Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (knee) won't accompany the team to Cleveland this weekend for their series against the Guardians to close out the 2024 regular season, according to manager Joe Espada. Alvarez will stay in Houston to work with the team's doctors and training staff. The left-handed slugger still isn't doing baseball activity after spraining his right knee on a slide on Sunday, but he is feeling better. The 27-year-old was hoping to get some at-bats this weekend, but that won't be the case, and the Astros can only hope that he'll be ready to go for the first round of the playoffs next week. The Cuban slugger finishes his 2024 regular season with another strong campaign, slashing .308/.392/.567 with a .959 OPS, 35 home runs, 86 RBI, six steals and 88 runs scored in 552 at-bats. Jason Heyward should see regular playing time in the outfield the rest of the way for Houston.

The New York Yankees placed left-hander Nestor Cortes (elbow) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to Sept. 22) on Wednesday with a left-elbow flexor strain and recalled right-hander Cody Poteet from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in a corresponding move. Cortes was scratched from his scheduled outing on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium against the division-rival Baltimore Orioles and will now be replaced by right-hander Marcus Stroman, who recently moved to a relief role. The 29-year-old southpaw had been masterful on the mound for the Yankees of late, so this is a pretty big blow to their pitching staff with the playoffs beginning next week. Cortes will be eligible to return on Oct. 7, which makes him an unlikely candidate to join the team for the first series of the postseason in October. And when Cortes does return, he may be headed back to the bullpen.UPDATE: "I don't know if it's optimistic," manager Aaron Boone said of potentially getting Cortes back for the playoffs. Cortes hopes his rest/rehab will allow him to return if the Yankees make a deep postseason run. For now, he's shut down for seven to 10 days and will receive a platelet-rich plasma injection. He'll get two opinions on his injured elbow.

With New York Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes (elbow) headed to the 15-day injured list, right-hander Marcus Stroman will make the start at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday against the division-rival Baltimore Orioles. The Yankees moved Stroman to the bullpen earlier this month, and his first appearance out of the bullpen came on Sept. 17 against the Seattle Mariners, when he picked up a three-inning save by giving up a run, walking none and striking out three. The 33-year-old veteran threw 64 pitches in his last outing and will probably be on a bit of a pitch count on Wednesday in a tough matchup against the O's. With Cortes likely to miss the first round of the postseason, it's possible that Stroman sticks in a starting role moving forward. Wednesday's start will be the first time that Stroman has faced Baltimore in 2024.

Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black said that right-hander Ryan Feltner (arm) was dealing with some cramping in his right arm during his outing on Tuesday at Coors Field against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. Black decided he didn't want Feltner to continue to pitch through the cramping after he made one pitch to start the seventh inning. The skipper said Feltner should be fine to make his final start of the year on Sunday in the season finale against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers. Fantasy managers still playing for a championship will want to avoid Feltner in that matchup, especially coming off a minor injury. He managed a quality start on Tuesday despite his injury, tossing six innings of two-run ball while walking one and striking out six in a no-decision. Feltner has gone 3-10 this year with a 4.66 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 135 strikeouts in 156 1/3 innings over his 29 starts.

Houston Astros outfielder Chas McCormick (hand) will not accompany the team to Cleveland for their series this weekend against the Guardians to close out the regular season, according to manager Joe Espada. McCormick will stay in Houston to work with the team's doctors and training staff. He will take live at-bats and will hope to be included on the team's roster for the first round of the playoffs, which begins next week. The 29-year-old outfielder has been sidelined since the middle of September, when he fractured his right hand. He had been hot at the plate before his injury, but overall this year, McCormick has struggled to a .211/.271/.306 slash line with only five homers, 27 RBI and eight stolen bases in 242 at-bats. With Yordan Alvarez (knee) nursing a right-knee sprain, Jason Heyward is benefitting from regular playing time to close out the season in Houston's outfield.