DiamondCentric

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Dylan Cease left Sunday's game early, while several of their teammates are working their way back from the injured list. Let's dive right in. Dylan Cease (Hamstring) Cease was dealing as usual on Sunday before discomfort in his left hamstring forced him from the game. With eight strikeouts through 4.2 innings (on 76 pitches), the MLB Ks leader was well on his way to his fourth double-digit strikeout game. With that said, he also gave up two home runs to the Pirates. He's now given up four homers in his last two starts, compared to just one in his first nine. When the discomfort first set in, John Schneider initially let Cease stay in the game. However, the righty only lasted a few more pitches before he got the hook. The abruptness with which he was pulled – in the middle of an at-bat – was concerning. Thankfully, the messaging right now is that the injury is mild, and Cease only left the game out of an abundance of caution. We'll know more later today after he goes for an MRI, but it's possible he'll be able to make his next scheduled start on Friday against the Orioles. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Elbow) There was no hemming and hawing before Vladdy left the game in the bottom of the fifth. The first baseman quickly went from frustrated to forlorn after a 92-mph sinker from Mitch Keller hit him in the right elbow. He walked straight to the dugout, shaking his head at John Schneider and trainer Voon Chong. “I followed him, and he just said, ‘I can’t feel my hand,'" Schneider told reporters post-game. "It was kind of like [hitting] a funny bone, but travelling at 90-plus miles an hour.” X-rays were negative, and the team is calling the injury an elbow contusion. Presuming that's really all it is, an IL stint is unlikely (thank goodness). Indeed, Schneider suggested Guerrero could even play today against the Marlins, although I think it's more likely he takes at least one day off to let the pain reside. Nathan Lukes (Hamstring) Nathan Lukes has been on the IL for a month with a left hamstring strain. He played his fourth rehab game for the Dunedin Blue Jays on Sunday, and he's expected to travel back to Toronto today, as reported by Sportsnet's Arden Zwelling on Friday. If the Jays activate the outfielder today, it will be interesting to see how they make room on the roster. Optioning the struggling Davis Schneider to Triple-A Buffalo would be the easiest way to do it, but that would leave the offense quite left-handed-heavy. Max Scherzer (Forearm, Ankle) The veteran hit the injured list at the end of April with right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation. The arm injury sounds scarier, but he was pitching through forearm discomfort for a while; the ankle injury was the straw that broke the camel's back and sent him to the IL. Max Scherzer is throwing again now. He started with bullpen sessions last week, and he will progress to facing live hitters before eventually going on a rehab assignment. Barring any setbacks, it seems like a return at some point in mid-June is most likely. That's good news, but it means the Jays will still need to survive at least three or four more turns through the rotation before they have a proper fifth starter again. Shane Bieber (Elbow) We've gotten shockingly little information about Shane Bieber's health from the very beginning, so I won't get my hopes up until I actually see him on a mound. And by that I mean a major league mound, because Bieber is set to take the mound for the FCL Blue Jays this afternoon. It will be his first rehab start of the year. Although Bieber is starting his rehab assignment before Scherzer, the latter is still expected to return sooner. The plan seems to be for Bieber to ramp slowly across four or five rehab outings, which puts his estimated 2026 debut somewhere around the end of June. More Blue Jays Injury Updates Right-handed reliever Yimi García has been out all season recovering from elbow surgery. He is throwing again, and he's set to face live hitters this week. Catcher Alejandro Kirk has been out since early April with a fractured thumb. John Schneider says he could start a minor league rehab assignment by the end of this week. Outfielder Addison Barger returned from the IL for one game earlier this month before elbow inflammation sent him back to the shelf. He reportedly resumed baseball activities (everyone's favourite vague injury update) this weekend. View the full article

Craig Counsell sat Ian Happ down for two days this weekend, to give his struggling veteran should-be slugger a mental reset. This week, he might be wise to do the same with his other corner outfielder. Seiya Suzuki has always run in streaks and slumps, with an approach even more dependent on seeing the ball well (and even more vulnerable to stretches in which he simply can't do so) than most hitters'. He's gone through some prolonged funks before, but it's literally never been this bad. For the month of May, Suzuki is batting an anemic .179/.270/.295 in 89 plate appearances. Somehow, that understates how ugly things have gotten. Since hitting his last home run on May 8, Suzuki has gone 8-for-53, with just one extra-base hit (a double) and strikeouts in a third of his trips to the plate. He's never had a 50-plate appearance sample worse than this one, according to expected weighted on-base average (xwOBA). Normally great at controlling the strike zone, Suzuki is lost right now, chasing outside the zone and whiffing within it. Unsurprisingly, he's lost the ability to hit the ball hard. In fact, he's also never had a worse stretch of 50 batted balls in terms of average exit velocity than the one he's in right now. This comes, of course, at the worst of all possible times. The Cubs' offense is the biggest culprit in the team's hideous spiral, and with Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Alex Bregman and Carson Kelly essentially locked into the lineup, the team badly needs its bat-first guys to deliver while many of those morse two-way options are mired in slumps at the plate. Instead, Ian Happ, Moisés Ballesteros and Suzuki are all scuffling. Only Michael Conforto and Michael Busch have kept the offense going at all. It's also dreadful timing for Suzuki himself. Free agency looms for him this fall, and because of his shaky defense and his age (he turns 32 this August), he has to rake in order to maintain a high level of appeal to teams. He's not doing it. Counsell has only allowed Conforto to see left-handed pitchers four times all year (out of 80 total plate appearances), but the Pirates will send right-handed hurlers to the mound for all four games of the Cubs' upcoming series there. As Happ (presumably) reenters the lineup, it feels both likely and advisable that Counsell will shift Conforto to right field for a day or two to spell Suzuki and give him a mental reset of his own. The Cubs have only scored 3.8 runs per game this month. They have to wake up and get hitting again, and that doesn't mean handing a full-time job to the hilariously whiff-prone Kevin Alcántara; it means getting Suzuki right. At the moment, that probably means offering him a break from the mental grind. View the full article

There are few certainties in baseball. The sun rises in the east. Bullpen games last four hours. And the Minnesota Twins eventually send a struggling player to St. Paul. That reality hit again last week, when the Twins demoted Royce Lewis and Matt Wallner to Triple-A. Within minutes, the St. Paul Saints organization reportedly sprinted into the depths of CHS Field storage looking for boxes labeled “ROYCE STUFF - DO NOT THROW AWAY YET.” Employees described scenes usually reserved for reality television storage locker auctions. One intern allegedly emerged from a back hallway carrying a dusty crate of Royce Lewis bobbleheads, while another was seen peeling “FINAL CLEARANCE” stickers off jerseys with the intensity of a man defusing a bomb. “We knew this day could come,” Saints team store manager Dave Gunderson said, standing on a ladder reorganizing a display table that had featured novelty pickleball paddles just 24 hours earlier. “You never fully get rid of Royce merchandise. You just move it behind the Halloween hats and broken mudflap giveaway boxes.” According to Gunderson, the team had drastically discounted Lewis merchandise years ago after assuming the former first overall pick was finally sticking in the majors for good. “We had shirts down to five dollars,” Gunderson admitted. “One guy bought three because he said they were cheaper than buying cleaning rags at Fleet Farm.” That same shirt now costs $30. “Supply and demand,” Gunderson shrugged. “Economists would understand.” Fans entering CHS Field seemed stunned by the sudden market correction. “I literally saw these in a clearance bin next to a cracked Saints tumbler,” said Saints fan Becky Larson, holding a newly repriced Royce Lewis shirsey. “Now they’re folded like cashmere sweaters behind the register.” Another fan claimed the team store workers were updating prices in real time. “I picked up a Wallner shirt and the employee slapped a new sticker on it before I got to checkout,” said Greg Halvorson of Woodbury. “It felt like trying to buy airline tickets.” The Saints reportedly began preparing for the demotions days earlier, after noticing suspicious activity from Twins front office personnel. “One scout came through asking if the batting cages still worked,” Gunderson said. “That’s usually not a great sign.” The return of Lewis and Wallner has also completely transformed the atmosphere around the ballpark. Concession workers have reportedly doubled beer inventory while the team’s social media department has already prepared at least 17 graphics using fire emojis and the phrase “HE’S BACK.” Meanwhile, local children are once again experiencing the emotional confusion of explaining why their favorite major-league player is suddenly signing autographs in Lowertown on a Tuesday afternoon. For longtime Saints fans, however, this is simply part of the experience. “We’re basically baseball’s emotional support franchise,” one season-ticket holder said. “The Twins send guys here to rediscover themselves, and we pretend it’s normal to watch a former top prospect hit against a guy named Scooter from Omaha.” Lewis arrives in St. Paul after another frustrating stretch with the Twins, wherein injuries and inconsistency continued to overshadow flashes of superstar talent. Wallner, meanwhile, heads back to Triple-A hoping to rediscover the power stroke that once made him one of the organization’s most intriguing bats. But while the Twins focus on development, the Saints are focused on survival. “We had to move fast,” Gunderson said while wheeling out a fresh rack of Lewis hoodies. “Do you know how hard it is to explain to ownership that we sold Royce Lewis shirts for less than a large popcorn?” As first pitch approached, fans continued pouring into CHS Field wearing freshly purchased gear that somehow cost six times more than it did last weekend. And somewhere deep inside the stadium storage room, one lonely employee quietly removed the final “Everything Must Go” sign from the Royce Lewis display table. For now, at least, business is booming again in St. Paul. View the full article

There are lots of ways to get on base, and at his best, Sal Frelick is adept at all of them. He'll take a walk—and, indeed, is walking more this year than in either of his previous two full seasons. He's not exceptional at getting hit by pitches, but nor is he afraid to do so. When he swings, he's one of the better players in the league at the sneaky art of thwacking the catcher's mitt and reaching via catcher interference (four times already this year, after four last year). He's also an excellent singles hitter. He hits the ball in quirky, unpredictable ways, often going the other way or chopping a slow bouncer that earns him an infield single. He's also reached on (non-catcher interference) errors twice this year. Frelick boasted a .351 OBP in 2025, and given the uptick in walk rate this year, one could plausibly have hoped he would bloom into the team's reliable leadoff man against right-handed pitchers. Instead, though, he's batting .217/.287/.298 in his first 185 plate appearances of the year, and there's a cogent case to be made that he shouldn't be in the lineup as often, regardless of his placement on the card. Garrett Mitchell is outplaying him. Jake Bauers's return to (limited) outfield duty threatens his playing time. What happened to the version of Frelick that seemed so dynamic and dangerous? It's not much of a mystery. Here's where all of his batted balls in the Statcast launch angle sweet spot (between 8° and 32°) landed in 2025. Here's the same chart—the same selection of batted balls—for 2026. I could do some light editing to show you the crucial difference between those two images, but it's unnecessary. You see it, right? In shallow and medium-depth right-center field, where there was a huge swamp of orange singles in 2025, there's just... nothing. Frelick simply isn't hitting the ball that made him great last year: the line drive to right-center. It's incredibly stark, how he went from hitting that surefire single at least once a week to not doing it at all. Here's a hit that never had any chance not to be one, from last March. Uk80MlhfWGw0TUFRPT1fQWxkV0FsTlJWUWNBV2xzRkFBQUhVMU5VQUFCV0JRVUFCQVFOQXdWUVVBTUFDVlFF.mp4 Here's one from September. QXdhQXZfWGw0TUFRPT1fQmxkVFhWMEVVRk1BWGxzS0JBQUhCQUJXQUZrTVVsRUFVRlVNVmxkVEF3QlVBZ3BT.mp4 All year, like clockwork, against both lefties and righties, Frelick hit clean singles over the second baseman's head. He had 50 batted balls to right or center with an exit velocity of at least 70 miles an hour and a launch angle between 8° and 17° last year. Those criteria sound incredibly specific, but he did that 50 times. Only a fisftul of players were more adept at hitting pulled line drives like that—Nico Hoerner, José Ramírez, Ernie Clement, those types. Hitting that type of batted ball consistently is one of the surest signs of a superbly organized approach at the plate. Of the 50 balls he hit that way, 42 went for hits. This season, Frelick has only nine such batted balls. He's on pace to see the number of those easy-money singles and doubles be cut roughly in half, which explains almost all his lost production this year. It's not because defenses have started aligning themselves in radical and impenetrable ways. It's not because pitchers have started working him especially differently. Rather, Frelick just isn't getting the bat head out far enough to hit the ball that way anymore. Frelick's swing is about as fast as it was in 2025, but it's a bit flatter. More problematically, he's letting the ball travel more—arguably, too much. Last season, his average contact point was 27.8 inches in front of his center of mass, according to Statcast. As you would guess, when you isolate those well-hit balls to the middle of the diamond and the pull field, that point edges forward, to 28.2 inches. This year, though, his contact point is just 24.6 inches in front of him. You can't hit the ball with authority to the pull field with any consistency at that depth in the hitting zone—at least, not with Frelick's swing. Guys who swing steeper and/or faster might be able to, but Frelick needs to get the bat head out and be slightly around the ball to generate that high-quality contact. Because he's letting the ball get deeper this year, he's not getting the barrel to that point where success awaits. He's hitting more ground balls, and he is pulling those. Much of his hard contact is coming when he gets out in front on the ball—but often, that means that he's rolled over already. Here's where his batted balls at 90+ miles per hour went last season: Here's the same image for 2026: Frelick's average exit velocity on balls in the launch angle sweet spot is down from 89.8 MPH last year to 88.9. His average launch angle on balls hit at least 90 MPH is down from 9° to 5°. Both of those numbers are indicators that correlate strongly with overall offensive value, and especially value on contact. That Frelick is hitting it less hard when he finds the right line and less high when he hits it hard speaks to the problems at hand, and the contact point tells us where the problem lies. Somehow, he has to modify his process to get back to catching the ball squarely in that pulled line-drive zone. It might mean a change to his mechanics, to restore some of the tilt his swing has lost this spring. It's more likely that the problem comes down to timing, and to being farther forward in the hitting zone when he rolls his wrists. Either way, though, the Brewers need him to rediscover that magic. The trademark length that made their lineup so daunting last year is absent right now, with the bottom third of the batting order containing three near-automatic outs. Replacing Frelick is an option, but not an appealing one. The team would strongly prefer that he get right. To do that, he has to catch the ball out front a bit more often, to once again become impossible to defend—instead of pretty darn easy. View the full article

Even as we reach the end of May, the San Diego Padres are, somewhat surprisingly, continuing to prove their meddle in 2026. Despite an offense that continues to linger around the middle of the pack and a pitching staff racking up injuries but not innings, they’ve been hanging around with the Los Angeles Dodgers at or near the top of the National League West. If they could gain some stability in the rotation, they could further fortify themselves as a repeat contender in the NL. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case quite yet. Facing an uncertain ownership future (that has since become more certain) and some payroll peril wrought by repeated long-term position player contracts from A.J. Preller, the Padres were forced into various band-aid solutions this past winter. That approach drove their additions to the lineup – in the form of one-year or minor-league deals – but has become more glaring in the rotation where the same philosophy applied. After bringing Michael King back on what is essentially a one-year pact, the Padres added each of Germán Márquez, Walker Buehler, and Griffin Canning on either one-year or minor-league, non-guaranteed deals. That trio joined Matt Waldron and JP Sears as candidates to fill out the back end of the rotation (as well as Marco Gonzales & Triston McKenzie as rotation candidates in camp). It was a group short on ceiling but also without a clear floor given the blend of past-prime skill sets and variable performance. So, it should come as no surprise that the results thus far have been exceedingly mediocre for San Diego. The Padres rank 18th in fWAR accrued by starting pitching (3.3), with an ERA that sits 22nd (4.47) and a FIP that reads slightly better at 4.01 (15th). Most concerning, though, is the fact that their 241.2 innings from the rotation ranks just 25th. As of the middle of the month, they’d been outscored 69-35 in the first three innings of games in 2026. While the offense itself is part of the issue in that latter number, the absence of longevity from much of the starting staff looms as the larger problem moving forward. It’s hard to think of an example of this more on display than on May 14 in Milwaukee. Griffin Canning needed 43 pitches to get through the first inning against the Brewers, walking four consecutive hitters and leaving his team in a 3-0 hole before it was done. Through his first three starts, he was averaging less than four innings per outing with an ERA that sat (deceptively) over 10 and a walk rate that checked in over 16 percent. It’s still a small sample for him, but the issues aren’t limited to Canning either. Márquez has a 5.76 ERA across six starts with an even worse FIP (6.65) and a strikeout rate of only 14.8 percent against a 9.4 percent walk rate. Waldron has an 8.49 ERA and FIP over five through roughly 23 innings of work. The issues have become more glaring in the absence of Nick Pivetta and repeated setbacks for Joe Musgrove. Had the Padres had their full arsenal of safe options among the starting candidates, this would be far less of a conversation. But outside of Michael King and Randy Vásquez, there isn’t a lot of stability to be found. It remains to be seen how much Lucas Giolito will help in that regard, but it seems as if the Padres will be in need of help regardless. Ultimately, the issue lies not in what the rotation woes are doing to the team at large, but what it could mean for the bullpen. Padre relievers have already been asked to throw over 200 innings, ranking seventh in the league. That’s an intense volume at this point in the year. Bullpens become more crucial as the season wears on, and the Padres will certainly want their top arms to remain as fresh as possible if they’re to remain in contention for the stretch run. Whether or not that can happen, however, is an entire mystery. Each of Márquez (even if currently on the IL) and Waldron appear on the shakiest ground. Canning has been mostly fine, if not at the mercy of terrible command and woeful defense. However, the Padres simply cannot sustain their success with only two starters offering steady outings. Perhaps Giolito will help to quell those concerns. If not, questions about this team’s long-term viability with such a patchwork rotation will continue to persist. View the full article

Ryan Clifford homered in both games of Syracuse's doubleheader, including a solo shot for the nightcap's only run. Danis Correa earned the win, and Anderson Severino closed it out. Tanner Witt fanned four over two innings to anchor Brooklyn's combined three-hit shutout. Jose Ramos and Nick Lorusso hit back-to-back homers in the seventh to lift Binghamton past Richmond. Bryce Conley pitched five scoreless. St. Lucie scored twice in the eighth to beat Palm Beach. Mets Transactions New York Mets sent RHP Craig Kimbrel outright to Syracuse Mets. Clifford's Two-Hit Effort Comes Up Short In Syracuse Opener The Syracuse Mets dropped Game 1 of their doubleheader against the visiting Buffalo Bisons by a 6-4 score. Cleanup hitter Ryan Clifford led the offense, going 2-for-3 with a double, his ninth home run of the season, two runs scored, and one RBI. Jared Young added an RBI single in the third inning, and Kevin Parada finished 1-for-3 with a run scored. Jihwan Bae contributed a hit, while Christian Arroyo also reached on a base hit. Starter Jack Wenninger struggled with the long ball, allowing two homers across 5 1/3 innings. He gave up five hits and six runs, four of them earned, with two walks and five strikeouts. Wenninger fell to 3-2 on the year. Dylan Ross worked 2/3 of an inning of scoreless relief, and A.J. Minter struck out one in a perfect seventh. Buffalo opened the scoring with a three-run home run in the top of the third to take a 4-0 lead. Syracuse cut into the deficit in the bottom of the fourth. Clifford doubled to start the inning, Eric Wagaman drew a walk, and Bae reached on a fielder's choice that brought Clifford home. A Buffalo throwing error kept the rally going, and Cristian Pache then lifted a sacrifice fly to score Wagaman and make it a 4-3 game. Buffalo answered with two runs in the top of the sixth before Clifford's solo blast in the bottom of the inning capped the scoring. Player AB R H RBI BB K Christian Arroyo 4 0 1 0 0 0 Jared Young 4 0 1 1 0 0 Andy Ibáñez 3 0 0 0 0 0 Ryan Clifford 3 2 2 1 0 0 Eric Wagaman 2 1 0 0 1 0 Ji Hwan Bae 2 0 1 0 0 0 Cristian Pache 2 0 0 1 0 0 Jackson Cluff 3 0 0 0 0 2 Kevin Parada 3 1 1 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jack Wenninger (L, 3-2) 5 1/3 5 6 4 2 5 2 Dylan Ross 2/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 A.J. Minter 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Clifford's Solo Shot, Five-Arm Shutout Lift Syracuse In Nightcap The Syracuse Mets answered with a 1-0 win in the nightcap of their doubleheader against the Buffalo Bisons. Ryan Clifford accounted for the only run of the game with a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth, his tenth long ball of the season. Clifford finished 1-for-3 with the lone RBI and two strikeouts. Eric Wagaman doubled, and Yonny Hernández added a base hit for the only other Syracuse hits in the seven-inning game. Five Syracuse pitchers combined on a two-hit shutout. Joey Gerber set the tone with two innings of one-hit ball and one strikeout. Danis Correa picked up the win to improve to 2-0, working two scoreless innings of one-hit relief while walking one and striking out two. Ryan Lambert struck out three of the four batters he faced in his lone frame of work to earn his sixth hold. Nate Lavender added a scoreless inning with a strikeout for his first hold of the year, and Anderson Severino closed it out with a clean seventh for his fifth save. Clifford's blast accounted for the only offense either side managed all afternoon. Syracuse stranded just two runners on base, and the bullpen combined to issue three walks while striking out eight across the final five innings. Player AB R H RBI BB K Ji Hwan Bae 3 0 0 0 0 1 Christian Arroyo 3 0 0 0 0 0 Ryan Clifford 3 1 1 1 0 2 Andy Ibáñez 2 0 0 0 0 1 Eric Wagaman 2 0 1 0 0 1 Ben Rortvedt 2 0 0 0 0 0 Yonny Hernández 2 0 1 0 0 0 Jackson Cluff 2 0 0 0 0 1 Matt Rudick 2 0 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Joey Gerber 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 Danis Correa (W, 2-0) 2 1 0 0 1 2 0 Ryan Lambert (H, 6) 1 0 0 0 1 3 0 Nate Lavender (H, 1) 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Anderson Severino (S, 5) 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Back-To-Back Seventh-Inning Homers Power Binghamton Past Richmond The Binghamton Rumble Ponies defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 2-1 behind back-to-back home runs in the top of the seventh inning. Cleanup hitter Jose Ramos broke a scoreless tie with a solo shot for his seventh home run of the year, and Nick Lorusso followed immediately with his eighth long ball to push the lead to two. Ramos finished 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, and one strikeout. Lorusso added a 1-for-4 day with the run and two strikeouts. Marco Vargas doubled, while Eli Serrano III and Vincent Perozo each added singles. Starter Bryce Conley turned in a strong outing across five scoreless innings. He allowed four hits, walked one, and struck out five without surrendering a run. Dan Hammer earned the win to move to 1-0, working 1 2/3 innings of relief in which he allowed one earned run on a hit while striking out two. Brian Metoyer added a perfect inning with two strikeouts for the hold, and Felipe De La Cruz closed the door with 1 1/3 innings to record his first save of the season. Richmond's only run came on a groundout in the bottom of the seventh, narrowing the margin to one before the Binghamton bullpen slammed the door over the final two innings. The Rumble Ponies struck out 10 times as a team but drew two walks and finished with six hits. Player AB R H RBI BB K Marco Vargas 4 0 1 0 0 3 Chris Suero 3 0 0 0 1 2 Eli Serrano III 4 0 1 0 0 0 Jose Ramos 3 1 2 1 1 1 D'Andre Smith 4 0 0 0 0 1 Nick Lorusso 4 1 1 1 0 2 JT Schwartz 3 0 0 0 0 0 Vincent Perozo 3 0 1 0 0 1 Jaylen Palmer 3 0 0 0 0 0 Wyatt Young 0 0 0 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Bryce Conley 5 4 0 0 1 5 0 Dan Hammer (W, 1-0) 1 2/3 1 1 1 0 2 0 Brian Metoyer (H, 2) 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 Felipe De La Cruz (S, 1) 1 1/3 2 0 0 0 1 0 Brooklyn's Bullpen Combines For Three-Hit Shutout Of Hudson Valley The Brooklyn Cyclones blanked the Hudson Valley Renegades 4-0 in a game called early due to wet conditions. Six Brooklyn pitchers combined for a three-hit shutout. Tanner Witt set the tone with two innings of one-hit work, walking one and striking out four to earn the win and improve to 2-0. Adbert Alzolay, Bryce Jenkins, Juan Arnaud, and Hunter Hodges each tossed a scoreless inning. Gregori Louis struck out three batters in his frame of work, and the bullpen combined for 10 strikeouts on the night. JT Benson's two-RBI double in the bottom of the second inning provided the early cushion. The rally started with a Daiverson Gutierrez walk and a Yonatan Henriquez fielder's choice that left Henriquez at first. Ronald Hernandez then drew a walk, and Benson followed with a line drive to left field that brought Henriquez and Hernandez home for a 2-0 lead. Brooklyn added a run in the third when Mitch Voit, who had led off the inning with a single, came around to score on a wild pitch. Henriquez tacked on the fourth run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth that scored John Bay, who had doubled to lead off the frame. Benson finished 1-for-2 with a walk and the two RBIs. Voit, Bay, Henriquez, Ronald Hernandez, and Colin Houck each added a hit, with Bay's coming on a double. The Cyclones drew eight walks as a team. The game was halted in the bottom of the seventh and officially called due to field conditions. Player AB R H RBI BB K Mitch Voit 3 1 1 0 1 2 John Bay 3 1 1 0 1 1 Corey Collins 3 0 0 0 1 1 Daiverson Gutierrez 2 0 0 0 1 0 Diego Mosquera 1 0 0 0 0 1 Yonatan Henriquez 3 1 1 1 0 1 Ronald Hernandez 2 1 1 0 2 0 Colin Houck 4 0 1 0 0 3 JT Benson 2 0 1 2 1 0 Sam Biller 0 0 0 0 0 0 Trace Willhoite 2 0 0 0 1 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Brady Miller 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tanner Witt (W, 2-0) 2 1 0 0 1 4 0 Adbert Alzolay (H, 2) 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 Gregori Louis (H, 1) 1 0 0 0 1 3 0 Bryce Jenkins (H, 3) 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Juan Arnaud 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Hunter Hodges 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Two-Run Eighth Lifts St. Lucie Past Palm Beach The St. Lucie Mets held off the Palm Beach Cardinals 5-4 thanks to a pivotal two-run eighth inning. Yohairo Cuevas opened the frame with a double, and after a walk to Jeremy Rodriguez, Branny De Oleo singled Cuevas home. Sam Robertson's forceout later in the inning scored Rodriguez to give St. Lucie a 5-2 cushion. Antonio Jimenez had given the Mets their first run with a third-inning RBI double that scored Elian Peña. The Mets added two more in the fourth on a Kevin Villavicencio RBI single and a Simon Juan forceout, with both Rodriguez and De Oleo coming around to score after drawing walks. Peña finished 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Jimenez went 1-for-4 with the double and an RBI. De Oleo, Cuevas, Villavicencio, and Robertson each added a hit, with Rodriguez crossing the plate twice on the night despite going hitless and drawing two walks. Starter Joel Lara worked 2 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing no hits while walking two and striking out three. Justin Armbruester earned the win with 1 1/3 innings of one-hit relief, improving to 1-0. Emilio Obispo struck out seven over 3 1/3 frames, though he surrendered a solo home run in the seventh that pulled Palm Beach within one at the time. Joe Scarborough gave up two runs in the ninth but recorded his second save of the season as the Mets held on. Player AB R H RBI BB K Elian Peña 3 1 1 0 1 1 Antonio Jimenez 4 0 1 1 0 1 Yohairo Cuevas 4 1 1 0 0 2 Julio Zayas 3 0 0 0 1 0 Jeremy Rodriguez 2 2 0 0 2 2 Branny De Oleo 3 1 1 1 1 1 Kevin Villavicencio 3 0 1 1 1 2 Sam Robertson 3 0 1 1 1 1 Simon Juan 4 0 0 1 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Joel Lara 2 2/3 0 0 0 2 3 0 Justin Armbruester (W, 1-0) 1 1/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 Emilio Obispo (H, 1) 3 1/3 6 2 2 0 7 1 Christian Rodriguez (H, 2) 2/3 1 0 0 0 1 0 Joe Scarborough (S, 2) 1 3 2 2 1 0 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Carson Benge: DNP A.J. Ewing: DNP Jonah Tong: DNP Elian Pena: 1-for-3, BB, R, K Jack Wenninger: 5 1/3 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 2 HR Ryan Clifford: 3-for-6, 2B, 2 HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 K Jacob Reimer: DNP Nick Morabito: DNP Mitch Voit: 1-for-3, BB, R, 2 K Jonathan Santucci: DNP Chris Suero: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K Zach Thornton: DNP Wandy Asigen: DNP Will Watson: DNP Eli Serrano III: 1-for-4, 2B Randy Guzman: DNP Ryan Lambert: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K Dylan Ross: 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K Antonio Jimenez: 1-for-4, 2B, RBI, K R.J. Gordon: DNP View the full article

There are few prospects in baseball more difficult to evaluate right now than Emmanuel Rodriguez. When he’s on the field, the talent jumps off the screen. The bat speed is electric. The raw power is obvious. He controls the strike zone like a seasoned veteran and still flashes enough athleticism to make you dream on an impact everyday player in the middle of the lineup. The problem is Twins fans have spent more time talking about Rodriguez’s rehab timelines than his stat lines. At some point, availability becomes part of the scouting report. Panic Level: Moderate — But Trending Up If Twins fans are completely frustrated with Rodriguez’s inability to stay healthy, it’s understandable. Since signing for $2.5 million in July of 2019, Rodriguez has rarely been able to stack healthy seasons together. His career high in games played remains just 99 contests back in 2023, and the injuries have started to pile up in a concerning way. There was a knee injury in 2022. Then came the abdominal strain in 2023. Thumb problems surfaced in 2024. Last season included thumb, hip, and oblique issues. Now, 2026 brings another significant setback with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb that required surgery. For a player whose development already included swing-and-miss concerns, the lost reps matter. A lot. Rodriguez has never really gotten the chance to settle into the rhythm of a full professional season. Just when he starts building momentum, something seems to interrupt it. That constant stop-and-start development can be brutal for young hitters trying to refine timing, pitch recognition, and overall approach. The frustrating part is the flashes are still there every single time he returns. There are challenges Rodriguez has faced trying to maintain developmental consistency because of the injuries. Yet the organization also remains encouraged by how impactful he looks whenever he is healthy enough to play consistently. Why The Ceiling Still Matters Even with all the injuries, Rodriguez remains one of the most talented position players in the organization. He reached Triple-A as a 21-year-old in 2024 despite all the missed time, which says plenty about how evaluators still view his upside. Players don’t move that aggressively through a system unless organizations believe the talent is real. And the talent absolutely is real. Rodriguez combines elite swing speed with legitimate raw power from the left side. He’s capable of driving the baseball to all fields and can completely change a game with one swing. Few hitters in the system possess his combination of patience and damage potential. His 21.7% career walk rate entering 2026 is borderline absurd. Rodriguez understands the strike zone exceptionally well and rarely expands it recklessly. That type of plate discipline is usually a strong indicator of future offensive success. The issue is what happens when he decides to swing. His career strikeout rate sits at 30.3%, and while he doesn’t chase pitches excessively, the in-zone whiff numbers remain concerning. Rodriguez misses hittable pitches more often than a future star probably should. The missed development time likely hasn’t helped, especially for a hitter who needs repetitions against upper-level pitching. Still, there’s enough here to believe adjustments are possible. He’s also athletic enough to provide value outside the batter’s box. Rodriguez runs well, handles center field competently, and owns a plus arm. Even if he eventually shifts to a corner outfield spot permanently, the overall profile still works if the bat reaches its ceiling. That’s why this situation remains so complicated. The “Injury-Prone” Conversation Has Arrived Fair or unfair, Rodriguez has entered the stage of his career where the “injury-prone” label follows him everywhere. Some players eventually shake that reputation. Others never do. The encouraging part for Twins fans is Rodriguez is still young enough to rewrite the narrative completely. We’ve seen prospects lose developmental time early in their careers before finally putting together several healthy seasons in a row. Sometimes physical maturity helps. Sometimes routines improve. Sometimes it’s simply luck evening out. But the longer the injuries continue, the harder it becomes to separate bad luck from long-term concern. That’s especially true for a player whose game already comes with risk attached because of the strikeouts. Rodriguez doesn’t necessarily need to become a perfect hitter to succeed, but he does need consistent at-bats to polish the rough edges offensively. Without those reps, projecting stardom becomes increasingly difficult. Twins fans shouldn’t give up on Rodriguez. Players with this kind of upside don’t grow on trees, and the flashes remain exciting enough to dream on a middle-of-the-order impact bat someday landing in Minnesota. The combination of patience, power, athleticism, and arm strength still makes him one of the more intriguing prospects in the organization. But the concern level is no longer hypothetical. The injuries are becoming a defining part of his profile, and until Rodriguez proves he can stay on the field for an extended stretch, the questions are going to keep growing louder. The ceiling remains extremely high. The floor, however, feels shakier than it did a year ago. That’s what makes Rodriguez one of the most fascinating (and nerve-wracking) prospects in the Twins system today. How panicked should fans be about Rodriguez’s injury history? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

Boston Red Sox Weekly Snapshot Record Last Week: 3-3 Runs Scored Last Week: 27 Runs Surrendered Last Week: 23 Standings: 5th in AL East 13 GB First Place Transactions: 05/19/26: Red Sox sent LHP Danny Coulombe on a rehab assignment to the Worcester Red Sox. 05/22/26: Red Sox selected the contract of RHP Tyron Guerrero from the Worcester Red Sox. 05/22/26: Red Sox optioned RHP Zack Kelly to Worcester Red Sox. 05/24/26: Red Sox optioned LHP Tyler Samaniego to Worcester Red Sox. 05/25/26: Red Sox activated LHP Danny Coulombe from the 15-day injured list. Scores: Game 46 (05/18): BOS 3, KC 1 Game 47 (05/19): BOS 7, KC 1 Game 48 (05/20): BOS 4, KC 3 Game 49 (05/22): BOS 6, MIN 8 Game 50 (05/23): BOS 2, MIN 4 Game 51 (05/24): BOS 5, MIN 6 Series Breakdown/Highlights Royals Series: The Red Sox have swept two teams this year and both were penciled in to win the AL Central at one point or another. That should give any fan of this team something to grab onto to celebrate but, both the Tigers and the Royals are pretty much in the same boat as the Red Sox are in right now, so sweeping the latter in late May doesn’t feel like the giant victory that it should. Game one saw Willson Contreras stay hot and smoke a long home run into the rain soaked night in Kansas City behind a six-inning, nine strikeout performance from Sonny Gray. Justin Slaten, Garrett Whitlock, and Aroldis Chapman held down the back third of the game and put it away easily. In game two, the offense woke up thanks to a ninth-inning onslaught that was sparked by a Jarren Duran three-run home run. Ranger Suarez didn’t look his typical dominant self during the game, only going 4 ⅓ innings with three strikeouts, but he was serviceable enough to make sure the game didn’t get out of hand. Game three saw familiar face Michael Wacha toss six innings of one-run baseball, until Duran went deep against a Royals bullpen that has been struggling all season. The sweep should have marked a turnaround in the Red Sox’s season as they were about to matchup with the underperforming Twins to kick off the next homestand, but things don’t always work out how they should. Twins Series: It’s safe to say that the Red Sox can’t play cohesive baseball against the Twins. In back-to-back series against middling AL Central teams, the Sox should have back-to-back sweeps. Instead, they are heading into their series against the Braves after being swept by the Twins. In game one, the Fenway Green magic wasn’t to be found. Payton Tolle pitched six innings while giving up three earned runs and striking out nine. Like almost every other start for the young southpaw, this should have been a victory. Slaten came on in relief and promptly gave up two home runs, good for four earned runs. The offense failed to pick Slaten up after the meltdown and game one was a loss. In game two, Brayan Bello moved back to his second inning entrance behind Jovani Moran to decent success. It’s become clear that Moran likely doesn’t need to act as an opener again because he has allowed multiple earned runs each time he’s done it, but Bello seems to operate at his best when he doesn’t actually start the game. He tossed five innings with five strikeouts. The offense went mostly cold, save for RBIs from Ceddanne Rafaela and, shockingly, Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Game three arguably shouldn’t have been played, but that was a call that Major League Baseball made since the two clubs won’t see each other again this season. The weather prevented clean baseball from either club, but the Twins came out on top after a fluke-filled bottom of the ninth came up just short for the Sox. Gray had his worst start since returning from the IL, only tossing four innings with three earned runs and four strikeouts. The two bright spots from this game were that Masataka Yoshida hit his first home run of the season, and Marcelo Mayer finally started at shortstop. This team is built to play great defense behind superb pitching. Both the defense and the bullpen let this team down in each game of this series. Website Highlights Red Sox Turnaround Timeline: When Does “Still Early” Stop Applying? by Ryan Painter Sonny Gray Has Mastered the Kitchen Sink Approach to Pitching by Jack Lindsay What More Does Justin Gonzalez Need to Do to Get Promoted? by Nick John Ceddanne Rafaela is Officially a Red Sox Building Block by Alex Mayes Looking Ahead May 26: Braves (Spencer Strider) @ Red Sox (Ranger Suarez): 6:45 PM EDT May 27: Braves (Bryce Elder) @ Red Sox (Connelly Early): 6:45 PM EDT May 28: Braves (Chris Sale) @ Red Sox (TBD): 4:10 PM EDT May 29: Red Sox @ Guardians: 7:10 PM EDT May 30: Red Sox @ Guardians: 4:10 PM EDT May 31: Red Sox @ Guardians: 1:40 PM EDT View the full article

In this episode of the Jays Centre Podcast, Jesse Burrill is joined by Matthew Creally as they break down the Toronto Blue Jays’ series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, including a tense weekend filled with injury scares surrounding both Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Dylan Cease. They dive into Patrick Corbin, somehow outduelling Paul Skenes in one of the series’ biggest surprises, while also taking a closer look at Kevin Gausman’s evolving pitch mix and what it could mean for his season moving forward. Plus, plenty more thoughts on the Blue Jays as they continue navigating a pivotal stretch of the season. Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jays-centre-podcast/id1846108462 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Bi7SzfpcqMo5xYWnbCeoL Listen on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-jays-centre-podcast-300304824/ Listen on Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/2qk9wqxd Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jayscentre View the full article

To put it mildly, the Chicago Cubs are struggling right now. A losing streak is never a good thing, and it feels so much worse when three of those losses come at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers. The very same Brewers that have won the division in each of the past three seasons. The very same Brewers that the Cubs have been trying to chase down for most of the last eight seasons, despite the Cubs having significantly more financial resources. Let’s not kid ourselves, the Cubs made moves this past offseason with the specific intent to finally unseat Milwaukee in the National League Central. That is what makes this all so painful, as our own Matthew Trueblood wrote earlier this week: the Cubs are all in on this season. The Brewers are not. Yet they still completely outclassed the Cubs in their first meeting of the season. One of those offseason moves that the Cubs made was trading for Edward Cabrera. While he has been fine in his first 10 starts for the Cubs, he has been far from spectacular, and even pretty far from the pitcher he was just last season. The Brewers, on the other hand, traded for Kyle Harrison, who matched up against Cabrera and the Cubs on Wednesday night. As you’re likely aware, Harrison earned the win after he threw seven shutout innings, allowed only two hits and one walk, and struck out 11 Cubs. Cabrera, oppositely, was removed from the game in the fourth inning with a blister after allowing four runs (one earned) over three innings. Something about those two, specifically, going up against each other, and Harrison emphatically besting Cabrera, felt significant. There’s beating your opponent. Then there’s running up the score. Unfortunately, if you zoom out and compare the full-season stats for these two starters, Wednesday night’s result shouldn’t be all that surprising: Player Innings Pitched ERA FIP K% fWAR Edward Cabrera 54 4.00 4.44 20.7% 0.4 Kyle Harrison 45.2 1.77 2.48 32.3% 1.5 The Brewers acquired Harrison for a package centered around third-baseman Caleb Durbin. It feels like the Cubs absolutely could have offered something similar, centered around Matt Shaw. However, I am not nearly naive enough to suggest that Harrison would be this effective if he were on the Cubs. This isn’t about Harrison vs. Cabrera. It’s about the Cubs vs. the Brewers. If these two pitchers switched teams, I have no doubt that Cabrera would be better off for it, and Harrison would be worse off. That is what really hurts. This is the case of two teams identifying pitchers that they liked and that had potential that they thought they could maximize. Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reported that the Cubs had been “enamored” with Cabrera’s potential for a while. So far, that fascination is looking a bit misplaced. There’s still plenty of time for these wrongs to be righted. Cabrera is under team control through the 2028 season. Harrison is under team control through the 2030 season. It’s plenty early in either player’s tenure with his new team. Still, Wednesday night just felt like the Brewers were running victory laps around the Cubs. Not only have they resumed their rightful place atop the National League Central, but they’re doing it partially on the back of a pitcher that they targeted and is now one of the best pitchers in baseball. The guy that the Cubs targeted and went out and got has a 5.79 ERA in May. The Cubs continue to try to catch the Brewers. The Brewers continue to prove that they are simply light years ahead of the Cubs. Is anyone even remotely surprised? View the full article

Week in a Nutshell After a 1-8 road trip in the previous week, the Royals got off to a slow start in this week's homestand. At the beginning of the week, Kansas City was swept by the Boston Red Sox, who sit in last place in the AL East (and ironically, got swept by the Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park over the weekend). It was a deflating series that seemed to fuel the frustration of Royals fans already dissatisfied with this start to the 2026 season. Thankfully, things got better in the weekend series against the Seattle Mariners. Even though the Royals lost game one of the series, they won two and got three quality starts from their starting pitchers. By winning two in a row, Kansas City has built some much-needed momentum for their final series in the homestand against the hated New York Yankees. Record this Week: 2-4 Run Differential for the Week: -4 Record for the Year: 22-31 Run Differential for the Year: -25 Standing: 4th in the AL Central Game 48: BOS 3, KC 1 Seth Lugo produced another quality start, as he went six innings and allowed two runs on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts. However, a two-run home run by Willson Contreras was just enough, as Red Sox starter Sonny Gray allowed only one run and struck out nine in six innings of work. Game 49: BOS 7, KC 1 Bailey Falter opened a bullpen game for the Royals and gave up two runs on four hits and three walks in two innings of work (he did strike out two). Luinder Avila held the Red Sox in check over three innings, as he allowed no runs, only one hit, and one walk while striking out three. Unfortunately, the Royals' offense could not muster anything, going 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Eli Morgan struggled in his outing, highlighted by a three-run home run allowed to Jarren Duran in the top of the 9th that effectively put the game away. Game 50: BOS 4, KC 3 Home runs by Salvador Perez and Elias Diaz gave the Royals three runs, and they held a lead going into the seventh, thanks to a quality start from Michael Wacha (6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K). However, Steve Cruz gave up a two-run home run to Duran to lose the lead, and the Royals were unable to come back, giving the Red Sox the sweep. Game 51: SEA 2, KC 0 The Royals got another quality start, this time from Noah Cameron, who went six innings and allowed no runs, four hits, and two walks while striking out eight. However, a two-run homer by Mitch Garver off Royals reliever Nick Mears proved to be the difference, as Kansas City only collected four hits and was 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position. Game 52: KC 5, SEA 0 Kansas City snapped its four-game losing streak, thanks to a gem from Stephen Kolek. He pitched a complete-game shutout, the first Royals pitcher to do so since Brad Keller in 2020 (Kolek was also the first Royals pitcher to throw a shutout in front of fans since Glenn Sparkman in 2019). The Royals collected nine hits and were 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Michael Massey and Bobby Witt Jr. had multi-hit performances. Game 53: KC 8, SEA 6 For the first time this season, the Royals won a rubber game in a series, beating the Mariners on Sunday to clinch the series. The Kansas City offense came through in big spots, going 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position and collecting 11 hits total in the game. Salvador Perez was the main standout, as he had three hits and three RBI in the Royals' two-run win. Lugo had another quality start (6.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K), and John Schreiber and Daniely Lynch IV held things down in the seventh and eighth. Lucas Erceg, who hadn't pitched in a week, struggled in his outing, giving up three runs on four hits in a non-save situation in the ninth. News and Notes The Royals made a couple of moves, including ones at the Major and Minor League levels. At the Major League level, Kansas City recalled Tyler Tolbert, who was optioned to Omaha earlier in the season after making the Opening Day roster. The utility player gives the Royals some speed off the bench and defensive versatility. Tolbert hit .260 with a .365 OBP in 73 plate appearances with the Storm Chasers and also had eight stolen bases on eight attempts. As a result, Diaz was designated for assignment. The 35-year-old catcher was called up to give Salvy a rest, as he was dealing with hip problems that were preventing him from playing behind the plate. However, Perez has been getting starts recently, thus making Diaz superfluous on the Royals' active roster. Diaz hit .227 with two home runs in 22 plate appearances with the Royals. In terms of Minor League moves, the Royals signed relievers Luke Jackson and Genesis Cabrera to Minor League deals. Jackson and Cabrera are both Major League veterans who were recently released by their respective clubs (the Mets and Phillies, respectively). The pair may just be Triple-A depth for now, but if the Royals' bullpen is dramatically affected by injury, Jackson and Cabrera are two relievers who can be recalled and give the pitching staff professional innings. Highlights The rotation actually had a pretty solid week, even though the Royals lost four of six games. The Royals' starting pitching staff produced five quality starts this week, with two from Lugo and Wacha, and Cameron and Kolek each having one as well. Over the past seven days, the Royals' pitching staff produced a 3.50 ERA, which ranked 13th in baseball, according to MLB.com. Lugo was the only starter who went two starts this week, and he produced a 3.65 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 12.1 IP this week. While he didn't produce a lot of strikeouts, he was competitive and efficient in both outings, including on Sunday, as he earned the win over the Mariners. It was a classic effort from Lugo, as he didn't generate a ton of whiff or chase, and his xwOBACON was higher than one would like. However, he flooded the strike zone and kept Mariners hitters off-balance with his vast pitch arsenal. Though he had only one start this week, Kolek was the Royals' pitching MVP with the complete game shutout. The 29-year-old starter has been nails with the Royals since joining the club at the Trade Deadline last year. In four starts, he has a 2.77 ERA in 26 IP. Kolek was masterful in terms of efficiency and limiting hard contact against the Mariners on Saturday. That helped him earn the first Royals shutout in six years, even though he only generated two strikeouts and not a lot of whiffs. In terms of the bullpen, John Schreiber had the most impressive week for Kansas City. In three outings and innings of work this week, he allowed no runs, three hits, no walks, and struck out five. After struggling with his stuff earlier in the season, he's been locked in recently, generating a ton of chase and whiff over the past week, as seen below via his TJ Stuff+ summary. The only issue with Schreiber was that his zone rate was a bit inconsistent, and hitters made loud contact against him. His strikeouts remain low this year, as he only has 11 in 19.1 IP. However, his TJ Stuff+ was 100 this week, and that better stuff correlated with a 32% whiff and 41.7% K% in his three outings. Schreiber produced a hold in Sunday's outing against Seattle. The hitting had an off week, even though they were back home, where they have traditionally mashed this year. The Royals produced a .588 OPS this week, which ranked 26th in baseball. They primarily struggled with the long ball, as they had only two home runs this year, ranking 29th. Only the Colorado Rockies hit fewer this week (they had one). In terms of individual performances, Salvy stood out the most with six hits, which was the second-most of any Royals hitter this week. The Royals captain slashed .286/.375/.429 with an .804 OPS in 21 at-bats. His line this week also included a home run, four RBI, two runs scored, and two walks to only one strikeout. Another Royals hitter that had an encouraging week was Michael Massey, who's been the regular second baseman against right-handed starting pitchers with Jonathan India out for the remainder of the year. In 13 at-bats, Massey had four hits and slashed .308/.357/.385 with a .742 OPS. He also had one walk, two strikeouts, and scored a run. Lowlights The lineup had a week to forget, struggling to get on base and produce much against the Red Sox and in the first game against the Mariners. In six games, the lineup generated a .275 OBP, which ranked 26th in baseball this week. They also only drew 13 walks, which was tied for the worst mark in baseball this week. That said, the Royals were facing a Mariners starting pitching staff this weekend that has the lowest BB/9 in baseball. Hence, kudos to Kansas City for being aggressive and swinging rather than passive. Many Royals hitters had weird lines this week, and not necessarily in a good way. Garcia led the Royals in hits with seven in 26 plate appearances, good for an average of .269. He also had a key two-out, two-RBI single in the 8th that eventually was the difference in the Royals' win on Sunday. However, Garcia didn't draw a walk, only had one extra-base hit, and posted an OPS of .577 this week. He's in the midst of a difficult May, as he is hitting .250 with a .615 OPS in 100 plate appearances. His slugging is 140 points down from April, and he hasn't hit a single home run this month after hitting three in April. His launch angle sweet-spot percentage has been steadily declining since May 12th, as evidenced by his rolling sweet-spot% chart in Savant. Another key hitter who struggled this week was Witt. The Royals franchise star hit .240 with a .560 OPS in 25 plate appearances. While he hit two doubles, he also struck out six times and didn't draw a single walk. It seemed like Witt was pressing at the plate, trying too hard to create offense, and it often had a counterintuitive effect this week. The Royals also got subpar performances from the bottom of their lineup this week. That included Isaac Collins (.498 OPS) and Kyle Isbel (.331 OPS). Vinnie Pasquantino and Carter Jensen also struggled, with .508 and .576 OPS marks this week. That said, while none of the four had great weeks overall, all four had some key moments on Saturday and Sunday in the Royals' two wins against Seattle. In terms of pitching, Erceg had a brutal outing in his lone appearance this week. While he was gifted a large lead on Sunday, he nearly blew it, giving up three runs on four hits. The Mariners had the game-winning run at the plate with two outs. Thankfully, Erceg was able to get Luke Raley to ground out to end the game (though manager Dan Wilson had the gall to challenge the play, even though he was clearly out). While it was only one outing, the Royals need a focused, locked-in Erceg going forward, especially with Carlos Estevez unlikely to return in a meaningful way this season. Erceg looked rusty on Sunday after not pitching for a week. His TJ Stuff+ summary seemed to illustrate that as well, especially for his four-seamer and sinker, which had subpar TJ Stuff+ marks. Erceg's sinker had a 92 TJ Stuff+, his four-seamer had a 94 TJ Stuff+, and he had an overall TJ Stuff+ of 96. That correlated with a poor whiff% (16.7%) and xwOBACON (.421). Hopefully, if he sees action in the Yankees, his four-seamer and sinker TJ Stuff+ metrics will bounce back. Another pitcher who had a rough week was Steven Cruz, who posted a 10.80 ERA and 1.80 WHIP in two outings and 1.2 IP. The stuff isn't a question for Cruz, but the command is. That was illustrated in the two-run home run he gave up to Duran in the series finale against Boston. With his stuff, it would be nice for Cruz to see more high-leverage spots, especially with Estevez on the shelf. Despite elite TJ Stuff+ numbers, his lackluster zone, chase, and xwOBACON metrics make him a difficult option to use in key spots. Unfortunately, it looks like Cruz may be closer to another Carlos Hernandez (who failed to stick in Kansas City despite eye-popping stuff) than to another Estevez. Looking Ahead The Royals finish a nine-game homestand this week with a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium against the Yankees. Kansas City hasn't won a game against the Bronx Bombers since game two of the 2024 ALDS. They lost all six games to them last year and were swept in the Bronx in mid-April. Kansas City is hoping it can end this losing streak, even with all the bandwagon Yankees fans from Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Iowa descending on Kauffman Stadium starting on Memorial Day. The Yankees won't be an easy challenge, especially since they are 31-22 and have a +67 run differential. That said, they are 4-6 in their last 10 games and easily could have been 3-7 if not for a walkoff two-run home run by Aaron Judge on Sunday afternoon against first-place Tampa Bay. In addition to facing sluggers like Judge, the Royals will face a tough trio of Yankees pitchers at the K this week. Will Warren, Cam Schlitter, and Gerrit Cole are expected to toe the rubber for the Yankees in this series. Warren and Schlitter dominated the Royals back in the Bronx, and Cole has a good history against Kansas City as well. After the Yankees series, the Royals hit the road for Arlington for a three-game series against the Texas Rangers. Like the Yankees, Texas is 4-6 in its last 10, but they sit 24-28 for the year and has lost three in a row. On a positive note, they have a +6 run differential and have some formidable bats in the lineup, such as Brandon Nimmo, Josh Jung, and Ezequiel Duran, who all have fWAR marks over one. (Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford are currently on the IL and both are unlikely to return next week.) The Rangers' rotation is solid, ranking 15th in the starter ERA, 10th in WHIP, and 2nd in K/9. As of now, MacKenzie Gore (4.78 ERA), Kumar Rocker (3.60 ERA), and Jack Leiter (4.61 ERA) are projected to pitch against the Royals next weekend, according to Roster Resource. Texas also had a formidable bullpen that ranks 3rd in reliever ERA and 7th in WHIP. Closer Jacob Latz and setup men Jakob Junis (a former Royal) and Tyler Alexander all have ERA marks under two. View the full article

All four Brewers’ full season affiliates won their series this week: Biloxi (5-0), Nashville (4-2), Wilson (4-2), Wisconsin (3-2). Transactions: RHP Carlos Rodriguez recalled by MLB Brewers from AAA Nashville LHP Robert Gasser optioned to AAA Nashville from MLB Brewers RHP Fausto Barreras placed on DSL Brewers Blue’s 60-day injured list OF Akil Baddoo reinstated from 60-day injured list and optioned to AAA Nashville (where he was already playing on a rehab assignment) Game Action: Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Durham (Rays) 2, Nashville 0 Box Score Via the Sounds’ website, game details and we encourage readers to review affiliate write-ups as part of their Link Report routine: Nashville Shutout for Second Time This Week Against Durham Nashville’s media team usually indulge us by embedding some video highlights in their game reports, but zero runs and three errors on Sunday obviously made their job difficult this time out. But of course, the Sounds have won 11 of their last 13 games, which we’re thrilled to follow and support. The Durham and Nashville staffs combined to deliver 17 innings with 0 earned runs, 0 extra-base hits, 1 walk and 18 strikeouts, finishing the game in 2 hours and 5 minutes in order to allow 7,358 Durham fans to get home a little earlier than anticipated on Sunday evening. With 16 active pitchers and 2 more rehabbing Major Leaguers on the roster, Manager Rick Sweet had the luxury of pulling LHP Thomas Pannone after 4 innings and 55 pitches (1 R (0 ER), 2 H, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 4 Ks), with RHP JB Bukauskas, Junior Fernandez and Easton McGee then handling the middle innings comfortably (combined 3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 Ks). RHP Craig Yoho recorded 14 of his 16 pitches for strikes, though he did allow an unearned run, 2 singles and a balk. His season ERA is 1.29 as he waits for his first MLB call-up of 2026. Sounds’ Extras: SS Freddy Zamora did not have his best day (0-for-3, 2 fielding errors which led to the 2 unearned runs) OF Luis Lara once again found a way to positively impact the game: 1-for-4; outfield assist at home to end the 8th inning. OF Tyler Black’s hitting slump deepened with an 0-for-4, 3 K output, including a strikeout swinging to strand DH Luis Matos at second base in the 6th inning (the last time the Sounds had a runner in scoring position in the game). Black’s now 1-for-his-last-21, though he did make a nice catch in the left field corner: Next week’s outlook: Nashville (30-21) returns home to host Braves’ affiliate Gwinnett (28-23) for six games, commencing on Tuesday. Perhaps we’ll see a rehabbing Major Leaguer (e.g. Quinn Priester, Brandon Woodruff) start the opening game of the series. Biloxi Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Biloxi 7, Birmingham (White Sox) 5 Box Score Via the Shuckers’ website, game details: Shuckers Sweep Series For First Time Since 2023 in 7-5 Win Though they’d already captured the series win on Saturday, Biloxi players didn’t rest on their laurels, rallying from a 1-0 deficit in the 4th inning, then turning around a 4-2 scoreline with their 4-run sixth inning, highlighted by 3B Eduardo Garcia’s 3-run dinger and DH Dylan O’Rae’s 2-out RBI double. O’Rae (3-for-4, double, walk, RBI), OF Mike Boeve (2-for-4), Garcia (2-for-4, HR, 3 RBIs, SB) and 2B Jheremy Vargas (1-for-2, double, walk, 3 RBIs) produced all 8 of the team’s hits, though SS Jesus Made’s 9-game RBI streak came to an end (0-for-4, walk). 20-year-old starting RHP Manuel Rodriguez’s 5 IP, 2 ER, 5 K line largely mirrored his outing 5 days earlier (5 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 6 Ks), though he did allow a home run. That’s now 11 homers conceded in 9 games pitched for the only 20-year pitcher in the Southern League, propping up his ERA at 4.74 even with his low WHIP of 1.12. LHP Mark Manfredi Sr. entered with the game 6-4, two men on and nobody out, then proceeded to retire 6 of 7 batters faced to close it out (2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 HBP, 4 Ks). He’s now struck out 35 batters in just 21 1/3 innings pitched in 2026. Shuckers’ Extras: INF/OF Eric Brown Jr. did not play in Saturday’s quasi-doubleheader, then was not originally in the lineup for this game but ended up being a last-minute replacement for OF Damon Keith, contributing nicely: 0-for-1, 3 walks, 2 runs. Middle reliever RHPs Ryan Birchard and Sam Garcia earned a Win and Hold for their efforts, despite combining on this line: 2 IP, 3 R, 3 H, 4 BB, 3 Ks. Even the opposing hitter was impressed by 1B Blake Burke’s diving grab in the 5th inning: Next week’s outlook: Biloxi (22-21) hit the road to battle Braves’ affiliate Columbus (21-23), with RHP Tanner Gillis being the most likely starting option for Tuesday’s series opener. Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes Rain Out: Wisconsin at Great Lakes (Dodgers) Via the Timber Rattlers’ website, rain out details: Rattlers Rained Out in Great Lakes The rain out preserved the Timber Rattlers’ impressive 3-2 road series win over the 27-16 Dodgers’ affiliate. Next week’s outlook: Wisconsin (23-18) hosts Cardinals’ affiliate Peoria (20-24) for 7 games this week, with the series starting on Tuesday and a doubleheader scheduled for Wednesday. Coming off a 6 scoreless inning outing, LHP Wande Torres is likely to make the Tuesday opening game start. Wilson Pre-Game Media Notes Game One Final: Wilson 7, Delmarva (Orioles) 6 (in 8 innings) Box Score Game Two Final: Delmarva (Orioles) 4, Wilson 3 (in 7 innings) Box Score Via the Warbirds’ website, game details: Warbirds Walk Off Wins Series in Doubleheader Split 1B Frederi Montero nearly got to be the hero twice, as he delivered the game-winning RBI single to complete a 3-run final frame family in Game 1… …then came to the plate down 4-3 with 1 out and runners on 2nd and 3rd in the bottom of the final inning of Game 2, but flew into a game-ending double play. LHP Anfernny Reyes was the top pitcher in Game One (3 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 4 Ks), dominating the middle innings to enable Wilson to come back from the early 4-0 deficit. The 22-year-old Reyes continues to make his case for a promotion: season ERA 2.05, WHIP, 0.91, 12.7 K/9 in 22 IP. The Warbirds grabbed that Game One victory despite going 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position, stranding 12 baserunners and having a runner thrown out at home. Drawing 10 walks paid off, as Wilson scored in the 5th and 6th innings without the benefit of a hit, then C Rylan Mills delivered the game-tying RBI double to send the game to extra innings. RHP Carlos Carra was the best pitcher in Game Two (6 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 1 BB, 8 Ks; 90 pitches), though he was actually on the hook to wear a Loss until 3B Filippo Di Turi manufactured a run (walk, 2 stolen bases, scored on sac fly) to tie the contest at 2-2 in the penultimate inning. OF Handelfry Encarnacion (2-for-3, walk, SB) and SS Brady Ebel (1-for-3, walk, RBI, SB) were the top offensive contributors in Game Two. Ebel extended his hitting streak to 9 games with his 2-out RBI single to grab a 1-0 lead in the 3rd inning, while the pair drew back-to-back walks to load the bases with nobody out in the final frame. Encarnacion also had an outfield assist to help RHP Joshua Quezada (1 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 K) escape the 7th inning. Warbirds’ Extras: With his Game One start, RHP Jacob Morrison (2 1/3 IP, 4 R, 3 H, 4 BB, 3 Ks) returned to action for the first time since exiting his May 14 start early. The 2025 third round pick tossed a season-high 58 pitches as he builds up strength following a late start to his 2026 campaign. RHP Jose Meneses (2 1/3 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 2 H, 0 BB, 5 Ks; season ERA 1.96) retired the first 4 batters he faced before allowing back-to-back singles in the first extra inning of Game One, then buckled right back down to retired the final 3 hitters he faced. 1B Tyler Rodriguez (1-for-3, 4 walks), DH Pedro Ibarguen (1-for-2, 2 walks, RBI) and OF Nick Monile (1-for-2, walk, SB) each had solid days at the plate. Manager Eddy Morgan was ejected to end the top of the 7th inning of the second game, after the team had conceded 2 runs to fall behind 4-2. Next week’s outlook: After two weeks at home, Wilson (23-22) heads down to Myrtle Beach to face the Cubs’ affiliate (18-25) for 6 games. RHPs Tyer Renz and Enniel Cortez are the most likely options to start the series opener. We hope that you enjoy the Minor League Link Report. On Monday, the Milwaukee Brewers host the Cardinals at 1:10pm. The sole Brewers’ affiliate in action is the ACL Brewers (6-10), who play at the ACL Royals (12-3) at 8:00pm CST. 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

After making his major-league debut on Jul. 5, 2025, Travis Adams struggled in his first cup of coffee in the majors, generating a 7.49 ERA, a 5.39 FIP, and a 31-to-17 strikeout to walk ratio over 33 2/3 innings pitched. The then-25-year-old navigated an unpredictable role, jumping between starting games and coming in as a stretch or short reliever on an appearance-to-appearance basis. Given his late struggles, Adams failed to solidify a spot on Minnesota’s 26-man roster late last season, meaning the now-26-year-old would need to compete for a spot in the club’s eight-pitcher bullpen this spring training. Unfortunately, Adams pitched only 2 2/3 innings this spring before being sidelined with right elbow inflammation in mid-March. Luckily, the righty’s elbow sustained no structural damage, and he returned to the mound on a rehab assignment at Single-A Fort Myers in mid-April, before joining the Triple-A St. Paul Saints later that month. Upon his return to St. Paul, Adams’s surface stats were uninspiring, including a 9.00 ERA over six innings pitched. Still, his 2.69 FIP suggested the right-hander had been unlucky, and that maybe something new was happening. Due to 40-man roster constraints, Minnesota promoted the struggling Adams to the parent club on May 9 when Taj Bradley was placed on the 15-day IL with right pec muscle inflammation. The former mid-level prospect made two appearances for the Twins over a four-day stretch, earning a 7.36 ERA over 3 2/3 innings pitched. Again, however, his underlying metrics suggested he was pitching better than his counting stats. Over that exceptionally small sample, Adams netted a 2.01 FIP and 25% strikeout rate, suggesting he had again been the victim of poor luck. Still, Minnesota demoted him on May 14 to make room for starting pitcher Zebby Matthews on the 26-man roster. Interestingly, Twins decision-makers were quick to provide him another opportunity, recalling him five days later after designating veteran right-handed reliever Justin Topa for assignment. (Technically, he replaced Ryan Jeffers, who was placed on the 10-day IL, but he took Topa’s spot in the bullpen.) In two appearances since May 19, Adams has been unhittable over 13 batters faced, posting a 0.00 ERA, 1.85 ERA, and 30.8% strikeout rate. The righty has generated these results over two separate two-inning appearances, against the Houston Astros on May 19 and the Boston Red Sox on May 22. Adams particularly played an integral role in Minnesota’s 8-6 comeback win against Boston, which was arguably their most impressive win of the season. He then earned his first career save against the Red Sox on Sunday. Again, I am analyzing a very small sample. Still, it appears that Adams has made meaningful strides toward becoming an effective short reliever in a bullpen desperate for serviceable internal options. Adams’s early-season success appears to be the product of an altered arsenal, highlighted by a shift in his change and cutter usage. In 2025, the righty used his changeup only 17% of the time. He's raised his usage rate to 30% this season. The pitch has an average movement profile. However, he's using it more effectively, almost exclusively throwing it low in the zone to left-handed hitters. It's posted a .104 expected batting average against (xBA) and a .108 expected slugging average against (xSLG), showcasing its effectiveness against lefties. bGJ3TDdfWGw0TUFRPT1fVWdKUlhWTUVVZ0lBWFFjTEFBQUhWUU5VQUFBTlVGa0FWMWNHQkFzQ1Z3RURBUU5m.mp4 His cutter has also made strides, with Adams using it 22% of the time this season, up from 19% in 2025. It's a truer cutter this season than last, with more backspin and less blending with his slider. Attacking hitters high in the zone, the pitch has netted a similarly impressive .166 xBA and .185 xSLG in 2026. The cutter and change have gotten more exercise, while he's all but shelved his curveball and sinker. Adams’s fastball still needs work; it has below-average velocity and an unimpressive movement profile. Yet, it appears that Adams has refined his arsenal against both left- and right-handed hitters this season. As improbable as it would have sounded even a few weeks ago, he could remain effective and finally solidify a long-term role in Minnesota’s bullpen. View the full article

After a trio of young Brewers starting pitchers did not allow a run for three straight games, the tides turned over the weekend in a series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the last two games of the series, Milwaukee pitchers issued 17 walks and hit a batter. Robert Gasser and Brandon Sproat surrendered nine of those free passes, each failing to complete the fifth inning. Gasser lost his temporary spot in the rotation after that outing, his second start since being recalled in Minneapolis last week. That short leash wasn't surprising, given how uncompetitive he looked in both appearances. In 8 ⅓ innings, Gasser walked 14.6% of opposing hitters and made additional mistakes that don't show up in a box score. He failed to back up home plate on what became a Little League home run in Minnesota, and the Brewers believe he tipped his pitches to runners on second base on Saturday. "I'm not pleased with it," Gasser said on Saturday night of his recent big-league work. "This is a winning ball club, and I came in and [was] part of two losses. It's not ideal." It's another unfortunate development for Gasser, who will turn 27 years old in a few days without a clear role in Milwaukee. That seemed unfathomable less than two years ago, when he debuted in 2024 with five solid starts, but he has not looked like a big-league pitcher since undergoing Tommy John surgery that summer. Gasser showed in his first season that his three distinct fastballs and sweeping slider could deceive hitters from his low left-handed arm slot, but with a four-seamer and sinker that sit around 91 MPH, he must command his four best pitches and sequence them effectively. In sporadic opportunities, he hasn't done that. According to FanGraphs's Location+ (a metric that grades pitch location on a scale where 100 is average), Gasser's command has dropped from a passable 98 in 2024 to just 73 over the last two seasons. There will be more opportunities for Gasser throughout the season if he throws well in Triple-A, but for now, he's put himself behind other pitchers on the depth chart. Coleman Crow showed excellent command (113 Location+) in two spot starts. He or a rehabbing Brandon Woodruff could soon slot back into the rotation, which won't need a fifth starter until June 2 due to Thursday's off day. Shane Drohan, who has used a full starter's pitch mix as an effective long reliever, also deserves to be ahead of Gasser for big-league starts. Command also remains an issue for Sproat, who owns a 13.8% walk rate and has posted a 5.84 ERA, 5.57 FIP, and 4.38 SIERA in 10 outings. Saturday's start was the sixth outing in which he failed to complete a fifth inning as the bulk pitcher, and his sixth with at least three walks. While Sproat downplayed any specific pitch contributing to his struggles, he has struggled to establish his power sinker, throwing just 38% of them in the strike zone against the Dodgers. "He's got a lot of three-ball counts," manager Pat Murphy said. "He's behind 2-and-0 a ton." Unlike Gasser, Sproat has flashed enough upside to retain his rotation spot. His cutter, four-seamer, and breaking balls keep racking up swing and misses, and he struck out seven against a dangerous Los Angeles lineup. Most of his issues (high pitch counts, struggling to contain the big inning, and failing to maintain his velocity late into outings) are common for rookie starting pitchers. "He's had a couple of rough outings, but in no way, shape, or form would I think we're considering getting him out of there," Murphy said, adding that the Brewers aren't merely "sticking with" Sproat, but believe in his current upside. "This guy's got a chance to be a high-end starter. He's a rookie, so rookies are going to go through that." Sproat's lack of progress has become worth monitoring, but with Woodruff and Quinn Priester still on the shelf, the Brewers are a bit short on replacement starters. His stuff also warrants a few more opportunities before the club should consider a change. "He's so good when he's good that it gives you hope," Murphy said. View the full article

Brett Squires drove a home run and double for Omaha in a 5-3 win at St. Paul, supported by Ryan Ramsey's five strong innings on the mound. Spencer Nivens crushed two home runs as Northwest Arkansas split a pair with Amarillo, while Frank Mozzicato struck out eight in his start. Ramon Ramirez homered for Quad Cities in a loss. In Augusta, Yandel Ricardo drove in four runs, and Darwin Rodriguez worked five innings for Columbia. Royals Transactions No Roster Moves Storm Chasers Ride Squires And Rojas Power To 5-3 Win At St. Paul Squires powered Omaha with two extra-base hits and two runs scored, helping the Storm Chasers down the host St. Paul Saints, 5-3. The former Oklahoma product finished 2-for-4 with a double in the second inning and a solo home run, his fifth of the season, in the sixth. Gavin Cross had three hits, including a double and an RBI, and Josh Rojas led off with a solo home run, his sixth, in the third inning. John Rave added a pair of hits, including an RBI single, and Abraham Toro drove in a run. After St. Paul jumped ahead in the first, Omaha answered in the top of the second. Luca Tresh drew a one-out walk, and Squires followed with a double. Abraham Toro then singled to plate Tresh, and Gavin Cross lined a single to right to bring home Squires, putting Omaha up 2-1. Rojas extended the lead with his solo shot in the third. Ramsey worked five innings, allowing one run on four hits with three walks, six strikeouts, and one home run to pick up his third win. Anthony Gose tossed a scoreless sixth with a walk and no strikeouts. Ben Sears gave up two runs in the eighth on a two-run home run before Beck Way closed the door with 1 1/3 hitless innings and two strikeouts to earn his first save. Omaha left six runners on base. Player AB R H RBI BB K Josh Rojas (3B) 5 1 1 1 0 1 Drew Waters (RF) 4 0 0 0 1 2 John Rave (CF) 4 0 2 1 0 1 Luca Tresh (C) 3 1 1 0 1 1 Brett Squires (1B) 4 2 2 1 0 0 Abraham Toro (DH) 4 0 1 1 0 0 Gavin Cross (LF) 4 0 3 1 0 0 Connor Kaiser (SS) 4 0 0 0 0 1 Dustin Dickerson (2B) 4 1 1 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Ryan Ramsey 5 4 1 1 3 6 1 Anthony Gose 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 Ben Sears 1 2/3 2 2 2 0 1 1 Beck Way 1 1/3 0 0 0 0 2 0 Naturals' Bullpen Crumbles In 17-5 Loss At Amarillo Jorge Alfaro's three-hit night was not enough as the Northwest Arkansas Naturals fell to the Amarillo Sod Poodles, 17-5, in a lopsided road defeat. Alfaro, hitting cleanup, went 3-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI, and a run scored. Omar Hernandez added three hits of his own, including a double and a run scored, while Connor Scott went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Daniel Vazquez chipped in with a double and a walk, and Justin Johnson and Sam Kulasingam each tacked on RBI singles in the ninth. The decisive frame came in the bottom of the second. Hunter Owen had given Northwest Arkansas a 1-0 lead to defend after Connor Scott's RBI single in the top of the inning, but Amarillo posted four runs against the right-hander, taking a 4-1 lead they would never relinquish. The Sod Poodles tacked on five more runs in the sixth and seven in the seventh against the Naturals' bullpen. Hunter Owen took the loss after working three innings, allowing four runs on three hits with two walks and no strikeouts. Caden Monke surrendered one run in two innings of relief. Chase Jessee allowed five runs while recording only two outs, and Andrew Morones gave up seven runs on seven hits in his one inning, including three home runs. Brandon Johnson finished with a scoreless 1 1/3 innings. Northwest Arkansas stranded eight runners and committed one error. Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Roccaforte (CF) 5 0 1 0 0 3 Spencer Nivens (LF) 4 1 0 0 1 2 Sam Kulasingam (RF) 5 0 1 1 0 0 Jorge Alfaro (DH) 5 1 3 1 0 2 Daniel Vazquez (SS) 3 1 1 0 1 2 Connor Scott (1B) 4 0 2 2 0 1 Colton Becker (3B) 2 1 0 0 2 2 Omar Hernandez (C) 4 1 3 0 0 0 Justin Johnson (2B) 4 0 1 1 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Hunter Owen 3 3 4 4 2 0 0 Caden Monke 2 2 1 1 3 0 0 Chase Jessee 2/3 5 5 5 1 0 1 Andrew Morones 1 7 7 7 0 1 3 Brandon Johnson 1 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nivens Hits Two Homers To Lift Naturals Past Amarillo, 8-6 Spencer Nivens crushed two home runs and drove in four to lead the Northwest Arkansas Naturals past the Amarillo Sod Poodles, 8-6. Nivens went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run, his third of the season, and a two-run shot, his fourth, for four total RBIs. Vazquez and Jack Pineda each had two hits, with Pineda adding a solo home run in the second inning and a stolen base. Roccaforte led off and scored twice, and Canyon Brown and Johnson each delivered an RBI hit. The Naturals broke the game open in the top of the fifth. With Pineda on after his single, Brown lined an RBI single to center, and Johnson followed with a double. After Roccaforte reached on a fielder's choice, Nivens launched a three-run home run to left center to give Northwest Arkansas a 5-0 lead. After Amarillo answered with three in the bottom half and later tied the score at 6-6, Spencer Nivens belted his second home run, a two-run shot, in the seventh to put the Naturals ahead for good. Mozzicato took the start and worked 4 1/3 innings, giving up three runs on four hits with three walks, eight strikeouts, and a home run. Augusto Mendieta surrendered three runs in one inning of work. Oscar Rayo closed it out with 1 2/3 scoreless innings of one-hit relief, no walks, and no strikeouts to earn his second win. Northwest Arkansas left only three runners on base. Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Roccaforte (CF) 3 2 1 0 0 1 Spencer Nivens (LF) 4 2 2 4 0 0 Sam Kulasingam (RF) 4 0 0 0 0 0 Daniel Vazquez (SS) 4 1 2 0 0 1 Connor Scott (1B) 4 0 1 1 0 2 Jack Pineda (3B) 3 2 2 1 0 0 Omar Hernandez (DH) 3 0 0 0 0 2 Canyon Brown (C) 3 0 1 1 0 0 Justin Johnson (2B) 3 1 1 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Frank Mozzicato 4 1/3 4 3 3 3 8 1 Augusto Mendieta 1 4 3 3 2 1 1 Oscar Rayo 1 2/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 River Bandits Fall To Beloit, 8-2, Despite Ramirez's Home Run The Quad Cities River Bandits managed just two runs at home, falling to the Beloit Sky Carp, 8-2. Catcher Ramirez supplied both runs with a two-run home run, his seventh of the season, that scored Asbel Gonzalez. Gonzalez had a productive night otherwise, going 2-for-4 from the second spot in the lineup. Tyriq Kemp drew two walks, while Nolan Sailors, Jose Cerice, and Connor Rasmussen each chipped in with a hit. The game tilted away from Quad Cities early. Beloit struck for three runs in the second inning against starter Blake Wolters and tacked on two more in the fourth inning before Ramirez's home run cut into the lead in the bottom of the same frame. The Sky Carp added a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth to push the score out of reach. Wolters took the loss after working 3 2/3 innings, allowing five runs, all earned, on three hits with four walks, four strikeouts, and one home run. Cory Ronan got the Bandits through the rest of the fourth without further damage. Mason Miller followed and surrendered three runs over 2 2/3 innings. L.P. Langevin tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings with a walk and a strikeout, and Yimi Presinal closed with one scoreless inning of one-hit work, one strikeout, and no walks. Quad Cities stranded seven runners. Player AB R H RBI BB K Nolan Sailors (RF) 4 0 1 0 0 2 Asbel Gonzalez (CF) 4 1 2 0 0 1 Ramon Ramirez (C) 2 1 1 2 2 0 Luke Pelzer (DH) 4 0 0 0 0 3 Jose Cerice (3B) 4 0 1 0 0 0 Erick Torres (LF) 4 0 0 0 0 1 Tyriq Kemp (SS) 2 0 0 0 2 1 Trevor Werner (1B) 4 0 0 0 0 2 Diego Guzman (2B) 4 0 0 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Blake Wolters 3 2/3 3 5 5 4 4 1 Cory Ronan 1/3 2 0 0 0 1 0 Mason Miller 2 2/3 5 3 3 1 4 1 L.P. Langevin 1 1/3 0 0 0 1 1 0 Yimi Presinal 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Fireflies Drop A Pitcher's Duel To Augusta, 2-1 The Columbia Fireflies came up just short in a tight battle, dropping the game 2-1 to the Augusta GreenJackets on the road. Sean Gamble led the offense with a 2-for-3 effort that included a double, and Brooks Bryan went 2-for-3 with the lone Columbia RBI. Connor Rasmussen also added a double, and Daniel Lopez collected a single along with a stolen base. The Fireflies were limited to six hits in total. Columbia broke through in the fourth inning. With one out, Gamble singled and moved into scoring position before Bryan singled him home to tie the game at 1-1. The Fireflies could not extend their lead, however, and Augusta pushed across the deciding run in the bottom of the sixth on a single that came across with the help of a Columbia error in center field. Michael Lombardi opened with four innings of work, allowing one run on four hits with one walk and five strikeouts. Henson Leal followed with two innings of relief and absorbed the loss, giving up one unearned run on three hits with no walks and two strikeouts. Columbia stranded just three runners and committed three errors on the night, leaving little margin for error in a game decided by a single play in the late innings. Player AB R H RBI BB K Henry Ramos (LF) 3 0 0 0 0 2 Sean Gamble (CF) 3 1 2 0 0 0 Brooks Bryan (C) 3 0 2 1 0 0 Stone Russell (1B) 3 0 0 0 0 1 Yandel Ricardo (SS) 3 0 0 0 0 1 Daniel Lopez (RF) 3 0 1 0 0 0 Connor Rasmussen (2B) 3 0 1 0 0 0 Josi Novas (DH) 2 0 0 0 0 0 Ivan Sosa (3B) 2 0 0 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Michael Lombardi 4 4 1 1 1 5 0 Henson Leal 2 3 1 0 0 2 0 Ricardo Drives In Four As Fireflies Top Augusta, 8-5 Yandel Ricardo drove in four runs, and Josh Hammond scored three times to lift the Columbia Fireflies to an 8-5 win over the Augusta GreenJackets on the road. Ricardo went 2-for-2 with a double, a home run, four RBIs, and a walk. Hammond added a triple, an RBI, three runs scored, two stolen bases, and a walk. Jhosmmel Zue chipped in with a 2-for-4 line, an RBI single, and a stolen base, and Sean Gamble reached three times via hit, walk, and stolen base. Columbia jumped ahead in the first inning. Ramos reached on an error, and Gamble singled. A Hammond ground ball forced Gamble at second, but Ramos came around to score on a throwing error. After Hyungchan Um walked, Ricardo lined a two-RBI double to put Columbia up 3-0. The Fireflies tacked on two in the fifth on Hammond's RBI triple and a Ricardo sacrifice bunt that scored Hammond. They added three more in the seventh when Ricardo launched a two-run home run, his third, and Jhosmmel Zue singled home Stone Russell. Rodriguez worked five innings to earn the win, allowing one unearned run on six hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Yeri Perez gave up two runs in one inning of relief, including a home run, with no walks and one strikeout. Randy Ramnarace was charged with two earned runs while failing to record an out, walking three, and surrendering one hit. Max Martin then recorded the final three outs with two strikeouts to earn his first save. Columbia left seven on base and committed three errors. Player AB R H RBI BB K Henry Ramos (LF) 3 1 0 0 0 1 Sean Gamble (CF) 3 1 1 0 1 0 Josh Hammond (3B) 3 3 1 1 1 0 Hyungchan Um (DH) 2 1 0 0 2 2 Yandel Ricardo (SS) 2 1 2 4 1 0 Stone Russell (2B) 2 1 1 0 1 1 JC Vanek (1B) 3 0 0 0 1 0 Jhosmmel Zue (C) 4 0 2 1 0 1 Roni Cabrera (RF) 3 0 0 0 1 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Darwin Rodriguez 5 6 1 0 1 4 0 Yeri Perez 1 1 2 0 0 1 1 Randy Ramnarace 0 1 2 2 3 0 0 Max Martin 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Kendry Chourio: DNP David Shields: DNP Sean Gamble: 3-for-6, 2B, BB, SB, 2 R Blake Mitchell: DNP Josh Hammond: 1-for-3, 3B, RBI, BB, 2 SB, 3 R Ramon Ramirez: 1-for-2, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, R Drew Beam: DNP Asbel Gonzalez: 2-for-4, R, K Ben Kudrna: DNP Carson Roccaforte: 2-for-8, 2 R, 4 K Yandel Ricardo: 2-for-5, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, BB, R, K Felix Arronde: DNP Blake Wolters: L, 3 2/3 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, HR Michael Lombardi: 4 IP, 4 H, R, ER, BB, 5 K Luinder Avila: DNP Steven Zobac: DNP Frank Mozzicato: 4 1/3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, HR Daniel Vazquez: 3-for-7, 2B, BB, SB, 2 R, 3 K Warren Colcano: DNP Shane Panzini: DNP View the full article

Outfielder Scott Cousins played in just 135 career games over four seasons in Major League Baseball. He’s most infamously remembered, however, for a play that took place in extra innings on this day 15 years ago. With the contest tied in the top of the 12th, Cousins bulled over San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey at the plate for the winning run as the Florida Marlins pulled out a 7-6 victory. In the process, Posey suffered a season-ending injury, prompting leaguewide discussion about collisions at home plate. After catcher John Buck singled off Giants reliever Guillermo Mota to lead off the top of the 12th inning at AT&T Park on May 25, 2011, Cousins entered the game as a pinch hitter. Attempting to sacrifice, Cousins bunted the first pitch he saw back to the pitcher but Mota was able to get the lead runner at second. One pitch later, Omar Infante singled to right field and Cousins raced over to third, putting runners on the corners with one out. Emilio Bonifácio followed by popping one into shallow right field. Nate Schierholtz made the catch for San Francisco and fired to the plate. Tagging up from third base, Cousins made his way home and went shoulder-first into Posey at the plate. The ball popped away, giving the Marlins the lead, but Posey was unable to get up. After a delay, the San Francisco catcher was carried off the field. Burke Badenhop worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the inning to collect the save and secure the Marlins win. While Posey’s injury sparked controversy, it could have been avoided had it not been for a dismal bottom of the ninth from the Florida bullpen. After Giancarlo Stanton (then known as Mike Stanton) extended the Marlins’ lead to 6-2 with a bases-clearing double in the top of the inning, the Giants scored four runs in the bottom half to force extras. Aubrey Huff’s two-run single off Juan Carlos Oviedo (then known as Leo Núñez) tied the game. Stanton had a big night for Florida, going 4-for-6 with four RBIs. Logan Morris was 3-for-5 with two runs scored in the win. Freddy Sanchez finished with four hits for San Francisco. As for Posey, he would make a full recovery. In 2012, Posey was named National League MVP as the Giants captured their second of three World Series titles over a five-year span. Posey would finish his career as a seven-time All-Star. His injury, however, led to rule changes that disallowed runners from deviating from a direct pathway to the plate. Catchers were also forced to provide a path to the plate for runners. While Posey could one day find himself in Cooperstown, Cousins’ big-league career was relatively short. After hitting .297 in 28 games in 2010, Cousins struggled over his final two seasons with the Marlins, batting just .140 (21-for-150) before appearing in just seven games with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2013. While Cousins maintains that he had no intentions of injuring Posey, he did receive plenty of ire from around the league and in the media. He also reportedly received death threats. Cousins’ controversial slide against the Giants, however, did prompt meaningful rule changes throughout baseball. That slide came in a contest that lasted more than four hours on this day 15 years ago. View the full article

Outfielder Scott Cousins played in just 135 career games over four seasons in Major League Baseball. He’s most infamously remembered, however, for a play that took place in extra innings on this day 15 years ago. With the contest tied in the top of the 12th, Cousins bulled over San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey at the plate for the winning run as the Florida Marlins pulled out a 7-6 victory. In the process, Posey suffered a season-ending injury, prompting leaguewide discussion about collisions at home plate. After catcher John Buck singled off Giants reliever Guillermo Mota to lead off the top of the 12th inning at AT&T Park on May 25, 2011, Cousins entered the game as a pinch hitter. Attempting to sacrifice, Cousins bunted the first pitch he saw back to the pitcher but Mota was able to get the lead runner at second. One pitch later, Omar Infante singled to right field and Cousins raced over to third, putting runners on the corners with one out. Emilio Bonifácio followed by popping one into shallow right field. Nate Schierholtz made the catch for San Francisco and fired to the plate. Tagging up from third base, Cousins made his way home and went shoulder-first into Posey at the plate. The ball popped away, giving the Marlins the lead, but Posey was unable to get up. After a delay, the San Francisco catcher was carried off the field. Burke Badenhop worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the inning to collect the save and secure the Marlins win. While Posey’s injury sparked controversy, it could have been avoided had it not been for a dismal bottom of the ninth from the Florida bullpen. After Giancarlo Stanton (then known as Mike Stanton) extended the Marlins’ lead to 6-2 with a bases-clearing double in the top of the inning, the Giants scored four runs in the bottom half to force extras. Aubrey Huff’s two-run single off Juan Carlos Oviedo (then known as Leo Núñez) tied the game. Stanton had a big night for Florida, going 4-for-6 with four RBIs. Logan Morris was 3-for-5 with two runs scored in the win. Freddy Sanchez finished with four hits for San Francisco. As for Posey, he would make a full recovery. In 2012, Posey was named National League MVP as the Giants captured their second of three World Series titles over a five-year span. Posey would finish his career as a seven-time All-Star. His injury, however, led to rule changes that disallowed runners from deviating from a direct pathway to the plate. Catchers were also forced to provide a path to the plate for runners. While Posey could one day find himself in Cooperstown, Cousins’ big-league career was relatively short. After hitting .297 in 28 games in 2010, Cousins struggled over his final two seasons with the Marlins, batting just .140 (21-for-150) before appearing in just seven games with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2013. While Cousins maintains that he had no intentions of injuring Posey, he did receive plenty of ire from around the league and in the media. He also reportedly received death threats. Cousins’ controversial slide against the Giants, however, did prompt meaningful rule changes throughout baseball. That slide came in a contest that lasted more than four hours on this day 15 years ago. View the full article

Welcome back to Blue Jays Clutch Plays, a recurring post that highlights the six most pivotal plays (three pitching, three hitting) from the past week of Blue Jays baseball, according to MLB's win probability model. Click here to read last week's edition. Just five days ago, the Blue Jays had dropped the first two games of a series at Yankee Stadium and were staring down the barrel of four consecutive games against Cam Schlittler, Carlos Rodón, Bubba Chandler, and Paul Skenes. Naturally, they won all four of those contests, marking their longest winning streak of the season. They had a chance to sweep the Pirates at home and lost the series finale on Sunday, but after salvaging their road trip and taking two out of three on the weekend, they aren't in a bad spot heading into a winnable stretch against the Marlins and Orioles. Here are the biggest moments from the week that was. Pitching 3. Tyler Rogers: Aaron Judge GIDP, Bot 8, 5/21 (+11.0% WPA) Toronto's pitchers had Aaron Judge figured out all series, as the Yankees' hulking slugger went 1-for-15 with eight strikeouts across the four games. In one of Judge's biggest opportunities to make something happen, Tyler Rogers whipped a sinker that dropped below the zone, and Judge rolled it over to the left side in a double play situation. Andrés Giménez positioned himself to field the ball perfectly, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. made a nice scoop at first base to execute the twin killing and end the frame. 2. Kevin Gausman: Jake Mangum Groundout, Top 7, 5/22 (+11.7% WPA) Kevin Gausman's biggest out of the night happened to come on his last batter. The odds were shifting in favour of the Pirates as the contact-oriented Jake Mangum came to the plate with the tying run on second in a two-run game. Not only did Gausman keep the ball on the ground, but the fact that it was hit to first with the corner infielders drawn in meant that no runs scored on the play. Vlad Jr. stepped on first, paving the way for Mason Fluharty to come in and complete the inning. 1. Louis Varland: Amed Rosario Strikeout, Bot 9, 5/20 (+14.8% WPA) The Jays had to fight for every inch last Wednesday in New York after a lengthy rain delay gave way to an outstanding pitcher's duel between Trey Yesavage and Cam Schlittler. Things didn't come easy in the ninth, as Louis Varland allowed the tying run to get into scoring position before finding himself a strike away from making the save. With Jazz Chisholm Jr. running on the play, Varland got Amed Rosario to make a half-hearted offer at a fastball way above the zone to seal the victory. Hitting 3. Jesús Sánchez: RBI Double, Bot 6, 5/23 (+15.1% WPA) Jesús Sánchez had himself a solid week, as this was the second big double he recorded in a key spot. He had Paul Skenes's number on Saturday, going 2-for-3 against him with two doubles and a 106-mph lineout. Earlier in this at-bat, Sánchez was the benefactor of a fortuitous missed check swing call by the third base umpire, but he didn't hesitate to swing at a 3-2 changeup way below the zone from Skenes, roping it into the right field corner for the go-ahead RBI. 2. Jesús Sánchez: RBI Double, Top 9, 5/18 (+21.8% WPA) As important as it was to take the final two games of the Yankees series and earn the split, the Blue Jays were painfully close to sweeping them, losing each of the first couple games by one and stranding the tying run at third in both contests. The margins were particularly thin in Monday's back-and-forth opener, but things were looking up after Sánchez chopped one over the head of Paul Goldschmidt at first and all the way down the line to score Ernie Clement and bring the Blue Jays to within a run. 1. Ernie Clement: 3-run HR, Top 4, 5/18 (+34.6% WPA) Had Toronto hung on to their earlier lead or completed their ninth-inning comeback attempt, this would've gone down as the Ernie Clement Flu Game. Battling a bad case of strep throat, Ernie found himself in a two-strike, two-out situation with men on the corners and the Jays down by a run. He got a changeup that Ryan Weathers did a decent job locating, but he lofted it to left-center and it carried through the unseasonably hot air all the way over the fence. This was the Jays' fourth-most clutch hit, and Clement's biggest, of the season by WPA, surpassing his walk-off single back on opening weekend. View the full article

If I’ve said it once I’ve said it 100 times here on Talk Sox, I’m a Brayan Bello guy. I followed his journey through the system and into the Show with a ton of interest. I celebrated when he was named the Opening Day starter in 2024 and then felt myself get increasingly let down by every emotional outburst and meltdown that started off that season. After the July 4 series in Miami though, Bello began to change. The outbursts stopped and Bello went deeper into games, Then, in 2025, he was on fire to begin the season. He looked like a legitimate number two option to slot in behind ace Garrett Crochet for much of the season. Then as we drew towards the playoffs, he started to fall off a cliff. When his name was called to start game two of the 2025 Wild Card series, he was on the shortest leash imaginable. This season, he reported back to spring training from the World Baseball Classic where he wasn’t getting as much work as both he and the team hoped he would, and the belief was he would slot in nicely as the hybrid number three/four starter for the team this season. Things haven’t gone according to plan. As a true starter this season Bello currently holds a 9.68 ERA over 30 2/3s innings pitched with an opposing slash line of .370/.437/.440. He’s both struck out and walked 18 batters while allowing 10 home runs and 33 earned runs. When you look at his ERA each time the lineup flips over, it makes things look even more dire. The first time through, Bello has 7.11 ERA. The second time through it goes up to a 9.00 ERA. The third time it's a staggering 18.00 ERA. In short, he’s been awful. Abysmal even. I’ve already taken a dive into the mechanical and pitch mix changes that seem to have been plaguing Bello throughout the season, but at this point the answer is pretty clear: Bello no longer needs to be in the starting rotation for the Boston Red Sox. Bello has worked with an “opener”, or as a long reliever coming in after a bullpen arm started the game, three times this season, and the results have been more or less spectacular. In his first two outings, he tossed 13 ⅓ innings in this long relief role and held a 1.35 ERA with 12 strikeouts and one walk. He’s only allowed two earned runs to boot. Then, he produced another nice outing this weekend, holding the Twins to two (unearned) runs over five frames of work. Each game he’s entered as after the opener haven’t been clean for Jovani Moran, but Bello never seemed bothered. He toed the rubber with poise and pitched deep into those games. He seems to have more control over his pitches and has a confidence that doesn’t show up when he starts games. What is maybe most impressive is that his strikeout rate goes from 11.3% as a starter to 24..5% out of the bullpen and his walk rate drops from 11.3% to 4.1% in the same situation. As a reliever, Bello’s ERA each turn through the rotation is incredible. In his first two long-relief outings, through both the first and second turns, he’d posted a 1.93 ERA. Through the third turn, he’s at a flat zero. While the opener route isn’t the most conventional, this wouldn’t be the first time that the Red Sox opted to go this route to try and salvage a starter’s poor start to the season. Just a few years ago, the team did this exact same thing with RHP Nick Pivetta. Pivetta started the season in a less-than-ideal fashion and was moved, against his will at the time, to the bullpen. While he complained at the beginning of the experiment, it ended up salvaging that season in Boston and likely helped propel him into the contract he signed in the 2025 offseason with the Padres. Bello, like Pivetta, is searching for consistency as a starter and has proven that he’s effective when he’s used out of the bullpen for multiple innings. The role of a second-inning starter doesn’t make a ton of sense on paper, but it seems to be working for Brayan Bello. After two successful long-relief appearances he was given a true start against the best offense in baseball, the Braves. Things went about as poorly as you would expect. While interim manager Chad Tracy has seemingly pushed most of the right buttons for the Red Sox, that previous start showed he didn’t quite have his finger on the pulse of what was best for Bello. While Tracy won’t fully commit to going with an opener for Bello from here on out, choosing to instead say that it’s going to be matchup dependent, it’s pretty clear to everyone watching that Bello needs the stability of seeing the opposing lineup take hacks against someone else first. View the full article

The San Diego Padres' affiliates wrapped up Memorial Day weekend with mixed results. Will Wagner went deep for the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas, who lost to Round Rock 8-7 on a ninth-inning run. The Double-A San Antonio Missions didn't generate much offense in falling 8-1 to Frisco. Alex McCoy smashed a homer and had four RBIs as the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps prevailed 6-3 over Dayton. Bradley Frye had a career-high four RBIs as the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm rolled past Visalia 10-3. Padres Minor-League Transactions No roster moves Will Wagner Homers Again, But Chihuahuas Let Another One Slip Away Will Wagner homered for the second day in a row, but the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas gave up another late lead in dropping an 8-7 loss to the Round Rock Express. The Chihuahuas (23-28) had three late-inning losses in dropping four of the six games in this series. Mason McCoy had three hits as the bottom four hitters in the order went 8-for-18 with four RBIs. Wagner hit in the No. 5 spot. Chihuahuas left-handed starter JP Sears was tagged for seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits with a walk and seven strikeouts over five innings. But the bullpen of right-hander Logan Gillaspie (one inning), Ethan Routzahn (1⅔ innings) and David Morgan (1⅓ innings) combined to allow just one run on three hits over the final four innings. Round Rock led 3-0 when Anthony Vilar hit a sacrifice fly to pull the Chihuahuas within 3-1. Wagner crushed his second homer in as many games and of the season, a three-run shot in the third for a 4-3 lead. Round Rock scored four times in the fifth to go back up 7-4, but El Paso got a McCoy RBI single in the fifth. Carlos Rodriguez had a run-scoring double and Marcos Castanon followed with an RBI single in the seventh to tie it. But a one-out double and single in the top of the ninth gave the Express the lead for good. EP_0524.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Samad Taylor 5 0 2 0 0 0 Clay Dungan 3 0 0 0 2 1 Nick Solak 5 1 2 0 0 0 Jase Bowen 3 2 0 0 0 2 Will Wagner 3 2 1 3 2 1 Mason McCoy 5 1 3 1 0 1 Carlos Rodríguez 5 1 2 1 0 1 Marcos Castañon 5 0 2 1 0 0 Anthony Vilar 3 0 1 1 0 0 Totals 37 7 13 7 4 6 Player IP H R ER BB K HR JP Sears 5 10 7 6 1 7 1 Logan Gillaspie 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 Ethan Routzahn 1 2/3 1 0 0 3 2 0 David Morgan 1 1/3 2 1 1 0 0 0 Totals 9 13 8 7 5 9 1 Missions Settle For Series Split As Offense Silent Offense proved hard to come by for the Double-A San Antonio Missions, who managed just five hits in an 8-1 loss to the host Frisco RoughRiders. The teams split the six-game series 3-3 after the Missions (17-28) lost the last two games. No Missions player had multiple hits and their only run came on a wild pitch. That happened in the fourth inning. Trailing 3-0, Romeo Sanabria drew a one-out walk and stole second. Tirso Ornelas singled him to third and, after a popout, a wild pitch plated Sanabria. After that, the RoughRiders broke it open with a five-run sixth inning. Missions right-handed starter Miguel Mendez, Padres Mission's No. 3 prospect, lasted 2⅓ innings, giving up three runs on three hits with two walks and four strikeouts. This short outing was still the longest Mendez has gone in his last four starts. This was his third start since coming off the injured list. Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Tucker 4 0 1 0 0 1 Ethan Salas 4 0 0 0 0 0 Romeo Sanabria 2 1 1 0 2 1 Tirso Ornelas 3 0 1 0 0 0 Jake Bold 1 0 0 0 0 0 Braedon Karpathios 3 0 1 0 1 1 Luis Verdugo 3 0 0 0 1 1 Kai Murphy 4 0 0 0 0 0 Francisco Acuna 3 0 0 0 0 2 Kai Roberts 3 0 1 0 0 0 Totals 30 1 5 0 4 6 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Miguel Mendez 2 1/3 4 3 3 2 5 0 Omar Cruz 2 2/3 1 0 0 3 3 0 Johan Moreno 2/3 4 5 5 1 0 1 Josh Mallitz 1 1/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 Andrew Moore 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Totals 8 10 8 8 6 10 1 Alex McCoy Homers, Drives In 4 To Spark TinCaps Alex McCoy went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and a season-high four RBIs as the host High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps pulled away from the Dayton Dragons 6-3. The teams split their six-game series as the TinCaps (22-23) recorded their 12th come-from-behind victory. Jonathan Vastine also homered for the TinCaps, while Zach Evans had two hits. TinCaps left-handed starter Jamie Hitt allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts over five innings. Right-hander Kleiber Olmedo pitched two hitless innings, although he walked three and struck out one, while right-hander Tucker Musgrove allowed two hits in a scoreless eighth with a pair of strikeouts and right-handed closer Clay Edmondson notched his minors-leading 10th save with a scoreless ninth. Edmondson has a 0.47 ERA. After Dayton scored twice in the top of the first, the TinCaps came back in the bottom half as Evans singled with one out and McCoy uncorked his team-best ninth homer, a two-out shot to center, to tie it. McCoy is Padres Mission's No. 12 prospect. Dayton went up 3-2 in the second, but Vastine unloaded his third homer of the year leading off the bottom of the fifth to make it 3-3. The TinCaps took the lead for good in the sixth. Carlos Rodriguez and McCoy had back-to-back doubles to lead off the inning to make it 4-3. Jack Costello walked as McCoy stole third, then Kavares Tears singled to right for a 5-3 TinCaps lead. McCoy made it a four-RBI day in the seventh when Justin DeCriscio doubled, Evans bunted him to third and McCoy had a two-out opposite-field single to right to put the TinCaps up 6-3. FW_0524.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Justin DeCriscio 4 1 1 0 0 1 Zach Evans 3 1 2 0 0 0 Carlos Rodriguez 4 1 1 0 0 1 Alex McCoy 4 2 3 4 0 1 Jack Costello 2 0 0 0 2 1 Kavares Tears 3 0 1 1 0 1 Oswaldo Linares 4 0 0 0 0 1 Jonathan Vastine 4 1 1 1 0 2 Kasen Wells 4 0 1 0 0 0 Totals 32 6 10 6 2 8 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jamie Hitt 5 7 3 2 2 3 0 Kleiber Olmedo 2 0 0 0 3 1 0 Tucker Musgrove 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 Clay Edmondson 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Totals 9 9 3 2 6 7 0 Bradley Frye's 4 RBIs, Storm's 6 Steals Fuel Victory Bradley Frye drove in a career-high four runs and five pitchers combined on a five-hitter as the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm stole six bases and cruised to a 10-3 victory over the Visalia Rawhide. The Storm (25-20) won just two of the six games in the series and is tied for first place in the California League's South Division. It was a balanced offensive attack as Frye and Jorge Quintana each had two hits, Kerrington Cross homered and five of the other six starting position players each had one hit. That includes Conner Westenburg, who had a two-run double and was the only other player to have multiple RBIs. Storm right-handed starter Carlos Medina bounced back from his worst game of the season by giving up two runs (one earned) on two hits with a pair of walks and a strikeout over 4⅔ innings. Right-handers Carson Swilling (1⅓ innings, three walks, three strikeouts), Vicarte Domingo, Daichi Moriki and Will Koger allowed a combined three hits, one run, seven walks and six strikeouts. Koger gave up the run in the ninth. Frye drew the third of three walks sandwiched around a hit batter as the Storm took a 1-0 lead in the first. Ryan Wideman, Padres Mission's No. 5 prospect who is tied for the minor-league lead with 33 steals, had his streak of 15 straight swipes broken when he was thrown out at second in the first inning. In the third, Jose Verdugo had a one-out infield single, stole second with two outs, his 13th of the season, and went to third on a throwing error. Truitt Madonna walked and stole second, his 11th of the season, then Frye drove both home with a single to left, with Frye going to third when the ball got past the left fielder. Quintana doubled home Frye, George Bilecki walked and Quintana stole third, then Westenburg doubled home those two for a 6-0 advantage. A three-run sixth featured Cross' fourth homer of the year and back-to-back RBI doubles by Madonna and Frye. Wideman doubled home a run in the seventh. LE_0524.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Wideman 5 0 1 1 0 1 Kerrington Cross 3 2 1 1 1 1 Jose Verdugo 3 2 1 0 1 1 Dylan Grego 1 0 0 0 0 0 Yoiber Ocopio 4 0 0 0 0 3 Truitt Madonna 2 2 1 1 3 0 Bradley Frye 4 1 2 4 1 1 Jorge Quintana 5 1 2 1 0 2 George Bilecki 4 1 1 0 1 1 Conner Westenburg 4 1 1 2 1 2 Totals 35 10 10 10 8 12 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Carlos Medina 4 2/3 2 2 1 2 1 0 Carson Swilling 1 1/3 0 0 0 3 3 0 Vicarte Domingo 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Daichi Moriki 1 1 0 0 2 1 0 Will Koger 1 2 1 1 1 1 0 Totals 9 5 3 2 9 7 0 Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 0-for-4 Kash Mayfield: DNP Miguel Mendez: 2⅓ IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 K Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ryan Wideman: 1-for-5, 2B, K Jorge Quintana: 2-for-5, 2B, 2 K Ty Harvey: DNP Kale Fountain: DNP Braedon Karpathios: 1-for-3, K Lamar King Jr.: DNP Jagger Haynes: DNP Alex McCoy: 3-for-4, 2B, HR, K Truitt Madonna: 1-for-2, 2B Tucker Musgrove: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K Garrett Hawkins: DNP Michael Salina: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Rosman Verdugo: DNP Bryan Balzer: DNP Deivid Coronil: DNP 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 SuperSub Nicholas Milton and FOF staffer Jeremiah Geiger 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 Janson Junk (MIA) vs. RHP Trey Yesavage (TOR) on Monday RHP Sandy Alcantara (MIA) vs. TBD (TOR) on Tuesday RHP Eury Pérez (MIA) vs. RHP Kevin Gausman (TOR) on Wednesday The Marlins rank 19th in MLB with a 97 wRC+ and 13th in MLB with a 3.91 FIP. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have a 7-14 record on the road this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Griffin Conine (10-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), Leo Jiménez (7-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL) and Robby Snelling (60-day IL). The Blue Jays rank 23rd in MLB with a 93 wRC+ and fifth in MLB with a 3.54 FIP. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games and have a 15-12 record at home this season. The following Blue Jays players are on the injured list: Addison Barger (10-day IL), José Berríos (15-day IL), Shane Bieber (60-day IL), Lazaro Estrada (15-day IL), Bowden Francis (60-day IL), Yimi Garcia (60-day IL), Alejandro Kirk (10-day IL), Nathan Lukes (10-day IL), Joe Mantiply (15-day IL), Tommy Nance (15-day IL), Cody Ponce (60-day IL), Anthony Santander (60-day IL) and Max Scherzer (15-day IL). View the full article

TRANSACTIONS No moves were made on Sunday. Saints Sentinel St. Paul 3, Omaha 5 Box Score Ty Langenberg: 3 2/3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K HR: Royce Lewis (6), Kyler Fedko (11) Multi-hit games: Royce Lewis (2-for-3, HR, R, RBI, BB) The Saints came up short on Sunday. The day started with the sun rising in the East, so Royce Lewis homered. In six games with St. Paul in 2026, he’s collected eight hits, six of them homers, giving him the hilarious .348/.400/.1.130 slash line. Yes, that’s his slugging, not his OPS. It appears something about the demotion has improved his play. Will it be enough to earn a spot back on the major league roster? Or, in other words, what exactly does he need to prove to return to the Twins? Bashing the brains out of AAA pitchers is nice and all, but is that all he needs to do? Speaking of guys homering a lot, Kyler Fedko launched one as well. He now has an OPS of 1.165 in May, even better than what the incoming tweet says. It's unclear whether he can find a spot on the major league roster, and history says the Twins probably won't promote him, but someone somewhere should probably give him a look. Lest his play be wasted in the margins of reports like this. Ty Langenberg’s introduction to AAA baseball continued to be rocky; the hurler surrendered three runs in 3 ⅔ frames, giving him a 5.40 ERA at the level with 10 hits allowed across 6 2/3 innings. With Carter Jensen now in the big leagues, the Storm Chasers lack an imposing top prospect. Their best youngster is 26th-ranked outfielder Gavin Cross, who was once a big deal, but has struggled mightily at AAA. He collected three hits in four at-bats on Sunday. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 8, Tulsa 4 Box Score Cory Lewis: 3 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K HR: Maddux Houghton (2) Multi-hit games: None A Maddux Houghton grand slam fueled a Wind Surge win on Sunday. Despite the byline, matters started poorly. Following an ordinary-enough caught stealing of Kyle DeBarge and a swinging strikeout of Garrett Spain, in which there was one close—but correct—called strike, Jaime Ferrer attempted to take his at-bat. Suddenly, the first base coach ejected Spain, and coach Julian Gonzalez—after an impressive George Brett impression following the infamous “pine tar” decision—was tossed as well. What precisely they were upset about, this author could not parse. Tulsa soon took a 3-0 lead. But Wichita rallied. They plated a run in the third before loading the bases for Maddux Houghton, now in the game for the ejected Spain. Naturally, he launched one 434 feet, way beyond the bullpens and off the scoreboard for a dramatic grand slam. Because something nefarious cursed this game, more oddities were afoot, with two runs scoring in the fifth off a truly bizarre play. “Poncho Ruiz advances to 3rd, on a fielding error by left fielder Zyhir Hope” reads the Gameday description, and the casual observer is robbed of an experience. Indeed, Hope butchered what should have been a catch; but only one should have—and would have—scored, had the cutoff Tulsa infielder not committed the rare triple clutch on his relay attempt. The aforementioned Hope ranks as the 20th-best prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com. He singled and walked in five plate appearances. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 3, Peoria 5 Box Score Riley Quick: 2 2/3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Marek Houston (3-for-5, 2 2B, R) Brandon Winokur (2-for-3, 2 RBI) The Kernels surrendered late to lose on Sunday. It happened. Riley Quick finally bled. His numbers at Cedar Rapids entering Sunday represented a step back from the cartoonish dominance he displayed in April, perhaps not a surprise given the promotion and the high standard he set for himself. And Sunday was the nadir: he surrendered three runs in less than three innings, with a second inning three-run homer proving to be his downfall. It was due to happen eventually. Because he’s Riley Quick, though, seven of his eight outs were on strikes; the only straggler was a soft tapper back to the mound. He should be just fine. The Cedar Rapids lineup was mostly empty on Sunday: no player south of Khadim Diaw, batting fourth, earned a hit. Marek Houston shined in the leadoff spot, however, counting three hits with two of them being doubles. It’s his second straight Sunday with three hits. Brandon Winokur was workmanlike in the three-hole, singling twice and driving in two of his teams three runs on the day. Garrett Horn returned to the mound as a Kernel on Sunday, pitching three shutout innings while striking out two. The lefty was acquired for Danny Coulombe at last year’s trade deadline. The Chiefs are an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. Once a talent powerhouse, the system has fallen a bit as the once eminent baseball force searched fora new identity in a changing prospect landscape; on Sunday, the best the Chiefs could offer was the franchise's 28th-ranked prospect, Jack Gurevitch. He singled and walked in four plate appearances. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 2, Dunedin 3 Box Score Kolten Smith: 4 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K HR: Enrique Jimenez (1) Multi-hit games: Enrique Jimenez (2-for-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB), Ryan Sprock (2-for-3, 2B, BB) The Mighty Mussels were too meager on Sunday. Enrique Jimenez provided the memorable spark in this one, obliterating a fastball out to right-center in the fourth for his first homer of the season. The 20-year-old Venezuelan is an intriguing prospect: though less heralded than Eduardo Tait, he, too, was a switch-hitting catcher acquired at last year’s trade deadline—and in 23 games for Fort Myers, he nearly walked as much as he struck out while slugging .551. We shall see what he can do this year. Rehabbing big leaguer Nathan Lukes played for Dunedin on Sunday. He went 0-2 as the DH. Once again, the opposing team in one of these games claimed a Top 50 prospect. This one was JoJo Parker, a shortstop the Blue Jays took in the first round of the 2025 draft. He went 0-3. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Garrett Horn Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Royce Lewis PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #2 – Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 1-4, R, 2 K #5 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 0-1, K #7 – Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 3-5, 2 2B, R, K #8 – Riley Quick (Cedar Rapids) - 2 2/3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K #10 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Twins) - 2-4, 2 R, RBI, BB #13 – Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 1-4, 2B #14 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers) - 1-3, BB, K #15 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 2-3, 2 RBI, K #17 – C.J. Culpepper (St. Paul) - 2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K #19 – Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3, RBI #20 – Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 1-3 R, 2 BB, K MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Wichita @ Springfield (4:35 PM) - TBD FCL Pirates @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM) - TBD View the full article

Fish On First staffers react to the latest Miami Marlins series and prepare you for what lies ahead. Sunday's show was hosted by Alex Carver and featured panelists Ely Sussman, Jeremiah Geiger, Kevin Barral and Nate Karzmer. The following topics were covered: Walk-off grand slam by Heriberto Hernández to secure a series sweep Tyler Phillips slides into open starting rotation spot Repeatedly overaggressive sends by third base coach Blake Lalli Max Meyer on an All-Star trajectory Liam Hicks' fascinating offensive profile Owen Caissie snaps out of an extended slump Previewing and predicting the next series against the Toronto Blue Jays You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods. Our next FOF LIVE episode will be Wednesday at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET following the Marlins-Blue Jays series finale. View the full article

The Weekly Nutshell: The Twins have their problems, as we all know. But this past week was a good reminder that they are not alone in that boat. Matchups against the Astros and Red Sox, two of the most disappointing teams in the American League, offered some welcomed perspective. Despite their much higher payrolls and expectations, Houston and Boston have been no better than Minnesota and they were mostly outclassed by the Twins, who've now taken six of seven. The winning baseball was a much needed distraction from the flurry of bad news that opened the week: major injuries to Ryan Jeffers and Emmanuel Rodriguez, and another demotion of a core player to Triple-A. Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 5/18 through Sun, 5/24 *** Record Last Week: 5-1 (Overall: 26-27) Run Differential Last Week: +10 (Overall: +4) Standing: 3rd Place in AL Central (5.0 GB) Latest Game Results Game 48 | MIN 6, HOU 3: Rojas Impresses, Twins Hang on After Long Rain Delay Rojas: 4 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 3 K Game 49 | HOU 2, MIN 1: Offense Strands Nine Runners in Another One-Run Loss Matthews: 6 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 0 BB, 6 K Game 50 | MIN 4, HOU 1: Ryan Deals, Kreidler Delivers Key Homer in Series Clincher Kreidler: 1-3, HR, 3 RBI Game 51 | MIN 8, BOS 6: Twins Battle Back from Early Deficit Powered by Buxton, Martin Buxton: 2-5, HR, 3 RBI Game 52 | MIN 4, BOS 2: Bradley Brings the Heat in Return, Bullpen Backs Him Up Bradley: 5 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 7 K Game 53 | MIN 6, BOS 5: Martin, Lee Deliver Key Hits in Sweep-Clinching Comeback Win Twins bullpen: 3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 3 K NEWS & NOTES Following the resumption of Monday's rain-disrupted game against Houston, Ryan Jeffers swung at the first offering from Astros pitcher AJ Blubaugh in an eighth-inning plate appearance and shattered his bat on a foul ball. He strolled over to grab a new stick, stepped back into the box, and took the next two pitches. Nothing seemed amiss. But something was. Once the count reached 2-1, Jeffers waved to the dugout for trainers and quickly came out of the game. He was initially diagnosed with left wrist sprain but on Tuesday were learned the news was much worse: a fractured hamate bone, requiring surgery with a recovery timeline in the two-month range. It's a crushing development for both the team and Jeffers, who's been exceptional in his final year under contract. He expressed some hope that he can come back sooner than is generally expected, but for the foreseeable future, the Twins will have to proceed without arguably their most valuable player. Alex Jackson replaces Jeffers on the roster, and as Victor Caratini's timeshare partner behind the plate. The Twins are swapping out one of the best-hitting catchers in baseball for one of the worst, but Jackson at least brings MLB experience and strong defensive chops. He'll try and play his way into the team's post-Jeffers catching plans in 2027, but his lack of option is a complicating factor. In addition to Jeffers, the Twins also lost another key component of what they hoped would be their lineup core, sending Royce Lewis down to Triple-A for a reset less than a week after taking the same action with Matt Wallner. As with Wallner, Lewis' continually spiraling performance left the front office with little choice but to make a bold change. Replaced by Orlando Arcia on the MLB roster for the time being, Lewis homered in his first at-bat back in Triple-A, and then went deep twice on Saturday. So far, so good. The tough injury news didn't stop with Jeffers. Top prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez was tabbed for surgery after a ligament tear was discovered upon further examination of his thumb. Any hope that this would be a short-term injury is dashed by this grim development. If not for getting hurt, Rodriguez probably would already be up in the majors, with both Lewis and Wallner sent down, but now we'll need to wait until the second half to see him back in action. One chapter from the Jorge Polanco trade closed last week while another one opened up. Reliever Justin Topa was designated for assignment with an 8.05 ERA on Tuesday after being used as much as any reliever in the majors during the first two months, replaced by Travis Adams. Days later, outfield prospect Gabriel Gonzalez got the call to the big leagues with Tristan Gray taking a short paternity leave. Like Anthony DeSclafani before him, Topa didn't amount to much in a Twins uniform but Gonzalez was always the player upon whom the Polanco package was likely to be judged. He started in left field and batted fifth on Friday night in his major-league debut, drawing walks in his first two plate appearances before notching his first MLB hit on a dribbler to third. He'll return to the minors within a day or two, but Gonzalez made a nice first impression and will be back before long. Ahead of Saturday's game, the Twins activated Taj Bradley and designated Luis García for assignment. García's tenure in Minnesota is one we'd all like to forget: 8.2 IP, 10 ER, 12 H, 4 BB, 2 K. A final bullpen note: Saints relievers Matt Bowman and John Brebbia exercised opt-out clauses in their contracts and became free agents. HIGHLIGHTS As usual, the offense ran through Byron Buxton. He returned from missing several games due to hip soreness, and while clearly still not 100%, Buck got right back to business at the plate. He doubled twice in his return to action against Houston on Tuesday, and crushed a two-run homer over the Green Monster on Friday to fuel Minnesota's comeback win. Still showing signs of discomfort, Buxton was eased back into action, starting at DH three times before returning to center field on Saturday and then getting the day off Sunday. Austin Martin had cooled off substantially after taking over the everyday right field job from Matt Wallner, entering the weekend series in Boston in an 0-for-14 slump. He broke out of the funk at Fenway, launching a key go-ahead two-run homer right to back up Buxton's. He then doubled in the first run on Saturday as part of a two-hit game, and delivered a game-tying double on Sunday. Trevor Larnach was batting .172 in his past 10 games before breaking through with four hits on Saturday and notched an RBI single on Sunday. He and Martin have been two of the team's best stories in the first third of the season, but had been lapsing into possible regression, so it's great to see them get back on track as surprising lineup cornerstones. Josh Bell shook out of a much deeper slump against Houston, homering twice with four RBIs in the series opener and then adding three more knocks on Tuesday. He had a sub-.400 OPS in his past 20 games heading into the week, but shows signs of at least stabilizing. Fellow free-agent signing Caratini, who's also been mired in a lengthy drought, homered in the finale against Houston, his first extra-base hit in over a month. In both cases, these are hopefully sign of things to come, especially for Caratini who will be starting regularly behind the plate in Jeffers' absence and looking to keep the catcher position afloat offensively. The pitching staff was nothing short of brilliant against the Astros and Red Sox, allowing 18 total earned runs on 40 hits (three home runs) over six games. Joe Ryan put up his third consecutive start with six innings of one-run ball, striking out a season-high nine. Zebby Matthews struck out six with no walks in holding Houston to two runs over six frames. Kendry Rojas impressed in his first major-league start, allowing two hits and a walk over four scoreless innings on Monday. Bradley was fully healthy in his return from the injured list, posting his best velocity of the season in a winning effort against Boston. Meanwhile, the bullpen was on point yet again. Twins relievers are fourth in the majors in ERA and third in FIP over the past two weeks. Only five teams have a better bullpen WPA in May. Yoendrys Gómez is looking like a legitimate addition, delivering important scoreless outings in his first three appearances, all victories, before running into a bit of trouble in sloppy, wet conditions in Sunday's finale (but still making some big pitches). His performance against Houston on Wednesday, striking out five of the seven batters he faced in two shutout innings, felt like a statement. Gómez combined with Taylor Rogers, Anthony Banda, Eric Orze, Adams, Rojas and Andrew Morris to allow two run on seven hits over 23 ⅓ innings. Morris walked in a run during an erratic save attempt on Saturday, but aside from that, the only Twins reliever to allow a run was Topa. He surrendered three while recording just two outs on Monday, and he was jettisoned soon after. Everyone remaining in the bullpen is trending in a pretty good direction. LOWLIGHTS Before they were sent to the minors, Wallner and Lewis found themselves being benched more frequently, and when they played, hitting lower in the order than ever before. I'm not saying he's necessarily close to being optioned, but it's notable that Luke Keaschall is now following a similar path. After sitting the middle game in the previous Milwaukee series, Keaschall was again out of the lineup for the middle game of the Houston series. He then went 0-for-4 in the finale, and on Friday night in Boston found himself batting eighth in the lineup, the lowest he's hit since his MLB debut more than a year ago. He did come through with a pair of hits and an RBI in Friday's game, but also committed a pretty ugly error at second — number five, tied for the team lead with the now-demoted Lewis. Keaschall didn't play on Saturday or Sunday, although it seemed to have more to do with residual soreness from an HBP on Friday than anything performance-related. That aside, the Twins have been showing clear signs of eroding confidence in their Opening Day #3 hitter. The defense is a big factor in that. Even in a very brief glimpse, Arcia's superiority with the glove has been apparent. On the offensive side, Keaschall is taking good ABs and getting on base — he's hitting .268 with a .414 OBP this month, walking as much as he's striking out — but the quality of contact has been just abysmal. Keaschall hasn't homered since April 6th and has just one extra-base hit in his past 50 plate appearances. [keaschallsc524] In terms of on-field performance, there weren't many nits to pick for the Twins in a pair of series wins that featured great pitching and productive showings from the offense. The big lowlights of the week really centered on the injury developments. Losing Jeffers is gut-punch that detracts from enthusiasm around Minnesota's current ascent toward the .500 mark. Same goes for Rodriguez, who was looking like a major X-factor as a potential rookie difference-maker this summer; now his name will be X'ed out for the foreseeable future. You enjoy the wins as they come, but it grows far more difficult to see the success sustaining through setbacks like these. Lewis joining Wallner in Triple-A is a sad reflection of where things stand with the "post-hype prospect" group, but maybe it's the beginning of a turnaround toward better days and career rejuvenations. Something needed to change and it's good to at least see the Twins take action and enact a plan with these two floundering vets, even if it feels a little demoralizing. If the Twins want to remain in the competitive mix into the second half of the season, they've got to get at least one of these guys going, not to mention Keaschall. Lewis' dominant start with the Saints bodes well, at least. TRENDING STORYLINE On Friday night, we saw Brooks Lee start at a position other than shortstop for the first time all year, sliding over to third with Ryan Kreidler taking over at short. The rest of the series featured the same alignment. Derek Shelton and the Twins are expressing a preference, and it's one that makes sense to me. Lee is best suited for third base, and that's been evident in seeing his shortcomings exposed at shortstop this year. Kreidler, conversely, is very good at the position, which is a big part of his value proposition. The Twins need to get better defensively in the infield, and this is a meaningful step in that direction. The future implications of this shift are interesting to consider. Mainly: If Lee takes to third, what does that mean for Lewis if and when he is ready to return? Is there a place for him? And if Kreidler can excel defensively while sustaining some level of production at the plate, could he stick as the starting shortstop for a while? It's all on the table right now. LOOKING AHEAD The Twins are on the early end of their longest stretch of games all season without a break. They'll play seven in the coming week, wrapping up a 10-game road trip with expeditions to Chicago and Pittsburgh. Under normal circumstances, the White Sox and Pirates would represent soft matchups, but they've actually both been playing pretty well. This should be a good test against two franchises that are in a similar place to the Twins, looking ahead but trying to stay in the fight while they're at it. MONDAY, MAY 25: TWINS @ WHITE SOX — RHP Zebby Matthews v. LHP Anthony Kay TUESDAY, MAY 26: TWINS @ WHITE SOX — RHP Joe Ryan v. RHP Sean Burke WEDNESDAY, MAY 27: TWINS @ WHITE SOX — LHP Connor Prielipp v. RHP Davis Martin THURSDAY, MAY 28: TWINS @ WHITE SOX — RHP Taj Bradley v. RHP Erick Fedde FRIDAY, MAY 29: TWINS @ PIRATES — RHP Bailey Ober v. RHP Mitch Keller SATURDAY, MAY 30: TWINS @ PIRATES — RHP Zebby Matthews v. RHP Carmen Mlodzinski SUNDAY, MAY 31: TWINS @ PIRATES — RHP Joe Ryan v. RHP Braxton Ashcraft View the full article

On Sunday following his first start of the 2026 season, Marlins right-hander Tyler Phillips speaks with the media about adapting to his new role. Phillips and five Marlins relievers combined for a shutout victory.View the full article