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The Weekly Nutshell: We've reached the second half of May, and that's where things start coming into focus. Samples are growing more substantial, and patience is wearing thin for struggling players who are derailing the team's results. The Twins haven't had a winning week since early April and are 10-19 in their last 29 games. They've been constantly hanging around five-to-seven games below .500, which mostly lines up to preseason expectations. (They're currently on about a 70-win pace after winning 70 games in 2025.) What makes it frustrating though, is that the bar for relevance does not feel out of reach. You see the Cleveland Guardians leading the division with an unspectacular 26-22 record, you see some of the pitching performances being put forth by Minnesota's starters, and it really doesn't feel like Tom Pohlad's stated goal of competitiveness is out of the realm. As unimpressive as they've looked for the most part, the Twins are currently within two games of a wild-card position in the American League. However, they are being held back and dragged down by too many dreadful performances that go well beyond merely "bad" and as we approach the season's one-third marker in the schedule, the time for action is upon us. We saw that begin to unfold this past week and there could be more to come. Let's dig in. Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 5/11 through Sun, 5/17 *** Record Last Week: 3-3 (Overall: 21-26) Run Differential Last Week: +7 (Overall: -6) Standing: 3rd Place in AL Central (4.5 GB) Latest Game Results Game 42 | MIN 3, MIA 0: Ober Throws a Maddux, Shutting Out Marlins on 89 Pitches Ober: 9 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 7 K Game 43 | MIA 9, MIN 5: Two Buxton Homers Not Enough to Overcome SWR Clunker Woods Richardson: 3 IP, 8 R (6 ER), 7 H, 4 BB, 1 K Game 44 | MIN 9, MIA 1: Twins Take Series with Blowout Win in Zebby's Return Matthews: 7 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 1 BB, 5 K Game 45 | MIL 3, MIN 2: Lead Slips Away on Iffy Ruling in One-Run Loss to Brewers Ryan: 6 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 1 BB, 7 K Game 46 | MIL 2, MIN 1: RISP Woes Prove Costly as Twins Come Up Just Short Again Twins offense: 10 K, 1 BB, 0-8 RISP Game 47 | MIN 5, MIL 4: Twins Steal One from Brewers Behind Bullpen and Bats Twins bullpen: 4 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 3 BB, 4 K IF YOU'D RATHER LISTEN TO THE WEEK IN REVIEW THAN READ IT, YOU CAN GET IT IN AUDIO FORM! FIND THE LATEST EPISODE ON OUR PODCAST PAGE, AS WELL AS ON APPLE AND SPOTIFY. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHANNELS SO YOU DON'T MISS OUT! NEWS & NOTES The morning after going 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in Wednesday's loss to Miami, his second golden sombrero in a row, Matt Wallner was optioned to Triple-A for a much-needed reset. Heading back to the minors is a devastating setback for the 28-year-old with more than 1,100 plate appearances in the majors, but his increasingly untenable performance left the Twins with little choice. An 0-for-14 slump (with 11 Ks) had dropped his OPS to .551, and the defense was somehow worse than the offense. He'll look to get back on track with the Saints and return with renewed confidence, similar to his journey in the 2024 season. Recalled to replace Wallner on the roster was glove-first utilityman Ryan Kreidler. In terms of day-to-day utility, we're seeing Austin Martin step into a true everyday role in right field. He has been the starter there in all four games since Wallner was sent down. Also on Thursday, the Twins called up Zebby Matthews and sent down Travis Adams. Matthews steps into the vacant spot opened up by Taj Bradley's pectoral injury, chiseling away the final piece of remaining rotation depth in Triple-A. Any further attrition would put the Twins in a tough spot. Luckily, Bradley appears to be moving toward a somewhat imminent return. He made a rehab start for the Saints on Sunday, although it didn't go especially smoothly (42 pitches in 1.2 IP with 2 H, 2 BB allowed). Cody Laweryson, recovering from a forearm strain, also initiated a rehab at Triple-A over the weekend, and tossed a 1-2-3 inning in his return to action on Saturday. HIGHLIGHTS The starting rotation, with one glaring exception, continues to carry weight for this team. Bailey Ober opened the week with the best performance of his career: a complete-game shutout on just 89 pitches, with just two hits allowed. He retired the last 16 batters he faced consecutively. His second start on Sunday wasn't nearly as brilliant, with the righty surrendering three runs over five innings, but he exited with a lead and a 3.63 ERA on the season. Ober's velocity remains the lowest in all of baseball, but he's demonstrating major resilience and adaptability by harnessing every other strength in his repertoire — command, intelligence, extension — to keep hitters off balance and give his team a fighting chance. Matthews took a page out of Ober's book in his return to the rotation on Thursday. He was throwing much harder than Ober, albeit down from his 2025 norm, but efficiency and execution were the name of the game for Zebulon in a crisp seven innings of one-run ball. He struck out five and walked one, displaying the strike-throwing prowess that needs to be his signature. You'd like to see a bit more swing-and-miss (just five on 83 pitches), but all in all it was an encouraging return to the big-league stage. Connor Prielipp continues to look very good in his own introduction to the MLB level, allowing just one earned run over six innings against Milwaukee in his latest turn. He struck out eight and yielded just three hits. One day earlier, Joe Ryan delivered another quality start with six innings of one-run ball. In two outings since the elbow scare on May 3rd, Ryan has allowed just two runs on six hits in 12 innings with 12 strikeouts. It's starting to feel safe to say a bullet was dodged. Speaking of bullets, Byron Buxton launched a couple more into the seats on Wednesday against Miami, pushing his total to 15 in 26 games since starting the season in a modest dry spell. Unfortunately, he started feeling soreness in his (historically pesky) right hip after that contest, and sat out the finale against the Marlins as well as the entire Brewers series. You don't love to see it, but Buxton is reportedly trending in the right direction and could be back in the lineup Monday. If not, I'd expect to see him land on the injured list. A couple of other hitting performances of note: Kody Clemens was 8-for-19 with a home run, four doubles and some solid glovework at first — he's quietly ranked as the best fielder in baseball at the position, per Defensive Runs Saved. Kreidler had multiple hits in his first two starts after rejoining the fold, and now has a .997 OPS in extremely limited action, which certainly does not match up to his offensive rep. James Outman, who figures to see more playing time in Wallner's absence, had his best week of the season with four hits including a double and a triple. Finally, we've got to give some props to the bullpen. I still have very little faith in this unit as a general rule, but to give credit where it's due, the relievers were collectively very solid against Miami and Milwaukee, allowing only four runs in 18 innings (2.00 ERA). That included a pair of scoreless appearances from newcomer Yoendrys Gómez and solid rebounds from Justin Topa and Luis García. LOWLIGHTS Start after start, Simeon Woods Richardson can't seem to figure it out. In fact, he's trending in the wrong direction, with Wednesday's clunker against the Marlins representing a new low. The same lineup that got carved up on surrounding days by Ober and Matthews was able to feast on the struggling Woods Richardson, who lasted just three innings while coughing up eight runs (six earned) on seven hits and four walks with just one strikeout. He fell to 0-6 on the year and saw his ERA inflate to 7.71. Too often, Woods Richardson is simply giving the Twins no chance to win, as evidenced by the team's 1-8 record with him on the mound. But there is scant action the team can take at this juncture. It sounds like they'll go with a bullpen game led by Kendry Rojas on Monday, which is Woods Richardson's next scheduled start, but that doesn't feel like a sustainable solution going forward. Matthews was the last layer of starting depth and he's now been called upon to fill in for Bradley. Until injured starters get healthy, the Twins are sort of stuck with Woods Richardson, but with Bradley on the comeback trail, decision time may soon be upon us. How safe Royce Lewis' roster spot? He could be next in line for a St. Paul demotion, with numbers that look equally bad to Wallner's and a broken plate approach that feels just as hopeless. Lewis was 2-for-16 with eight strikeouts on the week and his slash line for the season now sits at .163/.261/.279. He also had some brutal moments at third base, drawing an obstruction call on Friday and then botching a routine grounder on Saturday, with both leading to unearned runs in one-score losses. Lewis has an option left and unlike Woods Richardson, there are viable candidates in the minors to replace him, as we'll cover shortly. Tristan Gray has been kept busy by giving breaks to Lewis and Luke Keaschall, the latter of whom is probably not in danger of a demotion but has been almost equally unproductive. Gray started in place of Lewis, mired in a 2-for-27 slump, at third base on Wednesday and in place of Keaschall, mired in a 3-for-21 slump, at second base on Saturday. Keaschall, like Wallner and Lewis, has been a liability on both ends, and this was another rough week for him defensively. Keaschall did have a solid game on Sunday to get his OPS back over .600, but before that, he was among four Twins regulars with an OPS below .600, not counting Wallner who is now in Triple-A. Also included in that group are both of the front office's "big" veteran offseason additions, Josh Bell and Victor Caratini, who have been well below replacement level while earning $7 million apiece. TRENDING STORYLINE Help is on the way via the St. Paul pipeline. As mentioned, Bradley and Laweryson both have rehab assignments underway and could be back as soon as this week. More interesting to track are the standout hitters who are making cases to unseat Minnesota's lineup laggards. If the team is getting close to making a move on Lewis, there are two compelling options to step in as his replacement on the left side of the infield: Orlando Arcia and Kaelen Culpepper. Arcia is hitting .318 with a .932 OPS for the Saints and of course brings the benefit of a lengthy MLB track record. I'm not going to make too much out of his production as a 31-year-old in Triple-A, but I also don't know what more the Twins could want to see from the minor-league signing to convince them he's capable of at least filling in during a short-term reset for Lewis. Culpepper would be more of a long-term commitment, and probably a bleaker sign for Lewis if he were the one swapped in. His performance in St. Paul has been more good than great but he's more than holding his own, both at the plate and in the field, and is viewed as a big part of the Twins' future. He hit his ninth homer of the season on Friday. A couple of other noteworthy players to monitor in St. Paul as potential offensive reinforcements in the near future: Hendry Mendez, who hit his first Triple-A homer on Saturday and is batting 395 through nine games with the Saints. He's not the cleanest fit as a lefty-swinging corner outfielder, but the bat looks legit. Gabriel Gonzalez is shaking off a slow start and finding his groove. He went 8-for-13 with a homer and a double over the weekend, looking more like the dominant hitter we saw throughout the 2025 campaign. Gonzalez has been splitting time pretty evenly between right field and first base. Former first-rounder Aaron Sabato has homered six times with 17 RBIs in his past 11 games. He's a 26-year-old non-prospect and the slugging success in a favorable environment should be taken with a grain of salt, but it'd be a lot of fun to see him get a shot at some point. LOOKING AHEAD The Astros are coming to town, which is a series many were circling on the schedule at the beginning of the season: Carlos Correa's return to Target Field. But a season-ending injury to Correa has zapped that storyline, and in fact the entire Houston lineup is ravaged, which should theoretically make life easier for Twins pitching. Following on off day on Thursday, the Twins will head to Boston to face another struggling big-market team, kicking off a 10-game road trip at Fenway. Can Minnesota capitalize against two of the AL's most disappointing clubs? MONDAY, MAY 18: ASTROS @ TWINS — RHP Lance McCullers Jr. v LHP Kendry Rojas TUESDAY, MAY 19: ASTROS @ TWINS — RHP Mike Burrows v. RHP Zebby Matthews WEDNESDAY, MAY 20: ASTROS @ TWINS — RHP Spencer Arrighetti v. RHP Joe Ryan FRIDAY, MAY 22: TWINS @ RED SOX — LHP Connor Prielipp v. LHP Payton Tolle SATURDAY, MAY 23: TWINS @ RED SOX — RHP Bailey Ober v. TBD SUNDAY, MAY 24: TWINS @ RED SOX — TBD v. RHP Brayan Bello View the full article

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Good role players are hard to find. They're the ones who provide defensive versatility, speed or clutch hits even when there isn't room for them in the starting lineup. Outfielder Esteury Ruiz so far is taking advantage of his limited opportunities with the Miami Marlins. "We'll try each day looking at how to best utilize the 13-man position player group in one way, and those guys that aren't starting to be ready for whether they come off the bench to play defense in a game, pinch-hit, pinch-run, whatever it may be," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. "Do something that day. Be ready for your moment that may come." The Marlins acquired Ruiz over the offseason from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a trade where Miami sent international pitching prospect Adriano Marrero the other way. He has been limited to 17 games since then because of a left oblique strain that he suffered late in spring training. Since coming off the injured list on April 23, Ruiz is slashing .222/.222/.519/.741 with two home runs, four RBI, seven stolen bases and a 99 wRC+. On Saturday against the Rays, Ruiz entered a tie game as a pinch-runner in the top of the 10th inning. He scored the go-ahead run, and later in the same inning, he helped seal a Marlins win by knocking in an RBI single. "He has swung the bat well," McCullough said. "He put together some good at-bats and handled himself well versus left thus far. It's a nice dynamic to have him on our team, and he's a great guy." Ruiz was already an accomplished base-stealer before joining the Marlins, most notably getting 67 steals as a rookie with the 2023 Oakland Athletics. The 27-year-old still has blazing speed, ranking in the 100th percentile of MLB players this season with a 30.1 feet per second Sprint Speed, according to Baseball Savant. He ranks second on the Marlins with seven stolen bases despite making only seven starts. He has yet to get caught on any of his attempts. Catching instructor and first base coach Craig Driver previously coached Ruiz with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025. Driver described him as "easy to work with" and compared him to Billy Hamilton. Hamilton, who had a brief stint with the Marlins, stole 326 bases in 951 career games. "I think that they're both elite runners, where you kind of just like let them go," Driver said. "I feel like probably (Ruiz) is a little bit more refined in terms of how he studies and prepares than Billy was. Billy was just really fast, and so is Ruiz, but I think it helps. It helps make his life a little bit easier, because of the amount of homework that he's done. He knows exactly what he's looking for when he gets out there." Following Sunday's series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Marlins lead Major League Baseball with 57 stolen bases. They're on pace to set a franchise record in that department, though they have also been caught stealing 17 times (second only to the Rays). As much as the Marlins aim to find fast players, they need to get on base to fully utilize their speed. Ruiz still has work to do there with a .222 OBP and no walks drawn yet this season. View the full article

Box Score: Starting Pitcher: Bailey Ober: 5 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K (77 Pitches, 46 Strikes, 59.7%) Home Runs: Ryan Jeffers (7) Top 3 WPA: Kody Clemens (0.24), Justin Topa (0.17), Ryan Jeffers (0.17) Win Probability Chart (Via BaseballSavant): Injuries have decimated the Twins of late, with Byron Buxton, Trevor Larnach, Joe Ryan and Taj Bradley all missing time recently. They entered Sunday having lost two consecutive one run games against the Brewers featuring good pitching and anemic hitting with runners in scoring position. Fortunately, the Twins were starting the streaking Bailey Ober, who pitched a "Maddux" his last time out against the Marlins. I'd go as far as to call it a Carlos Silva, since his pitch count in completing the shutout was less than 90 pitches, with the Maddux criteria having the threshold of 100. In any case, Ober has been great this year, with his change-up somehow getting even better as his fastball velocity has settled into the upper 80's at best. Today Ober was a little floaty with his command and had to fight hard to keep the Brewers from putting up crooked numbers against him. He began the second inning by allowing a walk, double, fly out and another walk before getting the next two hitters on lineouts. He began the fourth by allowing a fly out, then a rocket home run to Garrett Mitchell (115.5 MPH). Joey Ortiz then rifled a double past Austin Martin in right. Again, Ober righted the ship, striking out David Hamilton and getting the electric Jackson Chourio to pop out. Meanwhile the Twins were making lefty Robert Gasser work. Austin Martin led off the first with a walk, and with two outs Kody Clemens doubled him home. After Luke Keaschall walked, Victor Caratini was hit by a pitch, loading the bases for Royce Lewis. That is no longer as exciting as it once was, and despite making Gasser throw ten pitches to him, never seemed close to squaring anything up and ended up striking out on a high change-up. Gasser needed 40 pitches to complete the frame but was allowed to continue. Gasser mostly held it together, his only additional blemish occurring in the third. Ryan Jeffers singled to lead off the inning, and Clemens got yet another extra base hit off a lefty, launching just over the head of Chourio in left. Chourio struggled to collect it and the relay from shortstop Joey Ortiz was pretty terrible, allowing both Jeffers and Clemens to score. The fifth began with consecutive great defensive plays from Lewis and Martin. Good thing, too, because Christian Yelich followed with a moonshot off an Ober change-up to tie the game at three. Although that would be Ober's last inning, he left in line for the win thanks to the continued heroics of Jeffers. The catcher/DH got all of a Grant Anderson sweeper and hit it 389 feet to retake the lead. The teams traded zeroes for a few innings before Jake Bauers led off the eighth inning with a double off of Taylor Rogers. After retiring Sal Frelick without Bauers advancing, Justin Topa was brought in, and despite being Justin Topa, got a couple of grounders to escape the jam. The Brewers would rue that missed opportunity to tie the game. Keaschall led off the bottom of the eighth with a fly ball to deep center that Chourio appeared to catch up to, but couldn't close his glove on it, allowing Keaschall to reach third with a leadoff triple. Caratini then popped a ball up to shallow left, but Keaschall challenged the arm of Bauers and scored easily, stretching the lead to two. That was key, because Luis Garcia and his 9.00 ERA would come on to close the game. He got Chourio to start the frame, but walked Turang and allowed an infield hit to Contreras. He got Yelich to swing through three consecutive pitches for the second out, but the hot-hitting Bauers rifled a single past Clemens at first to cut the lead to one. Garcia then got ahead of Frelick 0-2 before retiring him on a pop-up to the catcher Caratini. Things I'm Tracking: -Clemens briefly got his OPS over .800 after his second double of the game. Considering his slow start and unimpressive track record prior to last year's serviceable contributions, it was fair to question if the 30 year-old would revert to being Denny Hocking with late career Joey Gallo swing outcomes rather than reaching his upside of, I don't know, David Murphy? He's been a good find, and if he keeps his OPS over .750 he might even have some trade value this summer. -I was thinking Jeffers might secure a three year, 45M sort of contract this offseason, and not from the Twins. Now it's looking more like 75-80M over four years and it still won't be from the Twins. Hopefully he stays healthy and secures said bag. -Lewis couldn't lay off the high fastball today and struck out three times. If he doesn't figure it out over the summer he might not be offered a contract this offseason. If you think Lewis gives weird quotes now, imagine what he would say in that scenario. -I see the vision with Andrew Morris. He got Anthony Banda out of a jam in the sixth by retiring Chourio on a weak chopper, than buzz-sawed through Brice Turang and William Contreras in the seventh before giving way to Taylor Rogers. He threw mainly fastballs, hit 97 and located well. What’s Next: The Twins welcome the Houston Astros to Target Field for a three game set. Tatsuya Imai (1-1, 9.24 ERA) will pitch the opener Monday against a pitcher-yet-to-be-determined in what was Simeon Woods Richardson's spot. The Astros have struggled this year as their dynastic roster continues to wither under the pressures of aging and injuries. Postgame Interviews: Coming soon Bullpen Usage Chart: WED THU FRI SAT SUN TOT Topa 35 0 0 0 11 46 Rojas 0 0 41 0 0 41 Garcia 18 0 0 0 22 40 Morris 0 0 24 0 12 36 Rogers 0 0 23 0 8 31 Adams 29 0 0 0 0 29 Orze 0 0 0 26 0 26 Banda 0 0 8 0 18 26 Gómez 0 0 7 11 0 18 View the full article

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Eury Pérez is an enigma on the mound. At 23 years old, Pérez has some of the best pure stuff in the sport, boasting a fastball that routinely touches triple digits and secondary stuff that, when working, looks almost impossible to square up. The problem, however, is that Pérez is much more of a thrower than a pitcher at this stage of his career. Sunday's latest outing against the Tampa Bay Rays echoed the same sentiments. Topping out at 100.5 mph with his four-seam fastball, Pérez threw first-pitch strikes to 74 percent of hitters faced. And yet, when he needed said command the most, it abandoned him like a thief at the sound of sirens. He walked four across five innings in the Marlins' 6-3 loss. In four starts to begin the month of May, Pérez has walked a total of 14 batters. Overall, his 28 free passes this season nearly match last season's total of 32 even though he's only made half as many starts. When asked about these control issues, Pérez—speaking through interpreter Luis Dorante—seems unable to find a reason for said crux. "I think it's a mix of things—good at-bats that they've been taking, a lot of foul balls...and sitting down in a long inning, getting a little cold." "Inconsistency with the strike-throwing. He worked hard for 15 outs today...Right now, it's the start where there is one inning that gets going a bit, and a crooked number goes up," stated Marlins manager Clayton McCullough. Another bug in the Dominican's game has been limiting the long ball. Pérez seemingly got Junior Caminero to loose his balance swinging at a 2-2 sweeper in the bottom of the first, but the All-Star third baseman was strong enough to convert it into his twelfth home run of the season. The Marlins evened the score and eventually took the lead in a two-run second inning, thanks to run-scoring hits from Xavier Edwards and Otto Lopez. With another multi-hit performance on Sunday, Lopez extends his MLB lead with 64 hits. Four innings later, and now facing Yandy Díaz, Pérez left a changeup low and inside that wound up 426 feet from home plate for Díaz's seventh home run. In 239 career innings, Pérez owns a HR/9 of 1.4. Beyond the pair of long balls surrendered, the most crushing blow to Pérez and the Marlins' fortunes came when Taylor Walls, the light-hitting, slick-fielding shortstop, put the Rays up for good with a bases-clearing, three-run triple. Miami's bats did attempt a comeback, highlighted by an eighth-inning rally that saw the team have bases loaded with one out. Leo Jiménez would strike out for out number two. Heriberto Hernández, whose pinch-hit, solo home run started a 10-run outburst for the Marlins on Saturday, lined out to the aforementioned Walls for the third out. With the loss, the Marlins fall to 21-26. They have not won a series in Tampa since 2018 despite visiting there annually. The New York Mets are only half a game behind Miami for last place in the NL East. Looking Ahead The Marlins return home, where they are set to begin a four-game series against the division-leading Atlanta Braves. Max Meyer (3-0, 3.21 ERA) will make his second career start versus Atlanta in Monday's series opener. Opposing Meyer, JR Ritchie (1-0, 3.32), will make his first career start against Miami, and just the fifth of his major league career. First pitch from loanDepot park is slated for 6:40 EST. View the full article

The Lucas Giolito era with the San Diego Padres is here. The Padres called up Giolito, a right-handed starter, from Double-A San Antonio to make his season debut with Sunday's start vs. the Seattle Mariners. Right-hander Alek Jacob was optioned to Triple-A El Paso to make room. Giolito was already on the Padres' 40-man roster after signing with the team April 22 for one year and $2.8 million. Since Giolito was not injured, he was optioned to the minors to get ready to join the rotation. Also, right-hander Jhony Brito began a rehab assignment at Double-A. The 31-year-old Giolito was the last of the major free agents from the offseason to sign and joins a Padres rotation that needs an upgrade. Following the injuries and setbacks to right-handers Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove, the Friars have mostly done fine in muddling through the first quarter of the season, but Giolito brings quality to the rotation. With the Boston Red Sox last season, Giolito posted a 3.41 ERA in 26 starts and 141 innings in which he had a 9.1% walk rate and 19.7% strikeout rate. Giolito missed all of the 2024 season following Tommy John surgery and didn't make his season debut until the end of April The Padres also had right-hander Matt Waldron go on the 15-day IL Friday with a right brachialis muscle injury. Waldron apparently had been dealing with the injury for the last few weeks but did not tell the team about it with his roster spot in jeopardy. Waldron replaced Pivetta, the Opening Day starter, in the rotation. Giolito made four starts in the minors, two with Low-A Lake Elsinore and two with Double-A San Antonio. Between the four, he pitched 17 innings and had a 4.76 ERA, allowing 11 runs (nine earned) on 18 hits with six walks and 18 strikeouts. Jacob came up Friday and pitched in Saturday's 7-4 victory over the Mariners, allowing two runs without recording an out. It was his second one-game call-up this year. View the full article

Barring something unexpected happening, Jesus Made will sit atop the MLB prospect lists from now until he makes his MLB debut for the Milwaukee Brewers, which could very well be Opening Day 2027. And with that, comes the pressure of living up to being No. 1. Made, a 19-year-old shortstop, ascended to that lofty perch Wednesday when Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin, who was the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball when he was promoted to the majors April 3, accumulated enough at-bats (130) to lose that status. Made began the season at No. 3 on most lists and has watched as Griffin and Detroit Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle got their much-anticipated calls to the majors. That decision doesn't appear to be imminent for Made. The Brewers, while not afraid of promoting players from one level to the next during the season, don't like to rush their prospects. It is one reason they currently have the best farm system in MLB. Take outfielder Jackson Chourio, for instance. Chourio played for the Brewers in the Dominican Summer League in 2021 as a 17-year-old. He made his U.S. debut as an 18-year-old in 2022, playing 62 games for the Low-A Carolina Mudcats, then being promoted to the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers for 31 games. With time left in the season, Chourio got six games with the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers. His prospect stock skyrocketed as the season progressed, putting up a combined slash line of .288/.342/.538 with 20 homers, 75 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. Originally signed as a shortstop, Chourio blossomed when moved to the outfield in the DSL. Being able to play a premier position such as center field made him that much more valuable. He returned to Biloxi for much of the 2023 season, showing his dynamic potential with a .280/.336/.467 slash line. He hit 22 homers, drove in 89 and stole 43 bases. He played the final week with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds, going 7-for-21 (.333). That offseason, Chourio made history by signing a record eight-year, $82 million contract extension with team options for two more years. He didn't go to Nashville for the start of 2024, instead making the team out of spring training, making his MLB debut as a 20-year-old. All he has done since is put up nearly identical slash lines: 2024: .275/.327/.464, 21 HRs, 79 RBIs, 22 SBs 2025: .270/.308/.463, 21 HRs, 78 RBIs, 21 SBs That is roughly the plan the Brewers have for Made. Having turned 19 this month, Made began this season at Double-A Biloxi after playing at three levels as an 18-year-old. In 2025, he went from Low-A Carolina to High-A Wisconsin and then a cameo at Biloxi, putting out a combined slash line of .285/.379/.413 with six homers and 47 stolen bases. Entering the weekend, Made had a .257/.340/.400 slash line with three homers, 20 RBIs and 15 steals in 34 games. It wouldn't be surprising to see Made promoted to Triple-A Nashville before the end of June, which would give him three months at that level. It's very unlikely he'll force his way past the several players in front of him on the depth chart to debut this season. Cooper Pratt and Jett Williams, who are No. 4 and No. 5 on Brewer Fanatic's prospect rankings, would be the better call-up choices for this year, and of course, the team has two shortstops in the majors right now, in Joey Ortiz and David Hamilton. That could always change if Made goes on a tear and leaves the Brewers with no choice, of course. But considering Made plays the most important defensive position and still has a little work to do on that side of the ball, the more experience he gets, the better. He split time the past two years with Luis Pena, Brewer Fanatic's No. 2 prospect. Most of the analysts say Made has the ability to stick at shortstop, but third base or second base could be an option, too. A switch-hitter, Made differs from Chourio in that he doesn't currently present much in terms of power, but that is something that could come as his body matures. He does appear to be an advanced hitter. Made had a 20.6% strikeout rate last year and a 12.8% walk rate, which is really good when you consider his age and that the MLB averages are 22.4% and 8.4%. Through Saturday, Made was at 16.4% for his strikeout rate and 11.3% for his walk rate this year. Baseball America has put a 70 grade (on the 20-80 scouting scale) on Made's hit tool, which means it's plus-plus. He hits to all fields with authority, due to a compact swing from both sides of the plate. It would be easy to project Made batting leadoff with Chourio second once Made gets acclimated to the majors. Remember that Chourio struggled mightily and had a .207 batting average on June 1 of his rookie season before figuring things out. But Made will also have someone like Chourio to lean on whenever he does make his debut. Will his newfound status as baseball's No. 1 prospect affect how he performs on a daily basis? You wouldn't think so. The Brewers pursue players who typically have the sort of comportment that something like this wouldn't play mind games with the teenager. He will face more heckling when the Shuckers play on the road, but nothing he hasn't heard thus far as one of the game's elite prospects. Brewers fans will no doubt get impatient knowing Made is waiting in the wings, especially if Ortiz doesn't improve offensively, but the patience the Brewers are showing with their young shortstop is the same thing the fanbase needs to exercise. Made will be ready when he is ready and the Brewers will know when that time comes. View the full article

The quest for Ty Blach to return to the majors is complete. The left-hander was called up from Triple-A Iowa on Sunday. Right-hander Javier Assad was optioned to Triple-A and reliever Hunter Harvey was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL to make room for Blach on the 40-man roster. Blach has not pitched in the majors since the 2024 season, the last of his three years with the Colorado Rockies. At Triple-A this year, Blach made five appearances, including three starts. In 20⅔ innings, he walked seven and struck out 14 for a 5.23 ERA. He signed a minor-league deal with the Cubs this offseason. In 2025, Blach pitched in the Texas Rangers' organization, making 11 starts at Triple-A and posting a 3.88 ERA, walking 13 and striking out 40 in 51 innings. Assad has struggled this season. After making three starts that included giving up nine runs in one game, he was moved to the bullpen. His five relief appearances have mainly been good, although he did give up six runs in 2⅓ innings in one game. View the full article

Syracuse rallied for four runs in the 10th to win 6-2, with Christian Arroyo's go-ahead double and Dylan Ross collecting two scoreless innings for the win. St. Lucie held off Jupiter 7-6 behind Randy Guzman's three-run homer and Chase Meggers' three-RBI night, with Jose Chirinos earning the win across 5 2/3 frames. Brooklyn fell 1-0 in a pitcher's duel despite Irving Cota's three hitless innings. Binghamton dropped 12-3 at Somerset behind Nick Lorusso's solo homer. Mets Transactions New York Mets placed RHP Clay Holmes on the 15-day injured list. Right fibula fracture. New York Mets recalled RHP Joey Gerber from Syracuse Mets. Syracuse Erupts For Four In The 10th To Top RailRiders Syracuse pulled away in extras for a 6-2 win at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, breaking a tie with a four-run 10th inning. Christian Arroyo led the way at 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI, delivering both the tying hit in the eighth and the go-ahead double in the 10th. Eric Wagaman went 2-for-4 with a double and a walk, and Yonny Hernández added a 2-for-5 night with an RBI. Jihwan Bae singled, walked twice, drove in a run, and stole a base. Xzavion Curry made the start and worked five innings, allowing two runs on six hits with three strikeouts and no walks. Dylan Ross handled the final two innings, striking out three and walking one without allowing a hit to pick up the win and improve to 2-0. The decisive stretch began in the eighth, when Arroyo singled in Bae to even the score at 2. After Curry surrendered a two-run home run in the second, Bae had pulled Syracuse within one in the third by singling home Jackson Cluff. In the 10th, zombie runner Matt Rudick scored on a Nick Morabito single, Arroyo doubled in Morabito, a Wagaman walk and a wild pitch brought home Ryan Clifford, and Hernández singled in Arroyo. Syracuse stranded eight runners and collected 11 hits without an error. Player AB R H RBI BB K Nick Morabito 5 1 1 1 0 1 Ji Hwan Bae 3 1 1 1 2 0 Ryan Clifford 4 1 0 0 1 2 Christian Arroyo 5 1 2 2 0 0 Eric Wagaman 4 0 2 0 1 1 Yonny Hernández 5 0 2 1 0 0 Cristian Pache 5 0 1 0 0 2 Jackson Cluff 4 1 1 0 0 1 Kevin Parada 4 0 1 0 0 3 Matt Rudick 0 1 0 0 0 0 Ben Rortvedt 0 0 0 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Xzavion Curry 5 6 2 2 0 3 1 Jonathan Pintaro 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 Nate Lavender 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Dylan Ross 2 0 0 0 1 3 0 Rumble Ponies Routed At Somerset Binghamton dropped a 12-3 decision at Somerset, undone by two big innings from the home club. Nick Lorusso led the offense at 2-for-5 with a solo home run and two RBI. Chris Suero went 2-for-3 with two walks and a run, working the leadoff spot, and Jose Ramos went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and a walk. Starter Jordan Geber struggled with command, allowing four runs on three hits and three walks across 1 2/3 innings with four strikeouts and a home run to take the loss and fall to 1-4. The damage piled up early. Somerset put up four runs in the second inning, capped by a grand slam, then broke things open with four more in the fifth on a string of three singles and a two-run double. Binghamton's first run came in the sixth when Lorusso connected for a solo shot to left, and the visitors plated two more in the seventh on Ramos' RBI double, which scored Diego Mosquera, and Lorusso's run-scoring single. Felipe De La Cruz and Jefry Yan combined for four innings of relief work, with Yan striking out two without allowing an earned run. Brian Metoyer absorbed five hits and four runs across 1 1/3 innings. Binghamton stranded 10 runners and committed one error. Player AB R H RBI BB K Chris Suero 3 1 2 0 2 1 Jacob Reimer 4 0 0 0 1 0 Jose Ramos 3 0 2 1 1 0 Nick Lorusso 5 1 2 2 0 1 JT Schwartz 3 0 0 0 1 2 TT Bowens 4 0 0 0 0 2 Wyatt Young 4 0 0 0 0 0 Vincent Perozo 4 0 0 0 0 0 Diego Mosquera 3 1 0 0 1 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jordan Geber 1 2/3 3 4 4 3 4 1 Felipe De La Cruz 2 1 1 1 0 3 1 Brian Metoyer 1 1/3 5 4 4 0 1 0 Jefry Yan 2 1 0 0 1 2 0 Wyatt Young 1 2 3 0 0 0 1 Cyclones Blanked At Rome In Tight Pitcher's Duel Brooklyn was shut out 1-0 at Rome, managing just three hits and striking out 13 times without drawing a walk. Leadoff hitter Mitch Voit went 1-for-4 with a double, Sam Biller added a 1-for-3 night with a double, and John Bay singled to account for the Cyclones' three hits. Brooklyn pitching surrendered just two hits across eight innings and combined for eight strikeouts. Irving Cota was sharp at the start, working three hitless innings with three strikeouts and no walks. Parker Carlson followed and absorbed the loss, charged with the lone run on one hit and three walks across two innings, though the run was unearned. The decisive inning came in the bottom of the fourth. Carlson walked two with one out, and a groundout to second plated the eventual game-winning run for Rome. Cristofer Gomez settled the game with 1 1/3 innings of one-hit relief and three strikeouts, and Garrett Stratton finished with 1 2/3 hitless innings and one strikeout. Brooklyn left three runners on base and committed one error, which proved costly in the only inning Rome reached the scoreboard. The Cyclones never advanced a runner past second. Player AB R H RBI BB K Mitch Voit 4 0 1 0 0 1 Yonatan Henriquez 4 0 0 0 0 3 Ronald Hernandez 4 0 0 0 0 2 Corey Collins 3 0 0 0 0 2 Daiverson Gutierrez 3 0 0 0 0 1 John Bay 3 0 1 0 0 1 Sam Biller 3 0 1 0 0 1 Nick Roselli 3 0 0 0 0 1 Yohairo Cuevas 3 0 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Irving Cota 3 0 0 0 0 3 0 Parker Carlson 2 1 1 0 3 1 0 Cristofer Gomez 1 1/3 1 0 0 0 3 0 Garrett Stratton 1 2/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 St. Lucie Holds Off Jupiter Behind Guzman And Meggers St. Lucie outlasted Jupiter 7-6 thanks to a five-run first and two more in the fifth. Randy Guzman went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run, three RBI, and a run scored, and Chase Meggers went 2-for-4 with three RBI on a pair of two-run singles. AJ Salgado added a 2-for-4 effort, leadoff hitter Elian Peña reached three times with a hit, a walk, and a run, and cleanup hitter Julio Zayas walked twice and scored twice. Starter Jose Chirinos worked 5 2/3 innings, allowing four runs, three earned, on six hits with two strikeouts and no walks to pick up the win and move to 2-1. The first inning broke the game open. Peña singled, JT Benson walked, and Guzman launched a three-run shot to left field. After Salgado singled, Sam Robertson reached, and Meggers cleared the bases with a two-run single to put St. Lucie up 5-0. Jupiter clawed back with three in the third on a sacrifice fly and a two-run homer, but Robertson reached on a fielder's choice in the fifth to score Zayas, and Meggers brought home Salgado for a 7-3 cushion. Jupiter pushed three more across in the sixth, including two on a single deflected by Peña, before Christian Rodriguez closed it out with a perfect ninth for his second save. St. Lucie left seven on base. Player AB R H RBI BB K Elian Peña 4 1 1 0 1 1 JT Benson 3 1 1 0 2 2 Randy Guzman 4 1 1 3 0 0 Julio Zayas 2 2 1 0 2 0 AJ Salgado 4 1 2 0 0 1 Sam Robertson 4 1 1 1 0 0 Chase Meggers 4 0 2 3 0 1 Simon Juan 4 0 0 0 0 1 Jamari Baylor 4 0 1 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jose Chirinos 5 2/3 6 4 3 0 2 1 Ryan Dollar 1/3 3 2 0 0 0 0 Justin Armbruester 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 Adbert Alzolay 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Christian Rodriguez 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Nolan McLean: DNP Carson Benge: DNP A.J. Ewing: DNP Jonah Tong: DNP Ryan Clifford: 0-for-4, BB, 2 K Jacob Reimer: 0-for-4, BB Jack Wenninger: DNP Elian Pena: 1-for-4, BB, K Mitch Voit: 1-for-4, 2B, K Nick Morabito: 1-for-5, RBI, K Jonathan Santucci: DNP Chris Suero: 2-for-3, 2 BB, K Zach Thornton: DNP Wandy Asigen: DNP Will Watson: DNP Eli Serrano III: DNP Ryan Lambert: DNP Dylan Ross: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, 3 K, W Antonio Jimenez: DNP R.J. Gordon: DNP View the full article

Another pitching injury has opened the door for a prospect. Right-handed reliever Tommy Nance was placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday with right forearm discomfort by the Toronto Blue Jays. Left-handed reliever Adam Macko was called up from Triple-A Buffalo to make his MLB debut. Nance has made 20 appearances this year with a 3.86 ERA over 21 innings, walking eight and striking out 25. Macko was a seventh-round draft choice of the Seattle Mariners in 2019 and acquired by the Jays in November 2022 as part of the Teoscar Hernandez trade. At Triple-A this season, Macko pitched in 13 games covering 18 innings with eight walks and 19 strikeouts. View the full article

Marlins first base coach and catching instructor Craig Driver speaks with the media about the preparation that goes into stealing bases and what he's seen from Joe Mack, Esteury Ruiz, Liam Hicks and other Marlins players this season.View the full article

It won't be a bullpen day after all. Left-handed starter Robert Gasser was called up Sunday by the Milwaukee Brewers from Triple-A Nashville and will start the series finale against the Minnesota Twins. Right-hander Peter Strzelecki was designated for assignment, leaving the Crew's 40-man roster at 39. Gasser will be making his first appearance with the Brewers this season. He dealt with arm soreness during spring training, which set him back slightly, and then into the regular season at Triple-A after not making the Opening Day roster. But Gasser has now made six starts and pitched 21⅔ innings at Nashville, putting up a 3.74 ERA with eight walks and 32 strikeouts. He made two abbreviated starts for the Brewers at the end of the 2025 season in his comeback from Tommy John surgery and was on the postseason roster. Strzelecki was called up Saturday when right-hander Coleman Crow was optioned back to Triple-A following Friday's spot start. Strzelecki didn't pitch in Saturday's game. View the full article

Abraham Toro's grand slam capped a three-homer attack as Omaha cruised 11-3 in a rain-shortened win over Toledo, with Brett Squires and Luke Maile also going deep. Emmanuel Reyes spun a six-inning, no-earned-run gem with eight strikeouts to lead Quad Cities to an 8-2 victory. Northwest Arkansas was shut out 4-0 despite a sharp 4 1/3-inning, no-run effort from Hunter Patteson. Jhosmmel Zue's two-run double walked off Columbia's 8-7 win over Hickory in 11 innings. Royals Transactions Kansas City Royals placed LHP Matt Strahm on the 15-day injured list with right knee inflammation. Kansas City Royals activated LHP Bailey Falter from the 15-day injured list. Toro's Grand Slam Caps Three-Homer Rout In Rain-Shortened Win The Omaha Storm Chasers cruised to an 11-3 win over the Toledo Mud Hens in a game called by rain after the top of the eighth inning. Cleanup hitter Brett Squires went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI, and Abraham Toro added a grand slam, finishing 1-for-2 with four RBI and two walks. Luke Maile also went deep, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, while Gavin Cross had two hits and a stolen base. The Storm Chasers turned the game on its head in the bottom of the first, scoring six runs after Toledo had taken a 1-0 lead in the top half. Leadoff hitter Tyler Tolbert reached on an error, John Rave singled, and Squires followed with a three-run homer to right center, scoring Tolbert and Rave. Two batters later, with Cross and Dustin Dickerson aboard via walks, Maile launched a three-run shot to left field to make it 6-1. Omaha widened the gap in the bottom of the fourth. With the bases loaded on a Kevin Newman double and walks to John Rave and Drew Waters, Toro crushed a grand slam to right center, extending the lead to 11-3. Starter Aaron Sanchez allowed three earned runs on five hits, walking three and striking out four across 3 2/3 innings. Ethan Bosacker and Anthony Gose combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings in relief before rain forced the early conclusion. Player AB R H RBI BB K Tyler Tolbert (CF) 5 1 0 0 0 1 John Rave (RF) 3 2 1 0 1 0 Drew Waters (DH) 3 1 0 0 1 1 Brett Squires (1B) 4 1 3 3 0 1 Abraham Toro (3B) 2 2 1 4 2 0 Gavin Cross (LF) 4 1 2 0 0 0 Dustin Dickerson (2B) 2 1 1 1 1 0 Luke Maile (C) 4 1 2 3 0 1 Kevin Newman (SS) 4 1 1 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Aaron Sanchez 3 2/3 5 3 3 3 4 1 Ethan Bosacker 2 1/3 1 0 0 0 1 0 Anthony Gose 2 3 0 0 1 1 0 Patteson Sharp, But Bullpen Falters In Seventh As Naturals Get Shut Out The Northwest Arkansas Naturals were shut out 4-0 by the Arkansas Travelers, who broke open a scoreless game with a four-run seventh inning. The Naturals managed only five hits, with Jack Pineda leading the way at 2-for-4. Leadoff hitter Rudy Martin Jr. added a double, and Carson Roccaforte and Connor Scott each drew walks. For six innings, the game was a pitcher's duel. Starter Hunter Patteson worked 4 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and four walks while striking out four. Oscar Rayo followed with 1 2/3 scoreless innings of his own, walking two and striking out three. Things unraveled in the top of the seventh. Dennis Colleran Jr. issued back-to-back walks to begin the inning, threw a wild pitch, and then surrendered an RBI double. The next batter launched a three-run homer to left center to put Arkansas up 4-0. Colleran walked two more before Augusto Mendieta entered with the bases loaded. Mendieta allowed a single but induced a flyout to escape further damage without surrendering a run. Colleran was charged with four earned runs in only 1/3 of an inning, walking four and giving up the home run. Mendieta finished with 2 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out three. The Naturals' bats could not generate a rally, leaving six runners on base across the night. Player AB R H RBI BB K Rudy Martin Jr. (LF) 4 0 1 0 0 1 Colton Becker (3B) 4 0 0 0 0 3 Sam Kulasingam (1B) 4 0 1 0 0 1 Carson Roccaforte (CF) 3 0 0 0 1 2 Jack Pineda (SS) 4 0 2 0 0 0 Omar Hernandez (C) 2 0 0 0 0 1 Canyon Brown (DH) 3 0 1 0 0 1 Connor Scott (RF) 2 0 0 0 1 1 Justin Johnson (2B) 3 0 0 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Hunter Patteson 4 1/3 4 0 0 4 4 0 Oscar Rayo 1 2/3 0 0 0 2 3 0 Dennis Colleran Jr. 1/3 2 4 4 4 0 1 Augusto Mendieta 2 2/3 2 0 0 0 3 0 Reyes' Quality Start, Figueroa's Three-Run Homer Lead River Bandits Past Lansing The Quad Cities River Bandits notched an 8-2 road win over the Lansing Lugnuts behind a quality start from Emmanuel Reyes and a three-run homer from Derlin Figueroa. Catcher Blake Mitchell led the hitting attack, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI, a walk, and a stolen base. Leadoff hitter Nolan Sailors also went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, two runs scored, and a stolen base. Figueroa finished with four RBI on his home run, and cleanup hitter Luke Pelzer added a triple and an RBI. The River Bandits jumped on Lansing in the top of the third. With one out, Sailors singled, Asbel Gonzalez walked, and Mitchell ripped an RBI single to right to score Sailors. After Pelzer reached, Figueroa unloaded a three-run home run to center field, giving Quad Cities a 4-0 lead. The Bandits kept adding on. Gonzalez delivered an RBI sacrifice fly in the fifth, and an unearned run in the seventh scored Figueroa on a throwing error. In the ninth, Pelzer tripled home Mitchell and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Figueroa. Reyes turned in a quality start, going six innings and allowing four hits and one unearned run while walking one and striking out eight. Aiden Jimenez followed with three innings, allowing two hits and one earned run with two walks and two strikeouts. Player AB R H RBI BB K Nolan Sailors (RF) 4 2 3 0 1 0 Asbel Gonzalez (CF) 3 1 0 1 0 1 Blake Mitchell (C) 4 1 3 1 1 0 Luke Pelzer (LF) 5 2 1 1 0 1 Derlin Figueroa (3B) 4 2 1 4 0 1 Jose Cerice (1B) 4 0 2 0 1 1 Tyriq Kemp (SS) 5 0 0 0 0 1 Erick Torres (DH) 3 0 0 0 1 0 Angel Acosta (2B) 4 0 0 0 0 3 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Emmanuel Reyes 6 4 1 0 1 8 0 Aiden Jimenez 3 2 1 1 2 2 0 Jhosmmel Zue Walks Off Fireflies' 8-7 Win Over Hickory In 11 The Columbia Fireflies outlasted the Hickory Crawdads 8-7 in 11 innings, walking off on a two-run double by Jhosmmel Zue. Leadoff hitter Henry Ramos paced the offense, going 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI, and a walk. Stone Russell added two hits, a double, and two RBI, and Connor Rasmussen reached base five times on a 2-for-2 day with a double, three walks, and two runs scored. Zue finished with three RBI on his game-winning double. Hickory took a 1-0 lead in the first inning before Columbia answered with two runs in the third on an RBI double by Ramos and an RBI single by Russell. The Fireflies added two more in the fourth on RBI singles by Ramos and Josh Hammond to lead 4-1. The lead held until the seventh, when Hickory cut it to 4-3 with a two-run double. In the ninth, a solo home run tied the game at 4-4 and forced extra innings. Hickory pushed across its zombie runner in the top of the 10th, but Zue's sacrifice fly plated Columbia zombie runner Daniel Lopez to tie the game again at 5-5. Hickory scored two more in the top of the 11th to take a 7-5 lead. In the bottom half, Russell doubled home zombie runner Josh Hammond to make it 7-6. Two more baserunners reached on walks, and with two outs, Zue laced a two-run double down the right-field line, scoring Russell and pinch runner Josi Novas to walk off the win. Starter Jordan Woods worked four innings, allowing three hits and one earned run with one walk and three strikeouts. Henson Leal followed with three innings, allowing three hits and two earned runs with two walks and two strikeouts. Jhon Reyes gave up the game-tying solo homer in the ninth across two innings of work, and Dash Albus earned the win with two innings, allowing three runs but only one earned with three strikeouts. Player AB R H RBI BB K Henry Ramos (LF) 5 1 3 2 1 0 Josh Hammond (SS) 6 1 1 1 0 2 Stone Russell (1B) 6 1 2 2 0 1 Hyungchan Um (C) 4 0 1 0 2 0 Josi Novas (PR) 0 1 0 0 0 0 Sean Gamble (CF) 5 0 2 0 0 1 JC Vanek (1B) 3 0 0 0 1 1 Daniel Lopez (PR) 0 1 0 0 0 0 Yandel Ricardo (2B) 0 0 0 0 1 0 Roni Cabrera (RF) 4 1 1 0 0 0 Jhosmmel Zue (DH) 5 0 1 3 0 0 Connor Rasmussen (3B) 2 2 2 0 3 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jordan Woods 4 3 1 1 1 3 0 Henson Leal 3 3 2 2 2 2 0 Jhon Reyes 2 3 1 1 0 2 1 Dash Albus 2 3 3 1 0 3 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Kendry Chourio: DNP David Shields: DNP Sean Gamble: 2-for-5, K Blake Mitchell: 3-for-4, 2 2B, RBI, BB, SB Josh Hammond: 1-for-6, RBI, 2 K, SB Ramon Ramirez: DNP Drew Beam: DNP Asbel Gonzalez: 0-for-3, RBI, K Ben Kudrna: DNP Carson Roccaforte: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K Yandel Ricardo: 0-for-0, BB Felix Arronde: DNP Blake Wolters: DNP Michael Lombardi: DNP Luinder Avila: DNP Steven Zobac: DNP Frank Mozzicato: DNP Daniel Vazquez: DNP Warren Colcano: DNP Shane Panzini: DNP View the full article

Boston Red Sox Farm System Recap Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Series at Buffalo Bisons (Toronto Blue Jays): 1-4 Season Record: 23-20 Worcester fell for the third straight time in a five-inning game shortened by rain. Alec Gamboa made the start for the WooSox, going four innings before the rain became too much. He allowed four hits and two runs, both runs coming via solo homers. Gamboa’s start was otherwise unremarkable, he struck out three and didn’t walk a batter. The WooSox offense recorded four hits before the game was suspended. Similarly to Friday’s contest, they didn’t record a hit with runners in scoring position despite having four opportunities. Kristian Campbell, Matt Lloyd, Nate Eaton, and Braiden Ward each recorded a hit. Campbell, Eaton, and Ward each singled and Lloyd doubled. Ward also drew the only walk of the afternoon for Worcester. Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Series at Hartford Yard Goats (Colorado Rockies): 3-2 Season Record: 17-20 Portland lost in walk-off fashion despite excellent work from the bullpen. Jedixson Paez was scratched from his start on Saturday evening with a sore hip, per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. Patrick Halligan stepped up in his place and put together his best outing of the season. Across a season-high four innings, Halligan didn’t allow a baserunner. He struck out four amid his perfect outing, setting up Erik Rivera for his relief appearance. Rivera’s outing was a mixed bag, however. Over two and ⅓ innings, he allowed one run on a wild pitch and Hartford scored once more on a passed ball. Despite this, he sent five batters packing on strikes. Rivera is a strikeout machine, totalling 30 punchouts over 22 and ⅔ innings. Over the next two and ⅔ innings,Max Carlson struck out three and didn’t allow a run. His outing gave the Sea Dogs offense room to work as the game advanced to extras. In the tenth, Reidis Sena tried to fend off the Yard Goats as they attempted to walk it off. And walk it off they did, with two men in scoring position, they dropped down consecutive sacrifice bunts, winning the game. Sena got hit with the blown save as he failed to win it for Portland. If you went to Saturday’s game after being in attendance Friday, you might have thought you were watching the same game all over again. Slow offense on both sides led to yet another extra-innings match-up. Brooks Brannon got the Sea Dogs started with a one-run double in the first, driving in Nate Baez. Down 2-1, Tyler McDonough stepped to the plate in the seventh and launched a solo homer to tie the game. Max Ferguson played the hero in the tenth, scoring Will Turner on a ground ball to left field. Despite Ferguson’s heroics, Portland fell in heartbreaking fashion. Franklin Arias was also removed from the game in the fifth inning after going 0/2 with a walk. Johanfran Garcia, Brannon, and Ferguson each recorded two hits, but the Sea Dogs went 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position as they failed to capitalize. High-A Greenville Drive Series vs. Bowling Green Hot Rods (Tampa Bay Rays): 0-5 Season Record: 14-24 The losing skid continued for Greenville as they lost for the eighth straight game. Devin Futrell put in two and ⅓ innings of work to start Saturday’s contest, allowing seven hits and four runs as Bowling Green’s offense jumped ahead early. He was ejected in the third inning. While not much has gone right for the Drive during their losing streak, Osvaldo Berrios’ rehab stint on Saturday did. Across two and ⅓ innings of work Berrios allowed one hit and one walk as he struck out four of the nine batters he faced. Jay Allmer took the next two and ⅓, but let Bowling Green take control as he got the loss and a blown save. He allowed three hits and walked three, giving up four runs (one unearned) as his ERA rose to 8.24. Allmer was bad, but Luis Cohen was worse. Over the final two innings he allowed the Hot Rods to tack on an additional six runs on six more hits and two walks. Saturday was Greenville’s strongest offensive performance in a long time, but it still wasn’t enough to take down the Hot Rods. Down three in the second, Antonio Anderson tripled, driving in Ronny Hernandez. He was driven in later in the inning on a ground out by Natanael Yuten. Down 4-2 in the third, Jack Winnay homered with Yoeilin Cespedes aboard to make it a tie game. One inning later, the Drive took the lead on an RBI single from Justin Gonzales. Gonzales went ⅘ with an RBI and a run as he continues his dominant season. Cespedes followed this up with an RBI single of his own as he also had a four-hit day, leading the team with a .315 batting average. To cap off a three run inning, Winnay drove in Gonzales with a double, his third RBI of the day. As the Hot Rods scored ten unanswered runs, there was nothing the Drive could do but shake their heads. The only silver lining was a second home run, and fourth RBI, from Winnay, who contributed to half of the Drive’s offensive success. Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Series at Fredericksburg Nationals (Washington Nationals): 2-3 Season Record: 17-21 Salem fell yet again by a one-run margin, this time by a score of 10-9. Cole Tolbert pitched the first three innings of Saturday’s contest, allowing just one run on a solo homer. He struck out five of the ten batters he faced as he let up his first run of the season thus far. Leighton Finley took the next three frames as the game started to unravel. Fredericksburg teed off against Finley, notching ten hits and eight runs as they drew four walks. Finley struck out just one batter in what was his worst start of the season by far. His ERA rose from 1.52 to 4.05 as the Nationals took advantage of his poor showing. Adam Bates took the final two innings, looking to rebound from Finley’s disaster. He pitched okay, allowing one more run and walking four. Salem’s offense fought hard, but fell just short for the second straight contest. D’Angelo Ortiz scored on a wild pitch in the second inning to put the first run on the board for Salem. Ty Hodge followed this up with a sacrifice fly in the third inning to score Skylar King, snagging a one-run lead. King then reached in the fifth on a scoring error as Enddy Azocar crossed home. Andrews Opata scored next as Hodge reached on a fielder's choice. The RidgeYaks weren’t done scoring, King scored a second time on a single by Andruw Musett. Finally, Frederik Jimenez scored on a single by Avinson Pinto to establish a three-run lead. With the tables turned and Salem facing a three-run hole in the seventh, Pinto drove in two on a single to put the RidgeYaks within striking distance. Down 10-8 in the top of the eighth, Opata drove in Starlyn Nunez, but Salem was unable to tie the ballgame. View the full article

Cubs Transactions Chicago Cubs sent LHP Caleb Thielbar on a rehab assignment to South Bend Cubs. Iowa Cubs Buried By Sounds' First-Inning Onslaught The Iowa Cubs fell 12-1 to the Nashville Sounds, with the home club doing most of its damage in the first inning. Starter Vince Velasquez (L, 1-1) recorded just two outs while allowing five earned runs on one hit, four walks, and one home run, with two strikeouts. With the bases loaded, Velasquez issued an RBI walk to make it 1-0, then served up a grand slam that pushed the lead to 5-0. Collin Snider relieved Velasquez and immediately surrendered a three-run home run, capping an eight-run frame. Nashville tacked on three more runs in the third on a home run off Tyler Ferguson, and pushed across a final run in the eighth. Iowa managed only five hits, left seven runners on base, and scratched out its only run in the top of the ninth. Pedro Ramírez went 1-for-2 with a double, two walks, and a run scored, while Owen Miller added two hits and a walk. Cleanup hitter Kevin Alcántara reached safely twice with a single and a walk. James Triantos drove in Iowa's only run with an RBI single in the ninth. Casey Opitz worked three innings of one-run relief, while Gavin Hollowell added 1 1/3 hitless innings with two strikeouts and a walk. Player AB R H RBI BB K Justin Dean 4 0 0 0 0 3 Pedro Ramírez 2 1 1 0 2 0 Jonathon Long 4 0 0 0 0 0 Kevin Alcántara 3 0 1 0 1 1 James Triantos 4 0 1 1 0 2 Christian Bethancourt 4 0 0 0 0 2 Owen Miller 3 0 2 0 1 0 Scott Kingery 4 0 0 0 0 1 Brett Bateman 3 0 0 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Vince Velasquez (L, 1-1) 2/3 1 5 5 4 2 1 Collin Snider 1 1/3 2 3 3 1 1 1 Tyler Ferguson 1 2/3 2 3 3 1 1 1 Casey Opitz 3 4 1 1 0 0 0 Gavin Hollowell 1 1/3 0 0 0 1 2 0 Smokies' Bats Quiet In Loss At Columbus The Knoxville Smokies dropped a 6-2 decision at Columbus, managing just a brief third-inning rally for their only runs of the night. Starter Tyler Schlaffer worked four innings, allowing two runs on five hits with two walks, two strikeouts, and one home run. The Smokies tied the game at one in the top of the third when Karson Simas scored on a throwing error by the Clingstones' catcher, then took a brief 2-1 lead on a sacrifice fly from cleanup hitter Owen Ayers that plated Alex Ramírez. Columbus answered with a solo home run in the bottom of the third to even the score, pushed across two runs in the fifth off Luis Rujano (L, 1-1) on a pair of singles, and added two more in the seventh off Tyler Santana on a double to right field. Jordan Nwogu paced the Knoxville offense with a 2-for-4 night and a stolen base. Simas reached three times on a hit, a walk, and a run scored, while Carter Trice and Alex Ramírez each added a hit and a run scored. Jefferson Rojas chipped in with a hit and a walk in three at-bats. Santana finished with four strikeouts over two innings of relief. Knoxville left seven runners on base in the loss. Player AB R H RBI BB K Karson Simas 3 1 1 0 1 2 Alex Ramírez 4 1 1 0 0 2 Carter Trice 4 0 1 0 0 1 Owen Ayers 3 0 0 1 0 2 Jefferson Rojas 3 0 1 0 1 1 Jordan Nwogu 4 0 2 0 0 1 Ethan Hearn 4 0 0 0 0 3 Ed Howard 4 0 0 0 0 2 Hayden Cantrelle 4 0 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Tyler Schlaffer 4 5 2 2 2 2 1 Luis Rujano (L, 1-1) 2 2 2 1 1 1 0 Tyler Santana 2 3 2 2 0 4 0 South Bend Cubs Pummel Timber Rattlers In 24-Run Rout South Bend overwhelmed Wisconsin 24-4 behind a 24-hit attack and a pair of seven-run innings. Leadoff hitter Kane Kepley went 4-for-7 with three runs scored, five RBIs, and a walk, while Ty Southisene added four hits in six trips with four RBIs and a run scored. Miguel Useche crossed the plate five times on a 4-for-5 night with a double, two walks, and two RBIs, and Christian Olivo matched the run total on two hits, two doubles, two walks, and two RBIs. Alex Madera and Leonel Espinoza each added three hits and three runs scored, with Madera driving in two and Espinoza one. Cameron Sisneros chipped in two hits and three RBIs. The Cubs broke open the game with seven runs in the second on bases-loaded walks from Useche and Olivo, followed by RBI singles from Kepley, Sisneros, cleanup hitter Kade Snell, and Espinoza. They piled on with another seven-run frame in the seventh, highlighted by a two-run single from Madera. Jostin Florentino started and worked four innings, allowing one earned run on one hit with two walks, four strikeouts, and a home run. Brayden Spears (W, 3-1) followed with three innings of one-run ball on one hit, three walks, two strikeouts, and a home run. Caleb Thielbar, on a rehab assignment from the Cubs, tossed one inning of one-hit relief with two strikeouts and a walk. South Bend stranded 15 runners despite the lopsided result. Player AB R H RBI BB K Kane Kepley 7 3 4 5 1 1 Ty Southisene 6 1 4 4 1 1 Cameron Sisneros 5 1 2 3 3 0 Kade Snell 6 1 1 3 1 3 Leonel Espinoza 5 3 3 1 2 0 Alex Madera 5 3 3 2 2 0 Drew Bowser 6 2 1 0 0 2 Miguel Useche 5 5 4 2 2 0 Christian Olivo 4 5 2 2 2 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jostin Florentino 4 1 1 1 2 4 1 Brayden Spears (W, 3-1) 3 1 1 1 3 2 1 Caleb Thielbar 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 Kenten Egbert 1 4 2 2 0 2 0 Pelicans Pounded By GreenJackets In Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach managed only one run in an 11-1 loss to Augusta, falling behind early after the GreenJackets put up four runs in the first inning on a pair of bases-loaded walks and a two-run single. Riely Hunsaker absorbed the bulk of the work for the Pelicans, going four innings while allowing three earned runs on six hits with one walk, two strikeouts, and a home run. The Pelicans broke up the shutout in the bottom of the second when Jose Escobar singled, advanced to third on an Eli Lovich single, and scored on an RBI groundout from Derniche Valdez. Valdez also doubled in the fourth, finishing 1-for-3 with the team's only extra-base hit. Starter Edwardo Melendez surrendered three hits and two earned runs over two innings, fanning four with two walks. Luis A. Reyes (L, 0-2) absorbed the worst stretch, allowing four earned runs on four walks while recording just two outs. The GreenJackets piled on with a solo home run and an RBI single in the fourth, a sacrifice fly in the fifth, a double in the sixth, two runs in the eighth, and one more in the ninth. Darlyn De Leon, Eli Lovich, and Yahil Melendez each contributed singles in the loss. Cleanup hitter Jose Escobar finished 1-for-3 with a run scored. Myrtle Beach finished with five hits and four runners left on base. Player AB R H RBI BB K Alexis Hernandez 4 0 0 0 0 2 Darlyn De Leon 4 0 1 0 0 0 Josiah Hartshorn 4 0 0 0 0 1 Jose Escobar 3 1 1 0 0 0 Henniel Alcala 1 0 0 0 0 0 Eli Lovich 4 0 1 0 0 2 Derniche Valdez 3 0 1 1 0 0 Yahil Melendez 3 0 1 0 0 0 Geuri Lubo 3 0 0 0 0 2 Jairo Diaz 3 0 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Edwardo Melendez 2 3 2 2 2 4 0 Daniel Avitia 1 3 1 1 0 1 0 Victor Zarraga 1 1/3 1 1 1 3 1 0 Luis A. Reyes (L, 0-2) 2/3 0 4 4 4 1 0 Riely Hunsaker 4 6 3 3 1 2 1 Top-20 Prospect Performance Jefferson Rojas: 1-for-3, BB, K Jaxon Wiggins: DNP Pedro Ramírez: 1-for-2, 2B, R, 2 BB Kevin Alcántara: 1-for-3, BB, K Josiah Hartshorn: 0-for-4, K Ethan Conrad: DNP Kane Kepley: 4-for-7, 3 R, 5 RBI, BB, K Jonathon Long: 0-for-4 James Triantos: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 K Cole Mathis: DNP Owen Ayers: 0-for-3, RBI, 2 K Brooks Caple: DNP Juan Cabada: DNP Kaleb Wing: DNP Angel Cepeda: DNP Dominick Reid: DNP Jostin Florentino: 4 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, HR Ty Southisene: 4-for-6, R, 4 RBI, BB, K Will Sanders: DNP Brandon Birdsell: DNP View the full article

In a season plagued by injuries and inconsistent offensive production, utility man Andruw Monasterio has emerged as one of the Red Sox’s most productive hitters. After starting the season 2-for-14 and drawing attention for a viral ABS challenge, Monasterio found his footing in the team’s April 25 matchup against the Baltimore Orioles. He went 3-for-6 with his first career grand slam, marking a turning point in his offensive production. But despite his breakout at the plate, defensive struggles continue to keep him from securing an everyday role. Acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers in the six-player trade that featured Boston acquiring Caleb Durbin, Monasterio was added to the roster as a depth piece but has taken advantage of his limited opportunities. His versatility has allowed the Red Sox to deploy him across the infield, with Monasterio appearing at first base, second base, shortstop and third base this season.. Quietly, he has produced a 100 wRC+, at least 30 points higher than every current Red Sox starting infield outside of first baseman Willson Contreras. In 66 at-bats, he is batting .258/.310/.424 with a .734 OPS, and his underlying metrics suggest there could still be room for further growth. He owns a .288 expected batting average and a .423 expected slugging percentage, while his .335 xwOBA ranks fifth on the team. His average exit velocity has climbed to a career-high 90.8 mph and his 46.9% hard-hit rate is also the highest mark of his career, tantalizing proof that he’s consistently making better contact than ever before. A significant part of his improvement is in his approach against fastballs, which he is hitting .282 this season, a .057 increase from last year. However, despite his revelation at the plate, his fielding is what’s keeping him from being an everyday starter. While his offensive numbers are positive, his defense has led him to -0.1 fWAR. This is in large part due to his having a -3 outs above average across all of his positions, the lowest on the team. Statistically, he only converts 67% of fieldable balls, while his expected success rate is 82%. Monasterio has struggled most at shortstop, where he has a -2 out above average. He has completed only 60% of plays, while his estimated success rate is as high as 82%. This inefficiency is why he continues to be third on the depth chart at shortstop, behind Trevor Story and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, despite both having wRC+ figures below 50. This whole equation could change drastically now that Story is headed for the injured list. Nick Sogard was called up from the minor leagues to serve as a utility depth option, but he's not an everyday starter. And you can be sure that Kiner-Falefa won't be getting more than the occasional rep at shortstop given his complete lack of offensive competence. Can the Red Sox live with a slightly worse glove at the most important infield position if it means getting Monasterio's bat in the lineup with regularity? The Red Sox are not in a position to be picky, as they currently sit last in the American League East and rank among the bottom six in the MLB with a .239 expected batting average. In their series opener against the Atlanta Braves, Monasterio drew the start at shortstop over Story, showing the team is willing to prioritize his bat despite his defensive limitations. If he can maintain his offensive production while showing improvement in the field, he could continue to carve out a larger role and potentially emerge as a longer-term option in the infield. View the full article

Miguel Andujar has been one of the San Diego Padres’ most aggressive, but also one of their most valuable, hitters this season. He has drawn exactly three walks in 122 plate appearances and was sporting one of the highest chase rates of his career as the club opened a weekend series Friday in Seattle against the Mariners. His patience at the plate was really short during the club's previous series, against the Brewers in Milwaukee. He swung at 26 of the 43 pitches he saw in the three games. That's a 60 percent rate. And yet, after all that swinging, he was second on the club with a 126 wRC+, trailing only Luis Campusano. How is Andujar able to maintain a high level of production when he seems to be swinging at everything? It comes down to the fact that this is who Andujar is and it works for him. Start with his swing. He attacks the ball at a 7-degree angle, one of the most shallow on the club, according to Baseball Savant. The bat is mostly level as it enters the zone. That's one reason why his squared-up rate was in the 81st percentile entering Friday. But level doesn't necessarily mean all fields with Andujar. His 46.2 percent pull rate through May 15 was three points higher than the full-season career high he set during his breakout 2019 campaign with the New York Yankees. His 24.2 percent pull air rate was a fraction below his career best, which he also set in 2019. His attack direction was five degrees to the pull side, trailing just Campusano and Nick Castellanos among the club's pull-heavy hitters. A 10-degree average helps explain why he had just three home runs, one of which came off a hanging breaking ball by the Brewers' Brandon Sproat on Tuesday. The pull approach makes him vulnerable off the plate and, indeed, Andujar will expand the zone. His 38.2 percent chase rate through that Brewers series put him in the 10th percentile league-wide. But he can get to those pitches. He entered Friday's game second on the club with a 67.9 chase contact rate, trailing only Gavin Sheets. He was batting .412 against sinkers and .357 against sweepers. (On the other hand, he was batting .222 against four-seamers.) That level of plate coverage helps explain his 19.5 percent strikeout rate (61st percentile) and 19.6 percent whiff rate (79th percentile). All of that is the long way of saying that Andujar knows how to succeed as a free swinger and “bad ball” hitter. Expect him to stay on the attack, even if it means passing up a free trip to first base every now and again. View the full article

It’s that time of the year again, when Grand Central Mets updates our Top 20 prospect rankings for the New York Mets. Both staff and readers voted and after tabulating the votes, the reveal of the list is now ready. The Top 20 saw some notable changes from the preseason, including the addition of one new prospect which we will break down. Let’s jump into it below. New York Mets Top 20 Prospect List Carson Benge (OF, MLB 40-man) A.J. Ewing (OF, MLB 40-man) Jonah Tong (RHP, MLB 40-man) Elian Pena (INF, Single-A) Jack Wenninger (RHP, AAA Syracuse) Ryan Clifford (OF/INF, AAA Syracuse) Jacob Reimer (INF, AA Binghamton) Nick Morabito (OF, AAA Syracuse) Mitch Voit (INF, High-A Brooklyn) Jonathan Santucci (LHP, AA Binghamton) Chris Suero (C/INF, AA Binghamton) Zach Thornton (LHP, AA Binghamton) Wandy Asigen (SS, DSL Mets) Will Watson (INF, Single-A) Eli Serrano III (INF/OF, AA Binghamton) Randy Guzman (NEW, OF/INF, Single-A) Ryan Lambert (RHP, AAA Syracuse) Dylan Ross (RHP, High-A Brooklyn) Antonio Jimenez (INF, High-A Brooklyn) R.J. Gordon (RHP, High-A Brooklyn) The list includes 19 of the 20 prospects from the previous rankings. The difference is the removal of Nolan McLean due to his graduation from prospect status. The list also saw Jacob Reimer drop to number seven due to his early season struggles in AA. So far this season, Reimer is slashing .206/.336/.343 with a .679 OPS and a 91 WRC+. Reimer is also just outside the top 100 prospects list according to FanGraphs. Ryan Clifford also dropped down from number five to six, falling for the second straight rankings. In Triple-A Syracuse so far this season, Clifford is slashing .234/.309/.441 with a .750 OPS and a 88 WRC+. While Clifford is still in the top ten of the list, he is not performing like someone who is on the fast-track to the big leagues. During the cycle of this list, A.J. Ewing was promoted to New York this past week. In his first three games against the Detroit Tigers, Ewing hit .333 with a .538 OBP. His ability to get on base early on in his MLB career has been a real positive for a Mets team that needed a spark. Outfielder Nick Morabito rose two spots to number eight. In AAA this season, Morabito’s slashing .242/.365/.379 with a .744 OPS and a 98 WRC+. The Mets are all set in outfield depth at the MLB level. Where Morabito's importance to the Mets could come is in trade talks. If they climb back into contention and are in striking distance of a wild card spot, Morabito could be a valuable piece to dangle come July. Let's wrap things up by shining a spotlight on our lone newcomer. Randy Guzman, INF/OF (Single-A Port St. Lucie): No. 16 Guzman is an interesting prospect, as he’s just 21 years old and breaking out in St. Lucie. When signed as an amateur out of the Dominican Republic in 2022, Guzman was viewed as a raw project with immense physical size who would eventually need to find a defensive home. However, he struggled early in his professional career, contextually limited by a high strikeout rate and a slow adjustment period while finding his footing in the Dominican Summer League across 2023 and 2024. Entering 2025, the infielder/outfielder completely turned a corner, physically maturing into his towering 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame and drastically increasing his quality of contact, which led to a quick mid-season promotion to Single-A where he took home Florida State League Player of the Week honors almost immediately. Guzman is also on a roll this year, slashing .231/.345/.471 with a 118 WRC+ through his first 35 games. In that same span, he has logged six doubles, a triple, seven home runs, and 22 RBIs. His profile starts with a massive frame at the plate, and he has showcased plus raw bat speed so far in his young career. He can be overly aggressive at times and has a high-maintenance swing that leads to significant swing-and-miss, running a high strikeout rate that serves as a restrictor plate on his overall approach. He still needs to work on developing better overall swing decisions and adjusting to secondary pitches, but should that happen, his raw tools mean he could completely take off as a prospect. He currently possesses above-average raw power, and as he continues to unlock his frame, that game power should translate consistently, as shown by his rapid home run pace early in the 2026 season compared to his cumulative minor-league totals. Defensively, Guzman has been utilized across first base and the corner outfield spots, using his massive frame to provide a solid target. While he is not a speed merchant on the grass, his sheer strength and physical profile give him the tools necessary to hold down a corner spot. Often, he shows a heavy focus on relying on his arm strength to keep runners honest from the outfield corners. While he is likely capable of playing both corner outfield spots and first base at a competent level, his eventual defensive home will likely be dictated by how much his range is impacted as he continues to age and fill out. Overall, he should be viewed as a power-first, physical outfielder with immense upside. At the moment, his hit tool and swing decisions are what will determine if he truly breaks out into a premier top-tier prospect or not, but the jaw-dropping underlying data has been evident so far in 2026. His outcome is anywhere from a power-hitting, starting corner bat to an organizational depth piece — a wide range laden with tantalizing upside. View the full article

The Chicago Cubs are off to a remarkable start to the 2026 season. The team as a whole has put together a pair of 10-game win streaks, and Craig Counsell has done a spectacular job managing this squad. There are also a few players who haven’t been named All-Stars yet that are pushing for the first bids in their career. Nico Hoerner Fresh off of earning a six-year, $141 million extension with the team that drafted him, Nico Hoerner got off to a red-hot start to this year. Chicago’s second baseman has four home runs, 29 runs batted in and holds at least a .260 batting average for the seventh time in eight seasons with the North Siders. Diving a bit further, his hand-eye coordination and approach at the plate have been top-tier. Hoerner’s whiff rate (10.3%) and strikeout rate (7.9%) are both in the 99th percentile among hitters. The 29-year-old’s 8.9% walk rate is a tad below the league average, but it’s higher than his strikeout rate to this point, which is an outrageous accomplishment in 2026. Hoerner’s contact-first approach has earned him plenty of respect to start his big league career, but his defense has made headlines as well. The two-time Gold Glover is in a class of his own, logging seven outs above average through the first few weeks of the season. That mark puts him in the 99th percentile among MLB defenders. The Stanford alum has been as reliable as they come, and the leather-flashing and contact-oriented numbers he’s put up to start the 2026 season have only gotten better with time. Ben Brown Not only is Ben Brown putting together a season worthy of an All-Star nod, but he has the chance to form quite the one-year turnaround story. After producing mixed results in his call-up season (2024), Brown struggled mightily in a variety of ways last season. Producing a 5-8 record with a 5.92 earned run average, up two total runs from his mark the year prior, Brown gave up one of the highest average exit velocities (92.4 mph) in baseball, slotting him in the bottom percentile among all qualified pitchers. While his strikeout (25.6%) and whiff (28.3%) rates lived well above the league average, the hard-throwing righty gave up his fair share of pure contact and routinely ran into trouble. This season, the bullpen arm is sporting a 1-1 record, a 1.60 ERA and added a true third pitch. Just a season after utilizing his fastball/knuckle-curve combination 96% of the time, Brown expanded his arsenal. The 26-year-old reliever has mixed in a sinker, an option that rides up and away from lefties, similarly to his four-seamer. Overall, Brown has kept the ball down much more. After allowing average launch angles of 16.2 and 12.7 degrees in the last two seasons, the 7.2 degree mark has allowed a spike in ground ball rate, and therefore, a .196 batting average against. Brown has been one of the more impactful relievers in baseball and could be in the All-Star conversation if he keeps this pace up into the month of July. Seiya Suzuki Seiya Suzuki rounds out this list after making a strong case for himself just last year. The 31-year-old slugger is fresh off of a remarkable 2025 campaign that saw career-best marks in home runs (32), runs batted in (103) and walks (71). Suzuki is seemingly picking up where he left off last year, as his seven home runs in 31 games has him on another promising pace. The Cubs’ masher is seeing the ball very well, sporting a 42% sweet-spot percentage (93rd percentile) while walking 14% of the time (86th percentile). This has allowed his on-base percentage to explode toward the 400 mark, as the righty is developing a keen eye at the plate while also garnering more respect from opposing pitching. The Arakawa, Japan native has a chance to make this a banner season. He currently sits six home runs shy of 100 for his MLB career, could earn his first big-league contract extension and may even add “All-Star” to his already impressive résumé. View the full article

Coming into spring training, it seemed likely that Zebby Matthews would open the season in Minnesota’s rotation. Instead, a rough camp pushed him to Triple A St. Paul while younger arms moved ahead of him on the depth chart. By mid-May, Matthews suddenly found himself trying to prove he still belonged in the conversation. Thursday was an important step in that process. Matthews delivered arguably the best outing of his Major League career in Minnesota’s 9 to 1 victory over Miami. He tossed seven shutout innings, allowing just four hits and one walk while striking out five. It was the longest scoreless outing of his career and the third time he has completed seven innings in the majors. More importantly, Matthews looked completely in control from the opening inning. He needed only 83 pitches to record 21 outs, constantly getting ahead in counts and forcing weak contact. Matthews threw more than 67% of his pitches for strikes and never allowed Miami to build sustained pressure after the first inning. He opened at bats aggressively with his fastball, throwing 14 first-pitch four-seamers and landing 12 of them for strikes. For a pitcher whose biggest issue this spring was inconsistency in the strike zone and inability to finish hitters, it was a massive shift. Matthews’ season at Triple-A did not start particularly well. He struggled in his first two outings (10 ER in 7 1/3 innings), and there were several possible explanations. Cold early-season weather likely played a factor, but there was probably also a mental adjustment involved after entering camp expecting to compete for a Major League role. Since then, Matthews has looked much more like himself. Over his final five starts with St. Paul, he posted a 2.67 ERA with 28 strikeouts and eight walks. The raw stuff returned, but more importantly, there appeared to be a clearer plan behind his approach to hitters. That plan showed up immediately on Thursday. Matthews leaned heavily on his four-seam fastball against Miami, throwing it 48.2% of the time compared to 41.2% last season. The velocity was actually lower than it was in 2025, dropping from 96.2 mph to 94.8 mph, but the pitch played up because of his command and sequencing. Matthews consistently located it early in counts and elevated it effectively once he got ahead. The biggest adjustment may have been his curveball. Last season, Matthews barely used the pitch, throwing it less than 6% of the time. At Triple-A this year, it became a major area of focus, and the results were obvious Thursday. He used the curveball nearly 16% of the time and posted a 50% whiff rate on it, up from 32.1% last year. Interestingly, the pitch is now slower than it was a season ago, dropping roughly 3.5 mph in velocity. That may actually be helping its effectiveness. The added separation from his other offspeed pitches gives hitters another speed band to consider, making the breaking ball harder to recognize and to stay back on. His changeup also played an important role, particularly against left-handed hitters. Matthews used it regularly to neutralize left-handed bats, and while the only extra-base hit he allowed came on the pitch, the overall approach was encouraging. The pitch now carries more spin than it did last year, jumping from 1,499 rpm to 1,647 rpm, another indication that adjustments made at Triple-A may be helping him create better movement profiles across his arsenal. What stood out most on Thursday wasn't necessarily overpowering. It was efficiency, confidence, and conviction. Matthews looked like a pitcher who understood exactly how he wanted to attack hitters. The Twins have always believed the talent was there for him to develop into a mid-rotation starter. Thursday served as a reminder of why that belief still exists. Minnesota’s rotation picture has changed significantly over the last few months, and Matthews no longer enters the conversation as a guaranteed piece. But performances like Thursday’s make it difficult to ignore his upside. If the adjustments to his curveball usage, fastball command, and overall pitch mix continue to hold, Matthews may have forced his way back into a meaningful role much sooner than expected. What stood out about Matthews in his first start? Can his adjustments help him stick in the rotation? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

The Sounds have been beating up on Cubs' farmhands, while the T-Rats have been on the receiving end of that rivalry. The Shuckers and Warbirds have similar sub-.500 records, but it's the Wilson club trending up. Maryvale lost another. We chronicle game results here as our primary function, but there are days when the overall prospect shine simply overrides final scores and thankfully puts big smiles on Brewers fans' faces. Transactions: Milwaukee Brewers sent RHP Quinn Priester on a rehab assignment to Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Milwaukee Brewers optioned RHP Coleman Crow to Nashville Sounds. Milwaukee Brewers selected the contract of RHP Peter Strzelecki from Nashville Sounds. Nashville Sounds activated RHP J.B. Bukauskas from the 7-day injured list. RHP Joshua Quezada assigned to Nashville Sounds from Wilson Warbirds. Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes (unavailable) Final: Nashville 12, Iowa (Cubs) 1 Box Score and Game Log Via the Sounds, game details, and we encourage readers to always review affiliate write-ups as part of their Link Report routine: Sounds Cruise Past I-Cubs in Lopsided Win - Stallings Records Second Straight Quality Start; Pratt Homers in Back-to-Back Games That Nashville game summary includes video of: Eddys Leonard's 1st inning grand slam (Leonard played 2B in this game, his defensive splits for 2026 can be found here) Jett Williams' three-run shot capping the Sounds' eight-run opening frame Cooper Pratt's three-run blast in the 3rd, the summary details a current 20-game run of superb production for Pratt Starter Garrett Stallings gifts Manager Rick Sweet a wonderful staff-saving effort When the Brewers pull an A-Ball pitcher up to AAA Nashville, it's to provide a body for a scrambled and tired staff. It's known to not be a long-term assignment, and because of that, it doesn't make sense to interrupt the development path of a Biloxi pitcher for a brief boomerang stint. What an adventure and thrill it must have been for just-turned 22-year Nicaraguan native Joshua Quezada to board that flight from North Carolina to Tennessee. The blow-out conditions and Stallings' 6.2 inning effort allowed Quezada to enter seamlessly, and the kid retired all four men he faced, registering a AAA strikeout as well. Awesome. Like called-up Peter Strzelecki, it's not hard to envision former big-leaguer J.B. Bukauskas getting a similar reward later this MLB season, but he'll need to provide both results and good health. The Brewers do seem to love themselves some Bukauskas. Did you miss another story of the day, although the Sounds did manage a "zero" in the error column Saturday. Two people accused of stealing baseball gloves belonging to Nashville Sounds players Admittedly, this was my favorite online reaction: Biloxi Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Montgomery (Rays) 10, Biloxi 6 Box Score and Game Log Catch up with the latest Biloxi pre-game audio interview archives - Manager Mike Guerrero's Friday chat recently added Via the Shuckers, game details: Made's Career Night Undone by Biscuits in Shuckers Loss - Top prospect becomes 5th Southern League player under 20 years old with multi-home run game Of course we'll catch up with Jesús Made in a moment, but first a bit of trivia. Earlier this week, we noted former Brewers farmhand Jadher Areinamo as part of this Biscuits' opposing squad. He was idle Saturday. But infielder Gregory Barrios, briefly discussed in the Mike Guerrero interview noted above, did play at shortstop and singled three times after being held hitless in his prior three games in this series. Barrios sports an uninspiring .616 OPS on the season. The $1 million bonus baby for the Crew in January 2021 was traded to the Rays in July of 2024. Do you remember the return? Answer shortly. Allison Mast of MLB.com has an informative article on Made and his big night here. As is often the case, the accompanying video of all three of Made's hits is from the home team Montgomery broadcast. It's so much more fun to provide the Biloxi calls: Made's third hit, a ground ball single up the middle, is within the linked article above. The Biloxi "X" feed has additional video, including two clips of particular note if you're a Matthew Wood fan. Then there's this from Javik Blak'e broadcast partner Max Gifford incorporating the "Choo-Choo" call, which I heartily enjoyed. Starter Bishop Letson only worked three innings and threw 42 pitches, 34 for strikes (no walks). Three of the four hits he allowed were doubles. Somehow his 6.66 ERA seems appropriate for his season thus far, there's a long way to go to exorcise early mound demons. When short starts lead to a parade of relievers, all it takes is for one blow-up outing to spoil the fun. It was RHP Nick Merkel, in just his 5th appearance after an injury-delayed start to 2026, with the tough night here. Trivia answer: Aaron Civale, so we thank Gregory Barrios for Andrew Vaughn! Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes (download link) Final: South Bend (Cubs) 24, Wisconsin 4 Box Score and Game Log Via the Timber Rattlers, game details: Cubs Drop Rattlers You might think you don't want to sit through five minutes of game action for this one, but it's oddly mesmerizing. The Braylon Payne and Andrew Fischer blasts ease the pain (my goodness, Andrew, such conviction!), and Chris Mehring's call on a South Bend blooper that dropped near the first base line late in the game is worth the movie ticket. The Quinn Priester angst is real, and I'll pull up one important March 2021 article by Adam McCalvy for you, fully aware that Priester has not undergone surgery, and at this time, has no surgical procedure scheduled. This is an important read. Brewers prospect Antoine Kelly recovering from TOS Kelly is still 26 years old and is currently toiling in AAA in his first year in the Dodgers' system. The game summary made mention of Caleb Thielbar, my goodness, 2010! A former Helena Brewer as well. We won't overly pile on except to say 24-year-old RHP Jose Nova is having a season to forget, though it'll likely be remembered in Link Report annals down the road. Wilson Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Wilson 8, Hill City (Guardians) 4 Box Score and Game Log Rodriguez Rockets Wilson Over Hill City - Meneses Majestic in Relief This was a fun one. Shortstop Brady Ebel with a double among his three hits, adding to the prospect luster in the system Saturday. Handelfry Encarnacion walked three times to lift his season long BB% to 17.0%. A total of six Warbirds reached base at least twice. The 4-5-6 hitters (Frederi Montero, Luis Lameda, Filippo DiTuri) each reached once and contributed an RBI apiece. So that's all nine batters contributing in significant ways, one of the prettiest offensive box scores we've seen across any level of the system this season. ***Here's a tip that we should have been taking advantage of previously within our reports. Notice that when you click on the word "Video" on that box score header via the link above, you'll be presented with a column for all the individual highlights for the game (both teams). The audio will always be from the home team broadcast, but that suits us just fine here. The plays will be listed chronologically from bottom to top. And best of all, unlike when we link to individual plays within our reports, you don't have to sit through annoying 15-to-30 second advertisements. Take a few moments now to follow the video link in the paragraph above and take in the sights and calls. Workhorse starter Jarrette Bonet plowed through 5.1 innings (93 pitches). We now are learning why the organization has placed faith in LHP Jose Meneses despite sub-par surface level figures in his pro career leading up to 2026. Meneses only turned 21 years old in March, while Bonet won't reach that age until August. Nicely done, Warbirds! Final: ACL Reds 7, ACL Brewers 3, seven innings as scheduled Box Score and Game Log The A-Crew were outscored, outhit, outdefended in this one. Left-handed slugging RF Alexander Frias only turned 18 years old in March. He doubled twice, topping at 102 MPH on a pulled line drive. As his MiLB Player Page indicates, eight of his 15 hits have gone for extra bases, and his ten-game line is a beautiful .375/.405/.675 (1.080 OPS). Switch-hitter Juan Martinez (player page) arrived in Maryvale coming off his .977 OPS Dominican Summer League 2025 breakout, and while not reaching that lofty figure yet, is off to a fine small-sample nine-game start splitting time at second and third base. Starting pitcher Diustin Mayorquin limited the free passes (none) but not the hits and runs. Reliever Dariel Jaquez limited the damage but not the walks (four). Usual day off for the Maryvale boys Sunday. Primarily early afternoon action Sunday, though the folks in Montgomery select the uniquely quaint 4:33 PM for their getaway day Shuckers start time. Weather is improving, spring is really here (well, most places, hopefully), enjoy! Go Brewers! Organizational Scoreboard including starting pitcher info, game times, MiLB TV links, and box scores Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Batting Stats and Depth Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Pitching Stats and Depth View the full article

The Kansas City Royals lost their sixth-straight game on Saturday, falling to their I-70 rival, the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-2. The Royals now have a 19-27 record and not only sit in last place in the AL Central but are also 5.5 games behind the division-leading Cleveland Guardians. There are many issues with the Royals right now. The starting pitching has regressed heavily in May (they rank 24th in SP ERA this month, according to Fangraphs). The bullpen has been better, but remains inconsistent (they rank 22nd in bullpen ERA). Lastly, they have not seen much stability in the lineup beyond Bobby Witt Jr., who is making his case for an AL MVP bid despite the Royals' struggles. Unfortunately, one of the biggest issues related to the Royals' lineup has been the performance of their regular No. 3 hitter, Vinnie Pasquantino. There's a lot to be said about Pasquantino, who launched 32 home runs, collected 113 RBI, hit .264, posted a 116 wRC+, and accumulated a 1.5 fWAR in 682 plate appearances last year, a career-high. The Royals agreed to a modest extension with him for the 2026-2027 seasons ($11.1 million), and it seemed like Pasquantino was going to continue to be a force in the Royals lineup this year. Unfortunately, that's been far from the case for Pasquantino. In 189 plate appearances, Vinnie is hitting .201 with a .627 OPS. He also has five home runs, 18 runs scored, 22 RBI, and a wOBA of .278. When it comes to his Statcast percentiles, they haven't been impressive, though he has been walking more (10.8%) than he did a season ago. When looking at Pasquantino's Statcast percentiles via TJ Stats, there's not much to be encouraged by. The good thing is that he's making a good amount of contact, drawing a decent amount of walks, and pulling the ball in the air quite a bit. However, the bat speed and exit velocity metrics aren't great, and while the barrel rate is okay (53rd percentile), the hard-hit rate (29th percentile) and launch angle sweet spot percentage (33.6%) have not been. Thus, Pasquantino's outlook for the remainder of 2026 looks hazy based on these factors, though his xwOBA trend seems to hint that he's on the upswing after a brutal start to the season. Therefore, what should Royals fans expect from Vinnie, hitting-wise, for the remainder of 2026? While he's trending positively, will it be enough to come close to what he did a season ago? A lot will depend on his performance against lefties and whether that improves anytime soon this year. Vinnie's Brutal Splits Against Lefties This Year One of the big issues with Pasquantino is that he just isn't hitting left-handed pitchers well in 2026. In 53 plate appearances, Vinnie is slashing .120/.170/.160 with a .330 OPS against left-handed pitchers. He has zero home runs, just six hits overall, and two walks to 16 strikeouts. He is also posting a -10 wRC+ against lefties, according to Fangraphs. Of Royals hitters with five or more plate appearances this year, only Michael Massey has been worse against lefties (-12). Furthermore, Jac Caglianone (59 wRC+) and Carter Jensen (49 wRC+), two hitters who have seen the bench against left-handed starting pitchers, have been considerably better against southpaws than Pasquantino. On a positive note, his performance against righties has been productive. In 136 plate appearances, he is slashing .237/.331/.421 with a .752 OPS. All five of his home runs have come against righties, and he has 18 walks to 20 strikeouts. That 0.90 BB/K ratio is significantly better than the 0.13 BB/K ratio he is producing against lefties this season, which shows his approach and plate discipline are much better against righties. Lastly, here's what his Statcast splits look like against lefties and righties this year, according to TJ Stats. As Royals fans can see above, Pasquantino has been brutal against lefties, especially in the exit velocity, hard-hit, xwOBA, and LA Sweet-Spot% categories. All those rank in the 1st percentile this year, which is as bad as it gets. His barrel rate against lefties ranks in the 10th percentile at 3.0%. That's not great either, though not as putrid as his other Statcast categories. Another big concern against lefties is that he's just not making contact against them, either, the opposite of what we're seeing from Vinnie against righties. Against righties, his whiff% ranks in the 92nd percentile, his Z-Contact% ranks in the 94th percentile, and his K% ranks in the 82nd percentile. Conversely, against lefties, his whiff% ranks in the 44th percentile, his Z-Contact% ranks in the 14th percentile, and his K% ranks in the 7th percentile. It's one thing not to hit the ball with pop against lefties. However, to not even hit the ball at all? That's a huge red flag, especially for a hitter who was expected to be key at the top of the batting order. Now, is this a trend for Vinnie or just the product of a slow start? The career data doesn't suggest a major turnaround is to be expected anytime soon. In 478 plate appearances against lefties over his career, Pasquantino is slashing .231/.286/.357 with a .644 OPS and 76 wRC+. That is a far cry from his career .269/.339/.475 slash and .813 OPS and 123 wRC+ against righties. Even when comparing this season against lefties to 2025 in terms of Statcast percentiles, while he was better against lefties a year ago, it wasn't dramatically different. The main difference is that the Whiff% (70th percentile) and Z-Contact% (71st percentile) were much better in 2025 than in 2026. However, the barrel (37th percentile), hard-hit rate (46th percentile), and LA Sweet-Spot% (5th percentile) were only marginally better. Thus, I don't predict a big enough turnaround from Vinnie against lefties this year that would justify everyday at-bats from him, especially in the No. 3 spot in the batting order, from now on. What's the Solution With Vinnie? (And What's the Domino Effect On the Lineup?) The reality is that manager Matt Quatraro probably has to start limiting Pasquantino's at-bats against lefties, which means that he's a guy who may be sitting against southpaw starting pitchers. While that's a tough pill to swallow, it's necessary, especially since his overall Statcast percentiles this year just aren't where they were a season ago, as shown below by TJ Stats. Vinnie isn't hitting the ball as hard and launching the ball less this year. For that to improve, he needs more at-bats against pitchers he succeeds against. Unfortunately, that's righties, not lefties. A solution for the Royals would be to maybe platoon Vinnie at first with Salvador Perez. While Perez's .195 average and .560 OPS are pretty brutal, he's actually been better against lefties than righties this year. In 50 plate appearances against lefties, Perez is slashing .227/.300/.409 with a .709 OPS and two home runs. He also has three walks to nine strikeouts against southpaws. In 135 plate appearances against righties, he's slashing .185/.207/.300 with a .507 OPS and four home runs. Yes, he's hitting more home runs, but his plate approach has been far worse, as evidenced by his three walks to 32 strikeouts. The Statcast percentiles also support that Salvy is making better contact and showing better plate discipline and swing decisions against lefties as well. Against righties, Salvy's xwOBA is .258, which ranks in the 4th percentile. Against lefties? His xwOBA is .389, which ranks in the 85th percentile. He is also launching the ball considerably better against lefties (40%) than righties (30.9%), hitting the ball harder (51.4% hard-hit rate against lefties; 37.1% against righties), and barreling more balls as well (11.4% barrel rate against lefties; 8.2% against righties). Thus, Quatraro could bench Vinnie against lefties and let Salvy play first in those scenarios, with Elias Diaz or Jensen getting the starts behind the plate in those situations. Against righties, Salvy may need to concede some games to Jensen, especially since Jensen has been a much better hitter against righties this year than Salvy. I am not saying that Salvy shouldn't play against righties at all. Though it may not be enough to help him match what he did in 2025 or 2024, I think a positive swing could be on the way. Perez's presence is still important both at the plate and behind the plate. However, it should at the very least be a 50-50 split with Jensen and Perez against righties, and I think Perez should cede at-bats at DH against righties to Starling Marte, who's actually proven to be much better against righties this year than lefties, according to the Statcast percentile data via TJ Stats. Marte doesn't offer much upside, especially at 37 years old. However, with a .356 wOBA and .339 xwOBA against righties, I think he deserves more at-bats than what he's getting currently. At designated hitter, his age and defense are less of a liability. The problem offensively with the Royals goes beyond Vinnie, and, as Royals fans can see, benching Pasquantino has a domino effect on the rest of this lineup. However, the writing is on the wall: Vinnie isn't good against lefties, and he needs more days off against them, much to the chagrin of "Pasquatch" fans. Detroit manager A.J. Hinch benches Colt Keith and Kerry Carpenter, both very good and important players, against lefties, and it's produced encouraging overall results over the past couple of seasons. It's time for Quatraro to apply a similar approach with Pasquantino. View the full article

The Boss said no. Had the answer been different, Bobby Cox may never have been the manager of the Toronto Blue Jays. Shortly after the 1981 season, Toronto manager Bobby Mattick stepped down from his post. Mattick had been an unusual choice for the job in the first place, with virtually no previous managerial experience. Mattick was one of the first employees of the Blue Jays, having been named scouting supervisor in 1976. When Roy Hartsfield wore out his welcome as skipper after three straight losing and miserable seasons, general manager Pat Gillick offered the job to Mattick, who called his boss “crazy,” but after being persistently asked, Mattick accepted. “If you guys have the guts to offer me the job, I've got the guts to take it,” he said. Morale improved under Mattick, and so did the results, slightly. Toronto’s 67-95 record in 1980 was the first non-100-loss season the franchise had, but despite going 21-27 after the mid-season players’ strike in ‘81, the Blue Jays still finished dead last in the American League East for a fifth straight season. Rumours circulated that team president Peter Bavasi wanted to go a different direction, but both Bavasi and Mattick denied any truth to them when the manager stepped aside on October 7 to accept a newly-created position in Toronto’s front office. Bavasi said Mattick had the choice to continue. “If he wanted to subject himself to the pressures being a major league manager entails, he could have carried on,” said Bavasi. “I told him, ‘Make your choice.’ I think he made the right one.” Needing a new manager, Gillick looked into his past for a pivotal hire in Toronto’s infancy. Before he was hired as Bavasi’s second-in-command, Gillick spent time in the Yankees organization, coinciding with the last season of Gene Michael’s playing career in pinstripes. Michael had since become a member of the George Steinbrenner regime, hired as general manager in 1980 before moving down to the dugout in ‘81, where he lasted until September, fired for criticizing Steinbrenner’s constant criticisms. A month later, with the Yankees playing their way into the World Series, Gillick asked Steinbrenner for permission to talk with the doing-nothing Michael. No can do, said the Boss; a minor setback for Gillick, who was also hoping to speak with another former Yankee. Bobby Cox had been traded from Atlanta to New York in ‘67, and while he only played two seasons in pinstripes, it was his work afterwards that had him at the top of Gillick’s list. Cox began his managerial career in New York’s farm system, culminating in an International League championship in ‘76, also Gillick’s first summer in New York. Cox became Atlanta’s manager in ‘78, and the Braves showed slow but steady improvement over his tenure. It was seemingly coming to an abrupt halt. Atlanta bottomed out in ‘81 with an 11-16 record in September, and the question lingering into the offseason was whether Cox would remain the Braves’ manager. He would not. Cox met with owner Ted Turner and then sat alongside him the next day at a press conference announcing his dismissal. It was peak Ted Turner. He called Cox a terrific manager and person, saying if he hadn’t just been fired, he’d be one of the first calls to become Atlanta’s new manager. Cox remained one of his closest friends, Turner said, but "a new broom sweeps clean". It was cause to celebrate for Gillick, but one he couldn’t consummate just yet. Toronto had no idea if Cox would become available. Their previous interest in Michael was genuine, but as soon as Turner gaffed his way through his former manager’s dismissal, Gillick wanted no one else but Cox. He wasn’t the only one. The first call to Braves general manager John Mullen asking for permission to speak with Cox wasn’t Gillick, but Mets GM Frank Cashen, who had just fired Joe Torre. Cox was willing to entertain offers, and returning to New York had some appeal, enough for him to answer Cashen’s call. So the Blue Jays did their diligence with other candidates. Toronto spoke to ousted Expos manager Dick (in a few ways) Williams, who indicated he had interest. Tony Kubek’s name was mentioned, as was former Blue Jay Doug Rader, currently managing in Triple-A for San Diego. They were all fallback options. The job was Cox’s if he wanted it. “There hasn’t been a signing, all we’ve done is talk,” said Cox, who was on his way to Toronto the next day. There is no big story in the hiring of Bobby Cox. Gillick simply got his guy. Cox arrived in Toronto and sat in for a different type of press conference. He was introduced by Mattick, who joked he had been made the team’s new master of ceremonies. It was then Cox’s turn to wow those in attendance. “Smiling easily and speaking with crisp confidence,” said George Gamester in the Toronto Star, “the handsome, brown-eyed Oklahoma native vowed to field an aggressive, competitive team. Describing himself as ‘somewhere between Ralph Houk and Billy Martin’ in style, Cox summed up his goals with the Blue Jays as: I wanna win.” For Gillick, the hiring of Cox was a final piece in his growing puzzle to get Toronto out of the basement. Gillick opened up as he discussed the hiring, saying he studied previous expansion teams to find out how long managers lasted, and he said he detected a pattern in how things unfolded with each team. “Your first manager is in a totally impossible situation,” he said. “He has no talent to work with, so it’s just a matter of time until he and his players get discouraged and a change becomes necessary.” “Then you need a guy to carry you over the next period,” he said as he transitioned into speaking about Mattick. “You’re improving, but he’s still got a tough row to hoe.” Cox won 78 games in his first season before winning 89 in his next two with Toronto. His final season ended in crushing defeat in the ‘85 ALCS, but the team's 99 wins that season remain a franchise record. Even after he left to rejoin the Braves as their general manager (and owner’s bestie), Cox’s legacy endured. The franchise he built up defeated him in the ‘92 World Series, and Toronto’s manager was one Cox had brought into the organization. With Bobby Doerr exiting as part-time hitting coach alongside Mattick, Cox hired Cito Gaston, who had played one season for Cox in Atlanta in 1978. If Gillick needed to make his third hire an absolutely correct one, there is no doubt he delivered. View the full article

The Miami Marlins' big-ticket free agent signing from this past offseason has been one of their biggest liabilities thus far. Right-hander Pete Fairbanks inked a one-year, $13M pact in December, the most lucrative deal for any player during Peter Bendix's tenure as Marlins president of baseball operations. Fairbanks performed exactly as advertised on the club's season-opening homestand, posting goose eggs in the run column in his first three outings. His entrance from the bullpen has been a harbinger of suffering since then. Across those last seven innings, Fairbanks has allowed 11 runs, ballooning his season ERA to 9.00. He blew a save opportunity for the second time on Saturday against his former team, the Tampa Bay Rays, though Miami's offense bailed him out in extra innings. By win probability added, Fairbanks (-1.06 WPA) has been more detrimental to the Marlins' pursuit of relevance than any other player, even edging out the since-released Chris Paddack (-1.01 WPA). However, Fairbanks' peripherals tell us he's no worse a pitcher than he was in 2025. So much of the 32-year-old's uncharacteristic outcomes can be explained by bad luck. Fairbanks enters Sunday with a 3.20 FIP in 2026. That figure was 3.63 the year before and 3.50 the year before that. His career mark is 3.11. His strikeout minus walk rate is better than his overall career rate and he has surrendered only one home run, which came off the bat of early-season American League MVP candidate Ben Rice. Fairbanks has underachieved his expected earned run average by 5.85 runs, according to Baseball Savant. That is the 15th-largest margin out of the 480 MLB pitchers to face at least 25 hitters this season, putting him in the 97th percentile of "unluckiness." This is not comparable to the notoriously regrettable acquisition of Heath Bell 14 years earlier. Fairbanks, for the first time in his career, has a feel for three reliable putaway pitches in his four-seam fastball, slider and cutter. And he has all the motivation that he needs to get back on track with another trip through free agency looming following the 2026 campaign. If there is one area Fairbanks ought to emphasize, it's generating more ground balls. Although that backfired on him Saturday with Nick Fortes' game-tying RBI single, grounders are far easier overall for defenses to convert into outs. He currently possesses the lowest GB% in MLB (min. 25 BF). Expectations for Fairbanks should not be lowered despite the lowlights he has produced. With regular usage moving forward—his season has been interrupted previously by the birth of a child and a bout of nerve irritation—he's capable of resuming his usual high-caliber ways. View the full article

Tyler Schmitt held Rancho Cucamonga to two runs over 5⅔ innings as Lake Elsinore beat the Quakes 4-2, the only Padres affiliate to win Saturday. Victor Lizarraga turned in a six-inning, eight-strikeout quality start for San Antonio, but the Missions fell 5-2 to Wichita. Evan Fitterer also delivered a quality start in El Paso's 5-4 walk-off loss to the Salt Lake Bees. Rosman Verdugo homered for Fort Wayne in a 7-4 setback to Cedar Rapids. Padres Minor-League Transactions RHP Clark Candiotti assigned to San Antonio Missions from Fort Wayne TinCaps. Fort Wayne TinCaps sent RHP Jeferson Villabona on a rehab assignment to ACL Padres. Chihuahuas Rally Late, But Get Walked Off By Bees Despite a standout start from right-hander Evan Fitterer, the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas watched as the host Salt Lake Bees pulled out a 5-4 walk-off victory. The Chihuahuas held a 2-1 lead going into the bottom of the eighth inning. Jose Miranda went 3-for-4, while Samad Taylor, Nick Solak and Jase Bowen each had a pair of hits for the Chihuahuas, who outhit the Bees 12-8. All but two of El Paso's hits were singles. Taylor opened the game with a single to left and stole second before taking third on a flyout and scoring on a Solak single. The Chihuahuas made it 2-0 in the top of the third as Solak, Bowen and Mason McCoy had one-out singles to load the bases. Nick Schnell hit a grounder into the hole between second and first that the second baseman fielded near the outfield grass and spun to throw out McCoy at second as Solak scored. The shortstop pumped but didn't throw to first, then saw Bowen trying to score from second and threw home to nail him at the plate for a 4-6-2 double play to end the inning. Fitterer, meanwhile, was in the midst of six strong innings, allowing one run on three hits with two walks and a strikeout. His six innings matched the longest start by a Chihuahuas pitcher this year. But left-hander Kyle Hart got into trouble in the eighth, exiting with runners on first and third and one out. Right-hander David Morgan came in and immediately gave up a two-run double and a two-out RBI single for a 4-2 lead. The Chihuahuas tied it in the top of the ninth. Marcos Castanon had a leadoff single and went to third on Miranda's double. Carlos Rodriguez singled home Castanon, with pinch-runner Clay Dungan moving to third. After a strikeout, Taylor hit a dribbler out in front of the home plate that the catcher fielded and could only throw to first as Dungan scored. The Bees won it in the bottom of the ninth on a one-out double and a two-out RBI single. EP_0516.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Samad Taylor 5 1 2 1 0 0 Will Wagner 5 0 0 0 0 2 Nick Solak 4 1 2 1 0 2 Jase Bowen 4 0 2 0 0 2 Mason McCoy 3 0 1 0 1 1 Nick Schnell 3 0 0 1 0 1 Marcos Castañon 1 1 1 0 0 0 Jose Miranda 4 0 3 0 0 0 Clay Dungan 0 1 0 0 0 0 Carlos Rodríguez 3 0 1 1 1 0 Anthony Vilar 4 0 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Evan Fitterer 6 3 1 1 2 1 0 Kyle Hart 1 1/3 1 2 2 2 3 0 David Morgan 1 1/3 4 2 2 0 3 0 Victor Lizzaraga K's 9, but Missions Can't Slow Wind Surge Right-hander Victor Lizzaraga struck out eight over six innings, but a three-run seventh inning proved too much to overcome as the host Double-A San Antonio Missions fell 5-2 to the Wichita Wind Surge. Lazzaraga gave up two runs (one earned) on six hits and didn't walk anyone. Both runs came in the fifth inning on a solo homer and a throwing error by shortstop Carson Tucker. San Antonio grabbed a 1-0 lead in the third inning as Tucker singled, stole second and went to third on an Ethan Salas groundout. Romeo Sanabria followed with a run-scoring single to right. After Lazzaraga gave up the two runs in the top of the fifth, the Wind Surge added three runs in the seventh. The Missions came back in the eighth as Tucker again singled, stole second and went to third on a throwing error by the pitcher. Salas followed with an RBI groundout. Sanabria walked and Francisco Acuna drew a two-out walk, but Braedon Karpathios struck out to end the threat. SA_0516.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Tucker 5 2 2 0 0 2 Ethan Salas 4 0 0 1 0 1 Romeo Sanabria 3 0 1 1 1 0 Albert Fabian 3 0 1 0 1 0 Francisco Acuna 1 0 0 0 3 0 Braedon Karpathios 4 0 0 0 0 2 Ryan Jackson 3 0 0 0 1 0 Kai Roberts 3 0 1 0 0 1 Tirso Ornelas 1 0 0 0 0 0 Chris Sargent 4 0 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Victor Lizarraga 6 6 2 1 0 8 1 Johan Moreno 1 4 3 3 1 1 1 Clark Candiotti 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 Rosman Verdugo Homers Again, But TinCaps Fall To Kernels The High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps couldn't dig themselves out of an early hole and dropped a 7-4 decision to the host Cedar Rapids Kernels. Cedar Rapids scored twice in the first, second and fourth innings to grab a 6-0 lead. Rosman Verdugo homered for the second day in a row, while Lamar King Jr. needed a ninth-inning infield single to extend his on-base streak to 27 games, the longest for a TinCap since Tirso Ornelas also had 27 in 2018. Verdugo hit his seventh homer of the season, a two-run shot, in the sixth after Justin DeCriscio was hit by a pitch to pull the TinCaps within 6-2. But the Kernels got a run back in the bottom of the sixth to go up 7-2. The TinCaps had one last rally in the ninth. Carlos E. Rodriguez singled and went to second on a throwing error by the third baseman, then took third on a wild pitch. Alex McCoy struck out and King hit a chopper to third base that couldn't be fielded cleanly and went for a hit, scoring Rodriguez. A passed ball put King on second base and a two-out single by Zach Evans moved King to third before Kavares Tears delivered an RBI single that ricocheted off the pitcher. But the TinCaps couldn't keep the rally going. TinCaps starter Abraham Parra gave up those first six runs in 3⅓ innings. FW_0516.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Justin DeCriscio 3 1 0 0 0 0 Rosman Verdugo 4 1 1 2 0 2 Carlos Rodriguez 4 1 1 0 0 2 Alex McCoy 4 0 0 0 0 3 Lamar King Jr. 4 1 1 1 0 1 Jake Cunningham 4 0 1 0 0 3 Zach Evans 4 0 2 0 0 0 Kavares Tears 4 0 2 1 0 0 Kasen Wells 3 0 0 0 0 0 Jack Costello 1 0 0 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Abraham Parra 3 1/3 7 6 6 2 4 0 Kleiber Olmedo 2 2 1 1 2 1 0 Javier Chacon 2 2/3 1 0 0 0 4 0 Tyler Schmitt Stellar Again, Kerrington Cross Delivers For Storm Kerrington Cross had a tiebreaking two-run double in the bottom of the seventh inning as the host Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm turned back the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 4-2. Truitt Madonna also drove in a pair of runs, while right-handed starter Tyler Schmitt gave up a pair of runs in 5⅔ innings as the Storm, who lead the California League's South Division, won for the fourth time in five games. Bradley Frye, Ty Harvey and George Bilecki each had two hits for the Storm. Schmitt was coming off two straight shutout performances of five and six innings. He allowed just one hit in five shutout innings to begin his outing vs. the Quakes to make it 16⅓ scoreless innings. In the sixth, he walked the leadoff hitter, then gave up a two-run homer to tie the game 2-2. Schmitt would get two more outs before needing to be relieved. He finished with three hits allowed and two walks with five strikeouts. The Storm scored twice in the bottom of the first. Frye and Harvey led off the inning with singles, with Frye taking third, before the next two batters flew out. Harvey stole second, then Madonna laced a double to left for a 2-0 lead. After the Quakes tied it in the sixth, the Storm came back in the seventh. Frye had an infield single and stole second, with Harvey walking. With one out, Harvey stole second, then Cross hit an opposite-field liner that short-hopped the wall in right field to easily score the two go-ahead runs. Right-hander Carson Swilling pitched 2⅓ scoreless innings after Schmitt exited and right-hander Will Koger earned his fourth save with a scoreless ninth. LE_0516.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Bradley Frye 5 2 2 0 0 1 Ty Harvey 3 2 2 0 1 1 Ryan Wideman 4 0 0 0 0 0 Kerrington Cross 3 0 1 2 1 0 Truitt Madonna 3 0 1 2 1 2 Jorge Quintana 2 0 0 0 2 2 Jose Verdugo 4 0 0 0 0 1 George Bilecki 4 0 2 0 0 2 Conner Westenburg 4 0 0 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Tyler Schmitt 5 2/3 3 2 2 2 5 1 Carson Swilling 2 1/3 0 0 0 1 1 0 Will Koger 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 0-for-4, RBI, K Kash Mayfield: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ryan Wideman: 0-for-4 Jorge Quintana: 0-for-2, 2 BB, 2 K Ty Harvey: 2-for-3, BB, 2 SB, K Kale Fountain: DNP Braedon Karpathios: 0-for-4, 2 K Lamar King Jr.: 1-for-4, RBI, K Jagger Haynes: DNP Alex McCoy: 0-for-4, 3 K Truitt Madonna: 1-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K Tucker Musgrove: DNP Garrett Hawkins: DNP Michael Salina: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Rosman Verdugo: 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K Bryan Balzer: DNP Deivid Coronil: DNP View the full article

Box Score SP: Connor Prielipp 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K (86 pitches, 55 strikes (64%)) Home Runs: Trevor Larnach (2) Bottom 3 WPA: Austin Martin (-0.28), Brooks Lee (-0.15), Tristan Gray (-0.15) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins looked to re-establish their home field after a rowdy Brewer crowd watched Milwaukee take the first game of the series. Minnesota had the right starter on the mound in young lefty Connor Prielipp, but would they have the right bats in the lineup with Byron Buxton sitting yet again and Luke Keaschall taking the night off against the equally young righty Logan Henderson? Ducks Left on the Pond The Twins had a golden opportunity to make a statement in the bottom of the second. After Prielipp dominated his way through his first two frames with three strikeouts, Josh Bell found his way on with a leadoff excuse-me single. Kody Clemens ripped a Henderson changeup into the corner for a double to put runners at second and third with nobody out. What happened next was a dreadful reminder of how things have been going, and how the Twins bats would continue to function on Saturday. The only way the Twins would fail to score would be strikeouts. Royce Lewis, strikeout. James Outman, strikeout. Austin Martin...strikeout. Trevor Larnach was back in the lineup after missing the past three games. He solved the "runners left in scoring position" dilemma in the bottom of the third inning by skipping a few steps and hitting the ball over the overhang in right to put his team up 1-0. Whiffing in the Field and at the Plate The Twins' lead didn't last very long, as the Brewers scraped a single and a walk on the base paths to start the fourth. After a rough call on a good play last night, Lewis got the gift of a double play grounder from Luis Rengifo. Unfortunately Royce forgot to get the ball before he tried to turn two, and by the time the ball got collected in left field Brice Turang had scampered all the way home from second base to knot the game at one apiece. In the bottom of the fourth, more Twins in scoring position with nobody out, and more whiffs. The Twins eventually went 0-8 with RISP and the strikeouts proved to be the most frustrating component. On three separate occasions the Brewers were either playing to surrender the run, or any ground ball or flyball could have done the deed. Prielipp got the chance to pitch into the sixth, and he tried to sneak a changeup past young phenom Jackson Chourio. That pitch got accelerated by 17 mph and found the seats for a 2-1 Brewer lead. Comeback Special? The Twins came into the ninth inning having gone 0-18 when trailing after seven innings in 2026. Righty Chad Patrick had entered the game in the bottom of the sixth, and was still pitching into the bottom of the ninth. The Twins mounted no threat, and Patrick got his four-inning save. What’s Next? The Twins look to salvage the final game of the series on Sunday. Twins righty Bailey Ober (4-2, 3.46 ERA) will look to match his shutout performance earlier this week, while the Brewers have yet to name their starter for the mid-day tilt. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Coming Soon Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Rojas 0 0 0 41 0 41 Topa 0 35 0 0 0 35 Adams 0 29 0 0 0 29 Orze 0 0 0 0 26 26 Morris 0 0 0 24 0 24 Rogers 0 0 0 23 0 23 Garcia 0 18 0 0 0 18 Gómez 0 0 0 7 11 18 Banda 0 0 0 8 0 8 View the full article