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Last year, Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, and Brandon Sproat took the baseball world by storm with their summer promotions. They were universally seen as the best pitching prospects in the organization, and they all shared the spotlight in the stretch run even though the team couldn’t make it to October. McLean developed into an ace, while Sproat was traded to Milwaukee to give the team a chance to bring in Freddy Peralta. Tong continues to develop in Triple-A. And yet, there’s a forgotten guy in the system that deserves some hype, too. Christian Scott, 2024 Mets Sensation, Returns to the Spotlight We are talking about Christian Scott, who was the McLean, Sproat, or Tong of 2024 for the Mets. He was that exciting young arm that came up to the majors with the hype of a top prospect, and mostly delivered with a 4.56 ERA in 47.1 innings. Unfortunately, he underwent Tommy John surgery in September 2024 and missed the entire 2025 campaign rehabbing. Now back to full health and after a few starts in Triple-A and a rocky 2026 debut last week, Scott is getting another chance to prove he belongs in the majors when he faces a middling Los Angeles Angels lineup on Friday. That game last week, on April 23, was a disaster. Scott couldn’t find the zone and walked five of the ten batters he faced, allowing one earned run in 1.1 innings, with no hits and one strikeout. It was, without a doubt, one of the weirdest stat lines you will see all year. Maybe it was the nerves getting the best of him after returning to the highest level after such a long layoff, but on Friday, Scott will get the opportunity of a lifetime. He gets a chance to prove he can be a viable MLB starter after having his elbow reconstructed. He gets to prove that jitters won’t be a recurring issue. His 5.27 ERA in 13.1 innings in Triple-A might seem high, but it’s a little deceitful, as he has a healthy 17/2 K/BB ratio. In his brief outing in the majors last week, Scott’s fastball averaged 95.5 mph, higher than the 94.2 mph he had in 2024. The velocity is fully back. Now, he will have to prove the command is, too. Christian Scott's Splits Issue Besides his mid-90s fastball, Scott will use a cutter/gyro slider mostly against lefties, and a sweeper to neutralize righties. Additionally, he will use a sinker and a splitter. Keeping lefties at bay will be one of his biggest challenges. In 2024, they hit .333 off him, while righties had a batting average of .167. It’s certainly something to keep in mind, although it helps that most of the Angels’ best hitters are right-handed. If the fastball command returns, Scott could be a nice mid-rotation arm for the Mets in the short and long term, attacking the high part of the zone with the heater with no fear: That will be the key to his success, as it will allow him to get himself in favorable counts and use his solid secondary stuff, or use the fastball itself to go for the kill. A return to form from Scott could be a transformational development for the Mets, both in 2026 and beyond. View the full article

Leading up to the 2026 MLB Draft, Fish On First brings you a series of scouting reports on top prospects in this draft class who could realistically wind up in Miami. Overview Position: 3B Height: 6’4″ Weight: 220 pounds School: Mississippi State Ace Reese is a 6’4”, 220-pound third baseman who plays for Mississippi State University. Reese is one of the best power-hitting prospects in the 2026 MLB Draft class. He’s also one of the most consistent hitters in this class and continues to show growth after every season. Reese was a mid-level prospect coming out of Canton High School in Canton, Texas. On Perfect Game, Reese was a top-500 prospect and the 208th-ranked shortstop in the Class of 2023. He was also the 95th-ranked prospect out of the Lone Star State. Reese went undrafted and signed with the University of Houston. During his freshman season, Reese made an immediate impact and started for the Houston Cougars. Reese played and started in 48 games. He slashed .278/.395/.506 with 45 hits, eight doubles, four triples, seven home runs, 34 RBIs, and a .901 OPS. Reese was named to the All-Big 12 Freshman team. He would later enter the Transfer Portal and sign with the Mississippi State Bulldogs. In his first season at Mississippi State, Reese had a massive breakout and was one of the top power hitters in college baseball. Reese played and started in all 57 games. He slashed .352/.422/.718 with 80 hits, eighteen home runs, 21 home runs, 66 RBIs, a 154 wRC+, and a 1.140 OPS. Reese was named the 2025 SEC Newcomer of the Year and Second Team All-American by Baseball America and D1 Baseball. In his junior season, Reese continues to be one of the most consistent and productive hitters in the country. Reese has played and started in all 45 games this season. He’s slashing .318/.420/.682 with 55 hits, eighteen doubles, fifteen home runs, 54 RBIs, 15 BB%, 1.102 OPS, and a 144 wRC+. At the plate, Reese is a left-handed hitter with a slightly open batting stance and keeps his hands quiet. He has a bit of leg kick, but doesn’t bring it up too high, and he gets his foot down on time to hit the fastball. Reese does tend to be too aggressive and chase pitches out of the zone. Reese’s best offensive tool is his power. MLB Pipeline graded Reese’s power tool as a 60 on the 20-80 scouting scale. Reese has excellent bat speed and naturally hits the ball with leverage. His ground ball rate is a career-low 28.4%. His fly ball and line drive rates are also at an all-time high. Reese’s line drive is up from 14.4% to 20%. His fly ball rate is up from 43.9% to 50.7%, while his pop-up rate is at a career-low 3%, according to D1 Baseball. Defensively, Reese doesn’t provide a ton of defensive flexibility. While he has solid arm strength, his hands have a lot of work to do, and he doesn’t move very well. Reese is mostly like a left fielder or first baseman at the next level. Strengths 60-grade power Excellent bat speed Can hit both left-handed and right-handed pitchers Hits the ball with leverage naturally Consistently hits the ball in the air with authority to all fields Weaknesses Below-average speed Very limited defensively Tends to be overly aggressive Pro Comparison: Chase DeLauter Projection: Top 15 pick Bottom Line While Ace Reese is pretty limited defensively, his plus power and consistent lift give him an exciting offensive profile. On Baseball America, Reese is the 14th-ranked prospect and fifth-ranked infielder in the 2026 MLB Draft. On MLB Pipeline, Reese is the 28th-ranked draft prospect and 21st-ranked collegiate prospect in this draft class. The Marlins will have the 14th overall pick in the draft. Reese is a player who could be a legit candidate for the Marlins when they are on the clock, capable of becoming their first baseman of the future if he can’t stick at third. More 2026 MLB draft profiles LHP Carson Bolemon RHP Jackson Flora INF Jacob Lombard OF AJ Gracia View the full article

The San Diego Padres' four full-season affiliates all won Thursday. Anthony Vilar drove in four for in the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas' 12-2 rout at Albuquerque. Tirso Ornelas scored on a sacrifice fly in the top of the 12th inning as the Double-A San Antonio Missions pulled out a 5-4 win. Carson Montgomery threw five scoreless innings as the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps beat South Bend 6-1, fueled by Rosman Verdugo's two-run homer. Bryan Balzer struck out six in four scoreless relief innings, and Luke Cantwell hit a three-run homer in the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm's 9-3 win at Ontario. Padres Transactions San Diego Padres optioned RHP David Morgan to El Paso Chihuahuas. Anthony Vilar's 4-RBI Night Powers Chihuahuas Past Isotopes Anthony Vilar collected three hits and drove in four runs as the El Paso Chihuahuas pounded Albuquerque 12-2. Mason McCoy scored three times on two hits, including a triple, while Nate Mondou added two hits and two RBIs. Pablo Reyes didn't have a hit, but scored twice and walked once. The breakthrough came in the sixth inning, when El Paso pushed across five runs to take command 9-1. Clay Dungan opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly to plate Nate Mondou. Vilar followed with a two-run double to center field, scoring Nick Schnell and Mason McCoy. Carlos Rodríguez later drew a bases-loaded walk, and Mondou was hit by a pitch with the bases full to bring home another run, pushing the lead to 9-1. El Paso struck early in the first, taking a 2-0 lead when Sung-Mun Song scored on a Nick Solak single, and Pablo Reyes came home on a Nick Schnell sacrifice fly to center. Starter Evan Fitterer logged 3⅔ innings of relief, surrendering two hits and an unearned run, walking three, and striking out four. Logan Gillaspie earned the win after working 2⅓ innings, allowing three hits and one earned run while striking out two. EP_0430.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Sung-Mun Song, SS 5 1 2 0 1 0 Pablo Reyes, DH 5 2 0 0 1 1 Carlos Rodríguez, CF 4 0 1 1 2 1 Nick Solak, LF 4 1 2 1 1 0 Nate Mondou, 1B 4 2 2 2 0 0 Nick Schnell, RF 4 1 0 1 0 0 Mason McCoy, 2B 3 3 2 1 1 0 Clay Dungan, 3B 4 0 1 1 0 2 Anthony Vilar, C 5 2 3 4 0 0 Pitcher IP H R ER BB K HR Justin Yeager 1 1 0 0 2 1 0 Logan Gillaspie (W, 2-1) 2 1/3 3 1 1 1 2 0 Misael Tamarez 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 Evan Fitterer 3 2/3 2 1 0 3 4 0 Sac Fly Boosts Missions To Wild Victory In 12 Innings Tirso Ornelas scored the decisive run in the top of the 12th on Luis Verdugo's sacrifice fly as the San Antonion Missions pulled out a thrilling 5-4 win over the Tulsa Drillers. Leandro Cedeño launched a two-run home run in the 11th inning to give the Missions a 4-2 lead, but the Drillers got a two-run homer of their own in the bottom half to send the game to the 12th. Ornelas started the 12th on second base as the zombie runner and went to third on Ryan Jackson's sacrifice bunt. After a walk to Braedon Karpathios, Verdugo lofted a fly ball to left field and Ornelas slid under the catcher's tag for the decisive run. Michael Flynn picked up the save despite hitting the first batter he faced, striking out the next two batters and getting a game-ending groundout. San Antonio's first scoring inning came in the sixth, when the Missions pushed across two runs on a Jackson dribbler to third that went for a single and a throwing error. Tulsa had single runs in the fourth and seventh and the score sat 2-2 entering the 11th. Cedeño homered with zombie runner Francisco Acuna aboard to take a 4-2 edge. Ethan Salas went 2-for-5 with a stolen base. Ornelas scored twice. Cedeño finished with two hits and two runs, including the long ball. Starter Fernando Sanchez worked 4⅓ innings, scattering two hits and one earned run, walking two, and striking out six. Omar Cruz earned the win with two innings, allowing one earned run on a homer and striking out two. SA_0430.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ethan Salas, C 5 0 2 0 0 2 Romeo Sanabria, 1B 4 0 0 0 1 1 Leandro Cedeño, DH 4 2 2 2 0 0 Tirso Ornelas, LF 4 2 0 0 1 0 Ryan Jackson, 2B 4 0 1 0 0 0 Braedon Karpathios, CF 4 0 0 0 1 1 Luis Verdugo, 3B 3 0 1 1 1 1 Carson Tucker, RF 5 0 1 0 0 2 Kai Roberts, CF 3 0 0 0 0 1 Albert Fabian, PH-LF 1 0 0 0 0 0 Francisco Acuna, PR-SS 0 1 0 0 0 0 Pitcher IP H R ER BB K HR Fernando Sanchez 4 1/3 2 1 1 2 6 1 Johan Moreno 1 2/3 0 0 0 0 2 0 Andrew Moore (BS, 1) 1 3 1 1 1 1 0 Francis Pena 2 1 0 0 1 3 0 Omar Cruz (W, 1-0) 2 1 2 1 0 2 1 Michael Flynn (S, 2) 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Carson Montgomery, Rosman Verdugo Carry TinCaps Past Cubs Rosman Verdugo's two-run home run in the fifth inning helped the Fort Wayne TinCaps cruise to a 6-1 road win over the South Bend Cubs. Verdugo connected with two outs that pushed the lead to 4-0. Fort Wayne built that early margin one run at a time before the fifth-inning blast. Carson Montgomery started and turned in five scoreless innings, holding the Cubs to three hits, walking nobody, and striking out four. Clark Candiotti followed with two perfect innings, striking out one. Igor Gil yielded the only South Bend run in the eighth on a solo home run, finishing the final two innings with one hit, three walks, and two strikeouts. Alex McCoy extended his on-base streak to 19 games, pacing the offense with three hits in four at-bats, including his first triple of the season. Zach Evans added two hits, including a double, plus a stolen base. FW_0430.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Kasen Wells, CF 5 0 1 0 0 3 Rosman Verdugo, 2B 3 1 1 3 0 0 Lamar King Jr., C 3 0 0 0 1 1 Alex McCoy, DH 4 1 3 0 0 1 Jake Cunningham, LF 3 1 0 0 1 2 Jack Costello, 1B 3 1 1 1 1 1 Kavares Tears, RF 4 0 0 0 0 4 Zach Evans, 3B 4 1 2 1 0 0 Jonathan Vastine, SS 4 1 1 0 0 2 Pitcher IP H R ER BB K HR Carson Montgomery 5 3 0 0 0 4 0 Clark Candiotti 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 Igor Gil 2 1 1 1 3 2 1 Lucas Giolito Gives Up 3 Runs, But Storm Pull Away Late George Bilecki singled home the go-ahead run in the seventh inning and Bryan Balzer struck out six in four scoreless innings of relief as the Lake Elsinore Storm finished with a flurry in a 9-3 win over the Ontario Tower Buzzers. The Storm drew 16 walks off six Ontario pitchers. San Diego Padres right-handed starter Lucas Giolito withstood a shaky first inning to pitch 4⅓ innings in his second start since signing with the Friars. Giolito was tagged by back-to-back doubles to open the game and a one-out sacrifice fly as the Tower Buzzers grabbed a quick 2-0 lead. Giolito settled in and yielded just one more hit until the fifth, where he gave up another double, an RBI fielder's choice and a single to the last batter he faced. Giolito threw 70 pitches (43 strikes), allowing three runs on five hits with a walk and six strikeouts. He is likely to pitch again Tuesday as the Storm's road trip continues against the Inland Empire 66ers. Luke Cantwell crushed a three-run home run in the fourth inning to put the Storm up 3-2. After Ontario tied it off Giolito in the fifth, the Storm pulled ahead on Bilecki's two-out single to first where no one covered the bag, scoring Justin DeCriscio. The Storm then poured on five runs in the ninth. Kerrington Cross walked and Jorge Quintana scored on another walk, Ryan Wideman drove in a run on a groundout, and Truitt Madonna doubled to plate two more. Madonna finished 2-for-5 with a double, two RBIs, and a stolen base. Quintana added two hits and two stolen bases. Bilecki reached base in all five plate appearances on two hits and three walks, scoring once and driving in two. Cantwell, in addition to homering, also walked twice and stole a base. LE_0430.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Conner Westenburg, CF 3 0 0 0 1 1 Ryan Wideman, CF 1 0 0 1 0 0 Bradley Frye, 2B 5 0 0 0 1 3 Truitt Madonna, C 5 1 2 2 1 1 Justin DeCriscio, 3B 4 2 1 0 2 1 Luke Cantwell, 1B 2 1 1 3 2 0 Kerrington Cross, 1B 0 1 0 0 1 0 Jorge Quintana, DH 5 1 2 0 1 1 Jose Verdugo, SS 3 1 1 0 2 1 George Bilecki, RF 2 1 2 2 3 0 Qrey Lott, LF 3 1 0 1 2 1 Pitcher IP H R ER BB K HR Lucas Giolito 4 1/3 5 3 3 1 6 0 Nick Falter 2/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 Bryan Balzer (W, 3-0) 4 1 0 0 0 6 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Kash Mayfield: DNP Ethan Salas: 2-for-5, SB, 2 K Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Bradgley Rodriguez: DNP Humberto Cruz: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Ty Harvey: DNP Jorge Quintana: 2-for-5, BB, K, 2 SB Kale Fountain: DNP Ryan Wideman: 0-for-1, RBI Jagger Haynes: DNP Lamar King Jr.: 0-for-3, BB, K Romeo Sanabria: 0-for-4, BB, K Truitt Madonna: 2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K, SB Michael Salina: DNP Garrett Hawkins: DNP Kavares Tears: 0-for-4, 4 K Deivid Coronil: DNP Francis Pena: two IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K Bryan Balzer: four IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K, W View the full article

Box Score SP: Bailey Ober - 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K (88 pitches, 56 strikes (64% strikes)) Home Runs: Ryan Jeffers (4), Byron Buxton (8) Top 3 WPA: Bailey Ober (0.19), Byron Buxton (0.16), Ryan Jeffers (0.16) Win Probability Chart The Twins came into the series opener against Toronto looking to stop the bleeding, after a pair of frustrating late losses to the Seattle Mariners. Behind a sharp start from Bailey Ober and a timely offensive breakout, they did exactly that. This wasn’t a game defined by chaos or a late collapse. Instead, the Twins steadily took control, turning a tight battle into a comfortable 7-1 win. They got contributions up and down the lineup, capitalized on mistakes, and rode strong pitching to get back in the win column. BAILEY OBER SETS THE TONE Ober didn’t overpower hitters, but he didn’t need to. From the start, he was in control. Despite allowing a leadoff single in the first, he worked efficiently, needing just 18 pitches to navigate five hitters. That became a theme. He pounded the zone early and often, throwing first-pitch strikes to 75% of the batters he faced, and kept Toronto off balance all night. Through three innings, he was sitting at just 42 pitches with seven whiffs, even with his fastball hovering below 88 MPH. It wasn’t about velocity; it was about command and sequencing. The only real damage came in the fourth, when Daulton Varsho turned on a fastball up and in and sent it over the right-field seats for a solo homer. Outside of that, Ober was in complete control. He cruised through six strong innings, marking his third straight quality start and his fourth consecutive outing of six or more innings. He exited in the seventh after allowing a leadoff bloop single, but by then, his job was more than done. MISSED CHANCES, THEN A BREAKTHROUGH Early on, it looked like it might be another frustrating night offensively. The Twins put immediate pressure on Kevin Gausman in the first, getting a leadoff double from Byron Buxton, but they couldn’t bring him home. It set the tone for the early innings, when opportunities were there, but the big hit was not. For three innings, Gausman largely kept them quiet despite some loud contact, including a deep flyout from Josh Bell that likely leaves the yard on a warmer night. The fourth inning changed everything. After Trevor Larnach worked a leadoff walk, Ryan Jeffers stepped in and worked an eight-pitch at-bat. It ended on a fastball over the heart of the plate, and Jeffers launched it into the bullpen in left-center for a two-run homer, flipping a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead. It was the swing they had been missing early, and it shifted the momentum for good. ADDING ON AND PULLING AWAY Once the Twins grabbed the lead, they didn’t let up. In the sixth, Buxton provided another spark. Twins legend Justin Morneau noted on the TV broadcast how well Buxton was hitting when he saw the other team’s starting pitcher for a third time. About three seconds later, Buxton homered. He turned on an inside fastball and sent it out for his team-leading eighth homer of the season. From there, the lineup kept grinding. Larnach drew his second walk of the game and moved into scoring position, setting the stage for Austin Martin, who lined a ball into center to drive in another run and chase Gausman from the game. It marked the first time all season Gausman had allowed more than three runs in a start. But the biggest inning came late. In the eighth, the Twins took full advantage of defensive miscues from Toronto. After Buxton’s third hit of the night, a misplayed Jeffers pop-up and an errant throw allowed him to reach third, and Bell followed by ripping a ball off the wall to bring him home. Moments later, another throwing error allowed Jeffers to score, making it 6-1. Luke Keaschall drove in their seventh run on a sac fly, and the Twins pushed the game out of reach, turning a competitive matchup into a 7-1 advantage. BULLPEN SLAMS THE DOOR With Ober handing things off in the seventh, the bullpen took care of the rest. Anthony Banda navigated a quick matchup against lefties before turning things over to Andrew Morris, who continued to impress. Morris worked efficiently through the end of the seventh and the eighth, allowing minimal traffic and keeping Toronto from mounting any kind of response. In the ninth, Justin Topa came on to close it out. Nothing came of a leadoff walk; a game-ending double play capped off the night. Clean, efficient, and exactly what the Twins needed. After a couple of tough losses, this was a much-needed win. Strong starting pitching, timely hitting, and capitalizing on mistakes; it was a complete performance that got them back on track. What’s Next? The Twins and Blue Jays are back in action tomorrow night for game two of the series. Simeon Woods Richardson is on the hill for Minnesota, taking on his former team, and lefty Patrick Corbin will throw for Toronto. We saw this same pitching matchup in these teams’ first series in mid-April, with Toronto winning that one 10-4. First pitch is set for 7:10 PM CT. Postgame Interviews Coming Soon! Bullpen Usage Chart SUN MON TUES WED THUR TOT Rogers 0 14 0 13 0 27 Morris 0 40 0 0 19 59 Banda 9 0 0 22 14 45 Funderburk 20 0 15 0 0 35 Garcia 0 0 23 0 0 23 Sands 7 0 13 0 0 20 Topa 10 0 0 0 12 22 Orze 0 0 0 28 0 28 View the full article

After the season he put together in 2025, David Morgan was hoping he had seen the last of El Paso. Unfortunately, he is headed back there after the first month of the 2026 season. The San Diego Padres optioned the right-handed reliever to the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas on Thursday following a rough start to the season. The Padres will need to make a corresponding move before Friday's series opener against the Chicago White Sox. That is likely to be activating left-handed reliever Yuki Matsui off the 15-day injured list, with another possibility being activating right-handed reliever Jeremiah Estrada. Morgan was a surprise in the Padres' bullpen in 2025, appearing in 41 games with a 3.71 FIP (2.66 ERA) in 47⅓ innings following his first call-up to MLB. He had been an undrafted free agent who signed with the Padres in 2022 after finishing his career at Hope International University in Fullerton. But this year was a different story. In 11 appearances over 13⅓ innings, Morgan had a 5.74 FIP (6.30 ERA), including 11 walks and 15 strikeouts. His 11 walks are nearly half of what he issued last year (23). His latest outing came in Tuesday's 8-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs in which he allowed a run on a hit and a walk with one strikeout in two-thirds of an inning. He came on with runners on first and second with one out in a 2-2 game in the top of the sixth and threw a wild pitch and gave up a go-ahead two-out two-run double to Nico Hoerner. Matsui went on the IL on March 25 with a strained groin and began a rehab assignment April 4. That assignment is due to end this weekend. He has allowed six runs on 10 hits with two walks and 13 strikeouts in 10⅔ innings for a 5.06 ERA at El Paso. He pitched multiple innings for the first time Sunday and followed that up with a one-inning appearance Wednesday. Estrada had made only two appearances, one at Low-A Lake Elsinore on Friday and the other with El Paso on Tuesday, as he recovers from right elbow tendinitis. He went on the IL on April 10. View the full article

Once again in 2026, I will be monitoring Miami Marlins predictions from our valued SuperSubs, Fish On First staffers and livestream guests. Individual article pages like this one will be created prior to every Marlins series and featured prominently on the FOF site. Consistent participation is key if you want to win this annual contest. Submissions only take a few seconds. Scoring system A "perfect" series is worth three points: Earn one point for predicting which team will win the upcoming series Earn one point for predicting the precise number of victories for each team Earn one point for predicting the “Series MVP” who accumulated the highest win probability added (WPA) during the series as calculated by FanGraphs (could pick a player from either team) Here is a reminder of what the 2025 season leaderboard looked like. FOF SuperSub Sean Millerick currently sits atop the 2026 leaderboard, which will be updated between every Marlins series. If you are a SuperSub, leave a comment with your Prediction Time picks on this page, or join the Marlins Discord Server and submit there. We'll feature them on the upcoming Fish On First LIVE episode and track your points throughout the season! Any picks submitted prior to the first pitch of the series opener will be counted. If you are not a SuperSub, please consider signing up here to support the FOF staff. Series preview notes Probable starting pitchers: RHP Eury Pérez (MIA) vs. RHP Zack Wheeler (PHI) on Friday RHP Max Meyer (MIA) vs. TBD (PHI) on Saturday RHP Chris Paddack (MIA) vs. TBD (PHI) on Sunday RHP Janson Junk (MIA) vs. TBD (PHI) on Monday The Marlins rank 14th in MLB with a 99 wRC+ and 13th in MLB with a 3.96 FIP. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games and have a 10-6 record at home this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Griffin Conine (10-day IL), Pete Fairbanks (15-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL) and Adam Mazur (60-day IL). The Phillies rank 27th in MLB with a 85 wRC+ and seventh in MLB with a 3.77 FIP. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have an 4-9 record on the road this season. The following Phillies players are on the injured list: Jhoan Duran (15-day IL), Max Lazar (60-day IL), Zach Pop (15-day IL) and J.T. Realmuto (10-day IL). View the full article

The Minnesota Twins have a very solid catching situation for 2026, but that stability doesn’t extend beyond this season. While this might not be a universally popular stance, there’s a strong case to be made that the Twins should look to extend Ryan Jeffers. To be clear, this isn’t about handing out a massive long-term deal that could age poorly. A huge seven-year, $100 million type of contract would be quite excessive, and that’s not the type of commitment being suggested here. But Jeffers is set to hit free agency after the season, and he’s exactly the kind of player this organization should be looking to keep around on a shorter-term deal. Offensively, Jeffers has quietly been one of the more productive catchers in baseball, especially when viewed through the lens of positional expectations. He owns a career .747 OPS, which gives him an OPS+ comfortably above league average. That kind of production from behind the plate carries real value. It’s still early in the 2026 season, but Jeffers looks like a hitter who has taken another step forward. Through 92 plate appearances entering Thursday night, he’s hitting .293 with a .418 on-base percentage, along with three home runs. Just as importantly, he’s struck out 16 times while drawing 15 walks, a near one-to-one ratio that speaks to a much more disciplined approach. The underlying data supports what’s showing up in the box score. Jeffers’s average exit velocity has climbed above 91 miles per hour, second among all Twins hitters. He’s not expanding the strike zone, there’s very little swing-and-miss in his profile right now, and he’s consistently putting himself in favorable counts. This isn’t coming out of nowhere, either. Over the past couple of seasons, there’s been a noticeable shift in Jeffers’s approach at the plate. He’s become far more selective. His bat-to-ball improvements are real, and they’ve elevated his overall offensive floor while also raising the ceiling. Defensively, Jeffers isn’t going to stand out in the traditional ways. He’s not an elite blocker, and he doesn’t rank among the top catchers in terms of throwing out base stealers. But the modern game has introduced new ways for catchers to provide value, and this is where Jeffers separates himself. With the implementation of the ABS challenge system, Jeffers has been one of the most effective catchers in baseball. He leads the league in strikeouts gained via successful challenges, with 10, and among catchers with at least 20 challenges, he ranks inside the top 10 in both total successful challenges and overall success rate. That might seem like a niche skill, but it matters. In a league where every marginal edge can swing an at-bat or an inning, consistently winning challenges adds tangible value. Jeffers has shown an ability to read pitches, understand umpire tendencies within the system, and make the right call in high-leverage spots. That’s a modern defensive skill that isn’t going away, and it gives him an added layer of importance behind the plate. Then there’s the bigger picture. Jeffers’s contract expires after this season, while Victor Caratini is only under team control for one more year beyond that, with a mutual option for 2028 that (historically speaking) is unlikely to be exercised by both sides. Beyond those two, the organization’s long-term hope lies with Eduardo Tait, one of the top catching prospects in the game, along with intriguing depth pieces like Khadim Diaw and Enrique Jimenez. Tait, in particular, has the upside to become the catcher of the future. But he’s probably still at least two or three years away from making a real impact at the major-league level. That creates a clear gap between the present and the future, and Jeffers is the most logical bridge. If the Twins let him walk, what does that leave them with? Caratini for 2027, and then a likely trip to free agency to find another catcher, anyway. At that point, you’re probably paying a similar price for a player who wouldn’t be as productive, and certainly won’t have the same level of familiarity with the pitching staff or the organization. Jeffers offers stability in a spot where stability is hard to find. He’s a known commodity offensively; he’s developed into a reliable presence behind the plate in ways that align with the modern game; and he already has established relationships with the Twins’ pitchers. For a team that could be trending younger in the near future, that kind of presence carries weight beyond the stat sheet. That’s why a short-term extension makes so much sense. Something in the range of three years would allow the Twins to maintain continuity at catcher while giving Tait the time he needs to develop properly. It avoids a long-term commitment that could become problematic, while still addressing a clear organizational need. As long as the financial aspect stays reasonable, extending Ryan Jeffers feels like the kind of move that checks every box. It strengthens the present, protects against uncertainty in the near future, and buys time for the next wave of talent to arrive. For a team trying to balance competitiveness with sustainability, that’s a path worth taking. Of course, Jeffers hss agency here, too. He's unlikely to take a three-year deal right now, not only because he's a Scott Boras client (that can be overcome, in certain cases) but because he's playing so well in the last year before he could reach the market. This winter is likely to be marred by a lockout, but last time that happened, some players signed early deals that have gone well for them (if somewhat less so for the teams involved). A version of the deal signed by Sean Murphy after he was traded from the Athletics to Atlanta, though, might work. Murphy officially signed for $73 million over six years, but he was further from free agency at the time. If the Twins are willing to guarantee Jeffers $57 million over four years (a $14-million annual salary, plus a $1-million buyout) with a club option for 2031, they could keep him from entering free agency this fall. They should, at a minimum, consider it. View the full article

Chicago Cubs Transactions (4/29) No Roster Moves Pedro Ramírez Homer, Long's Three RBI Lead I-Cubs Past Saints 11-4 The Iowa Cubs piled up 14 hits in an 11-4 road win over St. Paul. Pedro Ramírez led the charge with a two-run homer, three runs scored, and two RBI. Cleanup hitter Jonathon Long went 3-for-6 with three RBI, and Chas McCormick added three hits, two runs, and three RBI with a homer of his own. Ty Blach turned in a winning effort, working five innings with four hits allowed, three runs, three earned, one walk, and six strikeouts to improve to 2-1. Collin Snider, Ryan Jensen, and Gabe Klobosits each tossed a scoreless inning out of the bullpen, and Zac Leigh allowed a solo home run in the seventh. Iowa fell behind 3-1 after the second when the Saints answered Bateman's RBI double with a run-scoring single and a two-run homer. Ramírez tied it in the third with his two-run homer that scored Triantos. The lead and the offensive surge came in the sixth. BJ Murray opened with a single, Triantos walked, and after a force out, Long lined a two-run single to right that scored Murray and Ramírez. Kevin Alcántara then walked, and McCormick lined a single to right scoring Long for a 9-3 lead. Iowa added two more in the seventh on another RBI single from Long. Player AB R H RBI BB K BJ Murray 6 1 1 1 0 1 James Triantos 5 2 2 0 1 0 Pedro Ramírez 4 3 1 2 1 1 Jonathon Long 6 1 3 3 0 1 Kevin Alcántara 3 1 1 0 1 1 Justin Dean 0 0 0 0 1 0 Chas McCormick 4 2 3 3 1 0 Brett Bateman 3 0 1 1 2 0 Eric Yang 3 0 0 0 2 2 Hayden Cantrelle 5 1 2 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Ty Blach 5.0 4 3 3 1 6 1 Collin Snider 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 Zac Leigh 1.0 3 1 1 0 1 1 Ryan Jensen 1.0 0 0 0 0 3 0 Gabe Klobosits 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Smokies Held To Four Hits In 6-0 Shutout Loss At Rocket City Knoxville was held to just four hits in a 6-0 loss at the Trash Pandas. Cleanup hitter Jefferson Rojas had the lone extra-base hit, a double in three at-bats. Jordan Nwogu, Carter Trice, and Karson Simas each contributed a single. The Smokies struck out seven times and stranded three runners. Starter Yenrri Rojas turned in a strong outing in defeat, going four innings with five hits, two earned runs, no walks, six strikeouts, and one home run allowed to fall to 0-2. Ben Johnson followed with two scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Evan Taylor came on in the seventh and finished the game with 1 2/3 hitless, scoreless innings and four strikeouts. Rocket City scored single runs in the second on a two-out RBI single, and in the third on a leadoff solo home run off Yenrri Rojas. The seventh broke the game open. Tyler Ras worked the inning and was tagged for three hits, two walks, and four runs (three earned) while recording just one out. The big damage came on a ground-rule double, a two-RBI single that drove in the runners, and a fielder's choice that brought in the inning's fourth run on a missed catch error at second base. Taylor entered to record the final two outs of the frame. Player AB R H RBI BB K Alex Ramírez 4 0 0 0 0 2 Jordan Nwogu 4 0 1 0 0 0 Owen Ayers 4 0 0 0 0 1 Jefferson Rojas 3 0 1 0 0 0 Andy Garriola 3 0 0 0 0 0 Edgar Alvarez 3 0 0 0 0 1 Carter Trice 3 0 1 0 0 1 Ariel Armas 3 0 0 0 0 0 Karson Simas 3 0 1 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Yenrri Rojas 4.0 5 2 2 0 6 1 Ben Johnson 2.0 2 0 0 1 0 0 Tyler Ras 0.1 3 4 3 2 0 0 Evan Taylor 1.2 0 0 0 0 4 0 Reginald Preciado's Three-Run Homer Not Enough In 7-4 Loss South Bend dropped a 7-4 game to Fort Wayne despite a four-run rally in the fourth inning. Reginald Preciado was the offensive star with a three-run homer, his second of the season, in three at-bats with a walk. Matt Halbach doubled and scored a run, Cole Mathis doubled in his only hit, and leadoff hitter Kane Kepley drove in a run on a sacrifice fly. Cameron Sisneros reached base three times via a single and two walks. In spite of the lose, South Bend set a new homerun record thanks to Sisneros, padded by Preciado, by hitting over 20 homers in the month of April, beating the record set back in 2022 by the MWL Championship team. Cole Reynolds turned in a tough start, allowing seven hits and four earned runs in 3 1/3 innings with one walk and five strikeouts. Adam Stone provided the bullpen's best work with two scoreless innings, two walks, and four strikeouts. Jackson Brockett took the loss to drop to 0-1, surrendering three hits and two earned runs in 1 2/3 innings. Grayson Moore allowed an earned run on a hit and two walks across two innings of relief, striking out two. The TinCaps put up four runs in the top of the fourth on five singles, including a two-RBI single that scored two and another two-RBI single that chased Reynolds. South Bend answered immediately. Sisneros singled, Halbach followed with a double, and Preciado launched his three-run homer to left. Player AB R H RBI BB K Kane Kepley 3 0 1 1 1 0 Leonel Espinoza 5 0 0 0 0 2 Cole Mathis 4 0 1 0 0 2 Cameron Sisneros 2 1 1 0 2 0 Matt Halbach 4 1 1 0 0 1 Reginald Preciado 3 1 1 3 1 0 Drew Bowser 3 1 0 0 1 0 Justin Stransky 4 0 0 0 0 0 Christian Olivo 3 0 1 0 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Cole Reynolds 3.1 7 4 4 1 5 0 Jackson Brockett 1.2 3 2 2 0 0 1 Adam Stone 2.0 0 0 0 2 4 0 Grayson Moore 2.0 1 1 1 2 2 0 Three Homers, Four-Run First Push Pelicans Past Fireflies 7-3 Myrtle Beach hit three home runs and got a four-run first inning to beat Columbia 7-3. Jose Escobar went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and two RBI. Logan Poteet added a solo home run, two RBI, and a run scored, and Eli Lovich also went deep for a solo shot in the second. Leadoff hitter Ty Southisene reached three times via a single, a walk, and a stolen base. Starter David Bracho was efficient, going 3 2/3 innings with seven hits allowed, no runs, no walks, and three strikeouts. Aiden Moffett earned the win in 2 1/3 scoreless relief innings, walking one and striking out four to improve to 1-0. Jordan Henriquez picked up his first save with three innings, allowing one hit, three runs, two earned, two walks, and four strikeouts with a home run. The Pelicans erupted in the bottom of the first. Southisene led off with a single, Alexey Lumpuy reached on an error, and Josiah Hartshorn walked to load the bases. Cleanup hitter Michael Carico lifted a sacrifice fly to score Southisene, and Poteet followed with a sacrifice fly that scored Lumpuy. Escobar then crushed a two-run homer to left, scoring Hartshorn ahead of him. Lovich added a solo shot to lead off the second. Player AB R H RBI BB K Ty Southisene 3 1 1 0 1 0 Alexey Lumpuy 4 1 0 0 0 2 Josiah Hartshorn 2 1 0 0 2 0 Michael Carico 3 0 0 1 0 1 Logan Poteet 3 1 1 2 0 1 Jose Escobar 4 1 2 2 0 0 Yahil Melendez 3 0 0 0 1 1 Eli Lovich 4 1 1 1 0 0 Alexis Hernandez 3 1 1 0 1 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR David Bracho 3.2 7 0 0 0 3 0 Aiden Moffett 2.1 0 0 0 1 4 0 Jordan Henriquez 3.0 1 3 2 2 4 1 Top-20 Prospect Performance Moises Ballesteros: DNP Jaxon Wiggins: DNP Jefferson Rojas: 1-for-3, 2B Kevin Alcántara: 1-for-3, R, BB, K Jonathon Long: 3-for-6, R, 3 RBI, K Ethan Conrad: DNP Pedro Ramírez: 1-for-4, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB, K Kane Kepley: 1-for-3, RBI, BB, SB Josiah Hartshorn: 0-for-2, R, 2 BB, SB James Triantos: 2-for-5, 2 R, BB, 2 SB Brandon Birdsell: DNP Cole Mathis: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 K Angel Cepeda: DNP Kaleb Wing: DNP Will Sanders: DNP Juan Cabada: DNP Jostin Florentino: DNP Dominick Reid: DNP Ty Southisene: 1-for-3, R, BB, SB Erian Rodriguez: DNP View the full article

Blue Jays Affiliate Overview (April 28-April 29) Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Series vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (New York Yankees): 0-1 Season Record: 13-15 Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats Series vs. Binghamton Rumble Ponies (New York Mets): 3-0 Season Record: 13-8 High-A Vancouver Canadians Series vs. Hillsboro Hops (Arizona Diamondbacks): 0-2 Season Record: 9-14 Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays Series vs. Jupiter Hammerheads (Miami Marlins): 1-1 Season Record: 10-13 Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Season Record: 13-14 Series Opponent: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (New York Yankees) April 28: Buffalo opened a new series on Tuesday, this one against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, and they couldn’t have started the game any better. The Bisons jumped all over the RailRiders in the opening frame, scoring five runs before the fans were even sitting down for lunch. Riley Tirotta opened up the scoring with an RBI single to third base, plating Carlos Mendoza. Willie MacIver followed it up with a two-run single in his second game with the Blue Jays organization, following a trade from the Texas Rangers. Two more runs would score on the next play, thanks to a throwing error on the RailRiders’ third baseman Duncan Pastore. With a five-run lead already in hand, Buffalo sent a rehabbing José Berríos to the mound, and things unraveled quite fast. He coughed up a lead-off home run to Spencer Jones, then Jones got him again in the second inning with a two-run single. In the third, Berríos got tagged again, this time by a Seth Brown two-run home run. Adam Macko came into the game for Berríos in the fifth and didn't fare any better, giving up a three-run home run himself. Jones capped off a monster game for the RailRiders with another home run in the bottom of the eighth, putting the game out of reach for the Bisons. Buffalo fell 9-6 to the RailRiders in this one. April 29: Postponed Double-A New Hampshire Season Record: 13-8 Series vs. Binghamton Rumble Ponies (New York Mets) April 28: Tuesday night was the beginning of a series with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, and it was a game for the history books. Jace Bohrofen broke open a scoreless game in the fourth inning with an RBI single. Then, Eddie Micheletti Jr. added an RBI single, and Cutter Coffey roped a two-run double. Bohrofen would launch his seventh homer of the season to put New Hampshire up five and add a run on a ball-in-play error in the seventh. Bohrofen went 3-for-4 with the two RBIs, including the home run, but that wasn't the story of the night. The pitching was equal parts historic and historic. Jackson Wentworth started on the mound for New Hampshire and went 4.2 innings without allowing a hit or an earned run. Wentworth did allow four free passes, though. Next came Nate Garkow, who pitched 1.1 innings and didn't give up a hit or run, but also surrendered a walk. Irv Carter then entered the game and went two hitless innings, didn't surrender a run, but walked four as well. He added four strikeouts. Then came Kai Peterson for the ninth. After a leadoff walk, he got two flyouts that set up a matchup between him and Eli Serrano III. For history. On the second pitch of the at-bat, Serrano hit a ball to Micheletti, who caught the fly ball for the no-hitter! It came with 10 walks on the night, but who is counting, because history is history. April 29, Game 1: In the first game of the doubleheader, the bats came alive for the Fisher Cats, who were set up nicely with a good six innings from starting pitcher Chris McElvain. He gave up just two runs in the first inning and then finished six innings with no more runs allowed. New Hampshire got on the board in the second, when Jay Harry hit a two-run double and Ismael Munguia drove in a run on a groundout. With the one-run lead, the Fisher Cats would pile on four more the next inning. Cutter Coffey cleared the bases with a three-run double, and Harry brought him home on an error by the Rumble Ponies. New Hampshire would go on and win this one 8-2. April 29, Game 2: Game two on the night was another comeback affair for the Fisher Cats. They began the game down three runs when Binghamton took a two-run lead in the first and added a third run in the fourth inning. Patrick Winkel drove in two runs with a double for New Hampshire in their half of the fourth inning. In the fifth, Eddie Micheletti Jr. brought home a run, and then Jay Harry knocked in two more runs to give New Hampshire the lead. In the shortened game that didn't have many hits, that is where the scoring ended, as New Hampshire won again, this time 5-3. High-A Vancouver Season Record: 9-14 Series vs. Hillsboro Hops (Arizona Diamondbacks) April 28: Daniel Guerra starts have become must-watches, as the big righty had his fourth start with six strikeouts or more, with the only run he gave up being a solo shot in the second inning. Arjun Nimmala then hit a mammoth homer the inning after to give the Canadians the lead, the furthest in Nat Bailey since 2022. Peyton Williams helped expand the lead with a double and then scored on two straight balks from Junior Sanchez. The Canadians were unable to do anything else against Sanchez, as he struck out 10 Vancouver hitters. Jay Schueler, who’s been lights out in relief so far, gave up his first homer of the season after walking a batter to give up the lead. Schueler was replaced in the eighth by Eminen Flores, who was also great in relief prior to this game, but he gave up two runs himself, as he lost his command. The Canadians couldn’t get anything else going, so they lost after a good start to the game. April 29: After not allowing a run prior to this game, Danny Thompson Jr. proved to be mortal, giving up four runs in 3.1 innings in an uncharacteristic start. He was hurt by some bad BABIP luck, as he gave up seven hits, but he still struck out five batters. The offense once again sputtered, only getting five hits and three walks, as the team went 0-for-7 with RISP and left six runners on base. Juanmi Vasquez allowed another run, and Reece Wissinger’s Vancouver debut allowed two more runs, leading to a 7-0 loss for the Canadians. Single-A Dunedin Season Record: 10-13 Series vs Jupiter Hammerheads (Miami Marlins) April 28: It was a tough day defensively for both teams, as the Hammerheads and the D-Jays faced off for the first time this season. Both starters pitched three or more scoreless innings, with Dylan Watts striking out a career high seven batters while also generating 17 whiffs in his first professional start. Luis Victorino came after him, and after getting a lineout, two runners got on base with a single and a walk. The Jays could have gotten out of the inning, but an unfortunate fielding error from Juan Sanchez led to an RBI single and then a grand slam, putting the Jays in a large hole. The Jays then allowed another run on a throwing error from Will Cresswell in the fifth inning, giving Victorino six unearned runs on the night. The Jays were able to answer back; this time, the Hammerheads took their turn with an error, as third baseman Emilio Barreras had one of his three errors of the game, resulting in three unearned runs. Another Barreras error gave the Jays another run in the eighth, but Mason Davenport gave up a homer in the ninth to set the lead back to three. Eric Snow brought it a run closer after Sanchez took a walk, but they couldn’t come back from the mistakes made in the fourth. April 29: Nolan Perry’s domination continues, as although the 22-year-old didn’t have the strong stuff that he did in previous starts, he went 4.1 innings, only allowing one run. On the season, he’s at a 1.71 ERA in four games pitched. Juan Rosas drove in the first run of the game, and then the Jays took advantage of some poor defense with the bases loaded after, as starter Dameivi Tineo threw the ball away, allowing all three baserunners to score. Blaine Bullard then added another run for a five-run inning with an RBI single. A strong relief outing from Carson Myers maintained the Jays’ lead, and although the Hammerheads got a bit closer with two runs in the eighth and ninth, the Jays were able to take the win to even the series. Transactions 04/29/26 RHP Tomoya Kinjo assigned to DSL Blue Jays Blue. 04/28/26 Toronto Blue Jays sent RHP José Berríos on a rehab assignment to Buffalo Bisons. 04/28/26 Toronto Blue Jays optioned RHP Chase Lee to Buffalo Bisons. 04/28/26 LHP Ramon Suarez assigned to Dunedin Blue Jays from FCL Blue Jays. 04/28/26 RHP Reece Wissinger assigned to Vancouver Canadians from Dunedin Blue Jays. 04/28/26 New Hampshire Fisher Cats placed LHP Javen Coleman on the 7-day injured list. 04/28/26 2B Adrian Pinto assigned to New Hampshire Fisher Cats from Vancouver Canadians. 04/28/26 RHP Aaron Munson assigned to New Hampshire Fisher Cats from Vancouver Canadians. View the full article

Welcome to the 2026 MLB Consensus Draft Board. This is the fifth version of the board, which started in 2022 as a top thirty. Since then, it’s expanded to around 150 players on an annual basis, featuring at eight different team sites. So what is the Consensus Board? How is it made? How should it be used? The concept is loosely based on Arif Hasan’s NFL Consensus Board. It’s meant to be a tool for folks getting interested in the MLB Draft. As I was learning about the draft, I struggled to navigate wildly varied rankings and evaluations of players. The Consensus Board takes every major publicly available board and combines them into a consensus ranking, eliminating some of the noise and variance of an extremely challenging evaluation process. We’ve found this process to be useful in ranking players in appropriate ranges through around the first five rounds of the draft. On the board, you’ll find player names, handedness, listed height and weight, age, and a write-up, walking through their strengths and opportunities as a prospect. As we go through the cycle, these will be updated with tweaks, final college stats, etc. Every time a major outlet (Baseball America, ESPN, The Athletic, etc.) releases an updated list, the consensus ranking shifts. As such, the board is a lagging reflection of what the industry thinks of the class and its key players. The final Consensus Board will incorporate at least 10 other boards as inputs. New MLB Mock Draft Board Features There are a few important features to point out to help you navigate the board. There’s a search bar to help you find players of interest. If you click ‘expand’ the board will focus on the writeup you are engaged with, in addition to one immediately above it and one immediately below it. Additionally, you’ll find the logo of your team next to their draft slots to help understand where they are picking. There will be a player slotted there, based on their consensus ranking. Rather than using that ranking as an indicator of who they might actually pick, it’s more useful to use it as a proxy for what caliber of talent is available at that slot. We’ll dig in deeper to team-specific mock drafts later in the cycle. The last important note is that this year the board features ‘push’ updates. It updates automatically every hour. The board is typically updated with new write-ups five days per week, so check back regularly for updates. At No. 20, the Boston Red Sox Select: Derek Curiel, OF, LSU Curiel was a highly touted prep prospect out of Southern California ahead of the 2024 draft but found his way to campus in Baton Rouge as one of the most anticipated freshmen in the country. Fast forward to 2026, and he's draft eligible as a sophomore with one of the best hit tools in the entire draft class. Curiel has a direct, smooth, left-handed swing. It's elite bat to ball skills, as Curiel ran an 88% overall contact rate (95% in zone) in 2025, while rarely chasing and taking plenty of walks. While he finds the barrel often, the questions around Curiel's profile center around his power projection. He managed 7 home runs as a freshman and his top end EVs are not the portent of significant power as a pro. Curiel is an above average runner with good range who should stick in center field as a pro, with a fringe average arm. If he can develop more power, this becomes a much more interesting profile. Right now, it's a table setting, top of the lineup type with strong on-base skills and an outstanding hit tool. View the full article

The Padres are home this.week after completing a challenging road trip of three days each in Denver and Mexico City. A series at a mile-high elevation was followed by a series at almost a mile-and-a-half elevation. Players didn't have much time to readjust to being at sea level, either. The club opened a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs on Monday night after playing at Estadio Alfedo Harp Helu in Mexico City on Sunday afternoon. There are reams of data on the challenges of playing in Denver -- the ball flies, pitches move differently than elsewhere, bodies wear down more. It's reasonable to assume that Mexico City presents similar issues even though MLB plays just two games a year there. The thinner air has to have some effect. The Padres' opponent in Mexico City, the Arizona Diamondbacks, believed that to be the case. They kept starting pitchers Eduardo Rodriguez and Michael Soroka away rather than expose them to the elements. Those two were scheduled to pitch Wednesday and Thursday in Milwaukee, respectively. Did the handful of Mexico City games justify the trepidation? Is there a major short-term effect on starting pitchers who throw there? And. because this is a Padres site, should fans expect German Marquez and Michael King, the team's starters in Mexico City, to struggle this weekend when they face the Chicago White Sox at Petco Park? We can use the 2023 and 2024 Mexico City series -- Padres vs. San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros vs. Colorado Rockies -- as rough guides. This is how the eight starters in those four games pitched in their next outing: 2023, Padres vs. Giants Pitcher IP H R ER BB SO NP/ST Joe Musgrove 5 2 1 0 3 5 81/49 Yu Darvish 6.2 4 2 1 1 6 94/68 Alex Cobb 7 5 0 0 2 5 107/68 Sean Manaea 5 6 4 3 2 6 94/63 2024, Astros vs. Rockies Pitcher IP H R ER BB SO NP/ST Ronel Blanco 6 5 3 3 2 6 94/60 Framber Valdez 5.1 9 5 5 1 3 91/58 Cal Quantrill 7.2 3 0 0 0 9 99/66 Austin Gomber 6 4 0 0 2 3 88/56 Only Valdez had a bad follow-up start. Everyone else was mediocre to excellent. One reason might be that the majority of these pitchers got an extra day of rest and recovery. Only Darvish and Manaea made their next start on four days' rest. Five pitchers went on five days' rest. Musgrove pitched on seven days' rest, in his third start following a toe fracture. Marquez and King will be working on five days' rest as well, thanks to the team's off-day Thursday. (The Padres lost two of three to the Cubs and were outscored in the series 20-16.) Another encouraging sign on Marquez is that he threw just 75 pitches (52 strikes) over six innings Saturday. Most importantly, he has a decade of experience adjusting to changes in altitude as a member of the Rockies' staff. King is the more interesting case. First, he altered his pitch mix Sunday. He threw his four-seamer, changeup and slider more than usual, his sinker a lot less than usual, and his sweeper the same as usual. (All percentages via Baseball Savant.) Pitch Season% Sunday% Sinker 27.8 11.3 Changeup 27.4 30.2 Sweeper 19.9 19.8 Four-seamer 19.8 28.3 Slider 5.5 10.4 Second, he threw a season-high 106 pitches in his six innings. That effort followed a 105-pitch start his previous time out. That is a heavy workload in today's baseball. This weekend, he'll face a young White Sox lineup that came into April 30 tied for seventh in the majors in home runs but fourth in strikeouts. The matchup can mask the negative effects from Mexico City and/or the high pitch counts. View the full article

Felix Arronde threw five no-hit innings in Game 2, and Chase Jessee earned the win in Game 1 as Northwest Arkansas swept Springfield 4-2 and 4-2. Colton Becker tripled and doubled in the nightcap. Henry Ramos went 3-for-5 with a home run in Columbia's 7-3 loss at Myrtle Beach, where Blake Wolters allowed six runs, one earned, over 4 2/3 innings. Gavin Cross tripled in Omaha's 5-1 loss to Louisville. Quad Cities was postponed. Royals Transactions No Roster Moves Storm Chasers Strand Twelve In 5-1 Loss To Louisville Stephen Kolek absorbed the loss with 4 1/3 innings, eight hits, three runs allowed, one earned, four strikeouts, and no walks in a 5-1 defeat to Louisville. Two unearned runs came across in a three-run third inning, when a fielder's choice combined with a throwing error, followed by a sacrifice fly and an RBI double, pushed the Bats to a 3-0 lead. The bullpen kept Omaha within range. Beck Way struck out three over 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Bailey Falter worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Eli Morgan retired both batters he faced, including a strikeout. Eric Cerantola gave up a solo home run and an RBI double in the ninth, charged with two earned runs over an inning of work. Omaha had its chances. Tyler Tolbert and John Rave each went 2-for-4 with a walk, and Tolbert added a stolen base. Gavin Cross tripled in the ninth and scored on Dustin Dickerson's sacrifice fly, the only run the Storm Chasers managed. Luke Maile collected a single and a walk. Kameron Misner walked once. Dickerson drew two walks. The Storm Chasers stranded 12 runners, and despite six hits, were unable to bunch them. The Bats added two more in the ninth on a solo home run and an RBI double off Cerantola, padding the margin to four. Player AB R H RBI BB K Tyler Tolbert (3B) 4 0 2 0 1 2 John Rave (DH) 4 0 2 0 1 1 Kameron Misner (CF) 4 0 0 0 1 2 Drew Waters (RF) 5 0 0 0 0 3 Josh Rojas (2B) 3 0 0 0 1 0 Abraham Toro (1B) 3 0 0 0 1 0 Luke Maile (C) 3 0 1 0 1 1 Gavin Cross (LF) 4 1 1 0 0 1 Dustin Dickerson (SS) 1 0 0 1 2 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Stephen Kolek (L) 4 1/3 8 3 1 0 4 0 Beck Way 1 2/3 0 0 0 0 3 0 Bailey Falter 1 1/3 0 0 0 0 2 0 Eli Morgan 0 2/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 Eric Cerantola 1 3 2 2 1 1 1 Naturals Rally Past Springfield 4-2 In Game 1 Of Doubleheader The Northwest Arkansas Naturals erased an early two-run deficit and pulled away with a two-run sixth inning to take Game 1 of the doubleheader, 4-2. Frank Mozzicato gave the Naturals three innings and was charged with two runs allowed, both unearned, after a first-inning unraveling. He struck out three and walked three. The bullpen took it from there. Hunter Owen worked one inning of one-hit relief. Chase Jessee earned the win with two scoreless innings, two strikeouts, and no walks. Brandon Johnson closed with a scoreless seventh that included one walk and a strikeout to lock down the save. Springfield took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on an RBI single and an RBI groundout, but the Naturals chipped away. Omar Hernandez's groundout in the bottom of the second drove home Daniel Vazquez to make it 2-1. The score evened in the third when Brett Squires' grounder was misplayed at first base, allowing Colton Becker to score and the rally to continue. Justin Johnson delivered the decisive blow in the bottom of the sixth, lining a two-run single up the middle to score Rudy Martin Jr. and Hernandez for the 4-2 lead. Becker singled, walked, scored once, and stole a base. Hernandez had a hit, an RBI, a run, and a stolen base. Vazquez added a hit and a run. The Naturals took advantage of two Springfield errors. Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Roccaforte (CF) 3 0 1 0 1 0 Colton Becker (2B) 3 1 1 0 1 2 Sam Kulasingam (RF) 2 0 0 0 2 0 Brett Squires (1B) 3 0 1 0 0 0 Daniel Vazquez (SS) 3 1 1 0 0 0 Jorge Alfaro (DH) 1 0 0 0 2 0 Rudy Martin Jr. (DH) 0 1 0 0 0 0 Connor Scott (LF) 1 0 0 0 1 0 Omar Hernandez (C) 2 1 1 1 0 0 Justin Johnson (3B) 3 0 1 2 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Frank Mozzicato 3 2 2 0 3 3 0 Hunter Owen 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Chase Jessee (W) 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 Brandon Johnson (S) 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Arronde's Five No-Hit Innings Lift Naturals To Game 2 Sweep Felix Arronde fired five no-hit innings to anchor the Northwest Arkansas Naturals' 4-2 win in Game 2 of the doubleheader sweep over Springfield. Arronde walked two and struck out three while shutting out the Cardinals across the first five frames before turning the ball over to the bullpen. The Naturals broke through with a two-run second. Jorge Alfaro reached on a hit by pitch and Canyon Brown singled, setting up Colton Becker, who lined a triple to right that scored both for a 2-0 advantage. Sam Kulasingam pushed the lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth on a line-drive single to center, scoring Carson Roccaforte after Roccaforte and Rudy Martin Jr. opened the inning with consecutive singles. Springfield got back into it in the top of the sixth, when Caden Monke gave up an RBI single that brought home two runs and trimmed the gap to one. Northwest Arkansas answered immediately. In the bottom of the sixth, Becker doubled to right with two outs and scored on Justin Johnson's RBI single up the middle for a 4-2 lead. Tommy Molsky locked it down with a scoreless seventh, allowing one walk and earning the save. Becker's triple, double, and two RBI led the offense. Roccaforte went 1-for-4 with a run scored. Kulasingam had a hit, an RBI, and a walk. Johnson singled, drove in a run, and stole a base. Brown added a hit. The Naturals collected seven hits and held Springfield to two. Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Roccaforte (CF) 4 1 1 0 0 0 Rudy Martin Jr. (RF) 3 0 1 0 0 2 Sam Kulasingam (3B) 2 0 1 1 1 0 Brett Squires (1B) 2 0 0 0 1 1 Daniel Vazquez (SS) 3 0 0 0 0 3 Jorge Alfaro (C) 2 1 0 0 0 1 Canyon Brown (DH) 3 1 1 0 0 0 Colton Becker (LF) 3 1 2 2 0 0 Justin Johnson (2B) 3 0 1 1 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Felix Arronde (W) 5 0 0 0 2 3 0 Caden Monke 1 2 2 2 0 1 0 Tommy Molsky (S) 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 Quad Cities: Postponed The River Bandits' game was postponed. Wolters Knocked Around As Fireflies Drop Series Finale 7-3 Blake Wolters lasted 4 2/3 innings in the Columbia Fireflies' 7-3 loss at Myrtle Beach, charged with six runs but only one earned across four hits and three walks while striking out five and giving up two home runs. The Pelicans put four on the board in the bottom of the first on back-to-back sacrifice flies followed by a two-run home run, and added a solo shot in the second to push the lead to 5-0. Andy Basora steadied the bullpen with 1 1/3 innings of one-hit, scoreless relief and a strikeout. Yeri Perez allowed two hits, two walks, and one earned run on a solo home run over two innings. Columbia chipped at the lead late but never threatened the result. Sean Gamble's seventh-inning groundout drove home JC Vanek to break the shutout. The Pelicans answered with a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth. Henry Ramos closed the night with a two-run blast in the ninth to bring Columbia within four. Ramos paced the offense, going 3-for-5 from the leadoff spot with the home run and two RBI. Stone Russell collected two hits, including a double, and drew a walk. Josh Hammond doubled. Brooks Bryan and Roni Cabrera each singled. Vanek walked twice and scored both Columbia runs aside from Ramos. Three Columbia errors helped the Pelicans tag Wolters with five unearned runs, while the Fireflies left eight on base. Player AB R H RBI BB K Henry Ramos (LF) 5 1 3 2 0 1 Sean Gamble (CF) 5 0 0 1 0 0 Josh Hammond (SS) 4 0 1 0 0 2 Brooks Bryan (C) 4 0 1 0 0 0 Yandel Ricardo (2B) 4 0 0 0 0 3 Stone Russell (1B) 3 0 2 0 1 0 Roni Cabrera (RF) 3 0 1 0 0 2 JC Vanek (DH) 2 2 0 0 2 1 Connor Rasmussen (3B) 4 0 0 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Blake Wolters (L) 4 2/3 4 6 1 3 5 2 Andy Basora 1 1/3 1 0 0 0 1 0 Yeri Perez 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 Top-20 Prospect Performance Carter Jensen: DNP Blake Mitchell: DNP David Shields: DNP Kendry Chourio: DNP Ben Kudrna: DNP Sean Gamble: 0-for-5, 1 RBI Josh Hammond: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 K Ramon Ramirez: DNP Drew Beam: DNP Asbel Gonzalez: DNP Yandel Ricardo: 0-for-4, 3 K Felix Arronde: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 0 HR Luinder Avila: DNP Daniel Vazquez: 1-for-6, 3 K, 1 R Steven Zobac: DNP Carson Roccaforte: 2-for-7, 1 BB, 1 R Blake Wolters: 4 2/3 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 2 HR Michael Lombardi: DNP Warren Calcaño: DNP Frank Mozzicato: 3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 0 HR View the full article

All four Mets affiliates that took the field came up short. Binghamton dropped both ends of a doubleheader at New Hampshire, 8-2 and 5-3, with Jose Ramos driving in two runs in the nightcap. Brooklyn was shut out 5-0 at home by Frederick. St. Lucie fell twice to Tampa, including a 7-6 walkoff in extras. JT Benson clubbed a three-run homer, while Frank Camarillo struck out seven and Joander Suarez fanned four. Syracuse was postponed. Mets Transactions New York Mets signed free agent SS Jamari Baylor to a minor league contract. New York Mets sent LF Tommy Pham outright to Syracuse Mets. Syracuse Postponed The Syracuse Mets' scheduled game was postponed. No box score information is available. Watson Roughed Up Early As Binghamton Drops Opener Binghamton grabbed an early lead but watched it disappear in two ugly innings, falling 8-2 to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in the front end of a doubleheader. Eli Serrano III, Jacob Reimer, and Kevin Parada drew walks against the Fisher Cats' starter to load the bases in the top of the first, and Nick Lorusso lashed a one-RBI single to left to score Serrano. TT Bowens later drove in the second run before the inning closed with the Rumble Ponies up 2-0. The lead lasted exactly one half-inning. Will Watson surrendered three runs in the bottom of the second on three hits and a pair of walks, then yielded another four runs in the third on a single hit and additional walks, with one of those runs scoring after a Binghamton fielding error. Watson took the loss after three innings of work, allowing four hits, seven runs, six earned, four walks, and three strikeouts. Jefry Yan steadied things with two innings of one-run, three-hit relief while striking out two, and Felipe De La Cruz finished with a clean inning that included two strikeouts. Lorusso paced the offense at 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI, while Wyatt Young singled and stole a base. Reimer drew two walks of his own as the Rumble Ponies finished with six free passes but stranded seven runners across the seven-inning game. Diego Mosquera added a single in his only hit of the contest. Binghamton Hitting (Game 1) Player AB R H RBI BB K Eli Serrano III 3 1 0 0 1 0 Jacob Reimer 2 1 0 0 2 0 Jose Ramos 4 0 1 0 0 2 Kevin Parada 2 0 0 0 1 1 Nick Lorusso 3 0 2 1 0 0 TT Bowens 2 0 0 1 0 1 Matt Rudick 2 0 0 0 1 0 Wyatt Young 3 0 1 0 0 0 Diego Mosquera 2 0 1 0 1 1 Binghamton Pitching (Game 1) Player IP H R ER BB K HR Will Watson (L) 3 4 7 6 4 3 0 Jefry Yan 2 3 1 1 1 2 0 Felipe De La Cruz 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 Late Bullpen Collapse Costs Binghamton The Nightcap Binghamton again grabbed a 2-0 first-inning lead in the second game of the doubleheader, but watched the bullpen surrender it on the way to a 5-3 loss at New Hampshire. Eli Serrano III walked, Jacob Reimer singled, and after a Chris Suero ground out moved both runners up, Jose Ramos delivered a two-run single to put the Rumble Ponies in front. Binghamton tacked on another run in the top of the fourth, when Wyatt Young singled and Serrano III drove him in with a double for a 3-2 lead. Joander Suarez held the Fisher Cats to two earned runs across four and two-thirds innings, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out four. He left in the bottom of the fifth with two outs and runners on, and Brian Metoyer was tagged with the loss after surrendering three earned runs in his lone third of an inning. Metoyer walked three of the four batters he faced and yielded a two-run single before recording his only out. Saul Garcia pitched a clean sixth, fanning one. Reimer led the Binghamton offense at 2-for-4 with a double, and Ramos finished 1-for-1 with two RBI and three walks despite seeing only a handful of strikes. Serrano III added a 1-for-3 line with a double, an RBI, and a walk. The Rumble Ponies drew seven walks on the night and stranded nine runners but could not solve the New Hampshire bullpen after Suarez departed. Binghamton Hitting (Game 2) Player AB R H RBI BB K Eli Serrano III 3 1 1 1 1 2 Jacob Reimer 4 1 2 0 0 1 Jose Ramos 1 0 1 2 3 0 JT Schwartz 4 0 1 0 0 1 Nick Lorusso 3 0 0 0 1 1 Matt Rudick 1 0 0 0 2 0 Wyatt Young 3 1 1 0 0 1 Diego Mosquera 3 0 0 0 0 2 Chris Suero 4 0 0 0 0 3 Binghamton Pitching (Game 2) Player IP H R ER BB K HR Joander Suarez 4 2/3 3 2 2 3 4 0 Brian Metoyer (L) 1/3 2 3 3 3 0 0 Saul Garcia 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Brooklyn Shut Out As Diaz Surrenders Four-Run Fifth Brooklyn could not solve Frederick's pitching in a 5-0 shutout at MCU Park, with the Cyclones managing just five hits despite drawing five walks. The Mets squandered a bases-loaded chance in the sixth that ended on a popout and a flyout, the closest they came to a run all night. Starter Joel Diaz held the Keys scoreless through three before unraveling. Frederick pushed across a single run in the top of the fourth, then broke the game open with a four-run fifth that featured two long balls. Diaz took the loss after four and two-thirds innings of work, allowing six hits, five earned runs, three walks, and two home runs while striking out four. Joe Charles delivered two innings of one-hit relief with two strikeouts, Hunter Hodges followed with a clean inning that included two walks but no runs, and Hoss Brewer finished with one and one-third scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out two. Mitch Voit was the Cyclones' best offensive contributor at 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, the only multi-hit game of the night. Antonio Jimenez doubled in his lone hit, and Colin Houck added a double of his own. Daiverson Gutierrez and Sam Biller combined to strike out five times, and Biller alone fanned four times in four trips. Brooklyn drew walks in three different innings and stranded eight runners as Frederick's bullpen slammed the door. Brooklyn Hitting Player AB R H RBI BB K Antonio Jimenez 4 0 1 0 0 0 Mitch Voit 4 0 2 0 0 0 Corey Collins 2 0 1 0 1 0 Kevin Villavicencio 1 0 0 0 0 0 Ronald Hernandez 1 0 0 0 3 1 Daiverson Gutierrez 4 0 0 0 0 1 Colin Houck 4 0 1 0 0 1 Trace Willhoite 4 0 0 0 0 3 Sam Biller 4 0 0 0 0 4 Yohairo Cuevas 2 0 0 0 1 0 Brooklyn Pitching Player IP H R ER BB K HR Joel Diaz (L) 4 2/3 6 5 5 3 4 2 Joe Charles 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 Hunter Hodges 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 Hoss Brewer 1 1/3 1 0 0 1 2 0 St. Lucie Falls In Walkoff Despite Benson's Three-Run Homer St. Lucie surrendered a four-run lead and fell 7-6 to the Tampa Tarpons in eight innings, dropping the front end of a doubleheader on a walkoff single with one out in the bottom of the eighth. The Mets had grabbed control with a four-run sixth, when Elian Peña doubled to center, Randy Guzman reached on a fielding error, and Julio Zayas singled to plate two. After AJ Salgado advanced Zayas to third on a groundout, JT Benson launched a three-run home run to right-center to push the lead to 4-1. Frank Camarillo struck out seven across five innings of work in his start, allowing three hits, three earned runs, and one walk while surrendering one home run. Christian Rodriguez took over and was charged with a blown save after allowing two earned runs over two innings. Elwis Mijares was hit with the loss in the bottom of the eighth: with the zombie runner placed at second base, an opposing flyout moved him to third, a single tied the game, and following a catcher interference call by Julio Zayas that put runners on the corners, a line single to center plated the winning run with one out. Mijares' final line was one third of an inning, two hits, two runs, one earned, and no walks or strikeouts. Peña paced the offense at 2-for-4 with a double and a run, while Salgado went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases. Zayas drove in two on his single, and Branny De Oleo added a double of his own. St. Lucie out-hit Tampa 8-7 but committed two errors and stranded five runners, including the bases loaded once. Benson's three-run homer accounted for half of the team's six runs. St. Lucie Hitting (Game 1) Player AB R H RBI BB K Elian Peña 4 1 2 0 0 2 Edward Lantigua 4 0 0 1 0 1 Randy Guzman 4 2 1 0 0 0 Julio Zayas 4 1 1 2 0 1 AJ Salgado 4 0 2 0 0 0 JT Benson 3 1 1 3 0 0 Simon Juan 4 0 0 0 0 2 Sam Robertson 3 0 0 0 0 1 Branny De Oleo 2 1 1 0 0 0 St. Lucie Pitching (Game 1) Player IP H R ER BB K HR Frank Camarillo 5 3 3 3 1 7 1 Christian Rodriguez 2 3 2 2 0 1 0 Elwis Mijares (L) 1/3 2 2 1 0 0 0 Tampa Pulls Away Late As St. Lucie Drops Twin Bill St. Lucie could not muster enough offense to keep pace and fell 7-4 to Tampa in the second half of the doubleheader. Tampa scored in four consecutive innings against starter Conner Ware to build a 4-1 lead, and a two-run sixth off relief proved too much for the Mets to overcome despite a three-run rally in the top of the seventh. Ware surrendered five hits, four earned runs, two walks, and one home run across his four innings, striking out three before being lifted. Miguel Mejias allowed a single run on a hit and a walk in his lone inning, and Zack Mack absorbed the bulk of the late damage with one inning that included five hits, two runs, and one home run, recording no strikeouts and issuing no walks. The seventh-inning rally was led by Edward Lantigua, who doubled in two runs, and Francisco Toledo, who launched a solo home run to account for the third run of the frame. Elian Peña doubled and drew a walk, finishing 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Newly signed free agent Jamari Baylor singled and scored a run in his first appearance after inking a minor league contract earlier in the day. AJ Salgado added a hit, while Randy Guzman, Sam Robertson, and Simon Juan combined to go hitless in eight at-bats. The Mets stranded five runners on the night and managed only five hits across seven innings. St. Lucie Hitting (Game 2) Player AB R H RBI BB K Elian Peña 3 1 1 1 1 0 Edward Lantigua 4 0 1 2 0 2 Randy Guzman 4 0 0 0 0 0 AJ Salgado 3 0 1 0 0 1 JT Benson 2 0 0 0 1 1 Jamari Baylor 3 1 1 0 0 1 Sam Robertson 3 0 0 0 0 2 Francisco Toledo 3 1 1 1 0 1 Branny De Oleo 2 1 0 0 1 0 St. Lucie Pitching (Game 2) Player IP H R ER BB K HR Conner Ware (L) 4 5 4 4 2 3 1 Miguel Mejias 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 Zack Mack 1 5 2 2 0 0 1 Top-20 Prospect Performance Nolan McLean: DNP Carson Benge: DNP A.J. Ewing: DNP Jonah Tong: DNP Ryan Clifford: DNP Jacob Reimer: 2-for-6, 2B, 2 BB, K Jack Wenninger: DNP Elian Pena: 3-for-7, 2 2B, RBI, BB, 2 K Mitch Voit: 2-for-4, 2 SB Nick Morabito: DNP Jonathan Santucci: DNP Chris Suero: 0-for-4, 3 K Zach Thornton: DNP Wandy Asigen: DNP Will Watson: 3 IP, 4 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 3 K Eli Serrano III: 1-for-6, 2B, RBI, 2 BB, 2 K Ryan Lambert: DNP Dylan Ross: DNP Antonio Jimenez: 1-for-4, 2B R.J. Gordon: DNP View the full article

To be fair to Matt Wallner, the Twins have seen a crazy number of left-handed pitchers so far this year. Of the 109 plate appearances Wallner has accumulated over the team's first 31 games, a whopping 40 have come against southpaws. In 2024 (admittedly, an injury-disrupted year), Wallner only had 40 confrontations with fellow lefties all season. There's no question that being the lefty batter tasked with absorbing more of those left-on-left matchups than other Twins batters has contributed to Wallner's slow start. He also got hit in the ribcage with a mid-90s fastball two weeks ago, and can be seen most days since in the clubhouse with a huge wrap around his torso, suggesting there's considerable residual soreness there. All of that matters. It's not a set of excuses; it's a set of legitimate explanations for some of what's happening. The problem, of course, is that what's happening is untenable, no matter what's causing it. It's also getting hard to convince yourself that it will ever change. Wallner will turn 29 years old this winter. Though they haven't come without major interruptions, he has over 1,000 plate appearances in the majors. Right now, he doesn't look like a big league-caliber player—in either half of any given inning. Wallner is batting .168/.275/.284 this season, and striking out 38% of the time. He's lost speed this year and was never good at getting going, anyway, so he's become the worst defensive outfielder in the big leagues, with no serious rival. Last year, I wrote about Wallner's bat path flattening out, and the negative effects thereof. This season, it's flattened out even more. He's also lost some bat speed, though surely, part of that is due to both seeing more lefties (harder to swing with full conviction when you pick the ball up later) and the lingering issues from that plunking. He's just not a functional hitter right now, either. Defenders of Wallner are fond of observing that hitters with high strikeout rates can look disproportionately bad during cold spells, and that he's gotten equally hot at times in the past. That's true, to some extent, but it's not as helpful if you try to apply it broadly to all strikeout-prone hitters as if you analyze each player as an individual. Nor does it remain equally true over time. Wallner's swing is losing its ability to generate consistently lethal contact, even when he gets on time. His approach and pitch recognition have never been all that good, which has been proved for all to see since the advent of the ABS system. And again, he's almost 29. Players age faster than ever in the modern game, and Wallner is already moving out of his prime, physically. It's probably true that, given another 100 plate appearances, he would get on a streak and deliver enough power to invite the team to invest another 200 plate appearances in him. Now that the defense has gone terribly sour (and having seen that there's always another low valley after the next peak), though, that feels more like a threat than a promise: more wasted time, rather than a long-awaited breakthrough. As tantalizing as a homegrown, local product with light-tower power is, the allure is fading, for everyone involved. Even Derek Shelton, who tried to show abundant faith in Wallner by making him an everyday player to begin the season, is moving away from that plan now. Emmanuel Rodriguez is showing the same elite power potential Wallner once had, with Triple-A St. Paul. He's more disciplined than Wallner, and much, much more athletic. The Twins need better defense in the outfield, and they need a lefty slugger with more upside than Wallner offers at this point in his career. Rodriguez offers it. It's going to be awkward. It's going to be sad. Wallner has a minor-league option remaining, but once you admit that he can't hit in the big leagues after this long at that level and that you can no longer justify playing him, it's tough to think of any demotion as temporary or edifying. It's getting clearer all the time that Wallner (rather than Trevor Larnach or Austin Martin) will be the first player replaced by a top prospect arriving at Target Field, and the time for that replacement is extremely close. In all likelihood, we're seeing the final days of Matt Wallner's Twins career. That's exciting, because he'll give way to a player with every chance to be better than him right away and much more long-term upside. It's also an uneasy situation, though, and a sad ending for a player who was a key cog on one of the teams Twins fans will remember fondly: the 2023 streak-busters. He was great for that team. He's just not helping this one anymore. View the full article

After his back soreness did not respond to treatment, the New York Mets had outfielder Luis Robert Jr. undergo an MRI exam. The result of that is Robert missing more time than expected. The Mets placed Robert on the 10-day injured list with lumbar spine disc herniation. First baseman Eric Wagaman was called up from Triple-A Syracuse. Also, right-handed reliever Austin Warren was called up from Triple-A and right-handed reliever Carl Edwards Jr. was designated for assignment to make room for Wagaman on the 40-man roster. Robert missed three games as the Mets' medical staff tried to determine the exact cause of the outfielder's discomfort, finally sending him for an MRI. It is another blow to the Mets' offense, which has yet to find its way this year. After a good start, Robert is slashing .224/.327/.329 with two homers and eight RBIs in 24 games. This marks yet another trip to the IL for Robert, whose career has been plagued by injuries. Wagaman was claimed off waivers from the Minnesota Twins, who had designated him for assignment, on Monday and optioned to Triple-A. He had been at Triple-A with the Twins, where he had a .159/.284/.254 slash line with one homer and six RBIs in 18 games. Warren is up from the minors for the third time in April. He has appeared in three games and has a 2.45 ERA in 3⅔ innings, allowing two hits, including a homer, with no walks and five strikeouts. The 34-year-old Edwards, called up Saturday, made two appearances, allowing one run on three hits with four walks and 11 strikeouts in six innings for a 1.50 ERA. View the full article

When Sal Frelick homered in his first plate appearance against a left-handed pitcher in the season-opening series against the White Sox, it was easy to dream a bit on another terrific season for the fourth-year right fielder. He had suddenly found his way from virtually no over-the-fence power in 2024 to hitting 12 bombs in 2025, and that was without putting a southpaw in his book at all. A version of Frelick who could maintain what he did so well throughout last year and tap into more thunder against lefties could have become a borderline All-Star—something like the best, long-forgotten version of Andrew Benintendi. So far, though, that dream hasn't been realized. Five weeks in, Frelick is batting .212/.317/.306, and the seeming magic of his game from the best stretches of the last two years—lots of infield hits, unexpected gap-splitters in the biggest possible moments, efficient basestealing—is missing. On one hand, that's very worrisome, because there was some reason to wonder whether that was inevitable. Frelick far outperformed his expected stats last year. The regression monster stood nearby all winter, sharpening its fangs conspicuously. Our Jack Stern wrote about the fear of its bite earlier this spring. Frelick's expected numbers this year are better than the actual results, but not by that much. Certainly, he's not doing what you'd hope to see him do, if you were making a case for some positive regression ahead and a major improvement. On the other hand, Frelick has made some improvements. He's swinging less this year, as a rational response to a shrinking strike zone, and as a result, his walk rate has spiked noticeably. Last year, he walked in 7.9% of his plate appearances. This season, that number is up to 12.5%, which is why he's staying afloat in the OBP department, despite his poor overall production. The power hasn't come. Even the batting average is lagging. He's getting on base at a viable rate, though, and his overall expected output is not much worse (.294 xwOBA) than it was last season (.299). If you believe he does have some real skill for outperforming his xwOBA, which seems fair, it's modestly encouraging that he's maintaining a similar overall process and walking more often. The chances of him getting back to an OBP around .350 seem relatively strong. So, which way should you lean? With reasonable arguments on both sides of the scale, which weighs more heavily? To answer that (although maybe not the way you expect), let's talk about his bat-tracking data, Frelick already had a low average bat speed, according to Statcast, but that number has come down even further this year. It's come down partly because of and in proportion to making contact slightly deeper in the hitting zone and with a slightly lower attack angle. However, it's also come down despite a second straight season of flattening his bat path. A flatter swing leaves less margin for error in terms of both timing and barrel accuracy. Frelick got significant mileage out of flicking line drives to center and left field, over the last two years, and the tilt in his swing helped him find the power for which he hit in 2025. This year, he's hitting more balls on the ground and more straight up in the air, with fewer in the sweet spot in between. That's a common symptom for those who afflict themselves with a flat swing. To visualize the problem, consider this homer from last season: QndhNEJfWGw0TUFRPT1fQVZSV1ZsY0ZWVlFBQUZCUkJ3QUhCVlZUQUZnR1ZBVUFBQUZUQndKVEJBWmRBUUJS.mp4 And compare it to this low lineout, on a similar pitch, this season. MTZOYjNfWGw0TUFRPT1fVXdZQ0FsTUVWd0FBQ0FSUlVBQUhCVmNFQUZsV1ZWVUFBMU1HQkZGVENGRlRDUU1G.mp4 On these two pitches, you can barely see a difference in swing plane in real time. If you freeze on the moment just before contact, though, the slight change gets easier to see. I've set those moments side-by-side below, and highlighted the bat to enhance its visibility. This also makes it easier to see why this matters. A bit less loft in the swing—a slightly flatter slash through the zone—is the difference between hitting the bottom half of the ball and hitting the top half of it. On both pitches, Frelick is a bit early, having timed his swing at first for a fastball and gotten a changeup, but last year, he was early in a good way. This year, that same imperfection of timing has resulted in less valuable contact. All this, though, can be fixed. The change in plane is relatively small; it comes from timing and swing decisions as much as it does from mechanics. The lost bat speed is half-illusory, and relatively minimal. Frelick just isn't on time very often, so far. He was late on the fastball and early on soft stuff for a solid fortnight, That brought his numbers to a nadir about 10 days ago, when his OPS for the year was under .550. Since then, he's batting .333 with one of his two homers, four walks and just one strikeout. Frelick might already be fixed, and if that's not fully true, he certainly looks to have gotten back on time. The rest will take care of itself over time. The Brewers have had to survive a lot of early injuries, and having Frelick struggle in the absence of Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn has been especially damaging. Just as the return of those two players draws near, though, it seems like Frelick is warming up. As ugly as the numbers are, the upside is as high as ever. If nothing else, the small strike zone should keep him trending in the right direction. View the full article

In this week's episode, Nick talks about the sudden firing of Alex Cora and the promotion of Chad Tracy, and what things were like in the press box and later outside the clubhouse the night it all took place. He also discusses how Franklin Arias' sudden power surge could change the outlook on the prospect while also discussing how Henry Godbout, Justin Gonzales, and Anthony Eyanson could be headed to Portland sooner than anyone predicted if they continue this level of play. Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-talk-sox-podcast/id1783204104 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3qPrPXEngu0CxgTmlf0ynm Listen on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-talk-sox-podcast-244591331/ Listen on Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/4tmd121v Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@talksox View the full article

It's been a long time coming for Minnesota Twins pitcher Connor Prielipp, but his first couple of major league starts have been promising. Here's how the lefty has been having success so far. View the full article

Lucas Giolito's rehab is off and running, but it's already hit a roadblock. The 2019 All-Star and former Chicago White Sox hurler recently made his Padres rehab debut in Single-A Lake Elsinore, but the righty was hit with a comebacker after tossing 2.2 innings of 2-run ball. What does his timeline look like, and where will he land come end of the season? We dive into it all. View the full article

Chicago Cubs Minor League Report - April 28 Affiliate Overview Triple-A Iowa Cubs Series at St. Paul Saints (Minnesota Twins): Saints lead, 1–0 Season Record: 13–14 Double-A Knoxville Smokies Series at Rocket City Trash Pandas (Los Angeles Angels): No games played Season Record: 10–12 High-A South Bend Cubs Series vs. Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego Padres): Cubs lead, 1-0 Season Record: 12–7 Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Series vs. Columbia Fireflies (Kansas City Royals): Pelicans lead, 1-0 Season Record: 10–12 Triple-A: Iowa Cubs Season Record: 13–14 Series Opponent: St. Paul Saints (12–15) Series Standing: Trail, 0-1 April 28: The Iowa Cubs slipped to under .500 for the first time since March 31 with a series-opening defeat to the St. Paul Saints, 9-5. The Saints scored five times in their first trip to the plate and extended the lead to 6-0 with another run in the second. Brett Bateman’s (1-for-3) first home run of the season got the Cubs on the board in the third and James Triantos (1-for-3) cut the six-run lead in half with a two run blast later in the frame, his fourth of the season. St. Paul pushed runs across in the fourth and fifth to make it 8-3 before Kevin Alcántara (1-for-4) blasted his ninth homer of the year, a solo shot. The hosts made it 9-4 with a run in the seventh and Hayden Cantrelle (1-for-1) launched the I-Cubs’ fourth homer of the game to make it 9-5, which would go on to be the final score. Jordan Wicks took the loss in the start, allowing six runs on seven hits over two innings of work, giving up three home runs. Double-A: Knoxville Smokies Season Record: 10–12 Series Opponent: Rocket City Trash Pandas (10–12) Series Standing: No games played April 28: The Knoxville Smokies’ series opener at the Rocket City Trash Pandas was postponed due to inclement weather. The two teams will begin play at Toyota Field today. Monday’s contest will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Wednesday. High-A: South Bend Cubs Season Record: 12–7 Series Opponent: Fort Wayne TinCaps (7–15) Series Standing: Lead 1-0 April 28: The South Bend Cubs opened their series vs. the Fort Wayne TinCaps with a 6-4 win, staving off a late rally from the visitors to hold on for the victory. Kade Snell’s (1-for-4) sacrifice fly in the third opened the scoring in the ballgame but the TinCaps responded in the fourth with a run of their own to level the game at 1-1. Cole Mathis (2-for-4) would give the Cubs the lead back by drawing a walk with the bases loaded in the home half of the fourth and the hosts would extend their advantage with a pair of runs in the fifth. Cameron Cisneros (1-for-2) crushed a solo shot, his third of the year, and Christian Olivo (3-for-4) followed later in the inning with an RBI-double. Fort Wayne scored twice in the eighth to make it 4-3 but South Bend got those two runs right back, first on an RBI-single from Reginald Preciado (1-for-5) and then on a balk. The Cubs would need those insurance runs as the TinCaps scored once in the ninth but were unable to rally further as South Bend held on for the 6-4 triumph. Kenten Egbert got the start and did not factor into the decision, firing three shutout innings, allowing just three hits and striking out one. Brayden Spears picked up the win in relief, working three innings and allowing one run on one hit. Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans Season Record: 10–12 Series Opponent: Columbia Fireflies (11–11) Series Standing: Lead 1-0 April 28: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans snapped their six-game losing skid with a come-from-behind victory over the Columbia Fireflies, 6-4. The Pelicans opened the scoring in the ballgame with a pair of runs in the second, with Michael Carico (1-for-4) and Logan Poteet (1-for-3) starting the frame with back-to-back solo shots. The Fireflies evened the contest with two runs in the third and would eventually take a 6-3 lead after putting up a four spot in the seventh, following Eli Lovich’s (2-for-4) solo homer in the fifth. Myrtle Beach rallied for three runs after the stretch, with Ludwing Espinoza (1-for-2) sparking the offense by stealing home. Jose Escobar (1-for-4) made it 6-6 with a two-out, two-run single. Ty Southisene (1-for-4) had the decisive hit in the contest with his RBI-double in the eighth to give the Pelicans the 7-6 lead. Eli Jerzembeck capped his two-inning scoreless outing by striking out the side in the ninth to improve to 2-1 on the season. Jerzembeck didn’t allow a hit in his appearance and whiffed five batters. Noah Edders, who started for Myrtle Beach, allowed two runs, both unearned, over four innings of work, giving up five hits while striking out two batters. View the full article

Chicago Cubs Minor League Report - April 28 Affiliate Overview Triple-A Iowa Cubs Series at St. Paul Saints (Minnesota Twins): Saints lead, 1–0 Season Record: 13–14 Double-A Knoxville Smokies Series at Rocket City Trash Pandas (Los Angeles Angels): No games played Season Record: 10–12 High-A South Bend Cubs Series vs. Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego Padres): Cubs lead, 1-0 Season Record: 12–7 Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Series vs. Columbia Fireflies (Kansas City Royals): Pelicans lead, 1-0 Season Record: 10–12 Triple-A: Iowa Cubs Season Record: 13–14 Series Opponent: St. Paul Saints (12–15) Series Standing: Trail, 0-1 April 28: The Iowa Cubs slipped to under .500 for the first time since March 31 with a series-opening defeat to the St. Paul Saints, 9-5. The Saints scored five times in their first trip to the plate and extended the lead to 6-0 with another run in the second. Brett Bateman’s (1-for-3) first home run of the season got the Cubs on the board in the third and James Triantos (1-for-3) cut the six-run lead in half with a two run blast later in the frame, his fourth of the season. St. Paul pushed runs across in the fourth and fifth to make it 8-3 before Kevin Alcántara (1-for-4) blasted his ninth homer of the year, a solo shot. The hosts made it 9-4 with a run in the seventh and Hayden Cantrelle (1-for-1) launched the I-Cubs’ fourth homer of the game to make it 9-5, which would go on to be the final score. Jordan Wicks took the loss in the start, allowing six runs on seven hits over two innings of work, giving up three home runs. Double-A: Knoxville Smokies Season Record: 10–12 Series Opponent: Rocket City Trash Pandas (10–12) Series Standing: No games played April 28: The Knoxville Smokies’ series opener at the Rocket City Trash Pandas was postponed due to inclement weather. The two teams will begin play at Toyota Field today. Monday’s contest will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Wednesday. High-A: South Bend Cubs Season Record: 12–7 Series Opponent: Fort Wayne TinCaps (7–15) Series Standing: Lead 1-0 April 28: The South Bend Cubs opened their series vs. the Fort Wayne TinCaps with a 6-4 win, staving off a late rally from the visitors to hold on for the victory. Kade Snell’s (1-for-4) sacrifice fly in the third opened the scoring in the ballgame but the TinCaps responded in the fourth with a run of their own to level the game at 1-1. Cole Mathis (2-for-4) would give the Cubs the lead back by drawing a walk with the bases loaded in the home half of the fourth and the hosts would extend their advantage with a pair of runs in the fifth. Cameron Cisneros (1-for-2) crushed a solo shot, his third of the year, and Christian Olivo (3-for-4) followed later in the inning with an RBI-double. Fort Wayne scored twice in the eighth to make it 4-3 but South Bend got those two runs right back, first on an RBI-single from Reginald Preciado (1-for-5) and then on a balk. The Cubs would need those insurance runs as the TinCaps scored once in the ninth but were unable to rally further as South Bend held on for the 6-4 triumph. Kenten Egbert got the start and did not factor into the decision, firing three shutout innings, allowing just three hits and striking out one. Brayden Spears picked up the win in relief, working three innings and allowing one run on one hit. Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans Season Record: 10–12 Series Opponent: Columbia Fireflies (11–11) Series Standing: Lead 1-0 April 28: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans snapped their six-game losing skid with a come-from-behind victory over the Columbia Fireflies, 6-4. The Pelicans opened the scoring in the ballgame with a pair of runs in the second, with Michael Carico (1-for-4) and Logan Poteet (1-for-3) starting the frame with back-to-back solo shots. The Fireflies evened the contest with two runs in the third and would eventually take a 6-3 lead after putting up a four spot in the seventh, following Eli Lovich’s (2-for-4) solo homer in the fifth. Myrtle Beach rallied for three runs after the stretch, with Ludwing Espinoza (1-for-2) sparking the offense by stealing home. Jose Escobar (1-for-4) made it 6-6 with a two-out, two-run single. Ty Southisene (1-for-4) had the decisive hit in the contest with his RBI-double in the eighth to give the Pelicans the 7-6 lead. Eli Jerzembeck capped his two-inning scoreless outing by striking out the side in the ninth to improve to 2-1 on the season. Jerzembeck didn’t allow a hit in his appearance and whiffed five batters. Noah Edders, who started for Myrtle Beach, allowed two runs, both unearned, over four innings of work, giving up five hits while striking out two batters. View the full article

This is the second half of a two-part series about the players who have joined the Blue Jays' active roster since Opening Day. You can read part one here. I started with the pitchers because they've made more of an impact (and had more success) than the position players. However, a piece like this is probably more useful for the position players, who aren't as well known as Patrick Corbin and Joe Mantiply and haven't received as much media attention. Let's get into it. Brandon Valenzuela, C 2026 Hitting Stats: 14 G, 39 PA, 2 HR, 3 RBI, .189/.231/.351, 59 wRC+ 2026 Catching Stats: 98 innings, 4-for-9 CS, +2 CS Above Average, +2 Framing Runs (per Savant), 2 DRS, 3 FRV Recalled from Triple-A Buffalo after Alejandro Kirk fractured his thumb. Brandon Valenzuela has been thrust into a much bigger role than he was supposed to take on, and he deserves credit for stepping up. He also deserves props for how nicely he has settled in behind the plate. Despite the occasional mistake, it's clear he's a talented defender. While they wait for Alejandro Kirk to return, the Blue Jays could do worse than a part-time catcher who helps his pitchers by stealing strikes and controlling the running game. Just don't ask about Valenzuela's offense. After hitting his first home run against the Twins on April 10, the switch-hitter went 2-for-22 with two singles, one walk, and nine strikeouts in his next eight games. He finally recorded another extra-base hit yesterday against the Red Sox, while reaching base three times – a new personal best. Still, by and large, Valenzuela just hasn't looked up to the task of facing major league arms. To make matters worse, Tyler Heineman has also come crashing down to earth with more playing time; his batting line is even worse than Valenzuela's. Blue Jays catchers rank last in the AL in wRC+, and their defense only bumps them up to 23rd overall in FanGraphs WAR. Kirk can't come back soon enough. Lenyn Sosa, UTIL 2026 Stats (with Blue Jays): 10 G, 30 PA, 0 HR, 4 RBI, .214/.207/.286, 28 wRC+ Acquired via trade from the White Sox on April 13. Note: Sosa is reportedly nursing a minor leg injury. He has not played since Monday. Evidently, the Blue Jays decided that Lenyn Sosa was an upgrade over Tyler Fitzgerald (more on him later). Fitzgerald joined the active roster in place of an injured Addison Barger on April 7. A week later, Toronto sent minor league outfielder Jordan Rich to the White Sox for Sosa and swapped him in for Fitzgerald as the new righty-batting utility player on the bench. Whatever it is the Jays might have liked about Sosa, it hasn't shown up in-game yet. Outside of a big double against the Angels last week, he hasn't done much at the plate. He has yet to draw a walk or hit a home run in 30 trips to the plate, and his 28 wRC+ ranks second-last among hitters on the active roster, ahead of only Heineman. The lack of power is especially disappointing, considering Sosa hit 20 doubles and 22 home runs for the White Sox last season. Primarily a second baseman, Sosa has experience playing all around the infield. So far, he has seen the majority of his playing time at DH, with a few starts at first and second base. He's made one highlight-reel play already, though Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s reactions in the clip are just as entertaining as Sosa's catch itself: Yohendrick Pinango, OF 2026 Stats: 3 G, 2-for-5 Selected after Nathan Lukes strained his hamstring. The newest of the new Jays, Yohendrick Pinango made his MLB debut over the weekend, starting in left field against the Guardians. The lefty batter earned the call after Nathan Lukes hit the injured list. Pinango was hitting .288 with seven doubles, three home runs, and a 126 wRC+ at Triple-A Buffalo. His job in the majors is only safe until Addison Barger returns from the IL. However, now that he's on the 40-man roster, this likely won't be the last we see of the young slugger. Pinango still has skills he needs to work on in the minors, namely converting more of his raw power into balls that fly over the fence. Fingers crossed we get to see some of that power while he's with the Jays, but it might be smart to temper your expectations for now. Pinango is Jays Centre's No. 9 prospect. Read his full prospect write-up here! *Eloy Jiménez, DH 2026 Stats: 12 G, 35 PA, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .290/.343/.290, 82 wRC+ Selected from Triple-A Buffalo after George Springer fractured his toe. *Note: I originally finished writing this article about six minutes before the news broke that Springer was returning and Jiménez was DFA'd. Jiménez isn't on Toronto's active roster anymore, but he was around for long enough that his time with the team is still worth a couple of paragraphs of attention. A strong spring (in which he took reps at first base) had fans wondering if Eloy Jiménez could somehow force his way onto the Opening Day roster. While that didn't end up happening, he did not have to wait long to join the Jays. George Springer fractured his big toe a couple of weeks into the season, and Jiménez got the call to DH in his place. For a brief, shining moment, we could all dream that David Popkins would help Jiménez rediscover the power that earned him a Silver Slugger in 2020. Soon, we were just counting the days until Springer could get back in the lineup. While Jiménez's .290 batting average might look impressive, it was all from singles. He had nine hits, but none of them went for extra bases. That's disappointing, but it's not surprising; with all the poor plate discipline and mediocre contact we saw from Jiménez, the Blue Jays are lucky he managed as many hits as he did. The Phantom Bench Bat 2026 Stats: 0 G, 0 PA, -/-/- Was Tyler Fitzgerald ever really a Blue Jay? Yes. I swear. The Jays acquired the utility man earlier this month, after he was designated for assignment by the Giants. However, although he spent a week on the active roster, he never made it into a game. The Jays DFA'd him last week and traded him to the Dodgers on Tuesday. His stint with the Blue Jays lives on in his transaction log, but it won't appear on the back of his next baseball card. View the full article

There was a style of mid-rotation starter that used to populate rotations across baseball in the 1990s. He did not light up the radar gun. He did not need to. He lived on the edges of the strike zone, changed speeds with intent, and trusted that a well-executed plan could beat raw power. In 2026, Bailey Ober is starting to look like that guy. The conversation around Ober entering the year centered on whether he could bounce back. Last season, he never quite clicked. His health was inconsistent, his stuff lacked its usual crispness, and the subpar results followed. The expectation for this winter was straightforward. Get healthy, get the fastball back into the low 90s, and let his natural feel for pitching carry the rest. That version hasn't materialized. The velocity has continued to trend in the wrong direction. Yet, the results have stabilized in a way that suggests Ober has found a different path forward. Ober has never been reliant on velocity. Even at his peak, when his fastball sat in the 91-92 mph range in 2024, his success came from how he used it, rather than how hard he threw. By 2025, that number dipped closer to 90 mph, and the margin for error shrank. For a pitcher who relies on deception, even a slight drop can flatten the entire arsenal. Hitters began to make more consistent contact, and his ability to finish plate appearances took a hit. In 2026, the radar gun tells a more concerning story at first glance. His fastball is averaging 88.7 mph, down from 90.3 mph a year ago. In a vacuum, that kind of drop should be a red flag. Instead, Ober has adjusted in a way that feels deliberate. The biggest change is in how he sequences his pitches. For the first time in his career, the changeup has become his most frequently used offering. After sitting at 28.9% usage last season, it has climbed to 34.4% this year. It's his best pitch, and is central to everything he's trying to do. And it's working, at least in terms of limiting damage. Opponents are hitting just .190 against the pitch, a noticeable improvement from last year, even if the underlying run value suggests it has been more neutral (-1 Run Value) than dominant. What matters more is how it sets the table. By leaning into the changeup, Ober is forcing hitters to respect a different speed band and a different shape profile, even without a significant gap between it and his fastball. That altered timing shows up elsewhere. His slider has quietly become his most effective weapon. It carries a Run Value of 4 and has emerged as his primary finisher. With a 21.1% put away rate, along with a .206 xBA and .282 xSLG, the pitch is doing the heavy lifting when Ober needs an out. Hitters are not squaring it up with the same authority, reflected in a drop in exit velocity against the pitch compared to last year. Then there's the fastball, the pitch that draws the most scrutiny and the most skepticism. At 88.7 mph, it should be vulnerable. Instead, it has been more effective than it was a year ago. Opponents have managed just a .213 xBA against it, a significant improvement, and the expected slugging percentage has dropped to .306, a drop of over .230 compared to last year. That doesn't happen by accident. Ober is locating it with precision, using it in different parts of the zone, and pairing it more effectively with his off-speed pitches. The reduced velocity has actually tightened the relationship between his pitches, making it harder for hitters to sit on one speed or one movement profile. It's not overpowering; It's not flashy. It is, however, intentional. The question now is sustainability. Pitchers who live in this range have a thinner margin for error. If the command slips even slightly, there is less velocity to fall back on. If hitters begin to anticipate the sequencing, the entire structure can unravel quickly. At the same time, this is a blueprint that's worked before, even if it feels out of place in today’s game. Ober isn't trying to win with pure stuff. He is trying to win each pitch, each count, each decision. There is a level of craft to that approach that can age well, if it is maintained. For now, Ober is proving that success does not have to follow a single formula. In a league obsessed with velocity, he is carving out a role by going in the opposite direction. It may not look like the modern prototype, but it is starting to look like something just as reliable. Can Ober continue to find success with his current pitching profile? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

Owen Hill and Jesse Burrill go live to recap the Blue Jays' third straight series win. They get into frustrations with Dylan Cease before welcoming back Trey Yesavage, George Springer, and singing Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s praises. The guys also talk about Eric Lauer's start in game three, Brandon Valenzuela's breakout, Yohendrick Pinango's first big league hits, and Kazuma Okamoto settling in before previewing the upcoming four-game set against the Minnesota Twins. Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jays-centre-podcast/id1846108462 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Bi7SzfpcqMo5xYWnbCeoL Listen on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-jays-centre-podcast-300304824/ Listen on Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/2qk9wqxd Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jayscentre View the full article

Jake Cronenworth’s career highlight is, undoubtedly, from Game 4 of the 2022 National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Though they were up 2-1 on the series, the San Diego Padres faced a 3-0 deficit going into the bottom of the 7th inning of Game 4. A loss would have meant trudging back up the 5 for a winner-takes-all showdown in Los Angeles, but the clear night sky delivered a madcap rally that evened the score. Cronenworth stepped to the plate with two on and two out, and in a 2-2 count, he stayed on a breaking ball tumbling to the very outside edge of the plate. He served it into center field. Both runners would score, and the Padres would close out the series two innings later in what is probably the most rapturous night in Petco Park history. It feels like yesterday, but that occurred four years ago this October. Since then, Cronenworth has been a confounding player, especially this season. His slash line is an incomprehensible .149/.275/.207, and his 51 wRC+ pegs him as one of the least productive regulars in baseball. Least fun of all, we’ve entered the Crone Zone just once this season. His lone homer came over three weeks ago on April 8. There are two obvious questions when it comes to Jake Cronenworth the player: What’s wrong with him, and how do we fix him? These are worthy questions, indeed, but it’s helpful to start from the beginning. Jake Cronenworth was a late bloomer, having spent three years at Michigan and parts of five seasons in the Tampa Bay Rays minor league system. It wasn’t until that fifth season that he forced people to notice him. Over 97 games, he batted .329 and recorded a .933 OPS. With double digit steals and home runs, he proved that he could be a complete offensive player. It’s why the Padres traded for him (and Tommy Pham) ahead of the 2020 season, and it’s how Cronenworth made an impact immediately. He registered a 129 OPS+ in the Covid season, which earned him second place in NL Rookie of the Year voting. Over the next two full seasons, including the Padres’ run to the 2022 NLCS, Cronenworth produced 7.3 fWAR. He averaged 155 games, a 116 OPS+, and 113 wRC+. He adequately defended three infield positions. It’s little wonder why the Padres gave Cronenworth a seven-year, $80 million extension as the 2023 season was getting started. Over his first three years with the team, Cronenworth was simply one of the most productive and versatile infielders in baseball. "He definitely was not the ‘throw-in’ player in the [2019 trade]," Padres general manager A.J. Preller told MLB.com after Cronenworth’s contract extension was announced. "But he's clearly worked his way from a player that we were excited to acquire to a core member of our nucleus. He's the epitome of what we're looking for from a Padre." Not three years later, Cronenworth was subject to trade rumors. That’s because of a 2023 season in which he was limited to 127 games and was for the first time a below-average hitter, and because of solid, if unspectacular, seasons in 2024 and 2025. If only the rumormongers knew what was in store for 2026. Though he's been downright bad this year, Cronenworth’s is a peculiar case to diagnose. Is his average exit velocity down? Not really. It is down this season, but it's not at career-low levels and exit velocity has never been a strength. How about hard-hit percentage? It’s basically flat for his career, and again, it’s never been a strength. Okay, then his chase, whiff, and strikeout percentages must have increased? Nope, nope, and nope. He’s long excelled here (though this year they have taken a dip). In fact, his walk percentage has only increased throughout his career, and his bat speed is faster than ever. So, he must be unlucky this season? Kind of. His xBA this season is .246, almost 100 points better than his actual batting average, and his xwOBA is a not-that-awful .320. That’s balanced out by luck earlier in his career. He's experiencing the vagaries of a career in baseball. One problem I can pinpoint is his batted ball direction. Cronenworth’s line drive percentage has decreased every year since 2023, and his launch angle has plummeted this season. Consequently, batted ground balls are at a career high. That is not helpful for someone who doesn’t hit the ball hard and, in a 162-game season, has never finished better than the 89th-fastest player. Cronenworth may have dug himself into too deep a hole to be a league average hitter this season, but the advanced statistics indicate he’ll bounce back to be a perfectly adequate hitter. This indicates that his “problem” is actually one of perspective, not performance. Cronenworth’s minor-league breakout occurred during his age-25 season. Three great seasons ensued in the major leagues, encompassing his peak seasons by age. The Padres extended his contract then, banking on his durability, defensive versatility, and, most of all, his good eye and ability to make contact. Three good-or-worse seasons ensued, and this season has been an (unlucky) disaster. Fans have grown frustrated with their $80 million man, and they may be worrying about how a 36-year-old Cronenworth affects the 2030 Padres (assuming he’s still on the roster). But so far, the Padres have paid Cronenworth about $3.7 million per fWAR produced as part of that $80 million extension. According to a FanGraphs analysis, teams are paying over $12 million per WAR in free agency for players who produce two or more WAR, as Cronenworth has done in all but one of his 162-game seasons. This not to suggest Cronenworth is underpaid. It’s to say the Padres knew full well about age-related regression, the cost of wins on the open market, and their place in a relatively small media market. So, what’s wrong with Cronenworth? Nothing, really, besides being human. And what’s the “fix”? To just keep swinging (though lifting the ball in the air a little bit more wouldn't hurt). View the full article