Travis Jankowski to provide some speed off the bench and a potential late defensive upgrade. Versatile Kyle Farmer is listed with the team’s infielders but could just as easily have been listed as a catcher. He can play all over the infield and has gotten some outfield work in 2020 as well, but Farmer has nearly 2900 innings behind the dish between the big leagues and the minors as well.

As has been clear for some time now, the Reds will lean heavily on one of the game’s most formidable rotation trios: Trevor Bauer, Luis Castillo and Sonny Gray. The club was able to set up each right-hander to take the ball on regular rest — more than that in Bauer’s case, who last pitched on Sept. 23. This type of setup was the exact scenario the Reds envisioned 14 months ago when acquiring Bauer, and the presence of three legitimate front-of-the-rotation arms makes Cincinnati more dangerous than their No. 7 seed would lead many casual onlookers to believe.

Astros Announce Wild Card Series Roster

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The Astros have finalized the 28-man roster they’ll bring to Target Field in today’s Wild Card series opener against the Twins. Here’s how it breaks down:

Right-Handed Pitchers

Left-Handed Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

There aren’t many surprises on the roster, but the promotion of outfield prospect Chas McCormick creates the potential that for the first time ever, we could see two teams give a player his MLB debut in the same postseason series. Minnesota has promoted top outfield prospect Alex Kirilloff to their Wild Card roster. Only two players have ever previously made their MLB debuts in the postseason: Mark Kiger for the 2006 Athletics and Adalberto Mondesi with the 2015 Royals.

The injury-plagued Astros are relying on an inexperienced pitching staff after injuries to Justin Verlander, Roberto Osuna, Brad Peacock and Chris Devenski substantially altered the composition of the pitching staff. Somewhat remarkably, the only four pitchers on this roster who appeared on Houston’s ALCS roster a year ago are Zack Greinke, Josh James, Ryan Pressly and Jose Urquidy. The staff includes five rookies: Cristian Javier, Enoli Paredes, Andre Scrubb, Cy Sneed and Blake Taylor. Houston’s lineup is also missing 2019 American League Rookie of the Year Yordan Alvarez, who underwent surgery on both knees earlier this season.

It’s surely not the roster that the Astros envisioned taking to the postseason when the 2020 campaign began, but between breakout lefty Framber Valdez, an impressive sophomore effort from Urquidy and a terrific finish from Lance McCullers Jr., the ’Stros still have formidable options to start Game 2 and, if necessary, Game 3 behind Zack Greinke.

Twins Set Wild Card Series Roster; Buxton Active, Donaldson Out

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The Twins have formally announced their 28-man roster for their three-game Wild Card series against the visiting Astros. Among the most notable decisions is the inclusion of center fielder Byron Buxton and the omission of third baseman Josh Donaldson. Buxton has been recovering from concussion symptoms since being hit in the head with a pitch, while Donaldson has been battling renewed calf issues. Both worked out yesterday, but it seems Donaldson is still not quite up to good enough health to factor into the first round. He could still be added for future rounds, should the Twins advance.

Also notable on the Twins’ roster is top prospect Alex Kirilloff, whose previously reported promotion could lead to a rare MLB debut in the postseason. The Twins aren’t carrying lefty Rich Hill due to the fact that he tossed 93 pitches in the regular season finale Sunday. Right-hander Jake Odorizzi is back from a blister, but he’ll likely work in relief. Here’s a rundown of the Twins’ postseason roster for Round 1 of play:

Right-Handed Pitchers

Left-Handed Pitchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Catchers

Designated Hitter

The Twins’ taxi squad includes righty Jorge Alcala, infielder Travis Blankenhorn, righty Edwar Colina, Donaldson, top pitching prospect Jhoan Duran, right-hander Juan Minaya, lefty Devin Smeltzer, left-hander Lewis Thorpe and outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr., per the team.

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