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The Chicago Cubs are not a particularly good baseball team at present. Their offense has been a specific source of struggle, with the team being shut out twice and failing to score more than two runs another four times over their last 10 games. As the collective struggles mightily, though, Michael Busch is beginning to emerge from a first-month swoon. March & April weren't particularly kind to the first baseman. Busch's 2025 represented a breakout; he reined in his approach, cut down on the strikeouts, and slugged 34 home runs on his way to establishing himself among the more valuable players the position had to offer. His first month of 2026, however, failed to demonstrate the same growth. He slogged his way to a .193/.295/.281 line with a 71 wRC+. His isolated power checked in at a mere .088. Even if we were to attribute some of that to a woeful .241 batting average on balls in play, there was enough chase (28.6 percent) and enough of a struggle to generate hard contact (a 32.9 percent rate that was 15 points below 2025) for valid concern. Even as his counterparts throughout the lineup have fallen off at the plate here in May, though, Busch has gotten himself back on track. It's not merely that the production is there, either. It's loud production backed by some really impressive underlying elements. Through his first 80-ish plate appearances of the month, Busch's line reads .317/.468/.567 with a 190 wRC+. He has an even split between his strikeout and walk rate, with a 21.5 percent number in each. Only five qualifying hitters have posted a better wRC+ and only three have walked at a higher clip than he has. The .405 BABIP helps to indicate a leveling out of his fortunes, but there are so many positive things happening beyond the luck component. Between the two months, Busch has managed to nearly double his rate of hard contact: He's managed to increase the Hard-Hit% against each of the three pitch types, but it's especially been true against breaking pitches and fastballs; his hard-hit rate has leapt from 40 to 75 percent against the former and from 32.8 percent to 62.2 against the latter. While that's happening, his groundball rate has plummeted. Busch is putting balls on the ground just 31.8 percent of the time in May against 48.2 percent in March & April. That's resulted in a six percent uptick in line drives and a 13 percent jump in fly balls. That means that the all-important PullAIR% has risen steadily, with Busch now at 17.3 percent for the year. It appears that this really comes down to settling back into his approach. Throughout his two years on the North Side, we've watched Busch graduate from more of a free swinger prone to swings and misses to a much more calculated presence at the plate. Between the first two months of the year, he's cut his chase rate by about eight percent (20.9 percent thus far in May). It's not that the contact rate has changed; that's actually remained relatively constant regardless of where the calendar falls. It's that he's been able to do more with the contact he's making. Nothing that Michael Busch is doing at the plate should be a surprise. We knew from his initial acquisition from the Los Angeles Dodgers that there was impact in the bat, it was just a matter of if the approach would allow it to be realized. We've seen the development of it over the last two years, and while it disappeared for a bit in the season's opening month, he's managed to settle right back into where he should be. Hopefully, the rest of the Cubs' lineup will follow his lead in short order. View the full article

Trivia question: Who has the highest batting average in Royals history (minimum of 1,500 plate appearances)? That’s easy, right? George Brett. Or if you suspect a trick question, you might go with someone who was famous for their hitting, like Mike Sweeney, Billy Butler, or Hal McRae. But it’s not any of those guys. Instead, it’s Jose Offerman, who hit .306 as a Royal to barely best Brett’s .305. Jose Antonio Offerman Dono was born on November 8, 1968, in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic. The city has a long-standing reputation as a hotbed of baseball talent, with nearly 100 major leaguers hailing from a city of about 217,000 people over the years. Jose Offerman attended Colegio Biblico Cristiano High School, then signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1986. The Dodgers kept him out of the minor leagues until 1988, but he quickly made his way through the system. He hit .331/.421/.438 with 57 stolen bases for Great Falls in the Rookie-level Pioneer League in 1988, followed that up with a .296/.387/.375 season split between the A and AA levels in 1989, and .326/.416/.410 for Triple-A Albuquerque in 1990. He made his big league debut on August 19 of that season. The bat was obviously there, and Offerman had displayed tremendous speed, a strong arm, and plenty of range at shortstop. Despite that, his defense was still a concern, as he had committed 50 errors in his 1989 season. The Dodgers also hoped he would develop a little more power, as he had only hit six home runs in the minors through the 1990 season. However, he did hit a home run in his first major-league at-bat, taking Dennis Martinez deep and becoming the first Dodger since 1947 to accomplish the feat. Offerman’s time in Dodger blue was definitely up and down. After part-time duty in 1990 and 1991, he established himself as an everyday player in 1992. His defense was still an issue, as he led the majors in errors in 1992, 1993, and 1995. During the 1994 season, he got into an argument with manager Tommy Lasorda after being given a bunt sign, and was soon sent back to Albuquerque for the rest of the season. Still, in 1993, he had 1.9 bWAR, and in 1995, he had 2.6 bWAR and made an All-Star team for the first time. But near the end of the 1995 season, he suffered a shoulder injury and was benched. The Dodgers had had it with the errors and other misplays that didn’t necessarily show in the box score. When they signed free agent shortstop Greg Gagne, who had been the Royals’ starter for three seasons, Offerman was expendable. On December 17, he was traded to Kansas City for relief pitcher Billy Brewer. The move did not help Offerman’s defense, as he committed five errors in the first eight games. But the Royals were desperate for offense and needed his bat in the lineup. So soon, he was moved to first base. It made sense, as many of his errors came on throws. And, oddly enough, it worked! Offerman committed five errors in 96 games at the cold corner. He also played 38 games at second base, with one error, and one game in center field, where he handled all six chances without incident. He also hit .303/.384/.417, stole 24 bases, led the team in walks by far with 74, and hit a career-high five home runs. With Offerman showing he could handle second base and the desire for more power at first base, the Royals made an offseason trade to acquire shortstop Jay Bell and first baseman Jeff King from the Pittsburgh Pirates. That penciled Offerman in at the keystone for 1997. But he would endure an injury-plagued season, with a groin injury in early April, a bout of chicken pox in mid-July, and a sprained ankle in mid-August, limiting him to 106 games. He hit .297/.359/.394 and, while he wasn’t going to make anyone forget Frank White, committed just nine errors in 101 games at second base. But Offerman rebounded in a big way in 1998. He played 158 games, hit .315/.403/.438, stole 45 bases, and led the majors with 13 triples. He also enjoyed a 27-game hitting streak; when that was snapped, he followed it with a six-game streak. The 27-gamer, at the time, was the second longest in team history, behind Brett, of course (both were passed by Whit Merrifield in 2018-19). Had he picked up a hit in that one game and run it to 34, he would still have the franchise record. On the other hand, if Offerman had collected just three fewer hits as a Royal, he would not be the answer to our trivia question. Offerman was a free agent after the 1998 season, and with those numbers and this being the late-90s Royals, it was no surprise when he signed with the Boston Red Sox. He played 3 1/2 seasons in Boston before being traded to Seattle in 2002. He then played in the independent Atlantic League in 2003 before making it back to the majors with Minnesota in 2004, and wrapped up his time in the bigs with Philadelphia and the New York Mets in 2005. Offerman’s post-MLB career was…eventful. In 2007, he was back in the Atlantic League, playing for the Long Island Ducks, when he was involved in an ugly brawl. After being hit by a pitch, Offerman charged the mound, still holding his bat, which he used on both pitcher and catcher. The pitcher sustained a broken finger, while the catcher suffered a concussion that basically ended his career. Offerman was arrested and charged with two counts of assault, for which he received two years of probation. The catcher sued him and was eventually awarded $940,000. That was the end of Offerman’s time in organized baseball in America. He had some success as a manager in LIDOM, the professional Dominican league, but was involved in another incident in 2010, punching an umpire during an argument. That got him a lifetime suspension in that league, although it was lifted in 2013. More recently, he has managed in the Mexican League. View the full article

Garrett Mitchell owes many of his continued opportunities as the Brewers’ starting center fielder to his high ceiling. When he’s clicking, no position player on the 40-man roster has the potential to be a more explosive player. Part of what makes Mitchell so polarizing is that his shortcomings are glaring issues, but he’s countered some of those flaws by being elite in his areas of strength. For most of his career, that has included being an excellent defensive center fielder. Mitchell entered this season with 10 Defensive Runs Saved and a 7 Fielding Run Value in just 822 ⅓ innings, a pace that would make him one of the game’s most valuable defenders at the position over a full season. It’s been a much different story in 2026. Mitchell has been a negative up the middle, with -3 DRS and -2 FRV in just over 300 innings. Mitchell is converting fewer plays, despite having some of the best reads and athleticism of his career. His average sprint speed of 29.7 feet per second is the fastest he’s run since his debut in late 2022. According to Statcast, he’s covering 2.3 more feet with his jump (distance traveled in the correct direction within the first three seconds of a ball being hit) than the average outfielder, which is a career best. The issue hasn’t been tracking the ball. Mitchell is putting himself in positions to make just as many rangy catches as before—if not even more. However, things unravel quickly when he faces danger in the final pace or two of completing the play. Mitchell has already accumulated a laundry list of injuries by age 27. He’s finally been able to stay on the field for the most continuous stretch of his career, but has looked afraid to put himself in harm’s way. That hesitancy cropped up almost immediately during Opening Day weekend, when Mitchell made his first atypical failed attempt of the year against the Chicago White Sox. 40.mp4 Based on the trajectory of the ball and how much ground Mitchell had to cover, Statcast assigned him a 40% catch probability for this play. It was far from a routine opportunity, but it’s the kind he has historically made with ease. As he usually does, Mitchell made it to the ball, but once it appeared he might need to dive for it, he slowed down and got tangled up as he reached for the catch while trying to stay on his feet. Ironically, he could have caught this one on the run had he kept closing in at full speed, but that hesitation to lay out thwarted his attempt. Here’s a similar play from the Brewers’ last homestand against the San Diego Padres: 5_2.mp4 With just a 5% catch probability, this was a far more challenging play that required a dive to complete. The fact that Mitchell got there speaks to his athleticism and his jump on the ball. He did lay out for this one, but it was a half-hearted attempt in which he never fully left his feet. This time, the irony lay in Mitchell jamming his wrist on the awkward dive, thus injuring himself in an apparent attempt to avoid injury from a harsher landing. Mitchell’s most egregious misplays have come on fly balls taking him back near the wall, where he has frequently pulled up to avoid a hard collision. His worst non-catch of the season also came during the Padres series, when he missed a ball with a 99% catch probability. By slowing down as he neared the warning track, he forced himself to leap backward toward the ball, and it popped out of his glove. 99.mp4 He had a similar issue in Miami less than a month earlier. This time, in addition to slowing down, Mitchell turned his eyes toward the wall and braced himself before making the catch, turning a would-be flyout into a triple. As another play with just a 5% catch probability, this was a challenging one, but he had already completed the hard part of getting there. It’s an opportunity an athlete of his caliber should convert. 5.mp4 Mitchell hasn't lost the tools of an excellent center fielder, but if he keeps failing to use them, it should become a factor in how the Brewers construct their lineups. This version of Mitchell is not demonstrably better in center than Jackson Chourio, who posted -4 DRS and 1 FRV in over 700 innings there last season. Chourio started up the middle in consecutive games on Sunday and Monday, allowing Pat Murphy to start Jake Bauers, Andrew Vaughn, and Christian Yelich in the same lineup for the best version of the Brewers’ offense. Because of Mitchell’s upside, that may not become the permanent arrangement any time soon. Even if Chourio starts making more appearances in center, Mitchell will get semi-regular starts as long as he’s healthy and providing nearly average offense. But the longer Mitchell’s cautious approach leaves his defense lagging behind his ability, the less convincing the argument that he’s part of Milwaukee’s best starting nine. View the full article

Many frustrated Royals fans have been advocating for more at-bats from Jac Caglianone, especially against left-handed pitchers. This season, Cags has only received 36 plate appearances against lefties, compared to 120 against right-handed pitchers. It makes sense when looking at the data. Against lefties, Caglianone is hitting .171 with a .508 OPS. Against righties? He's hitting .271 with an .817 OPS. Thus, it makes sense that manager Matt Quatraro would want to put Cags in situations where he can succeed the most. That said, this Royals lineup is searching for answers to their "run-generating" issues. Going into Wednesday's game, they rank 27th in the league in runs scored and were limited to two runs combined in their first two games against the Red Sox this week (they have scored three on Wednesday night so far). With his batted-ball profile and tremendous power, Caglianone could help with the Royals' "runs" woes, especially if he can move up in the batting order and replace Vinnie Pasquantino (.604 OPS) or Salvador Perez (.591 OPS) in the three or four spot. Cags' Statcast profile, especially in those exit velocity, barrel, hard-hit, and launch angle categories, may be the most impressive of any Royals hitter on the team not named Bobby Witt Jr. However, Quatraro shouldn't simply give Cags that spot and the trust to hit against lefties and righties. The former Florida product needs to earn it, because the Royals right now don't need "upside", they need production. This isn't a rebuilding team (yet). This is one with playoff hopes and aspirations in a division that's been incredibly mediocre. For Cags to play more and justify a regular spot in the batting order, here are three things that need to happen with him going forward this season. Improve His Swing Decisions Against Lefties When looking at Cags' differences in performance against lefties and righties, TJ Stats' Statcast percentiles splits chart is a great tool for seeing how hitters perform against each in a single graphic. Here's a look at Caglianone Statcast percentiles splits via TJ Stats. As Royals fans can see above, there are a lot of categories where Jac lags against lefties. The biggest differences are in Z-Swing%, O-Swing%, and Strike%. Against lefties, Cags ranks in the 7th percentile in Z-Swing% (swings on pitches in the strike zone), 11th percentile in O-Swing% (swings outside the strike zone), and 94th percentile in Strike% (percentage of pitches he's seen that are strikes). Conversely, against righties, he ranks in the 60th percentile in Z-Swing%, 57th percentile in O-Swing%, and 19th percentile in Strike% (lower is good in this case). So what do these metrics mean? Against lefties, Cags is swinging more, chasing less, and facing more challenges from pitchers. Unfortunately, he's being challenged because the production isn't there against lefties (1st percentile xwOBA), and he tends to chase. His chase issues are also prevalent against breaking pitches. Below is his pitch result zone chart against breaking balls from left-handed pitchers. Safe to say, he's tended to chase on a lot of those pitches this year, especially those out of the strike zone. He's had four hits on those pitches (two singles and two doubles), but he also has six strikeouts. Here's an example of him striking out badly on a sweeper from the White Sox's Anthony Kay on April 9th. ZzZ3bDRfWGw0TUFRPT1fQlZSUUFBWUNCQVVBQ0ZZQ0FnQUhCUTVlQUZrQVZWQUFWRmRSQVZjSEFWWlNWVlJl.mp4 Not only does Cags need to do a better job of picking up and laying off those breaking balls out of the zone better, but he needs to be a little more aggressive on pitches in the zone, especially early in the count. Pitchers are challenging him early because they know he will not swing early against lefties. That's why his Strike% is so high, putting him behind in counts. Increasing that Z-Strike%, especially early in the count, could help his production and encourage left-handed pitchers to be more prudent with him in terms of how they attack him. Cags Needs to Launch the Ball Better Against Lefties Another big difference in Cags' Statcast splits is that he launches the ball much worse against lefties than righties. Against righties, he has a 40.5% LA Sweet-Spot%, which ranks in the 86th percentile. Here's a look at his radial chart against righties, which shows a lot of batted balls elevated productively, especially base hits. Against lefties, however, the results have been much different. His LA Sweet-Spot% is 31.8% against lefties, which ranks in the 18th percentile. Furthermore, here's a look at his radial chart against left-hander pitchers this year, via Savant. Caglianone has a couple of doubles and a home run, but for the most part, the ball is being hit on the ground (albeit hard). That is not a recipe for success, which explains why his barrel rate is 4.5% against lefties despite an average exit velocity of 92.2 MPH on batted balls against lefties. That isn't much worse than his 94.8 MPH average exit velocity against righties, which ranks in the 98th percentile. Launch angle can be a challenging thing for a hitter to correct. Yes, it can be tied to mechanical issues with the swing. However, for the most part, it's often heavily tied to swing decisions and pitch recognition. Cags' bat speed is 73 MPH against lefties, which is 2.3 MPH slower than his bat speed against righties. Is Cags too hesitant in his swing decisions against lefties? Is he not picking up the ball well and reacting too late, which explains the bat speed decline? If Cags and the Royals' hitting coaches can figure out the issues, then perhaps Cags can increase his bat speed against lefties. If that happens, then it is likely that we will see the barrels and, more importantly, the launch angle on batted balls against lefties improve. A launch angle sweet-spot% against left-handed pitchers that is closer to his rate against right-handed pitchers will help Cags be more productive against lefties and make him worthy of being an everyday bat in the Royals lineup this season. Improve With Runners in Scoring Position I shared this in my post on Wednesday morning, but the Royals have not been good with runners in scoring position this year. Below is a table that shows how Royals hitters have fared this year in RISP situations, via Fangraphs. As Royals fans can see, Cags has been the third-worst Royals hitter in RISP situations with a -21 wRC+ mark. The only hitters who have been worse are Starling Marte (-57 wRC+) and Tyler Tolbert (-100 wRC+). Tolbert only had 1 plate appearance in a RISP situation and is currently in Triple-A. For those who want metrics other than wRC+, here's how Cags breaks them down into some more "easily understood" categories. 36.7% K% (2nd worst) 3.3% BB% (5th worst) .138 average (3rd worst) .167 OBP (3rd worst) .138 SLG (3rd worst) It's bad enough that he's striking out a ton in RISP situations. However, the fact that he's not making any productive or hard-hit contact either is also concerning, especially for a hitter that many Royals fans want in the No. 3 or 4 spot in the batting order. It's also interesting to see how Cags has done not just in situations where the bases are empty, but even with runners on base. Here's a breakdown of his numbers in those categories. Bases Empty: .271/.354/.506, .860 OPS, 138 wRC+. Men on Base: .211/.250/..316, .566 OPS, 54 wRC+. As we can see, it's not just RISP situations where Cags has struggled. He also has underperformed in situations with runners on base in general. There is an 84-point difference between his wRC+ with the bases empty and with men on base. That's far too great a difference, especially for a hitter who is expected to cash in with runners on base regularly. I want Cags to succeed. Hopefully, he can make these adjustments, especially with runners on base and in scoring position. That said, Cags has to SHOW that he can produce in these run-generating situations. So far, he hasn't, which explains why Quatraro has batted him lower in the order so far this season. The former 2024 1st-round pick is in control of his own destiny, especially as Quatraro gives him more opportunities in the lineup, against both lefty and righty starting pitchers. View the full article

The New York Mets' playoff hopes are by no means back in business, but they’ve done enough to forestall foreclosure. Entering May, the Mets owned a 10-21 record, built on the tidal cesspool 3-17 stretch from April 8 to April 30, but their 11-6 start to May has them at 21-27 and gives them an outside chance to make a real postseason push. While everything that can go wrong has and did go wrong, Carson Benge’s May surge, one horrific defensive play aside, has been central to the Mets’ turnaround. To put it mildly, Benge’s April was as bad as the Mets' was. Over his first 97 career plate appearances, he hit two home runs, two doubles, and struck out 23.7% of the time to produce a 52 wRC+. To put that offensive ineptitude in perspective, that’s the career wRC+ of Sad Sam Jones (who I swear is a real person), a pitcher from 1914 to 1935. Needless to say, you probably want to outhit a mediocre pre-war pitcher if you plan to stick around in the bigs. Fortunately, the calendar turned to May, and we might as well call him Carson Binge. In 66 May plate appearances, Benge has been on fire. He has cut his strikeout rate to 14.1% and posted a wRC+ of 165. While that has only been thanks to one home run and five doubles, Benge has started to get far more out of his contact, even if it's been in a subtle way. The funny thing about hitting is that averages can be misleading, and I’m not talking about batting averages. Benge is hitting for more power in May than in April, but you’d never guess based on his average batted ball metrics. I mean, how is he hitting for more power doing this? Your eyes do not deceive you. Benge is hitting fewer fly balls, more ground balls, is pulling it less, and hitting it hard less often in May (the month where he has basically hit like Juan Soto) than in April, when he hit like Sad (Sack) Sam Jones. So, what the heck is going on? Well, like I said, averages are deceiving. While hitting the ball hard, in the air, and to the pull side is a great way to post elite batting lines, you’ve got to do all three at the same time for it to matter. You can hit a ball 120 MPH to the pull side, but if it goes straight into the ground, you’re probably running past first base, straight down the right field line, and into the showers, because you just grounded out to end the game. So, while Benge, on average, isn’t hitting the ball hard and in the air more frequently, when he is hitting the ball hard, he’s getting it off the ground more often, which is actually what matters. Using 100 MPH batted balls as our proxy for smoking the ball, we can see how Benge’s slow stretch to start the season was largely due to hitting his best struck balls straight into the ground. *Stats in graph charted as of May 18 When you factor in his improved contact figures, it’s not hard to figure out why Benge started binging, and his rolling 100+ MPH launch angle average just so happens to look eerily similar to his rolling wOBA. Instead of focusing on averages, which can be obscured a bit by one freak batted ball, it’s even easier to see why Benge’s batting line has taken off. Using April 15 as the date of demarcation, Benge has done a much better job of getting his best contact off the ground. In the early going, 40% of Benge’s best batted balls were grounders, while only 40% were line drives or fly balls. Now, 60% of his premium contact has been a line drive or fly ball, and only 20% is headed for the dirt. Hard ground balls can become hits, possibly even a double, but the chances are low, and the upside is minimal. When you clobber the ball, you want it to have a chance to find a seat, not have it play around in the dirt. It should be noted that some of Benge’s turnaround is down to better luck. He posted a BABIP of .231 in April and is at .426 in May. Hitting them where they ain’t is still an undefeated strategy, but BABIP isn’t just about luck. Benge, despite lifting more of his best contact, is still a lower launch angle hitter. That means when he does lift the ball, he’s far less likely to hit it in the can-o-corn range, where even elite exit velocities go to die. As long as he continues to limit his worm burners, he should maintain an above-league-average BABIP. We might track and analyze hitting largely through averages, but at its core, it’s all about events. Having an average exit velocity of 75 MPH would be dreadful, but if you hit one ball 100 MPH and another 50 MPH, you’re probably going to have a hit to your name. Carson Benge has turned his season around by getting the most out of his batted ball events. He won’t continue to post a BABIP above .400, but he doesn’t need to in order to help the Mets achieve liftoff. View the full article

No player was more important to the Blue Jays' success in 2025 than George Springer. It's not just that he led the team in home runs, runs scored, on-base percentage, wRC+, and every type of Wins Above Replacement. It's not just that he stayed red-hot in October, battling through injuries to hit another four home runs, including the go-ahead shot in Game 7 of the ALCS. It's that he, like the Blue Jays themselves, achieved so much more than anyone anticipated heading into the year. Springer wasn't Toronto's only star in 2025. He had help from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Kevin Gausman, Alejandro Kirk, and Bo Bichette, all of whom had excellent seasons of their own. The difference is that the Blue Jays were counting on Guerrero, Gausman, Kirk, and Bichette to lead the way. Springer was 35 and coming off the worst season of his career. He was only supposed to be a role player. FanGraphs' preseason projections saw Toronto as an 82-83 win team. They saw Springer as a 1.5-2.0 win player. No single factor elevated the Blue Jays more than Springer turning back the clock and earning MVP votes for the first time since his peak in Houston. The Blue Jays sure could use that version of Springer now. Through 29 games and 125 trips to the plate, the four-time All-Star is slashing .197/.274/.321 with three home runs and nine RBI. His wRC+ is 30% worse than league average, while his expected wOBA puts him among the bottom 20% of hitters in the sport. Last year, it felt like every fly ball he hit had a chance to leave the yard. These days, he's having trouble getting fly balls out of the infield. I don't know how concerned I should be. I never expected Springer to repeat his 2025 season. That would have been too much to hope for. However, my theory over the winter was that any regression from Springer would be counterbalanced by a return to form for Anthony Santander. Springer was worth 5.2 fWAR last year. Santander was worth -0.9. I hoped each of them could be worth, say, 2.5 wins in 2026. Needless to say, we aren't getting 2.5 WAR from Santander this season. But can Springer still be an above-average contributor? Evidently, John Schneider thinks so. Aside from the 15 games he missed with a fractured toe, Springer has played almost every day. He's hit leadoff in all 28 games he's started. Of course, it's not like Toronto has another perfect option for the leadoff spot right now. Even so, it would be hard for Schneider to justify keeping Springer at the top of the order unless he thought a bounce-back was imminent. Springer has a .232 on-base percentage in May. His 37 wRC+ in the month is the third-worst mark on the team, ahead of only a slumping Guerrero and an at-risk-of-losing-his-job-soon Tyler Heineman. None of that is good. At the same time, the fact that Vladdy came up in that last sentence is precisely why I'm not smashing the panic button. Maybe my concerns about Springer are overblown. Springer's 70 wRC+ is bad. But guess what? Fernando Tatis Jr. has a 71 wRC+ right now. Cal Raleigh has a 63 wRC+. Bo Bichette has a 74 wRC+. Samples are still small around the league, and Springer's especially so, given the time he spent on the IL. Need more proof that 29 games is a small sample? Just last year, when Springer was one of the best hitters in baseball, he had a 29-game stretch where he was barely better than he's been this year. From May 15 to June 18, he hit .188 with an 85 wRC+. In 2024, he had a 30 wRC+ in his worst 29-game period. The year before, it was a 59 wRC+ in his lowest 29-game sample. In 2022, he had two completely separate 29-game stretches with a 90 wRC+, and in 2021, his first year with the Jays, he posted a 56 wRC+ in a 29-game span from August to September. Even in 2017 and '18, his first two All-Star seasons with the Astros, he had equally poor stretches of similar lengths. Ups and downs are just a part of baseball. Underlying numbers aren't immune to the small sample size effect either. Springer's .286 xwOBA is poor. His .306 xwOBA on contact is more troubling. Yet, he's had stretches with numbers like that before. He's always managed to rebound. That's a reassuring thought. That is, until I start to worry that it's too reassuring. What if I'm using the small sample size defense to shield myself from the truth? Springer's quality-of-contact metrics look a lot like they did in 2024. His bat speed is higher than it was that year, but he's swinging under the ball so often that he isn't putting that bat speed to use. I feel like I'm in a sci-fi movie, staring at so many different George Springers, and I don't know which is real. There's the superstar from 2025. There's the disappointment so far in 2026. There's also the player Springer was in 2024, which seemed like a disappointment at the time, but who the Jays would take in a heartbeat now. Finally, there's the Springer I thought we'd get this year. The 2.5-win player. The happy medium between superstar and scrub. They say that when you hear hoofbeats, you should think horses, not zebras. It's good advice. My problem, however, is that I don't know which option here represents the horses and which ones represent various other hoofed creatures. Am I ignoring the facts in front of me if I still believe in Springer? Am I ignoring his track record if I don't? Am I just avoiding the hard decisions if I split the difference? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. All I know is that it's May 20 (as I'm writing this), and George Springer is hitting .196 with a .596 OPS. How concerned are you about that? Stats and rankings updated prior to games on Wednesday, May 20. View the full article

The Boston Red Sox do not need a miracle by June. They need proof. At 21-27, Boston is dancing around last place in the AL East, double-digit games behind Tampa Bay and already well short of where this roster was supposed to be in late May. The division race no longer looks like the cleanest path back into relevance. If the Red Sox are going to make anything of this season, it almost certainly has to come through the wild-card chase. That path is still open, but only if the next few weeks look nothing like the last six. The team doesn’t need to erase six weeks of bad baseball by Memorial Day. It doesn’t need one homestand to fix the lineup or turn the season back into what the front office expected. But the Red Sox do need to start giving Craig Breslow something better than “maybe.” A young core can buy time. A possible wild-card picture can buy time. Decent pitching can stretch the clock. A bottom-of-the-league offense burns through all of that fast. The Red Sox's woeful lineup is the biggest reason the season already feels so stuck. At 3.7 runs per game, the Red Sox have spent too many nights following the same tired script. The pitching keeps them close, the bats disappear for five or six innings, and a win that should have been there turns into another missed chance. Eventually, that forces a front office to stop grading talent and start judging production. The first checkpoint comes on June 1. Boston has nine games before then: three at Fenway Park against Minnesota, three more at home against Atlanta, and three in Cleveland. That is not an easy stretch, but it is manageable enough that a serious team has to make up ground. A 6-3 run would put the Red Sox in a much better place entering June. Still under .500, but at least moving in the right direction. Even 5-4 keeps the postseason conversation alive. Anything worse leaves Boston asking for patience it has not really earned. An even more pivotal stretch runs through June 10. After Cleveland, the Red Sox get Baltimore at home before six road games against the Yankees and Rays. That could be where the season starts to lose its excuses. If Boston wants to sell itself as a team still capable of climbing back into the wild-card picture, it cannot keep losing ground against the teams it is supposed to be chasing. A 12-6 run over these next 18 games would leave the Red Sox right around the .500 barrier. That is not contender status, but it would feel like a reset. Breslow could wait on anything drastic, and the clubhouse would have something real to build on. A 9-9 stretch is harder to read. Having scratched and clawed their way to 30 wins, they would still be alive, but still leaning too much on projection. If the bats still look the same, even a modest winning stretch only delays the harder conversation. Anything worse should change the tone. By then, the “too talented to be this bad” argument starts sounding less like analysis and more like denial. The All-Star break should be the clearest cutoff. The Red Sox do not have to be way over .500 by mid-July, but they need to be close enough that buying is based on more than hope. Somewhere around .480 keeps the wild-card chase a real goal. Getting back to .500 gives the front office room to add. Falling 10 or so games under should leave very little to debate. None of that means tearing the roster down to the studs. The Red Sox still have players worth building around. Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela, Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer give Boston enough young talent to believe the next good version of this team is not far away. The pitching has also done enough to keep the season from completely cratering. But the Red Sox cannot keep living off what this group might become. At some point, a young core has to produce wins, not just reasons to wait. That is what Breslow has to sort through before the Aug. 3 trade deadline. If the Red Sox are near .500, within reach of a playoff spot, and finally getting real production from the lineup, adding around the edges makes sense. Not a reckless, prospect-depleting push, but a measured move or two for a team that found its footing. If the offense stays quiet and the deficit grows past 10 games, the response should be different. Take calls on expiring veterans. Clear at-bats where they need to be cleared. At that point, Boston cannot sacrifice 2027 and beyond by chasing a 2026 season that never really got moving. We do not need the next three weeks to save the season. It needs to be about the organization making the idea of being patient feel more like a baseball decision, and less like wishful thinking. View the full article

Transactions: RHP Jacob Waguespack assigned to Nashville Sounds from ACL Brewers. Nashville Sounds transferred LF Jacob Hurtubise to the Development List Game Action: Nashville pre-game media notes Nashville 10, Durham (Rays) 2 Box Score A day after a dramatic 9th inning comeback, Nashville won their ninth straight. The Sounds scored first and then scored a lot more after the Bulls tied the game at two in the third. The lineup produced a season-high four home runs, including two from Akil Baddoo, Cooper Pratt’s fifth and the eighth home run of the season for Eddys Leonard. At 446 feet, Leonard’s blast tied for the third longest of the season in triple A. Luis Lara had a double as part of a three hit night as he continues to be a hit machine and raise his prospect profile. On the mound Tate Kuehner failed to make it through the third inning, but the bullpen pitched a shutout for six and a third innings, Including a three strikeout, five out performance from Easton McGee. McGee remains on call for the Brewers should the need arise. Nashville improved to 28-19 and are now in a tie for first place in the International League. Biloxi 9, Birmingham (White Sox) 7 Box Score The Shuckers survived a wild affair against Birmingham, pulling out a 9-7 win in a game packed with offense, defensive miscues, and momentum swings. Biloxi capitalized on four Birmingham errors and overcoming three of their own. Dylan O’Rae scored three runs on no hits and one walk at the top of the lineup, while Jesus Made had two singles and four RBI. Each member of the double play combo also added a steal bringing Made’s total to 18 and O’Rae’s to 22. The pitching was uneven, but finished with Mark Manfredi pitching a clean 9th inning to earn his first save of the season. Biloxi moved to 19-21 on the season in the tightly packed Southern League standings. Great Lakes (Dodgers) 4, Wisconsin 3 Box Score The T-Rats fell to the Dodgers affiliate on a night where they could only muster three hits, none of which produced runs. The excitement for the visitors occurred in the top of the sixth inning, when Davis Chastain came into pitch for the Loons. Chastain proceeded to walk the first five batters he faced, scoring two runs! After Juan Baez struck out looking, Blayberg Diaz secured a sacrifice fly to take the lead at 3-2, and that would be the end of the scoring for Wisconsin. The Brewers then countered with a new pitcher in the bottom of the sixth with Yorman Galindez surrendering the lead in a hard luck inning. After getting two quick outs, Galindez hit Nico Perez, who then stole second and third base and scored on a throwing error by the catcher Diaz. Brewers starter, Braylon Owens, gave up a leadoff home run to start the game, and followed that up with a walk and a hit to leave the first inning down 2-0, but put in a strong effort thereafter. Owens threw four more scoreless innings only allowing one more hit and walk, while striking out seven overall. Wisconsin drops to 21-17, just a half game behind the Cubs affiliate for first place in the Western Division. Delmarva (Orioles) 12, Wilson 6 Box Score The Warbirds fell back below .500 just as soon as they got there, getting doubled up by the last place Shorebirds. One day after hitting his first home run as a professional, shortstop Brady Ebel had two more hits including a triple. Joining him with multiple hits at the top of the lineup were Handelfry Encarnacion and Juan Ortuno, with the three combining for seven of the team’s eleven hits on the night. In his second start of the year, Jayden Dubanewicz made progress, pitching into the fourth inning, and recording five strikeouts and no home runs allowed. The Shorebirds were aggressive on the bases, testing young catcher Rylan Mills. They successfully stole four bases, but the 19 year old 2025 over slot signing also threw out two would-be thieves for a solid caught stealing percentage of thirty-three on the night. Warbirds record now 20-21. View the full article

It was a rough day Wednesday for the San Diego Padres' affiliates as Triple-A El Paso and High-A Fort Wayne each surrendered more than 20 runs, while Double-A San Antonio could muster just four hits and Low-A Lake Elsinore wasted a strong start by Jesus Castro. Padres Minor-League Transactions El Paso Chihuahuas released 3B Jose Miranda. El Paso Chihuahuas sent RHP Ty Adcock on a rehab assignment to Fort Wayne TinCaps. Chihuahuas Issue 13 Walks, Get Throttled By Express The host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas held a 7-6 lead after two innings, but gave up 17 unanswered runs as the Round Rock Express cruised to a 23-7 victory. While the hits were fairly even, with the Express holding a 14-12 advantage, Chihuahuas pitchers issued a whopping 13 walks. The top four hitters in the Chihuahuas' lineup had nine hits, with Clay Dungan getting three and Samad Taylor, Pablo Reyes and Jase Bowen two each. Dungan was the only El Paso hitter to drive in multiple runs with two. Chihuahuas left-handed starter Fernando Sanchez, in just his second Triple-A game, gave up six runs on three hits and two walks with no strikeouts in two innings. All six Chihuahuas pitchers gave up at least one one walk, with right-hander Misael Tamarez issuing four free passes in 1⅓ innings. Dungan came on to get the final two outs and gave up five runs. EP_0520.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Samad Taylor 5 2 2 0 0 1 Clay Dungan 5 1 3 2 0 0 Pablo Reyes 4 1 2 1 1 0 Jase Bowen 3 0 2 0 1 1 Mason McCoy 1 0 0 0 0 0 Nick Solak 5 0 0 1 0 0 Carlos Rodríguez 3 0 0 0 1 1 Marcos Castañon 3 1 1 0 1 0 Nick Schnell 4 1 1 0 0 3 Victor Duarte 3 1 1 1 0 1 Anthony Vilar 1 0 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Fernando Sanchez 2 3 6 6 2 0 1 Miguel Cienfuegos 3 2 2 2 2 3 0 Michael Flynn 1 3 5 3 1 1 0 Kyle Hart 1 1 1 1 3 1 0 Misael Tamarez 1 1/3 0 4 4 4 2 0 Clay Dungan 2/3 5 5 5 1 1 0 Kai Murphy Homers, But That Is Lone Highlight In Missions' Loss The host Double-A San Antonio Missions managed just four hits in dropping a 5-1 decision to the Frisco RoughRiders. Kai Murphy homered in the third inning and had two of the Missions' four hits. Murphy also had his fifth stolen base in addition to his first homer of the year. Frisco scored once in the first, took a 3-1 lead in the fourth and added single runs in the fifth and seventh innings. Missions left-handed starter Jagger Haynes went five innings and gave up four runs on eight hits, including a pair of homers, and two walks with five strikeouts. Haynes has gone at least five innings in six of his eight starts this season, including his last five. SA_0520.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Tucker 4 0 0 0 0 1 Kai Murphy 4 1 2 1 0 0 Albert Fabian 4 0 1 0 0 1 Tirso Ornelas 4 0 0 0 0 2 Romeo Sanabria 4 0 0 0 0 0 Braedon Karpathios 2 0 0 0 1 1 Ryan Jackson 3 0 1 0 0 0 Luis Verdugo 3 0 0 0 0 0 Chris Sargent 3 0 0 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jagger Haynes 5 8 4 4 2 5 2 Francis Peña 2 2 1 1 0 4 0 Clark Candiotti 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 TinCaps Blitzed Early, Get Smoked By Dragons The host High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps were buried by an early avalanche of runs en route to dropping a 22-8 setback at the hands of the Dayton Dragons. Dayton, which hit six homers in the game, scored five runs in the first inning and eight in the second. The 22 runs allowed were the most in TinCaps history. Alex McCoy, Justin DeCriscio and Lamar King Jr. each homered for the TinCaps, with King's being a three-run blast and McCoy and DeCriscio hitting solo shots. DeCriscio, McCoy, Jake Cunningham, Jack Costello and Oswaldo Linares each had two hits and King was the only player who drove in multiple runs. TinCaps right-handed starter Maikel Miralles gave up eight runs in 1⅔ innings, walking five and allowing two hits with no strikeouts. Right-handed reliever Ty Adcock, on the Padres' 40-man roster and assigned to Triple-A, made his first rehab appearance since a spring training oblique injury, allowing two runs on two hits with a walk and two strikeouts in one inning. FW_0520.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Justin DeCriscio 3 2 2 1 2 0 Rosman Verdugo 4 1 1 0 1 2 Lamar King Jr. 5 1 1 3 0 1 Alex McCoy 4 2 2 1 1 1 Jake Cunningham 5 1 2 1 0 2 Jack Costello 5 1 2 1 0 2 Zach Evans 3 0 0 0 2 1 Oswaldo Linares 5 0 2 1 0 2 Kasen Wells 5 0 0 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Maikel Miralles 1 2/3 2 8 7 5 0 2 Kleiber Olmedo 2 1/3 6 5 5 2 1 1 Ty Adcock 1 2 2 2 1 2 1 Javier Chacon 2 2 2 2 1 0 1 Jeferson Villabona 1 4 4 4 0 0 1 Jonathan Vastine 1 2 1 1 0 1 0 Jesus Castro Fans 6, But Fateful 4-Run Inning Costs Storm Right-handed starter Jesus Castro turned in his second straight shutout performance, but one bad inning doomed the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm in a 6-3 loss to the Visalia Rawhide. Castro struck out six in four shutout innings, allowing four hits and two walks. That follows 5⅔ shutout innings in his start last week vs. Rancho Cucamonga in which he struck out nine. Castro has 22 strikeouts over 15⅓ innings in his last three starts. But the Rawhide scored four runs in the fifth inning off left-handed reliever Joseph Herrera, who didn't retire any of the five batters he faced, walking two, allowing two hits and hitting another as Visalia took a 4-1 lead. After the Storm scored in the top of the sixth, the Rawhide added two more in the seventh. Jose Verdugo hit a solo homer in the eighth inning for the Storm. He also doubled and scored on Truitt Madonna's sixth-inning single. Bradley Frye had an RBI groundout in the top of the third. Madonna had three hits. LE_0520.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Wideman 5 0 1 0 0 3 Bradley Frye 4 0 0 1 0 1 Jose Verdugo 3 2 2 1 1 1 Ty Harvey 2 0 0 0 2 1 Truitt Madonna 4 0 3 1 0 0 Jorge Quintana 4 0 0 0 0 4 George Bilecki 3 0 0 0 0 2 Kerrington Cross 1 0 1 0 0 0 Dylan Grego 3 0 0 0 0 0 Yoiber Ocopio 1 0 0 0 0 1 Qrey Lott 4 1 1 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jesus A. Castro 4 4 0 0 2 6 0 Joseph Herrera 0 2 4 4 2 0 0 Carson Swilling 2 2 0 0 2 4 0 Cal Riehl 1 2 2 0 0 1 0 Daichi Moriki 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: DNP Kash Mayfield: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ryan Wideman: 1-for-5, 3 K Jorge Quintana: 0-for-4, 4 K Ty Harvey: 0-for-2, 1 K Kale Fountain: DNP Braedon Karpathios: 0-for-2, 1 K Lamar King Jr.: 1-for-5, HR, 1 K Jagger Haynes: 5 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 2 HR Alex McCoy: 2-for-4, HR, 1 K Truitt Madonna: 3-for-4 Tucker Musgrove: DNP Garrett Hawkins: DNP Michael Salina: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Rosman Verdugo: 1-for-4, 2 K Bryan Balzer: DNP Deivid Coronil: DNP View the full article

Justin Lamkin spun six innings with eight strikeouts as the Northwest Arkansas Naturals beat Amarillo 8-1, fueled by Carson Roccaforte's two home runs. Ramon Ramirez drove in four to power Quad Cities' 7-5 comeback over Beloit, with Josh Hansell striking out five in two scoreless innings. Shane Panzini surrendered four runs as the Omaha Storm Chasers fell 14-4 at St. Paul, and JC Vanek's two homers were not enough in Columbia's 5-4 walkoff loss at Augusta. Royals Transactions No Roster Moves Eight-Run Sixth Sinks Storm Chasers in St. Paul The Omaha Storm Chasers fell 14-4 to the St. Paul Saints, undone by a disastrous bottom of the sixth. Starter Panzini took the loss, going 4 1/3 innings and allowing four earned runs on five hits, including three home runs, with two walks and one strikeout. Reliever Mason Black was tagged for seven earned runs on five hits and three walks in 1 1/3 innings, fanning two. Helcris Olivárez allowed three runs in one inning of work, while Anthony Gose closed with 1 1/3 scoreless innings and three strikeouts. Josh Rojas, who entered at designated hitter, went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run, his fifth of the year, in the seventh to plate Connor Kaiser and leadoff man John Rave. Brett Squires drove in Omaha's other run with an RBI single in the fifth that scored Dustin Dickerson. Kameron Misner doubled and stole a base, and Luca Tresh added a single. The Saints opened the bottom of the sixth with a leadoff double, then drew two walks to load the bases. An RBI single, a two-run double, a wild pitch, and an RBI groundout pushed the lead to 9-1. After another walk and a strikeout, a double set up a three-run home run that capped the eight-run inning at 12-1. The Storm Chasers struck out 11 times and left seven on base. Player AB R H RBI BB K John Rave 4 1 0 0 1 3 Tyler Tolbert 1 0 0 0 1 1 Josh Rojas 3 1 2 3 0 0 Brett Squires 3 0 1 1 0 1 Drew Waters 3 0 0 0 1 1 Kameron Misner 4 0 1 0 0 0 Luca Tresh 4 0 1 0 0 3 Abraham Toro 3 0 0 0 1 1 Connor Kaiser 4 1 0 0 0 0 Dustin Dickerson 3 1 0 0 1 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Shane Panzini (L, 1-3) 4 1/3 5 4 4 2 1 3 Mason Black 1 1/3 5 7 7 3 2 0 Helcris Olivárez 1 3 3 3 3 2 1 Anthony Gose 1 1/3 1 0 0 0 3 0 Roccaforte's Two-Homer Day Powers Naturals Past Sod Poodles The Northwest Arkansas Naturals rolled to an 8-1 win over the Amarillo Sod Poodles behind Lamkin's quality start and a two-home-run day from Roccaforte. Lamkin tossed six innings, allowing one earned run on one hit while striking out eight without issuing a walk for the win. Dennis Colleran Jr., Caden Monke, and Augusto Mendieta each followed with a scoreless inning, combining for five strikeouts and no walks. Roccaforte led off the game with his 11th home run of the season and added his 12th to open the eighth, finishing 2-for-5 with two runs, two RBI, and two strikeouts. Canyon Brown went 2-for-4 with a leadoff home run in the ninth, his second of the year, plus a double and two RBI. Sam Kulasingam picked up three hits, including a double. Daniel Vazquez doubled in a run, and Spencer Nivens reached twice with a double and a walk. The Naturals extended the lead to 4-0 in the second. Colton Becker singled home Daniel Vazquez, Connor Scott doubled in Spencer Nivens, and Brown's double brought home Scott. Three more runs crossed in the eighth: Roccaforte's solo shot opened the frame, Vazquez doubled home Kulasingam, and Jorge Alfaro scored on a wild pitch during Becker's at-bat. Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Roccaforte 5 2 2 2 0 2 Rudy Martin Jr. 3 0 1 0 0 0 Justin Johnson 1 0 0 0 1 1 Sam Kulasingam 5 1 3 0 0 0 Jorge Alfaro 4 1 1 0 0 2 Daniel Vazquez 4 1 2 1 0 0 Spencer Nivens 3 1 2 0 1 0 Colton Becker 4 0 1 1 0 1 Connor Scott 3 1 1 1 1 1 Canyon Brown 4 1 2 2 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Justin Lamkin (W, 1-1) 6 1 1 1 0 8 1 Dennis Colleran Jr. (H, 3) 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Caden Monke 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 Augusto Mendieta 1 1 0 0 0 3 0 Ramirez Drives In Four as River Bandits Rally Past Sky Carp The Quad Cities River Bandits overcame a 4-0 deficit to beat the Beloit Sky Carp 7-5, led by cleanup man Ramirez's 4-for-4 night with four RBI. Starter Tanner Jones allowed four earned runs on seven hits and three walks in five innings, striking out four and surrendering two home runs. Josh Hansell followed with two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out five for the win. L.P. Langevin worked a scoreless eighth with three strikeouts, and Kamden Edge gave up a solo home run in the ninth for the save. Ramirez doubled home three runs in the sixth and singled in another in the seventh. Angel Acosta went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI single, while Asbel Gonzalez reached on a walk, scored once, and Blake Mitchell drew two walks and scored. Leadoff man Nolan Sailors also reached twice on walks. The River Bandits trailed 4-0 entering the sixth. Acosta singled, Sailors walked, and after a strikeout, Mitchell drew a walk to load the bases. Ramirez followed with a bases-clearing double, scoring Acosta, Sailors, and Mitchell to cut the deficit to 4-3. Quad Cities took the lead in the seventh. Tyriq Kemp walked, Erick Torres singled, and Acosta singled home Kemp to tie it. Gonzalez walked, then a wild pitch scored Torres before Mitchell drew a walk. Ramirez singled home Acosta, and Gonzalez scored on a fielding error to push the lead to 7-4. Player AB R H RBI BB K Nolan Sailors 3 1 0 0 2 1 Asbel Gonzalez 4 1 0 0 1 2 Blake Mitchell 2 1 0 0 2 1 Ramon Ramirez 4 0 4 4 0 0 Derlin Figueroa 4 0 0 0 0 2 Jose Cerice 4 0 0 0 0 0 Tyriq Kemp 3 1 0 0 1 1 Erick Torres 4 1 1 0 0 1 Angel Acosta 4 2 3 1 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Tanner Jones 5 7 4 4 3 4 2 Josh Hansell (W, 1-4) 2 1 0 0 1 5 0 L.P. Langevin (H, 2) 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 Kamden Edge (S, 2) 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 Vanek's Two Homers Not Enough as Fireflies Fall on Walkoff in Augusta The Columbia Fireflies fell 5-4 to the Augusta GreenJackets on a ninth-inning walkoff single, despite two home runs from Vanek. Starter Jose Gutierrez allowed four earned runs on six hits in five innings, striking out four and walking two while surrendering three home runs. Shane Van Dam followed with 3 1/3 innings of relief, allowing one earned run on two hits with four strikeouts and two walks, and took the loss. Andy Basora yielded the walkoff hit without recording an out. Vanek launched a solo home run, his fifth of the season, to open the fifth inning and added another, his sixth, with two outs in the ninth to tie the game at 4-4. Leadoff hitter Henry Ramos got the scoring started with a solo home run in the first, his second of the year. Josh Hammond went 2-for-4 with a run scored, Brooks Bryan reached three times on a hit and two walks, and Yandel Ricardo and Jhosmmel Zue added one hit apiece. Augusta took control in the bottom of the fifth. Back-to-back solo home runs erased Columbia's 2-0 lead and put the GreenJackets ahead, and after a single and a flyout, a two-run home run made it 4-2. Columbia answered in the sixth when Stone Russell's groundout scored Hammond, who had singled and worked his way around to third earlier in the frame. After Vanek's tying homer in the ninth, the GreenJackets put a runner on against Van Dam, and a single off Basora scored the winning run. Player AB R H RBI BB K Henry Ramos 4 1 1 1 0 0 Sean Gamble 4 0 0 0 0 0 Josh Hammond 4 1 2 0 0 0 Brooks Bryan 2 0 1 0 2 0 Yandel Ricardo 4 0 1 0 0 2 Stone Russell 4 0 0 1 0 1 JC Vanek 4 2 2 2 0 0 Jhosmmel Zue 4 0 1 0 0 1 Roni Cabrera 2 0 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jose Gutierrez 5 6 4 4 2 4 3 Shane Van Dam (L, 1-3) 3 1/3 2 1 1 2 4 0 Andy Basora 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Kendry Chourio: DNP David Shields: DNP Sean Gamble: 0-for-4 Blake Mitchell: 0-for-2, 2 BB, R, K Josh Hammond: 2-for-4, R Ramon Ramirez: 4-for-4, 2B, 4 RBI Drew Beam: DNP Asbel Gonzalez: 0-for-4, R, BB, 2 K Ben Kudrna: DNP Carson Roccaforte: 2-for-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 K Yandel Ricardo: 1-for-4, 2 K Felix Arronde: DNP Blake Wolters: DNP Michael Lombardi: DNP Luinder Avila: DNP Steven Zobac: DNP Frank Mozzicato: DNP Daniel Vazquez: 2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI Warren Colcano: DNP Shane Panzini: 4 1/3 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, K, 3 HR, L View the full article

TRANSACTIONS RHP Matt Bowman released RHP John Brebbia released RHP Alejandro Hidalgo promoted to AAA St. Paul C/OF Ricardo Olivar promoted to AAA St. Paul RHP Ty Langenberg promoted to AAA St. Paul RHP Cory Lewis reinstated from 7-day IL and transferred to AA Wichita OF Jaime Ferrer promoted to AA Wichita RHP Preston Johnson promoted to AA Wichita INF Harry Genth promoted to AA Wichita INF Jorel Ortega placed on 7-day IL (AA Wichita) INF Quinn McDaniel promoted to A+ Cedar Rapids RHP Brian Zeldin promoted to A+ Cedar Rapids UTIL Luis Fragoza promoted to A Fort Myers You got all that? Oh, and for fun, when Tristan Gray goes on paternity leave in the near future, who will get called up? Saints Sentinel St. Paul 14, Omaha 4 Box Score Aaron Rozek: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K HR: Kyler Fedko 2 (9, 10), David Bañuelos (2), Aaron Sabato (10) Multi-hit games: Hendry Mendez (2-for-5, RBI), Gabriel Gonzalez (2-for-4, 2 R, RBI, BB), Kyler Fedko (4-for-5, 2 HR, 2 2B, 3 R, 4 RBI), Aaron Sabato (2-for-4, HR, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB), David Bañuelos (2-for-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI) The Saints bludgeoned their opponent on Wednesday. Most hitters would struggle to compete with one-upping a 15 total base game; evidently, Kyler Fedko isn’t like most hitters. His April 12th masterpiece that swung his season slugging .400 points forward was impeccable. On Wednesday, he was impossible, totaling a pair of homers and doubles with four RBIs. Mason Black must have been in cahoots with a warlock when he struck him out in the fifth. Aaron Sabato’s game wasn’t half-bad either: he homered, doubled, and walked. A mere seven bases if you include the free pass. Ty Langenberg’s first taste of AAA ball went well, as the Urbandale, Iowa native allowed one earned run across three frames, striking out four. Rehabbing big leaguer Cody Laweryson allowed a pair of earned runs in ⅔ of an inning. He threw 26 pitches. Starter Shane Panzini ranks as the Royals’ 19th-best prospect. He allowed four earned runs in 4 1/3 frames. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 0, Tulsa 6 Box Score Cory Lewis: 3 2/3 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Jaime Ferrer (2-for-4) The Wind Surge were shut out on Wednesday. Hey! It’s Cory Lewis! 2025 was a tumultuous time for the righty as every number went in the wrong direction: his ERA; his WHIP; his innings. He probably even shrank a little. His efforts to get back off the ground in 2026 have started slowly, yet just getting back on the mound with tepid success in this start could be the start of the comeback. Good news in this game is self-evidently sparse, so enjoy Jaime Ferrer collecting his first AA hit. Kyle DeBarge stole his 12th base, the 10th-most in the Texas League. Wondering who the next big Dodgers prospect is? Well, he played on Wednesday: outfielder Josue De Paula clocks in as the ninth-best prospect in baseball according to MLB.com. He walked twice in five plate appearances. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 4, Peoria 3 Box Score Michael Ross: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Marek Houston (2-for-5, 2B, RBI), Khadim Diaw (3-for-4, 2B, R, RBI) The Kernels won narrowly on Wednesday. Following his worst game of the season, Michael Ross authored his best performance of the year. The righty was efficient, navigating around two hits, a walk, and an error to limit the Chiefs to just one run over five innings. He threw 64 pitches. It helps when you never throw a pitch while behind. Three straight walks in the first loaded the bases for Khadim Diaw, now presented with a chance to damage the game before it had really begun. He did just that, driving a double deep to left field to score two. He later added two singles to earn his first 3+ hit game since April 29th. Diaw wasn’t the only Kernel with an RBI double; Marek Houston—that’s him in the video, trust—also ripped a run-scoring two-bagger. Though the Cardinals enjoy yet another quality farm system, most of their prospects inhabit the upper levels of the minors, leaving just their 17th-ranked youngster—outfielder Tai Peete—as their finest player on Wednesday. He went 0-2 before leaving the game after three innings. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 6, Dunedin 4 Box Score Ramiro Villanueva: 3 2/3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K HR: JP Smith II (3) Multi-hit games: Dameury Pena (2-for-4, 2 R, BB), Jayson Bass (2-for-4, 2B) The Mighty Mussels held on to win on Wednesday. Platonic ideal leadoff man Dameury Pena continued his tremendous start to the season. Need a man on base? He’ll reach first. Need an extra-base hit? He’ll reach first. His small-talk skills with the opposing team’s first baseman must be major-league quality already. He’s slashing the rare “all 3’s” line in 2026—.321/.390/.368. JP Smith II provided the big swing for Fort Myers, popping an opposite-field homer in the fourth. Buried in the box score is Kolten Smith’s outstanding relief outing: the 22-year-old righty whiffed six over three scoreless frames, providing a crucial bridge in the middle-to-late innings. The Georgia product has 39 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings in 2026. Luis Fragoza made his FSL debut, playing center field for the Mighty Mussels. He doubled once and struck out three times. Rehabbing big leaguer Nathan Lukes started for Dunedin. He walked twice and hit a sacrifice fly before being pinch-hit for. MLB.com’s 32nd-ranked prospect, JoJo Parker, manned shortstop for the Blue Jays on Wednesday, doubling and singling in five at-bats. He’s a 19-year-old former first-round pick from the 2025 draft. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Aaron Rozek Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Kyler Fedko PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #2 – Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 1-4, 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB #5 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, R, 2 BB, 2 K #7 – Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 2-5, 2B, RBI, 2 K #10 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 2-4, 2 R, RBI, BB #12 – Andrew Morris (Twins) - 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K #13 – Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 2-5, RBI, K #14 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers) - 1-4, 2 K #15 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, R, BB #19 – Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 3-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI #20 – Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 1-4, 2 K THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (6:37 PM) - RHP John Klein Tulsa @ Wichita (6:35 PM) - RHP Jose Olivares Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (6:35 PM) - RHP Jason Doktorczyk Fort Myers @ Dunedin (3:30 PM) - TBD Fort Myers @ Dunedin (Game Two) - TBD FCL Twins @ FCL Pirates (11:00 AM) - TBD View the full article

MIAMI, FL - At this point last year, the Miami Marlins were 19-28, a few games worse than where they currently are, which is 22-28 after falling to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night by a final score of 9-1. Manager Clayton McCullough couldn't pinpoint exactly what needs to change for this team to get back on track. "I think we just have to hang in the fight," McCullough said. "Our clubhouse believes in our staff, and we know that we are certainly capable of getting on a good run and stringing some wins together and winning some series'. Right now we're just not doing that. To do that, a lot of facets have to come together and I think where we're at right now is where we're at, and we have a long road ahead of us. We just keep taking a step forward and come out tomorrow." With Chris Sale on the mound, the Marlins had both Xavier Edwards and Otto Lopez as their top two hitters in the lineup, who combined for three of their four hits on Wednesday. From Lopez down, the only Marlin to knock in a base hit was third baseman Leo Jimenez, which came in the bottom of the fourth inning. That was the Marlins' final hit of the day. Sale went seven innings of one-run ball, striking out eight without issuing a walk. The only run he allowed came in the bottom of the first inning on a sacrifice fly from Heriberto Hernandez that scored Xavier Edwards. It marked the fifth time this season that the Marlins failed to draw a walk and the seventh time they were held without an extra-base hit. Miami went 0-for-1 with runners in scoring position. "It really felt like after that first inning, he got into a really good rhythm," McCullough said. "The slider really picked up. I think he started executing at a really high level with that pitch and settled in." The Marlins, who have said from the start that they are attacking this season with urgency, have been giving players opportunities, but with quick hooks. Some examples include optioning Agustin Ramirez and Graham Pauley along with designating Chris Paddack for assignment. After just two starts in his return to the big leagues, Braxton Garrett was optioned back down to Jacksonville as well. One example of someone who may be on borrowed time is first baseman Christopher Morel, who is now slashing .143/.192/.184/.376 with only two extra base hits. On Wednesday, he went 0-for-3. The power that he was once lauded for has evaporated, now averaging an exit velocity of 88.8 mph, just below the league average. He is also striking out 34.6% of the time, the second-highest rate of his career. The first base experiment also hasn't been great, as he currently has a negative Outs Above Average. The Marlins were the only Major League team interested in his services during the offseason, as teams overseas also expressed interest. He signed a one-year deal worth $2M, but is under club control until 2029. On Tuesday, after going 1-4 with three strikeouts and a costly play at first base which gave the Braves a 5-4 lead, Morel declined to speak to the media. Current first base options on the 26-man roster include Connor Norby and Liam Hicks. Norby, who is slashing .224/.327/.367/.694 with four home runs, 14 RBI and a 99 wRC+, also has four Outs Above Average at first base and has adapted well to the position. Although undersized for the position, Hicks has broken out, now tied for the MLB lead with 42 RBI. In a limited sample size at first base this season, he grades out as a league-average player there and last season had one OAA, which is considered above average. Kyle Stowers could also play the position in a pinch. More first base options include Griffin Conine, who is continuing to work back from an early season injury and in the minor leagues, Deyvison De Los Santos and Jacob Berry are having nice seasons and can play the position. If the Marlins were to move on from Morel, it would mean that two of the four free-agent signings the team made are already gone. Among position players, he would join Tim Anderson as the second hitter signed to an MLB deal by Peter Bendix to be designated for assignment. “It’s tough for me to weigh in too much on him,” McCullough said prior to the second game of the series. “He’s only had about 35-36 plate appearances up here so far, so it’s still a very small sample size. He hit some balls hard in the Tampa series, including a really hard lineout to left, so he’s getting some good swings off. “He also fouled off a number of pitches that he probably wishes he had done more with. With Chris, we’re going to continue to give him some at-bats and opportunities to get into a rhythm here, because with only 35 plate appearances, he’s basically four-for-four away from things looking completely different.” Janson Junk got his season started on a high-note, but through the last three starts, he has surrendered a total of 19 runs on 25 hits. In his most recent outing, Junk allowed eight runs to a high-powered Braves offense that took game three of the four-game set by a final score of 9-1. With Junk's struggles, it brings up the question if a change should be made. Problem is, Miami is currently lacking formidable options, especially following the demotion of Braxton Garret and top prospect Thomas White being placed on the IL. Additionally, Robby Snelling is currently on the MLB IL with a UCL sprain. After a clean bottom of the first inning, Austin Riley took Junk deep in the following frame. The three-run homer gave the Braves a 3-1 lead. Similar to the home run Junk allowed to Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Yandy Díaz on Friday, he left a sweeper over the middle of the plate for Riley to take advantage of, sending it to straightaway center field. Junk allowed five runs in the top of the sixth inning without being able to record an out. He allowed back-to-back RBI singles to Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies. Dominic Smith provided the final blow, a three-run homer which made it 8-1, immediately making manager Clayton McCullough come out to make a call to the bullpen. The game was capped off by a Dominic Smith triple in which both Esteury Ruiz and Owen Caissie collided, causing the ball to pop out of Ruiz’s glove. On the relay throw, Ruiz missed both Otto Lopez and Javier Sanoja, sending the ball into an unreachable spot for any defender and allowing Smith to score. The official scoring was later changed to a triple followed by an E8. “It’s tough. Both guys are going forward in that direction,” McCullough said about the play. “Either guy could’ve made the catch. You’re trying your best to communicate, whether verbally or non-verbally, but when both guys are going full speed, those things unfortunately do happen.” With the loss, the Marlins drop to 22-28, a season-worst six games under .500. The Marlins have a chance to go for the split on Thursday night with Sandy Alcantara on the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 pm. View the full article

Infielder Jose Miranda, considered a long shot to make the San Diego Padres' Opening Day roster, was released by the team Tuesday. Miranda had a June 1 opt-out in his contract, per the San Diego Union-Tribune. The 27-year-old Miranda had been with the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas this season and had produced a .268/.308/.482 slash line with five homers and 26 RBIs in 28 games. The move was not that all surprising as there was no room for Miranda on the Padres' roster. First baseman Ty France earned the last bench spot in spring training and the Padres have not used infielder Sung-Mun Song, signed to a four-year, $15 million contract in the offseason, much since he was called up to replace second baseman Jake Cronenworth, who is on the seven-day concussion list. At Triple-A, he mainly played first base, starting there 15 of the 16 games he played there. Miranda only played five games at third base, his primary position when he was with the Minnesota Twins. Miranda had a solid spring training with a .304/.385/.522 slash line, a pair of homers and nine RBIs in 22 games. View the full article

The Minnesota Twins have seen this movie before with Matt Wallner. A talented slugger with massive raw power starts the season in a deep slump, gets sent to Triple-A to reset mechanically and mentally, then returns looking like a completely different hitter. That formula worked in 2024. The question now is whether lightning can strike twice. Minnesota demoted Wallner after one of the worst starts by any regular player in baseball. Through the opening stretch of the season, he slashed .167/.259/.292 with a 58 wRC+, a 39.3% strikeout rate, and a league-worst -8 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS). His struggles were severe enough that he accumulated negative value on both sides of the ball and had a ghastly -1.3 rWAR before the demotion. The Twins didn't put him in a position to succeed, either. Minnesota faced an unusually heavy dose of left-handed starting pitching during the first month of the season, and the club continued running Wallner into the lineup regularly despite his long-standing platoon concerns. His production against right-handed pitching was already underwhelming with a .580 OPS, but things cratered further against lefties, where he posted just a .496 OPS. Still, the underlying issues went beyond usage patterns. Wallner’s inability to handle fastballs became one of the biggest red flags in his profile. For a hitter whose value comes from power, pitchers consistently beating him with velocity is a dangerous trend. He produced just a .377 xSLG against fastballs while posting a 35.0% whiff rate against them. Even more concerning, his whiff rates against breaking balls and offspeed pitches both climbed above 50%. Pitchers essentially discovered they could attack him in every zone and with every pitch type. That much generalized suckage is nearly impossible to survive against major-league pitching. Part of the problem may stem from a subtle but meaningful drop in bat speed. Wallner ranked among baseball’s elite in bat speed over the previous two seasons, sitting at 76.6 mph in 2024 and climbing even higher in 2025 at 77.4 mph. This season, that number dropped to 75.4 mph. While still strong overall and ranking in the 90th percentile, even a slight decrease can dramatically alter timing windows for a hitter whose offensive profile depends on punishing mistakes. A hitter losing even a fraction of reaction time can suddenly find himself late on fastballs and vulnerable to secondary pitches once behind in counts. That's exactly what happened to Wallner. The encouraging part for Minnesota is that there is already a blueprint for fixing him. Back in May of 2024, the Twins sent Wallner to Triple-A for a similar reset. He responded by posting an .888 OPS with 19 home runs and 15 doubles across 67 games. When he returned during the second half, he looked far more confident and under control at the plate, producing a .914 OPS with 10 home runs and 14 doubles in just 55 games. The assignment worked then because Wallner simplified things. He attacked pitches he could drive, punished mistakes early in counts, and stopped trying to cover every inch of the strike zone. He looked athletic and explosive again. Now he has to prove those adjustments are still available to him. So what exactly must Wallner accomplish at Triple-A before earning another call to Minnesota? The first priority is reducing swing-and-miss against fastballs. The Twins can live with strikeouts if Wallner is demolishing velocity, but they cannot carry a slugger who consistently loses to four-seamers in the zone. If he starts driving fastballs to the pull side again with authority, that will be the clearest sign his timing and bat speed are returning. Second, the Twins need to see better swing decisions. Wallner does not need to become a low-strikeout hitter, but he has to show more control within at-bats. Too often this season, opposing pitchers expanded the zone and watched him chase himself into disadvantageous counts. Triple-A will give him an opportunity to rebuild his confidence by attacking hittable pitches earlier, rather than constantly reacting from behind. The defensive side matters, too. Minnesota can survive slightly below-average defense from Wallner because of his offensive upside, but they cannot continue playing someone costing runs at the rate he was earlier this year. Better reads in the corner outfield and more consistent routes would help rebuild trust with the coaching staff. At his best, he is not an everyday middle-of-the-order bat facing all pitching styles. He is a devastating weapon against right-handed pitching who can completely change a game with one swing. The Twins may have overextended him by trying to force everyday usage. A successful reset could include Wallner embracing that role again and dominating favorable matchups, instead of trying to prove he can handle every situation. Minnesota still needs the version of Wallner that looked like a breakout power hitter during the second half of 2024. Few players in the organization possess his raw power or ability to change a game instantly. But talent alone will not get him back to Target Field. The Twins need to see a hitter who can catch up to velocity again, control the strike zone better, and rebuild enough confidence to become a dangerous platoon bat. They need to see competent defense in a corner outfield spot. If Wallner can accomplish those things at St. Paul, another opportunity in Minnesota will come sooner rather than later. What does Wallner need to accomplish at Triple-A? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

Kody Clemens has emerged as one of the more important players on this Twins roster. Between his bat, glove, and sneaky speed, he's providing Minnesota with a little bit of everything. View the full article

After getting shot out of a cannon to start the 2026 campaign and looking ultra-impressive, Cubs right-handed pitcher Edward Cabrera is hitting his first slump as a member of the North Siders. Today, we’ll dive into what’s gone south for him, specifically in the month of May. Setting The Table As a reminder, the Cubs acquired Cabrera in a trade for outfield prospect Owen Caissie, the jewel of their farm system who got a cup of coffee in the major leagues last season. That was a high price to pay, but with Justin Steele being set back and Cade Horton going down (among a litany of injuries that have popped up with this starting pitching staff), it looks like addressing the rotation was a pretty smart choice. Now, let’s dive into his struggles, because those very injuries make Cabrera indispensable for the team. A Rough Month Of May After a strong first couple of starts in the 2026 season, Cabrera has an earned run average north of 6.00 in the month of May. He allowed a season-high five earned runs a couple of starts ago, and he has now given up at least three earned runs in seven consecutive starts, a streak I’m sure he’d love to break Wednesday night against the Brewers. What’s contributing to this drop-off from the Cabrera who didn’t allow a single earned run over his first pair of starts? Let’s take a look. Hard Contact, XBA Quality of contact is a great place to start. We mentioned that the earned runs have spiked in the last few starts. For the culprit, look no further than the home run ball. Cabrera has allowed the long ball five times in his last three combined starts, and he has now given up at least one round-tripper in five consecutive starts. For an opposing hitter to get a home run, two factors need to go right: quality of contact and launch angle. The hard contact box is certainly checked off. Cabrera is allowing one of the highest average exit velocities of any pitcher in baseball, at 91.6 mph. That’s in the bottom 6 percent of all pitchers. Not far from exit velocity is its cousin, barrel percentage. Cabrera is getting barreled up 12.9% of the time, which puts him in the bottom 8 percent of pitchers. How about the launch angle? Well, Cabrera is allowing an average launch angle of 12.5 degrees. That’s the second-highest mark of his six-year career, and it’s not missing the watermark he set in 2022 by much, which was 12.7°. Consequently, the righty’s ground ball rate is right around league average at 44.2%. Hitters aren’t just teeing off on Cabrera, but they’re getting optimal launch angles in the process. The Sinker Is Getting Mashed Another way to slice up a hurler’s struggles is to go pitch-by-pitch. We know Edward Cabrera is known for his changeup. It’s his bread and butter, and so far, so good—for the most part. He has an opposing batting average of .241 with that selection. It’s a bit of a spike from his .203 mark a year ago, but this pitch isn’t the main issue. The sinker is yet again looking like his Achilles heel. A year removed from a campaign wherein Cabrera’s sinker was hit at a clip of .370, he’s allowing a .364 opposing batting average. This is far and away the highest of any of the five options in his arsenal. Brighter Skies Ahead? On the bright side, Cabrera still has five options to choose from. Pitchers who have a more limited list of pitches are sometimes stuck with what they have, but Cabrera has the changeup, curveball, sinker, four-seamer and a slider. The changeup is supposed to be one of the most lethal weapons in the game, and I think he can be one of the more impressive righties out there with it. Now it’s just about keeping the ball down and preventing hard contact. View the full article

Box Score SP: Joe Ryan - 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K (99 pitches, 71 strikes (72% strikes) Home Runs: Ryan Kriedler (3) 3 WPA: Ryan Kreidler (0.24); Joe Ryan (0.20); Victor Caratini (0.11) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The rubber match of a series against the Astros Wednesday afternoon was also getaway day, and the telling contest of a nine-game homestand. The Twins had won one series and lost the next, and entered Wednesday needing a win to go 5-4 before heading out on a 10-game road trip. Two Ryan Experiences for the Price of One Joe Ryan gave up three singles to the bottom of Houston’s lineup in the top of the 2nd, allowing the Astros to strike first on an RBI single from former Twin Christian Vázquez. Houston grabbed the early lead, but the Twins answered immediately with a (looong) solo home run from Victor Caratini to tie the game at 1-1. Both before and after that blip, however, Ryan looked much more like himself. While his pitch count continued to climb, he worked out of several jams and racked up nine strikeouts through six innings, looking more confident with every trip to the mound. The Twins took control in the fourth inning with a three-run homer from Ryan Kriedler, extending the lead to 4-1 heading into the fifth. Kreidler had an execrable offensive track record in the majors before this season, but he's thriving in his part-time role with the Twins this year. Ryan finished six innings and told Audra Martin afterward that one of the things he appreciates most is his defense, pointing specifically to James Outman’s diving catch for the final out of the fourth inning. Ryan also joked about former teammate Vázquez being the lone hitter to drive in a run against him. Since leaving his start on May 3 with elbow soreness after facing just two batters, he's not only managed to stay in the rotation, but been dazzling. It's a huge relief, in a year when every other player who reports some minor malady seems to land on the injured list for months. It's a Team Effort Kody Clemens has become an important piece of the lineup, filling multiple roles defensively. Against Houston, he started in right field and finished at first base. Derek Shelton commented before the game that Clemens has been “a net positive at every defensive position he’s played,” while also allowing other players to get needed rest without sacrificing defense. Clemens has also continued to improve offensively, hitting .240 with a .754 overall OPS—his best production to date. There were no more runs for either side after the fourth inning, and the bullpens set up to battle it out, both sides needing the win. Strong Bullpen Appearance Yoendrys Gómez relieved Ryan in the seventh and struck out three straight hitters, preserving the cushion and allowing the offense to avoid grinding through every at-bat. The Twins have played in 10 one-run games this season and won only three of them, making any lead larger than one especially valuable. The bullpen still brings some uncertainty, but lately the starters have been delivering longer, more effective outings, giving the relievers room to breathe instead of being overused on a nightly basis. Gómez returned for the eighth inning and looked a little less sharp than he did in the seventh, but still managed to post a zero and keep the Twins in control. Andrew Morris closed things out with a 10-pitch save, the first of his career. He's settling ever more into a standard, high-leverage relief role, and is one symbol of the rising promise of this roster. What’s Next? The Twins have a day off on Thursday in Boston, after which they'll begin a 10-day road trip. Their first contest at Fenway Park begins at 6:10 PM CT on Friday. The Twins will send Connor Prielipp to the mound (1-2, 2.88 ERA), facing Payton Tolle (2-2, .205 ERA), Postgame Interviews Bullpen Availability Chart View the full article

The Milwaukee Brewers' pitching lab strikes again. Stop me if you’ve heard that one before. Mere months after they traded for Kyle Harrison in a deal that involved Caleb Durbin and the rest of this team’s former third base depth chart, they've watched the young left-hander emerge as a vital part of their starting rotation. Today, we’ll explain what Harrison is doing so well. Building The Background While he’s relatively young (just 24 years old), the Brewers are Harrison’s third MLB team already. He started his major-league career with the San Francisco Giants, who picked him in the 3rd round in 2020, went to the Red Sox last June in the Rafael Devers trade, and then was flipped to Milwaukee just months later. So far in his career, he’s been solid, but there are a few metrics that Harrison has improved in that have led to what could be a career year in 2026. Let’s dive in. Getting Players To Chase First, the strikeout rate. Harrison is striking out 29.2% of the hitters he faces. In four years, the lefty’s previous career high was 24.4%, set just last year. Right there with it, his chase rate and whiff rate are in the top quartile of the league, with a very impressive K-per-9 mark for a starting pitcher. What could be leading to this spike in strikeouts? Harrison’s out-of-zone pitch percentage has actually gone up a couple of ticks, but the opposing swing rate is up, and his out-of-zone swing percentage is up. This means now, more than ever, the southpaw is throwing pitches that look appetizing off the hand but end up being not-so-great decisions for the opposing hitter. Jumping Ahead In The Count Another metric that has led to higher strikeout percentages (and more success, overall) is a simple one, but it’s one that the Brewers pitchers are great at hammering home. His first-pitch strike percentage is at 70, which is 9.4 percentage points better than last year. The dance that pitchers and hitters do is mainly dictated by count leverage, and if you’re up 0-1 70% of the time, it usually spells advantage to the pitcher. Harrison simply has command of his pitches more than ever, and once he’s able to get that leverage, hitters get into defensive mode and have to try and fight off anything close. Minimizing Hard Hit Rate Another metric to keep an eye on is hard-hit rate, because even the best pitchers are going to give up contact, and Harrison passes the eye test there, too. The former Giant is allowing a hard-hit ball just 30.1% of the time, putting him in the top 12% among all big-league pitchers. His offspeed stuff is much nastier in the past, thanks to a new grip on the changeup, a new position on the rubber, and a change to his arm angle. The bottom line is this: the Brewers have done it again. We’re starting to see some of the dividends with Brandon Sproat as well, but the left-handed Harrison already looks like he's living up to the prospect hype he garnered just a few short years ago. View the full article

On Fish Unfiltered, Clayton McCullough addresses the criticism about his team's unconventional batting orders and explains which factors dictate who starts for the Marlins each day. View the full article

Monday was a rough one for Brandon Valenzuela. The Blue Jays catcher made two errors and let the Yankees steal five bases. He was well off the mark in his only ABS challenge of the game. His called strike rate on pitches in the shadow zone was uncharacteristically poor. Overall, his pitchers only earned strikes on 60% of their pitches. They gave up seven runs on 11 hits, four walks, and three homers. Yet, even in what was otherwise the worst defensive game of his young career, Valenzuela made the play of the night. Yankees catcher J.C. Escarra bunted a pop-up down the third base line. The ever athletic Valenzuela sprung to his feet and laid out for a sliding grab, the kind a catcher rarely has the opportunity to make. Despite the backwards somersault that knocked his helmet off his head, he held on to the baseball. Jeff Hoffman pumped his fist in celebration. Even the fans in the stands at Yankee Stadium were impressed. My point? Valenzuela has been nothing short of phenomenal behind the dish for the Blue Jays this season. His latest outing against the Yankees wasn't the most prototypical example of his defensive skills, but nonetheless, his glove found a way to shine. Valenzuela started the season with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. He only got the call to the majors when Alejandro Kirk hit the injured list eight games into the year. Then, he had to prove he deserved to be more than Tyler Heineman's backup. As a result, he has only played in 29 of Toronto's 48 games so far. His 203.2 defensive innings rank 27th among catchers. Despite that disadvantage, he leads his position in Statcast's Fielding Run Value (+6). He's tied for second in Defensive Runs Saved (+4). His framing has been spectacular, as has his ability to control the running game. The sample is small, but the company Valenzuela is keeping is elite: Catcher FRV Brandon Valenzuela 6 Patrick Bailey 5 Adley Rutschman 5 Dillon Dingler 4 Carlos Narváez 4 Tyler Heineman 4 J.T. Realmuto 4 Truth be told, that one leaderboard is pretty much the whole reason I wanted to write this article. I saw Valenzuela sitting just ahead of Bailey, Rutschman, and Dingler, and I wanted to shout from the metaphorical rooftop that the Blue Jays have the best defensive catcher in baseball – and his name isn't Kirk or Heineman. Yet, Valenzuela deserves commendation for more than just his glove. The switch-hitter has looked much more competent with the stick in May. He went 5-for-34 (.147) with one walk, one extra-base hit, and 14 strikeouts in his first three weeks with the Jays. Over the next three weeks, he hit .308 with three home runs, walking nearly as often as he struck out. His full-season OPS is up to a respectable .720. Both his wOBA and xwOBA sit right around league average. All told, Valenzuela's .233/.309/.411 slash line is nothing to write home about. But the difference between an elite defensive catcher who can hold his own against big league pitching and one who can't is massive. That's why Valenzuela is taking more and more playing time from Heineman. When the Blue Jays called up Valenzuela, all they were asking for was solid defense and a bat they could hide in the nine-hole of the order. They've gotten so much more. Since the day of his big league debut, Valenzuela ranks second among Blue Jays position players with 0.9 FanGraphs WAR. (Daulton Varsho is first with 1.2 fWAR.) That should tell you that the team has struggled, which you probably already knew. But it should also tell you how valuable Toronto's rookie catcher has been. Can Valenzuela keep playing at this level? The jury is still out on that one. Right now, however, he's helping to keep the team afloat while almost everyone else around him is either slumping or injured (or a bit of both). Hopefully, Kirk will come back soon, and Valenzuela won't have to do this much longer. But no matter what he does going forward, the young backstop has already been a hero for the Blue Jays in 2026. View the full article

Every month, Fish Unfiltered takes Miami Marlins fans "Inside the Dugout," bringing you an extended, exclusive interview with Marlins manager Clayton McCullough. During our May sitdown, McCullough speaks with Isaac Azout, AJ Ramos and Kevin Barral about Max Meyer's career year, Braxton Garrett's demotion, the process of deciding on a daily lineup and why Marlins batters have rarely used ABS challenges. He always gives a vote of confidence to struggling right-hander Eury Pérez and tries to remember every player who started for Miami in his managerial debut on Opening Day 2025. 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. The Marlins enter Wednesday with a 22-27 record, 11 games out of first place in the National League East and seven games back of the final NL wild-card spot. Among the season's biggest surprises: Meyer dramatically outperforming Pérez. Through 10 starts apiece and approximately the same overall workload, Pérez's ERA is practically doubled Meyer's (5.33 to 2.85), with the latter doing a far better job of filling up the strike zone and suppressing home runs. View the full article

The New York Mets' youth movement continues. A day after promoting a prospect outfielder to make his MLB debut, the Mets have promotoed left-hander Zach Thornton from Triple-A Syracuse to make his MLB debut in today's game against the Washington Nationals. To make room on the 26-man roster, right-hander Daniel Duarte was sent back to Syracuse. The Mets had an open spot on their 40-man roster. On Tuesday, outfielder Nick Morabito came up and appeared in his first MLB game during the Mets' 9-6 loss to the Nationals. The week before, another top outfield prospect, A.J. Ewing, made his debut. So Thornton, Grand Central Mets' No. 11 prospect, makes it three players who will have made their MLB debut since the beginning of last week. The 24-year-old Thornton, a fifth-round draft choice in 2023 out of Grand Canyon, will be appearing at his third level in the Mets' organization this year. He made five starts at Double-A Binghamton with a 3.60 ERA with nine walks and 27 strikeouts in 25 innings. That earned him a call-up to Triple-A, where he had two starts, going 12 innings with three walks and 13 strikeouts for a 2.25 ERA. Duarte was called up Monday and made his only appearance in Tuesday's game, going 2⅓ scoreless innings, allowing one hit with a strikeout. View the full article

Chicago Cubs Minor League Report - May 19 Affiliate Overview Triple-A Iowa Cubs Series vs. Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals): Redbirds lead, 1-0 Season Record: 18–27 Double-A Knoxville Smokies Series vs. Montgomery Biscuits (Tampa Bay Rays): Biscuits lead, 1-0 Season Record: 21–19 High-A South Bend Cubs Series at West Michigan Whitecaps (Detroit Tigers): Whitecaps lead, 1-0 Season Record: 20–16 Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Series at Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (Chicago White Sox): Cannon Ballers lead, 1-0 Season Record: 18–20 Affiliate Highlights Triple-A: Iowa Cubs Season Record: 18–27 Series Opponent: Memphis Redbirds (28–18) Series Standing: Trail, 1-0 May 19: The Iowa Cubs saw their losing streak reach eight games after suffering a 6-3 defeat to the Memphis Redbirds on Tuesday at Principal Park. The Redbirds took the lead in the first but Kevin Alcántara (1-for-5) was able to bring the Cubs level with an RBI-single in the third. The teams traded runs in the fifth, with James Triantos (2-for-4) tying the game for Iowa at 2-2 with an RBI-triple. Memphis went ahead for a third time on the night with a run in the seventh and doubled its lead with another in the eighth to make it 4-2. Justin Dean’s (1-for-3) solo shot in the eighth cut the deficit to one but the Redbirds pulled away with two runs in the ninth to earn the series-opening win. Ryan Jensen got the bulk of work in relief after I-Cubs starter Connor Noland departed in the second following being struck by a comebacker in the right leg. Jensen worked 2 1/3 scoreless frames, allowing just two hits while striking out four. Double-A: Knoxville Smokies Season Record: 21–19 Series Opponent: Montgomery Biscuits (21–19) Series Standing: Trail, 1-0 May 19: The Knoxville Smokies opened their series against the Montgomery Biscuits with a 3-1 defeat on Tuesday night at Covenant Health Park. The Biscuits jumped out to a 3-0 lead after scoring twice in the second and adding their third in the third. The Smokies finally got on the board in the seventh when Edgar Alvarez (1-for-2) doubled home Ed Howard (1-for-1). Knoxville would be held to just five hits in the ballgame with no batter able to record a multi-hit effort. Yenrri Rojas started on the mound for the Smokies, taking the loss and falling to 1-3 on the year. Rojas allowed three runs on six hits over five innings of work, striking out four while issuing no walks. Jace Beck worked three scoreless frames in relief, yielding one hit while punching out seven. High-A: South Bend Cubs Season Record: 20–16 Series Opponent: West Michigan Whitecaps (14–16) Series Standing: Trail, 1-0 May 19: The South Bend Cubs dropped their series opener to the West Michigan Whitecaps, 6-4, on Tuesday night at LMCU Ballpark. The Whitecaps plated a run in both the second and third innings before the Cubs got on the board in the sixth through an RBI-single from Kade Snell (1-for-4). West Michigan responded with four runs in the home half of the sixth to make it a 6-1 game. South Bend was able to make it 6-4 in the seventh thanks to a three-run blast from Kane Kepley (1-for-4), his second of the season. The Cubs weren’t able to rally further, ultimately dropping the contest. Nazier Mulé suffered the loss in the start, allowing one run on one hit over 1 1/3 innings of work, but issued four walks to go along with three strikeouts. Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans Season Record: 18–20 Series Opponent: Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (19–21) Series Standing: Trail, 1-0 May 19: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans saw their losing skid his three games as they dropped their series opener to the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, 3-1. Pelicans starter Pierce Coppola set career-best marks in innings pitched (5 1/3) and strikeouts (9) but allowed three runs on one hit and three walks and was handed the loss, falling to 0-2 on the campaign. The Cannon Ballers took the lead with a run in the fourth and would later make it 3-0 with two runs in the sixth. Myrtle Beach got their lone run of the contest in the seventh on Jose Escobar’s (2-for-3) RBI-single. Mason McGwire worked 1 2/3 scoreless frames out of the bullpen, striking out one. McGwire has posted a 1.93 ERA (3 ER/14.0 IP) in four appearances this month, striking out 20 while issuing just four walks. View the full article

Chicago Cubs Minor League Report - May 19 Affiliate Overview Triple-A Iowa Cubs Series vs. Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals): Redbirds lead, 1-0 Season Record: 18–27 Double-A Knoxville Smokies Series vs. Montgomery Biscuits (Tampa Bay Rays): Biscuits lead, 1-0 Season Record: 21–19 High-A South Bend Cubs Series at West Michigan Whitecaps (Detroit Tigers): Whitecaps lead, 1-0 Season Record: 20–16 Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Series at Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (Chicago White Sox): Cannon Ballers lead, 1-0 Season Record: 18–20 Affiliate Highlights Triple-A: Iowa Cubs Season Record: 18–27 Series Opponent: Memphis Redbirds (28–18) Series Standing: Trail, 1-0 May 19: The Iowa Cubs saw their losing streak reach eight games after suffering a 6-3 defeat to the Memphis Redbirds on Tuesday at Principal Park. The Redbirds took the lead in the first but Kevin Alcántara (1-for-5) was able to bring the Cubs level with an RBI-single in the third. The teams traded runs in the fifth, with James Triantos (2-for-4) tying the game for Iowa at 2-2 with an RBI-triple. Memphis went ahead for a third time on the night with a run in the seventh and doubled its lead with another in the eighth to make it 4-2. Justin Dean’s (1-for-3) solo shot in the eighth cut the deficit to one but the Redbirds pulled away with two runs in the ninth to earn the series-opening win. Ryan Jensen got the bulk of work in relief after I-Cubs starter Connor Noland departed in the second following being struck by a comebacker in the right leg. Jensen worked 2 1/3 scoreless frames, allowing just two hits while striking out four. Double-A: Knoxville Smokies Season Record: 21–19 Series Opponent: Montgomery Biscuits (21–19) Series Standing: Trail, 1-0 May 19: The Knoxville Smokies opened their series against the Montgomery Biscuits with a 3-1 defeat on Tuesday night at Covenant Health Park. The Biscuits jumped out to a 3-0 lead after scoring twice in the second and adding their third in the third. The Smokies finally got on the board in the seventh when Edgar Alvarez (1-for-2) doubled home Ed Howard (1-for-1). Knoxville would be held to just five hits in the ballgame with no batter able to record a multi-hit effort. Yenrri Rojas started on the mound for the Smokies, taking the loss and falling to 1-3 on the year. Rojas allowed three runs on six hits over five innings of work, striking out four while issuing no walks. Jace Beck worked three scoreless frames in relief, yielding one hit while punching out seven. High-A: South Bend Cubs Season Record: 20–16 Series Opponent: West Michigan Whitecaps (14–16) Series Standing: Trail, 1-0 May 19: The South Bend Cubs dropped their series opener to the West Michigan Whitecaps, 6-4, on Tuesday night at LMCU Ballpark. The Whitecaps plated a run in both the second and third innings before the Cubs got on the board in the sixth through an RBI-single from Kade Snell (1-for-4). West Michigan responded with four runs in the home half of the sixth to make it a 6-1 game. South Bend was able to make it 6-4 in the seventh thanks to a three-run blast from Kane Kepley (1-for-4), his second of the season. The Cubs weren’t able to rally further, ultimately dropping the contest. Nazier Mulé suffered the loss in the start, allowing one run on one hit over 1 1/3 innings of work, but issued four walks to go along with three strikeouts. Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans Season Record: 18–20 Series Opponent: Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (19–21) Series Standing: Trail, 1-0 May 19: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans saw their losing skid his three games as they dropped their series opener to the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, 3-1. Pelicans starter Pierce Coppola set career-best marks in innings pitched (5 1/3) and strikeouts (9) but allowed three runs on one hit and three walks and was handed the loss, falling to 0-2 on the campaign. The Cannon Ballers took the lead with a run in the fourth and would later make it 3-0 with two runs in the sixth. Myrtle Beach got their lone run of the contest in the seventh on Jose Escobar’s (2-for-3) RBI-single. Mason McGwire worked 1 2/3 scoreless frames out of the bullpen, striking out one. McGwire has posted a 1.93 ERA (3 ER/14.0 IP) in four appearances this month, striking out 20 while issuing just four walks. View the full article

For much of the 2026 season, the Twins have been searching for consistency in the middle of their lineup. Injuries, cold streaks, and underperforming veterans have all played a role in the team’s uneven offensive production. But while much of the attention has gone elsewhere, one player has quietly emerged as one of the most important pieces on the roster: Kody Clemens. Not only has Clemens become a steady contributor offensively, but he’s also provided the Twins with strong defense and lineup flexibility—two things every contending team needs over the course of a long season. After a sluggish start to the year, Clemens has found another level offensively over the last few weeks. He’s now slashing .245/.341/.445, while adding 14 extra-base hits and five stolen bases. Among those are a team-leading 10 doubles, highlighting just how consistently he’s been driving the baseball. In May, Clemens is hitting .333 with eight extra-base hits, looking every bit like a hitter who has fully settled into a groove. His confidence is noticeable. He’s driving the ball with authority and showing a level of comfort that simply wasn’t there during the opening weeks of the season, when manager Derek Shelton identified him as the hitter "who maybe suffered the most" from the disruption of a bizarrely lefty-heavy stretch of the team's schedule. Yes, the strikeouts remain somewhat concerning. Clemens is punching out at roughly a 26% clip, which is certainly higher than you’d like from an everyday player. But the overall quality of contact more than makes up for some swing-and-miss issues. In fact, the underlying metrics paint the picture of a player who has been significantly better than many fans probably realize. Clemens currently owns a 92.4 MPH average exit velocity, which not only leads all Twins hitters, but also ranks in the 90th percentile league-wide. His equally strong barrel rate indicates that there's even more power upside here. Even when the traditional numbers looked modest earlier in the year, the expected stats suggested that better production was coming. Now, we’re starting to see those results. Perhaps most importantly, Clemens is proving that he deserves everyday at-bats, regardless of the opposing pitcher. Historically, he’s been viewed as more of a platoon option, due to questions surrounding his production against left-handed pitching. But so far in 2026, Clemens has done nothing but silence those concerns. In a small but encouraging sample of 20 plate appearances against lefties, he’s hitting .438 with three extra-base hits and a pair of walks. While that number will obviously regress over time, it’s still an important development for both Clemens and the Twins. Shelton can and should try Clemens out against more lefties, even if the schedule turns against him again, to keep him in rhythm. Right now, there’s a very legitimate argument that he should simply be the team’s everyday first baseman. With both Josh Bell and Victor Caratini struggling offensively in recent weeks, Clemens has clearly earned the opportunity for more consistent playing time. The production is there, the advanced metrics support it, and frankly, the eye test does too. Bell appears to be pulling out of what was a prolonged, nightmarish slump, but he can serve as the regular designated hitter. Caratini, meanwhile, will be essentially full-time at catcher while Ryan Jeffers is on the injured list. Then there’s the defensive side of the equation, and Clemens has quietly become very reliable in the field. The Twins’ infield defense is a weakness, but Clemens has stood out as a clear exception. According to Statcast, he currently ranks in the 78th percentile in Outs Above Average, an impressive mark for a player who entered the year without an everyday role. Now, is Clemens going to maintain an OPS near .800 for the entire season? Probably not. There will likely be some regression offensively, particularly as pitchers begin adjusting to the hot streak he’s currently enjoying. But even if he settles into the range of a .730 to .750 OPS hitter, that represents a highly valuable player, when paired with above-average defense and (at least theoretically) positional flexibility. Clemens is certainly not a superstar. He’ll never headline the Twins’ roster or dominate national conversations. But winning teams need players exactly like this: dependable contributors who impact games in multiple ways and consistently outperform expectations. View the full article