DiamondCentric

The New York Mets entered May with a 10-21 record. Needless to say, they were in desperate need of a solid showing to maintain any hope of reaching the postseason. While they were unable to go on a ridiculous tear to get back to .500, they finished the month 16-12 and sit at 26-33. Outside of a 1-7 stretch from May 19 through May 26, the Mets looked like the team everyone expected at the start of the season, and the bats coming alive helped carry the day. After averaging 3.4 runs per game over March and April, the Mets cranked up the activity on the basepaths and produced a sterling 4.75 runs per game in May. In large part, the Mets’ surge was powered by three hitters, who, despite injuries and the continued struggles of marquee hitters, kept the team’s season alive. Ranking Mets' Best Hitters in May #3: Brett Baty Through the month of April, Brett Baty’s last name played like a cruel joke. He had a wRC+ of 60 thanks to a .211 batting average (AVG), .255 on-base percentage (OBP), and .311 slugging percentage (SLG). As a rule of thumb, it’s bad to rarely get on base and slug like you’re holding a limp noodle at the plate. However, when the calendar flipped to May, Baty started to swing like he holding an actual bat. In May, he produced a wRC+ of 115 with a .253 AVG, .354 OBP, and .373 SLG. He was able to offset an increase in strikeout rate, from 27.6% to 28.9%, thanks to his walk rate more than doubling to 12.4% from 6.1%. While his SLG still isn’t ideal, and he has been the benefactor of some BABIP fortune (.358 BABIP), he earned his walk rate in May. Baty cut his out-of-zone swing rate from 31.6% to 25%. While that might not sound massive, it’s the difference between ranking 25th and 79th, among qualified hitters. The Mets are going to need him to keep showing a discerning eye at the plate, and hope it leads to a few more hitters’ counts, which will in turn lead to a few more round trippers. All told, Baty, beginning to live up to his namesake, was a May boon for the Mets. #2: Carson Benge Similar to Brett Baty, Carson Benge completely turned his season around in May. His 133 wRC+ in May was second on the team, and that was despite underperforming his Statcast expected metrics (wOBA: .360; xwOBA: .381). It’s still a little too early to proclaim Benge a future All-Star, but, like his .375 May OBP, it wouldn’t be off-base. So, how did Benge go from hitting like a pitcher to hitting like a star? By leaning into what he does well, and not selling out for the modern-META of lift and pull. Benge cut his pull percentage from 32.8% in April to 25.9% in May and saw his Statcast hard-hit rate jump from 41.8% to 47.1%. His decision to square up the ball and use the whole field is how he was able to hit the same number of home runs in May (two) as he did in April and March, and still boost his SLG from .278 to .426. Benge has feasted as a doubles machine, and there’s no reason for him to stop. Home runs and walks are great and all, but some hitters are just built different. As May showed, Benge is the rare hitter who can go up there looking to find a gap and prosper. It may be unconventional in today’s game, but runs are runs. #1: Juan Soto The Mets have been two teams this season. The one with Juan Soto in the middle of the order, and the one without him. In 42 games where Soto has featured, the Mets are 23-19, good for a .548 winning percentage, and in the 17 games he missed due to injury, they’re 3-14. It doesn’t take a math genius to understand how stark a difference that is, and his May only further reinforced how valuable a hitter he is. Over 26 games in May, Soto posted a 167 wRC+, ranking ninth in the league for the month, on the back of a .281 AVG, .369 OBP, and .615 SLG. His 10 home runs led the Mets and were one behind Kyle Schwarber for the major league monthly crown. He came into May looking for trouble, and that’s just what he did — at least from the pitchers’ perspective. What makes Soto’s incredible month so incredible is just how un-incredible it is for him. Soto has a career 159 wRC+, and he was actually better in his brief April and March stint (187 wRC+). Soto was by far the Mets' best hitter, basically performing at his baseline. It's crazy that this wasn’t anywhere near his best, and yet he was one of the most dangerous hitters in the sport. Don’t be surprised if he takes the #1 spot a few more times this season. Considering the continued struggles of Bo Bichette and Marcus Semien and the extended absences of Francisco Lindor, Francisco Alvarez, and Jorge Polanco, the Mets' offense has plenty of room to grow. The season hasn’t been salvaged just yet, but if everyone can get healthy and recapture their form, there should be plenty to play for come September. View the full article

Box Score SP: Joe Ryan 6 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 9 SO, 0 BB HR: Tristan Gray (4) Top 3 WPA: Gray 0.32, Trevor Larnach 0.24, Josh Bell 0.08 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): The Twins desperately needed a reset Monday afternoon. After limping home from Pittsburgh on a five-game losing streak and coming off a sweep at the hands of the Pirates, Minnesota returned to Target Field looking to stop the bleeding against a White Sox club that arrived with momentum of its own. Chicago entered the series opener riding a five-game winning streak, after sweeping Detroit over the weekend. With the Twins searching for stability, the ball was in the hands of the one starter who has consistently provided it all season. Joe Ryan took the mound as Minnesota's unquestioned ace. At a time when injuries and inconsistency have left the rotation searching for answers, Ryan has remained the one arm the Twins can count on every fifth day. They needed another strong effort from him against White Sox rookie David Sandlin, who was making just the second start of his major league career after allowing one run in his debut victory. The Twins wasted little time making the rookie uncomfortable. Minnesota opened the bottom of the first inning by stringing together three hits, with Trevor Larnach delivering an RBI single that gave the Twins an early 1-0 advantage. The lead was short-lived, however, as Andrew Benintendi answered in the top of the second with an RBI single that tied the game. The contest remained deadlocked until the fourth inning, when the Twins finally broke through in a big way. Josh Bell started the rally with a leadoff double, and Minnesota continued to apply pressure by putting additional runners on base. That brought Tristan Gray to the plate with the bases loaded, and the infielder delivered the game's biggest swing. Gray launched a grand slam to right-center field for his fourth home run of the season and his first since April 23. It was also his second grand slam of the year, sending Target Field into a frenzy and giving the Twins a 5-1 lead. What looked like a comfortable advantage quickly became anything but. Ryan muscled his way through much of his outing, but ran into trouble in the fifth inning. Miguel Vargas connected for a two-run homer to trim the deficit, and Benintendi followed immediately with a solo shot of his own. Back-to-back home runs suddenly cut Minnesota's lead to 5-4 and put the pressure right back on the home club. This time, the offense answered immediately. The Twins erupted in the bottom half of the inning, collecting three hits, drawing two walks, and pushing four runs across the plate. Austin Martin contributed an RBI single that snapped an 0-for-18 slump, and by the end of the inning, Minnesota had rebuilt its cushion to 9-4. That offensive outburst proved critical. Ryan ultimately did not record a quality start after allowing four earned runs across six innings, but he still gave the Twins exactly what they needed. The right-hander limited further damage, completed six frames, and struck out nine hitters, matching his season high. More importantly, he kept Minnesota in position to capitalize on its best offensive performance in days. Kody Funderburk and Yoendrys Gómez each delivered scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth, preserving the lead and keeping Chicago at arm's length. The White Sox made one final push in the ninth when Vargas struck again, launching his second homer of the game, a two-run shot off Travis Adams that cut the deficit to three. The late drama wasn't enough to spoil Minnesota's night. Powered by Gray's grand slam and a four-run answer in the fifth inning, the Twins held off the White Sox 9-6 to snap their five-game losing streak and open a seven-game homestand with a much-needed victory. What's Next The Twins will look to secure a series victory Tuesday evening when Connor Prielipp takes the mound seeking a bounce-back performance after consecutive rough outings. Standing in his way will be White Sox right-hander Davis Martin, who has been Chicago's most effective starter this season with a 2.00 ERA across 67 2/3 innings. First pitch from Target Field is scheduled for 6:40 PM CT. Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Report THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Paredes 0 0 0 60 0 60 Orze 0 23 0 0 0 23 Adams 12 0 0 0 19 31 Banda 14 18 0 0 0 32 Gómez 17 14 0 0 15 46 Morris 29 0 0 0 0 29 Funderburk 0 0 27 0 16 43 Rogers 7 12 0 0 0 19 Laweryson 0 16 0 0 0 16 View the full article

The Miami Marlins finished the month of May on a five-game losing streak, losing two out of three to the Toronto Blue Jays and getting swept by the New York Mets. The final leg of the three-city road trip featured the Washington Nationals, who entering play on Monday had scored the most runs in baseball. On the flipside, they have the fifth-worst pitching staff in baseball, which the Marlins got to in order to snap their losing streak, defeating the Nationals by a final score of 7-3. Nationals starter Cade Cavalli went five strong innings, striking out six. After allowing a bases loaded walk to Owen Caissie in the top of the first inning, he shutout the Marlins until the top of the sixth inning. He allowed a base hit to Leo Jimenez and was taken out of the game in place of Richard Lovelady. Going into Monday, the Nationals bullpen had a 4.52 ERA, which is 22nd in MLB. They have also allowed the second-most earned runs (143) in baseball. In 17 appearances with the Nationals, Lovelady had a 2.25 ERA, but a 4.45 FIP. With Jimenez on first, Clayton McCullough pinch hit Heriberto Hernandez to face the lefty. On the fifth pitch of the at-bat, Lovelady served up a slider that landed right in the middle of the plate and Hernandez took him deep to left field for his third home run of the season. It tied the game at three apiece. For Hernandez, it marked his third career pinch-hit home run, with two of them coming this season. All three of his career pinch-hit home runs have come against left-handed pitching. Lovelady proceeded to hit Jakob Marsee. A sac bunt from Joe Mack moved Marsee to second and Connor Norby drove him in on an RBI double, giving Miami the lead, 4-3. In the ninth inning, the Nationals turned to Cole Henry, who in eight appearances had a 5.00 ERA. Liam Hicks hit his 12th home run of the season, making it 5-3. That would Mark Hicks' 46th RBI of the season, making it a new career-high for the 27-year old. All-Star voting is set to open on Wednesday, and the main question for Marlins fans will be at which position Hicks will be listed. If it's at catcher, he may have a better chance of getting in. He currently leads all catchers in RBI, and is second in home runs, second in OPS, third in batting average, third in hits and entering play on Monday, he had the third lowest strikeout rate (9.2%) in baseball. "Hicks has had a phenomenal season," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. "He's been able to build off his strengths which have been his ability to control the strike zone and we have seen the difference this year. With the home run tonight, he was able to elevate the ball to the pull side with more regularity, which has led to some more home runs. He just takes good at-bats, you can trust him when he's up there and he's been a key part to our offense this year." Kyle Stowers finally seems to be getting it going as he hit his fourth home run of the season, extending the Marlins lead, 7-3. He is now slashing .221/.301/.379/.680 with four home runs, 13 RBI and a 90 wRC+. The Marlins were coming off a bullpen game in Queens where they trotted out six relievers, so Sandy Alcantara, who is coming off a month of May that he'd like to forget, needed to step up. On top of that, Eury Pérez, who is now on the injured list, is not going to be around until after the All-Star break and Janson Junk will also be out for some time. Alcantara gave the Marlins seven innings of work allowing three runs on seven hits (one home run) and struck out three. Monday's start marked the fourth time this season that he completed seven innings or more and did not allow a walk. "It's what I expect from Sandy," McCullough said. "He's going to eat up innings and he's going to give us a chance to win. That's what he's been doing now for almost a decade. Every inning that he is able to take down it's one less inning that someone in the bullpen is going to need to cover. We needed a big one from him tonight and he came through." Alcantara got off to shaky start, surrendering a home run to outfielder Jacob Young in the bottom of the second inning, a two-run blast giving the Nationals a 2-1 lead. Curtis Mead laced an RBI single in the third inning, extending the lead, 3-1. With the win, the Marlins are now 27-34 on the season, fourth place in the National League East and 5.5 games out of the third and final Wild Card spot. Although it is currently listed as a TBD for tomorrow, Fish On First can report that the Marlins are calling up Ryan Gusto to make his first start of the season. In 10 appearances (seven starts) in Triple-A this season, Gusto has a 3.83 ERA, 3.50 FIP, 10.48 K/9 and 3.43 BB/9. First pitch is at 6:45 pm EST on Marlins.TV. View the full article

Monday kicked off the month of June, which also kicked off games for the DSL Twins. Below, we will recap the games the FCL and DSL Twins played and preview the upcoming series for the other Twins affiliates, as Monday is their traditional off day. TRANSACTIONS The St. Paul Saints, in conjunction with the Minnesota Twins placed C Ricardo Olivar placed on the 7-day IL (Right Knee Sprain) The Minnesota Twins and Fort Myers Might Mussels transfer INF Yilber Herrera to the FCL. SAINTS SENTINEL As the Saints head into the week, they welcome Indianapolis into town, who are currently 10th in the International League West. Indianapolis will have a tall task. The Saints have several players swinging hot bats, with the top six players in Twins Daily's May Minor League Hitters of the Month spending part of their month with the Saints. That, of course, includes Twins Daily’s hitter of the month, Aaron Sabato, who slashed .312/.402/.699 (1.101 OPS) with eight home runs. (The Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Month, along with the Twins top hitter and pitcher for May, will be announced in the next day or two.) Indianapolis boasts many of the Pittsburgh Pirates top prospects, and the Saints will hope they can fare better against the "Baby Bucs" than their major-league counterparts fared over the weekend in the major league matchup of these two organizations. Indianapolis will bring six Top 10 organizational prospects to CHS Field. On the offensive side are OF Esmerlyn Valdez (6), 2B/OF Nick Yorke (9), and 2B Termarr Johnson (10). On the pitching side are LHP Hunter Barco (5), RHP Antwone Kelly (7), and RHP Thomas Harrington (8). WIND SURGE WISDOM The Wichita Wind Surge are also playing a series at home this week as they welcome the San Diego Padres affiliate, the San Antonio Missions, to town. The Missions bring in nationally recognized catching prospect Ethan Salas, who tops the Padres' system. It is the second series already this season between Ethan and Wind Surge utilityman Jose Salas. Alongside Salas is the Padres' second-ranked prospect, RHP Miguel Mendez. Both are putting together a good season. Salas is hitting .311/.359/.503 (.862). Mendez’s ERA isn’t as pretty as he would like at 4.76, but his 26.9 K% and 11.1 K/9 are looking good. A reminder that Padres Mission is our sister site. Check out how their writing staff ranks the Pades prospects. KERNELS CHRONICLE The Kernels are set to welcome the Wisconsin Timber-Rattlers, the Milwaukee Brewers High-A team, to Iowa. Wisconsin will bring three top 10 organizational prospects, all on the offensive side. The highest-ranked is SS Luis Pena (2), who is 19 years old and putting together an incredible offensive start to 2026, hitting .348/.463/.485 (.948 OPS). He returned to the team after missing about a month after collapsing in the dugout during a game. CF Braylon Payne (6) will join Pena. Payne’s numbers are not as impressive across the board as Pena's, but he is still hitting well in his own right, slashing .260/.368/.569 (.937). Rounding out the top prospects making the trip to Cedar Rapids is 3B Andrew Fischer, who is hitting .275/.411/.625 (1.036). The Kernels pitching will have a tall task keeping those three at bay throughout the week’s series. Check out another sister site of Twins Daily, Brewer Fanatic. Check out how their writing staff ranks the Brewers prospects. MIGHTY MATTERS The Fort Myers Might Mussels will be traveling to play the Lakeland Flying Tigers, affiliate for the division rival Tigers. Lakeland isn’t bringing much in the way of top-end organizational talent, but there are a pair of starting pitchers that will look to challenge Fort Myers. Kelvis Salcedo would like to bring his 5.68 ERA down and will look to do so by striking out batters. Salcedo brings to the series a 32.8% K% and a 13.5 K/9. Malachi Witherspoon will feel similarly to his teammate. His 5.18 ERA is not where the right-hander would like to be, but he also has the ability to induce some strikeouts. He isn’t quite as prolific as Salcedo but still has a 29.2% K% and a 11.5 K/9. FCL TWINS Twins 2, Rays 7 Box Score As the FCL Twins took on the top team in their league, the Rays, none of their pitchers walked away with a clean outing. In his second rehab outing, right-hander Matt Barr got the start and went 1 1/3 innings. He allowed two hits, one run on a home run, and issued one walk. Hendry Chivilli had the longest outing He went 3 2/3 innings and allowed five hits, four runs (three earned runs), three walks, and two strikeouts. Yoel Roque worked the final two innings. He gave up two runs on two hits. He walked three and had one strikeout. On the offensive side, Jhomnardo Reyes led the team with two hits and scored one of the Twins two runs on a Carlos Taveras single. Reyes also had three stolen bases. Jose Barrios scored the Twins second run on a Yovanny Duran single that at the time brought the Twins within one run of the Rays in the bottom of the fourth inning. Barrios reached on his third double of the season. Teilon Serrano walked twice. DSL TWINS Twins 1, Rangers 5 Box Score The Twins DSL opener did not go as they had hoped it would. Agustin Campusano got the start for the DSL Twins. Campusano pitched 12 games in 2025, recording a 0-1 record, 4.80 ERA, and 25 strikeouts over 30 innings. The 18-year-old right-hander went 3 2/3 innings, gave up five hits, two walks, struck out three, and gave up three runs. Two of which were earned runs. Miguel Martinez came in relief of Campusano and had a strong outing for the Twins. Martinez went 3 1/3 innings, giving up no hits, no runs, walking one batter, and striking out four strike outs. As evidenced by the lack of run scoring, the offense was not quite fully firing on all cylinders in its 2026 debut. Outfielder Jhon Gonzalez had the most impressive of outputs, gathering two hits, which included a triple on a line drive to left field in the sixth inning. Luis Duarte, Juan Holmann, and Abel Sosa each collected a hit to round out the team's five total hits on the day. Sosa also drove in the Twins lone run on a sacrifice fly that scored Joaquin Arias Jr. in the bottom of the 5th inning. At the time, it brought the Twins within two runs of the lead, 3-1. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter: Jhon Gonzalez: 2-4, 1 BB, 3B, 2 K Pitcher: Miguel Martinez: 3 1/3 IP, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 Ks TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Indiana @ St. Paul Saints- Aaron Rozek San Antonio @ Wichita Wind Surge- Sam Armstrong Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids Kernels- TBD Fort Myers Mussels @ Lakeland- TBD FCL Twins @ FCL Rays- TBD DSL Twins @ DSL Tigers- TBD View the full article

As the calendar turns to June, much of the attention around the Minnesota Twins farm system remains focused on top-ranked prospects. However, some of the organization's most interesting developments are coming from players who are forcing their way into the conversation through strong recent performances. Ryan Gallagher is testing himself against older competition in Triple-A. Jason Reitz is beginning his professional career with encouraging signs of improved command. Khadim Diaw continues to show that his bat plays at every level when he is available. Here's a closer look at three prospects who have been trending in the right direction. RHP Ryan Gallagher– St. Paul Saints How He Got Here: Gallagher's road to professional baseball has not been without obstacles. The former University of California, Santa Barbara standout burst onto the collegiate scene by earning Big West Freshman of the Year honors in 2022 before Tommy John surgery cost him an entire season. The lost year ultimately did little to slow his ascent. After returning to the mound, Gallagher dominated Division I competition, posting a 2.22 ERA while leading the nation with a sparkling 0.84 WHIP. His combination of command and effectiveness convinced the Chicago Cubs to select him in the sixth round of the 2024 MLB Draft. Gallagher quickly climbed through Chicago's system and had recently earned a promotion to Double-A when Minnesota acquired him as part of last summer's Willi Castro trade. He finished the year with Wichita and has continued advancing through the Twins organization. Hitting the Hot Button: Gallagher delivered his strongest Triple-A outing to date during his latest start. After allowing a triple in the opening inning and an infield single in the second, he settled in and retired eight consecutive hitters. The right-hander completed five shutout innings, scattered four hits, struck out five, and earned his first victory at the Triple-A level. Perhaps most encouraging was the velocity. Gallagher reached 97 mph, his highest reading of the season. There is plenty to like about his profile. At just 23 years old, he is roughly four and a half years younger than the average Triple-A player. His ability to miss bats has remained intact with a 25.4% strikeout rate across Double-A and Triple-A this season. The area to watch moving forward is command. After posting a 5.9% walk rate last season, that figure has climbed to 11.9% in 2026. If Gallagher can bring that number back down while maintaining his strikeout ability, his stock could continue to rise quickly. RHP Jason Reitz– Fort Myers Mighty Mussels How He Got Here: The Twins targeted pitching early in the 2025 draft, and Reitz represented another intriguing arm added to the system. Minnesota selected the Oregon product in the fourth round after a strong junior campaign that elevated his draft status. Before transferring to Oregon, Reitz spent two seasons at Saint Mary's. His lone season with the Ducks was productive, as he posted a 3.50 ERA while striking out 73 batters in 64 1/3 innings. What immediately jumps off the scouting report is his size. Standing 6-foot-11, Reitz possesses one of the most unique frames in professional baseball. That size creates impressive extension toward home plate, but can also make it difficult to consistently repeat his mechanics. While command was considered a developmental hurdle entering professional baseball, the Twins clearly believed there was enough athleticism and raw stuff to bet on the upside. Hitting the Hot Button: Reitz recently made his home debut for Fort Myers and gave fans plenty to be excited about. He threw three hitless innings while allowing just one walk and striking out two batters. His fastball reached 95 mph and showed the type of life that helped make him an appealing draft target. The early professional results have been encouraging. Between the Florida Complex League and Fort Myers, Reitz has allowed only one earned run over six innings. He has surrendered four hits while posting five strikeouts against just one walk. For a pitcher whose command was viewed as a question mark entering the draft, the early control gains are particularly noteworthy. The sample size remains small, but it is exactly the type of progress the Twins hoped to see. C/OF Khadim Diaw– Cedar Rapids Kernels How He Got Here: Few prospects have battled more injury adversity than Diaw, yet he continues to hit whenever he steps onto the field. His college career at Loyola Marymount was interrupted multiple times. A back fracture wiped out much of his freshman season, and a broken thumb limited him to only 20 games in 2024. Despite those setbacks, his offensive production never disappeared. Diaw hit .314/.396/.500 (.896) in 2023 and remained productive during his limited action the following season. Strong performances in both the Cape Cod League and the MLB Draft Combine helped solidify his status as a legitimate prospect, leading the Twins to select him in the third round of the 2024 draft. The injury challenges followed him into professional baseball. After getting off to a promising start, a broken wrist and later a hamstring injury limited him to just 39 games during his first full season. Hitting the Hot Button: Diaw recently earned recognition as MiLB's Prospect Team of the Week catcher after a dominant stretch for Cedar Rapids. Over the course of the week, he slashed .545/.560/.909 (1.469) with five extra base hits, five RBIs, seven runs scored, two walks, and 20 total bases. His production has steadily improved throughout the season. After posting a .720 OPS in April, he boosted that figure to .795 during May. Another encouraging trend is how he has handled more advanced competition. Roughly 60% of the pitchers he has faced have been older than him, yet he owns an OPS nearly 60 points higher against those older opponents. Questions remain regarding his long-term defensive home, but the athleticism is undeniable. Diaw has split his time between catcher and center field, giving the organization multiple avenues to keep his bat in the lineup. These three prospects arrive at their success from very different paths. Gallagher is proving he belongs against advanced competition while working through command adjustments. Reitz is beginning to show why the Twins were intrigued by his rare combination of size and athleticism. Diaw continues to demonstrate that health may be the biggest thing standing between him and a significant rise up prospect rankings. Each player has something left to prove, but all three have given Twins fans a reason to keep checking the box scores. What stands out about these three players? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

Throughout April, the Milwaukee Brewers' lineup struggled to scratch, claw, steal and bunt any run they could get across home plate. They survived a war of attrition in the first month of the season, covering for the absence of two players who were meant to be spark plugs in 2026: their young phenom Jackson Chourio and the resurgent former top draft pick, Andrew Vaughn. Combining for 41 games (22 for Chourio, 19 for Vaughn) since their return, though, they've managed to provide just three home runs. The Brewers have done Brewers things and continued to win, but they need to show more power if they're going to go all the way in 2026. So why haven't Vaughn and Chourio fired as expected? Andrew Vaughn Misses His (Ha)Mate The first one to tackle is, perhaps, the easier of the two. Vaughn was sidelined by a broken hamate bone in the first game of the 2026 season. That's an injury notorious for sapping bat speed. Bat speed is volatile and takes a while to even out, as the pitch location (and therefore swing length) have a big effect on the raw data. That being said, after a month, we have enough of a sample size to say Vaughn is swinging roughly 3 MPH slower than in 2025. The good news: Vaughn is a hitter, not just a slugger, and he's found ways to keep the quality of contact high. He's not chasing; he's not whiffing; he's hitting a lot of solid contact in the air. It just isn't leaving the park. Here are his 2025 exit velocity numbers by strike zone area: In 2025, Vaughn was crushing basically every pitch, but his real damage came on the inner and middle thirds of the plate. If it was belt-high in those zones, he crushed it in the air. Vaughn averaged 70.7 mph of bat speed in 2025, good for the 27th percentile in baseball, meaning he's not likely to clear the fences to straightaway center and does rely on that pull-side power. That's why getting the bat around on stuff inside is so important to him. With slower bat speed, this year (down to 67 mph on average), he's struggling to get the bat sufficiently out in front on the inner third to turn on the ball, and that's been hurting him, with exit velocities dropping on the inner third: The other big thing is that Vaughn had just enough in the exit velocity department to be a slugging threat last season. The majority of his batted balls in play were in the 100-105 range, compared with other 5-MPH increments, as you can see below: In fact, he was one of the most consistent producers of high-quality contact in baseball last season. That's continued to some extent in 2026, but the entire histogram has shifted one step to the left, now hitting the majority of his batted balls in the 95-100 mph range: This isn't terminal, and perhaps in two months' time, we'll see the bat speed return, as is traditional for hamate injuries. For now, we'll have to enjoy the quality of contact and strong at-bats, and perhaps hope for more of the power to come back in the second half of the season. Jackson Chourio Has Found The In-Between I couldn't resist a little Stranger Things metaphor. Chourio came into this year with one goal: to reach the heights his talent permits via better swing decisions. It showed in spring training, in his rehab stints, and even the World Baseball Classic. Chourio was being more selective, and there were hopes he could make strides in his chase rate. Let's take a look at his base for 2025 compared to the 2026 performance: He was aggressive with pitches inside the strike zone, and his bat-to-ball was good enough that, even while chasing to this extent, he was putting a lot of balls in play. Those balls were ineffective, weak contact, however, and that was hurting his results. It's the one clear area where he could make a step forward. Fast-forward to 2026, and Chourio is being more patient and less swing-happy... just on all the wrong pitches. His swing rate is down, but it's because he's swinging at fewer pitches inside the strike zone. If we look at the specific areas inside the strike zone, it's not pretty, either. It's more like intermittent passivity than being genuinely selective, although he does appear to be focusing on reducing swings on the outer third of the plate (these are how many percentage points up or down Jackson Chourio is swinging by zone in 2026 vs 2025) He's swinging less at meatballs, less on the inner third, and it's hurting him. Watching the games, Chourio has some at-bats where he seems to really effectively decipher pitch types and locations, and others where he's just guessing. He has the ability to let the ball travel and drive pitches to right-center field, and then turn on any breaking pitches off the back of that. His timing is just off at present, and his approach looks completely lost. The good news is, the under-the-hood swing mechanics are actually looking good. Bat speed is up; he's finding more ideal attack angles on baseballs despite not quite finding the barrel of the bat. That being said, these were never real problems for Chourio to begin with. In 2026, Joey Ortiz has a better differential between his in-zone swing rate and his chase rate than does Chourio. That speaks volumes. As always, if he can find an approach that works for him at the plate, the sky is the limit for Chourio. There's no better team to work with him on that than the Brewers. Still, after two and a half years, one might have hoped to see a little more progress than we have so far, and in fact, 2026 has been a regression, rather than progress. The Brewers need that to change. Thanks to Jake Bauers, they can live with a smaller role and a bit less pop than they might have hoped for from Vaughn. Not so with Chourio. To blossom into the superpower they can be, they need their young dynamo to become a more productive one. View the full article

May was an interesting month for the Chicago Cubs, and ultimately a futile one. The team ended a second 10-game win streak, only to follow with a 10-game streak on the opposite side of the ledger. The lineup, of course, was a huge part of this, and many notable players struggled. Still, there are a few players worth giving some flowers to for trying to keep the offense afloat. Ranking Cubs' Best Hitters in May Carson Kelly: .269/.319/.299, 0 HR, 2 RBI No, these are not stellar stats, but Kelly gets the third place nod for his consistency compared to his expectations. He didn't underperform. Overall, he is providing the value expected of him, which this month was a wonderful blessing for Craig Counsell and the Cubs. While the power hasn't manifested this season, Kelly has been a rare beacon of consistency in May. In losses, he maintained a .391 OBP; in wins it was .386. Player stats tend to be lower in losses, so this is a rare win for the Cubs lineup. Another metric Kelly has done well with is batting with runners in scoring position. The veteran catcher has an .869 OPS in those situations, with a .289/.385/.467 slash line. By virtue of his consistency, and due to a lack of better options, Carson Kelly is third for this prestigious made-up award. Michael Busch: .300/.446/.510, 4 HRs, 24 RBIs Yes, Michael Busch is a good hitter, and he showed that this month. After a lackluster start (.576 OPS in April) when the rest of the lineup was clicking, Busch's stats went a bit under the radar due to the rest of the team struggling. Busch was the only consistent power bat for the month. Busch has adapted to playing every day against left-handed starters overall. He's getting on base against them at a solid clip, with a .338 OBP. Nothing else has been great, however; his batting average is just .197 against them, and his OPS dips 200 points, from .816 against RHP to .616 vs. LHP. Against starting pitchers, though, Busch has done well with his platoon disadvantage. He's hitting .296 against them with 3 homers in 58 plate appearances. That's solid! Relievers, though, pitching in higher-leverage spots and designed to maximize platoon advantages, have had his number. He's 1-20 against them. That is the only flaw so far in Busch's profile. Ian Happ: .230/.347/.480, 6 HRs, 19 RBIs No, these numbers aren't as good as Michael Busch. No, they aren't particularly close. But Happ, more than any other player, is representative of the struggles and successes of the Cubs as a whole. Happ's stats from May have hilarious splits. Last 7 Days: .323/.344/.710, 3 HR Last 14 Days: .216/.259/.471, 3 HR Happ tends to look awful at the plate for long stretches only to morph into Ted Williams at a moment's notice. Before his last seven-game heater, Happ was 1-for-20 in the week prior. He was so off, he got a couple of reset games, then came back strong last week. He's not the best hitter, but he does get the award due to being emblematic of the Cubs as a whole. Having ten-game win streaks and loss streaks consecutively is the definition of streaky; so is Happ, obviously. Overall, he'll end up with the same numbers, but the ride will of course be a wild one. So, as a nod to the Cubs' hot-to-cold nature, we'll give the award to their most notorious hot-to-cold hitter. To wrap this up, let's have a little extra fun with Happ. The main thing that stands out is that he hits cleanup, but is notably bad in clutch situations. It's not just noise either; Happ has awful numbers. He has 9 RBIs in the cleanup spot, which extrapolated to 162 games puts him on pace for around 40. His strikeout rate spikes to 40% (36% strikeout rate during the losing streak). It's not fair to compare Happ to other teams' cleanup hitters. That's simply a function of the position player group composed without an alpha bat. To make matters worse for Happ, he's notoriously bad when the team loses. When they're behind, he has 35 strikeouts in 76 at bats and just a .158 batting average. That type of production is covered over in wins, but when the team goes on a losing bender the memories of whiffs with runners on optically stands out. Happ will look to be more consistent, but don't expect it. Just expect a WRC+ between 116-122, walk rate around 15%, a .240 batting average, and 20 HR and you'll be satisfied. View the full article

It may be hard to distinguish Caribbean teenagers at signing. One leads to another leads to another, and by the time they (maybe) get on the radar as prospects a few years later, much of what (if anything) might have distinguished them at signing has faded from memory, and you have to get a read on them all over again. Transactions, 5/28/2026 COMING Signed as International Amateur Free Agent out of The Dominican Republic, Not Yet Assigned Starting Pitchers Randiel Vicente R/R DoB: 2009-03-27 High Level: MLB (2026) Given half a chance, you might remember strapping young Randiel Vicente as the kid whose jacket lapels popped out of his uniform top in his signing photo. Or you might remember his disturbingly recent (but not recent enough) birthdate of March 27, 2009 being the date that shocked you into realizing kids born in 2009 were eligible to be signed. Michael Jackson died before this kid was born. Bitcoin was in circulation before this kid was born. The Miracle on the Hudson happened before this kid was born. What really makes him interesting though is had already been reported last month to be committed to The Phillies, so any value gained by signing this young man is lost to the Phillies, and that's double-stuff good. Hard to find confirmation but a Spanish-language report seemed to suggest he trained with old friend Hansel Robles, who is still bringing it this summer in The Mexican League. Your 2026 New York Mets Starting Pitchers Nolan McLean Freddy Peralta David Peterson Christian Scott Jonah Tong R/R DoB: 2001-07-24 R/R DoB: 2996-06-04 L/L DoB: 1995-09-03 R/R DoB: 1999-06-15 R/R DoB: 2003-06-19 Relief Pitchers Huascar Brazobán Sean Manaea A.J. Minter Cionel Pérez Brooks Raley Austin Warren Luke Weaver R/R DoB: 1989-10-15 R/L DoB: 1992-02-01 L/L DoB: 1993-09-02 R/L DoB: 35176 L/L DoB: 1988-06-29 R/R DoB: 1996-02-05 R/R DoB: 1993-08-21 Relief Pitchers Catchers Infielders Devin Williams Hayden Senger Luís Torrens Bo Bichette Brett Baty Vidal Brujan Marcus Semien R/R DoB: 1994-09-21 R/R DoB: 1997-04-03 R/R DoB: 1996-05-02 R/R DoB: 1998-03-05 L/R DoB: 1999-11-13 S/R DoB: 1998-02-09 R/R DoB: 1990-09-17 Infielders Outfielders Mark Vientos Eric Wagaman Carson Benge A.J. Ewing MJ Melendez Juan Soto Jared Young R/R DoB: 1993-12-11 R/R DoB: 1997-08-14 L/R DoB: 2003-01-20 L/R DoB: 2004-08-10 L/R DoB: 1993-11-29 L/L DoB: 1998-10-25 L/R DoB: 1995-07-09 Also on 40-Player Roster Starting Pitchers Relief Pitchers Clay Holmes Tylor Megill Kodai Senga Zach Thornton Alex Carrillo Daniel Duarte Reed Garrett R/R DoB: 1993-03-27 R/R DoB: 1995-07-28 L/R DoB: 1993-01-30 L/L DoB: 2002-01-17 R/R DoB: 1997-06-06 R/R DoB: 1996-12-04 R/R DoB: 1993-01-02 Relief Pitchers Catchers Infielders Justin Hagenman Tobias Myers Dedniel Núñez Jonathan Pintaro Dylan Ross Francisco Alvarez Francisco Lindor R/R DoB: 1996-10-07 R/R DoB: 1998-08-05 R/R DoB: 1996-06-05 R/R DoB: 1997-11-07 R/R DoB: 2000-09-01 R/R DoB: 2001-11-01 S/R DoB: 1993-11-14 Infielders Outfielders Ronny Mauricio Jorge Polanco Luis Robert, Jr. Nick Morabito Tyrone Taylor S/R DoB: 2001-04-04 S/R DoB: 1999-11-13 R/R DoB: 1997-08-03 R/R DoB: 2003-05-07 R/R DoB: 1994-01-22 Designated for Assignment Relief Pitchers "Anderson Severino " L/L DoB: 1994-09-17 Your Mets Coaching Staff Manager Bench Coach Pitching Coach Hitting Coordinator Third Base Coach First Base Coach Bullpen Coach Ass't Pitching Coach Carlos Mendoza Kai Correa Justin Willard Jeff Albert Tim Leiper Gilbert Gomez José Rosado Dan McKinney DoB: 1979-11-27 DoB: 1989-07-14 DoB: 1990-09-09 DoB: 1992-08-16 DoB: 1996-07-19 DoB: 1992-03-08 DoB: 1974-11-09 DoB: 1989-06-06 Hitting Coach Strategy Coach Catching Coach Coaching Assistant Bat'g Practice Pitcher Equipment Manager Bullpen Catchers Bullpen Catchers Troy Snitker Danny Barnes J.P. Arencibia Rafael Fernandez Kevin Mahoney Kevin Kierst Eric Langill Dave Racaniello DoB: 1988-12-05 DoB: 1989-10021 DoB: 1986-01-05 DoB: 1988-08-03 DoB: 1987-05-11 DoB: 1964-07-09 DoB: 1979-04-09 DoB: 1978-06-03 Your Mets Training Staff Director of Player Health Head Athletic Trainer Assistant Athletic Trainer Reconditioning Coordinator Reconditioning Therapist Head Performance Coach Assistant Performance Coach Performance Coordinator Soft Tissue Specialist Brian Chicklo Joseph Golia Bryan Baca Sean Bardanett Josh Bickel Dustin Clarke Tanner Miracle Jeremy Chiang Hiroto Kawamura DoB: 1972-07-17 DoB: 1978-??-?? DoB: Circa 1980 DoB: 1988-06-23 DoB: 1996-??-?? DoB: 1987-??-?? DoB: 1991-??-?? DoB: ????-??-?? DoB: 22846 View the full article

Fish On First LIVE discusses Marlins right-hander Ryan Gusto. Injuries have created an opening for Gusto in the starting rotation, and he's now better equipped to take advantage of the opportunity than he was last season.View the full article

Boston Red Sox Weekly Snapshot Record Last Week: 3-3 Runs Scored Last Week: 37 Runs Surrendered Last Week: 26 Standings: 5th in AL East 12 GB First Place Transactions: 05/28/26: Red Sox recalled LHP Tyler Samaniego from Worcester Red Sox. 05/28/26: Red Sox placed RHP Garrett Whitlock on the 15-day injured list retroactive to May 25, 2026. Left knee inflammation. Scores: Game 52 (05/26): BOS 6, ATL 7 Game 53 (05/27): BOS 8, ATL 0 Game 54 (05/28): BOS 2, ATL 10 Game 55 (05/29): BOS 3, CLE 4 Game 56 (05/30): BOS 9, CLE 1 Game 57 (05/31): BOS 9, CLE 4 Series Breakdown/Highlights Braves Series: The home woes continued for the Red Sox against the Braves. As of this writing, the Sox are 9-19 at home and they tend to play the most uninspired version of baseball at Fenway Park this season. It’s unfortunate, because the team got after the top of the rotation in the first two games of this series. They hung three earned runs on Spencer Strider and tagged elite reliever Raisel Iglesias for two runs later in the game. Those two runs are the only earned runs he’s given up on the season so far. Unfortunately, the Braves managed to take advantage of Tyron Guerrero’s two-inning relief stint and the Sox were unable to mount a comeback in the bottom of the ninth inning. In game two, the Sox tagged Bryce Elder for five earned runs over 3 ⅓ innings while they held the best offense in baseball scoreless. They didn’t flinch in front of two of the best starters that the National League has to offer. In game three, though, there was a different story. Old friend Chris Sale was slightly better than rookie Payton Tolle through the first five innings, but the Sox’s bullpen just absolutely melted. Danny Coulombe, Greg Weissert, Jovani Moran, and Ryan Watson combined to give up eight earned runs while the calls to either demote or DFA both Coulombe and Weissert have grown louder and louder. It’s a shame Boston couldn’t string two wins together in games one and two because both were winnable against a team that is in a different stratosphere from the Red Sox. Guardians Series: The Red Sox traveled to Cleveland for a date with the AL Central leaders, though by the end of the series, they looked like the better team. Game one was closer than it should have been after opener Tyler Samaniego gave up four earned runs in the first, but Brayan Bello continued to show his dominance as a bulk-reliever by tossing seven scoreless innings. The Red Sox scored three runs off starter Slade Cecconi but defensive lapses were the name of the game early on and the team couldn’t get over that combined with the buzzsaw that is the back of Cleveland’s bullpen. Games two and three saw drastically different offenses than game one. The Sox scored 18 combined runs over those two games while the starting pitching was a bit of a mixed bag, thanks to Ranger Suarez. Sonny Gray tossed six innings of seven strikeout, one-run baseball. Justin Slaten worked more than one inning and kept his velocity up during the outing while striking out two. Ranger Suarez looked visibly upset during the third game, especially after Masataka Yoshida lost a ball in the sun in left field. He settled through five innings but he hasn’t looked as sharp as the Red Sox have needed him to be as of late. The two biggest news stories to come out of this series have to be the fact that Jarren Duran has been red hot to close out the month of May and Caleb Durbin seems to have figured out his plate approach. If both of them can be even league average hitters, the Red Sox may be onto something. Website Highlights Red Sox’s Identity has Collapsed During Team-Wide Power Outage by Yirsandy Rodriguez Jake Bennett Is Restoring Faith in Red Sox’s Pitching Depth by Nick John Boston Red Sox Flashing more of the Same Despite Manager, Coaching Staff Changes by Jordan Leandre Looking Ahead 06/01: Day Off 06/02: Orioles (Shane Baz) @ Red Sox (Connelly Early): 6:45 PM EDT 06/03: Orioles (Chris Bassitt) @ Red Sox (Payton Tolle) 6:45 PM EDT 06/04: Orioles (Trevor Rogers) @ Red Sox (TBD): 1:35 PM EDT 06/05: Red Sox @ Yankees: 7:05 PM EDT 06/06: Red Sox @ Yankees: 7:35 PM EDT 06/07: Red Sox @ Yankees: 1:35 PM EDT View the full article

Looking for a jolt in their moribund offense, the San Diego Padres are dipping down into the minors for some help. Outfielder Jase Bowen is set to be called up from Triple-A El Paso by the Padres to make his MLB debut before Tuesday's series opening against the Philadelphia Phillies, ESPN's Kiley McDaniel reported Monday. A corresponding move to get Bowen on the 26-man and 40-man rosters will be needed. The 25-year-old Bowen has been one of the Chihuahuas' best hitters all season, posting a slash line of .292/.362/.600 with 13 homers and 36 RBIs. His 13 homers are second in the Pacific Coast League and his 36 RBIs are tied for the team lead with Mason McCoy. Bowen notched his 13th home in Sunday's 8-7 loss to the Albuquerque Isotopes. Bowen also has seven steals in 11 chances. Bowen ranks in the top five in the PCL not only in homers, but in slugging percentage (.362), triples (5), extra-base hits (29), total hits (57) and runs (48). The Padres rank last in MLB with a .218 batting average and next-to-last with a .656 OPS. An 11th-round draft choice by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2019 out of Central Catholic High School in Toledo, Ohio, the two-sport star turned down a football scholarship to Michigan State, where he would have been a wide receiver, to sign. Bowen joined the Padres this offseason on a minor-league contract after becoming a six-year free agent. In spring training, Bowen tied for the team lead with four homers and drove in 11 while also stealing a team-high seven bases. Who Bowen takes over for is another question. The Padres could opt to send infielder Sung Mun Song back down to Triple-A. Song has been a backup and late-inning defensive replacement at second base since Jake Cronenworth went on the seven-day concussion list May 5. It is not known when Cronenworth might return. Fernando Tatis Jr., the Platinum Glove right fielder, has been starting most of the time at second base. Two other possibilities are in the outfield. One would be a simple swap of Bowen for Bryce Johnson, the current backup outfielder. The other would solve both roster issues: designating Nick Castellanos for assignment. View the full article

David Peterson had some great seasons as a starting pitcher for the Mets. 2025 was by far his best season after he was selected as an All-Star and set new highs in innings pitched. Peterson has struggled this season mostly due to command and was demoted to the bullpen for a long relief role. Hopefully, this gets him back on track for a return as a starter. View the full article

Minnesota Twins manager Derek Shelton recently stated that Brooks Lee will be the Minnesota Twins' third baseman moving forward. How does this impact Royce Lewis, Luke Keaschall, and the Twins' top prospects? View the full article

We all know who is going to be selected first overall in the 2026 MLB Draft in July by the Chicago White Sox. What if we don't, though? This weekend, in one of the more stunning upsets in the history of postseason collegiate baseball, No. 1 national seed UCLA was eliminated by fourth-seeded St. Mary’s. A few months ago, the Bruins looked like a shoo-in for Omaha. In truth, they had been sputtering for weeks, peaking too early, scraping through the B1G Ten conference tournament, and losing key personnel (such as Friday night starter Logan Reddemann) to injury. Roch Cholowsky has been the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2026 MLB Draft since the 2025 event took place, marking the possibility that an amateur prospect goes wire-to-wire in the consensus top spot in industry rankings for the first time since Adley Rutschman in 2019. This morning, however, Over Slot published their updated top-500 draft rankings, with a new name at the top of the pile: Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey. With all this in mind, let’s walk through a quick update on each of the top three players in the class. Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA Cholowsky had a strong season, even if the end was muted. Despite going 2-12 in regional play, the top player in the class hit .320/.452/.636 on the season, with 21 home runs. Cholowsky walked and struck out a matching 12% of the time. Add his offensive performance together, and you have a 146 wRC+, which down from 2025 (164 wRC+), but impressive when you consider he's probably the best defensive shortstop in the class. Cholowsky has a path to four plus tools (speed being the exception). There are some concerns around his swing and load being elongated and impacting his rotation against higher velocity in pro pitching, but he’s not encountered a litmus test for that concern in amateur baseball. Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian HS It’s a testament to the quality of Emerson’s profile that he’s been relatively insulated from prospect fatigue. He’s been famous (in youth baseball terms) for several years, playing for four different iterations of the US National team (and playing every infield position with them). Emerson is probably a better player at the same age than Cholowsky was, with the best hit tool in the draft class. Questions around his future profile center more on how much power he will develop. He’s seen as a lock to stick at shortstop as a professional, with evaluators placing him in the same caliber of prep prospects as Max Clark and Walker Jenkins from the 2023 cycle. Notably, the Rays (picking ahead of the Twins) have leaned heavily into left-handed-hitting prep bats in recent classes. Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech Lackey has had the most impressive season of any college player. While he doesn’t have the same historical prospect pedigree as Cholowsky, he’s had an incredible 2026, punctuated by two 450-foot home runs during regional play this weekend. Lackey has hit .407/.529/.790 on the season with 20 home runs (175 wRC+), walking 18% of the time and striking out 13.3%. He’s stolen 15 bases at a 94% success rate and earns Patrick Bailey comps for his defensive work. There are undoubtedly front offices who see him as the best prospect in the class. Such has been his rise in 2026. In recent weeks, we’ve seen the arc of the top pick narrative slowly shift. Initially, the White Sox were doing ‘due diligence’ on other candidates at number one. On May 7, MLB Pipeline draft expert Jim Callis opined that ‘the vibe right now is 55-60 percent that the White Sox take Roch Cholowsky’. Today, on June 1, for the first time, he’s not the number one prospect on every major industry draft board. The next few weeks of postseason collegiate play will dictate the extent to which this narrative continues to be spun. Will Lackey continue to swing a hot bat? Do you think Roch Cholowsky’s grip on the number one spot in industry draft rankings is under threat? Let us know how you think it will play out in the comments. View the full article

Spencer is joined by Alex Robbins (BrewersFarm) to discuss the first two months of the Brewers' minor-league season. They dive into who's hot, who's not, and some pleasant surprises at each level. They also discuss some sleepers in the system, some slow starters who might get it going, and a quick preview of DSL names to watch. Players discussed include Alexander Frias, Jayden Dubanewicz, Jesus Made, Bishop Letson, Tyson Hardin, and many more! Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-brewer-fanatic-podcast/id1740648724 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5CY8mWsQayqjDXqw9OT2Td iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-brewer-fanatic-podcast-166534588/ Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/ommzz627 Watch On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@brewerfanatic View the full article

New York Mets Weekly Snapshot Record Last Week: 4-3 Runs Scored Last Week: 33 Runs Surrendered Last Week: 25 Standings: 4th in NL East (26-33) 13.5 GB of 1st Place, 5.5 GB of a Wild Card Spot Transactions: 5/26 New York Mets transferred CF Luis Robert Jr. from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. Lumbar spine disc herniation. 5/26 New York Mets activated 1B Jared Young from the 10-day injured list. 5/26 New York Mets placed CF Tyrone Taylor on the 10-day injured list. Right hip flexor strain. 5/26 New York Mets activated LHP A.J. Minter from the 60-day injured list. 5/26 New York Mets optioned RHP Jonathan Pintaro to Syracuse Mets. 5/26 New York Mets optioned LF Nick Morabito to Syracuse Mets. 5/26 New York Mets selected the contract of 1B Eric Wagaman from Syracuse Mets. 5/27 New York Mets sent 1B Jorge Polanco on a rehab assignment to Binghamton Rumble Ponies. 5/28 New York Mets sent RHP Kodai Senga on a rehab assignment to Syracuse Mets. 5/30 New York Mets designated LHP Anderson Severino for assignment. 5/30 New York Mets optioned RHP Tobias Myers to Syracuse Mets. 5/30 New York Mets selected the contract of LHP Cionel Pérez from Syracuse Mets Scores: Game 53: NYM 2, CIN 7 Game 54: NYM 2, WAS, 7 Game 55: NYM 4, WAS 2 Game 56: NYM 9, MAI 7 (10) Game 57: NYM 6, MAI 1 Game 58: NYM 10, MAI 1 Series Breakdown/Highlights Reds Series: The Mets came home from a subpar road trip to take on the Reds at Citi Field. In game one, Nolan McLean struggled for his second straight outing. He gave up seven runs in 3.1 innings, including two home runs. McLean struggling is not something the Mets want to see given the other issues in their rotation. His offense was only able to score two runs, a Marcus Semien home run and a Carson Benge RBI groundout. Game two was not much better for the Mets. Chase Burnes shut them down for all but a Juan Soto two-run homer in the sixth inning. David Peterson gave up 11 hits and six runs over five innings. His poor performance cost him his spot in the Mets rotation, as his offense only recorded five hits and struck out 10 times. Game three saw Jonah Tong pitch well once again, giving up just one unearned run in 3.2 innings, despite four walks and three hits. Tong’s success so far at the MLB level has been promising for the Mets with some of the other rotation issues. Carson Benge (two hits), Juan Soto (HR), and Eric Wagaman (HR) all drove in runs. Devin Williams came in for the save and loaded the bases with one out on three walks, but he also struck out three in the inning to earn his 8th save of 2026. Marlins Series: The Mets had a bad series against the Marlins in Miami earlier this year. In return, they looked to give the Marlins a bad series in Queens—and succeeded. Game one was a rock’em, sock’em game. The Mets took an early lead on some costly Marlins errors, but errors of their own and another bad outing by Tobias Myers, giving up an eighth-inning, game-tying two-run homer to Owen Cassie, sent this game to extra innings. Some Mets magic in the bottom of the 10th inning gave them a win on an MJ Melendez walk-off two-run home run off Marlins closer Pete Fairbanks. Game two was as clean of a Mets win as you can have (until game three, ironically). Christian Scott pitched five innings, giving up just one run, and earned his first career MLB win as a result. His offense picked him up. Mark Vientos got the scoring started with a two-run double in the fourth inning, and the Mets never looked back. Carson Benge recorded three hits in the game, and Marcus Semien had two hits, and that was enough to hold down the Marlins. Game three saw Nolan McLean get back to form, going five innings and giving up one run on just two hits while striking out two. He walked five batters in the outing, which should be a bit of a concern going forward, but he earned the win. David Peterson pitched four scoreless innings, allowing just two baserunners en route to his first career save. The Mets offense was started early off a Carson Benge solo home run and a five-run sixth inning, the big blow being a grand slam off the bat of Juan Soto that led the Mets to a laugher 10-1 win. Website Highlights Luke Weaver's May Resurgence Is Proof Things Can Get Better For Mets Mets’ Greatest Defensive Experiment Already Has a Verdict: Bo Bichette Is Working at Third Base Carson Benge's Updated Scouting Profile 2 Months Into MLB Career Looking Ahead June 1st: vs. SEA (9:40pm) June 2nd: vs. SEA (9:40pm) June 3rd: vs. SEA (3:40pm) June 4th: OFF June 5th: vs. SDP (9:40pm) June 6th: vs. SDP (10:10pm) June 7th: vs. SDP (4:10pm) View the full article

The Blue Jays had won four in a row and made it back to the .500 mark! Until Jeff Hoffman fell apart, and after a series that started so promisingly, ended with a split against the Orioles. Jesse and Matthew touch on the meltdown and what the Blue Jays should do with their talented yet struggling reliever. They also touch on Orioles fans throwing baseballs at Jesus Sanchez, the major league debut of Charles McAdoo and Hayden Juenger, plus break down Trey Yesavage's seven walk day, and if they're worried about the future of Spencer Miles. All that and so much more! 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

Syracuse erupted for a four-run fourth and rode home runs from Nick Morabito and Ryan Clifford to an 11-6 win, while Jonathan Santucci spun five scoreless innings in a Binghamton loss. Brooklyn's bullpen finished a combined shutout behind Daviel Hurtado, and St. Lucie could not solve Bradenton in an 8-3 defeat. Across the system, the pitching standouts were Santucci, Hurtado, and Brooklyn closer Cristofer Gomez. Mets Transactions No Roster Moves Morabito And Clifford Go Deep In Syracuse Slugfest Syracuse broke a scoreless game open in the fourth inning at Rochester. Kevin Parada lined a two-run single to right, Matt Rudick followed with an RBI single, and Nick Morabito capped the rally with a three-run home run, his fifth of the season, to make it 6-0. The Mets kept adding on as Clifford homered in the fifth, Jackson Cluff homered in the sixth, and Cluff later doubled home a run in the ninth. Morabito finished 2-for-4 with the homer and three RBI, Clifford went 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk, and two runs scored, and Cluff added two hits, two runs, two RBI, and a stolen base. Rudick chipped in two hits and two RBI. Starter Jack Weisenburger turned in a strong outing, allowing one run on three hits over 4 1/3 innings while walking two and striking out five. Nate Lavender struck out five over 1 2/3 innings to pick up the win. The bullpen wobbled in the seventh, when the Red Wings scored four runs to climb within 8-6, but Syracuse answered with a run in the eighth and two in the ninth to pull away. Dylan Ross worked a scoreless ninth with two strikeouts. Syracuse left six runners on base. Player AB R H RBI BB K Nick Morabito 4 1 2 3 1 0 Ji Hwan Bae 5 0 0 0 0 0 Andy Ibáñez 5 2 2 0 0 0 Ryan Clifford 4 2 2 1 1 0 Yonny Hernández 3 1 0 0 1 0 Cristian Pache 4 1 0 0 0 3 Jackson Cluff 4 2 2 2 0 0 Kevin Parada 5 1 1 2 0 0 Matt Rudick 3 1 2 2 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jack Weisenburger 4 1/3 3 1 1 2 5 1 Nate Lavender 1 2/3 1 1 1 0 5 1 Joey Gerber 1/3 2 3 3 1 0 0 Jonathan Pintaro 1 2/3 1 1 1 0 4 0 Dylan Ross 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 Santucci Dominates, But Binghamton Falls In Seventh Jonathan Santucci gave Binghamton everything it could ask for, allowing no runs on three hits over five innings with a walk and five strikeouts against Portland. The Rumble Ponies took a 1-0 lead in the third when JT Schwartz homered, his fifth of the season, and that was nearly enough. The trouble came in the seventh, when Portland pushed across three unearned runs to take a 3-1 lead that held. Gabriel Rodriguez was charged with the loss after recording two outs while walking two and surrendering the deciding runs, though all three were unearned. Binghamton's offense managed five hits and could not recover. Schwartz led the way, going 3-for-3 with the home run and an RBI. Marco Vargas added two hits, including a double, and Jose Ramos doubled. The lineup struggled to make contact otherwise, striking out 19 times as a team. Guillo Zuñiga, Dan Hammer, and Jefry Yan combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings of relief, but the offense never threatened after Schwartz's early blast. Binghamton left seven runners on base. Player AB R H RBI BB K Marco Vargas 3 0 2 0 0 0 Vincent Perozo 1 0 0 0 0 0 Chris Suero 4 0 0 0 0 1 Jacob Reimer 3 0 0 0 1 2 Eli Serrano III 4 0 0 0 0 3 D'Andre Smith 4 0 0 0 0 2 Jose Ramos 4 0 1 0 0 1 Nick Lorusso 3 0 0 0 0 2 JT Schwartz 3 1 3 1 0 0 Wyatt Young 3 0 0 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jonathan Santucci 5 3 0 0 1 5 0 Guillo Zuñiga 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Gabriel Rodriguez 2/3 1 3 0 2 1 0 Dan Hammer 1 1/3 0 0 0 1 0 0 Jefry Yan 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Brooklyn Blanks Wilmington Behind Hurtado And The Bullpen Brooklyn shut out Wilmington 2-0 with a steady pitching effort and a pair of timely hits. Daviel Hurtado set the tone, allowing one hit over 3 2/3 innings with a walk and three strikeouts. Four relievers followed, and Bryce Jenkins, Juan Arnaud, Hunter Hodges, and Cristofer Gomez combined for 5 1/3 scoreless innings, with Gomez closing it out for the save. Jenkins picked up the win. The Cyclones got both runs without much trouble. Corey Collins opened the scoring in the second with a solo home run, his fourth of the season, to make it 1-0. Brooklyn added an insurance run in the seventh when Trace Willhoite doubled home JT Benson for a 2-0 lead. Ronald Hernandez led the offense with two hits and a stolen base, Collins reached base twice, and Benson doubled and scored. The pitching staff held Wilmington to four hits on the night. Brooklyn left seven runners on base. Player AB R H RBI BB K Mitch Voit 3 0 0 0 1 1 Grae Kessinger 4 0 0 0 0 1 Ronald Hernandez 4 0 2 0 0 1 Corey Collins 3 1 1 1 1 2 Daiverson Gutierrez 4 0 1 0 0 0 JT Benson 4 1 1 0 0 0 Colin Houck 3 0 1 0 0 1 Trace Willhoite 3 0 1 1 0 1 Sam Biller 2 0 0 0 1 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Daviel Hurtado 3 2/3 1 0 0 1 3 0 Bryce Jenkins 1 1/3 0 0 0 2 2 0 Juan Arnaud 1 2/3 1 0 0 2 3 0 Hunter Hodges 1 1/3 1 0 0 0 2 0 Cristofer Gomez 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 St. Lucie Bats Go Quiet In Bradenton Loss St. Lucie managed just three runs and fell 8-3 to Bradenton. The Marauders built an early lead, and St. Lucie did not get on the board until the fourth, when AJ Salgado singled home Yohairo Cuevas to cut the deficit to 4-1. The Mets mounted their best threat in the sixth, loading the bases on three walks. Cuevas scored on a wild pitch during a strikeout, and Julio Zayas came home on a Chase Meggers groundout, trimming the margin to 6-3, but the rally ended there. Starter Jonathan Jimenez struggled, allowing four runs on four hits over three innings while walking three and striking out three, taking the loss. Justin Armbruester and Josh Blum provided scoreless relief, combining for 2 2/3 innings, but the offense could not close the gap and Bradenton tacked on two more in the eighth. Cuevas reached base three times with a double and two walks, Zayas added two hits and two walks, and Kevin Villavicencio collected two hits. St. Lucie left nine runners on base. Player AB R H RBI BB K Elian Peña 4 0 0 0 1 1 Antonio Jimenez 5 0 0 0 0 1 Randy Guzman 5 0 0 0 0 0 Yohairo Cuevas 1 2 1 0 2 0 Julio Zayas 2 1 2 0 2 0 AJ Salgado 3 0 1 1 1 1 Branny De Oleo 4 0 0 0 0 3 Chase Meggers 4 0 0 1 0 0 Kevin Villavicencio 4 0 2 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jonathan Jimenez 3 4 4 4 3 3 1 Elwis Mijares 1 1/3 3 2 1 0 3 1 Justin Armbruester 1 2/3 0 0 0 0 2 0 Josh Blum 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Joe Scarborough 1 2 2 2 1 0 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Nolan McLean: DNP Carson Benge: DNP A.J. Ewing: DNP Jonah Tong: DNP Ryan Clifford: 2-for-4, HR, BB, 2 R, RBI Jacob Reimer: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K Jack Wenninger: DNP Elian Pena: 0-for-4, BB, K Mitch Voit: 0-for-3, BB, K Nick Morabito: 2-for-4, HR, BB, 3 RBI Jonathan Santucci: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K Chris Suero: 0-for-4, K Zach Thornton: DNP Wandy Asigen: DNP Will Watson: DNP Eli Serrano III: 0-for-4, 3 K Ryan Lambert: DNP Dylan Ross: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K Antonio Jimenez: 0-for-5, K R.J. Gordon: DNP View the full article

The past three seasons, Jarren Duran's offense has been well above average. The start of this season has been a whole different story; however, since mid-May, he has turned things around. Duran's struggles have been contact and letting things get to him mentally. Finally, he appears to be on the right track. View the full article

It's been a rollercoaster of a ride for the Blue Jays through two months of the regular season. The team has battled injuries and inconsistent production, and its lineup has struggled to score runs regularly. The one standout through all the injuries has been the pitching staff. In May, the Blue Jays' 3.45 ERA ranked fourth in the AL. Their 14.5% K-BB% also ranked fourth, and by the Stuff+ numbers on FanGraphs, the staff ranked third, just behind the Mariners and Rays. Not bad for a team that currently has seven starting pitchers on the IL. Add recent injuries to Joe Mantiply and Tommy Nance to pair with Yimi García’s extended absence, and the Blue Jays are down three prominent relievers as well. In this piece, we’re going to take a look at some of the pitchers that have stood out to make the Blue Jays' staff stand strong as they head into the summer months of the season. Honourable Mention: Mason Fluharty May Stats: 11.0 IP, 9 H, 1 ER, 14 K, 2 BB, 0.82 ERA, 0.909 WHIP Mason Fluharty has overcome a rocky start and was one of the team's more dominant relievers in May. Not only is he now the undisputed number one left-handed option in the bullpen, but he’s also been one of the best in all of baseball. Coming into the finale against the Orioles (in which he struck out all three batters he faced), Fluharty’s FIP ranked third among left-handed pitchers during May (min. 10 IP). His 31 appearances on the season have him atop the MLB leaderboard, and his workload will be worth monitoring. But for now, Fluharty has been excellent, has clearly earned his manager's trust, and has established himself as a key member of this bullpen. Honourable Mention: Kevin Gausman May Stats: 28.2 IP, 32 H, 10 ER, 26 K, 4 BB, 3.18 ERA, 1.27 WHIP Out of all the pitchers that have dealt with injuries this season, it's somewhat surprising that the pitcher who threw the most pitches and faced the most batters in 2025 isn't one of them. Kevin Gausman’s month as a whole was quietly effective, but his durability and ability to pitch quality innings don’t go unnoticed. His strikeout totals have dipped from his career norms, but he consistently attacked the strike zone this month, leading all Blue Jays pitchers (min. 10 IP) in walk rate (3.7%) and leading all Blue Jays starters in chase rate (38.4%), accumulating 1.0 fWAR in the process. Gausman just quietly keeps getting it done. Honourable Mention: Dylan Cease May Stats: 30.2IP, 23 H, 11 ER, 43 K, 9 BB, 3.23 ERA, 1.04 WHIP Dylan Cease has been the best Blue Jays starter this season, and he was well on his way to being number one on this list until a hamstring injury put him on the IL for the first time in his career. When he was on the mound, he was nasty as always. He threw seven innings in each of his first three starts of the month, including a 10-strikeout, no-run outing against the Angels. The home run ball caught up to him in his final two starts of the month, allowing two to the Yankees and two more against the Pirates, which made his numbers go from outstanding to just very good. Once Cease recovers from his injury, all signs point to him being a dominant pitcher once again. No. 3: Spencer Miles May Stats: 20.2 IP, 17 H, 9 ER, 19 K, 7 BB, 3.92 ERA, 1.16 WHIP Where would this team be without Spencer Miles? Rule 5 picks with virtually no professional experience rarely become meaningful contributors, let alone one as impactful as Miles. Miles was tasked with being the de facto “long man” out of the bullpen to cover one of the bullpen days, and he’s done it with flying colours. A four-pitch mix with excellent command has done him wonders, and his ability to induce soft contact has been noticeable, as his 85.4 average EV was the lowest among the "starters" (min. 20 IP) in May. Sunday’s rough outing may have been his first sign of fatigue, but it shouldn't overshadow what was an excellent month for him. No. 2: Trey Yesavage May Stats: 31.2 IP, 22 H, 9 ER, 36 K, 17 BB, 2.56 ERA, 1.23 WHIP Welcome back, Trey Yesavage! After his 2026 season start was delayed by right shoulder impingement, Trey returned and immediately made an impact. His 31.2 innings led all Blue Jays pitchers in May, as did his 1.1 fWAR. The swing-and-miss stuff is still clearly evident, as he led all Blue Jays starters with a 14.9% swinging strike rate. The highlight was when he went into Yankee Stadium, matched up against fellow rookie Cam Schlitter, and Yesavage got the better end of it, striking out Aaron Judge three times and, most importantly, earning the win. His command has wavered at times, as evidenced by a 38.7% zone rate and a seven-walk performance on Saturday, ultimately keeping him from the top spot on this list. Still, it's hard to argue with the results, and he was one of the biggest reasons the Blue Jays’ pitching staff excelled in May. No. 1: Louis Varland May Stats: 15.0 IP, 11 H, 0 ER, 16 K, 5 BB, 0.00 ERA, 1.07 WHIP Louis Varland is not only the best reliever on the Blue Jays, but you could also make an argument that he’s been the best reliever in baseball this season. In the month of May, Varland led all MLB relievers in Win Probability Added (1.66). He led all Blue Jays pitchers in groundball rate, soft contact rate, ERA, and saves. John Schneider has trusted him to get outs against the toughest parts of opposing lineups, and on three separate occasions, Varland has recorded multi-inning saves, highlighted by a scoreless ninth and 10th inning in Detroit earlier in the month. If Varland keeps this up (and there’s no reason to think he won't), then that first All-Star Game is likely in sight. Varland was Jays Centre's Pitcher of the Month for March/April, and he makes it twice in a row with his appearance here in May. Heading into June, the Blue Jays' pitchers will need to continue carrying their share of the load as the club looks to climb back into the playoff picture. With reliable veterans like Gausman, emerging contributors like Yesavage and Miles, and reinforcements like Max Scherzer and Shane Bieber on the way, the pitching staff is finally starting to come together. With Varland continuing his dominance at the back end of the bullpen, the Blue Jays' pitching staff is going to be in good shape going forward. View the full article

Chicago Cubs Minor League Report - May 31 Affiliate Overview Triple-A Iowa Cubs Series at Indianapolis Indians (Pittsburgh Pirates): Tied, 3-3 Season Record: 24–32 Double-A Knoxville Smokies Series at Chattanooga Lookouts (Cincinnati Reds): Smokies win, 4-2 Season Record: 26–24 High-A South Bend Cubs Series vs. Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego Padres): Cubs win, 5-1 Season Record: 30–17 Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Series vs. Wilson Warbirds (Milwaukee Brewers): Tied, 3-3 Season Record: 21–28 Affiliate Highlights Triple-A: Iowa Cubs Season Record: 24–32 Series Opponent: Indianapolis Indians (23–33) Series Standing: Tied, 3-3 May 31: The Iowa Cubs split their series with the Indianapolis Indians following an 8-1 defeat on Sunday at Victory Field. The Indians went ahead in the second with a run and later made it 3-0 with two more in the fifth. Runs in the sixth and seventh made it 5-0 Indianapolis before the Cubs got their lone run of the ballgame in the eighth on Brett Bateman’s (1-for-3) RBI-double. The hosts plated three more in the bottom of the frame to coast to the 8-1 win. Matthew Boyd, making the first appearance of his rehab assignment, allowed three runs, two earned, on four hits over four innings of work, striking out two and walking one. The Iowa offense was limited to just four hits in the contest, with Bateman’s double the lone extra-base tally. Double-A: Knoxville Smokies Season Record: 26–24 Series Opponent: Chattanooga Lookouts (27–24) Series Standing: Win, 4-2 May 31: The Knoxville Smokies claimed a series win with a 4-2 triumph over the Chattanooga Lookouts on Sunday. The victory extends the Smokies winning streak to three games and also moves the club just a half game behind the Lookouts for first place in the Southern League North Division. Chattanooga took the lead with a run in its first trip to the plate but Knoxville starter Brooks Caple would put up four-straight zeroes on the board to keep his team in the ballgame. Caple would not factor into the decision, allowing just one run on four hits over five innings of work, striking out seven and walking one. His work would be rewarded in the sixth when Jefferson Rojas (2-for-4) tied the game with an RBI-single. Rojas would then put the Smokies in front with another RBI-single in the eighth. Later in the frame, Carter Trice (1-for-4) and Edgar Alvarez (1-for-4) would also tally run-scoring singles to make it a 4-1 game. The Lookouts would add a run in the bottom of the inning but Vince Reilly was able to shut the door in the ninth to record his fourth save of the season, a two-inning effort. Jace Beck picked up the win in relief to improve to 4-2 on the year. Beck posted two shutout innings, allowing no hits and whiffing three to go along with one walk. High-A: South Bend Cubs Season Record: 30–17 Series Opponent: Fort Wayne TinCaps (23–28) Series Standing: Win, 5-1 May 31: The South Bend Cubs won for the 10th time in their last 12 games with their 7-5 victory over the Fort Wayne TinCaps on Sunday. The Cubs now have a four-and-a-half game lead in the Midwest League West Division. Fort Wayne took a 3-0 lead in the first and kept South Bend off the board until the fourth, when Miguel Useche (3-for-4) launched a solo shot, his fourth home run of the season. The Cubs kept the TinCaps off the board until the ninth inning, thanks in large part to a three-inning scoreless outing in relief from Nazier Mulé. Mulé allowed just one hit and struck out five, with two walks issued. South Bend went ahead in the game with a four-spot in seventh, with Matt Halbach (1-for-5) driving in one with a single, with a second run scoring on an error on the play. Back-to-back bases-loaded walks from Justin Stransky (2-for-3) and Drew Bowser (0-for-3) gave the Cubs a 5-3 lead. Useche came up big in the eighth for the hosts, driving in two more on a single to make it 7-3. Fort Wayne would score twice in the ninth and load the bases with two outs but Kenten Egbert was able to retire the only batter he faced to earn his first save of the season. Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans Season Record: 21–28 Series Opponent: Wilson Warbirds (26–25) Series Standing: Tied, 3-3 May 31: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans split their series with the Wilson Warbirds following Sunday’s 10-1 defeat at Pelicans Ballpark. The Pelicans were held to just four hits in the ballgame and would go 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position, leaving nine runners on base. The Warbirds took the lead in the third with a run and later added three in the fourth to make it 4-0. Another run in the fifth and three more in the sixth from Wilson made it 8-0 before Myrtle Beach got on the board in the bottom-half of the inning on Derniche Valdez’ (0-for-4) RBI-groundout. The Warbirds would then add on runs in the seventh and the ninth to hand the Pelicans the 10-1 defeat. Pierce Coppola took the loss in the start for Myrtle Beach, falling to 0-4 on the season. Coppola allowed just one run on one hit over three innings of work, striking out four but walking five. View the full article

The start of June always hits a baseball fan like an unexpected glimpse of a kid growing up faster than you'd noticed. Too soon, the campaign is becoming real and weighty, when we still want to tell ourselves it's early. That's true even in the minor leagues, where the season starts later but winds down sooner, too. It's a reasonable time, then, to take a look at which Brewers prospects have earned organizational All-Star status so far this year—or at least, who goes on the ballot. Catcher Darrien Miller, Double-A Biloxi: .284/.492/.614 with eight home runs and 20 RBI in 88 at-bats Marco Dinges, Advanced-A Wisconsin: .252/.380/.463 with seven home runs and 25 RBI in 123 at-bats Miller, a long-time Brewers farmhand, has had a minor offensive breakout this season, adding to his already impressive OBP skills. We could call it more than minor, even, but for his age and the fact that this is his third look at the Southern League. The negatives remain: his weak throwing arm (a career CS rate of 16%) and a high strikeout total (29 in 88 at-bats). On the other hand, at 25, Miller may have put it all together. Dinges has been a huge bat the Brewers are trying to develop into a catcher, with some success. He has a 30% CS rate in 2026, but most of his work will need to focus on receiving skills. Honorable Mentions: Jeferson Quero, Triple-A Nashville; Matthew Wood, Double-A Biloxi First Base Blake Burke, Double-A Biloxi: .247/.333/.511 with 12 home runs and 33 RBI in 182 at-bats Burke was the guy the Brewers selected with the competitive-balance pick they acquired in the Corbin Burnes trade. His lefty power bat looks like an excellent fit for Uecker Field, and he's also a threat on the basepaths—although the Brewers sometimes let their big, slugging corner infielders run a bit in the minors, only to have them naturally rein it in as they get closer to the bigs. Honorable Mention: Jonathan Rangel, Rookie ACL Brewers Second Base Dylan O’Rae, Double-A Biloxi: .317/.437/.389 with one home run and 13 RBI in 167 at-bats O’Rae’s big tools are speed and OBP skills. Think of long-time Marlins player Luis Castillo. O’Rae currently appears blocked by Brice Turang, but his speed and a bit of versatility—he's also played decently in center field—could make him a valuable role player down the road. Honorable Mention: Juan Ortuno, Single-A Wilson Third Base Andrew Fischer, Advanced-A Wisconsin: .275/.409/.621 with 14 home runs and 36 RBI in 153 at-bats The only real knock on Fischer is that he’s striking out a lot. Otherwise, he’s looked ready to force his way to Double-A Biloxi, and soon. When you draft a polished collegiate hitter, this is what you hope will happen in their first full season. Honorable Mention: Jett Williams, Triple-A Nashville Shortstop Jesus Made, Double-A Biloxi: .271/.350/.442 with six home runs and 36 RBI in 181 at-bats Made, like Jackson Chourio before him, is looking every bit the potential franchise cornerstone. The real question will be when the Brewers elect to bump him to third base to get reps in there, because his bat certainly seems ready for Triple-A. It's not too early to call him an organizational All-Star, but it's too early to rule out a 2026 big-league debut. Honorable Mention: Cooper Pratt, Triple-A Nashville Outfield Luis Lara, Triple-A Nashville: .359/.481/.518 with seven home runs and 26 RBI in 195 at-bats Braylon Payne, Advanced-A Wisconsin: .280/.368/.569 with 10 home runs and 19 RBI in 123 at-bats Josh Adamczewski, Advanced-A Wisconsin: .310/.448/.550 with seven home runs and 27 RBI in 129 at-bats Lara has been forcefully making his case for a promotion to Milwaukee, particularly given the struggles of Sal Frelick and Blake Perkins. Payne and Adamczewski have been powering a potent Timber Rattlers team, and each is probably happy to move gradually through the system for now; it would be hard to find room for either in the majors anytime soon. In the big picture, it's a big deal that Payne, in particular, is starting to look like he'll pan out, after initially looking like the rare Brewers first-round pick that might go amiss. Honorable Mentions: Handelfy Encarnacion, Single-A Wilson; Josiah Ragsdale, Advanced-A Wisconsin Utility Eddys Leonard, Triple-A Nashville: .298/.354/.534 with eight home runs and 33 RBI in 161 at-bats Leonard was picked up as a minor-league free agent, but he’s hit very well and played multiple positions. He’s making the case for a long look to be on the 40-man, much as Isaac Collins did. He even seems to have more pop than Collins, based on the numbers—though this year, in the minors, the numbers are all liars. Honorable Mentions: Mike Boeve and Eduardo Garcia, Double-A Biloxi Designated Hitter Tayden Hall, Advanced-A Wisconsin/Double-A Biloxi: .259/.425/.481 with four home runs and 24 RBI in 81 at-bats Hall’s been a solid hitter with power potential, but no real defensive home, shuffling between catcher, first base, designated hitter, and left field, with some playing time in right field this season. Honorable Mention: Jadyn Fielder, Single-A Wilson Who do you think should be on this all-farm system team? Let us know in the comments below! View the full article

I have been writing up these monthly reports for a good 15-20 years, and I am almost 100% certain that what you'll see below, I have never seen before. The Saints offense has been tremendous this season. They are hitting homers at a record-setting pace and scoring a lot of runs. The nice thing is that most everyone is contributing. Guys coming up from Wichita or down from the big leagues are contributing. For now, let's just say that you'll see a few Saints players near the top of this list. But there were a lot of strong offensive performances this month. Below you will find the Top 5 hitters of the month, including our choice for Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month. But, because there were so many options, I wrote up "The Next Three" Hitters too. There are also eight Honorable Mentions. I'm curious what our readers think and how they would rank the top hitters of the month. There were even a few FCL Twins mentioned in the Honorable Mention section. You could certainly make an argument for one of them being in the Top 8 or 10, but that player had just 13 games played where others played as many as 27 games. What a great month for hitters in the Twins minor leagues! Let's get started. Leave feedback in the comments below. HONORABLE MENTIONS 1B/OF Jaime Ferrer - Cedar Rapids Kernels/Wichita Wind Surge 24 G, 21-88, .239/.337/.477 (.814), 1-2B, 1-3B, 6-HR, 20 RBI, 12 R, 10 BB, 25 K UT Jay Thomason - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 21 G, 15-65, .231/.375/.462 (.837), 2-2B, 2-3B, 3-HR, 9 RBI, 10 R, 15 BB, 21 K C/CF Khadim Diaw - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 26 G, 26-91, .286/.362/.440 (.802), 9-2B, 1-3B, 1-HR, 11 RBI, 18 R, 10BB, 16 K OF Jayson Bass - Fort Myers Mighty Mussels - 22 G, 17-70, .243/.375/.443 (.818), 4-2B, 2-3B, 2 HR, 16 RBI, 12 R, 15 BB, 23 K. 2B Dameury Pena - Fort Myers Mighty Mussels - 24 G, 32-103, .311/.393/.350 (.743), 2-2B, 1-3B, - HR, 15 RBI, 17 R, 13 BB, 7 K C Miguel Caraballo - FCL Twins - 17 G, 13-48, .271/.400/.500 (.900), 5-2B, 2-HR, 8 RBI, 10 R, 9 BB, 17 K OF Yovanny Duran - FCL Twins - 17 G, 18-61, .295/.371/.508 (.879), 2-2B, 1-3B, 3-HR, 13 RBI, 14 R, 7 BB, 17 K OF Jhomnardo Reyes - FCL Twins - 13 G, 14-37, .378/.511/.892 (1.403), 3-2B, 2-3B, 4-HR, 15 RBI, 12 R, 9 BB, 7 K THE NEXT THREE HITTERS Number 8 - OF Yasser Mercedes (21) -Fort Myers Mighty Mussels/Cedar Rapids Kernels 24 G, 24-for-91, .264/.364/.495 (.859) with 7 double, 1 triple, 4 home runs, 21 R, 20 RBI, 15 BB, 23 K Mercedes has had a career filled with ups and downs, but so far 2024 has been a definite up! No one has ever questioned his athleticism and general talent level. But that hasn’t always translated statistically. While his season started late, Mercedes just looks different on the field. Maybe it’s body language, but he’s playing much more confidently. In 21 games for Fort Myers, he hit .321/.439/.642 (1.081) with four doubles, two triples and six home runs. He’s played in 16 games for Cedar Rapids and is hitting .203/.304/.373 (.677) with four doubles and two homers. More importantly, he doesn’t look overwhelmed. He also has a combined 19 stolen bases. Number 7 - 3B/SS/CF Brandon Winokur (21) - Cedar Rapids Kernels 26 G, 33-99, .333/.427/.495 (.922), 4-2B, 4 HR, 17 RBI, 16 R, 15 BB, 25 K. If only looking at OPS, this is the best month of the former third-round pick’s career. While he has played more third base in 2026, he’s still getting quite a bit of playing time in both center field and at shortstop. He struggled in April, but in May, he took off. Manager Brian Meyer moved him into the leadoff spot for a few games, and he seemed to respond well. He took better at-bats and carried that forward regardless of his spot in the lineup. Could a promotion be coming soon? Number 6 - OF Hendry Mendez (22) - Wichita Wind Surge/St. Paul Saints 23 G, 31-90, .344/.449/.489 (.938), 4-2B, 3-HR, 18 RBI, 17 R, 17 BB, 13 K. Mendez played two May games in Wichita. He has now played 21 games for the Saints and reached base in all of them. He hits for average. He’s a big guy with power potential. He has a very good eye and has consistently had more walks than strikeouts. THE TOP FIVE HITTERS Number 5 - C Ricardo Olivar (24) - Wichita Wind Surge/St. Paul Saints 21 G, 24-81, .296/.352/.642 (.994 OPS), 7-2B, 7-HR, 24 RBI, 14 R, 6 BB, 22 K. Olivar ended the 2024 season with a few weeks in Double-A. He spent the entire 2025 season in Wichita, and that’s where he began the 2026 season as well due to the depth above. In mid-May, Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers swung at a pitch and broke his hamate bone. He will be out for two months. The Twins called up Alex Jackson to the big-leagues, and Olivar finally got his promotion to the Saints. After not homering for his first 11 games this season in Wichita, he went on a run in which he hit 10 home runs in 13 games. The first five came in April, the next five in May. He went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in his first Saints game. In his second game, he hit a bloop single to drive in a run. He then drove in runs in five straight games. In his third game, he had two hits. In his fourth game, he hit his first double. In his fifth game, he had a double and hit his first home run. In his sixth game, he hit another home run. At a new level, it has to be a good feeling to start out well and feel like you below. Number 4 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (23) - St. Paul Saints 25 G, 28-100, .280/.407/.540 (.947), 5-2B, 7-HR, 21 RBI, 26 R, 19 BB, 21 K. There was definitely some adjustment needed for Culpepper as he moved up to Triple-A in 2026. In March/April, he hit .234, but he did hit five home runs. He was much improved and much more consistent in June. He has done a nice job at the top of the Saints lineup. Not only does he know the strike zone pretty well (19 BB) and he puts the ball in play a lot, but he can give the team an early lead with a home run. With his offensive tool set, Culpepper can be an instigator, a catalyst at the top of the order. But he’s strong and can drive the ball to all fields. He can be a run producer. In addition, it’s no surprise that he played at a solid college program because he has strong instincts to go with strong fundamentals. The Twins are clearly creating a path for Culpepper. Generally speaking, it’s rarely as obvious as the Twins are making it. The first few weeks of the season, he would play three games at shortstop and one each at second base, third base, and DH. He hasn’t played second base since early May. He has not played third base since Royce Lewis was optioned. With that transaction also pushing Brooks Lee from shortstop to third base in the big leagues, there is an opening at shortstop for the Twins. It’s a position that can be filled in the short-term by Orlando Arcia and Ryan Kreidler, but it’s a position that every manager wants to have a guy they put in that spot 155-160 games per season. Is Culpepper ready for the big leagues right now? I don’t know. I certainly won’t say that he isn’t. I think he could come up now and hold his own. Personally, I’d like to see him spend another three or four weeks for St. Paul. Continue to do the things he did in May; play solid defense, take quality plate appearances, hit the ball hard, use the whole field. Honestly, just keep playing baseball. Remember, the goal is not to get players to the big leagues fast. It’s to have them ready to stay there when they get there. Number 3 - UT Ben Ross (24) - St. Paul Saints 27 G, 25-88, .284/.452/.523 (.975), 9-2B, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 21 R, 24 BB, 27 K Ross backed up his April Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Month with a strong first full month at Triple-A. Ross started the season with 16 games in Wichita before ending the month with four games with the Saints. Combined, he hit .365/.460/.676 (1.136) with eight doubles and five home runs. He had a little adjustment offensively to the higher level, but maybe the best thing is that for multiple reasons, he has had to be in the lineup every day. His last day off was the last day of April. He’s primarily played center field, followed closely by time at shortstop. He’s also played second base, third base and left field in his time with the Saints. But while his batting average expectedly dropped from .365 to .284, he was able to continue working walks and getting on base. His speed, athleticism, strong defense and ability to take quality plate appearances should continue to get playing time all over the diamond. Number 2 - OF Kyler Fedko (26) - St. Paul Saints 22 G, 29-87, .333/.433/.586 (1.019), 8-2B, 1-3B, 4-HR, 18 RBI, 23 R, 14 BB, 17 K. If you have only followed the Twins and their minor league system the past two seasons, you just might think that Kyler Fedko is the greatest hitter in Twins minor league history. In 2025, he spent about two-thirds of the season at Double-A Wichita and finished the season with 42 games in a Saints uniform. Combined, he hit .258/.367/.487 (.854) with 25 doubles, 28 homers, 82 RBI and 38 stolen bases. He earned an invitation to Twins big-league spring training and began the season with the Saints again. In April, playing time was inconsistent with Walker Jenkins and other “prospects” being eased back into the lineup. He hit just .222, but he ended the month with two doubles, a triple, and seven home runs. Since mid-April, he has been in the Saints lineup most every day. As shown above, he hit for average, took walks and got on base, and ended the month with 13 extra base hits. The 12th round pick in 2021 out of UConn continues to play solid all-around baseball on defense, on the base paths and at the plate. He continues to wait for an opportunity to get to the big leagues. The Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month of May is: 1B Aaron Sabato (26) - St. Paul Saints 25 G, 29-for-93, .312/.402/.699 (1.101), 10-2B, 1-3B, 8-HR, 22 RBI, 17 R, 13 BB, 27 K. April 23rd was a big day for Aaron Sabato. In the 3 1/2 weeks of the season prior to that date, he was playing about twice per week. Since that date, he has only been out of the Saints lineup twice. What happened on April 23rd? That’s the day that the Twins DFAd Eric Wagaman from the 40-man roster. He was claimed by the Mets. May 5th was a big day for Aaron Sabato. That’s the day that the Saints went to Las Vegas for a rare series against a Pacific Coast League team. On that day, he went 4-for-5 with a double, three home runs and seven RBI. The next night, he went 2-for-5 with another home run and two RBI. In the third game of the series, he was 2-for-4 with a double. On Friday, he went 0-for-3 but had two walks… and a stolen base. In the series' fifth game, he went 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBI. In his last game in Vegas, he went 0-for-4. A nice, great, powerful week, but then what? Was that it? Well, on May 12th, the Saints played two straight weeks at CHS Field. Sabato went hitless, but he walked twice, starting a 14-game on-base streak. He had at least one hit in 13 straight games. Within that stretch, he had eight doubles and three more home runs. In 38 total games this season, the former first-round pick is hitting .289/.366/.622 (.988) with 13 doubles, a triple, and 10 RBI. It will be very interesting to see what the Twins do with Sabato. If not on the 40-man roster following the World Series, he can become a minor-league free agent. If the Twins fall well out of contention, could they look to sell veterans again? Specifically, Josh Bell - playing on a one-year deal - would likely be dealt? Will the Twins brass decide to give him a couple of months in the big leagues to see how he responds? Will he hit for power? Will he put the ball in play? That’s for other people to figure out. My job, at least for this article, was simply to write about the top offensive performances in May. For me, Aaron Sabato was the easy choice. Congratulations to Saints first baseman Aaron Sabato, Twins Daily’s choice for Minor League Hitter of the Month for May of 2026. Feel free to share your thoughts and ask questions. How would you rank the top five hitters in the Twins organization in May? View the full article

Boston Red Sox Affiliate Overview Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Series at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (New York Yankees): 4-2 Season Record: 27-27 Worcester fell back to .500 as they lost 1-0 in a pitching duel. Alec Gamboa got the start in the series finale on Sunday afternoon. He turned in four frames of good pitching, allowing one solo home run amid three hits. He struck out four in what would have been an excellent outing had he not been out-pitched by the RailRiders’ Adam Kloffenstein. Kloffenstein one-upped Gamboa with six shutout innings and ten strikeouts. Despite Gamboa’s early exit, the WooSox bullpen strung together an excellent six innings of one-hit ball. Seth Martinez allowed the hit in his inning of immediate relief, punching out three before Angel Bastardo took over. Bastardo was nearly perfect, allowing one walk and striking out two in his inning. Kyle Keller came in next with a flawless inning, striking out one. Wyatt Olds finished the game, allowing one baserunner and striking out one. It was an excellent performance from the WooSox who were just barely outmatched. On the other side of the ball, the WooSox offense was stumped by the RailRiders’ dominant pitching. Only three batters, Vinny Capra, Anthony Seigler, and Tsung-Che Cheng, recorded hits as each collected a single. Cheng and Kristian Campbell were the only batters to draw a walk as Worcester totaled just five baserunners all game. On the other hand, they struck out an astonishing fifteen times in just 27 at-bats. The WooSox offense will look to reset next week as they managed to go home with the series win. Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Series at Binghamton Rumble Ponies (New York Mets): 4-2 Season Record: 26-24 The Sea Dogs returned to the win column with a 3-1 win led by strong pitching. Gage Ziehl allowed Binghamton’s lone run in his four inning start. The run came on a solo home run, one of three hits allowed by Ziehl as he punched out six batters, his most in nearly a month. Max Carlson earned the win for his two-inning relief effort. Allowing two hits, Carlson K’d two before turning the ball over to Cooper Adams to start the seventh. Adams went the distance, closing the game and earning his fourth save of the year as he matched his season best with five strikeouts. Despite the two-run win, Portland’s batters were quiet in the box. Five batters collected a single as the Sea Dogs drew four walks as well. Not a single batter recorded an RBI, however, as all three of the Sea Dogs runs scored by way of a throwing error. In the seventh, Franklin Arias reached second on an error with the bases loaded. As the Rumble Ponies’ left fielder bobbled the catch, Miguel Bleis, Nelly Taylor, and Tyler McDonough raced around the bases. All three scored as Portland took a late lead and didn’t give it up. High-A Greenville Drive Series vs. Asheville Tourists (Houston Astros): 4-2 Season Record: 20-29 Greenville won their first series of the month behind Kyson Witherspoon’s best start yet. Kyson Witherspoon’s professional career got off to a rocky start as the acclaimed prospect has struggled to settle in. However, on Sunday Witherspoon was excellent. Over five innings, the longest start of his season, Witherspoon allowed three hits and three walks. It was the first time he hadn’t allowed a run to score as he showed flashes of his brilliant potential. Witherspoon struck out four as he lowered his season ERA to 5.55. Calvin Bickerstaff got the ball to start the sixth, and things nearly got out of hand for the righty. Over one and ⅔ innings, Bickerstaff allowed three runs on three hits and a walk. Luckily for Greenville, Danny Kirwin was able to stave off the upset as he closed out the win. Over the final two and ⅓ innings, Kirwin struck out four and allowed one hit. It was a slugfest for Greenville on Sunday as four of their five runs came via solo home runs. Justin Gonzales struck first with a lead-off home run in the first, his seventh of the year. In the fourth, Hudson White drove in Jack Winnay on a sac fly to extend the lead to two. Winnay then smashed his seventh homer of the season in the sixth inning. After a three-run inning from Asheville tied the game, Isaiah Jackson joined the home run party. He cranked his seventh of the year to grab the lead. Winnay stepped to the plate next, hitting his second homer of the night as he and Jackson went back-to-back to put an exclamation point on the victory. It was the first series win for Greenville since late April, the last time the two teams faced off. Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Series vs. Hickory Crawdads (Texas Rangers): 3-3 Season Record: 23-28 Carried by an excellent performance from their pitching staff, the RidgeYaks prevailed 1-0. Jacob Mayers lowered his ERA to 2.16 during his three-inning appearance on Sunday afternoon. Mayers allowed three baserunners via walk, but none on hits. He struck out three before Cole Tolbert took over. Tolbert earned the win as he continued to campaign for a call up to High-A. The righty allowed just two hits and a walk over four and ⅔ innings as he struck out three, lowering his season ERA to an impressive 1.35. Wuilliams Rodriguez earned his second save of the season as he sealed the game with a perfect one and ⅓ innings of work. It was a stellar game all around for a staff that let up nine runs just two days prior. Salem was quiet at the plate, but did just enough to claim the win. The game's only run came in the first inning as Andruw Musett drove in Andrews Opata on a line drive single. The RidgeYaks tallied six hits, but failed to draw a walk in Sunday’s contest. Opata led the way with two hits and the games only run as Salem salvaged a series tie in the finale. View the full article