Patrick Corbin’s 2026 outlook looks bleak. Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters, including Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling and MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson, that the veteran left-hander is a “ long shot ” to pitch again next season because of a teres major strain.
That diagnosis fits the path Toronto had already taken with Corbin. He went on the 15-day injured list on July 22, then was moved to the 60-day IL in August, which left even a best-case return scenario pointing only to the final week of the regular season.
Instead, Corbin’s year now appears headed toward an early finish. He signed a one-year, $1MM deal in early April and wound up logging 80 innings across 15 starts and 19 total appearances, posting a 5.51 ERA.
Toronto brought Corbin in as extra pitching help during what has turned into a season-long run of arm trouble. Nine Blue Jays pitchers are still on the injured list.
There are at least a couple of names trending in the right direction, though. Trey Yesavage has moved into bullpen sessions while working back from meniscus surgery, and Schneider said Shane Bieber is about 10-11 days behind him.
In Schneider’s words, “ a perfect world ” would have Bieber, who is dealing with teres major inflammation, starting to throw off a mound this week. A return before the end of the regular season sounds shaky for Bieber, while Yesavage appears to be on track for the stretch run.
In Boston, Garrett Crochet is back to throwing bullpens, and The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey reports his next session is scheduled for Tuesday. If Crochet does return this season, the Red Sox are planning to use him in relief. There simply isn’t enough time left for him to build back up for a starter’s workload after missing time since April 26 with a shoulder capsule sprain and later a lat strain that slowed his rehab.
McCaffrey also noted that Tanner Houck and Johan Oviedo could still factor into 2026. Both pitchers are expected to begin minor league rehab assignments before the end of next week. Houck had Tommy John surgery in August 2025, while Oviedo made one appearance in March before a flexor strain landed him on the 60-day injured list.
Elsewhere in the division, the Mets have reason to like what they’re seeing from Nate Lavender. The New York Post’s Joel Sherman reported that the left-hander drew significant trade interest while he was still in the Mets system.
Lavender spent most of 2025 away from the organization after the Rays selected him in the Rule 5 Draft, though he was recovering from UCL surgery at the time and was eventually returned to the Mets last November. He got back on the mound in the minors this year, then made his MLB debut in August, and he hasn’t allowed a run in his first 13 big league innings.
That kind of start gives him a real chance to emerge as part of the 2027 bullpen.
Washington catcher Drew Millas may be headed for yet another procedure on his left index finger, according to The Athletic’s Spencer Nusbaum. Millas already had the finger fractured by an Austin Wells swing a little more than a year ago, which led to surgery soon after.
He hasn’t played since July 11 because of another fracture and another surgery, but the issue apparently still hasn’t been fully resolved. Over 302 career plate appearances since debuting in 2023, Millas has hit .231/.308/.330, all in a part-time backup role with the Nationals.
In Other News...
Alex Bregman Is Reigniting A Red Sox Debate Fans Know Too Well
Alex Bregmans sluggish start to the 2026 season has given way to a much hotter stretch, and the timing has been enough to reopen an old conversation in Boston. Now with the Chicago Cubs, Bregman has put together a strong August that included multiple multi-home run games, reminding everyone why his bat was such a major part of the Red Sox offseason debate in the first place. Meanwhile, Caleb Durbin has been a useful contributor for Boston this year, giving the Red Sox plenty to like even without Bregman in the lineup.
Still, the question hanging over this story is familiar to Red Sox fans: did the club make the right call by letting him walk in free agency? That debate gets even louder with the Cubs scheduled to come to Boston for the final series of the year, where Bregmans performance will be watched closely and his reception at Fenway figures to tell its own story. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Pitching Depth Gets An Intriguing Boost From Monegros Return
Yordanny Monegros return on Aug. 28 gave the Red Sox system a reason to pay attention again, especially in a pitching pipeline that can always use another arm with real upside. After missing more than a year following Tommy John surgery, the right-hander stepped back into a High-A game and looked the part right away, working 1 2/3 innings without allowing a hit or a run while striking out three.
The command was not spotless, with three walks, but the larger takeaway for Boston is the simple fact that Monegro is pitching again after a long layoff. Before the injury, he had already shown promising results at High-A and Double-A with solid run prevention and encouraging strikeout and walk numbers, which is why his first outing back matters as more than just a rehab checkpoint. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Suddenly Face A Rafaela Problem At The Worst Time
Ceddanne Rafaelas absence landed at an inconvenient moment for Boston, with the Red Sox placing their center fielder on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Sept. 3 because of a right quadriceps strain. The move forces another shuffle in a season where every healthy body matters, and it leaves the club leaning on depth in a part of the roster that had settled into a familiar look.
To help cover the vacancy, the Red Sox recalled Nate Eaton from Triple-A Worcester, adding a player with some infield-outfield flexibility while Rafaela works his way back. He is expected to be eligible to return on Sept. 13, though the exact timetable still depends on how the injury responds, which makes the next stretch worth watching closely for a team trying to keep its momentum intact. [Read more 🡒]