DiamondCentric

On May 30, 2026, the Blue Jays played a game we’d all prefer to forget. Giving up five runs to the Orioles in the ninth inning and getting walked off at Camden Yards has a real ‘on to the next one’ feel to it. I’m content to forget the majority of that game too, but there is one play that I can’t get out of my mind. In the bottom of the fourth inning with Trey Yesavage having loaded the bases and the Jays clinging to a 2-1 lead, Jeremiah Jackson hit a chopper up the third base line. Kazuma Okamoto charged the ball, subtly adjusted his stride and got his right foot to the bag before the ball arrived. The momentum of his charge carried him forward, but he kept his foot on the bag, secured the ball and recorded the force out at third. Okamoto continued another stride towards home, adjusted his body and made a cross-diamond throw to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first to get Jackson by a stride and a half and turn the 5-3 double play. The play at third was so smooth and fluid that it wasn’t immediately clear that Big Oak had garnered the out at his base. The replay was clear and definitive. My initial reaction when seeing that play was that I had just witnessed one of the greatest double plays of all time. I’ve since softened that stance, but I still can’t stop thinking about the play. Impressiveness of defensive plays can be subjective. We’ve talked about the defensive wizardry of guys like Daulton Varsho and Ernie Clement around here a few times. They often make the hardest plays look routine, and while their surehandedness is definitely appreciated by the pitching staff, it doesn’t always make the highlight reels or bring the fans out of their seats. This Okamoto play didn’t move our managing editor, Leo Morgenstern, the same way, and it was left off of his list of the best defensive plays in May. Addison Barger’s 9-2 double play was pretty sweet in its own right (injury aside). Similarly, when you picture a double play, the first instinct is almost never the 5-3. I took a sample of DiamondCentric writers, and none had the 5-3 as their first thought. In fact, only Ryan Salvaggio from Talk Sox included a third baseman at all, opting for the around-the-horn 5-4-3. Up to July 23, there were 433 double plays league-wide that started with the third basemen. That’s just under 20% of the league’s total double plays. Of those 433 double plays starting at third, only 54 went 5-3 (2.5% of league DPs). I’m going to eliminate the DPs that start with a lineout to third and end with catching a runner off their base. Those are fun, and Okamoto has a great one of those from earlier this season too, but they feel spiritually different from getting to your bag and firing a cross-field throw. That play from Okamoto was made in May, and I’m still thinking about it as we near the end of July. That’s gotta count for something. With this being the Jays' 50th season and so much of the talk of the team being centered around that, I’ve gotten into the habit of viewing Toronto’s accomplishments through that lens as well. Where does this Okamoto play stand in the history of 5-3 double plays by Toronto? The two 5-3 plays by Okamoto that I’ve already referenced are the only two the Jays have turned this season, so by default, Oak has the best one of 2026 (so far). In the history of the franchise, the Jays have turned 151 total, and I am entering into this exercise with the assumption that none are going to top May 30, 2026. Kelly Gruber (1990) and Matt Chapman (2023) are the only Toronto players to win a Gold Glove at the hot corner. They might be the top candidates to look at. Scott Rolen won eight Gold Gloves before arriving in Toronto and made just over 200 starts at third base with the Jays. By virtue of all his appearances, no one had more opportunities than Gruber; his 846 games at third are the franchise high. Rance Mulliniks is the sole third baseman with over 1,000 total appearances for the franchise, though *only* 731 were at third base. If you’re looking for a dark horse, he might be the one. I’m going to make a confession here. I was born before the Jays had their first winning season, but I have been spoiled by modern conveniences. I severely underestimated the difficulty I would have in tracking down specific plays from the early days of this franchise. I can tell you with a fair degree of certainty that the first 5-3 double play in Jays history was turned in the bottom of the second inning in the Jays' 11th game. It was a line drive double play caught by Dave McKay and completed by Doug Ault, but I can’t find a video of it. The recap in the next day’s Toronto Star makes no mention of it, instead choosing to focus on the complete game, four-hit win by Dave Lemanczyk. Fair enough. That’s not even the type of 5-3 DP I’m looking for. The first 5-3 groundball double play happened on June 18 of the inaugural season in the franchise’s 60th game. This time Roy Howell was at the hot corner, and Ron Fairly was across the diamond. I can’t tell you much more than that because again, I can’t find any video or mention of it in a recap. I’m going to have to alter the scope of this project and will unfortunately be shortchanging Okamoto in the process. The exercise now becomes ‘finding the best 5-3 double play of the replay era’. A disappointment to be sure. Another historic 5-3 DP thankfully does have some video available. This is the first one to end a game. On July 29, 1988, with Gruber at third, Fred McGriff at first and Duane Ward on the mound, the 42,000+ fans at Exhibition Stadium witnessed history that most probably never realized. As for the play itself, it’s a nice pick from Gruber and an absolute cannon across the diamond to McGriff, but it lacks the grace of Okamoto’s play. In a game on June 7, 1995, the Jays would make 5-3 history again. This game would mark the first time Toronto would turn two 5-3 double plays in the same game. One of them is documented here and shows Ed Sprague fielding and throwing to John Olerud at first. They would turn another one the very next inning, but SportsCentre did not deem that one worthy of a highlight, so we are forced to assume it was less impressive. There is only one other game where the Jays recorded two 5-3 groundball double plays: April 6, 2021, with Cavan Biggio on the hot corner and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first. The first one was pretty smooth. A nice charging grab, a toe-tap on the base and a quick throw across to catch Nick Solak at first. The second one was… an affront to modern baseball. Or at least made to look ridiculous with the hindsight of the defensive shift rules and how we notate baseball plays. While this was ‘technically’ a 5-3 DP, Biggio was lined up in the hole between first and second base with Jonah Heim hitting directly into the shift. This shouldn’t count, and for those 5-3 purists out there (it might only be me at this point), we can’t claim this regardless of what the official record states. I also can’t state it with absolute certainty, but it appears that Guerrero is the only Blue Jay to feature on both sides of a 5-3 double play, having turned one himself from the other side of the diamond. That play isn’t the last time we’ll be talking about Biggio here, though. Over six seasons in Toronto, Biggio made 453 defensive appearances. Eighty of those were at third base. Thanks to Immaculate Grid, I know Biggio made appearances at every position except catcher and pitcher, but when I remember him I think of him as a second baseman and occasional outfielder. That doesn’t mean he was incapable of greatness at third, just that it was less likely. In five out of Biggio’s six seasons in Toronto, he posted a negative score for fielding run value, almost entirely due to his lack of range (his +5 FRV in 2022 may require a separate deep dive). The beautiful thing about highlight reel plays is that they can exist in a vacuum. Every pitch, every ball in play has the potential for greatness. That’s a big reason why we buy tickets and watch the games. Even when the team is playing poorly and the results aren’t there, greatness can happen on the next pitch… September 11, 2023, top of the fifth inning, Texas at Toronto. You might remember that I mentioned Matt Chapman won the Gold Glove at third base in 2023. He was one of the favourites to occupy this space. On this day, however, Chapman found himself on the 10-day IL with a finger sprain – the only IL stint of his time in Toronto. During Chapman’s recovery, Biggio made nine appearances at third. None of those nine appearances included a full game at the position. Biggio was either brought in as a pinch-hitter, moved elsewhere on the field or removed from the game to be pinch-hit for every time – true to his utility form. In that fifth inning, though, Biggio found himself at third. Chris Bassitt started the inning off with a walk and a single to the bottom of the Rangers' order. That brought former Jay Marcus Semien to the plate with runners on the corners and none out. In a 1-2 count, Bassitt jammed Semien with a sinker inside. Semien turned on it and hit a chopper up the third base line right towards the waiting Biggio. Now-Blue Jay Josh Smith, who was on third, was caught too far from the base and attempted a dive back to safety, but Biggio was too quick. Having collected the ball, Biggio was already charging towards Smith. The bases weren’t loaded, so there was no force play, but Biggio’s path led him to step on third just for good measure. Smith attempted a shimmy away from the out, but Biggio put the leather to Smith for the tag and got the throw across the diamond to Vladdy to retire Semien and give the Jays a +13% swing in win probability. With apologies to Okamoto, I’ve got to put him in second place. Against the odds, Cavan Biggio turned the best 5-3 double play I’ve ever seen a Blue Jay make. In the moment, Buck Martinez called it “one of the most heads-up plays you’ll ever see.” In his postgame remarks, John Schneider called it “a great play from Cav” and touted his ability to make plays like that. I’m taking it a step further and calling it the greatest play (of that type) in Blue Jays history. View the full article

Things are looking good for Milwaukee's DSL Gold entry, as just one week remains in the Dominican Summer League regular season before a period of round robin pool play kicks off the postseason schedule. Transactions: Wilson Warbirds released RHP Bryce Schaum. The BrewersFarm "X" / Instagram account lets us know Schaum's backstory and wishes him well via this post. Well, apparently what you see below is allowed. These moves took place after Monday's games. The Brewers aren't the only organization to take action such as this, as Monday's MiLB transaction page will show, but they were aggressive here. The five players sent to the strong Gold team are all having top-level seasons. The four players swapped to Blue are primarily reserve players who have struggled in 2026. Will it be a bit awkward should a trophy be hoisted after the league championship game Wednesday August 26th? Perhaps, but hey, go Gold! Blue is no pushover with a 27-22 record as the league standings page shows, but they are on the outside looking in on the postseason. MiLB Player Pages are linked below so you may compare production. SS Leanders Matos assigned to DSL Brewers Gold from DSL Brewers Blue. RHP Justin Lugo assigned to DSL Brewers Gold from DSL Brewers Blue. RHP Luis Aguayo assigned to DSL Brewers Gold from DSL Brewers Blue. OF Frandy Lafond assigned to DSL Brewers Gold from DSL Brewers Blue. RHP Ruben Saldana assigned to DSL Brewers Gold from DSL Brewers Blue. SS Romano Donato assigned to DSL Brewers Blue from DSL Brewers Gold. OF Manny De Los Santos assigned to DSL Brewers Blue from DSL Brewers Gold. RHP Carlos Canales assigned to DSL Brewers Blue from DSL Brewers Gold. RHP Deivy Gonzalez assigned to DSL Brewers Blue from DSL Brewers Gold. Final: DSL Brewers Gold 2, DSL CLE Goryl 1, seven innings as scheduled Box Score and Game Log Each team managed just four hits. One of the Guardians players doubled to lead off the game and scored on a sacrifice fly later in the inning. RH starter Derlin Garcia did well to strand two baserunners by retiring the next two men with a runner on, and that would be all Garcia and RH reliever Wandy Cabrera would surrender. The pair did issue a combined five free passes (four walks, one HBP), but Cleveland batters were 1-for-10 with RISP. Regular Link Report readers will recognize those two names as having been among the most prominent and successful for either island Crew team in 2026. Garcia's in his 2nd season, Cabrera his third. Player Development, baby. The Golden boys tied it in the 2nd on a RF Carlos Done RBI single, driving in LF Manny De Los Santos, who had walked with one out and stole second base, one of his two steals on the day (23 swipes in 25 attempts). Catcher Moises Salazar (we are still contractually obligated to note that he is still 16 years old for three more days), led off the bottom of the 6th with his 4th home run, as the switch-hitter was batting left and yanked it to right field. Salazar again batted in a prime position and seems to be coaxing quite a bit of success from this staff as the primary catcher. Loving this player. The Brewers survived two caught stealing's in their six attempts and two errors by second baseman Santiago Garcia (12 errors in 35 games spread across the infield), so this indeed was a "fortunate" win. Two youngsters, both of whom have seen limited playing time, are third-year C/1B/DH Kegnnalex Seijas and second-year outfielder Francis Sosa. Each last appeared Monday July 27th. Final: DSL Pirates Black 9, DSL Brewers Blue 3, seven innings as scheduled Box Score and Game Log The good on 18-year-old starter RHP Carlos Galindo - zero earned runs in five innings of work. The bad on 18-year-old starter RHP Carlos Galindo - five unearned runs in those five innings of work. Galindo committed an error in three consecutive innings, each contributing to runs scored. This particular play won't qualify as quality. The teams combined for seven errors overall in the shortened contest. RHP Jordy Brache, who only turned 17 years old last week, has made 11 appearances (four starts), but has yet to allow less than two runs in any outing. Hopefully we'll look back and remember his rookie season 3.28 WHIP with a laugh when he makes his big-league debut. RF Frandy Lafond continued his recent strong play with a double and two stolen bases, giving him 20 on the season (22 attempts). Second-year outfielder Nicolas Barrios, 18 years old, has been idle since leaving after three innings of play on Tuesday July 28th. The Blue boys get a rare Tuesday off to lick their Monday wounds. Wisconsin continues its playoff push with a second consecutive week on the road as they visit a Cedar Rapids (Twins) team that has struggled to a 10-32 record in the second half. The other three full-season teams return home after their own road trips last week. Organizational Scoreboard including starting pitcher info, game times, MiLB TV links, and box scores Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Batting Stats and Depth Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Pitching Stats and Depth View the full article

Transactions St. Paul Saints activated CF Emmanuel Rodriguez from the 60-day injured list. ST. PAUL SAINTS SENTINEL The Saints were so close to a series sweep at CHS Field against the Louisville Bats. They took the first five games of the week, before dropping Sunday’s series finale. They did so despite the roster taking a hit, with Twins Daily’s number three prospect Kaelen Culpepper being promoted to the majors. Walker Jenkins provided the biggest highlight of the week with a two-homer game on Thursday, building on his own strong case to follow Culpepper onto the Twins roster. They Saints will now head south as they take on the Iowa Cubs this week, where the St. Paul offense will be tested. North Side Baseball’s top pitching prospect (and number three overall prospect), Jaxon Wiggins, has struggled in Iowa. He’s sporting a 9.82 ERA across 22 innings, having allowed more than a hit AND walk per inning on average. The stuff is still there though, as he’s racked up 28 punchouts, and the Saints will have to worry about more than just him. A trio of major leaguers in Edward Cabrera, Braxton Garrett and Daniel Palencia are currently rehabbing in Iowa, and all will present challenges to St. Paul’s bats. Offensively, the Cubs are led by right fielder Kevin Alcantara. Alcantara, who has bounced between Triple-A and the majors, is slashing .270/.364/.548 (.912 OPS), and has logged 31 extra-base hits across 63 games. Third baseman BJ Murray is also swinging a hot bat, slashing .296/.407/.489 (.896 OPS), and 40 extra-base hits. WICHITA WIND SURGE WISDOM It was a strong week for the Wind Surge, taking four out of six against NW Arkansas. They’ll now travel to Texas this week to take on the Corpus Christi Hooks. The Hooks are home to the Houston Astros’ number three prospect (according to MLB Pipeline), catcher Jason Schiavone, who’s slashing .246/.384/.384 (.768 OPS), along with 16 extra-base hits and 15 stolen bases. The Hooks’ pitching staff is led by right-hander Brett Gillis, who has posted a 3.57 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP across 16 starts, as well as a 20.1% strikeout rate and an 8.2% walk rate. CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS CHRONICLE The Kernels are coming off a series split in South Bend against the Cubs. They’ll now turn their attention to hosting the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers this week. The Timber Rattlers’ offense is headlined by a pair of Brewer Fanatic’s top five prospects, including their number two – shortstop Luis Pena. Across 46 games, he’s slashing .315/.402/.455 (.857 OPS), along with 15 extra-base hits and 25 stolen bases. He’s joined by outfielder Braylon Payne, who has already posted a 20-20 season, along with a .960 OPS. Their pitching staff is led by Brewer Fanatic’s number 14 prospect, Josh Knoth. Knoth currently owns a 4.85 ERA across 52 innings for the Timber Rattlers, along with a 26% strikeout rate. FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS MATTERS Fort Myers continued the trend of strong performances, taking four of six in Bradenton, Florida against the Marauders. While neither of the Twins’ top two draft picks (catchers Vahn Lackey and Carson Tinney) had particularly strong weeks at the plate, it was a successful week for the team. They’ll now take on the Clearwater Threshers this week, as they return to Fort Myers. The Threshers are home to a pair of top 10 Phillies’ prospects (according to MLB Pipeline), one of whom being their number six prospect: Alirio Ferrebus. Ferrebus is slashing .324/.375/.520 (.895 OPS). On the pitching side, the Mighty Mussels will get to see Philadelphia’s number seven prospect: left-hander Cade Obermueller. Across 35 2/3 innings, Obermueller owns a 2.78 ERA, along with an outrageous 35.3% strikeout rate. DSL TWINS Twins 4, Tigers 3 Box Score The Twins fell behind 2-0 early Monday, but rallied twice to come away with a 4-3 victory over the DSL Tigers 2. The win moves the Twins to 16-31 on the season. The Twins got on the board in the third inning when Fabian Ulloa doubled and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Jendy Martinez after Daiyer Barboza singled. An inning later, Enmanuel Merlo singled and stole second before Jeferson Abreu launched his fourth home run of the season with two outs, putting Minnesota ahead 3-2. Detroit tied the game in the sixth, but the Twins immediately regained the lead in the bottom half. Jhon Gonzalez opened the inning with a double, and after an Abel Sosa single, Merlo grounded out to bring Gonzalez home. Gonzalez and Barboza each finished 2-for-3, while Merlo went 1-for-3 with an RBI, a run, and a stolen base. Abreu added two RBI of his own. Wisarly Reinoso earned his first win of the season after recording the final out of the sixth, and Arthur De La Cruz struck out two in a scoreless seventh to earn the save. The Twins finished with eight hits while holding Detroit to five. They’lll take on DSL Miami tomorrow. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Jeferson Abreu: 1-2, 1 H, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR Arthur De La Cruz: 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 K TOP 20 PROSPECT WEEK IN REVIEW #1 - Walker Jenkins (Saints) - .304/.304/.696, 1.000 OPS, 2 HR #2 - Vahn Lackey (Mussels) - .154/.353/.308, 2 2B #3 - Kaelen Culpepper (Saints) - 462/.500/.769, 2 2B, 1 3B #4 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Rehab) - .375/.565/.438, 6 BB, 2 K #5 - Marek Houston (Wind Surge) - .143/.280/.191, 10 K, 4 BB #6 - Riley Quick (Wind Surge) - 4 IP, 2 ER, 2 K, 2 BB #7 - Eduardo Tait (Kernels) - .177/.222/.235, 1 2B, 1 RBI #8 - Kendry Rojas (Saints) - 3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 5 K #10 - Hendry Mendez (Saints) - .200/.333/.333, 2 2B, 2 RBI #11 - Gabriel Gonzalez (Saints) - .467/.467/.733, 2B, HR, 2 RBI #13 - Carson Tinney (Mussels) - .083/.353/.083, 5 BB, 4 K #14 - Khadim Diaw (Wind Surge) - .389/.542/.667, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI #15 - Brandon Winokur (Wind Surge) - .238/.261/.286, 8 K, 0 BB #17 - Quentin Young (Mussels) - .357/.333/.786, 2B, 3B, HR, 5 RBI #18 - Ryan Gallagher (Saints) - 6 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 9 K TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul Saints @ Iowa – LHP Kendry Rojas Corpus Christi @ Wichita Wind Surge – TBD Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids Kernels – LHP Michael Carpenter Clearwater @ Fort Myers Mighty Mussels – TBD DSL Twins @ DSL Miami – TBD View the full article

Box Score SP: Dean Kremer 7 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 7 K, 1 BB HR: Martin (3), Bell (16) Top 3 WPA: Kremer 0.34, Martin 0.22, Lee 0.16 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): The Minnesota Twins needed a jolt after losing six of their last eight games, including a series loss to the Milwaukee Brewers over the weekend. They got one Monday night from an unlikely source, as Austin Martin provided an early spark and Dean Kremer delivered arguably the best start of his career against his former team. Martin gave the Twins an early lead in the third inning when he launched a solo home run to left-center field. It was Martin's third home run of the season and his first since May 22nd, providing a much-needed big hit from a player who has struggled mightily since his hot start with the Twins this spring. The home run gave the Twins a 1-0 lead, but Kremer quickly became the biggest story of the night. Facing the Baltimore Orioles for the first time since being acquired by the Twins at the trade deadline, Kremer looked like a pitcher who had something to prove against his former club. He had virtually everything working, generating 14 swings and misses while allowing just one hit, an infield single. He walked one batter and struck out seven while working seven innings. Perhaps just as importantly, Kremer gave the Twins length at a time when their bullpen desperately needed it. Minnesota has leaned heavily on its relievers during a stretch filled with close, one-run games, so getting seven innings from Kremer was a major development. The only run Kremer allowed came in an unusual sequence in the fourth inning. He struck out the batter, but the Orioles were able to turn it into a strike-em-out, throw-em-out double play that allowed Gunnar Henderson to score from third on the throw down to second, tying the game at 1-1. Outside of that "play", Kremer was essentially untouchable. The Twins quickly gave him the lead back in the bottom of the fourth. Rookie Kaelen Culpepper came through with a sacrifice fly to score Luke Keaschall, putting Minnesota back in front 2-1. For the next few innings, the game remained within striking distance for Baltimore. Then the Twins offense finally broke things open in the seventh. Minnesota put together a five-run inning that started with an RBI single from Ryan Jeffers. Josh Bell followed with the biggest swing of the night, launching a towering three-run home run that left his bat at 106 MPH. It was Bell's 16th home run of the season (third in the past week) and gave the Twins a commanding 7-1 advantage. The Twins added two more runs in the eighth inning. Jeffers came through again with an RBI double before Royce Lewis followed with an RBI single, pushing Minnesota's lead to 9-1. The offensive outburst was exactly what the Twins needed after struggling to consistently put runs on the board during their recent skid. The nine runs were the most Minnesota had scored since July 26th, and the Twins collected 14 hits while recording five extra-base hits, including two home runs. Baltimore did manage to get a couple of runs off Travis Adams in the eighth inning and Taylor Rogers in the ninth, but by that point, the Twins had already put the game out of reach, and the Twins came away with a 9-5 victory. The win gives the Twins a needed victory to open the series and improves their position in the American League Wild Card race. Minnesota now sits just one game out of the final Wild Card spot with plenty of baseball still to be played. More importantly, the Twins finally got the kind of complete performance they have been searching for. Martin provided an early spark, the offense eventually broke through in a big way, and Kremer delivered seven dominant innings against his former club. After dropping six of their previous eight games, the Twins will have an opportunity to build some momentum when they return to the field Tuesday night. What's Next The Twins will look to take the series against the Orioles on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. Bailey Ober will take the mound for Minnesota, facing Orioles right-hander Brandon Young. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Chart THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Funderburk 20 0 21 15 0 56 Hoffman 0 25 15 0 0 40 Morris 13 13 0 14 0 40 Gomez 18 12 0 9 0 39 Adams 0 0 15 0 21 36 Nance 0 24 0 11 0 35 Rogers 0 0 0 0 30 30 Minter 0 3 0 16 0 19 View the full article

All four Royals affiliates lost. Dennis Colleran Jr. struck out all six batters he faced for Northwest Arkansas, Nolan Hoffman, Connor Thomas, and Ethan Bosacker combined for four hitless innings in Omaha, and Michael Braswell III worked 2 1/3 scoreless innings for Columbia. Brett Squires, Justin Johnson, Erick Torres, and Derlin Figueroa homered. Quad Cities lost a five-run lead, falling 9-8, and Josh Hammond doubled for Columbia. Kansas City Royals Transactions Kansas City Royals signed free agent RHP Craig Kimbrel. Kansas City Royals activated RHP Craig Kimbrel. Kansas City Royals optioned RHP Easton McGee to Omaha Storm Chasers. Brett Squires Provides The Only Run As Omaha Falls In Toledo Squires hit a home run, his 19th of the season, in the first inning, and it was the only run the Storm Chasers scored in a 3-1 loss at Toledo. Toledo answered with two runs in the second inning and one more in the third for a 3-1 lead that held up. Omaha did not score again over the final eight innings. The Storm Chasers finished with three hits, one walk, and six strikeouts, and left three runners on base. Jacob Berry had two of the three hits, both doubles, and was the only Omaha batter with more than one hit. Squires went 1-for-3 with the home run, a walk, and a strikeout. Matthew Lugo struck out three times, and six Omaha batters did not record a hit. Ryan Ramsey started and took the loss. He allowed three runs on six hits over four innings, walked three, and struck out five. Every Toledo hit and every Toledo run came against him. Former Phillies reliever Hoffman allowed no hits in an inning, walking one and striking out two. Thomas allowed no hits in an inning and walked two. Bosacker allowed no hits over two innings, walked none, and struck out one. The three relievers combined for four hitless, scoreless innings. Omaha committed one error, a fielding error by Jack Pineda that did not lead to a run, and turned a double play from Brandon Drury to Peyton Wilson to Abraham Toro. Jacob Berry also started a throw that cut down a Toledo runner at second base. The Storm Chasers went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position and left three runners on base. Omaha is now 55-58. Player AB R H RBI BB K Drew Waters 4 0 0 0 0 0 Abraham Toro 4 0 0 0 0 0 Brett Squires 3 1 1 1 1 1 Matthew Lugo 4 0 0 0 0 3 Jack Pineda 3 0 0 0 0 1 Brandon Drury 3 0 0 0 0 0 Jacob Berry 3 0 2 0 0 0 Elih Marrero 3 0 0 0 0 1 Peyton Wilson 3 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 30 1 3 1 1 6 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Ryan Ramsey 4 6 3 3 3 5 0 Nolan Hoffman 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 Connor Thomas 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 Ethan Bosacker 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals 8 6 3 3 6 8 0 Johnson's Three-Run Homer Accounts For All Of Northwest Arkansas' Offense Johnson hit a three-run home run, his sixth of the season, and it produced every Northwest Arkansas run in a 6-3 loss to Wichita. The Naturals trailed 2-0 when Johnson connected in the fifth inning, scoring Connor Scott, who had walked, and Canyon Brown, who had been hit by a pitch. Those three runs put Northwest Arkansas ahead 3-2. Wichita scored four runs in the eighth inning to take a 6-3 lead, and the Naturals did not answer. Northwest Arkansas finished with four hits, four walks, one hit batter, and six strikeouts, and left four runners on base. Johnson went 2-for-3 with the home run and three runs batted in. Luke Pelzer, batting leadoff, and Omar Hernandez had the other two hits. The Naturals were retired in order in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings. Sam Kulasingam, Connor Scott, and Canyon Brown each stole a base. Hunter Owen started and allowed one run on two hits over three innings. He walked four and struck out six. Brandon Johnson allowed no hits in an inning and struck out two. Dennis Colleran Jr. struck out all six batters he faced over two innings, allowing one run on a solo home run. Caden Monke allowed no hits in an inning and struck out one. Zachary Cawyer took the loss, allowing four runs on four hits, including two home runs, in 2/3 of an inning with a walk. Augusto Mendieta allowed one hit over 1 1/3 innings and struck out two. Naturals pitching struck out 17, walked five, and allowed three home runs. Northwest Arkansas committed no errors, and Carson Roccaforte, the Royals' No. 9 prospect, threw out a runner at home plate. Northwest Arkansas went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and stranded five runners. They fell to 44-62 for the season with the loss. Player AB R H RBI BB K Luke Pelzer 4 0 1 0 0 1 Sam Kulasingam 2 0 0 0 2 0 Carson Roccaforte 3 0 0 0 1 1 Spencer Nivens 3 0 0 0 0 1 Omar Hernandez 4 0 1 0 0 1 Colton Becker 4 0 0 0 0 0 Connor Scott 3 1 0 0 1 1 Canyon Brown 2 1 0 0 0 1 Justin Johnson 3 1 2 3 0 0 Totals 28 3 4 3 4 6 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Hunter Owen 3 2 1 1 4 6 0 Brandon Johnson 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Dennis Colleran Jr. 2 1 1 1 0 6 1 Caden Monke 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Zachary Cawyer 2/3 4 4 4 1 0 2 Augusto Mendieta 1 1/3 1 0 0 0 2 0 Totals 9 8 6 6 5 17 3 Quad Cities Loses A Five-Run Lead In Peoria Quad Cities led 7-2 through four innings and lost 9-8 to Peoria. The River Bandits scored once in the second inning on a Hyungchan Um single, twice in the third on a Chris Brito single, and four times in the fourth. Stone Russell doubled home Angel Acosta in the fourth, and Torres followed with a three-run home run, his second of the season, that scored Um and Russell. Peoria answered with three runs in the fourth to cut the lead to 7-5. Figueroa hit a solo home run, his 23rd, in the seventh for an 8-5 lead, but Peoria scored once in the seventh and three times in the eighth to finish the comeback. Quad Cities collected 11 hits, drew five walks, had two batters hit by a pitch, struck out eight times, and left 10 runners on base. Brito, batting cleanup, Angel Acosta, and Um each had two hits. Torres, batting leadoff, went 1-for-5 with three runs batted in. No. 4 prospect Blake Mitchell drew two walks and stole a base, and No. 7 prospect Zion Rose singled, walked, and stole a base. Jordan Woods started and allowed two runs on six hits over three innings. He walked two and struck out two. Rob Hensey allowed three runs on five hits over three innings without a walk. Nick Conte recorded two outs and allowed a run on a walk with one strikeout. Aiden Jimenez took the loss, allowing three runs on four hits over 1 1/3 innings with a walk and three strikeouts. River Bandits pitching allowed 15 hits, walked four, and gave up no home runs. Quad Cities committed one error, a throwing error by Um that put a runner in scoring position ahead of Peoria's three-run eighth. Quad Cities went 5-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10 runners. The loss dropped the River Bandits to 53-51 for the season. Player AB R H RBI BB K Erick Torres 5 1 1 3 0 1 Zion Rose 4 1 1 0 1 1 Blake Mitchell 3 1 0 0 2 1 Chris Brito 5 0 2 2 0 2 Pedro Roque 0 0 0 0 0 0 Derlin Figueroa 4 2 1 1 1 2 Ben North 3 0 0 0 1 0 Angel Acosta 4 1 2 0 0 0 Tyriq Kemp 1 0 1 0 0 0 Hyungchan Um 4 1 2 1 0 1 Stone Russell 3 1 1 1 0 0 Totals 36 8 11 8 5 8 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jordan Woods 3 6 2 2 2 2 0 Rob Hensey 3 5 3 3 0 0 0 Nick Conte 2/3 0 1 1 1 1 0 Aiden Jimenez 1 1/3 4 3 3 1 3 0 Totals 8 15 9 9 4 6 0 Columbia Manages Five Hits In A Loss To Myrtle Beach Columbia scored in the first inning and did not score again in a 10-1 loss to Myrtle Beach. Henry Ramos, batting leadoff, reached on an error to open the game, moved up when No. 11 prospect Yandel Ricardo was hit by a pitch, and scored on a groundout by No. 6 prospect Sean Gamble, batting cleanup. Myrtle Beach scored twice in the second inning to take the lead, added four runs in the fourth, three in the eighth, and one in the ninth. The Fireflies finished with five hits, one walk, and 12 strikeouts, and left seven runners on base. Josh Hammond went 2-for-4 with a double, Columbia's only extra-base hit. Jhosmmel Zue, JC Vanek, and Roni Cabrera had the other three hits. Zue struck out three times, and JC Vanek, Ivan Sosa, and Daniel Lopez struck out twice apiece. Columbia was retired in order in the sixth and eighth innings. Darwin Rodriguez started and took the loss. He allowed six runs on six hits over 3 2/3 innings, walked four, and struck out five. Braswell III turned in the best line of the day for Columbia, allowing two hits over 2 1/3 innings without a run or a walk while striking out three. Andy Basora allowed three runs on six hits over two innings, including a three-run home run, and struck out two. Randy Ramnarace allowed one run on one hit in an inning and walked three. Fireflies pitching allowed 15 hits and walked seven while striking out 10. Columbia committed no errors, and Cabrera threw out a runner trying to reach second base. Columbia went hitless with runners in scoring position, going 0-for-6 on Sunday. They also stranded seven runners. The loss dropped the Fireflies' record to 55-51. Player AB R H RBI BB K Henry Ramos 4 1 0 0 0 1 Josh Hammond 4 0 2 0 0 0 Yandel Ricardo 3 0 0 0 0 0 Sean Gamble 4 0 0 1 0 1 Jhosmmel Zue 4 0 1 0 0 3 JC Vanek 4 0 1 0 0 2 Roni Cabrera 4 0 1 0 0 1 Connor Rasmussen 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ivan Sosa 3 0 0 0 1 2 Daniel Lopez 3 0 0 0 0 2 Totals 33 1 5 1 1 12 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Darwin Rodriguez 3 2/3 6 6 6 4 5 0 Michael Braswell III 2 1/3 2 0 0 0 3 0 Andy Basora 2 6 3 3 0 2 1 Randy Ramnarace 1 1 1 1 3 0 0 Totals 9 15 10 10 7 10 1 Top-20 Prospect Performance Kendry Chourio: DNP David Shields: DNP Josh Hammond: 2-for-4, 2B Blake Mitchell: 0-for-3, R, 2 BB, K, SB Sean Gamble: 0-for-4, RBI, K Ramon Ramirez: DNP Zion Rose: 1-for-4, R, BB, K, SB Asbel Gonzalez: DNP Carson Roccaforte: 0-for-3, BB, K Taylor Rabe: DNP Yandel Ricardo: 0-for-3, HBP Justin Lamkin: DNP Drew Beam: DNP Michael Lombardi: DNP Jack Slightom: DNP Felix Arronde: DNP Angeibel Gomez: DNP Ben Kudrna: DNP Steven Zobac: DNP Blake Wolters: DNP View the full article

Byron Buxton is getting closer to a return, and the Minnesota Twins could have their star back in the lineup before the end of the week. Buxton made meaningful progress Monday as he works his way back from a right hip impingement. Before the Twins faced the Orioles, he took batting practice on the field for the first time since landing on the injured list. He also ran the bases, giving the team another opportunity to see how his hip responds to baseball activities. The next checkpoint comes Tuesday. If Buxton arrives at the ballpark feeling good after Monday's workload, there may not be much left for him to accomplish before returning to the active roster. The Twins do not currently expect him to need a Minor League rehab assignment. "The plan is to see how he comes in tomorrow,” said general manager Jeremy Zoll. “We're just trying to get a sense of how he's recovering from all of the activities, and then hopeful for activation within the next few days." Running Is the Biggest Test Buxton wasn't pushing himself to full speed during Monday's running work, but he did make his way around all three bases. The goal was less about testing his top-end speed and more about seeing how the hip responded to the various movements required during a game. That includes something as simple as slowing down or coming to a stop. Buxton said he has been paying particular attention to those movements because they were among the actions that caused problems when the hip issue first surfaced in May. Being able to run without discomfort will be one of the biggest indicators that he's ready to return. He took time off around the All-Star break to rest the injury, but it didn't work.The Twins placed Buxton on the injured list again after the issue resurfaced. This time, he received an injection in the joint and stepped away from all baseball activities for more than a week. That extended shutdown was designed to give the injury a chance to settle down rather than having Buxton immediately try to play through it again. Both the player and organization are hoping the additional recovery time will allow him to return at full strength for the remainder of the season. Twins Need His Bat Minnesota's offense has had difficulty putting together consistent production during the second half of the season. The Twins have needed more length throughout the lineup, and there are few additions that could provide a bigger boost than getting Buxton back. The timing of his potential return is still somewhat up in the air. The Twins are scheduled to participate in the Field of Dreams game Thursday, which would make for a memorable setting for Buxton's return. However, bringing him back for that game could mean pushing the timeline more than necessary. If he responds well to Tuesday's workout and continues progressing without any setbacks, a return sometime this weekend appears to be a more realistic possibility. For now, the Twins are simply waiting to see how Buxton's body responds. Monday represented a significant step forward. Tuesday could determine just how many steps remain. View the full article

Before the trade deadline struck midnight, rumors were swirling that the Toronto Blue Jays were open to trading the newly acquired Jose Soriano. It was news that surprised many, considering they had acquired him on August 3rd for top prospect Arjun Nimmala. Now, a week after the deadline passed, we're getting more details on what those talks entailed. Dan Hayes and Mitch Bannon of The Athletic are reporting that the Chicago Cubs "pursued" Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Jose Soriano. It's not clear who the Cubs' would have included in the swap, but it's fair to assume the headliner would have been a top organizational prospect. Soriano, 27, was one of the top starting arms on the market over the trade deadline. This was despite a high walk rate and a FIP about half a run higher than his 3.24 ERA. He was particularly attractive as a starter who is controllable through 2028. Do you think the Cubs should have met the asking price for Soriano? Join the conversation in the comments! View the full article

Before the trade deadline struck midnight, rumors were swirling that the Toronto Blue Jays were open to trading the newly acquired Jose Soriano. It was news that surprised many, considering they had acquired him on August 3rd for top prospect Arjun Nimmala. Now, a week after the deadline passed, we're getting more details on what those talks entailed. Dan Hayes and Mitch Bannon of The Athletic are reporting that the Minnesota Twins "pursued" Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Jose Soriano. They go on to say it was a "package built around the organization’s No. 3 prospect, infielder Kaelen Culpepper, and other pieces." The deal obviously couldn't get over the finish line, and so the two sides agreed on a trade involving reliever Jeff Hoffman. Culpepper has since made his major league debut with the Twins. Soriano, 27, was one of the top starting arms on the market over the trade deadline. This was despite a high walk rate and a FIP about half a run higher than his 3.24 ERA. He was particularly attractive as a starter who is controllable through 2028. Do you think the Blue Jays' asking price was too high? Join the conversation in the comments! View the full article

Before the trade deadline struck midnight, rumors were swirling that the Toronto Blue Jays were open to trading the newly acquired Jose Soriano. It was news that surprised many, considering they had acquired him on August 3rd for top prospect Arjun Nimala. Now, a week after the deadline passed, we're getting more details on what those talks entailed. Dan Hayes and Mitch Bannon of The Athletic are reporting that the Minnesota Twins "pursued" Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Jose Soriano. They go on to say it was a "package built around the organization’s No. 3 prospect, infielder Kaelen Culpepper, and other pieces." The deal obviously couldn't get over the finish line, and so the two sides agreed on a trade involving reliever Jeff Hoffman. Of course, Culpepper has since made his major league debut. Soriano, 27, was one of the top starting arms on the market over the trade deadline. This was despite a high walk rate and a FIP about half a run higher than his 3.24 ERA. He was particularly attractive as a starter who is controllable through 2028. Do you think the Twins should have met the asking price for Soriano? Join the conversation in the comments! View the full article

The Royals activated Craig Kimbrel after officially signing him earlier in the day. In a stint with each of the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Mets, Kimbrel has appeared in 33 games, throwing 33 2/3 innings with 32 strikeouts and 16 walks. He has a .4.81 ERA with a 4.33 FIP. Kimbrel has recorded 440 saves throughout his 17-year major league career, with most of that time (six years) spent with the Atlanta Braves. To make room for Kimbrel on the active roster, the Royals optioned RHP Easton McGee to Triple-A Omaha. McGee has struggled in limited action in the major leagues this year, with an 8.59 ERA with a slightly better 6.36 FIP over 7 1/3 innings over six appearances, four being with the Royals and the previous two being with the Milwaukee Brewers. McGee will provide additional depth, and you could see him recalled and riding the shuttle back to Kansas City before the season is over. View the full article

The minor league season is entering its final few weeks, and the clock is ticking for the Minnesota Twins. With September approaching, the organization will soon have to determine which prospects have done enough to earn a promotion or potentially contribute at the big-league level. The timing is especially important with questions remaining on the Twins' roster. A strong finish won't guarantee a call-up, but it can certainly change the conversation as Minnesota looks toward the final weeks of the season and beyond. Here's a look at three Twins prospects who are hitting the hot button at the right time. RHP Ryan Gallagher – St. Paul Saints How He Got Here: Gallagher had originally put himself on the prospect map at Santa Barbara, where he earned Big West Conference Freshman of the Year honors in 2022. His sophomore season never happened, however, as Tommy John surgery forced him to miss the entire campaign. Gallagher returned stronger than ever. He posted a 2.22 ERA while leading all Division I pitchers with a remarkable 0.84 WHIP. That performance was enough for the Cubs to select him in the sixth round of the 2024 MLB Draft. He earned a promotion from High-A to Double-A during his first full professional season before the Cubs included him in the deal that sent Willi Castro to Chicago. Gallagher finished the 2025 season with Double-A Wichita and continued working his way through the Twins' system in 2026. Hitting the Hot Button: Gallagher delivered one of his best starts of the season Wednesday against Louisville. He allowed just one run on three hits over six innings, walking one batter while striking out a season-high nine. It was the type of outing that shows why the Twins remain intrigued by his potential. The transition to Triple-A hasn't been easy. After earning a promotion at the end of April, Gallagher posted a 7.44 ERA while allowing opponents to produce a .944 OPS across his first 13 appearances at the level. Those numbers weren't exactly screaming for another promotion. Lately, though, things have started to click. Over his last four starts, Gallagher owns a 2.49 ERA while holding opponents to a .578 OPS. The strikeout-heavy performance against Louisville is another encouraging sign that the right-hander is beginning to find his footing against more advanced hitters. There is still work to do, but Gallagher's recent stretch is exactly what the Twins want to see from a young pitcher adjusting to Triple-A. OF Walker Jenkins – St. Paul Saints How He Got Here: There aren't many prospects in the Twins organization who have generated as much excitement (or frustration over missed time) as Jenkins. Minnesota selected the North Carolina high school product fifth overall in the 2023 MLB Draft. He is currently Twins Daily’s No. 1 prospect and a consensus top-20 prospect overall in baseball. When Jenkins has been on the field, he's largely looked the part. During his age-21 season, he reached Triple-A and owns a career .863 OPS in the minor leagues. The biggest obstacle has been keeping him on the field. Even with those interruptions, Jenkins still produced at the upper levels of the organization. Last season, he posted a 135 wRC+, ranking third among Twins minor leaguers with at least 350 plate appearances. Hitting the Hot Button: Now Jenkins is healthy, and he's starting to look like the prospect Twins fans have been waiting to see. Jenkins played in six games for St. Paul last week, going 10-for-28 (.357) with a double, a triple, two home runs, and two RBI. He also recorded his first professional two-homer game Thursday against Louisville. That performance came during an impressive stretch since his return from injury on June 23. Over 32 games during that span, Jenkins is hitting .297/.357/.516 with 17 extra-base hits. That's a .873 OPS while facing the most advanced pitching he's encountered in the minor leagues. The power is showing up. The extra-base hits are piling up. Most importantly, Jenkins is getting consistent playing time. He should be in a Twins uniform in the coming weeks. RHP Merit Jones – Fort Myers Mighty Mussels/Cedar Rapids Kernels How He Got Here: Jones took a considerably different route to the Twins organization. Minnesota selected the right-hander in the 14th round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of the University of Utah. His collegiate numbers weren't particularly eye-popping, as he finished his three seasons with a 6.73 ERA and 1.72 WHIP. But there were signs of something more. Jones played in the MLB Draft League during the summer he was drafted and posted a 2.14 ERA with a 0.81 WHIP over 21 innings. Minnesota sent Jones to Fort Myers to begin the 2026 season. He has since turned that opportunity into one of the more impressive pitching performances in the organization's lower levels. Hitting the Hot Button: Jones was named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Month for July. He posted a ridiculous 0.73 ERA with 30 strikeouts over 24 2/3 innings. Across six appearances, including three starts, Jones went 3-0 while allowing just two earned runs. He led the league in innings pitched, ERA, and wins. He also ranked second in strikeouts and strikeouts per nine innings, posting a 10.95 K/9. And the scoreless streak was even more impressive. Jones didn't allow an earned run during his final four appearances of the month, covering 18 innings. During that stretch, he went 16 consecutive innings without allowing any run, earned or unearned. Jones continued the run into August. Including his August 2 outing, he went 19 innings between earned runs allowed, the fourth-longest streak in modern franchise history. For a 14th-round pick who entered the season with plenty to prove, that's quite a way to introduce yourself. The Twins will have to make some decisions soon. The minor league season is winding down, and there are only so many games remaining for prospects to continue building their cases. Gallagher is showing that he can handle the challenges of Triple-A after a difficult introduction to the level. Jones has been one of the most dominant pitchers in the lower levels of the organization. Then there's Jenkins. He might be the most important prospect in the entire organization, and his recent performance suggests that his next challenge should come at Target Field rather than CHS Field. Jenkins has already demonstrated that he can hit. Now he's demonstrating that he can stay on the field and produce consistently. The Twins may not need to wait much longer. When will Walker Jenkins make his big-league debut? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

After his name appeared in rumors last month, Logan Henderson remained a Brewer after last Monday's trade deadline. Given that the club reportedly made Henderson off-limits in trade talks for Tarik Skubal, it seems that's the outcome both player and team preferred. "I saw my name thrown in there," Henderson told reporters after his last start on Tuesday, the night after the deadline. "I actually saw [Matt] Arnold earlier today, and I said thank you for not dishing me away." To this point, Henderson's big-league opportunities have not been as consistent as he and the Brewers prefer. At this time one year ago, elbow inflammation ultimately ended his season prematurely. Earlier this year, he missed six weeks with a low back strain. As a result, Henderson has made just 15 career major-league starts. Including last year's postseason, that's four months of big-league games in which Henderson has been with the Brewers but unable to pitch. He's still found ways to benefit from that time. "When I've been on the shelf, I'm watching the game all the time," Henderson said over the weekend. "I'm always still thinking about baseball, still seeing how I can improve in a lot of different areas. I live and breathe the game, and I'm always thinking about it and seeing how I can get better." One might expect that missing time due to injury could impact a 24-year-old rookie's ability to settle in at the game's highest level. It's had no noticeable effect on Henderson, who has looked at home on a big-league mound whenever he's been available. In those 15 starts, he's pitched to a 2.39 ERA, 3.06 FIP, and 91 DRA- with an excellent 32.6% strikeout rate. "I don't know that I have a great answer for that," Henderson said of his ability to pick up where he left off after being sidelined. "I feel like when I get back in a 'compete' mode and when I'm in-game, it's like I get in that zone and it's kind of hard to explain." In his five starts last year, Henderson proved that his stuff could get big-league hitters out, but the jury remained out on whether he could succeed sustainably as a starting pitcher. His ride-run four-seamer and fading changeup from a low slot created a lethal two-pitch combination, but he lacked feel for a third pitch with consistent glove-side movement. In his debut season, 89% of Henderson's pitches were a fastball or changeup, raising questions about his effectiveness multiple times through a lineup. Henderson is quelling those concerns this year. He's reduced that combined usage of fastballs and changeups to 78%, mainly by making his cutter a bona fide secondary pitch to right-handed hitters. Last season, Henderson did not throw a single cutter to a righty, but for much of this year, it's become his go-to secondary in those matchups. "Honestly, it's kind of just a comfortability thing," Henderson said. "Being able to have a full offseason with it, spring, then time in Nashville, I felt really good about it. If I'm a two-pitch pitcher to a righty, you can flip a coin and you know what's coming. So I think it's a really good buffer, and I think it's a good pitch. I think William [Contreras] likes it a lot too because he calls it a lot. So I think a lot of it was just him pressing cutter behind the plate, me being convicted in it, and just kind of running with it." Metrically, Henderson's cutter still grades as his worst pitch. A decent chunk of them still back up with slight arm-side run, rather than true cut. Stuff is only part of the equation, though. Last year, Henderson also threw a short gyro slider as a potential fourth pitch. Over the offseason, he traded it for a sweeping breaking ball. Both have graded as nastier pitches than the cutter, but Henderson has struggled to find a consistent feel for them. The cutter has been a more repeatable in-zone pitch, making it a more sensible third offering. "It's how does this blend with my arsenal, and then how does it feel coming out of my hand? How does it feel throwing it?" Henderson said. "Last year, I had the gyro, and I loved it, and I thought it was a good pitch, but I didn't execute it great. It didn't feel good on my elbow, so I'm not throwing that one anymore. And then the cutter, I think, is just necessary. You look at my arsenal, and I'm not throwing the slider a ton, so I need something turning left." Furthermore, despite its unimpressive characteristics, the cutter has excelled at missing barrels. According to Statcast, Henderson's cutter has posted a +1 run value while holding opponents to a .279 xwOBA, 33.3% hard-hit rate, and 20.5% whiff rate. The raw movement numbers are probably underselling it. Henderson's cutter may not actually cut much, but he's been told the movement is late enough to miss the sweet spot of the bat. Additionally, because he throws from a low slot and gets so much run on his fastball and changeup, the cutter might have extra perceived cut by comparison. "Ty Duvall, one of our bullpen catchers who catches me every day, has given me that feedback before," Henderson said. "On paper, it might not look like it cuts a whole lot, but it's hard enough and late enough to where it's just the perfect amount of cut to be able to get guys off the four-seamer and miss the barrel with that last amount of cut." The next item on Henderson's checklist as a developing starter is length. He has completed six innings in just three of his 15 starts. It's not a matter of efficiency, but of durability. The Brewers have routinely pulled him after five innings with a pitch count at or below 85 pitches, citing pitch-tracking and biomechanical data showing that his stuff declines around that threshold. "Those things are all great goals to have, but you got to be able to maintain your stuff beyond that," Pat Murphy said in late July after Henderson expressed that he wanted to start working deeper into starts. The Brewers have since let him work into the sixth inning in two straight outings. They could give him more leash on Monday night, as running a six-man rotation during a stretch of 17 straight games without a day off has left them short-handed in a seven-man bullpen. However, Murphy also made clear that Henderson throwing his best stuff for five innings is better than pacing himself for seven. "I don't want him thinking about getting deeper in games and conserving pitches," Murphy said. "You've got to fight to get outs, man." Henderson is finally getting an extended opportunity to show that fight, and he's becoming a key cog in the middle of Milwaukee's rotation. "It has been good to get a little runway here to make a good stretch of starts," Henderson said. "Just trying to keep doing that moving forward." View the full article

Chicago Cubs Minor League Report Affiliate Overview Triple-A Iowa Cubs Series at Indianapolis Indians (Pittsburgh Pirates): Indians win, 4-2 Season Record: 45–66-1 Double-A Knoxville Smokies Series at Chattanooga Lookouts (Cincinnati Reds): Smokies win, 4-2 Season Record: 58–50 High-A South Bend Cubs Series vs. Cedar Rapids Kernels (Minnesota Twins): Tied, 3-3 Season Record: 63–41 Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Series at Columbia Fireflies (Kansas City Royals): Fireflies win, 4-2 Season Record: 42–64 Triple-A: Iowa Cubs Season Record: 45–66-1 Series Opponent: Indianapolis Indians (56-58-1) Series Standing: Lose, 4-2 Aug. 9: The Iowa Cubs were blanked in their series finale at the Indianapolis Indians, 2-0, on Sunday at Victory Field. Runs in the second and fourth were enough for the Indians as the Cubs were limited to just one hit in the ballgame, a single off the bat of Ben Cowles (1-for-2). Kevin Alcántara (0-for-3) saw his franchise-record 42-game on-base streak come to end in the contest. Josh Fleming got the start on the mound for Iowa and suffered the loss, falling to 4-6 on the season. Fleming allowed one run on four hits over three innings of work and struck out two batters without a walk issued. Shelby Miller made his first appearance of the season, on a rehab assignment, and allowed one run on two hits in one inning in relief and picked up two strikeouts. Hoby Milner made his fourth rehab outing with the I-Cubs and spun two shutout innings in relief, allowing just one hit and whiffing one batter. Double-A: Knoxville Smokies Season Record: 58–50 Series Opponent: Chattanooga Lookouts (51–57) Series Standing: Win, 4-2 Aug. 9: The Knoxville Smokies were walked off by the Chattanooga Lookouts, 6-5, on Sunday at Erlanger Park. Miguel Useche (0-for-3) gave the Smokies a 1-0 lead in the first with a sacrifice fly and Carter Trice’s (1-for-3) solo homer in the fourth doubled their lead. The Lookouts scored a run in the fifth before Knoxville put up a three-spot in the seventh to make it 5-1, thanks to RBI-singles from Karson Simas (2-for-4), Kane Kepley (1-for-3) and Andy Garriola (1-for-4) in three-consecutive at-bats. The Smokies were unable to turn in a shutdown inning following the stretch as Chattanooga answered with a three-spot of their own to make it 5-4. In the ninth, the Lookouts would score twice with one out in the frame to hand Knoxville the loss. Kevin Valdez got the start on the mound for the Smokies and took no decision. Valdez tossed his first-career quality start at the Double-A level, allowing one run, unearned, on three hits over six innings of work, striking out six batters while walking just one. High-A: South Bend Cubs Season Record: 63–41 Series Opponent: Cedar Rapids Kernels (41–65) Series Standing: Tied, 3-3 Aug. 9: The South Bend Cubs earned a series split with the Cedar Rapids Kernels thanks to a dominant 13-1 victory on Sunday at Four Winds Field. The game was called with one out in the bottom of the eighth due to inclement weather. The Kernels plated a run in their first trip to the plate but the Cubs answered with two of their own to take the lead for good, with both runs scoring on an error on a stolen base attempt. RBI-hits from Michael Hallquist (1-for-3), Geuri Lubo (1-for-2) and Brennan Hudson (1-for-3) in the third made it 6-1 and South Bend continued to pour it on with four more runs in the fourth to make it 10-1. Josiah Hartshorn (2-for-4) crushed a two-run shot, his 13th of the season, Logan Poteet (2-for-5) singled in a pair of runs and Lubo picked up his third RBI of the ballgame with a sacrifice fly. Matt Halbach (1-for-4) singled in a run in the fifth and Poteet capped the scoring in the contest with an RBI-single in the eighth, with a second run scoring on the play due to an error. Ethan Flanagan got the start on the mound for the Cubs and took no decision. Flanagan allowed one run on three hits over four innings of work to go along with three walks and five strikeouts. Adam Stone picked up the win in relief thanks to a perfect fifth inning to improve to 6-2 on the season. Cole Reynolds followed out of the bullpen with three shutout innings to earn his second save of the year. Offensively, all nine South Bend starters recorded a hit on the day, with three batters tallying multi-hit efforts. Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans Season Record: 42–64 Series Opponent: Columbia Fireflies (55–51) Series Standing: Lose, 4-2 Aug. 9: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans salvaged a win in their series finale at the Columbia Fireflies, coming away with a 10-1 victory on Sunday at Segra Park. The Fireflies took a 1-0 lead in their first trip to the plate but Pelicans responded with two runs in the second to take the lead for good in the ballgame. Derik Alcantara (3-for-5) tripled in a run and Fernando Cruz (4-for-5) brought him home with a double. Myrtle Beach broke the game open with four runs in the fourth, starting with a bases-loaded walk drawn by Jose Silva (0-for-3), which was followed by a bases-clearing double from Ethan Conrad (3-for-6). Pelicans starter Anhuar Garcia shut down the Columbia offense with four strong innings, allowing one run, unearned, on two hits to go along with seven strikeouts and one walk. David Bracho followed in relief and would eventually pick up the win to improve to 3-4 on the season. Bracho spun three shutout frames, giving up just two hits while whiffing two batters. Myrtle Beach tacked on three more runs in the eighth thanks to a three-run blast from Conrad, his fourth homer of the year. Jan Luis Reyes (0-for-5) made it 10-1 in the ninth on an RBI-groundout. Conrad, the Cubs’ No. 5 prospect (North Side Baseball) went 10-for-25 in the series, slashing .400/.444/.720 to go along with five runs scored, two doubles, two home runs, 10 RBI and two walks. View the full article

It was another busy Sunday for the Boston Red Sox's farm system. Let's recap all the action. Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Series vs. Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Philadelphia Phillies): 4-2 Season Record: 60-49 The WooSox squandered a five-run lead late as they dropped the series finale. Blake Wehunt got the nod to kick off Sunday’s contest and turned in a respectable appearance. Across 3⅓ innings, Wehunt allowed one run on two hits and issued one walk. He struck out another before turning the ball over to Osvaldo Berrios in the fourth inning. Berrios was just as successful as Wehunt, allowing one run across 2⅔ innings. Berrios sat down four on strikes. John Brebbia, who recently signed a minor league contract with Boston, made his first appearance in a Worcester uniform. Brebbia got his WooSox tenure off to a strong start, throwing a perfect seventh inning as he struck out one. The game slipped away as Wyatt Olds took the bump in the ninth inning. After throwing a scoreless eighth, Olds allowed five runs (three unearned) on three hits in the ninth as Lehigh Valley took a late lead. Angel Bastardo entered to clean up the mess and allowed one hit, but it was too little too late. The WooSox momentum carried over to Sunday afternoon as a solid offensive performance was spoiled by the bullpen. In the third inning, Vinny Capra tied the ballgame at one run apiece on a soft bunt single, advancing to second on a throwing error as Kristian Campbell scored. One inning later, Nate Eaton put the WooSox on top with a line drive single to center field, scoring Mikey Romero. In the fifth, Romero tacked on another with a bases-loaded single that scored Campbell. With the bases still loaded, Mickey Gasper drove in Capra and Braiden Ward with a single. Worcester wasn’t done as Eaton stepped to the plate. He drove Romero home again as Worcester jumped on a five-run lead. Despite batting an impressive 5-for-11 with runners in scoring position, the WooSox couldn’t respond to Lehigh Valley’s five-run ninth inning as they fell by a thin margin. Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Series @ New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Toronto Blue Jays): 3-3 Season Record: 57-50 Led by Mason White’s four RBIs, Portland avenged its brutal loss on Saturday with a hard-fought effort on Sunday. Jedixson Paez started the afternoon for Portland, turning in three innings of solid work. Across three frames, Paez let up two runs on four hits as he struck out four batters. Caleb Bolden got the ball in the fourth inning and earned the win for his two-inning effort. Bolden allowed three runs (one unearned) on two hits. He issued two walks and struck out two more before turning the ball over to Joe Vogatsky. Vogatsky allowed one run and issued one walk, but left New Hampshire hitless as he struck out three in two innings. Max Carlson took the final two frames of Sunday’s ballgame, allowing two hits and striking out one as he sealed the win and secured the series split. The Sea Dogs went 3-for-6 with RISP as multi-hit games from White and Ronald Rosario helped pave the way for Portland’s win. White gave the Sea Dogs a one-run lead early as he clubbed his second homer of the year to right center in the second inning. After New Hampshire tied the game, Ahbram Liendo put the Sea Dogs back on top with an RBI single in the third, scoring Max Ferguson. Will Turner drove in Liendo and Miguel Bleis with his 13th homer of the season as Portland got out to a four-run lead. In the fourth, Ferguson added one more run, grounding out to first as White scored. In the fifth, White put the game firmly out of reach with his second homer of the game. The towering blast to right field scored Rosario and Brooks Brannon as White tacked on three more runs. High-A Greenville Drive Series vs. Hudson Valley Renegades (New York Yankees): 2-4 Season Record: 47-58 The Drive fell in extra innings amidst a high-scoring showdown, losing 15-12. Matt Duffy started the afternoon for Greenville, but was pulled after just ⅔ of an inning. In his short appearance, Duffy allowed three runs on two hits and walked three as the Renegades jumped out to an early lead. Griffin Kilander provided some stability from the bullpen in an early relief appearance. Across 3⅓ innings, Kilander allowed two hits as he shut out Hudson Valley, striking out three. Luis Cohen made an appearance next, allowing one run on four hits and two Ks across one and ⅔ innings. Calvin Bickerstaff got the call following Cohen, and saw moderate success. He allowed three runs (two unearned) on two hits, issued one walk, and struck out two as he kept the Drive in the game. Trennor O’Donnell made a bulk appearance next, but the game began to slip away towards the end of his outing. Across four innings, O’Donnell allowed eight runs (three unearned) on six hits. He issued two walks and struck out a pair, but Hudson Valley was too much for the righty as he let the game get away. Catcher Hudson White took the final out of the game in uneventful fashion as Greenville lost in a marathon game. Luke Heyman and Ronny Hernandez recorded three RBIs apiece as Greenville was able to stay in the game late. Hernandez got the Drive on the board in the second inning, cutting a three-run deficit to two with a fly ball single to left field. Heyman and Carlos Gutierrez scored on the hit. Hernandez then tied the game two innings later as he drove Gutierrez home on another single. With the bases loaded in the fifth, Gutierrez, who was recently acquired alongside Erik Miller, drew a walk that scored Gerardo Rodriguez. In the sixth, Owen Hull drove in Antonio Anderson on a sharp single to right field before Heyman scored Justin Gonzales and Jake Schaffner on a double to left. Down by two runs in the ninth, Gonzales brought the Drive within one after he scored Stanley Tucker on a single to center. Facing an 0-2 count with two outs and the bases loaded, Hull tapped a ball to second base that should have ended the game. Instead, however, the throw pulled the first baseman off the bag as Anderson scored, tying the game and forcing extras. After Hudson Valley put up two in the eleventh, Anderson responded with a two-run shot, tying the game at 11 runs each as Tucker crossed home. Facing a four-run deficit in the 12th inning, Heyman scored Rodriguez as the Drive inched closer, but it was all Greenville could muster as they lost late. Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Series vs. Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Houston Astros): 4-1 Season Record: 47-59 Salem’s Sunday afternoon matchup was postponed due to inclement weather. A make-up date hasn’t yet been provided. View the full article

Alex Bregman’s bat is heating up, but his value to the Cubs goes far beyond his numbers. As October approaches, his championship experience could become Chicago’s biggest advantage. View the full article

The Twins are hoping Jeff Hoffman can help lock down the back end of their bullpen. His elite strikeout numbers suggest he can, but his recent track record shows there's plenty of risk attached to that bet. View the full article

Friday morning marked the start of an exciting new chapter in Twins Territory. The Twins finally called up their No. 3 prospect, shortstop Kaelen Culpepper, giving one of the organization’s most impressive young players a chance to make his long-awaited MLB debut. Culpepper wasted very little time making an impression. Through his first two games, Culpepper is 1-for-5 with a home run, a walk, a strikeout and two hit-by-pitches. The homer came in his second career MLB at-bat, offering an early glimpse of the power that helped make him one of the system's most highly regarded prospects. But Culpepper's arrival could be important for reasons that extend well beyond his own production. The Twins have assembled a roster loaded with defensive versatility. What they've lacked is the stability at shortstop that allows Derek Shelton to fully take advantage of it. If Culpepper can provide that, suddenly a lot of pieces become much easier to move around. Across 343 plate appearances with Triple-A St. Paul this season, Culpepper slashed .271/.367/.478, good for an .845 OPS. He brings a compelling combination of power and speed along with the ability to play around the infield. But the Twins don't need him to become another utility piece. They need him to establish himself as their everyday shortstop within a position-player mix that already boasts versatility in abundance. Royce Lewis has played first and second regularly, and could still be used at third. Brooks Lee is a switch-hitter capable of handling multiple infield positions. Kody Clemens has spent time at first base, second base and all three outfield spots. Ryan Kreidler can play across the infield and handle center field. Luke Keaschall can move between second base and the outfield. Austin Martin offers another multi-position option. Culpepper gives Shelton the potential to anchor that entire puzzle with a natural shortstop. The immediate infield alignment is fairly straightforward. Lewis should continue playing every day, Lee can remain at third, Clemens has earned regular opportunities and Culpepper can take over at short. Lewis, in particular, has made himself impossible to sit based on matchups, posting a .900 OPS since the All-Star break with relatively even production against righties and lefties. The real benefit comes from what Shelton can do around that core. Kreidler no longer needs to be treated primarily as the Twins' solution at shortstop. Instead, Shelton can deploy him where his versatility and defense are most useful, including center field while Byron Buxton is sidelined. Clemens can bounce between the infield and outfield depending on matchups. Keaschall can move from the outfield back to second base when needed. Lewis can shift around the infield. Martin can enter the mix against left-handed pitching. That creates an array of possibilities for a roster that has often struggled to find the right combination. Against a right-hander, Shelton could lean more heavily on Trevor Larnach, Keaschall and Alan Roden in the outfield. Against a lefty, Kreidler or Martin could enter the picture, with Keaschall shifting positions if necessary. Late in games, Shelton can improve his defense without being boxed in by positional limitations. When someone needs a day off, there's a good chance another regular can slide over rather than forcing a bench player into the lineup. Culpepper himself doesn't create all of that versatility, but rather, helps unlock what was already there. That's what makes his promotion especially intriguing. The Twins didn't call Culpepper up to be another player shuffled around the diamond. They called him up because they believe he can be an everyday contributor at one of baseball's most demanding positions. If he proves capable of holding down shortstop, Shelton can be much more creative with everyone else. For a team searching for every possible edge down the stretch, that's no small benefit. Culpepper's bat could provide a needed spark, and his glove could stabilize an important position. But his biggest contribution might be giving Shelton the freedom to turn one of this roster's defining traits — its defensive versatility — into an actual strategic advantage. View the full article

As anyone with a background in video games can attest, the further you advance in your digital adventure, the higher the stakes become, and the more daunting the adversaries grow. Unlike a frustrated virtual hero tossing the controller halfway across the living room, the new-look Chicago Cubs have leveled up. Facing down an "all boss fights" gauntlet of contests, Craig Counsell and his squad pushed several of the right buttons in arguably their best week of baseball yet. The reputations of clubs like Chicago and Los Angeles tower higher than the buildings that fill their respective skies. Welcoming the vaunted Dodgers to Wrigley for a hotly anticipated three-game set, the drama in this potential NLCS preview grew higher yet. North Side newcomers Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes, and others looked on as their new squad dialed up a heartily impressive victory versus MLB's prohibitive World Series favorite. The free-swinging Cubbies figured out L.A. starter Justin Wrobleski early, tallying two runs apiece in each of the first three innings. Marking an upward trend for the whole offense, the Cubs benefited from long balls cashed in by Kevin Alcantara, Seiya Suzuki, Michael Busch, and Carson Kelly. While the offense kept things moving, North Siders' starter Matthew Boyd hung tough through 6 2/3 innings against one of the game's most prolific lineups. His exit made way for his squad's increasingly stingy bullpen to lock the door on Hollywood's finest, lifting the Cubs to a 10-5 win. Los Angeles' trade deadline acquisition of the game's best pitcher, Tarik Skubal, meant that the eyes of the entire baseball world were fixed on 1060 West Addison to witness the Cy Young lefty's first start in his new uniform. By human standards, Skubal clocked in a respectable first day at work with six full innings, allowing just two earned runs. But it was the Cookie Monster-backed home team that found production from its biggest stars like Hoerner, Crow-Armstrong, and Swanson when they needed it most. Postseason play is defined by blockbuster, marquee battles like this, and the Cubs sent a message to the rest of the league that they will not kowtow to anyone's preconceived notions of who ought to take home the crown in October. Their 5-1, series-clinching win proved as much. Through two full games in their tilt with Los Angeles, Chicago demonstrated the true power of team play by employing tried-and-true consistency at the plate, coupled with their signature lockdown defensive play. But in game three of this crucial series, the stars came out to play. Treating the fans in attendance to a show like no other, NL MVP favorites Shohei Ohtani and Pete Crow-Armstrong lit up the scoreboard and millions of screens across the nation. They each smashed two homers each in one of the most exhilarating displays of offensive prowess and competition since the days of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. Starter Shota Imanaga and his squad had the game well in hand until the Dodgers unloaded with five runs in the eighth inning before reliever Jacob Webb came out for the decisive ninth, in which he calmly set the visitors down in order, scooping up the emphatic series sweep. So, after surviving a brutal run of facing one ace after another, what would be the reward for the boys in blue pinstripes? The chance to beat another. In the most unlikely fashion imaginable, that's exactly what they did in their make-up game with Dylan Cease and the Toronto Blue Jays. Through seven sparkling innings, Cease silenced the normally vociferous Cubs' lineup, racking up ten strikeouts and zero earned runs. Sometimes the best pitchers get the best of you, but the North Siders' third baseman Alex Bregman had other plans. With two out and two strikes in the bottom of the ninth, Bregman drilled a game-tying two-run blast to the basket in left field, stirring up a thunderous roar from the home crowd we'd all love to get used to. Crow-Armstrong's jaw-dropping walk-off run on a wild pitch in the eleventh frame firmly closed the argument as to how strong and how special this team is in a 3-2 win. In search of their fifth straight victory, the Cardiac Cubs took their show on the road to the house that George Brett built for a three-game weekend tilt with the Royals. The interleague matchup finally saw the debut of new Cubs' ace Kevin Gausman versus the underachieving Kansas City lineup. Gausman spun seven dazzling innings, holding Bobby Witt Jr.'s squad to a modest four hits and two earned runs. Clutch RBI knocks from Seiya Suzuki and Pete Crow-Armstrong supplied the necessary production to secure the victory in the opener, 6-4. A night after his teammate made his opening remarks as to why he was made a Cub in the first place, Clay Holmes fell short of making a similar statement. Holmes labored through four innings of baseball, allowing six hits and four earned runs. Finding themselves in an early hole, Chicago could not string together enough timely hits to dig themselves out. A rare hitless night from Crow-Armstrong set the tone for a frustrated offense in a 6-3 defeat at Kauffman Stadium. The most resilient ball clubs scratch the memory of a tough loss as quickly as they can seize momentum in the next contest, and the Cubs made good on that concept in the rubber match. The seasoned veteran southpaw Matthew Boyd took the ball and proved the stopper. Boyd cruised through seven magnificent innings, not yielding a hit until the fourth inning. The Cubs' bats unloaded eighteen hits, including a three-run bomb from Miguel Amaya and a multi-hit day with a homer from Ian Happ. The free-swinging party created a route for the visitors, capping a 6-1 week and just a shade under notching their 70th win on the campaign. With aggressive moves and a solidly galvanized clubhouse, the Chicago Cubs are without a doubt one of the best teams in baseball. A day off on Monday will then make way for the North Siders' three-game set with the Nationals in the District of Columbia, before heading home to face off with the Saint Louis Cardinals. View the full article

Signed by the Minnesota Twins to a minor-league contract in late February 2023, Jeff Hoffman pitched five innings in spring training before exercising his opt-out after being reassigned to minor-league camp. The hard-throwing righty quickly signed a minor-league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, pitching nine innings for their Triple-A affiliate before having his contract selected in early May 2023. The 30-year-old Hoffman immediately excelled with Philadelphia, netting a 2.41 ERA, 2.57 FIP, and a 33.2% strikeout rate over 52 1/3 innings pitched in 2023. He pitched at a similarly elite rate with Philadelphia in 2024, earning his first All-Star nod, before signing a three-year, $33 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays before the 2025 regular season. The veteran reliever struggled with Toronto last season, manufacturing a 4.37 ERA and 4.90 FIP over 68 innings pitched. However, he netted 33 saves (23 more than his prior career-high) while maintaining an elite strikeout rate. Despite losing his closer role to now-elite reliever Louis Varland, Hoffman looked like the Philadelphia version of himself with Toronto this season, posting a 3.94 ERA, 2.49 FIP, and a 34.9% strikeout rate (the fifth-highest strikeout rate among relievers) over 48 innings pitched. Hoffman generating swing-and-miss at an elite rate is why Twins decision-makers sought him out. “When we went out to acquire for our bullpen, we wanted to acquire specific things: swing and miss or the ability to miss bats later in games and leverage was something that’s important to us,” stated manager Derek Shelton. “He’s at what, 80 punch outs in 49 innings? Like, we did not have that in our bullpen. That is the thing that has been the most impressive and the thing we needed.” Hoffman shared a similar assessment. “I’ve pretty much led the AL in K/9 (strikeouts per nine innings pitched) all year.” Hoffman correctly proclaimed before noting his early-season struggles with the Blue Jays. “I think we got a little fastball-heavy in Toronto, both last year and this year…It seemed like every ball that was put in play was a hit, like, no matter how hard or how soft. There just wasn’t any, like, let up on that. So, it was like, all right, how do we limit the ball being put in play? And that was to throw the slider as much as possible and let the other two pitches complement that one.” Hoffman’s intuition was correct. Since the beginning of May (roughly the time when he started throwing his slider more), the hard-tossing has netted a 2.89 ERA, 2.37 FIP, and an elite 32.5% strikeout rate over 37 1/3 innings pitched, accumulating one of his strongest stretches with Toronto. Hoffman is the best version of himself when relying heavily on his slider. It’s what turned his career around, becoming one of baseball’s best relievers with Philadelphia, and inking an eight-figure, multi-year contract with Toronto. Interestingly, Hoffman considers Minnesota to be the organization that sparked his mid-career renaissance in 2023. “I kind of had an empty space in my arsenal that I needed to put the final puzzle piece in, um, because I was going out there with, like, a bad breaking pitch that didn’t tunnel with my fastball or splitter.” Then, Twins coaches suggested he throw his slider more. Hoffman added over six miles per hour of average velocity (81.2 MPH to 87.8 MPH) to the pitch from 2022 to 2023 while spiking his usage rate from 24% to 48%. “I needed something to kind of cover that empty space over there, so being able to add velocity to the slider (was) everything I needed out of the pitch. So, you know, when my feel is good with that pitch, then everything seems to fall into place.” Everything fell into place for Hoffman soon after departing Minnesota in late March 2023, turning into one of the most efficient swing-and-miss relievers in baseball. The 34-year-old again appears to be finding light at the end of the tunnel—guided by his elite slider. This time, however, the Twins have the opportunity to reap the benefits of Hoffman’s adjusted arsenal, instead of watching him thrive elsewhere. View the full article

Boston Red Sox Weekly Snapshot Record Last Week: 4-2 Runs Scored Last Week: 49 Runs Surrendered Last Week: 25 Standings 3rd in AL East 6.5 GB First Place 2nd in AL Wild Card 1.5 GB First Place Transactions 08/03/26: Boston Red Sox traded 2B Marcelo Mayer to San Francisco Giants for LHP Erik Miller and CF Carlos Gutierrez. 08/03/26: Baltimore Orioles traded C Adley Rutschman, C Jake Rogers and cash to Boston Red Sox for RHP Kyson Witherspoon, CF Enddy Azocar, C Carlos Narváez, RHP Anthony Eyanson and Player To Be Named Later. 08/03/26: Atlanta Braves traded RF Eli White to Boston Red Sox for RHP Tyler Uberstine. 08/03/26: Boston Red Sox placed C Adley Rutschman on the 10-day injured list. Left wrist inflammation. 08/04/26: Boston Red Sox optioned DH Romy Gonzalez to Worcester Red Sox. 08/04/26: Boston Red Sox designated RHP Ryan Watson for assignment. 08/04/26: Boston Red Sox activated LHP Erik Miller. 08/04/26: Boston Red Sox activated C Jake Rogers. 08/04/26: Boston Red Sox activated RF Eli White. 08/05/26: Boston Red Sox signed free agent RHP Cam Padgett to a minor league contract. 08/06/26: Boston Red Sox released LHP Joe La Sorsa. 08/07/26: Los Angeles Angels claimed RHP Ryan Watson off waivers from Boston Red Sox. 08/07/26: Boston Red Sox selected the contract of LHP Raymond Burgos from Worcester Red Sox. 08/07/26: Boston Red Sox optioned RHP Greg Weissert to Worcester Red Sox. 08/07/26: Boston Red Sox signed free agent RHP John Brebbia to a minor league contract. 08/08/26: Boston Red Sox sent C Adley Rutschman on a rehab assignment to Worcester Red Sox. 08/09/26: Boston Red Sox selected the contract of RHP Seth Martinez from Worcester Red Sox. 08/09/26: Boston Red Sox optioned LHP Raymond Burgos to Worcester Red Sox. Scores Game 112: BOS 14, CWS 2 Game 113: BOS 4, CWS 0 Game 114: BOS 12, CWS 11 Game 115: BOS 13, SAC 1 Game 116: BOS 3, SAC 7 Game 117: BOS 3, SAC 4 Series Breakdown/Highlights White Sox Series: The Red Sox completed the season sweep of the AL Central-leading White Sox to kick start the week. In game one, Patrick Sandoval tossed five innings of two-run baseball. He allowed six hits while walking four and striking out five. Greg Weissert, newly acquired Erik Miller, and Brayan Bello all held down the bullpen side of the game, combining for three strikeouts over the final four innings. On offense, Caleb Durbin was the star after smoking a grand slam over the Green Monster. Jarren Duran also clobbered a homer while Wilyer Abreu, Willson Contreras, Ceddanne Rafaela, Masataka Yoshida, and Andruw Monasterio all drove in runs as well in the lopsided victory. Game two was another shut out by the Red Sox, led by Sonny Gray tossing six strong innings. He allowed three hits, two walks, and struck out eight on the night. Tyron Guerrero, Jovani Moran, and Garrett Whitlock continued the bullpen dominance we’ve come to expect from this crew and shut the game down over the final three innings. They combined for six strikeouts over those three innings, only allowing one combined hit. Offensively, this was the game that Contreras left sick, but even without him, the team was able to continue to play solid baseball. Abreu, Contreras before he exited, Durbin, and Monasterio all drove in runs in the win. Game three was worth the watch if you stayed up through the final out. The Red Sox never led the game until they secured the victory in the bottom of the 13th inning. The lone long ball for the Sox came off the bat of Connor Wong to help spur the comeback early in the game, but the real story came in the final five innings. The Red Sox allowed the South Siders to stay in the game from the ninth through the 12th inning, but they matched run for run until finally Bello was able to stop the White Sox from scoring in the top of the 13th, which allowed Durbin to walk off the series sweep. From the pitching side, we saw a lackluster start from Ranger Suarez. He only tossed three innings and allowed three earned runs while striking out three. From there, Chad Tracy turned to a bullpen and burned through arms. Weissert, Justin Slaten, Guerrero, Miller, Moran, Chapman, Whitlock, and Bello all pitched in this game and that likely set up for what ultimately was a disappointing A’s series over the weekend. Athletics Series: Both A’s series this season have been funky. The Red Sox came into the series as the hottest team in baseball while the A’s were the coldest. Unfortunately for the Sox, the A’s would get the best of them. In game one, we witnessed absolute dominance from Payton Tolle on the mound. He tossed six innings while striking out 14 and only allowed one earned run. He was followed up by recent call up Raymond Burgos, who tossed three innings of clean baseball while striking out two. I don’t have the space to go into detail about Tolle’s dominance in this game, but go watch the highlights. His three-fastball mix was its usual gas-powered rocket, but his curveball was absolutely deadly and the A’s had no answer for it. It just shows us how high the young southpaw’s ceiling actually is. On offense, Duran knocked another homer while Rafaela, Abreu, Durbin, Yoshida, Jake Rogers, and Monasterio all drove in runs as well. Game two saw Contreras return to the lineup, but he was obviously still getting back to himself after being sick for the better part of the week. Monasterio and Durbin were responsible for the Sox’s lone RBIs of the game, but the team never really felt out of it at any point. They had a chance to mount an incredible comeback in the bottom of the ninth with White at the plate, but they were unable to come through. On the pitching side, Jake Bennett wasn’t sharp, as the rookie is navigating in uncharted waters in terms of workload. He allowed five hits, four earned runs, three walks, and five strikeouts over 5.1 innings. After him, Slaten and Burgos couldn’t contain the A’s, allowing three combined earned runs. Unfortunately, game three saw Whitlock and Chapman let the series win slip away in the late innings. Miller worked as the opener in a scheduled bullpen game as Tracy looks to operate with a pseudo-six man rotation through 16 games in 16 days. He was dominant, striking out two in his lone inning of work. Bello followed him, tossing four innings of one-run baseball. We then had Guerrero, Moran, Whitlock, and Chapman all get a turn out of the 'pen. Offensively, the team was quiet with just Abreu and White contributing RBIs on the day. The Sox once again had a chance to at least tie the game in the bottom of the ninth, but Rafaela lined out hard to left field to end the game. Website Highlights Was Adley Rutschman Worth the Enormous Cost Red Sox Paid at Trade Deadline? by Nick John The Curious Case of Eli White: Why Exactly is He in Boston? by Ryan Salvaggio Adley Rutschman Puts Red Sox in Driver’s Seat in the American League, but Concerns Remain by Alex Mayes Looking Ahead 08/10/26: Red Sox (Sonny Gray) @ Blue Jays (Jameson Taillon): 7:07 PM EDT 08/11/26: Red Sox (Patrick Sandoval) @ Blue Jays (Dyan Cease): 7:07 PM EDT 08/12/26: Red Sox (Ranger Suarez) @ Blue Jays (Jose Soriano): 7:07 PM EDT 08/13/26: Red Sox (Payton Tolle) @ Blue Jays (Max Scherzer:) 3:07 PM EDT 08/14/26: Red Sox @ Pirates: 6:40 PM EDT 08/15/26: Red Sox @ Pirates: 7:15 PM EDT 08/16/26: Red Sox @ Pirates: 1:35 PM EDT View the full article

San Diego Padres Weekly Snapshot Record last week: 4-3 Runs scored last week: 32 Runs allowed last week: 30 (season run differential: minus-10) Game 3: Home runs are fun. So is winning. And when the Padres hit home runs, they, you guessed it, win. The Padres hit four long balls, including one each from Merrill and Tatis (and surprising contributor), and Vasquez picked up where he left off Tuesday to spearhead a two-hit pitching performance in a 7-2 victory over the Astros. The Friars took two of three in the series against the AL West leaders to remain one game behind the D'backs and Phillies in the NL wild-card chase. The power show stood out. Facing right-hander Cristian Javier, the Friars got homers from Merrill (solo shot in the second, his 18th), Tatis (three-run blast in the fourth, his 11th), Sheets (solo shot in the sixth, his 15th) and ... drumroll, please ... Austin Hays, a two-run tater in the eighth after being signed just hours before the game after being released by the Chicago White Sox on Friday. That was part of a 12-hit attack that saw Merrill, Rengifo and Fermin each notch a pair of hits. Tatis' blast, as usual, was the highlight. He rocketed a 2-1 changeup 421 feet into the third level of the Western Metal Supply Building, turning a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead. Sheets' homer was also a welcome sight as that was his first since June 30. Hays joined the team to improve the right-handed bench power that has been missing with Miguel Andujar on the injured list. He pinch-hit for Sheets in the eighth and needed just four pitches to make the move look good. Vasquez, meanwhile, was very efficient and focused in his five innings. He did allow a two-run homer to Varsho, an Astros newcomer, following a Trammell single, but those would be the only hits he and the Padres' bullpen would surrender. Hart (one inning), Rodriguez (two innings) and Estrada (one inning) were perfect over the final four innings, retiring all 12 hitters as the offense's production kept the big bullpen arms from being called upon. Now another first-place team comes to Petco Park, the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers, who bring MLB's best record to San Diego for three games. Marvelous Mason Miller Some of the amazing stats for the Padres' closer: Season stats: 4-1, 0.91 ERA, 47 games, 29 saves (30 chances), 49⅓ IP, 24 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 16 BB, 91 K, .142 opponent average His save Saturday was his career-high 29th, one more than he had in 2024 with the A's in their last year in Oakland. His 29 saves are the most in the NL Has given up just three extra-base hits all season. Random Stats Of the Padres' 16 hits Tuesday, eight came in the first two innings, the first time that happened since May 24, 2015, against the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was also the third game this year with at least 16 hits, all three coming since the All-Star break. Fernando Tatis Jr.'s home run Sunday was the 163rd of his career and third of the week. After moving past Adrian Gonzalez for the third place in Padres history, Tatis is now tied with Nate Tolbert for second place. Manny Machado has the franchise record with 217. Tatis' double Thursday was the fourth time in nine games he led off a game with a two-bagger. The Padres are 15-23 in the first game of a series, including 9-10 at Petco Park. After three more steals Saturday, the Padres rank third in MLB with 119. The Padres have the highest batting average since the All-Star break at .280 and highest on-base percentage at .354. Transactions Monday: Acquired LHP Robbie Ray from San Francisco Giants for RHP Miguel Mendez and SS Joniel Hernandez. Monday: Acquired RHP Casey Mize and 3B Gage Workman from Detroit Tigers for LHP Kash Mayfield and LHP Jackson Wolf. Monday: Acquired RHP Hunter Stratton from Pittsburgh Pirates for RHP Andrew Moore and assigned him to Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas. Tuesday: Optioned LHP JP Sears to Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas. Tuesday: Optioned C Rodolfo Duran to Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas. Tuesday: Sent RHP Joe Musgrove on a rehab assignment to Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm. Tuesday: Sent RHP Nick Pivetta on a rehab assignment to Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm. Tuesday: Signed free-agent RHP J.P. France to a minor-league contract. Wednesday: Toronto Blue Jays claimed RHP Matt Waldron off waivers from San Diego Padres. Wednesday: Designated RHP German Marquez for assignment. Wednesday: Released LF Dustin Harris from Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas. Friday: Signed free-agent LF Dustin Harris to a minor-league contract. Saturday: Released RHP German Marquez. Sunday: Signed free-agent OF Austin Hays. Sunday: Optioned IF Gage Workman to Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas. Sunday: Sent RHP Joe Musgrove on a rehab assignment to El Paso Chihuahuas. Website Highlights Padres' Preller won the trade deadline by being completely normal — Randy Holt Why going all-in at the trade deadline was the right decision for Padres — N.B. Lindberg Ray is walking a tightrope ahead of Padres debut — Yirsandy Rodriguez How Padres' Preller helped Dodgers land Skubal — Steve Drumwright Rehabbing Padres pitchers have quite different first outings — Steve Drumwright Looking Ahead Monday: Brewers (Logan Henderson) at Padres (Casey Mize), 6:40 p.m. Tuesday: Brewers (Kyle Harrison) at Padres (Walker Buehler), 6:40 p.m. Wednesday: Brewers (Dustin May) at Padres (Robbie Ray), 1:10 p.m. Thursday: Off Friday: Padres (Michael King) at Guardians (Gavin Williams), 4:10 p.m. Saturday: Padres (Randy Vasquez) at Guardians (Joey Cantillo), 4:10 p.m. Sunday: Padres (Casey Mize) at Guardians (Tanner Bibee), 10:40 a.m. View the full article

Once again in 2026, I will be monitoring Miami Marlins predictions from our valued SuperSubs, Fish On First staffers and livestream guests. Individual article pages like this one will be created prior to every Marlins series and featured prominently on the FOF site. Consistent participation is key if you want to win this annual contest. Submissions only take a few seconds. Scoring system A "perfect" series is worth three points: Earn one point for predicting which team will win the upcoming series Earn one point for predicting the precise number of victories for each team Earn one point for predicting the “Series MVP” who accumulated the highest win probability added (WPA) during the series as calculated by FanGraphs (could pick a player from either team) FOF staffer Jeremiah Geiger and SuperSub David Fernandez are currently tied atop the 2026 season leaderboard, which will be updated between every Marlins series. If you are a SuperSub, leave a comment with your Prediction Time picks on this page, or join the Marlins Discord Server and submit there. We'll feature them on the upcoming Fish On First LIVE episode and track your points throughout the season! Any picks submitted prior to the first pitch of the series opener will be counted. If you are not a SuperSub, please consider signing up here to support the FOF staff. Series preview notes Probable starting pitchers: RHP Eury Pérez (MIA) vs. RHP Paul Skenes (PIT) on Tuesday RHP Janson Junk (MIA) vs. TBA (PIT) on Wednesday RHP Tyler Phillips (MIA) vs. RHP Braxton Ashcraft (PIT) on Thursday The Marlins rank 15th in MLB with a 100 wRC+ and 11th in MLB with a 3.99 FIP. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have a 36-24 record at home this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Anthony Bender (15-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), William Kempner (15-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL), Andrew Nardi (60-day IL) and Robby Snelling (60-day IL), though Kyle Stowers (left hamstring discomfort) could be joining them shortly. The Pirates rank fifth in MLB with a 106 wRC+ and eighth in MLB with a 3.91 FIP. They are 3-7 in their last 10 games and have a 28-32 record on the road this season. The following Pirates players are on the injured list: Oneil Cruz (60-day IL), Konnor Griffin (60-day IL), Mitch Keller (60-day IL) and Ryan O'Hearn (10-day IL). View the full article

New York Mets Weekly Snapshot Record Last Week: 5-1 Runs Scored Last Week: 42 Runs Surrendered Last Week: 27 Standings 5th in NL East (52-67) 18.5 GB of 1st Place, 11.0 GB of a Wild Card Transactions 8/4 New York Mets designated RHP Bryce Conley for assignment. 8/4 New York Mets activated RHP Dedniel Núñez from the 60-day injured list. 8/4 New York Mets activated RHP Chayce McDermott. 8/4 New York Mets selected the contract of OF Cristian Pache from Syracuse Mets. 8/4 New York Mets sent DH MJ Melendez outright to Syracuse Mets. 8/4 New York Mets sent RHP Kevin Herget outright to Syracuse Mets. 8/4 New York Mets selected the contract of LHP Nate Lavender from Syracuse Mets. 8/4 New York Mets recalled LHP Jefry Yan from Syracuse Mets. 8/5 New York Mets sent RHP Austin Warren on a rehab assignment to Syracuse Mets. 8/6 New York Mets sent RHP Bryce Conley outright to Binghamton Rumble Ponies. 8/7 New York Mets claimed 3B Gabriel Arias off waivers from Cleveland Guardians. 8/8 New York Mets activated 3B Gabriel Arias. 8/8 New York Mets optioned 1B Eric Wagaman to Syracuse Mets. 8/9 New York Mets optioned RHP Xzavion Curry to Syracuse Mets. 8/9 New York Mets selected the contract of RHP Jack Weisenburger from Syracuse Mets. Scores Game 114: NYM 6, CLE 2 Game 115: NYM 6, CLE 5 Game 116: NYM 13, CLE 6 Game 117: NYM 6, PIT 4 Game 118: PIT 9, NYM 0 Game 119: NYM 11, PIT 1 Series Breakdown/Highlights Guardians Series: Coming off a bad weekend against the Marlins and an off day, the Mets headed on the road to face the Guardians in Cleveland. The Mets opened the week with a strong all-around performance, jumping on Cleveland early and never giving up the lead. Luis Torrens delivered the biggest blow with a three-run homer in the second inning after a big error, and Bo Bichette followed with a solo shot in the third as New York quickly built a four-run advantage. Sean Manaea continued his recent turnaround, working six innings and limiting Cleveland to two runs before the bullpen finished the job. The Mets added insurance later in the game and opened their road trip with a convincing 6-2 victory. Game two was much more dramatic. Brett Baty opened the scoring with a home run as the Mets built an early advantage, but Cleveland battled back and eventually grabbed a 5-4 lead in the seventh. New York refused to go quietly, tying the game in the ninth, thanks in part to the Guardians defense, before pushing across another run in the 10th to regain the lead. The bullpen finally shut the door in the bottom half, giving the Mets a 6-5 extra-inning victory and securing the series win. The Mets saved their biggest offensive performance of the series for the finale. The Guardians scored twice in the first inning, but the Mets immediately responded with three in the second and two more in the third to take control. The home team made things interesting by cutting the deficit to one in the fifth, but the Mets exploded for seven runs between the seventh and eighth innings to turn the game into a rout. New York finished with 18 hits and 13 runs, completing the three-game sweep and leaving Cleveland with plenty of offensive momentum. Pirates Series: Coming fresh off the sweep in Cleveland, the Mets came into Pittsburgh riding high and kept their mojo going. The first game kicked off the weekend in excellent fashion with a 6-4 victory. Their offense once again did enough damage to build a lead, and although Pittsburgh made things interesting, New York was able to protect the advantage late. The victory extended the Mets' winning streak to four games and continued an impressive start to the post-trade-deadline portion of their schedule. Unfortunately, that streak came to an abrupt end Saturday night as Bubba Chandler and the Pirates completely shut down the Mets' offense. New York was held scoreless for the first time on the road trip while Pittsburgh erupted for nine runs. It was a complete reversal from what the Mets had done offensively in Cleveland, and the nine-run defeat was easily their ugliest performance of the week. Still, the Mets entered Sunday's rubber game with an opportunity to finish the trip with consecutive series victories. In that finale, the Mets responded to Saturday's shutout in a big way, pounding Pittsburgh 11-1 to take the series. Bo Bichette had a monster afternoon, going 5-for-5 with three RBIs, while Luis Robert Jr., also with a monster day, drove in four runs and launched a two-run homer. Francisco Alvarez also went deep as New York collected 15 hits. Sean Manaea was just as impressive on the mound, striking out 11 over seven innings while allowing only one run and no walks. The blowout gave the Mets their fifth victory in six games and capped off one of their best weeks all year long. Website Highlights New York Mets Minor-League Pitchers of the Month: July 2026 New York Mets Minor-League Hitters of the Month: July 2026 New York Mets Hitters of the Month, July 2026: Tyrone Taylor Ends His Mets Tenure On A High Note Looking Ahead August 10th: @ Atlanta August 11th: @ Atlanta August 12th: @ Atlanta August 13th: OFF August 14th: vs. Washington August 15th: vs. Washington August 16th: vs. Washington View the full article

Let's take a look at some of the rising prospects across the minor-league affiliates of the Chicago Cubs organization and see how their respective seasons are going. Pitchers Braylon Myers (Myrtle Beach Pelicans) - Myers has been a key part of the Pelicans pitching staff, as shown by his 2.48 ERA and 72 strikeouts. With 65.1 innings on the mound this season, he has only given up 24 walks and 18 earned runs. So far during his first season out of rookie ball, he is doing solid at the Low-A level. Edwardo Melendez (Myrtle Beach Pelicans) - Another member of Pelicans pitching room, Melendez also has a sub-three ERA, currently sitting at 2.91. He also has 70 strikeouts in 58.2 innings so far in 2026. With 37 walks and 44 hits given up, he has not been doing well in the base runner category. As of now, Melendez also has a WHIP sitting at 1.38. Brooks Caple (Knoxville Smokies) - In his first season in Double-A including a stint with South Bend, Caple has pitched great this season, only giving up 25 walks and 64 hits in 86.1 innings. With 30 earned runs and only seven home runs against him, Caple has shown he can keep both the bases empty and the ball in the park. He currently has an ERA of 3.13 and a 1.03 WHIP. Catchers Justin Stransky (South Bend Cubs) - In Stransky's first full season at the High-A classification, he has 42 hits in 206 at-bats with seven of those being doubles and five hits being home runs. He has made his mark on the base paths with ten stolen bases, which is impressive for a catcher at this level of baseball. With only 40 strikeouts and taking 40 walks shows good plate discipline, but his .320 wOBA is concerning. On defense, Stransky has started 60 games behind the plate and played 61 total, one game as a designated hitter, and he came in during one game to play left field for five innings where he had no opportunities to make a play. Johan Gomez (DSL Cubs Red) - In his first professional season, the DSL National League All-Star has been having a great offensive display. Like Stransky, Gomez has ten stolen bases, which is great for a lower rookie-ball catcher. He has 100 at-bats this season with 24 of them being hits (three doubles, one triple, three home runs). He has contributed in run scoring in 35 games this season as he has 14 runs and 13 RBIs. He has only been walked six times and has struck out 27 times in 2026, and has a batting average currently at .240 and a wOBA at .333. Gomez has started 30 of the 33 games and played 233.1 innings behind the plate. Ethan Hearn (Iowa Cubs) - Although Hearn only has eight games played at the Triple-A level, he has a good résumé and reason to be an Iowa Cub. While being a Smoky, he batted .198 in 106 at-bats. With nearly 20% of his Double-A hits being home runs (4 HRs in 21 hits), he knows how to use power on offense. In 33 games, he has scored 12 times and brought 16 runs in, showing his ability to bring runs in. Only taking four walks and having 44 strikeouts is showing concern about his ability to get on base. In his games as an I-Cub, he has three hits in 24 at-bats and one home run. He currently has two strikeouts and no walks. In the season as a whole, he has a .185 batting average and a wOBA of .264, which is poor. On defense, he has played catcher for 13 games (12 started), first base for 13 games (11 started), left field for one whole game, and has been a designated hitter for 12 games. Infielders Matt Halbach (South Bend Cubs) - As a second year professional baseball player, the UC San Diego alumnus has played 90 games in High-A in 2026. On the field, he has spent 703.1 innings at third base, nine innings at first base, and has also been a designated hitter for seven games. With eleven errors (all at third) on 201 total chances (193 at third, eight at first), he has a 5.47% error percentage, which is very solid. At the plate, he has had 347 at-bats, and 85 of them were hits (19 doubles, eight home runs). Halbach has taken 38 walks and struck out 77 times, which is displaying good plate discipline along with his .327 wOBA and a .245 batting average. Ben Cowles (Iowa Cubs) - In his first full season in Iowa, Cowles has 294 at-bats in 83 games this season where he has a low .295 wOBA and a 26% strikeout percentage (77 K's in 294 AB). Out of his 72 hits, 18 of them have been doubles, one was a triple, and five were home runs. Cowles has 39 RBIs and has scored himself 41 times. On defense, he has spent most of his time at shortstop for 527 innings, 101 innings at second base, 34 innings in right field, 25.2 innings at third base, eight innings in left field, and two innings in center field. In all of those positions combined, he has six errors (all at short) on 258 total chances (189 at short, 54 at second, eight at third, and seven in right). Angel Cepeda (South Bend Cubs) - Across High-A and the ACL Cubs (rehab in June), he has had a solid bat in 50 games. In 183 at-bats, Cepeda has been walked 33 times, showing his plate discipline. With a strikeout percentage around 36% (66 K's in 183 AB), that is too high. However, he has 43 hits on the season, so that means he gets on base at least once or twice every game. He has a .344 wOBA and a batting average at .235, which is decent. On the diamond, he has been a shortstop (391.1 innings) and second baseman (17 innings) this season. With 12 errors (all at short) on 185 total chances (180 at short, five at second), that is a fielding percentage around .935. Cepeda has also spent two games as a designated hitter. Outfielders Kade Snell (South Bend Cubs) - In Snell's second season at High-A, he has shown what he can do when he gets on base. In 57 games played, he has 36 runs just by himself along with 44 RBIs. Along with run scoring abilities, he has taken 27 walks and has 54 strikeouts, which is around average. With 213 at-bats, he has 53 hits with nine of them as doubles and with seven being home runs. On the season, he has a .340 wOBA, which is around average a long with a batting average at .249. On the field, he has played all three outfield positions for a total of 488 innings (271 in right, 99 in left, 67 in left). With no errors on 101 total chances (56 in right, 150 in left, 67 in center), this is one of several things that shows why he should be promoted to Knoxville next season. Ethan Conrad (Myrtle Beach Pelicans) - The first round pick for the Cubs in 2025 has only played 29 games in his first professional season (five in ACL, 24 in Low-A). In 109 at-bats, he has 27 hits with five of them being doubles and five other hits as home runs. With 11 walks and 23 strikeouts, those are solid for the rookie. He has a batting average of .248 and a wOBA of .349, which is another solid for his offense. For the defensive side of his game, he has spent 93.2 innings in center field, 57 innings in left field, and 27 innings in right field. Conrad has one error on 52 total chances, which is a good start for his career. He has also spent seven games this season as a designated hitter. Luis Leon (DSL Cubs Red) - In his second professional season and second one in the DSL, Leon has played in all three areas of the outfield this season with 116 innings in left field, 41 innings in center field, and three innings in right field. In 2026, he has no errors on 25 total chances with 17 in left, six in center, and two in right. In 25 games, he has 62 at-bats with 17 of them being hits and five of them as doubles. With seven walks and ten strikeouts, he has done a good job in terms of plate discipline and getting on base. Leon's wOBA is at .365 and the batting average is .274, which is solid for the rookie level. View the full article

There's no hotter team in the New York Mets' organzation than the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, and that includes the suddenly scorching big-league club. Binghamton has won seven in a row after completing a six-game sweep of Hartford. The Ponies posted a 4-3 triumph over the Yard Goats in the series finale Sunday, capping a week in which they won 23-3 and 1-0 on consecutive nights. Binghamton outscored Hartford 43-13 overall, a margin skewed by the 20-run win, but the 2.2 runs allowed per game was legit. The Rumble Ponies went with a piggyback pitching tandem of Channing Austin and Cristofer Gomez on Sunday, and the strategy worked exceptionally well, The two held Hartford to one run and one hit -- a solo home run -- over the first five innings, with nine strikeouts and no walks. Those two were long gone from the game when Billy Amick hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth to break a 1-1 tie. Amick has hit five home runs in seven games with Binghamton since being acquired from the Minnesota Twins in the A.J. Minter trade. Elsewhere in the organization: Syracuse lost 5-4 to Columbus. The Mets stranded the winning run on first in the bottom of the ninth. Nick Lorusso homered and drove in three runs. His RBI single in the ninth cut the deficit to one. Brooklyn broke a tie with two runs in the top of the ninth and went on to beat Wilmington 8-6. Trey Snyder and Yonatan Henriquez notched the deciding RBIs for the Cyclones. St. Lucie dropped a 5-4 decision to Daytona. The Mets trailed 5-0 before getting on the board. Kuhio Aloy and Simon Juan each drove in two runs. New York Mets Transactions New York Mets selected the contract of RHP Jack Weisenburger from Syracuse Mets. New York Mets optioned RHP Xzavion Curry to Syracuse Mets. Syracuse Gets Big Day From Lorusso In Loss Lorusso gave the Mets a 2-0 lead in the second with a two-run homer to left-center. He drove in Christopher Morel ahead of him. Morel singled with one out. Columbus answered with a run in the third, two runs in the fourth, and two more in the fifth to take a 5-2 lead. Syracuse got a run back in the bottom of the fifth when Ryan Clifford was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in Andy Ibáñez. The Mets trimmed the deficit to 5-4 in the ninth when Ibáñez doubled and Lorusso singled him home. Clifford struck out looking with runners on first and second to end the game. Clifford took the golden sombrero (four Ks) in the game. Ofreidy Gómez was effective as the opener. He allowed just a solo home run over 2 1/3 innings, walking none and striking out two. Matt Seelinger took the loss. He gave up the other four Columbus runs over 1 2/3 innings. Player AB R H RBI BB K Nick Morabito 5 0 1 0 0 3 Ryan Clifford 4 0 0 1 0 4 MJ Melendez 4 0 0 0 0 0 Ronny Mauricio 4 0 0 0 0 1 Christopher Morel 4 1 1 0 0 1 Andy Ibáñez 4 2 3 0 0 1 Nick Lorusso 4 1 3 3 0 0 D'Andre Smith 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jose Ramos 3 0 0 0 1 0 Shawn Ross 2 0 0 0 1 1 Vidal Bruján 0 0 0 0 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Ofreidy Gómez 2 1/3 1 1 1 0 2 1 Dan Hammer 0 2/3 0 0 0 1 1 0 Matt Seelinger 1 2/3 3 4 4 1 1 2 Zach Franklin 1 1/3 1 0 0 1 0 0 Ben Simon 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Dylan Ross 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 Joe Jacques 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Amick, Binghamton Stay Hot The teams were tied heading into the sixth after trading solo home runs. Kevin Parada's homer in the fifth pulled Binghamton even. It was his second round-tripper of the year for the Rumble Ponies. Émilien Pitre led off the bottom of the sixth with a single. He advanced to second on a fielder's choice grounder by Jefferson Rojas.The forecout throw from first base to second base was off target, making everyone safe. Chris Suero struck out. Amick followed with a blast to left, scoring Pitre and Rojas for a 4-1 lead. Hartford got it to 4-3 in the seventh with a solo home run and a throwing error by Parada on a double steal, but the Binghamton bullpen kept it there. Austin allowed just a home run in his three innings of work. He struck out six. Gomez followed with two hitless innings and three strikeouts. Bryce Jenkins earned the win with a scoreless sixth. Garrett Stratton earned the save by striking out three. Binghamton pitchers struck out 16 Hartford batters in the game. Player AB R H RBI BB K Mitch Voit 3 0 1 0 1 0 Marco Vargas 4 0 1 0 0 2 Émilien Pitre 4 1 2 0 0 0 Jefferson Rojas 3 1 0 0 0 0 Chris Suero 3 0 0 0 1 1 Billy Amick 3 1 1 3 1 0 John Bay 4 0 1 0 0 1 Corey Collins 3 0 1 0 1 1 JT Benson 0 0 0 0 0 0 Kevin Parada 4 1 2 1 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Channing Austin 3 1 1 1 0 6 1 Cristofer Gomez 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 Bryce Jenkins 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Carlos Guzman 1 2 2 1 0 2 1 Saul Garcia 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Garrett Stratton 1 1 0 0 0 3 0 Brooklyn Rallies Twice To Beat Wilmington The Cyclones trailed 5-1 after three and 6-4 after six. Three of the Blue Rocks' runs were unearned thanks to three Brooklyn errors. Brooklyn began chipping away in the fourth. Four singles produced two runs to cut the deficit to 5-3. Jamari Baylor and Antonio Jimenez had the RBI hits. Wilmington went back up by two in the bottom of the sixth, but the Cyclones tied the game in the top of the seventh. Aidan Smith homered to left with one out to make it 6-5. John Spikerman walked, Ronald Hernandez singled, and, after Snyder popped out, Henriquez singled home Spikerman to make it 6-6. In the ninth, Spikerman walked, stole second, advanced to third on a Hernandez groundout, and scored the go-ahead run on a fielder's choice grounder by Snyder. Henriquez doubled home Snyder for an 8-6 lead. Starter Daviel Hurtado was the victim of Brooklyn's poor defense. He was charged with five runs, but just two earned, over 4 1/3 innings. He allowed five hits, walked one and struck out four. Rafi Vazquez earned the win with a scoreless eighth inning. Juan Arnaud earned the save by striking out three in a scoreless ninth. Player AB R H RBI BB K Sammy Stafura 5 1 1 0 0 1 Aidan Smith 5 1 2 2 0 2 John Spikerman 3 2 0 0 2 2 Ronald Hernandez 5 0 1 0 0 1 Trey Snyder 4 2 1 1 1 0 Yonatan Henriquez 4 2 3 2 0 0 Jamari Baylor 5 0 2 2 0 1 Daiverson Gutierrez 5 0 0 0 0 1 Antonio Jimenez 4 0 2 1 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Daviel Hurtado 4 1/3 5 5 2 1 4 0 Luis R. Rodriguez 0 2/3 0 0 0 0 2 0 Hunter Hodges 1 1 1 1 1 2 0 Elwis Mijares 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 Rafi Vazquez 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 Juan Arnaud 1 2 0 0 1 3 0 St. Lucie Can't Close Early Gap In Loss To Daytona The Mets launched their charge in the sixth. Aloy doubled in Elian Peña and Reed Stallman, and Juan singled in Aloy, to cut the Tortugas' lead to 5-3. St. Lucie got a run closer in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Juan, scoring Julio Zayas. Joel Lara started and took the loss despite allowing one hit over 4 1/3 innings. His control deserted him; he walked five and struck out six. Jean Brito gave up a run on three hits and struck out two in 1 2/3 innings. Austin Brown and Zack Mack held Daytona scoreless over the final three innings. Stallman finished with two hits and a run scored. Player AB R H RBI BB K Elian Peña 4 1 1 0 1 2 Aiden Robbins 3 0 1 0 1 0 Julio Zayas 3 1 1 0 1 0 Reed Stallman 4 1 2 0 0 1 Kuhio Aloy 4 1 1 2 0 0 Simon Juan 3 0 1 2 0 1 Vladi Gomez 4 0 1 0 0 0 Wyatt Vincent 3 0 0 0 1 1 Dylan Carey 4 0 0 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Joel Lara 4 1/3 1 4 4 5 6 0 Jean Brito 1 2/3 3 1 1 0 2 1 Austin Brown 2 1 0 0 1 3 0 Zack Mack 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Jonah Tong: DNP Jack Wenninger: DNP Ryan Clifford: 0-for-4, RBI, 4 K Elian Peña: 1-for-4, 2B, BB, 2 K Nick Morabito: 1-for-5, 3 K Jacob Reimer: DNP Mitch Voit: 1-for-3, BB Jonathan Santucci: DNP Zac Thornton: MLB Chris Suero: 0-for-3, BB, K Will Watson: DNP Wandy Asigen: DNP Eli Serrano III: DNP Randy Guzman: DNP Dylan Ross: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K Ryan Lambert: DNP Antonio Jimenez: 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, K R.J. Gordon: DNP Jonathan Pintaro: DNP Marco Vargas: 1-for-4, 2 K View the full article