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Box Score Bailey Ober: 4 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K Home Runs: Tristan Gray (1) Top 3 WPA: Trevor Larnach (.023), Josh Bell (.022), Eric Orze (.014) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) A power outage. Perhaps a bit on the nose, huh? The Twins, fresh off an encouraging getaway day victory in Kansas City, entered Friday looking to start their home residency with success. Matters so far had been unclear. Much as the Kansas City weather was foggy, the team hadn’t yet displayed brilliance, nor outright terribleness. Their quality was hazy. A positive vision existed only In bits and spurts, occasionally overwhelmed by some truly horrendous relief pitching and woeful hitting against southpaws. Would they reveal their true nature on Friday? Bailey Ober earned the nod. Between him and his piggyback-ee, Mick Abel, manager Derek Shelton preferred his veteran, even if his declining velocity exceeded ordinary concern. It appeared a mistake early: Ober ran into trouble early, eventually surrendering a pair of runs when Nick Fortes smacked a lethargic fastball just above Tristan Gray’s head, easily scoring the two runners who were already on base. Tampa Bay would later tack on with a Ben Williamson RBI double in the fourth. The Twins' offense lay dormant for a few frames, evidently vexed by starter Joe Boyle’s awesome stuff. The Missouri native standing just one inch shorter than his counterpart—a rarity for someone as tall as Jayson Tatum (Shelton joked pregame that the contest would begin with a jump ball to determine last ups)—hustled high-90s heat and dastardly sliders with cutting efficiency. He may have walked a man or two, but he didn’t care; he would simply strike out the next guy. The luxuries of a pitcher with swing-and-miss stuff. Minnesota finally found a rally in the fourth. Luke Keaschall singled and stole second. Josh Bell stepped to the plate and softly served a parachute double into right; the ball didn’t cross 70 MPH—safely below speeding ticket-territory on every highway in the union—but landed perfectly in no-man’s land, allowing Keaschall to score the team’s first run. The Twins weren’t done. Ryan Jeffers plopped another ducksnort into right to advance Bell to third, and Trevor Larnach walked to load the bases for Royce Lewis—perhaps the worst hitter to load the bases for. Armed with his Grand Slam aura, Lewis… grounded to short. Carson Williams muffed the ball, though. Every runner advanced a base, and a second run scored. The rally concluded with a Gray sacrifice fly. Two innings came and went. So began the seventh. The one inning to rule them all. Byron Buxton started the rally with a hit by pitch (he would be pinch-run for by James Outman). The new runner swiped second, and Keaschall singled. Bell—unsatisfied with just one RBI knock—stroked a single into center to give Minnesota their first lead of the day. The action did not end there. Jeffers reached on a fielder’s choice to load the bases. The next two batters moved the assembly line with walks. Then, Tristan Gray did the damn thing, shooting a screaming liner just above the elevated wall in right field, clearing the bases with a Grand Slam. Suddenly, the Twins led 10-3. Rain started to fall on the field after the slam. Even Mother Nature knows when a game is over. Tampa Bay scratched across a run for window-dressing; Cody Laweryson closed matters in a now pounding precipitation with an easy 1-2-3 frame, giving the Twins a win in their 2026 home debut. Notes: Post-Game Interview: What’s Next? The Twins and Rays meet again for a Saturday evening match, with Mick Abel slated to start his first game of the year opposite the veteran southpaw, Steven Matz. First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 PM. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Kent 0 0 47 0 0 47 Laweryson 0 0 36 0 10 46 Funderburk 26 0 0 15 2 43 Topa 10 0 0 13 17 40 Orze 0 0 0 0 37 37 Banda 0 0 12 0 17 29 Rogers 14 0 0 4 0 18 Sands 0 0 0 11 0 11 Abel 0 0 0 0 0 0 View the full article

Earlier this week, the New York Mets announced that J.D. Martinez was being brought back as a special assistant to baseball operations, similar to the role Carlos Beltran has. Martinez was a crucial part of the Mets 2024 postseason run, not just as a player, but as a clubhouse leader. In particular, his veteran leadership that season appeared to really impact one player on the team: Mark Vientos. In 2024, Mark Vientos exploded onto the scene after he was called up in mid-May, making an enormous statement despite failing to make the Opening Day roster. He slashed .266/.322/.516 with 27 home runs that season and later set the Mets' postseason record in RBIs with 14. The two go way back, both being from the South Florida area and working out at the same facility over the offseason. When asked about Martinez’s impact on Vientos, manager Carlos Mendoza took the time to laud the now-retired slugger. It's never been a secret that their relationship was strong. Vientos told the New York Post that he always tried to relay information of the veteran when they played together: “Hey, J.D., what were your thoughts when you were my age, on this and that. I take what I think will work for me and leave what I don’t think will work for me and that is just how I go about asking questions.” In 2025, Martinez stepped away from baseball. With him gone and the ever dangerous “sophomore slump” looming, Vientos had sky high expectations and was unable to meet them. He registered -0.2 WAR in 121 games, slashing .233/.289/.413 with 17 home runs. Then, those struggles extended to this spring, when the 26-year-old recorded a .040 batting average. Vientos was also nonexistent in the World Baseball Classic, only recording two hits with Nicaragua being eliminated in the group stage. In the opening series of the season, Vientos only received one at-bat, coming off the bench in the 10th inning. However, with the entire offense rooted in a slump, he has been getting increased playing time in recent contests and has responded to the call, posting extra-base hits in back-to-back contests. For Vientos to fully resort back to his 2024 form, when he ranked in the 88th percentile in batting run value and 92nd percentile in barrel rate, bringing back a mentor like Martinez is as good a place to start as anywhere. View the full article

NEW YORK — The Miami Marlins didn't need Eury Pérez to do too much on Friday. A complete game by his friend and mentor Sandy Alcantara combined with a scheduled off-day left Miami's lights-out bullpen as fresh as possible. Against a high-powered New York Yankees lineup, it was more important to avoid the big mistake than to provide length. Pérez ultimately did neither. The 22-year-old right-hander issued six walks to the Yankees in their sold-out home opener after previously never topping four in a major league start. He held them to only two hits, but the first of which was an Aaron Judge two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning, giving the Yankees a lead they would never relinquish. With a final score of 8-2, it was the Marlins' largest margin of defeat of the young 2026 season. This was not a "cold weather" game, per se, but it was much colder than what Marlins players are accustomed to. The first-pitch temperature of 58 degrees was lower than any other that Pérez has experienced in the big leagues. "A little bit of cold out there," Pérez admitted via interpreter after the game. "Not an excuse—want to say that." Manager Clayton McCullough attributed Pérez's struggles primarily to his inability to land his secondary pitches for strikes. However, fastball command was similarly (and uncharacteristically) poor. Five of the six pitches that culminated in walks were four-seam fastballs, as was Judge's based-loaded hit-by-pitch, which drove in the final run off the Marlins starter. The next start for Pérez will come against the Cincinnati Reds, who entered Friday with MLB's second-highest walk rate, so that outing could follow the same script if he doesn't make mechanical adjustments. More notes and takeaways - The strike zone was also elusive for Marlins relievers. Tyler Phillips walked two batters and spiked a curveball for a run-scoring wild pitch. Michael Petersen walked another and Lake Bachar contributed two of his own. The club's 11 total walks exceeded their total from the first six games of the season combined. - The Marlins' only runs came courtesy of solo homers. Unlikely power source Xavier Edwards hit his in the first inning. Although he's a switch-hitter, all five of Edwards' home runs in the big leagues have been blasted from the left side of the plate. Owen Caissie homered in the fifth inning. Both of them came off of Will Warren four-seamers. - Facing his former team, Jazz Chisholm Jr. enjoyed his best offensive game of 2026. He went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and two stolen bases. - Griffin Conine and Jakob Marsee collided when pursuing a fly ball in the bottom of the first. Conine lost his sunglasses, but made the catch and both players stayed in for the entire game. - With the Marlins' chances of rallying practically zero in the ninth inning, Agustín Ramírez took second base on defensive indifference, then made the penultimate out of the game in embarrassing fashion. "Tough place to lose an out," McCullough said tersely. The series continues Saturday at 7:05 p.m. ET. The probable starters are Max Meyer for the Marlins and left-hander Ryan Weathers, who was dealt from the Fish to New York in January. It'll be Weathers' first time pitching in pinstripes, though he has prior experience in this ballpark from 2024, when he went five scoreless innings in a Marlins victory. View the full article

The first week of the 2026 season didn’t go as planned for the Boston Red Sox. Fortunately, when it comes to baseball, there are 162 games of action, excitement, heartbreak, and any other feeling you can think of. Today, get ready for the Red Sox home opener by taking a look at some of this week’s best thread topics on the Talk Sox forums. Red Sox: Red Sox (Crochet) vs Astros (Burrows): 4/1/26, 2:10pm In what looked like an uneven matchup between pitchers, it was Garrett Crochet who ended up struggling after being given a 1-0 lead in the first inning. In the end, the Red Sox and Talk Sox community had to deal with a sweep at the hands of the Houston Astros. With the game falling on April 1, it almost felt like an awful April Fool's prank with how the entire game went. Each time they looked to get back into it, something occurred that strengthened the Astros' lead. Red Sox: What do the A's, White Sox and Red Sox have in common? After a disappointing series sweep by the Houston Astros, a discussion about the three last-place teams in the American League took place. Despite the slow start, there were mixed thoughts on where the team was headed, with some believing the season would turn around and the club would be in contention for a playoff spot by September, while others felt that the roster wasn’t built to be a playoff contender. Minors: IFA Red Sox Prospects The Red Sox made news for having the most international free agent prospects within their top 30, with 15 players on the list. Among some of the names were top prospects Franklin Arias, Juan Valera, and Justin Gonzales, all of whom are looking to have huge 2026 seasons. On a related note, the Portland Sea Dogs open their season tonight while the Worcester Red Sox, Greenville Drive, and Salem RidgeYaks are all back in action. View the full article

The Cubs amassed pretty good starting rotation depth this winter, all things considered. They entered the season with a fully healthy group of five: Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Shota Imanaga, Edward Cabreras and Jameson Taillon. Behind them, as depth, the team has Colin Rea and Ben Brown in the big-league bullpen and Javier Assad waiting in the Triple-A Iowa rotation. You can't be much better-positioned to withstand an injury than that, in the modern game, especially given that the team will get Justin Steele back after his 2025 Tommy John surgery, sometime this summer. Take the best arm out of any pitching staff, though, and it looks a lot weaker, immediately. That might be what the Cubs are facing now. On Friday, Cade Horton departed in the middle of an at-bat in the bottom of the second inning, feeling obvious discomfort and calling the trainer to the mound before leaving. His fastball velocity nosed down sharply immediately before he left, too. We'll update when we know more about what's happening, but it's not too early to harbor deep concerns here. Should Horton miss significant time, the Cubs would be without their ace and the rest of the rotation would immediately seem stretched and strained—just as they were around this time last year, when they lost Steele. UPDATE: If you were hoping the issue was a simple blister or that Horton was dealing with a lingering cold or flu, you'll have to let that hope go. The issue is in his forearm, the team announced. Now, the question is of severity. A trip to the injured list is virtually guaranteed, any time a pitcher leaves a game with a forearm problem. Presumably, Horton will be sent for imaging, and much of the Cubs' upside for this season will hinge on the outcome thereof. View the full article

There is no shortage of optimism in the Minnesota Twins system, and now there is some national validation to go with it. Baseball America released its rankings of the most talented minor league rosters entering the 2026 season, and the St. Paul Saints sit comfortably at the top. According to Baseball America, St. Paul features four top 100 prospects and nine of the organization’s top 30. That kind of concentration is rare at the Triple-A level, where rosters are often a mix of up and down depth pieces and veteran placeholders. Instead, the Saints are rolling out a group that looks more like a future core than a temporary stop. Leading the way is Walker Jenkins, ranked No. 5 overall. He is joined by Emmanuel Rodriguez at No. 57, Kaelen Culpepper at No. 74, and Connor Prielipp at No. 94. No other team in Baseball America’s top five has more than three players inside the top 100, giving St. Paul a clear edge when it comes to top-end talent. The rest of the top five includes the Midland RockHounds, Arkansas Travelers, Indianapolis Indians, and Charlotte Knights. Those are strong systems in their own right, but none can match the combination of ceiling and proximity that the Saints currently possess. St. Paul wasted little time showing what that might look like on the field. They opened the season by sweeping Indianapolis on the road, handling one of the other top-ranked rosters. That series came against Konnor Griffin, baseball’s top overall prospect, before he was called up to the big leagues on Friday. From a Twins Daily perspective, the alignment is just as impressive. Four of the organization’s top five prospects are stationed in St. Paul, and six of the top ten are already at Triple A. The list reads like a snapshot of the next wave in Minnesota Walker Jenkins No. 1 Kaelen Culpepper No. 2 Emmanuel Rodriguez No. 3 Connor Prielipp No. 5 Gabriel Gonzalez No. 7 Kendry Rojas No. 8 Andrew Morris No. 12 Marco Raya No. 15 For the Twins, this creates a different kind of pressure, the good kind. When injuries hit or production dips at the big league level, the answers are not coming from fringe depth. They are coming from players who have been developed with the expectation of contributing. Ranking systems are useful, but they only go so far. What makes this St. Paul roster compelling is not just how it looks in March, but what it represents over the next six months. This is a pipeline reaching its most concentrated point, where development meets opportunity. If even a handful of these players take the next step, the impact on Minnesota’s roster could be significant and immediate. The Saints roster is the best collection of talent to start the year, but in 2026, they feel much closer to something bigger. View the full article

In conjunction with the Minnesota Twins, the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels have unveiled their 2026 Opening Day roster, and it comes with a little bit of everything. There is returning production, recent draft intrigue, and enough raw athleticism to make last year’s track meet look repeatable. Jordan Smith, a Wilmar, Minn. native, begins his first year managing the Mighty Mussels. Also new to the staff are pitching coach Dylan Hawley and hitting coach Carlos Lara. The one holdover in the coaching department is Richard Salazar, who enters his fourth season with the club and his ninth in the organization. The initial player group featured 44 players, though that number shrank quickly. Once the injured list was finalized on Thurs., April 2, the roster was trimmed to the Florida State League maximum of 30 active players. Overall, it serves as a snapshot of organizational depth and a preview of who could take meaningful steps forward this summer. Familiarity is a defining theme. Exactly half of the current group, 22 players, appeared in a game for Fort Myers last season. That continuity matters at this level, where development often accelerates when players are not adjusting to a new environment at the same time. The returning position player group is headlined by Damuery Pena and Quentin Young. Pena was a steady presence in 2025, leading the team with 96 games played while hitting .241/.317/.316 (.633) and swiping 28 bases, tied for ninth most in the FSL last season. He is a contact-oriented player with speed who can impact games in multiple ways. Young is a different kind of storyline. Selected in the second round of the 2025 draft, he arrived late in the season and appeared in just five games. The pedigree stands out immediately as the nephew of former big leaguers Delmon and Dmitri Young. He also has one of the top power tools in the entire organization. Now with a full season ahead, Fort Myers becomes the first real stage to see how his tools translate over an extended run. JP Smith II showed flashes after being selected in the 17th round, including a Florida State League Player of the Week award in August. He hit .237 across 24 games, and while the sample size was small, the early signs suggested a player capable of putting together competitive at-bats. Yasser Mercedes might be the most electric returner on the roster (even though he starts the year on the IL). He led the 2025 team in both home runs with 10 and stolen bases, going an incredible 34-for-35 on the basepaths. That efficiency was not just impressive, it was foundational to a record-breaking season. Fort Myers stole 236 bases as a team, setting a new franchise mark, and Mercedes was right at the center of it. On the pitching side, Dylan Questad returns as the most experienced arm. His 6.87 ERA across 25 games, including 11 starts, does not jump off the page in a positive way, but the underlying workload tells a different story. He led all returners with 74 2/3 innings and 83 strikeouts, giving him a chance to take a step forward simply by refining what is already there. The most notable addition to the staff is right-hander Riley Quick. Taken with the 36th overall pick in the 2025 draft, Quick enters as one of the more intriguing arms at this level. He posted a 3.72 ERA across three seasons at the University of Alabama and struck out 70 batters in 62 innings during his final collegiate season. There is enough swing and miss in the profile to believe he could move quickly if everything clicks. James Ellwanger will make his pro debut with the Mighty Mussels after being drafted by the Twins in the third round. During his final collegiate season, he posted a 3.98 ERA with a 1.53 WHIP and 13.5 K/9. Like Quick, his college experience could mean that he moves quickly through the lower levels of the minors. However, there is no reason to rush him as he adjusts to life as a professional. Prospect watchers will have plenty to follow. According to Twins Daily’s top-20 prospect rankings, Quick, 11th overall, is the highest-rated prospect in Fort Myers. On the position player side, Young falls at 14th overall in the latest rankings. Ellwanger, the team’s third-round pick last year, is currently ranked as the 20th-best prospect in the organization. That level of prospect density is not always a given at the Low A level, and it raises the ceiling for what this group could become. The Mighty Mussels were rained out for their opener on Thursday. Now, they begin their season on April 3, with a double header against the Clearwater Threshers. First pitch scheduled for 3:35 p.m. CT. 2026 Fort Myers Opening Day Roster Pitchers (15) RHP James Ellwanger RHP Adam Falinski RHP Joel Garcia RHP Eric Hammond RHP Michael Hilker Jr. RHP Merit Jones RHP Xavier Kolhosser RHP Mike McKenna RHP Reed Moring RHP Mitch Mueller RHP Jake Murray RHP Riley Quick RHP Kolten Smith RHP Jonathan Stevens RHP Brian Zeldin Catchers (4) Ian Daugherty Irvin Nuñez Ricardo Peña Ryan Sprock Infielders (6) Bryan Acuña Harry Genth Yilber Herrera Dameury Peña JP Smith II Quentin Young Outfielders (3) Jayson Bass Eduardo Beltre Byron Chourio 7-Day IL: INF Bruin Agbayani (R thumb sprain), C Enrique Jimenez (R finger fracture), OF Yasser Mercedes (R oblique strain), RHP Justin Mitrovich (R lat strain), RHP Billy Oldham (R UCL sprain), RHP Dylan Questad (L oblique strain), RHP Jason Reitz (L ankle sprain) 60-Day IL: RHP Matt Barr (R elbow fracture), RHP Callan Fang (R elbow sprain), RHP Jake Hunter (R shoulder impingement), RHP Jace Kaminska (R elbow surgery), LHP Cesar Lares (L elbow surgery), LHP Cleiber Maldonado (L elbow surgery), C Carlos Silva (R forearm strain) Full Season IL: RHP Jack Dougherty (R shoulder surgery), INF Shai Robinson (L shoulder surgery) What stands out about the Fort Myers roster? Who will you be watching? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

The Mets opened the season with six brand-new players with six brand-new Mets in the lineup. We knew it would take some time to fall in love with them. And into that void other emotions — frustration, derision, confusion — can sneak in. How are we gonna get through all of that? TOGETHER! Join us at the Grand Central Mets Forums as we navigate the rough straits of Week Two of the 2026 season. Mets: Early Impressions Still figuring out who is who? Haven't yet gotten an impression of Jorge Polanco's batting stance? Think Bo Bichette looks too much like Derek Jeter to abide? You're not alone! Join us as we suss out the character of a 2026 squad made up of passing ships that we have previously only seen sailing under foreign flags. Mets: Marcus Semien Sucks Is the new Mets second baseman, Marcus Semien, simply not getting the results at the moment, or is he washed up, toast, over the proverbial hill, and all the cliches that add up to beyond saving? The question isn't as closed as the thread title's author suggests. Your take can help save this man. Mets: Mets (McLean) vs Giants (Mahle): 4/3/26, 10:15pm The Mets didn't fly all the way to the West Coast to fire Willie Randolph this time. There is an act that needs getting together, and with a young, exciting acelet on the mound, there is no better time to do it. Climb aboard tonight's In-Game Thread as the forum takes in all the action from Seals Stadium Candlestick Park Pac Bell Park SBC Park AT&T Park Oracle Park. Come on, San Francisco. Get a name and stick with it. You're not the Marlins. View the full article

After the first week of the San Diego Padres' 2026 season, we can say that two things are true: The club's scuffles at the plate this spring were real, and they were clear signs that the offense is lacking. San Diego put up 19 runs in a six-game homestand (3.17 per game). Seven of the runs were scored in the finale, a 7-1 victory gift-wrapped by the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday. The overall team slash line was .202/.280/.301. By themselves, six-game sample sizes are insignificant. Cold streaks and hot streaks cancel each other out. But this sample did not happen in isolation. It was a reminder that these Padres have had trouble scoring runs. Stats and circumstances can support or refute that statement, but the pessimistic indicators from the first week are more persuasive. Here are the six strongest, one per game: 1. This year's lineup is almost the same as last year's The club finished 18th in MLB in runs last year, and all the regulars from the end of the season, save for Luis Arraez, are back this year. Losing Arraez was not devastating -- he produced a 104 wRC+ and hit eight home runs in 2025 -- but there was no clear upgrade made in the offseason. It might be utility man Sung Mun Song, once he's healed from his oblique injury. He slugged .530 and hit a career-high 26 home runs last year in the KBO. It would be tough to bet on him repeating that as an MLB rookie, though. 2. Will the power come on? San Diego hit three home runs on the homestand. Ramon Laureano slugged two and Jackson Merrill hit the other one. The long ball was lacking last year, too -- the Padres finished 28th in homers and Manny Machado led the club with just 27. Maybe Merrill gets close to that figure with a full season of health. Maybe Laureano keeps it going. Maybe Song makes a difference. Then again, that's too many maybes this early in the year. 3. The quality of the opponent did not matter much The hitters faced Tarik Skubal, Framber Valdez, Jack Flaherty, Landen Roupp, Logan Webb and Adrian Houser in the first six games. Skubal (naturally) and Roupp (surprisingly) had the best outings -- no earned runs over six innings each -- but overall, opposing starters allowed 12 runs (seven earned) over 33 2/3 innings, and none of them gave up more than three. The Padres failed to jump on a starter early and seize control of a game. 4. The lineup leans too far to the right The team's handedness imbalance showed up in a key split: the Padres produced an 85 wRC+ against right-handers in their first six games, 23rd in the majors. Merrill, Jake Cronenworth and Gavin Sheets are the club's primary left-handed bats. Song will be a fourth once he's activated. Besides them, the only lefty swinger is switch-hitting backup outfielder Bryce Johnson. There isn't room for another one right now with the club committed to Luis Campusano, Miguel Andujar and Nick Castellanos as backups. 5. The contact was inconsistent This is a mixed indicator, but mostly a negative one. Statcast had the Padres seventh in hard-hit rate after six games at 43.0 percent, but also 13th in average exit velocity at 89.2 mph and 29th in barrel rate at 4.2 percent. The whiff rate was 17th at 27.9 percent. Lots of numbers there, but they point to one thing: the Padres didn't do enough to put pressure on defenses with batted balls. 6. There has already been a shakeup First-year manager Craig Stammen altered the batting order Wednesday to get guys going. The order looked closer to what it was against left-handers Skubal and Valdez. Tatis was in the leadoff spot against a right-hander for the first time, and Cronenworth was dropped from first to sixth. Stammen also flipped Machado and Merrill in the third and fourth spots. There's no conclusive data that changing the order will change the hitters, but a productive new alignment can be good for the team vibes. View the full article

In less than 100 days, the Miami Marlins will be on the clock. As we have always done, Fish On First is bringing you a series of scouting reports on the top MLB Draft-eligible prospects who could realistically wind up in Miami. Overview Position: OF Height: 6’3″ Weight: 195 pounds School: Virginia A.J. Gracia is a 6’3”, 195-pound outfielder who plays for the University of Virginia. Gracia is one of the best left-handed-hitting prospects in the 2026 draft class and one of its most talented power hitters. Gracia was a blue-chip prospect coming out of the Ranney School in Tinton Falls, New Jersey. On Perfect Game, he was the 200th-ranked prospect and the 37th-ranked outfielder in the Class of 2023. He was also the fifth-ranked prospect out of the Garden State. Gracia went undrafted and signed with the Duke Blue Devils. During his freshman season, Gracia made an immediate impact for the Blue Devils and was one of the best hitters. Gracia played and started in all 60 games. He slashed .305/.440/.559 with 67 hits, fourteen doubles, fourteen home runs, 58 RBIs, 17.3 BB%, 1.000 OPS, and a 135 wRC+. Gracia was named Third Team All-ACC and a consensus Freshman All-American. In his sophomore season, Gracia continued to produce for the Blue Devils. Gracia played and started in all 60 games. He slashed .293/.449/.558 with 63 hits, ten doubles, fifteen home runs, 54 RBIs, 57 walks, 20% BB%, 1.007 OPS, and a 134 wRC+. Gracia was named Second Team All-ACC. He would also enter the Transfer Portal and signed with the Virginia Cavaliers, following his head coach, Chris Pollard. In his first season at Virginia, Gracia continues to be one of the most consistent and productive hitters in the country. He has played and started in all 30 games this season. Entering Friday, he’s slashing .352/.500/.667 with 38 hits, seven doubles, nine home runs, 28 RBIs, 18.8 BB%, 1.167 OPS, and a 164 wRC+. At the plate, Gracia is a lefty with an upright batting stance and quiet hands. He has a compact swing with very little wasted movement and swings through the ball very well. Gracia is mostly known for his power. He has excellent swing mechanics and can showcase his power to all fields. His power tool is graded a 60 by MLB Pipeline. His hit tool is graded as a 55 due to an advanced plate approach and bat-to-ball skills. Gracia has also shown improvement in hitting more line drives. According to D1 Baseball, Gracia’s line drive rate in 2026 is a personal-best 20.9%, and his ground ball rate is at an all-time low of 31.9%. On defense, Gracia is pretty limited. He does not run very well, and his arm strength is average at best. Gracia projects to be a left fielder/first baseman at the next level. According to MLB Pipeline, Gracia does have good outfield instincts and runs good routes on fly balls. On Baseball America, Gracia is the 12th-ranked prospect and third-ranked outfielder in this draft class. On MLB Pipeline, Gracia is the 15th-ranked draft prospect and fourth-ranked outfielder. Strengths 60-grade power Excellent swing decisions Advanced approach at the plate Drives the ball to all fields with authority Career 18.7 BB% and 15.4 K% Quick hands at the plate with a compact swing Tracks fly balls well in the outfield Weaknesses Below-average speed Below-average arm strength Very limited defensively Pro Comparison: Kerry Carpenter Projection: Top 15 pick Bottom Line Gracia has one of the most complete offensive profiles in this draft class. The Marlins will have the 14th overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft and should be able to grab one of the class' top prospects. Gracia is a player who could already be off the board when the Marlins pick, but he would be a tough player to pass on if he’s available. He would be an excellent selection in the middle of the first round. View the full article

Bryan Balzer struck out seven over four innings as Lake Elsinore won behind Ryan Wideman, Ty Harvey, and Conner Westenburg . Matt Waldron tossed four scoreless innings with six strikeouts for El Paso, though Albert Bowen and Carlos Rodríguez could not hold Tacoma off. Victor Lizarraga worked five innings for San Antonio, and Marcos Verdugo homered, but the Missions fell as Sean Boyle added two scoreless innings in Triple-A action Thursday for the Chihuahuas as well. Padres Transactions No Roster Moves Rodríguez Drives In Lone Run, Bowen Collects Two Hits In Chihuahuas Loss Box Score The El Paso Chihuahuas carried a one-run lead into the seventh inning, but Tacoma scored three times to hand El Paso a 3-1 loss on Thursday at Cheney Stadium. Leadoff hitter Albert Bowen led the Chihuahuas' offense by going 2-for-4 with a double, while Mason McCoy added a hit. Carlos Rodríguez provided El Paso’s only RBI, finishing 1-for-4. Yonathan Perlaza Schnell drew a walk and scored the club’s lone run, and Sung Mun Song reached base twice with two walks. El Paso totaled five hits and went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Bowen’s two-base hit accounted for the club’s only extra-base knock. Matt Waldron started for the Chihuahuas and worked four scoreless innings, allowing three hits, walking none, and striking out six. Sean Boyle followed with two scoreless innings, giving up one hit, walking none, and striking out two. Tacoma broke through in the seventh after Jackson Wolf entered in relief. The Rainiers erased the deficit with a two-out, three-run homer, which supplied all of their scoring. Wolf took the loss after allowing three runs in two innings, with two hits allowed, no walks, and three strikeouts. Verdugo Homers, Lizarraga Works Five In Missions Loss To Tulsa Box Score The San Antonio Missions got a solo home run from Marcos Verdugo, but Tulsa pulled away for a 5-1 win on Thursday at ONEOK Field. San Antonio finished with five hits, with Verdugo leading the way by going 2-for-3 with the home run and the club’s lone RBI. Brandon Valenzuela Salas, Ripken Reyes Jackson, and Romeo Sanabria each added a hit. The Missions drew two walks and went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. Verdugo put San Antonio on the board in the sixth inning when he homered to trim the deficit to 2-1. That was the only run the Missions would score. Victor Lizarraga started for San Antonio and pitched five innings, allowing two runs, six walks, and two strikeouts. He gave up two hits in the outing and was charged with the loss. Andrew Thurman took over in the sixth, allowing one run in 2/3 of an inning with one walk and one strikeout. Harry Gustin followed and covered 1 1/3 innings, allowing one run, no walks, and one strikeout. Johan Moreno worked the eighth inning for the Missions and allowed one unearned run, but walked three, and struck out two over the one inning. Tulsa scored in the second and third innings to take an early lead, then added runs in the sixth, seventh, and eighth. The Drillers also stole two bases in the game, while San Antonio turned two double plays and got an outfield assist from Kai Murphy Karthaios. Wideman, Westenburg Lead Storm Attack In Win Over Ontario Box Score The Lake Elsinore Storm broke the game open with a five-run third inning and held off Ontario for a 7-5 win on Thursday at ONT Field. Ryan Wideman and Conner Westenburg helped lead the Storm offense. Wideman went 2-for-3, walked once, scored a run, and stole two bases, while Westenburg finished 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored. Ty Harvey went 1-for-3 with a double, three RBIs, two walks, and a stolen base, and Kerrington Cross added a hit and an RBI. Jorge Quintana reached base three times on walks, scored once, and stole a base. Lake Elsinore turned a 0-1 game into a 5-1 lead in the third inning, then added two runs in the seventh. The Storm also stayed aggressive on the bases, with Truitt Madonna stealing second and third, Wideman swiping second and third, Quintana stealing second, Kale Fountain stealing second, and Harvey stealing second. Bryan Balzer started for Lake Elsinore and pitched four innings, allowing one run, two walks, and striking out seven. Joseph Herrera followed with one scoreless inning, walking none and striking out one, and Winyer Chourio added one inning with one strikeout. Ontario narrowed the gap with runs in the seventh, eighth, and ninth. Will Koger allowed three runs in two innings, with one walk and four strikeouts, and Ethan Long closed it out with one inning, allowing one run, one walk, and one strikeout. A passed ball in the eighth and a wild pitch in the ninth helped Ontario score, but Lake Elsinore finished the win. View the full article

Red Sox are off to their worst start since 2024. Garrett Crochet and Wilyer Abreu are key performers at the start of the 2026 season, but the rest of the Red Sox team seem to be stuck in spring training mode. It's too early to sound the alarm as this young core will come together and play competitive baseball, they just need to do it soon. View the full article

On Tuesday, the Toronto Blue Jays announced that Cody Ponce has been diagnosed with a right ACL sprain and will miss a significant period of time. Ponce sustained the injury after trying to field a groundball off the bat of Jake McCarthy, which resulted in the 31-year-old’s knee buckling as he reached down to try to collect the ball. It is yet to be determined if Ponce suffered a full or partial tear, and he will meet with Dr. Neal ElAttrache next week to see if he needs surgery. No matter what, Ponce isn’t expected to return to the field any time soon. The right-hander signed a three-year, $30 million contract this offseason after impressing during his time in Korea. Last season, Ponce was named MVP of the KBO after going 17-1 with an ERA of 1.89 and a WHIP of 0.93. While no injury news comes at a good time, the Ponce diagnosis further depleted an already undermanned rotation. Shane Bieber is dealing with forearm fatigue and is only progressing to throwing off a mound this weekend, José Berríos continues to work his way back from a stress fracture in his right elbow, and Trey Yesavage is going to throw in a simulated game on Friday after being diagnosed with a right shoulder impingement at the end of spring training. Of those three injured pitchers, Berríos feels like the safest bet to return first. The veteran is expected to face live batters on Saturday, and if all goes well, he could head out on a rehab assignment the following week. Berríos threw 63 pitches in his last spring outing before being shut down, so the 31-year-old may only need two or three rehab starts, which would put his timeline to return somewhere around the end of April. Yesavage didn’t appear in a game all spring and is expected to throw 45 pitches in a simulated game on Friday. If all goes well, the 22-year-old could work his way to a rehab assignment the following week. With a full ramp-up likely needed, Yesavage feels like an option when the calendar flips to May. Bieber remains the biggest question mark, considering he's dealing with forearm tightness. The 30-year-old is coming off a season in which he returned from Tommy John surgery, so the Blue Jays will be cautious with their 2025 trade deadline acquisition. Bieber is starting from almost zero, so it will be like the first day of spring training for the right-hander when he starts to pitch again. A return in late May or early June feels like the best course of action. Currently locked into the Blue Jays’ rotation are Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Eric Lauer and Max Scherzer, leaving one spot open and little depth to fill it. Toronto’s bullpen has already been taxed due to the Ponce injury and several close ballgames, so reinforcements need to come in a hurry. Lazaro Estrada was recalled after the Blue Jays placed Ponce on the 15-day injured list, giving the club an option for multiple innings out of their bullpen. Last season in Buffalo, Estrada made 20 starts with the Bisons. In 26 appearances, the right-hander saw mixed results. He went 4-7 with a 5.73 ERA and 1.45 WHIP. He also gave up seven runs on 10 hits in 7.1 big league innings. Adam Macko could be a dark horse to get a look for Toronto, but both of his outings this season with the Bisons have come in relief. The left-hander has pitched in 3 ⅓ innings, allowing no runs and two hits and striking out four. Chase Lee, who was acquired this offseason from the Detroit Tigers, could be called up to join the bullpen with the ability to provide some length. Last season, the 27-year-old appeared in 32 MLB games, pitching 37 ⅓ innings while posting a 4-1 record with an ERA of 4.10 and a WHIP of 1.10. He has thrown two innings in each of his Triple-A appearances so far in 2026. Yariel Rodríguez remains a name to consider, but after being waived this offseason and sent to the minor leagues, the right-hander has gotten off to a slow start. In two appearances, spanning 2 ⅔ innings, the 29-year-old has allowed two runs on two hits and three walks, flashing some of the control issues that flared up at the end of last season. One aspect working in the Blue Jays’ favour in April is the four off days in their schedule. The team won’t play on April 2, 9, 13, and 23, leaving the door open for them to largely rely on the four true starters they currently have. That being said, the Blue Jays will still have to be cautious with all four of those pitchers, given the 156 games that lie ahead. This is a team that has become in need of arms in a hurry. View the full article

The Boston Red Sox are making a few moves prior to their home opener on Friday. With a need for pitching, the Red Sox have recalled pitchers Zack Kelly and Tyler Uberstine, according to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. Kelly, who seemed to have a bullpen spot secured during spring training until the final week, opened the season with Triple-A Worcester. During the first week of the minor league season, he’s pitched three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out two. Since 2022, Kelly has made 98 appearances with the Red Sox. He’s tossed 115 innings with a 4.15 ERA. Uberstine is being called up for the first time in his career after fighting for a bullpen spot during spring training. In his lone start with Worcester this season, he tossed four innings, allowing one run on two hits, and struck out three batters. Uberstine is currently TalkSox's 17th-ranked prospect. In response, Garret Whitlock is being placed on the paternity list as he and his wife are expecting their next child in the coming days. Johan Oviedo was also placed on the injured list with a right elbow strain. Oviedo's velocity was noticeably down in his final spring training appearance and his Red Sox debut, leading to some speculation that an injured list stint could happen for the right-hander. The Red Sox spent the offseason acquiring pitching depth to handle such injuries, and it seems to already be paying off. View the full article

Here is a recap of three of the most popular thread topics on Brewer Fanatic's fan forums this week: Brewers: Pratt signs extension for 8/$50M We knew Cooper Pratt was excellent with the glove and ranked as the No. 4 prospect in the organization. He could also be considered the Brewers’ fourth-best shortstop in the minor leagues, behind Jesús Made, Luis Lara, and Jett Williams. That context made the news that Milwaukee will commit to Pratt through 2033 all the more surprising, shaking the Brewer Fanatic community in a variety of ways. The initial reaction was disbelief. Is this really happening? Why Pratt, and why now? It is clear the Brewers’ front office has conviction in Pratt’s continued development, even if his slash lines have yet to consistently impress since his time as a 19-year-old Mudcat. As always, the Brewer Fanatic community came together to make sense of both the near-term and long-term ripple effects of a move that could shape the organization for the next decade. Brewers: Challenge system approved! Automated balls and strikes are one of the most intriguing additions to the game this season. The system is new for players, coaches, umpires, and fans alike, and there is still a lot to learn about how strike zone challenges will actually play out. When are the optimal times to challenge a call? What unintended consequences might come from a semi-automated zone? Will our thinking on swing planes or launch angles evolve as pitchers adjust to a new form of umpiring? The Brewers have already tried to get ahead of the curve, exploring ways to help players identify the right moments to challenge, though MLB quickly shut that idea down. Still, the desire to gain an edge is clear, and this is exactly the kind of change where early adaptation could matter. Come share your reactions to the new ABS system and learn alongside the Brewer Fanatic community. Minors: 2026 Picks to Click What's better than Opening Day? Three Opening Days! The Wilson Warbirds, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, and Biloxi Shuckers each begin their regular seasons tonight, showcasing the high-end talent throughout the Brewers’ minor league system. The Brewer Fanatic community is hard at work identifying the lesser-known prospects most likely to emerge in 2026. Want to impress your friends? Start by predicting that Eric Bitonti’s hit tool will begin to catch up with his plus-plus raw power in Appleton this season. There is no better place to follow the daily developments throughout the Milwaukee farm system than Brewer Fanatic! View the full article

Things haven’t gotten off to the best of starts for the San Diego Padres in 2026. Some of the offensive questions and rotation uncertainty have manifested for the worst. In the team’s first win of the season, however, one of the more intriguing parts of the roster has already emerged as a potential answer to one of those problems. On the whole, there wasn’t a lot about Randy Vásquez’s 2025 that would impress the average observer. His percentile distribution offered very little by which to be encouraged: That he was below average in nearly every notable pitching metric speaks to the struggles he endured for much of last season. He was largely unable to get hitters out by way of the strikeout while simultaneously navigating consistently shaky command. The only even moderately positive takeaway could be found in his ability to minimize hard contact (and even then, he was more mid-tier in doing so than actually good at it). But the way in which Vásquez finished the season offered something more optimistic than the prior months that had come before. After pitching to a 3.80 ERA but 5.37 FIP (and a .318 opposing wOBA) in the first half, Vásquez bottomed-out across 7.2 innings in August, wherein he allowed seven runs and a .372 opposing wOBA. There were some encouraging signs in that small sample, though, as he posted a 21.2 percent strikeout rate and 3.0 percent walk rate. As such, September began to represent a very different story for him. That month, Vásquez tossed 22.1 innings to a 3.22 ERA, 3.00 FIP, and a .260 opposing wOBA. His strikeout rate was technically at its highest in an individual month (21.3 percent), while his walk rate remained low across a larger body of work (3.4 percent). Most importantly, his arsenal began to showcase signs of evolution. At 93.2 MPH, his average fastball velocity peaked late in the season, and he had more spin on his sweeper than in any month prior. The results include far more chases outside the zone, which helped to sustain the strikeout rate of August and led to a groundball rate over 52 percent. Between that and a spring exhibition season that indicated another jump in velocity (95.6 MPH average on the four-seam), there was plenty of optimism that Vásquez could not only latch onto one of the vacant spots in the starting five but solidify himself as a legitimate mid-rotation arm as the season wore on. And while we’re only one start into his 2026 campaign, it’s certainly looking like that could come to fruition. Here’s the breakdown of his first start: Even within just one start, there’s a lot to be encouraged by here. The fastball velocity speaks for itself. That continues to be an area of improvement, which should serve as a nice springboard moving forward. But the enhanced effectiveness of the stuff is an equally important development. Each of the whiffs and the CSW% reflected in the above are miles above what Vásquez had turned in virtually across the board in 2025, to say nothing of zone expansion he coaxed out of opposing hitters. One of the issues that Vásquez had last year was his inability to generate swings outside the zone. Hitters didn’t chase, which tamps down whiffs and inhibits one’s ability to get strikeouts. As a result, Vásquez was forced to try and work the edges of the zone which, more often than not, were reflected in a lack of strikeouts and a ballooned walk rate. In his first start, though, he was generating chases 45 percent of the time with his four-seamer, 40 percent of the time with his curveball, and 33 percent of the time with his sweeper (the latter of which are probably the same pitch taking on a different shape and resulting in a different classification). Last year, Vásquez didn’t reach a 30 percent chase rate until the middle of May, and it took another month before he touched the rate that he posted in his first start of 2026. When you compound a newfound ability to avoid the heart of the plate with the improvement in raw stuff, then there is good reason to be optimistic about what Randy Vásquez can provide the Padres this season. He’s never going to develop into an elite pitcher, but the combination of a mid-90s fastball, strong pitch diversity, and a genuine out-pitch (his sweeper) offers a combination that can evolve into real mid-rotation stability for a team that has none to speak of. Now, he needs to prove capable of replicating these results in future outings. View the full article

Jack and Spencer react to Andrew Vaughn's injury, how Brewers starters fared in their first turn through the rotation, Cooper Pratt's reported extension, and more. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-brewer-fanatic-podcast/id1740648724 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5CY8mWsQayqjDXqw9OT2Td iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-brewer-fanatic-podcast-166534588/ Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/ommzz627 Watch On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@brewerfanatic View the full article

Did you know there's a dedicated Game Thread for each and every Twins game? A great place to hang out and talk about the game. Or movies. Or food. Sorta like sitting in the bleachers at a ballgame with a few dozen of your besties and shooting the... ah... stuff. Here's yesterday's win, in game thread style: TD is a great place to follow—and comment on—the Twins' minor-league system. Join the conversation here and let everyone know how you view the first week of bush league action! Seems like everyone has an opinion on Trevor Larnach. Do you? Sound off here: Get your comment on! Get in the forums. It's more focused than your social media feed, and all the stars are here. View the full article

Twins System Recap: It was supposed to be a busier day across the system, but the weather postponed both the Saints and Mussels. That left the Wind Surge as the only team on the schedule, but they had plenty of action to go around in their opener. Wichita won 10-6, thanks in part to Kyle DeBarge and his new batting stance. View the full article

On Tuesday, I was invited to Target Field for a preview of the new food and drink offerings for the upcoming season. As a former industry professional, I focused on the drink side of the menu, but can heartily recommend Red Cow's Double Barrel burger and the Chocolate Fish on a Stick (it's a fish-shaped waffle, not actual fish). I tried every single one of the alcoholic and N/A offerings available. My stomach wasn't what one would call pleased with that decision, but service journalism is a cause greater than one's gut biome. MOCKTAILS There are four craft mocktails available at Hrbek's, Town Ball Tavern, and Truly On Deck. Moon Shot (above right)--Tastes like Capri Sun. Change Up (above left)--Tastes like Sunny D. MVPina Colada (above right)--Tastes like summer. Best presentation of the four. Bullpen Breeze (above left)--Tastes closest to an actual cocktail, might be the presence of ginger beer. Best/least overly sweet of the four. SUMMERTIME SHANDIES A shandy is traditionally half beer, half lemonade. The Target Field offerings hew closer to a Berliner Weisse, which is usually a low-ABV sour beer topped with a splash of flavored syrup. In this case, it's just Bud Light and your choice of five syrup options. They will not let you do all five; I asked. The two best flavors were raspberry (a nice little pucker without much cloying sweetness) and lemon (refreshing, pleasing bitterness). My least favorite was pear, which is a hard flavor to express in beer and was barely there in this iteration. Nouvelle Brewing in Robbinsdale had a fantastic pear sour, but I think it's retired. These are available all over the park. NIKO NIKO BOBA TEAS/DIRTY BOBA SODAS/BOOZY BOBAS Boba teas, for the uninitiated, are drinks with little tapioca "pearls" in them. Niko Niko (section 120) has expanded its offerings with different flavors for both the liquid and the pearls. I had these immediately after the mocktails, which was a mistake. Listen to your mother about too much sugar, kids. Boozy Bobas: I enjoyed the Tequila Sunrise (tequila, mango, lemon, and strawberry pearls). The Peach Palmer (a boozy peach tea Arnie Palmer with mango pearls) and Rum & Jam (boozy Tahitian Treat) were too sweet for me. Dirty Boba Sodas: A boba-fied riff on the preferred drink of the state of Utah, I refuse to offer a review until that one Real Housewife apologizes for pelting her kid with furniture. Flavor offerings: Creamy Pepsi, Peachy Dew, and Pink Cream Soda. Boba: All three get a positive mark! Signature Milk Tea was delicious, Strawberry Lemon Fizz was good and citrusy, and Hawaiian Fruit Tea tasted like vacation. Your kids will love these, and I honestly preferred them to the mocktails. MIX-AND-MATCH CARBLISS COCKTAILS Carbliss takes over the old Grey Duck space in the left field corner and will be offering their low-cal, zero-carb, canned vodka cocktails in these buckets: Those bad boys hold two cans of Carbliss. You can choose two of the same flavor or mix and match like a real mixologist. I preferred the blood orange of the six that were on offer. Yes, I tried all half-dozen flavors in a row. No, I don't recommend doing that, even with something as light and fizzy as Carbliss. My prediction is that this will be extremely popular. $2 BEERS Before the first pitch of every Friday and Saturday game, Twins fans can enjoy $2 12-oz. cans of Budweiser, Bud Light, and Summit Twins Pils. You don't need me to tell you what Bud and Bud Light taste like; Summit Twins Pils is the best beer they make and is a steal (wordplay) at that price point. OTHER DEVELOPMENTS Pryes Brewing is taking over the bar where Sue Nelson plays the organ and multiple Twins Daily writers meet for the best standing-room view of the field. Smart move by them. I've had two Miraculum IPAs in my life. They were fine, but I haven't had enough of their other offerings to give an informed review. Sun Cruiser is getting their own spot by Gate 34 with cornhole and putt-putt. Used to be the Jack Daniels Bar. If you were concerned there weren't going to be enough seltzer/canned cocktail outlets on game day, Surfside also has their own spot down the left-field line, on the club level. OUTSIDE THE STADIUM Best Dive Bar: Cuzzy's Best IPAs: Fulton Best Food/Beer Combo: Bricksworth Best THC Beverages: Modist View the full article

The Royals lost the series finale on Thursday against the Twins 5-1. It was a frustrating loss, as the Royals had more hard hits (11) than the Twins (6), but were unable to cash in any runs. No Kansas City hitter had more than one hit on Thursday, and they were shut out and held to five hits by Twins starter Taj Bradley. The former Tampa Bay Rays pitcher had only three strikeouts against the Royals, but he held the Kansas City lineup in check and continued his hot start to the 2026 MLB season. After a slog of a game yesterday that went three hours and thirty-six minutes, the Royals appeared flat on the offensive end in the series finale, much to the chagrin of starter Cole Ragans. The Royals' Opening Day starter held the Twins to only one run on four hits while striking out six batters. Unfortunately, that resulted in a losing effort for Ragans, even though it was miles better than what he produced in Atlanta last week on Opening Day. Furthermore, the Royals didn't start the day on a great note. Rookie catcher Carter Jensen was scratched from the lineup about an hour before game time, with no explanation initially. Most Royals fans worried that an injury was at play, especially with the announcement coming so close to first pitch. However, Jensen was seen warming up with pitchers during the game, and he later substituted defensively for Salvador Perez when Tyler Tolbert pinch-ran for Salvy in the 8th inning. Thus, that injury theory was debunked by his late entry into the game. After the postgame press conference, Royals media reported that Jensen was scratched from the lineup due to oversleeping and arriving late to the ballpark. There's no question that expectations are high with Jensen going into 2026. Not only is he the Royals' primary backup catcher, but he is widely seen as a possible Rookie of the Year candidate, not an easy task in a league that includes Detroit's Kevin McGonigle and Cleveland's Chase DeLauter. However, this "oversleeping" incident doesn't help his start to his first full season with the Royals, especially considering how he's performed at the plate thus far. Therefore, let's break down the aftermath of this Jensen incident, look at his performance after two series of games, and what Royals fans can take away with Jensen and his role on this Kansas City ballclub for the remainder of the season. "There are some things that cannot happen, and that's one of them." The media session in the locker room was certainly a lively one for a 5-1 loss in game six of the season. As expected, reporters asked Jensen what happened, and he didn't shy away from the spotlight or tough questions, especially in the wake of a Royals four-run defeat. When watching the interview, it's evident that Jensen wasn't brushing off the incident. He owned up to his mistake, and one can tell from his voice that he was a bit emotional or embarrassed by the incident. Typically, Jensen is a very confident and eloquent speaker with a very laid-back attitude. That certainly wasn't the case in the interview above. He definitely understands the gravity of what happened, why he was scratched, and the distraction it may have caused, leading up to an important game against a divisional rival. Other teammates were asked about the incident, and Vinnie Pasquantino was the most vocal about Jensen's incident. Vinnie showed compassion to Jensen, but he didn't let him off the hook. The Royals' first baseman also reiterated that the situation had an impact on the team leading up to the game, especially on Salvy, who was prepared to DH and had to switch to catching so close to game time. For those who cannot watch the video or hear the audio, here's the transcript of what Vinnie said to the press, courtesy of KC Star columnist Sam McDowell. The Royals are lucky to have a leader who is as vocal and aware as Pasquantino. It would be easy to completely throw Jensen under the bus here and ruin his confidence. That said, it could also be easy to brush this incident off as not a "big deal" either. That's not exactly the standard a clubhouse wants to set, especially one with playoff aspirations. Thankfully, Pasquantino was able to strike a balance between the two camps, helping set the tone for their young player while ensuring he feels supported in the moment. It also appeared, according to reports, that Bobby Witt Jr. was involved, though he wasn't as vocal as Vinnie in the locker room with the media. This wasn't what the Royals wanted to deal with after a four-run loss and an upcoming series against the 5-1 Milwaukee Brewers looming this weekend. That said, it seems like accountability has been taken all around, especially from Jensen. Let's hope that this is the "wake-up call" (both literally and figuratively) that Jensen needed as he continues to adjust to life as a Major League player. Poor Results So Far (Though the Statcast Metrics Are Encouraging) It would be one thing if Jensen had this incident happen, and he was producing numbers similar to his 2025 metrics. Unfortunately, that is not the case so far in 2026. In 18 plate appearances, Jensen is hitting .125 with a .480 OPS. He has a home run, but he is also striking out 44.4% of the time and only walking 5.6% of the time. Furthermore, his wOBA is only .207, and his xwOBA is even worse at .188. For context, the Royals rookie catcher posted a .403 wOBA and .447 xwOBA in 69 plate appearances last season. A microcosm of Jensen's struggles this year can be seen in this plate appearance against Minnesota reliever Kody Funderburk on Opening Day at Kauffman Stadium on March 30th. On a 3-2 count, Funderburk serves him up a fastball right down the middle. It's a pitch Jensen would've mashed a season ago. Unfortunately, Jensen, obviously pressing, watches it for strike three. Striking out isn't something "new" to Jensen. He's always been a patient hitter, and the strikeouts have been relatively high for a prospect of his caliber. In Double-A Northwest Arkansas last year, he had a 22.7% K%. In Triple-A Omaha, he had a 28.3% K%. However, the K rates were tolerable because Jensen also had high walk rates, resulting in good BB/K ratios. In 2025, he had walk rates of 9.7% in Northwest Arkansas and 16.3% in Omaha. This resulted in BB/K ratios of 0.43 with the Naturals and 0.58 with the Storm Chasers. Last year with the Royals, his K% was only 17.4%, and his BB/K ratio was 0.75. While this is fantastic, it was unrealistic to expect Jensen to automatically be a sub-20% K% hitter again. While some improvement is to be expected, fans need to temper their expectations for Jensen in these categories. Perhaps a 25% K% and 0.45 BB/K ratio (it's currently 0.13) would be something to celebrate, especially over a full 162-game season at the MLB level. Another discouraging trend for Jensen through these first six games is that he just isn't launching the ball well. His average launch angle on batted balls this year is 4.7 degrees, lower than his 7.4-degree average launch angle a season ago. He also has a groundball rate of 55.6%, 9.8 percentage points higher than his 2025 rookie sample. That partially explains why his xwOBA is below his actual wOBA so far and has been trending in the wrong direction this season. On the other hand, there's still been a lot to be encouraged about with Jensen, which is why the Royals and fans should remain patient with the 22-year-old. His hard-hit rate of 44.4% is still 7.4 percentage points higher than league-average, and his 11.1% barrel rate is 3.9 percentage points better than league-average. He is still demonstrating good bat speed, averaging 74.9 MPH on his swing, 0.1 MPH better than a year ago. His fast-swing rate of 45.8% is higher than his 43.7% fast-swing rate in 2025. Those are promising signs that the tools and skills are still there to be successful at the plate. An interesting development for Jensen skills-wise, especially in terms of bat tracking data, is that his swing has been a little longer to start this season. Last year, his swing length was 6.9 feet. This year? It's 7.1 feet. It's a minute difference, but it correlates with his declines in squared-up and blast rates this year. After posting 35.8% squared-up rate and 25.3% blast rate on contact last year, those rates are now down to 26.7% and 6.7%, respectively. It's hard to get base hits if one is struggling to square up with the ball. An interesting development is that Jensen seems to be swinging through with two hands more, or at least on swings where he grounds out. That could be adding that little bit of length to his swing, which may be contributing to his early squared-up and blast issues. Below is a compilation of clips of him making contact on fastball pitches thrown in the same part of the strike zone. In the 2025 clip, he blasts a single off the Athletics' Mitch Spence. This year's clip? He ground out to first against Twins pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson on Opening Day. Jensen Swings-25-26.mp4 It's still early, and as stated before, the pressing may be contributing to that extra swing length that's throwing him off when it comes to squaring up with the ball more consistently. That said, his strong barrel and hard-hit rates, as well as encouraging bat speed, should help Royals fans remain optimistic with Jensen and his outlook for 2026 and beyond. What to Take Away From Jensen's Start (Including the Thursday Incident) Looking at his TJ Stats Statcast percentiles summary, there are still many areas where Jensen is succeeding. Thus, Royals fans shouldn't worry that JJ Picollo will be sending him to Triple-A Omaha anytime soon. At the same time, I think this start to the year has been a bit sobering for the local star. Last year, pretty much everything went right for Jensen in his Royals debut. He hit the ball hard, effectively, and productively, and he seemed to get a lot of fanfare as a result. Jensen earned all the accolades he received last year, and the Royals did the right thing by having him on the Opening Day roster and as the primary backup to Salvy. He's not only the best option as backup catcher, but he's also a player who can give quality at-bats at DH as well. That said, he didn't really go through much struggle last year at the Major League level. That just isn't part of the game, unfortunately. Struggles will come at some point for a young player. What separates the good players from the mediocre to bad ones is that the former are able to bounce back and overcome those struggles, while the latter ones aren't. That's the difference between the Witts and Salvys of the Royals world from the MJ Melendez and Adalberto Mondesi types. What's unique about Jensen's situation is that he is not just going through on-field struggles. He also had an off-the-field one. Is it a major off-the-field incident? Absolutely not. But it happened, it got some national attention, and it affected the team. Jensen can't escape that. Right now, Jensen is saying all the right things. He knows he made a mistake. He knows he can't do it again. And he knows he's not a player of a caliber that can do those things and get away with it. That incident and his slow start at the plate are the reality checks that Jensen didn't experience in his short sample size last year. Now that they have happened, it will be interesting to see how the young Park Hill product responds. This weekend's Brewers series at the K will be a great early test. View the full article

After the first five games of the season, each starter in the Royals' rotation has one start. What are the key takeaways from the first time through the rotation? Cole Ragans Ragans struggled on Opening Day in Atlanta, allowing four runs on six hits and four walks in only four innings of work. Ragans struggled to find the strike zone, particularly with his fastball, slider, and knuckle curve. He was, however, able to generate chases and whiffs, particularly with his slider, which had a 46.2% chase rate and 36.4% whiff rate. His slider was his standout pitch, with a TJ Stuff+ of 106, compared to an overall mark of 101. Ragans was susceptible to big mistakes, allowing seven hard-hit balls, three of which resulted in home runs. For continued success in 2026, Ragans will need to limit the hard hit and power potential of his opponents. Most notably, Ragans appeared to lose his footing while throwing a fastball early in the game, and his fastball delivery was noticeably different later in his outing. It will be important to see if this persists in his next start. Michael Wacha Wacha impressed in his outing on Saturday, throwing six shutout innings with seven strikeouts, three hits, and one walk. He generated 17 whiffs and was able to get the Braves to chase the ball out of the zone at a 50% rate. He also limited the Braves to only four hard hits in his six innings. While the bullpen was not able to hold on to the Royals' 2-0 lead, Wacha did an excellent job in putting the Royals in a position to win the game. Wacha proved that after a poor spring training, he is still capable of impressing on the mound when it matters. While his TJ Stuff+ did not overly impress at only 96 overall, Wacha will continue to yield positive results on the mound if he can continue to limit his opponents to a .212 xwOBA and suppress hard contact. Seth Lugo Lugo followed Wacha’s performance with another shutout effort across 6⅓ innings, allowing five hits and no walks. His effort led to the Royals’ first win of 2026. On Sunday, Lugo looked more like his form of 2024 when he finished second in AL Cy Young voting. Lugo featured nine different pitches that found the zone at an excellent 61% rate. While Lugo was unable to get batters to whiff like Wacha and Ragans, he was able to get the Braves to chase his rare pitches out of the zone at a 33.3% rate. Lugo did allow eight hard-hit balls and an xwOBA of .394, so limiting hard contact will be key to sustaining success throughout 2026. Kris Bubic Bubic got the nod to start the Royals’ home opener on Monday and reminded Royals fans that he is still capable of pitching at his 2025 All-Star level after finishing last season on the injured list. Bubic allowed one run on Monday against the Twins in his six innings. He limited baserunners effectively, allowing only two hits and three walks in his 75-pitch outing. His lone earned run came on a home run by Matt Wallner in the second inning. Bubic showed excellent stuff with a 101 TJ Stuff+, with all of his pitches except for his sinker grading at least 103. Bubic also excelled at generating whiffs with 12 during his outing. Like Lugo, Bubic was susceptible to allowing hard-hit balls, with eight in his 15 batted balls allowed, which drove up his xwOBA compared to his wOBA allowed. Bubic demonstrated that he has the stuff to continue his success from 2025. If he can continue to generate whiffs and limit hard contact, he will be well-positioned to succeed in 2026. Noah Cameron Cameron continued the stretch of strong outings from Royals starters with an effective performance in the rain against the Twins on Wednesday night. He threw five innings, allowing one run on four hits and one walk. Despite the results, Cameron struggled to find the zone (41%) and did not generate many whiffs. When he did locate pitches in the zone, they were often over the middle, allowing Twins hitters to make solid contact. He allowed nine hard-hit balls on 14 balls in play. Cameron will need to reduce hard contact, especially if he is unable to consistently generate swings and misses. Cameron displayed decent underlying stuff with his cutter and changeup grading at 100 and 101 TJ Stuff+, respectively. Since Cameron’s fastball only averages 91.2 mph, he relies on the success of his offspeed pitches for sustained success. Conclusion Overall, the Royals' starters saw success in the first turn through the rotation in 2026. They combined for six earned runs across 27 ⅓ innings, good for a 1.96 ERA. While it is unlikely that the rotation can maintain that level of success for the whole season, they have certainly shown Royals fans that they can give the team a platform to succeed and stay competitive in 2026. View the full article

The Rays jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the third inning on Wednesday, when Yandy Diaz hit a 2-run home run to right field off Jacob Misiorowski. An answer wasn’t long in coming, though, as Brice Turang launched his first homer of the year after David Hamilton reached on an error. Turang finished the day 1-2 with 2 RBIs and a walk, bringing his overall line this year to .409/.500/.727 through six games. Additionally, as of Thursday, he leads the league in bWAR and doubles. It's an amazing start to the season, but how much of it is sustainable? First, let's honor just how much Turang has improved over his career in Milwaukee thus far. He made his debut in 2023, slashing .218/.285/.300 over 448 plate appearances, well below league average. He improved the following year, slashing .254/.316/.349 in 615 plate appearances, still below-average, but within shouting distance. Last year was his breakout. Turang hit 18 home runs, more than his previous two seasons combined, while slashing .288/.359/.435, achieving an above-average OPS+ (122) for the first time in his career and finishing 14th in MVP voting, just two spots behind teammate Christian Yelich. Turang has been one of the amazing developmental stories in baseball lately, and was one of the best overall players in MLB last year, but what is his ceiling? Is there still room for improvement with his offensive output, or will he sit at a similar level to what he produced in 2025? The 2026 season has just started, and the sample sizes are small, but there are a few key areas to keep an eye on. First, Turang’s bat speed isn’t great, but it's already improved a lot. He tapped into more bat speed as last season went along, and is back at his 2025 level (a couple ticks faster than in 2023 or 2024) to begin 2026. Because he's always had a plus feel for hitting, as he's begun to swing harder, he's also hit the ball harder. So far in 2026, Turang is hitting the ball even harder than in 2025, ranking in the 97th percentile of the league at 96.0 MPH. That number may not be sustainable, but it's a good initial sign for Turang to continue to produce extra-base hits. Turang is overperforming his expected numbers so far in 2026. His expected batting average is .316, while his expected slugging is .656, which is below his current number. Additionally, his wOBA (.527) is slightly higher than xwOBA (.455). Obviously, his numbers won’t be this high throughout the year, but it isn’t unrealistic to say that Turang could finish with an OPS above .800 and 20 home runs. Looking at the big picture, Turang will likely receive MVP votes once again, if he’s healthy and performs similarly to last year, but a win of that award would be extremely difficult in a league with Shohei Ohtani, Paul Skenes, Juan Soto, and other superstars. However, the better Turang does, the more he might feed into the club's long-term success. Given the Brewers’ spending habits, Turang isn’t likely to receive an extension like the one recently given by the rival Cubs to fellow second baseman Nico Hoerner. Top prospects Jesus Made and Jett Williams are pushing towards infield spots in the big leagues, while Cooper Pratt just signed an eight-year extension a few days ago. Turang won’t be a free agent until the 2030 season, but the Brewers could look to move him as early as this offseason, as their top prospects develop. However, if Turang were to take another leap this year and finish within the top 10 of MVP voting, it would take a rare and extraordinary return for them to move him. Only time will tell what Turang will do over a full season, but with such a great first week in the books, expectations are rightfully high. View the full article

This offseason, Victor Caratini became the first free agent the Twins signed to a multi-year deal in two years. The $14-million, two-year price tag was fair, though it was surprising—and it was difficult to see how he fit the roster and timeline. The way he’s been utilized so far, the acquisition becomes even more questionable. For starters, the Twins acquired Alex Jackson early in the offseason. He had flashed offensively in 2025 and was a well-respected defender. This made him a viable backup for Ryan Jeffers, who was tabbed to pick up a larger percentage of the playing time behind the plate. Caratini’s signing eventually pushed Jackson off the roster, and he’s now stashed in St. Paul for the time being. It was certainly an upgrade at the backup catcher position, but it came at the cost of the limited payroll room the team had available with which to improve this winter. Caratini has started two games behind the plate thus far, and has started at first base three times. In the small sample of the 2026 season to date, the Twins have already committed to Jeffers in a way we never saw them do with Christian Vázquez in the picture, when the two were essentially locked in a timeshare. If this pattern holds, it’s worth questioning why the Twins allocated the resources they did to Victor Caratini. It appears Caratini is an everyday starter against left-handed pitching. It is what it is for a roster with not nearly enough buttons to push in those matchups. He owns a .668 OPS against southpaws in his career, but posted a much more tolerable .740 mark in 2025. Plugging this production into a role like Christian Vázquez had last season would be valuable; doing so at first base is less enticing. If Jeffers carries the lion’s share of work behind the plate for the rest of the season, it’s hard not to feel like the Twins missed an opportunity to legitimately upgrade their lineup. Caratini is a nice player who can switch-hit and play multiple positions in the field. He’s not a player to whom a competitive team should hand a regular role in a corner infield or DH spot. Both positions have a high offensive bar to clear, and have no shortage of options to fill them cheaply every year in free agency. It may be wishful thinking to assume the Twins would have spent the Caratini money elsewhere on the roster if they hadn’t signed him. If their usage of him so far is the plan going forward, however, it’s hard not to argue they should have. They could have kept Jackson for what would be a modest backup role behind the plate. Jackson, by the way, was a more valuable player by Fangraphs Wins Above Replacement than Caratini in 2025. Even signing a Rhys Hoskins type, who struggled last season but has a career .883 OPS against lefties, would have placed a more qualified player in the role Caratini has played so far. Perhaps we see Caratini mix in at catcher in a more even split as the season goes on (or take over as the starter, should Jeffers be dealt in July), but if the Twins stick to their plan for Jeffers to take on a bigger role catching, the signing doesn’t make much sense. Caratini moonlighting behind the plate while serving as the primary first baseman or DH against left-handed pitching isn’t going to provide much impact to a lineup that desperately needs it. The deal was clearly too good for the Twins front office to pass up, but if Caratini’s usage holds, the Twins won’t be better for seizing the opportunity. View the full article

It's not that Kevin Alcántara is guaranteed to succeed in the big leagues. That's a mile from being true. Alcántara came to the Cubs in the Anthony Rizzo trade with the Yankees in 2021, and in the years since, he's climbed the minor-league ladder impressively enough to get his hands on the final rung a time or two. In both 2024 and 2025, he got late-season cups of coffee with the parent club, and he's gotten more than a full season's worth of plate appearances at Triple-A Iowa, despite injury interruptions. If he were a can't-miss guy, though, he'd already have landed a spot in the big-league lineup. Instead, in addition to those injury problems, Alcántara has battled inconsistency born of an aggressive approach; too much swing-and-miss against top-tier pitchers; and a tendency to hit the ball on the ground too much. He has very impressive bat speed, but doesn't apply it all that well. He's a good athlete and a fine corner outfielder, but he looks a bit stretched in center. No, Alcántara hasn't proved he can be a big-league regular. If he pans out, he could still be a star, but it's gotten very difficult to buy into that vision. He's spent too long struggling to clear the final hurdle posed by the minors, let alone hitting in the majors. The chances that he ends up as a complementary piece, rather than a key contributor, have risen significantly. Because the Cubs want to give him whatever time remains to find his way to his ceiling (and need to keep his trade value up), they've eschewed opportunities to bring Alcántara up for any extended period in less than a full-time role. Instead, they keep asking him to work through things in Iowa, where it's easy for him to play wherever and whenever he needs to, as long as he's healthy. Understandable though that impulse is, though, it's becoming increasingly self-defeating. It's time for the team to shift their mindset when it comes to Alcántara, for the mutual benefit of player and team. Once they make that mental change, the next step will be a change to the roster makeup—facilitated by a new and vital developmental tool. The Cubs need an outfielder who can both hit and field well. Specifically, though, what they need is a righty bat who can mash lefties for them. Michael Conforto doesn't fit the bill. Neither does Matt Shaw. So great is Craig Counsell's trust in Scott Kingery and Dylan Carlson that in the first week of games, the two combined for zero plate appearances. Once Seiya Suzuki returns from the injured list, there will still be room for a player with the right skillset. They can play center field against some lefty starters, and right field against some others, with Pete Crow-Armstrong getting occasional days off and Moisés Ballesteros getting others (with Suzuki sliding to DH). Alcántara could be that guy, and he'd do it well. Since the start of 2024, he's taken 224 plate appearances in the regular season against left-handed pitchers, and he's batted .286/.383/.510 in them, with 10 home runs. His worst showing in that span was in 2024; he's thoroughly bashed lefties since the start of last year. There are two problems with calling up a player like him to fill a part-time role, as a platoon player. One is that it might blunt his development, but again, Alcántara is reaching the point where that consideration needs to be set on the back burner. He's trending toward being that kind of player anyway, and the team has a short-term need that supersedes the long-term goal of making this one player a star. The other is that, if we grant the premise that this role is an important one for the team to fill better than they currently can, it's nonetheless a difficult role in which to thrive. In other words, even if you're willing to subjugate Alcántara's development to the roster value of having him in the big leagues, you're left with the dilemma of getting him ready to succeed in uneven playing time. One object addresses both problems: the Trajekt machine. Like almost every other team in the league, the Cubs have a Trajekt setup in their hitting cages at Wrigley Field, where players can take what amount to live reps against pitchers. Using data to inform spin direction, speed and location and video to mimic the visual experience, Trajekt lets hitters simulate actually facing the pitcher to whom the machine is tailored at a given moment. Players and teams swear by the technology. It makes practice much more valuable as preparation for games. Here's what you do: call up Alcántara, and give him a full-time job—just not on the field. He'll play there once or twice a week, when the Cubs face a southpaw, but the rest of the time, his duty will be to simulate playing. Trajekt systems don't travel with teams (yet), so he'd have to get through road trips with standard work against a batting practice pitcher, but during homestands, he would take several at-bats against big-league lefties each day; they just wouldn't all count. In fact, he'd get more exposure to the pitching the team should most want him to get ready to face as a big-leaguer than he does in the minors, where Trajekt machines are just fond memories from spring training. If the tool is as powerful as everyone says it is, the Cubs should leverage it this way. Alcántara should be able to stay in rhythm (more or less) as well as any other player. He should be able to hammer left-handed pitchers when the right opportunities arise. He'd pile up service time and the team might lose Carlson as they move him off the active roster, but with the assistance of Trajekt, they should be able to extract on-field value from Alcántara and lose very little (if any) developmental momentum. All teams are reluctant to bring up a player with the upside of being a full-time player to fit a part-time job, but they should be less so. The Cubs, in particular, should jettison one of the low-ceiling veterans they don't trust anyway and call up Alcántara to get 150 or so plate appearances over the balance of the season—and another 300, all simulating the ones for which they want him to be most ready, in the tunnel before and during home games. View the full article