The status of Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Jackson Chourio for Monday's Game 2 remains uncertain after MRI exam results on his right hamstring were inconclusive, manager Pat Murphy said Sunday.

• Chourio was injured in the second inning of Saturday's 9-3 win over the Chicago Cubs in Game 1 of the best-of-five National League Division Series. He was 3-for-3 with three RBI before the early exit.

  "I can't give you a definitive, but I know that we're going to test some things (Sunday)," Murphy said, adding that the injury is "not a serious hamstring strain."

  Chourio, 21, underwent the MRI on Saturday. Concern was heightened because he missed 29 consecutive games this summer due to a strained right hamstring. He returned to the lineup on Aug. 30.

  Chourio was optimistic after leaving Saturday's game that he wouldn't have to miss time.

  "I feel good right now," Chourio said through a translator. "Compared to the last time that this happened, I feel like I'm in a very good position."

  Murphy said Isaac Collins would start in left if Chourio wasn't available. Collins went 0-for-2 after replacing Chourio on Saturday. In the regular season, the 28-year-old rookie batted .263 with nine homers, 54 RBIs and 16 steals in 130 games.

  Chourio batted .270 with 21 homers, 78 RBIs and 21 steals in 131 games in the regular season.

  Murphy also announced left-hander Aaron Ashby (5-2, 2.16 ERA) will be used as an opener for Monday's game. In Game 1, Cubs manager Craig Counsell placed left-handed hitters first, third, fifth and seventh in his order. Ashby retired all four Cubs he faced in Game 1, which included lefties Pete Crow-Armstrong and Michael Busch.

  Shota Imanaga (9-8, 3.73) will start for Chicago. He entered as the second Cubs pitcher in Game 2 of the wild-card series against the San Diego Padres and gave up two runs and three hits in four innings. Chicago lost 3-0, but Imanaga wasn't involved in the decision.

  --Field Level Media

Zach McKinstry's broken-bat RBI single with two outs in the top of the 11th inning broke a tie as the Detroit Tigers defeated host Seattle Mariners 3-2 on Saturday night in the opener of their best-of-five American League Division Series.

• Kerry Carpenter hit a two-run homer for the Tigers, who are set to send ace Tarik Skubal to the mound in Game 2 on Sunday.

  Will Vest (1-0) pitched two innings of scoreless relief for the victory and Keider Montero worked the 11th for the first save of his career. Right-hander Troy Melton, a rookie making his fifth career start for Detroit, went four innings and gave up one run on two hits and one walk with four strikeouts.

  Julio Rodriguez homered and had a run-scoring single for Seattle. Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh both went 3-for-5, but the rest of the lineup was 0-for-28.

  Mariners starter George Kirby allowed two runs on six hits over five innings. The right-hander walked one and struck out eight.

  Blue Jays 10, Yankees 1

  Alejandro Kirk cracked two solo homers and host Toronto scored eight runs in its final two innings to turn a taut ALDS Game 1 into a convincing victory that marked its first postseason win since 2016.

  Vladimir Guerrero added three hits, including his first postseason home run, for the Blue Jays while Nathan Lukes drove in three runs. Kevin Gausman (1-0) allowed four hits and one run over 5 2/3 innings while Louis Varland struck out Giancarlo Stanton with two outs and the bases loaded in the sixth to preserve a 2-1 edge.

  Yankees starter Luis Gil (0-1) surrendered solo homers to Guerrero and Kirk before leaving with two outs in the third. New York loaded the bases with nobody out in the sixth, but Gausman fanned Aaron Judge (2-for-4) on a full-count pitch out of the zone. Cody Bellinger walked to force in New York's run, but Gausman induced an infield fly from Ben Rice before Varland entered and fanned Stanton.

  Brewers 9, Cubs 3

  Ace right-hander Freddy Peralta shook off a leadoff homer and pitched effectively into the sixth inning to pace Milwaukee to a big win over Chicago in the opener of their best-of-five National League Division Series.

  Cubs starter Matthew Boyd (0-1) failed to get out of a six-run Milwaukee first inning. The Brewers added three runs in the second, batting around in both innings to go in front 9-1. Peralta (1-0), who led the NL with 17 victories during the regular season, allowed two runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings, striking out nine and walking three in a 95-pitch outing.

  He allowed the opening homer by Michael Busch and a two-out solo homer in the sixth by Ian Happ after Milwaukee had built a 9-1 lead. Helping that offensive effort were Jackson Chourio, who had three hits and three RBIs from the leadoff spot, and Caleb Durbin, who knocked in two runs in the Brewers' big second inning.

  Dodgers 5, Phillies 3

  Teoscar Hernandez hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning to lift visiting Los Angeles to a victory over Philadelphia in Game 1 of the National League Division Series.

  Dodgers starter Shohei Ohtani uncharacteristically allowed three runs on the mound and struck out four times, but Los Angeles rallied against left-hander Cristopher Sanchez and the Phillies.

  Sanchez gave up two runs and four hits in 5 2/3 innings before David Robertson (0-1) and Matt Strahm combined to surrender the lead. Ohtani (1-0) allowed three runs and three hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out nine in his first career postseason start as a pitcher.

  --Field Level Media

MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio was optimistic after exiting with a hamstring issue during Saturday's victory over the Chicago Cubs in the opener of their National League Division Series, but manager Pat Murphy was more cautious.

• Chourio was removed in the second inning after legging out an infield single that put Milwaukee in front 9-1. It was his third hit of the game as the Brewers batted around in each of the first two innings on the way to a 9-3 win.

  Chourio, who missed almost all of August with a strained right hamstring, was removed for pinch runner Isaac Collins after being examined by training staff. Chourio had right hamstring tightness and underwent an MRI.

  "They haven't said anything," Chourio said afterward through a translator. "We're still waiting. But physically I feel good, and I feel in a position where I'm ready to keep going and keep competing."

  ""I feel good right now," he said. "Compared to the last time that this happened, I feel like I'm in a very good position."

  Murphy was more guarded in his assessment.

  "Obviously, it's real scary," Murphy said. "Having that same hamstring injury to the same leg, we're hoping that it's something he can come back from soon."

  Chourio doesn't have to be ready to play again until 9:08 p.m. ET Monday, when the Cubs and Brewers begin Game 2 of their best-of-five series.

  Chourio doubled to open a six-run first inning as the Brewers erased a 1-0 deficit. He capped the inning with a two-run single as the Brewers sent 11 batters to the plate and chased Cubs starter Matthew Boyd.

  The Brewers added three runs in the second, capped by Chourio's third hit in two innings. He became the first player in MLB history to deliver three hits in the first two innings of a postseason game.

  The 21-year-old Chourio hit .270 with 21 homers and 78 RBI in his second season in the majors. After missing 29 games with his right hamstring issue, he played in 25 games from Aug. 30 to Sept. 28 and posted a .240 average with four homers and 11 RBI.

  As a team, the Brewers have overcome a variety of injuries on the way route to the best overall record in baseball with a franchise-record 97 victories.

  "I haven't been able to check in on (Chourio) yet, but it's kind of like what ‘Murph' preaches: Next man up," said outfielder Blake Perkins. "If he can't be in there on Monday, then someone else will be in there doing their job."

  --Field Level Media

  --Field Level Media

After missing the wild-card round, Detroit infielder Colt Keith is back on the roster for the Tigers' American League Divisional Series against Seattle.

• Keith, who was activated from the 10-day injured list on Monday after missing time with right rib cage inflammation, was left off the Tigers' 26-man roster for their wild-card series at Cleveland which they won in three games.

  The 24-year-old lefty has a .256 average with 13 homers, 22 doubles and 65 runs in 137 games this season. In seven playoff games last season, Keith was 2-for-18 (.111) with a double, six walks and eight strikeouts.

  Keith started 32 games at third base this season. Zach McKinstry (.259, 12 homers this season) has largely replaced him there while Keith missed the end of the regular season.

  Detroit also added right-handed reliever Brenan Hanifee (3-3, 3.00 ERA) to its ALDS roster, removing reliever Paul Sewald (1-1, 4.58) and outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy (.221-1-17) from its wild-card roster. Sewald pitched in just four games for the Tigers in the regular season after being acquired from the Guardians at the trade deadline .

  --Field Level Media

Seattle Mariners All-Star pitcher Bryan Woo, who has been sidelined the past two weeks with pectoral inflammation, was left off the team's roster for its American League Division Series against the Detroit Tigers.

• Woo, 25, left his start vs. Houston on Sept. 19 while warming up for his sixth inning of work. He threw his first bullpen session on Thursday but was limited to 15 pitches at 80 percent to 90 percent intensity, per The Seattle Times.

  "Obviously, you don't want to take huge, huge jumps (in intensity)," Woo said after his bullpen. "You've got to be smart with it. Hopefully we just keep progressing like we have been."

  There remains optimism that Woo will be able to pitch in the next round should Seattle win the best-of-five ALDS. That would be notable for the Mariners considering Woo's consistency this season. The right-hander has a 15-7 record and 2.94 ERA, throwing six-plus innings in 27 of his 30 starts.

  Without Woo, Seattle is starting right-hander George Kirby (10-8, 4.21 ERA) in Game 1 on Saturday and will start Luis Castillo (11-8, 3.54) in Game 2 before the series moves to Detroit.

  The Mariners included first baseman Josh Naylor on the roster, even though he could need to leave the team during the series. He and his wife, Chantel Collado, are expecting their first child imminently, and the plan is for Naylor to fly to Arizona when she goes into labor.

  She remained at their home in Arizona after he was traded to Seattle by the Diamondbacks in July. His acquisition was key to the Mariners' run to the postseason, providing an upgrade at first base by hitting .299 with nine home runs, driving in 33 runs and adding an unexpected 19 stolen bases.

  Given Naylor's situation, the Mariners included rookie Ben Williamson on the ALDS roster. Third baseman Eugenio Suarez could move to first base if Naylor departs for paternity leave, and Williamson could take over at third base,

  Williamson split the season between Seattle and Triple-A Tacoma. With the Mariners, he hit .253 with 70 hits, one home run and 21 RBIs in 85 games. He posted a .985 fielding percentage at third base.

  --Field Level Media

Rookie right-hander Jacob Misiorowski is on the Milwaukee Brewers' 26-man roster for their National League Division Series versus the Chicago Cubs despite stumbling down the stretch of the regular season.

• Brewers manager Pat Murphy said that the 23-year-old fireballer won't start in the playoffs but will have a role out of the bullpen.

  Misiorowski (5-3, 4.36 ERA) arrived as a sensation upon his June debut, earning NL Rookie of the Month after posting a 3-0 record and 1.13 ERA with 19 strikeouts to seven walks in his first three starts.

  However, he faded down the stretch with a 5.89 ERA over his final nine regular-season appearances. He also had a stint on the injured list with left tibia contusion after he was hit by a comebacker on July 28.

  Still, a 6-foot-7 righty who regularly throws 100 mph pitches could be quite useful in a postseason bullpen situation.

  Southpaw Robert Gasser (0-2, 3.18) also is on the Brewers' NLDS roster after making a pair of short starts in September as he returned from Tommy John surgery.

  Missing from Milwaukee's postseason roster is first baseman Rhys Hoskins, the second-highest-paid Brewers player behind Christian Yelich. Hoskins had a .237 average with 12 homers in 90 games this season, missing time with a pair of injured list stints due to a sprained left thumb and a right hamstring strain.

  Andrew Vaughn, who the Brewers acquired in June, replaced Hoskins while he was sidelined with his thumb injury.

  Vaughn has batted .308 with nine homers and 14 doubles in 64 games in Milwaukee. He'll be Milwaukee's Game 1 starter at first base on Saturday.

  --Field Level Media

Clayton Kershaw is back on Los Angeles Dodgers' roster for the National League Division Series vs. Philadelphia.

• Kershaw, who announced in September that he'll be retiring at the end of the season after an 18-year career in Los Angeles, will be available out of the bullpen, manager Dave Roberts said Friday.

  He was left off the wild-card series roster, largely because of his lack of availability. He started the game, pitched 5 1/3 shutout innings and threw 94 pitches last Sunday in the season finale, a 6-1 win over the Seattle Mariners.

  A three-time Cy Young Award winner, the 2014 MVP and an 11-time All-Star, the lefty has an 11-2 record and 3.36 ERA this season over 112 2/3 innings across 23 games (22 starts).

  Kershaw, 37, ranks second among active pitchers in wins (223) behind only Justin Verlander.

  The Dodgers also are adding left-hander Anthony Banda (5-1, 3.18) to their NLDS roster, removing Justin Wrobleski (5-5, 4.32) and Edgardo Henriquez (2-1, 2.37).

  Shohei Ohtani will get the Game 1 start vs. the Phillies on Saturday with Blake Snell set for Game 2, Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 3 and Tyler Glasnow in Game 4, if necessary.

  Additionally, catcher Will Smith is on the Dodgers' NLDS roster and available to catch although he didn't play in the wild-card series due to a hand injury. Smith finished the regular season with a .296 batting average and 17 homers and 61 RBIs in 110 games.

  --Field Level Media

The Toronto Blue Jays will meet the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series without star shortstop Bo Bichette and right-handed veterans Chris Bassitt, Jose Berrios and Max Scherzer.

• The Blue Jays announced their 26-man series roster on Saturday, the opening day of the series. It consists of 13 pitchers and 13 position players.

  Bichette has not played since Sept. 6 because of a sprained PCL in his left knee, and taking his bat out of the lineup is a huge loss for Toronto. He hit .373 with 24 doubles and 45 RBIs from July 4 until the injury, and tied for second in MLB in hits (181) and doubles (44) behind Bobby Witt Jr. He was tied for second behind Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who hit .331, in batting average (.311).

  Among position players, the Yankees also will be without Ty France, who has been sidelined sine Sept. 21 due to left oblique inflammation. Acquired by Toronto at the trade deadline from the Minnesota Twins, France has seven home runs, 52 RBIs and a .257 average in 138 games this season.

  On the pitching side, Bassitt made 31 starts on the season but has not pitched since Sept. 18 due to back inflammation. He has an 11-9 record with a 3.96 ERA.

  Berrios appeared in 31 games (30 starts) and was 9-5 with a 4.17 ERA. He last pitched in relief on Sept. 24 at Boston but then was placed on the injured list for the first time in his 10-year MLB career with right elbow inflammation.

  Apparently healthy is the 41-year-old Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner who finished the season with a 5-5 record and 5.19 ERA. A veteran of 30 postseason games and winner of two World Series titles, Scherzer was ineffective down the stretch, going 0-3 with a 10.20 ERA in four starts in September.

  The Blue Jays have four left-handers on the roster, set to challenge the a Yankees lineup with prominent lefty hitters. The roster makeup also means manager John Schneider is likely to turn to 22-year-old Trey Yesavage, their No. 1 prospect, for a start.

  He has made three starts for the Blue Jays, going 1-0 with a 3.21 ERA. He has 16 strikeouts in 14 innings.

  Prior to landing in Toronto, Yesavage played at four minor league levels this season, rising from Single-A Dunedin to High-A Vancouver to Double-A New Hamphire and finally to Triple-A Buffalo.

  Other starters on the roster are Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber.

  --Field Level Media

On Sept. 9, Toronto Blue Jays TV analyst and former manager Buck Martinez said the New York Yankees are "not a good team."

• A month later, New York manager Aaron Boone hasn't forgotten, and he let the media know when the Yankees touched down in Toronto on Friday ahead of the teams' American League Division Series matchup.

  "Contrary to some thoughts up here, we're a really good team," Boone said during a news conference.

  "I know Buck had some thoughts," he later added. "That's all I was responding to. He's wrong. But it doesn't matter, we gotta go play."

  Back on Sept. 9, during the Blue Jays' game against the Houston Astros, Martinez said, "The Yankees, they're not a good team. I don't care what their record is. They have a lot of wild pitches. They make a lot of mistakes in the field. They don't run the bases very well. ... They don't have a chance to win."

  The remarks came during Toronto's first game after dropping two of three in New York, the last time the teams played before this weekend. Despite the series defeat, the Blue Jays finished with an 8-5 record against the Yankees this season, including a three-game home sweep to begin July.

  But a lot has happened since the teams' final meeting on Sept. 7, which ended with Toronto two games up on New York in the AL East.

  The Yankees went 14-5 after that game, compared to 12-7 for the Blue Jays. Sitting at 86-68 after a loss in Baltimore on Sept. 19, the Yankees won eight straight to end the regular season and finish tied with the Blue Jays atop the division. Toronto won the tiebreaker based on taking the season series.

  Game 1 of the ALDS is scheduled for Saturday afternoon. New York will send Luis Gil to the mound while Kevin Gausman gets the ball for Toronto in a battle of right-handers.

  --Field Level Media

As it turns out, Cam Schlittler was pitching with a little extra motivation in his record-setting performance in the American League wild-card decider on Thursday.

• Schlittler, 24, became a household name after a dominant performance in the Yankees' 4-0 victory over the Red Sox. After dropping the first game, New York won the series and advanced to take on top-seeded Toronto in the AL Division Series.

  In just his 15th major league start, Schlittler became the first pitcher ever to hurl at least eight scoreless innings with a dozen strikeouts and no walks in a postseason contest. He overwhelmed Boston with his fastball, firing 64 of a career-high 107 pitchers at least 98 mph.

  On Friday, as the Yankees were preparing in Toronto, Schlitter expressed his thoughts that some Red Sox fans "crossed the line" with social media posts attacking members of his family.

  The Walpole, Mass., native was especially distressed that the venom emanated from his hometown. A Red Sox fan growing up, Schlittler still roots for other Boston professional teams.

  Friends sent the right-hander several of these posts, including one that ridiculed Schlittler's mother, forcing her to switch her account to private.

  "I'm a competitive player," Schlittler said. "All they're doing is feeding the fire. Just making sure I'm staying off my phone. I see it. I noticed it the other day. But at the end of the day, I'm going to go out there and just lock in even more. So, honestly, I can thank them as well for putting me in that position."

  Barring a sweep by either team, Schlittler is in line to start in Game 4 of the ALDS in Yankee Stadium next Wednesday.

  Yankees manager Aaron Boone had no fear about putting his rookie pitcher in a pressure-packed situation.

  "Cam's a tough kid," Boone said, "and I know (he) is going to handle any slings and arrows. Social media can be an ugly place sometimes, unfortunately. We try to prepare our guys and obviously support our guys in so many different ways, but Cam is broad-shouldered, confident, clear-eyed, and I don't think going to be affected by much."

  Schlittler has not allowed a run in his last two outings, fanning 21 batters and walking only one in 15 innings. His nine-strikeout effort over seven innings in a 6-1 win over Baltimore on Sept. 27 put the rest of the AL playoff teams on notice.

  But that paled in comparison to the dagger he delivered to the Red Sox and their fans.

  "But at the end of the day," Schlittler said, "there's not much they can say now."

  "I wasn't really expecting it to go that far," he said.

  --Field Level Media

The Chicago Cubs will start Matthew Boyd in Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the host Milwaukee Brewers on three days' rest on Saturday.

• Boyd threw 58 pitches over 4 1/3 innings on Tuesday in Chicago's wild-card opener, allowing one run in a no-decision as the Cubs beat the San Diego Padres 3-1. He was monitored through a Friday workout before the team finalized the decision about the Saturday starter.

  Manager Craig Counsell acknowledged the request is unusual, with Boyd not having pitched on short rest all season.

  "We wouldn't make this decision, this would not be a decision (if he was coming off) a six-inning start or a 90-pitch start," Counsell said. "We would not be considering this. But, yeah, I think he had his head on it, probably when he got in the dugout. Yeah, and he's asked repeatedly about it."

  The left-hander has pitched on three days' rest three times in his career, most recently on Oct. 1, 2022 in a relief appearance for the Seattle Mariners. The last short-rest start for Boyd came on Aug. 22, 2017, when he was a member of the Detroit Tigers. Boyd has posted a 4.70 ERA over 15 1/3 innings during his career on short rest.

  "I think our staff does a great job of preparing us to have success when the time comes, whatever role we're in or whatever the opponent," Boyd said. "They do an amazing job in preparing us to get to where we need to go."

  Boyd even got loose in the ninth inning of the Thursday clincher against the Padres as part of his between-start routine.

  "He was willing to take the ball yesterday, so that tells you," Counsell said Friday.

  In the regular season, Boyd went 14-8 with a 3.21 ERA in 31 starts. For his career in the postseason, he is 0-0 with a 1.10 ERA in five games (four starts).

  He has poor career numbers against the Brewers, though: 2-2 with a 9.00 ERA in five starts. This year, he lost at Milwaukee on July 28 after yielding five runs on six hits and five walks in five innings, and he beat the Brewers in Chicago on Aug. 19 despite permitting four runs on six hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings.

  The Cubs' rotation likely will feature left-hander Shota Imanaga on normal rest for Game 2 in Milwaukee and right-hander Jameson Taillon for Game 3 in Chicago. Rookie Cade Horton is out for the NLDS because of a fractured right rib.

  --Field Level Media

Maybe Bo Bichette can come up surprisingly clutch in the healing department to give a jolt to the Blue Jays and serve New York a new-era Kirk Gibson moment in the American League Division Series.

• Blue Jays manager John Schneider made nothing official on Friday, but all signs point to Toronto starting the postseason Saturday without the star shortstop, who hasn't played since Sept. 6 because of a sprained PCL in his left knee.

  Toronto will reveal its official roster for the series on Saturday morning.

  It's not that the Blue Jays don't covet Bichette's bat. He hit .373 with 24 doubles and 45 RBIs from July 4 until the injury, and tied for second in MLB in hits (181) and doubles (44) behind Bobby Witt Jr. He was second to Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who hit .331, in batting average (.311).

  "We miss him. He knows we miss him," Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said. "This is God's plan. Whatever God has for us, we've got to take. I hope we win this series and he comes back for the next one."

  As of Friday, Bichette was participating in limited baseball activities. He was able to play catch in the outfield, but did not appear close to clearing the benchmark Toronto circled as most important: running. Bichette has not yet progressed to running in a straight line or performing lateral agility movements.

  Even if he believes he can still swing and have an impact, the Blue Jays don't want to run the multifaceted risk of placing him on the roster only to have him not be healthy enough to contribute.

  Toronto went 15-8 in the 23 games Bichette missed this season.

  "Just with the way we deploy our guys, we don't want to deviate too much from what we've been doing," Schneider said Friday, dismissing the idea of giving a roster spot to Bichette in a pinch-hitter role. "It's not saving him for a Kirk Gibson at-bat that may not come; he'd have to be pretty regular."

  There is increased sensitivity surrounding the situation because of Bichette's expiring contract. He's an unrestricted free agent after the World Series. His teammates and manager are eager for Bichette to stay, but first, they want him to have a chance to help determine when Toronto's season ends.

  Andres Gimenez, a free agent signed away from the Guardians, moved from second base to shortstop and has graded out very well defensively.

  --Field Level Media

Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler underwent surgery on the patellar tendon in his right knee on Friday and is expected to be ready for spring training.

• Butler had a procedure done to repair a partial tendon tear and remove chronic scar tissue. The surgery was performed in Los Angeles.

  The 25-year-old Butler played in 152 games this season despite the knee issue. He batted .234 with 21 homers and notched career highs of 63 RBIs, 83 runs, 30 doubles and 22 steals.

  Butler also was the club's Roberto Clemente Award nominee for his community service work. The 2025 season was the team's first in West Sacramento, Calif., ahead of a scheduled move to Las Vegas for the 2028 campaign.

  Butler is part of a young core group the A's have put together. He signed a seven-year, $65.5 million deal last March.

  In 319 games over two-plus seasons, Butler is batting .242 with 47 homers, 130 RBIs and 40 steals with the A's.

  --Field Level Media

Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff will miss the National League Division Series against the Chicago Cubs as he continues his recovery from a strained right lat.

• Brewers manager Pat Murphy didn't rule out a return later in the postseason for the 32-year-old Woodruff.

  Woodruff reportedly has his sights on pitching in the World Series if the Brewers advance that far.

  "Obviously bad timing, you know, for kind of how it went down," Woodruff said Friday. "Just getting to this point and being able to -- like my main goal was to be healthy at the end of the year and pitch in the playoffs and do the whole thing."

  Woodruff last pitched for Milwaukee on Sept. 17. Three days later, he felt discomfort while throwing a bullpen session.

  Woodruff sought second and third opinions on the injury to try to get a feel on whether he could return this season. He has been told the injury isn't related to the serious shoulder injury he sustained in 2023.

  "He's looking into everything he possibly can to try to get healthy as soon as he can, but he has a long career ahead of him," Murphy said. "But just the news that the shoulder is 100 percent intact is the most important part."

  Woodruff has yet to begin playing catch, making it doubtful in Murphy's eye that he'd available for the NL Championship Series if the Brewers win the series with the Cubs.

  "The longer you keep going, the longer you get days out of this thing, the better the chance," Woodruff said. "We'll just have to cross that bridge when we get there."

  The two-time All-Star went 7-2 with a 3.20 ERA in 12 starts this season. He made his 2025 debut on July 6.

  Woodruff missed all of last season after undergoing shoulder surgery following the 2023 season.

  Woodruff is 53-28 with a 3.10 ERA in 142 career appearances (127 starts) since reaching the majors with the Brewers in 2017.

  Freddy Peralta (17-6, 2.70 ERA) will pitch Saturday's series opener for Milwaukee. Chicago has not yet announced its Game 1 starter.

  --Field Level Media

Former National League Manager of the Year Skip Schumaker is the Texas Rangers' new skipper.

• The team announced the hire Friday evening after president of baseball operations Chris Young told reporters earlier in the day that Schumaker was his "focus" in the job search.

  Schumaker, 45, was serving as a senior adviser to the Rangers, and Young said he had not talked to any external candidates.

  "We are thrilled to announce this promotion and have Skip leading this club in the dugout," Young said in a statement. "Over his past year as a senior adviser to our baseball operations group, Skip has proven to be driven, passionate and thorough in everything he does. He has a winning spirit and energy, and we are fortunate that someone so highly regarded in the industry has agreed to become our manager."

  In his first managerial job, Schumaker led the Marlins to a 146-178 record over two seasons. When Miami finished 84-78 and earned a National League wild-card berth in 2023, Schumaker was named NL Manager of the Year in his rookie season.

  After Miami went 62-100 in 2024, he asked the Marlins to remove the team option for 2025 from his contract, and the team complied. He accepted the job with Texas as an adviser to Young.

  Before entering the coaching ranks, Schumaker played 11 major league seasons (2005-15) with three teams -- the St. Louis Cardinals (2005-12), Los Angeles Dodgers (2013) and Cincinnati Reds (2014-15) -- and had a career average of .278 with 28 homers and 284 RBIs in 1,149 games.

  Schumaker replaces Bruce Bochy, who came out of retirement to lead the Rangers to their only World Series championship in 2023. On Monday, the team and Bochy, 70, mutually decided he would not return as manager next season, though Bochy was offered a front-office role.

  The Rangers finished 81-81 in 2025 and were in the American League wild-card race until late in the season. Texas was nine games over .500 before losing 11 of its last 13 games.

  --Field Level Media

New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza will be back in 2026, but the team is parting with a bevy of coaches after a swoon that saw the Mets tumble from first place in the National League East to out of the postseason.

• The Mets announced Thursday that pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, hitting coaches Jeremy Barnes and Eric Chavez, and third base coach Mike Sarbaugh will not return.

  Bench coach John Gibbons, the former manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, resigned. Catching coach Glenn Sherlock is retiring.

  Assistant pitching coach Desi Druschel and bullpen coach Jose Rosado have been given permission to talk about jobs with other teams, pending the hiring of a pitching coach.

  Invited to return to the Mets next season were first base coach Antoan Richardson, strategy coach Danny Barnes and coaching assistant Rafael Fernandez.

  The Mets were 21 games over .500 on June 12 (45-24) and had a season-high 5 1/2-game lead in the division that day. By the time the All-Star break arrived, New York stood 55-42 and trailed the Philadelphia Phillies by a 1/2-game deficit in the NL East.

  A 28-37 record after the break left the Mets with an 83-79 mark, 13 games behind the Phillies and out of the National League wild-card race. The Mets could not recover from an eight-game losing streak from Sept. 6-13.

  David Stearns, the Mets' president of baseball operations, confirmed on Aug. 26 that Mendoza would return next season despite the team's struggles.

  "Oh yeah, Mendy's doing a great job," Stearns told "The Show" podcast. "I think he's the right person for this job."

  Mendoza, 45, just completed his second season as manager -- a barrier the past three managers didn't cross.

  Terry Collins (2011-17) was the most recent manager to last more than two seasons. He was followed by Mickey Callaway (2018-19), Luis Rojas (2020-21) and Buck Showalter (2022-23).

  In his first season in 2024, Mendoza led the Mets to an 89-73 record. They lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series in six games.

  --Field Level Media

Rookie Cam Schlittler struck out 12 in eight innings during a stellar postseason debut as the New York Yankees eliminated the Boston Red Sox with a 4-0 victory in Game 3 of the American League wild-card series on Thursday night.

• The Yankees, who won the final two games of the best-of-three set, advance to the AL Division Series to face the Blue Jays. Game 1 of the best-of-five series is scheduled for Saturday in Toronto.

  New York capitalized on shaky Boston defense in a four-run fourth inning. That was more than enough for Schlittler (1-0), who allowed five hits and no walks while throwing consistently in the upper 90s. He became the first Yankees rookie to fan 12 in a postseason game.

  Red Sox rookie starter Connelly Early (0-1) allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits in 3 2/3 innings.

  Cubs 3, Padres 1

  Michael Busch homered to cap a three-hit performance, helping host Chicago advance to the National League Division Series with a Game 3 wild-card win over San Diego. The Cubs will meet the top-seeded Brewers beginning on Saturday in Milwaukee.

  Chicago's Pete Crow-Armstrong delivered an RBI single to highlight his own three-hit outing. Daniel Palencia (2-0) tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings, and Andrew Kittredge got the final two outs to secure the save.

  Jackson Merrill homered in the ninth for the Padres, but their rally in the inning was hampered by a controversial called third strike on Xander Bogaerts. San Diego starter Yu Darvish permitted two runs in one-plus inning.

  Tigers 6, Guardians 3

  Dillon Dingler hit a go-ahead solo home run in the sixth inning and Wenceel Perez had a two-RBI single in a four-run seventh as Detroit pulled away from host Cleveland in the decisive Game 3 of their AL wild-card series.

  The Tigers advance to play the Seattle Mariners in the best-of-five AL Divisional Series. Detroit sent 10 batters to the plate in the seventh against the AL Central champion Guardians, with Perez driving in two and Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene pushing across one run apiece on three consecutive singles.

  Tigers reliever Kyle Finnegan (1-0) tossed 1 1/3 shutout innings. Guardians reliever Joey Cantillo (0-1) allowed Dingler's homer during his 2 2/3 innings.

  --Field Level Media

The Seattle Mariners may be without their ace for the ALDS.

• All-Star Bryan Woo's status for the Mariners' series against the Detroit Tigers remains uncertain.

  Woo left his Sept. 19 start against the Houston Astros with pectoral inflammation. He made about 25 warmup pitches Thursday before throwing a 15-pitch simulated game against live, non-swinging hitters.

  Woo described it as a "positive day," but he declined to comment on his ALDS status.

  "I'm not going to put any assumptions out yet," Woo told reporters, adding he's taking things day by day.

  "I'm still not where I want to be in terms of game speed of everything," the right-hander said. "But in terms of how everything has progressed, I'm happy with it. Considering that a week ago, I wasn't even throwing yet -- and then a week from now, hopefully we'll be in a better spot."

  The Mariners don't have to submit their ALDS roster until Saturday morning before Game 1 versus the Tigers. Seattle is expected to announce its Game 1 starter Friday, with Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert and George Kirby being the candidates.

  "I have all the faith in the world with all of our pitchers -- starters, relievers, whoever it is -- that they're more than capable of doing the job like they have been all year," Woo said.

  Woo is 15-7 with a 2.94 ERA over 186 2/3 innings this season.

  The time for Game 1 between the Mariners and Tigers has yet to be determined. Detroit advanced from the wild-card round Thursday with a 6-3 win over the Cleveland Guardians.

  --Field Level Media

In their first step toward lining up personnel for the 2026 season, the Atlanta Braves removed five players from the 40-man roster, including outfielder Jarred Kelenic and right-hander Dane Dunning.

• The Braves also removed right-hander Alexis Diaz, catcher Sandy Leon and utility man Luke Williams from the 40-man roster and outrighted all five players to Triple-A Gwinnett. The Athletic reported on Wednesday afternoon that Kelenic, Diaz and Dunning have officially elected to become free agents.

  Kelenic, 26, was a first-round draft pick by the New York Mets in 2018 who has batted .211 with a .658 OPS in five seasons with the Seattle Mariners (2021-23) and Braves. He hit a career-best 15 home runs with 45 RBIs in 131 games with the Braves in 2024 but spent most of this season at Triple-A Gwinnett.

  Dunning, 30, was a first-round pick by the Washington Nationals in 2016, going 28-32 with a 4.44 ERA in 136 major league appearances (102 starts) in six seasons with the Chicago White Sox (2020), Texas Rangers (2021-25) and Braves.

  Diaz, who turned 29 on Sunday, was an All-Star in 2023 for the Cincinnati Reds, but bounced between three major league teams this season while delivering an 8.15 ERA in 17 2/3 innings. Leon, 36, is a career .207 hitter over 559 games in 13 major league seasons for seven different clubs, while Williams, 29, is a career .212 hitter in 221 games over five seasons for five clubs.

  --Field Level Media

Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched into the seventh inning, Mookie Betts produced four hits and three RBIs and the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for an 8-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday to advance to the National League Division Series.

• After sweeping the best-of-three NL wild-card series, Los Angeles will visit the Philadelphia Phillies for Game 1 of the NLDS on Saturday. The Dodgers will compete in the division series for the 13th consecutive year.

  Betts hit three doubles to tie a Dodgers playoff record for a single game, and teammate Teoscar Hernandez knocked in two runs.

  Yamamoto (1-0) gave up two runs, both unearned, on four hits with nine strikeouts and two walks in 6 2/3 innings. He wriggled out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the sixth inning to keep Los Angeles ahead 3-2.

  Rookie Sal Stewart drove in three runs for the Reds, and Gavin Lux had two hits against his former team. Zack Littell (0-1) allowed three runs on six hits over 3 1/3 innings. He fanned two without issuing a walk.

  Yankees 4, Red Sox 3

  Austin Wells hit a tiebreaking single with two outs in the eighth inning and New York avoided elimination with a victory over Boston in Game 2 of their American League wild-card series.

  Game 3 of the best-of-three set will be played Thursday in New York, and the winner will advance to face the top-seeded Toronto Blue Jays in the AL Division Series on Saturday. Jazz Chisholm Jr. scored from first on Wells' single, sliding in headfirst just ahead of the throw. Ben Rice hit a two-run homer in the first inning and had two hits in his postseason debut. Aaron Judge hit an RBI single in the fifth as the Yankees beat the Red Sox in the postseason for the second time in the past 11 meetings since Game 3 of the 2004 AL Championship Series.

  Trevor Story drove in three runs off New York starter Carlos Rodon. He hit a two-run single in the third and blasted a game-tying homer to open the sixth.

  Guardians 6, Tigers 1

  Brayan Rocchio belted a go-ahead solo homer and Bo Naylor had a three-run shot as part of a five-run eighth inning, giving Cleveland a victory over Detroit in Game 2 of their American League wild-card series.

  Rocchio's 379-foot shot to right field occurred after Troy Melton (0-1) retired C.J. Kayfus to start the eighth, giving Cleveland a 2-1 advantage. Steven Kwan followed with a double and was driven in by Daniel Schneeman.

  The Central Division champion Guardians forced a winner-take-all Game 3 at home Thursday, when they will attempt to become the first team to advance after losing Game 1 since the current wild-card format became permanent in 2022. The Tigers left 15 on base and went 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position.

  Padres 3, Cubs 0

  Manny Machado belted a two-run homer in the fifth inning, helping visiting San Diego square their National League wild-card series against Chicago at one win apiece.

  Fernando Tatis Jr. scored on a sacrifice fly from Jackson Merrill in the first inning. Luis Arraez contributed two of the seven hits for the Padres. Adrian Morejon (1-0) relieved starter Dylan Cease in the fourth inning and did not allow a hit over 2 1/3 scoreless innings.

  Opener Andrew Kittredge (0-1) gave up the first inning run and Shota Imanaga pitched the next four innings, allowing Machado's blast. San Diego pitching allowed only four hits; Seiya Suzuki accounted for the lone extra-base hit, a two-out double in the fourth.

  --Field Level Media

The Philadelphia Phillies are in no hurry to spell out their postseason rotation plans.

• Phillies manager Rob Thomson has Cristopher Sanchez lined up for the National League Division opener on Saturday in Philadelphia against the Dodgers. Los Angeles advanced with a two-game wild-card sweep of the Cincinnati Reds.

  As for his starting pitchers beyond Sanchez, Thomson said on Wednesday, "I have (a rotation), but I'm going to hold it close to the vest."

  Thomson attempted to keep his squad sharp amid a five-day layoff by holding in an intrasquad game on Wednesday. The contest at Citizens Bank Park drew more than 31,000 fans who paid $10 per ticket with the money earmarked for the club's charity. Bryce Harper's team won 3-0.

  "We wanted to do it last year, but it was too late to pull everything together," Thomson said of the scrimmage. "This year we got ahead of it. Great response from our fan base ... a lot of money going to charity, so it's for a good cause. And hopefully it helps the players."

  As for which players will be on the roster, the Phillies again will wait to make a public pronouncement. However, center fielder Johan Rojas won't be on the NLDS roster due to a quad ailment that has sidelined him since late July. If Philadelphia advances to the NL Championship Series, Rojas might be able to return, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said this week.

  The Phillies have to turn around a trend that has seen their postseason results diminish year-by-year. After losing in the 2022 World Series, they fell in the 2023 NLCS, then were knocked out in the 2024 NLDS.

  "Since 2022 when we got knocked out in the World Series, I truly believe there's a little more motivation every year," Thomson said. "(The players) know we've missed some opportunities. It's tough to get in the playoffs, tough to go all the way, but every year they get a little hungrier to get it done."

  --Field Level Media

San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey said his former skipper Bruce Bochy is welcome to slide into a position in the organization -- just not the vacant managerial job.

• "The door's always open here for some sort of role," Posey said on Wednesday. "I don't see us going that route with Boch."

  Posey spoke two days after the Giants fired Bob Melvin after two seasons as the club's manager. Melvin posted an 81-81 record in 2025, which marked a one-win improvement from 2024.

  The Giants finished third in the National League West in 2025, 12 games behind the division-winning Los Angeles Dodgers and nine back of the playoff-bound San Diego Padres. They were two games out of the NL's final wild-card spot.

  "We had a pretty consistent stretch of not playing good baseball," Posey said. "There's a lot of good things in place, but ultimately we did not achieve our goal this year."

  Less than two years after leading the Texas Rangers to a World Series championship, Bochy exited his job as manager in a mutual decision on Monday.

  Bochy, 70, is the sixth-winningest manager in major league history with a 2,252-2,266 record over 28 years. He spent three years as the Rangers' manager, compiling a 249-237 regular-season record and a lone postseason appearance in 2023 that led to a World Series crown.

  Bochy managed the Padres from 1995-2006, leading San Diego to the 1998 World Series. He was selected NL Manager of the Year in 1996.

  Bochy then guided the Giants from 2007-19, and he took San Francisco to World Series championships in 2010, 2012 and 2014.

  He is one of just six managers to have earned four World Series rings as a manager, and the other five are all in the Hall of Fame. Casey Stengel and Joe McCarthy each won seven titles, Connie Mack won five, and Joe Torre and Walter Alston are alongside Bochy with four apiece.

  --Field Level Media

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryan Woo is set to throw off a mound Thursday for the first time since leaving the team's Sept. 19 game at Houston with mild inflammation in his right pectoral muscle.

• Mariners manager Dan Wilson told reporters during a Wednesday media session that he's optimistic Woo (15-7, 2.94 ERA) will be on the roster for the team's American League Division Series against either the Cleveland Guardians or Detroit Tigers.

  Woo will not take part in the team's intra-squad scrimmage, instead throwing a bullpen session. The team wants him to throw at least twice before he makes an ALDS start, pushing back his timeline to likely Game 3.

  "Seems like things are going according to plan," Wilson said.

  Woo, 25, last threw five innings 12 days ago, leaving in the middle of warmups before starting his sixth inning of work. The right-hander has been a model of consistency this season for Seattle, throwing at least six innings in 27 of his 30 starts while finishing fourth in the AL in wins and fifth in ERA.

  With Woo unlikely to start the first two games of the ALDS, the Mariners likely will turn to either Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo and George Kirby to start their two home games to begin the postseason.

  --Field Level Media

The Los Angeles Angels are trending toward hiring a familiar face as their next manager, The Athletic reported on Wednesday.

• Per the report, Angels owner Arte Moreno's leading choice for the role is longtime superstar Albert Pujols, and that the decision itself could very well be in the former slugger's hands.

  Pujols, 45, spent 10 of his 22 seasons in his eventual Hall of Fame career with the Angels. He's also still tied to the club, as he rejoined the Angels' organization as a special assistant as part of a 10-year personal services contract.

  The three-time MVP and 11-time All-Star concluded his playing career with the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers and has been managing in the Dominican Winter League since retiring after the 2022 campaign. He is expected to serve as the skipper of the Dominican Republic in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

  The Angels announced Tuesday that they had declined the option on former manager Ron Washington's contract for 2026. They said they will begin the process of hiring a new manager "immediately," marking the end of Ray Montgomery's interim stint.

  The Angels (72-90) finished last in the American League West for the second straight season, 18 games behind the division champion Seattle Mariners.

  General manager Perry Minasian's status is uncertain after the team missed the playoffs for the 11th consecutive season, per The Athletic. Minasian has been in his current position since 2020.

  --Field Level Media

Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette is pushing to make it back for the postseason from a sprained PCL in his left knee.

• Manager John Schneider maintained Bichette could be on the playoff roster, but hasn't committed to playing him when the Blue Jays begin their postseason in the American League Division Series on Saturday in Toronto.

  As of Tuesday afternoon, Bichette was still limited to swinging and throwing. The team is expected to provide an update Wednesday or Thursday, but Bichette hasn't been cleared to run since he was hurt.

  By winning the AL East, the Blue Jays were able to buy Bichette part of an extra week to rehab from the Sept. 6 injury. He was hurt sliding into home plate at Yankee Stadium and said the extra few days "helps" his outlook for playing in the series against the winner of the wild-card matchup of the Yankees and Red Sox.

  "I will do everything I can in the next four or five days to see what we can do," Bichette said.

  Bichette, 27, would not have been on the Blue Jays' wild-card roster. He received multiple medical opinions and was told there was long-term structural damage to his ailing knee. Initial recovery timeframes for a PCL sprain is 4-6 weeks, but often athletes have limited mobility for 12 weeks.

  Schneider admitted he was more optimistic about Bichette's return after the Blue Jays claimed the division crown and a bye during the wild-card round this week.

  "I hope he continues to progress," Schneider said. "I hope that he gets a chance to contribute to this. His career has been as a Toronto Blue Jay. He's been instrumental to what we've been doing here the last six years, so I hope he can progress well enough to be right in the middle of what we're doing."

  Since July 4, Bichette hit .373 with 24 doubles and 45 RBIs.

  Even after missing the final three weeks of the regular season, Bichette finished second in the majors with (181) hits -- Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. had 184 -- and doubles (44); Witt had 47.

  Bichette was also second in MLB in batting average at .311; Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hit .331. He was 24th in MLB with a team-high 94 RBIs.

  It has been a tense time for the organization given Bichette's expiring contract. He's an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the World Series. His teammates and manager are pining for Bichette to stay, but first they want him to have an opportunity to help determine when Toronto's season ends.

  Andres Gimenez, who came over from Cleveland as a free agent this season, moved from second base to shortstop and has graded out very well defensively. That leaves open the option for Bichette to return as the primary designated hitter if necessary.

  "In a perfect world, if he can come back and play short, yeah, great," Schneider said. "But if we can get his bat back, I'll take it."

  --Field Level Media