Roundup
Tampa Bay Rays
Toronto Blue Jays
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Rays set ALCS rotation plans, AL East roundup
On a quiet day on the field in the AL East, the Rays named their ALCS Game 1 starter, ruled out Shane McClanahan for October, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. underwent laser eye surgery.
By the PickALeague Newsroom · Published · Source: PickALeagueSummary written with AI assistance — how we workLire en français →
There were no games on the schedule for the AL East, but it was an eventful off-day in terms of playoff planning and medical updates, headlined by the Tampa Bay Rays setting their rotation for the American League Championship Series.
Rasmussen gets ALCS Game 1, McClanahan shut down
According to MLB Trade Rumors, the Tampa Bay Rays, who finished the regular season at 98-64, will hand the ball to ace Drew Rasmussen for Game 1 of the ALCS. The American League’s top two seeds will meet as the Rays host the Cleveland Guardians in the best-of-seven set, with first pitch tomorrow at 7 p.m. CT.
The news is more sobering on the injury front. As relayed by MLB Trade Rumors from Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, left-hander Shane McClanahan has been ruled out for the remainder of the postseason. Tampa Bay had been hoping to get the former staff ace back at some point this October, but that’s no longer in the cards, leaving Rasmussen and the rest of the rotation to carry the load. MLB Trade Rumors also points out that Cleveland is coming in on a high after rallying from an 0–2 deficit to win a five-game Division Series over the White Sox, the first such comeback in a best-of-five since the 2017 Yankees.
Durbin undergoes finger surgery, Guerrero Jr. has eye procedure
For the 87-75 Boston Red Sox, MLB Trade Rumors reports that infielder Caleb Durbin recently underwent a PIP joint reconstruction procedure on his left pinky. It’s the same finger he partially dislocated back in June, though he did not miss any time during the season and was able to play in the Wild Card Series.
The 93-68 New York Yankees surface in the day’s news only by comparison, as MLB Trade Rumors uses their 2017 Division Series comeback as the benchmark for Cleveland’s rally against Chicago.
North of the border, the 79-83 Toronto Blue Jays are already into offseason mode. First baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. recently had laser eye surgery, with the procedure first announced on Instagram by the Laser Eye Center of Miami and confirmed by Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith, as noted by MLB Trade Rumors. The exact timing of the surgery isn’t clear, with the clinic’s post coming during a post-op visit. The Baltimore Orioles (79-82) stay off the radar for now as the rest of the division watches Tampa Bay take center stage in the ALCS.