Garrett Whitlock pitched on a fracture, AL East roundup

There were no games on the schedule for AL East teams yesterday, but there was still plenty of news in Boston, Baltimore, and New York as everyone looks back on a 2025 season that ended with the Tampa Bay Rays atop the division at 98-64, ahead of the 93-68 New York Yankees and the 87-75 Boston Red Sox.

Garrett Whitlock pitched through fractured tibia

MLB Trade Rumors reports that Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock finished off a strong regular season and a quality September while unknowingly pitching with a fractured right tibia. According to the outlet, which cites an interview with Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald, Whitlock only learned of the fracture after working through the injury over the final month of the campaign. The revelation adds context to his late-season performance for a Boston club that posted an 87-75 record in the AL East.

Sonny Gray commits to pitching in 2027

Also in Boston, MLB Trade Rumors notes that Sonny Gray has put retirement chatter to rest. As relayed from a text message to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, Gray says he plans to keep pitching in 2027 and emphasizes that he still wants to win a World Series. For the Red Sox, that intention keeps a veteran arm in the picture as they weigh how to build on a winning season that still fell short of a division crown.

Zach Eflin’s future in Baltimore, ex-Yankee Ian Hamilton moves on

In Baltimore, MLB Trade Rumors writes that right-hander Zach Eflin hopes to remain with the Orioles. The site recalls that Eflin struggled to a 5.93 ERA over an injury-limited 71 1/3 innings in 2025, yet the Orioles brought him back on a one-year, $10MM deal last winter. According to the report, that reunion did not go as hoped: Eflin exited his first start of 2026 with elbow discomfort and had to undergo an unspecified procedure, casting some uncertainty over his next steps even as he expresses a desire to stay in Baltimore, which finished 79-82.

For Yankees fans, MLB Trade Rumors highlights a smaller but notable bullpen move: per the MiLB.com transactions page, veteran reliever Ian Hamilton has elected minor league free agency. The outlet points out that this comes after the Yankees non-tendered Hamilton last November and he subsequently signed a non-guaranteed major league deal with the Atlanta Braves. The decision underscores the ongoing churn in New York’s relief corps after a 93-68 season that trailed only Tampa Bay in the division.