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For the past four years, one of the Cubs' treasured rites of spring has been sending starting pitcher Javier Assad to Triple-A Iowa. Despite his strong performances when actually on the mound (he has a 3.43 career ERA, despite often being used so flexibly that it makes his job harder), Assad finds himself leapfrogged on the roster every year, only to get a renewed shot as the "next guy up" when injuries strike. Injuries have struck early for the 2026 team. Matthew Boyd was their reliable workhorse last season, but he suffered a biceps strain and was placed on the injured list Monday. The team says they hope and expect him to return after a minimum stay on the shelf; the actuarial tables say it'll probably be a month. Colin Rea, the North Siders' primary swing man, is in line to cover for Cade Horton, who went down three days before Boyd with an injury that could end up sidelining him even longer. Rea has been a steady back-end rotation talent over the last three seasons, with a complex mix of pitches and solid control. Ben Brown, the other long reliever on the squad, has electric stuff, with a 96-97 mph heater, nasty knuckle curve, and the occasional sinker and firm changeup. Unfortunately, Brown has been too mercurial to rely on in multiple passes through the opponent's batting order. Thus, we can't expect him to take the rotation spot any time soon, despite his upside. Assad has been one of the most intriguing (but weird) young starters in the game over the last four seasons. In 331 Innings, he has produced excellent results in terms of sheer run prevention, despite a paucity of strikeouts and a troubling amount of traffic on the bases. For comparison, Assad's career ERA is better than Edward Cabrera's (3.96), and the former Marlin's 2025 ERA (3.53), despite obviously inferior raw stuff. To make matters more interesting, he was solid as Mexico's "ace" for this years' World Baseball Classic. He pitched eight innings (no one else pitched more than three). He had two starts, seven strikeouts, and 1.13 WHIP. He came away with a middling 4.50 ERA, but a chunk of that was because the bullpen let in runners who were his responsibility after he left. Despite his stuff limitations, Assad is a very reliable pitcher who can throw seven different pitches, most with decent breaking action but fringy velocity. His 2025 fastballs averaged 92.2 MPH, though we've seen him push that number past 96 on occasion. His strategy is confusion and mayhem. Like an old-school junk master, he rarely serves up anything anyone really wants to hit—and sometimes, when he does, they aren't ready for it. Assad very skillfully avoids being predictable. Some teams in the league would have opened the season with him as a 4th or 5th starter. Assad is a victim of his own success. I find it hard to believe Jed Hoyer's phone has been silent all this time. Surely, clubs have bid for his services, but no one has offered anything convincing. Hoyer's failure to develop a robust pipeline of homegrown pitching has made Assad more valuable to the Cubs themselves than as a trade chip, and in the modern game, few teams value a pitcher like him more highly than the Cubs do, anyway. They need him as depth; they aren't getting desperate offers for him; and yet, they always want to do better than him in the rotation. How long he sticks around this time will, of course, be partly a question of how quickly Boyd and/or Horton return. However, even with just one of them down, there's a strong case for keeping Assad around and letting him ply his trade a while as the swingman, with Rea vacating that role in favor of one of the starting gigs. More importantly, if Assad pitches well, he's very likely to stay on the big-league team for the long haul, this time—because before the team gets back either of Boyd or Horton, they're reasonably likely to lose someone else, too. We can't ignore that, last year, Assad had a similar opportunity, but was unable to seize it because of his own injury trouble. If he's put that behind him, he has a wide lane this year, to be a hero for a contending team in need of quality innings. He does things unconventionally, but he does them well. He lives dangerously, but he's still alive. View the full article

At the end of last season, Brandon Lockridge approached Pat Murphy about playing infield to be more valuable to the Brewers. Primarily an outfielder as a professional, Lockridge played second base in college and started four games there for the New York Yankees' Triple-A team in 2024. Murphy liked the idea, but he had a different infield position in mind. "He's like, 'Have you ever played first base?'" Lockridge recalled. "That's probably one of the few positions on the field that I've never touched before in my entire life, but I said I'd be open to trying it." Lockridge incorporated ground ball work as a first baseman into his offseason training, but only with the expectation of being an emergency option at the position. He didn't take any reps there in spring training until the Brewers returned to Milwaukee. Two days before Opening Day, the coaching staff sent him there to receive balls during batting practice. Hours later, he moved to first base for the ninth inning of their exhibition game against the Cincinnati Reds. "It was that day that I played in the game that was my first day receiving balls over there," he said. "And then the ninth inning comes around, they were like, 'Hey, you got your [first base] glove out here?' I was like, 'Yeah, sounds good.'" With Andrew Vaughn sidelined for the next several weeks by a left hamate fracture, Lockridge is one of three students in a sudden first base crash course with third base and infield coach Matt Erickson. Backup catcher Gary Sánchez and utility infielder Luis Rengifo are also working there to fill Vaughn's role as a right-handed-hitting counterpart to Jake Bauers. The first lesson? Receiving. Everything else (fielding ground balls, positioning, and holding runners) is secondary to footwork around the bag and knowing when and how to stretch toward a throw. "Let's face it, you can go to first base and not get a single ground ball, but you're going to have to receive," Erickson said. "And if we can't have somebody finish the play, then everything that happens before that doesn't really matter." Of the three, only Sánchez entered the season with big-league experience at first base, albeit just 16 2/3 career innings. As such, the Brewers felt most comfortable giving him the first crack there and have started him twice at first against left-handed starters. Once Rengifo is familiar with the nuances of the position, he could receive more of that playing time. As an infielder, Erickson believes he has the easiest transition. "When you have a guy like a [Andruw] Monasterio or a Rengifo that's on the dirt already, especially at a corner, the timing of the ground balls is not that big a deal," Erickson said. "They're used to that part of it. What's foreign to them is receiving and holding runners and knowing what kind of picks they're going to get from the pitcher." Lockridge said the Brewers have not indicated that Vaughn's injury will lead to more game reps at first base. That's because he's third on that totem pole, facing a greater learning curve as he moves in from the outfield. "Because [catchers are] used to the speed of every pitch, they're not really wowed by the ball getting to them at 90 feet or 100 feet away," Erickson said. "With an outfielder, you've got to go kind of the opposite, because they're not used to the ball being on them that fast." Outfielders immediately judge every fly ball and start running toward it to make the catch or back up the outfielder making the play. A first baseman must immediately break toward the bag once he knows a ground ball is out of his fielding range. "Ball's put in play, my instinct is to see the play," Lockridge said. "As a first baseman, the second the ball's hit on the infield, you've got to be busting to first base to pick the ball up and position your feet [on the base]. So that's kind of the thing during BP, they're hitting fungoes to the infielders, and I try to play it like a game, run to first base and pick the ball up." Given his brief infield experience, though, he's not starting from square one. He and Sal Frelick are the club's top choices as a fifth infielder should it need one late in a tie game. "If you can pick balls at second, I'd like to think I can pick them at first," Lockridge said. "You don't see it much, an outfielder coming from the grass to the dirt," Erickson said. "You see a lot of infielders go to the grass. But Lockridge is unique because he has some infield time, and he has some experience at second base." Even if Sánchez and Rengifo are the leading candidates for more time at the cold corner, all three will continue prepping for the position. "The work is all applicable when it comes to approaching balls hard in the outfield and trusting your hands," Lockridge said. "So at the end of the day, it makes me a better outfielder, practicing as a first baseman, I'll take that." View the full article

There are moments in a franchise’s history that feel bigger than the box score. On Sunday, the Minnesota Twins took time to recognize one of those moments as Byron Buxton reached 10 years of Major League service time. It's the kind of milestone that speaks less about a single season and more about everything that came before it. For Buxton, the journey to Sunday's celebration was winding and perilous. It included injuries, setbacks, and questions about what could have been. Eventually, though, it brought him to a secure place among the most accomplished players in franchise history. Reaching a decade of service time is rare territory. Fewer than 10% of players get there, and the list of those who have done it exclusively with the Twins is a roll call of legends. Kirby Puckett. Rod Carew. Joe Mauer. Kent Hrbek. Tony Oliva. The names carry weight because of what they meant to winning baseball in Minnesota. Buxton is now part of that group, and has the statistical resume to back it up. He sits sixth in franchise history in stolen bases, ninth in home runs, and continues to climb in multiple categories that reflect both longevity and impact. Those numbers tell the story of a player who has produced when healthy and electrified when at his best. Of course, he was rarely healthy for much of that time, and because he was often playing through something even when he was on the field, he hasn't always been able to demonstrate his best. After he debuted in 2015, he struggled to overcome the injuries that often disrupted his seasons. He was optioned back to the minors for stretches of both 2016 and 2018, which delayed his reaching the 10-year service mark until 2026. For some players, those detours derail everything. For Buxton, they have become part of the story that makes this moment resonate more. It's not just about 10 years. It's about everything he had to push through to get there. That perspective makes what he did in 2025 feel even more important. Buxton delivered the best season of his career, earning an All-Star selection, taking home a Silver Slugger, and finishing 11th in the American League MVP race. He showed what the fully realized version of himself looks like over an extended stretch—power, speed, defense, and a presence that changes games. Though Buxton is off to a slow start in 2026, nothing about his standing within the organization has changed. A brief injury scare over the weekend served as a reminder of how quickly things can feel uncertain, but his return to the lineup just as quickly reinforced how central he is to everything this team does and how fiercely he wants to be on the field whenever possible. None of that quite guarantees that Buxton will spend the balance of his career (or even the balance of his contract, which runs through 2028) in Minnesota. Nor do his 10-and-5 rights (all players who reach 10 years of big-league service and have had five years of continual service with one team have the right to refuse a trade) or the no-trade clause in his contract, which rendered the wait for those rights moot and shielded him from being dealt at last summer's fire sale. The team's future is unclear, and they might approach him this summer (or later on) about the possibility of moving him. When Buxton says he wants to spend his entire career in Minnesota, though, it doesn't sound like a generic answer. It sounds like a player who understands exactly what this uniform means, and what it would mean to finish what he started. For the Twins, that reality matters. Trading a superstar is always difficult. Trading one who has become a bridge between eras; who is climbing leaderboards next to Hall of Fame names; and who has endured everything in a Twins uniform is something else entirely. It's not just a baseball decision. It's a cultural one. As Buxton continues to add to his resume, those decisions only get harder. At some point, the conversation stops being about what you could get in return and starts being about what it would mean to let a player like this finish somewhere else. Right now, Buxton isn't just building a career. He's building a case to be remembered alongside the greatest players this franchise has ever seen. With every milestone, every highlight, and every season that adds to his story, the idea of him wearing anything other than a Twins jersey feels a little less realistic—or at least a little less tolerable. What stands out about Buxton’s 10 years with the Twins? Is there a scenario where Buxton could be traded? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

Minor League Week in Nutshell The Minor League season officially kicked off, with all four affiliated levels in action this past week (March 30th to April 5th). Unfortunately, bad weather has delayed the start of the Quad Cities River Bandits season. Not only did rain postpone the first couple of games, but field conditions prevented the River Bandits and South Bend Bears from finishing the season. The Storm Chasers started their season the earliest, and they have nine games under their belt. The Fireflies and Naturals have only played one three-game series. Northwest Arkansas and Columbia host their first homestands of the year this week, along with the River Bandits. Here are the records of the three Royals affiliates that have played games thus far, as of April 6th. Omaha: 4-5 Northwest Arkansas: 2-1 Columbia: 1-2 Omaha Highlights The Storm Chasers are averaging five runs per game through the first nine games of the season. There aren't a lot of position player prospects on the Omaha roster, as most of them are veterans looking to get one last chance at the Major League level. Some familiar names include Josh Rojas, Brandon Drury, and Kevin Newman, who also played with the Royals during Spring Training. One prospect that stood out this week was Luca Tresh, who had a big week for the Storm Chasers at the plate. In 16 at-bats, the former NC State product is hitting .375 with a 1.037 OPS. He doesn't have a home run, but he has four doubles and three RBI. He has one walk and struck out five times. Cutting down the strikeouts would be nice, especially since he's been one of the main catalysts in their lineup so far. On the pitching end, Eric Cerantola has been on fire after a shaky spring, when he was one of the first to be optioned to Minor League camp. In 4.1 IP, Cerantola has seven strikeouts and only one walk while posting a 0.00 ERA and 0.92 WHIP. His K% is 41.2%, and his BB% is 35.3%. Furthermore, he has done an excellent job not just generating whiffs but also limiting hard contact so far in Omaha. The only concern I have with Cerantola is that the TJ Stuff+ doesn't profile well, with an overall score of 98. He's a two-pitch pitcher with a four-seamer that has a 90 TJ Stuff+. That may work in Triple-A, but it's harder to imagine it transitioning well to the Major Leagues. Nonetheless, it will be hard for the Royals to ignore Cerantola if he continues to dominate the International League hitters. Northwest Arkansas Highlights Brett Squires had an eye-popping spring, showing excellent power and batted-ball ability, as demonstrated in his TJ Stats Statcast percentiles below. Squires only had 21 plate appearances in Cactus League play, but he had three home runs and posted an OPS of 1.128. So far in three games with the Naturals, the 26-year-old corner infielder hasn't missed a beat. In 12 at-bats with the Naturals, he is hitting .333 with a 1.135 OPS. Squires has a home run, six RBI, and a stolen base in the Naturals' first three games. His home run was also launched against Wichita on the road, showing that his power from this spring is manifesting itself so far in Double-A play. Squires could be a candidate for a promotion soon, especially if the veterans in Omaha show they're unlikely to be players at the Major League level. On the pitching end, Frank Mozzicato, our No. 20 prospect, had an encouraging first start of the 2026 season. In 4.0 IP, he allowed one run on two hits and two walks while striking out four. He only had a 57% strike%, something he's been working on since making the move up to Double-A last year. However, the fact that he was able to limit the walks while striking out four shows that Mozzciato is slowly developing his control and command at the upper Minor League levels. Mozzicato will be one to watch as his prospect stock has dropped a lot over the past couple of years. Fastball velocity and stuff will be key to watch with him in 2026. If he is able to keep that four-seamer velocity in the 90-93 MPH range, as he did this spring, then he could have at least a Major League outlook similar to Daniel Lynch IV. Columbia Fireflies Highlights The Fireflies have a lot of big-name prospects, including 2025 MLB Draft picks Sean Gamble and Josh Hammond and 2024 international signing Yandel Ricardo. However, 21-year-old shortstop Ivan Sosa had the biggest week offensively for the Fireflies. In eight plate appearances, Sosa is hitting .375 with a 1.625 OPS. He has two home runs in two games played and has also collected a double and two RBI. This is Sosa's first exposure to Low-A ball after primarily playing in the Complex League the past two years. That said, he struggled in Arizona with a 72 wRC+ in 2024 and 70 wRC+ in 2025. He seems a lot more comfortable at the plate in 2025, as evidenced by his home run stroke below. Strikeouts were a struggle for Sosa in the Complex League, as he posted 34.6% K% in 2024 and 33.6% K% in 2025. His K% is down to 12.5% this year, but he also hasn't drawn a walk. It will be interesting to see if Sosa's free-swinging approach will age okay, especially as he faces more developed pitching in the Carolina League. Nonetheless, he has shown himself to be a player to watch in Columbia, even with so many other talented prospects around him. Like Sosa, a pitcher that didn't get a whole lot of attention this offseason, was Shane Van Dam, who made his professional debut this week. A 9th-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft out of NC State, he went three innings, allowed zero runs, two hits, and zero walks while striking out three. Van Dam only pitched eight innings in 2025 with the Wolfpack due to injury, but he's an intriguing prospect with a mix that could help him move quickly in the Royals farm system. Van Dam pitched in the instructional league last fall and turned some heads, especially among those who wondered why the Royals would select Van Dam in the ninth round after he only pitched in three college games in 2025. However, when looking at his stuff and mechanics on tape, it's easy to understand why the Royals liked him so much in this past MLB Draft. If Royals fans or prospect junkies are looking for a pitcher like Dennis Colleran, who didn't get a whole lot of attention last year due to injury in college but progressed quickly in the Royals system, Van Dam could fit that bill. His Low-A debut was certainly promising and shows what he is capable of in 2026. View the full article

Minor League Week in Nutshell The Minor League season officially kicked off, with all four affiliated levels in action this past week (March 30th to April 5th). Unfortunately, bad weather has delayed the start of the Quad Cities River Bandits season. Not only did rain postpone the first couple of games, but field conditions prevented the River Bandits and South Bend Bears from finishing the season. The Storm Chasers started their season the earliest, and they have nine games under their belt. The Fireflies and Naturals have only played one three-game series. Northwest Arkansas and Columbia host their first homestands of the year this week, along with the River Bandits. Here are the records of the three Royals affiliates that have played games thus far, as of April 6th. Omaha: 4-5 Northwest Arkansas: 2-1 Columbia: 1-2 Omaha Highlights The Storm Chasers are averaging five runs per game through the first nine games of the season. There aren't a lot of position player prospects on the Omaha roster, as most of them are veterans looking to get one last chance at the Major League level. Some familiar names include Josh Rojas, Brandon Drury, and Kevin Newman, who also played with the Royals during Spring Training. One prospect that stood out this week was Luca Tresh, who had a big week for the Storm Chasers at the plate. In 16 at-bats, the former NC State product is hitting .375 with a 1.037 OPS. He doesn't have a home run, but he has four doubles and three RBI. He has one walk and struck out five times. Cutting down the strikeouts would be nice, especially since he's been one of the main catalysts in their lineup so far. On the pitching end, Eric Cerantola has been on fire after a shaky spring, when he was one of the first to be optioned to Minor League camp. In 4.1 IP, Cerantola has seven strikeouts and only one walk while posting a 0.00 ERA and 0.92 WHIP. His K% is 41.2%, and his BB% is 35.3%. Furthermore, he has done an excellent job not just generating whiffs but also limiting hard contact so far in Omaha. The only concern I have with Cerantola is that the TJ Stuff+ doesn't profile well, with an overall score of 98. He's a two-pitch pitcher with a four-seamer that has a 90 TJ Stuff+. That may work in Triple-A, but it's harder to imagine it transitioning well to the Major Leagues. Nonetheless, it will be hard for the Royals to ignore Cerantola if he continues to dominate the International League hitters. Northwest Arkansas Highlights Brett Squires had an eye-popping spring, showing excellent power and batted-ball ability, as demonstrated in his TJ Stats Statcast percentiles below. Squires only had 21 plate appearances in Cactus League play, but he had three home runs and posted an OPS of 1.128. So far in three games with the Naturals, the 26-year-old corner infielder hasn't missed a beat. In 12 at-bats with the Naturals, he is hitting .333 with a 1.135 OPS. Squires has a home run, six RBI, and a stolen base in the Naturals' first three games. His home run was also launched against Wichita on the road, showing that his power from this spring is manifesting itself so far in Double-A play. Squires could be a candidate for a promotion soon, especially if the veterans in Omaha show they're unlikely to be players at the Major League level. On the pitching end, Frank Mozzicato, our No. 20 prospect, had an encouraging first start of the 2026 season. In 4.0 IP, he allowed one run on two hits and two walks while striking out four. He only had a 57% strike%, something he's been working on since making the move up to Double-A last year. However, the fact that he was able to limit the walks while striking out four shows that Mozzciato is slowly developing his control and command at the upper Minor League levels. Mozzicato will be one to watch as his prospect stock has dropped a lot over the past couple of years. Fastball velocity and stuff will be key to watch with him in 2026. If he is able to keep that four-seamer velocity in the 90-93 MPH range, as he did this spring, then he could have at least a Major League outlook similar to Daniel Lynch IV. Columbia Fireflies Highlights The Fireflies have a lot of big-name prospects, including 2025 MLB Draft picks Sean Gamble and Josh Hammond and 2024 international signing Yandel Ricardo. However, 21-year-old shortstop Ivan Sosa had the biggest week offensively for the Fireflies. In eight plate appearances, Sosa is hitting .375 with a 1.625 OPS. He has two home runs in two games played and has also collected a double and two RBI. This is Sosa's first exposure to Low-A ball after primarily playing in the Complex League the past two years. That said, he struggled in Arizona with a 72 wRC+ in 2024 and 70 wRC+ in 2025. He seems a lot more comfortable at the plate in 2025, as evidenced by his home run stroke below. Strikeouts were a struggle for Sosa in the Complex League, as he posted 34.6% K% in 2024 and 33.6% K% in 2025. His K% is down to 12.5% this year, but he also hasn't drawn a walk. It will be interesting to see if Sosa's free-swinging approach will age okay, especially as he faces more developed pitching in the Carolina League. Nonetheless, he has shown himself to be a player to watch in Columbia, even with so many other talented prospects around him. Like Sosa, a pitcher that didn't get a whole lot of attention this offseason, was Shane Van Dam, who made his professional debut this week. A 9th-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft out of NC State, he went three innings, allowed zero runs, two hits, and zero walks while striking out three. Van Dam only pitched eight innings in 2025 with the Wolfpack due to injury, but he's an intriguing prospect with a mix that could help him move quickly in the Royals farm system. Van Dam pitched in the instructional league last fall and turned some heads, especially among those who wondered why the Royals would select Van Dam in the ninth round after he only pitched in three college games in 2025. However, when looking at his stuff and mechanics on tape, it's easy to understand why the Royals liked him so much in this past MLB Draft. If Royals fans or prospect junkies are looking for a pitcher like Dennis Colleran, who didn't get a whole lot of attention last year due to injury in college but progressed quickly in the Royals system, Van Dam could fit that bill. His Low-A debut was certainly promising and shows what he is capable of in 2026. View the full article

Carlos Tosca was starting to rethink things. The Blue Jays were 20-33 when first-year general manager J.P. Ricciardi relieved Buck Martinez of his managerial duties at the start of June, replacing him with Tosca. Toronto responded by winning seven of their first eight games under their new skipper, but having just been walked off by Mike Mordecai in Montreal, the team had now lost five in a row, and the schedule wasn’t getting easier. Toronto’s interleague road trip would continue in Los Angeles and Arizona, facing the two teams fighting at the top of the National League West. This would be the Blue Jays’ first ever trip to Chavez Ravine. Interleague play began in ‘97, but Major League Baseball changed scheduling in 2002, making this the first year Toronto played teams outside of the NL East. Action between the two leagues had started earlier in the month, and the Blue Jays had swept the Rockies at home and beat the Giants before dropping the next two to San Francisco to start the current slide. So Tosca plotted his next move, perhaps emboldened by the success of his first. When he took over, Tosca said he would make better use of every player on the Blue Jays. For Chris Woodward, any use would be better use. It would be generous to say Martinez played him sparingly. In Buck’s second-to-last game on June 2, Woodward started for only the sixth time at shortstop in place of scuffling starter Felipe López. The previous month, he had appeared in only five games. Since Tosca began writing the lineup cards, Woodward matched his season total with six more starts and got a hit in every single one. All Woodward wanted was a manager to give him a chance to play every day, and unbeknownst to him, Tosca was that manager. Woodward had led off on a Shannon Stewart off day in the previous series, and Tosca would now feature his new-everyday shortstop at the top of his regular lineup card. Batting behind Woodward would be rookie Eric Hinske, up from the fifth spot, slashing .278/.367/.532 to this point in the year. Stewart would hit third, moving Raúl Mondesí to fifth behind the ever-in-place Carlos Delgado at cleanup. Putting his top on-base guys in front of Delgado and Mondesí was what drove the change, Tosca said. That was true, but the manager was also being delicate with one player, expecting to hear it in his return to Dodger Stadium. Batting BA OBP SLG OPS Carlos Delgado .256 .401 .530 .931 Tom Wilson .268 .377 .431 .808 Eric Hinske .278 .367 .532 .899 Shannon Stewart .290 .342 .438 .780 Chris Woodward .281 .339 .632 .970 José Cruz .227 .306 .385 .690 Felipe López .234 .300 .416 .716 Raúl Mondesí .218 .295 .432 .728 Vernon Wells .249 .294 .397 .691 Dave Berg .247 .275 .367 .642 Darrin Fletcher .218 .241 .307 .548 Blue Jays OBP leaders leading up to the game on June 18, 2002, provided by Baseball-Reference.com (view original table). Mondesí was unwelcome. Again. He had his share of detractors in his last season as a Dodger, hounded for off-field behaviour and even smeared in the media by the team before he was dealt to Toronto for Shawn Green. Things had gotten so bad between Mondesí, Green, and their respective teams that then-Toronto GM Gord Ash allowed Jeff Moorad, the agent for both players, to work out the details of a trade. It took Mondesí a while to get over the move, but he thought he would at least be joining a contender with the Blue Jays, and hey, Ash guaranteed the final two years of his contract. It wasn’t going to be so bad in Toronto. Had his predecessor not done that, Ricciardi would have been fine with walking away from Mondesí upon taking over the team. Mondesí had hit 27 home runs and stolen 30 bases in 2001, but the new general manager was doing anything he could to move off the $24 million Ash committed to the right fielder over the next two seasons. It had been a directive from the new Rogers ownership, and Ricciardi was wishing he had found a taker. Mondesí's play hit a clear downturn in ‘02, and he was almost untradeable. Before the game, Mondesí spoke fondly about his time as a Dodger, fondly on his future elsewhere and... little about Toronto. “I want a World Series ring,” Mondesí said. “You want to win. I enjoy Toronto, but I would play the same wherever I went.” Booed by the crowd of 24,991 before his first at-bat, Mondesí wasn’t shaken, saying the fans jeered “because they have to. I know inside the fans don’t feel that way. These are the best fans in the world.” He was traded to the Yankees in July for a minor league arm, a salary dump in which Toronto was able to offload some of the remaining debt. I’m sure this too, Raúl, was written as a letter of love about your time with the Yankees. (photo credit: The Toronto Sun) By far the strongest part of Tosca’s lineup would be in the nine spot. Roy Halladay arrived from day one in 2002. He threw at least seven innings in his first four starts and ripped off a stretch of five straight wins in May. He was on his way to his first All-Star Game, but Doc had a blip in his last outing, leaving in the seventh inning, having surrendered five runs on 10 hits to the Giants. No matter that, Halladay had just entered the era of Doc, who was exactly the pitcher you wanted to stop a losing streak. Tosca could expect his pitcher to be an ace against the Dodgers, but he would end up asking him to do way, way too much in a National League ballpark. After a scoreless first inning, a walk and a stolen base had José Cruz on second with one out against Dodgers starter Andy Ashby. Up next, Joe Lawrence hit a bloop single, but a cautious Brian Butterfield held Cruz at third base out of respect for Green’s arm in right. The press box at Dodger Stadium derided the stop sign with the light-hitting Ken Huckaby coming to the plate. Runs were going to be at a premium tonight, but Toronto’s catcher stepped up to deliver home Cruz for the first run of the game. Huckaby's single left runners on the corners for Halladay with still one away. Far from the hitter who delivered an RBI base hit in the playoffs, Halladay had six career plate appearances coming into this game. He had struck out three times, moved runners over against Orel Hershiser and Steve Trachsel, and even managed a groundout against Trachsel. After Halladay swung through the first pitch from Ashby, Tosca acted on an idea. He signaled to Butterfield, who relayed the information to Lawrence at third and Doc at the plate. Somewhere along the chain, someone must have wondered, ‘Is this right?’ As Ashby broke from set, Lawrence took off, and Doc squared around. It was an absurd time to call for the squeeze, and you've got to miss this era of baseball. The pitch from Ashby was outside, eluding the bunt attempt into the mitt of Dodgers catcher Paul Lo Duca, who tagged a dead duck in Lawrence. Halladay inevitably struck out, but had Tosca not inserted himself into the game, he would have given Woodward a chance with runners on the corners. Those had to be the opportunities the manager had been speaking of, right? As Toronto trotted out for the home half of the second with the lead, they would not be joined by Woodward, who was replaced by Lopez at short. The squeeze call may have been in response to whatever was going on with Woodward. Semi-rewind to Shea Stadium on June 7, 1999. Halladay would step to the plate for the first time in his career against the Mets that night, and it was also the major league debut of Woodward, who drove in the only two runs in an 8-2 defeat on a not-yet-that-Doc night for the Blue Jays. Manager Jim Fregosi, days from getting clocked in the face, joked Woodward could hit cleanup instead of Tony Fernandez, who was reluctantly doing so at the time. For the Toronto Star’s Dave Perkins, at least the call-up of Woodward would mean the end of Homer Bush at shortstop in ‘99, or what he called “a jerry-rigged exercise in futility for 18 games.” (photo credit: Aaron Harris/CP/Sportsnet) Nonetheless, Jim Tracy was left inspired. In his second season as manager of the Dodgers, Tracy had yet to meet Paul DePodesta, with whom he’d clash over the incoming general manager’s sabermetric leanings. Tosca would not upstage Tracy in smallball. Not in his ballpark, dammit. With one out and Ashby at the plate, former Blue Jay César Izturis stole third base. With the count 1-2, Tracy called for his own squeeze! Ashby was able to make contact with the pitch, fouling it off to strike out but keep Izturis and the inning alive. Facing the top of the order, Halladay used three pitches to retire Dave Roberts on a groundout to end the third inning. In spite of ridiculous instructions at the plate, Doc was magic on the mound all night. The only other runs of the ballgame were attested to Delgado: an RBI double in the sixth off the bat of the Blue Jays' slugger and an error in the eighth that led to a run on a base hit from Green. It was the lone blemish on Halladay’s night, the fifth of many complete game victories to come in his career. He threw 67 strikes on an even 100-pitch night, allowing just four hits and the unearned run. Doc walked two and struck out seven; he was sharp, but he wanted to be exact, saying the “last pitch (to Green) could have been a little lower to give him a harder time with it, but he is just a great hitter.” Woodward’s absence from the final eight innings was due to a pulled groin he suffered before the game while taking infield. It was especially crushing as Woodward, who grew up nearby, had over 30 people in the crowd to watch him in the majors for the first time. The injury would keep him on the shelf for weeks, and when he returned in July, Lopez remained no threat to him in the eyes of Tosca. Woodward played most days, and with Mondesí traded and Cruz injured, he even served as the segue three-hole hitter to Vernon Wells, who took the spot for good in the last game of August. It was the best season of Woodward’s career (2.3 bWAR), and he would stay with the Jays until ‘04 before returning for 11 games at the end of his career in 2011. The 2-1 victory was Toronto’s only win in their first trip to Dodger Stadium. They got the door shut on them by Éric Gagné the next two nights, but things stayed better under Tosca. The Jays finished 59-51 on their way to a somewhat improbable 78-win season. Tosca had stayed true and continued to play the entirety of his roster. Another beneficiary was Josh Phelps, who kept hitting upon his call-up in July, and Tosca kept writing him into the lineup. Phelps slashed .309/.362/.562 in 287 plate appearances, finishing sixth in the AL Rookie of the Year race behind Hinske, who finished the year hitting second in Tosca’s lineups. View the full article

For the 2026 season, Fish On First will provide weekly reports on the Miami Marlins farm system, covering all levels. Here's the season debut of our Fish On First Prospect Report. Triple-A Jacksonville It has generally been a terrible start to the Jumbo Shrimp season, especially offensively. Their .557 OPS as a team is 75 points lower than any other Triple-A affiliate. Jacksonville's best hitter so far is Deyvison De Los Santos. He has played in five AAA games, slashing .278/.381/.611/.992 with two home runs, six RBI and a 157 wRC+. After a spring training that saw much better plate discipline from the 22-year-old, the Marlins had to call up De Los Santos when Christopher Morel went down, but he was sent back down following the opening series when the team acquired infielder Leo Jiménez. With the Shrimp, he's only struck out 19.0% of the time. If these spring training and early-season approach improvements sustain, De Los Santos can see some time at the major league level by season's end. The other first baseman on the Jumbo Shrimp, Nathan Martorella, who is slashing .208/.394/.375/.769 with one home run, seven RBI and a 116 wRC+. He has just as many walks as strikeouts. Martorella, 25, was one of the four players acquired in the trade that sent Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres. Outfielder Andrew Pintar may have off to a slow start with the bat, but his overall plate appearances have been strong, with a .382 on base percentage, walking 17.6% of the time, and has already lowered his strikeout percentage from 29.5% of the time in 2025 to 23.5% early on. Pintar, who plays all three outfield spots, could play a role on the big league team if we see any injuries come up. Braxton Garrett, who did not make the Marlins rotation coming out of spring, made his second start of the Triple-A season on Sunday, where in 4 ⅔ shutout innings, he allowed two hits and two walks. He also struck out eight. Six of his eight strikeouts were swinging strikeouts. Overall, Garrett generated 14 whiffs, with six of them coming on his slider. The main concern is the four-seam fastball (and sinker) velocity, who in spring training was averaging between 92-94 mph, but on Sunday, his four-seam fastball averaged 90.7 mph and the sinker was averaging 90 mph. He topped out at 92.9 mph with the four-seam fastball. William Kempner leads all pitchers with four appearances, posting a 4.50 ERA, but does have a 2.02 FIP with a 24.75 K/9 (11 strikeouts) and 2.25 BB/9 in four innings of work. It's still early with pitchers, but Kempner has been a bit unlucky, and the ERA should at some point go down. Jack Ralston was the best of the minor league signings the Marlins made, impressing throughout spring training. In three appearances, he already has a 2.25 ERA, 2.27 FIP, 15.75 K/9 and 6.75 BB/9 in four innings pitched. Ralston's walk issues have continued, as control/command has been an ongoing issue throughout his career. Dax Fulton unfortunately continues to struggle, as in two appearances (one start), he's allowed nine runs and four walks. Despite one strong spring training outing, he just hasn't been able to look like the Dax Fulton we saw in 2022 who had the potential to be a future piece of the rotation. At this point, it may be time to see what they can get out of him in the bullpen. Double-A Pensacola The Wahoos got their season started at home with a three-game set against the Montgomery Biscuits. A low-scoring affair and pitchers’ duel in their first game gave way to a shutout at the hands of a familiar face. Their third game was postponed due to rain. Pensacola will stay at home this week still searching for their first win. After participating in MLB spring training and starting the Spring Breakout for Miami, Karson Milbrandt got the Opening Day nod for Pensacola. He showed off his new sweeper early and often, earning his first strikeout on one with great vertical break that dove out of the hitter’s sight. Developed during the Arizona Fall League this past season, Milbrandt already has supreme confidence in the pitch. Lauded for the work he did physically over the winter, Milbrandt topped at 97 mph and sat 95 with his fastball. The benefactor of some great defense early including on a robbed home run by Fenwick Trimble and a great play in the hole at short by newcomer Cristian Hernández, Milbrandt got better as the start got older. Ultimately, he allowed just one earned run on four hits and two walks while working into the fifth inning. Some minor command lapses aside, this was a great building block 2026 debut for Milbrandt who is retooled and reborn as one of the best pitching prospects in the Marlins’ organization. One of the newest Marlins in the upper minors, Brendan Jones is making a solid first impression. After posting four hits including a home run and four walks in 10 spring training games with the Marlins, Jones went three for his first eight in his first two games with the Blue Wahoos. He also notched his first two stolen bases of the campaign. Fresh off a .245/.359/.395 52 stolen bases season at High-A and Double-A, the 5’9”, 180-pound line-drive hitter who is a threat for extra bases whenever a ball drops, Jones is the most well-rounded piece that came back to the Marlins in the Ryan Weathers trade. A lefty hitter that limits strikeouts and who will be able to stick in centerfield, Jones has a high floor and if he can add more power, has the capability of raising his ceiling. In an advantageous developmental situation with an organization that has done very well with lefty hitting outfielders, Jones is a name on the rise. High-A Beloit After being postponed twice, the Sky Carp finally got their season kicked off agains the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Saturday in rare fashion: their first slate of the year was a back-to-back doubleheader. Beloit fell behind early in both games, but fought back valiantly on both occasions. They wound up splitting the twin bill. The third game of the series was canceled. Starlyn Caba, our Prospect of the Week, was the star of the series. After an impressive Arizona Fall League campaign and spring training, the 20-year-old began the year with Beloit, despite being two years younger than the league average competitor. Caba burst out of the gates by going a combined 4-for-7 in his first two High-A contests. In the second game, he knocked in four of five Sky Carp runs. Caba showcased great bat control all day long, getting good wood on pitches both in and out of the strike zone. Probably his most impressive hit on the day was a single on a ball he got to up and out of the strike zone. Known for great defense and speed, it’s the bat the Marlins have been working diligently on and hoping to see show up more often for Caba. If early returns this season are any suggestion, he made the most of Miami’s hitting development tutelage this spring. If this type of production continues on a regular basis, Caba will be a solid on-base threat. If he can improve his bat speed, there’s some hidden power to tap into as well. Early returns on recent draft picks have been few and far between for the Marlins for the past couple of years, but Cam Cannarella, Miami’s competitive balance round pick from last year, continued to be one positive outlier in his High-A debut. After slashing .284/.337/.375 for Jupiter post draft last season, the 22-year-old lefty hitter went 4-for-6 on Saturday. He also walked three times and stole a base. His standout moment was his final at bat of the night in which he drew a full count and plated two with a single to keep the Sky Carp alive. Another glove-over-bat prospect coming out of one draft due to standout skills in centerfield, the Marlins have to be pleased with what Cannarella has shown early in his career at the dish. While he likely won’t ever develop enough physicality to be much of a power threat, he has shown a good eye and the ability to make informed swing decisions. He’s also showing a quieter and looser setup and approach this season and has taken a bit of loopiness out of his swing. If he can continue to work counts and make consistent contact as the quality of stuff he faces increases, Cannarella could raise his floor closer to that of a full-time starting center fielder. Low-A Jupiter The Hammerheads are off to a 2-1 start this season, falling on Opening Day, but then bouncing back and winning back-to-back games against the Daytona Tortugas. On the position player side, it has been 2025 fifth round pick Chris Arroyo, who is slashing .375/.375/.1.000/1.375 with one home run, two RBI and a 292 wRC+. Arroyo was one of many Marlins who participated in winter ball, playing in Puerto Rico. In 16 games with Leones de Ponce, he slashed .216/.341/.297/.638 with one home run and six RBI. Arroyo will see time between first base and the outfield. Shortstop prospect Carter Johnson went deep for his first hit of the season, a homer to straightaway center. Johnson struggled last season, slashing .177/.275/.261/.536 with three home runs and 43 RBI in 106 games played. Johnson's start to his professional career has been nothing short of a disappointment, but he is only 20 years old, and after a full season in Low-A, maybe he can adjust to the league and show some results. Esmil Valencia, acquired in the Jesus Sánchez trade with the Houston Astros, is slashing .300/.417/.500/.917 with two RBI. Last season in Jupiter, the 20-year old right-handed hitter showed high exit velocities and slashed .327/.367/.510/.877 with three home runs, 21 RBI, 14 stolen bases and a 141 wRC+. The early concern has been the 25.0% strikeout rate, which has increased from last season, but with a limited sample size in 2026, we need to wait some time to let balance out a bit. Thomas White (Grade 1 right oblique strain) made a rehab start on April 2. He tossed 2 ⅓ innings, where he allowed two runs on two hits (one home run), walked one and struck out four. Three of White's four strikeouts were swinging strikeouts. He'll continue to stretch out as a starter with another rehab start on Wednesday. In his first appearance of the season, Nate Payne, an 18th round pick in the 2024 draft, struck out eight in four innings of work on Opening Day for the Hammerheads. He followed Thomas White and was placed in a long relief role. Six of his eight strikeouts were swinging strikeouts. The 20-year-old left-handed pitcher made 17 starts between the Florida Complex League and Low-A, where he posted a 3.20 ERA, 3.72 FIP, 11.66 K/9 and 5.91 BB/9 in 56 ⅓ innings of work. This week's MiLB schedule Triple-A Jacksonville at Norfolk Double-A Pensacola at Biloxi High-A Beloit vs. Cedar Rapids Low-A Jupiter vs. Fort Myers View the full article

The Boston Red Sox have scuffled at the plate to begin their season, leading to an ugly 2-7 record after the first three series of action in 2026. Marcelo Mayer was oft-discussed this spring, primarily by manager Alex Cora, who never gave a firm answer as to whether or not the young infielder had a spot on the Opening Day roster. Evidently, he earned that spot despite not being the starting second baseman on Opening Day. Cora has given him the nod in all but two games this season, and he has appeared in all nine, making improvements in his swing that warrant real confidence moving forward. While his numbers might not jump off the page, slashing .227/.280/.500 in his first nine games, he has been drilling the ball all over the yard with a 94.8 mph average exit velocity and a 23.1 percent barrel rate. In a small sample, his three doubles rank seventh in the American League, and he sits third on the team in slugging percentage. What he has done to create those changes in quality of contact is alter his attack angle. Statcast defines Attack Angle as: "The vertical direction that the sweet spot of the bat is traveling at the moment it hits the baseball... A higher attack angle, assuming the bat makes square contact with the baseball, is more likely to result in a fly ball. A lower or negative attack angle would be more likely to produce a ground ball." Two of the five players tied for first in average attack angle last season were Eugenio Suárez and Cal Raleigh at 18 degrees, and both ranked top five in fly ball rate as well. The key to hitting is not merely lifting the ball, but doing so consistently and with authority. Mayer has done both. He has increased his attack angle from seven degrees to ten. The results are already visible: his groundball rate has dropped from 49.4 percent to 38.5 percent, while his fly ball rate has jumped from 33.3 percent all the way to 61.5 percent. Small samples demand caution, especially with hitters. A three-for-four afternoon can reshape a season line in an instant. That is precisely why the focus here is on approach and mechanical adjustments rather than the slash line. Swing path and batted ball data are the early indicators that foreshadow a player's trajectory, and on both fronts, Mayer is trending in the right direction. His 23.1 percent barrel rate is also worth trusting more than most early-season numbers, as barrel rate stabilizes faster than batting average, meaning the hard contact he's been producing is not just early season noise. The urgency of that trend is hard to overstate given the state of this offense. Heading into their series finale against the Padres, the Red Sox ranked last in MLB in runs scored with 24, sat 21st in wRC+ at 87, posted the fifth-highest strikeout rate in the league at 28.1 percent, and ranked second-worst in high-leverage situations according to FanGraphs' clutch metric. This lineup desperately needs someone to catch fire. Mayer is hitting like a man who is due. An early spark from him, a player no one penciled in as a catalyst entering the year, could be exactly what this offense needs to find its footing. View the full article

There's nothing worse than a leaky bullpen that spoils a team's best-laid plans. It's like that field-goal kicker in football who can't convert a chip-shot to win the game when every other unit of the football team has performed well. The New York Mets (6-4) are off to a somewhat encouraging start at the outset of a marathon regular season. The bullpen has been one of the most positive aspects, as Mets relievers have posted a 1.66 ERA, second only to the Atlanta Braves (1.08). However, one of the most important statistics for a bullpen is how well they manage walks. With 14 walks issued to this point already, this bullpen can reach new heights as long as they limit the free passes. Newcomers Luke Weaver and Devin Williams have steadied the relief corps. Williams, in particular, needed a strong start after the bullpen lost a huge piece in Edwin Diaz. He currently has a 16.7% hard-hit rate that sits in the 93rd percentile of baseball. He posted a 1.75 ERA over his first four full seasons in the majors despite slightly elevated walk rates. However, since September 3, 2025 (excluding postseason), Williams has posted a 2.63 ERA with 19 strikeouts and two saves in 14 appearances. Williams started to turn the corner in a Yankee uniform. The best part? Only seven walks. Williams can still use an arsenal primarily comprised of a four-seam fastball and changeup as long as his command remains strong. Still, both he and Weaver have given up two walks in their four innings thus far, and they aren't even the worst offenders in the bullpen. Sean Manaea's role will be interesting to watch, as he began the year in the bullpen. With an opening series game against the Pirates tied 1-1, Manaea issued two walks, but was able to get Nick Gonzalez to ground out and keep the game tied. Manaea admitted after his first appearance that he is still trying to figure things out. The southpaw issued walks at an 8.5% clip during his sterling 2024 season that landed right around the league average. It's a tricky balancing act because Manaea followed his middling season debut with an outing against the San Francisco Giants in which he admirably ate innings during a game in which the Mets were trailing by multiple runs. Even though he issued a pair of walks, Manaea saved the rest of the bullpen so that they were in position to pitch later in the series. Tobias Myers is an especially stingy reliever when it comes to free passes throughout his career. Myers (6.4% career walk rate) has yet to unintentionally walk an opposing hitter this season. Huascar Brazoban has likewise been flawless thus far in that regard, but he issued free passes at a 10.3% clip during a 2025 season in which he pitched well overall. A further step forward with his command would make him a far more reliable leverage reliever. First year pitching coach Justin Willard will earn his money as he watches over the development of the relievers. Walks will kill over time, even if, thus far, the bullpen has been good at escaping the jams they've created. Better command from the relief corps will lead to better command of late-game situations. View the full article

Box Score SP: Joe Ryan 5 IP, 3 H, 3 R (2 ER), 7 K, 3 BB HR: Luke Keaschall (1) Top 3 WPA: Keaschall 0.27, Lawyerson 0.17, Caratini 0.16 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): The Minnesota Twins finally gave the home crowd at Target Field something to warm up about. Coming into the fourth series of the season, the Twins have yet to win a set, dropping each of their first three series two games to one. A frigid week in Minneapolis didn’t make things any easier, and a matchup with the AL Central-favorite Detroit Tigers wasn’t exactly a get-right opportunity, on paper. But behind their ace, Joe Ryan, and a much-needed offensive response, the Twins flipped a familiar script and came away with a 7-3 win to open the series. The Twins wasted no time generating offense in the third inning. Byron Buxton sparked the rally with a double, followed by a single from Trevor Larnach and a walk by Luke Keaschall to load the bases with no outs. They capitalized in methodical fashion, starting with a sacrifice fly from Victor Caratini before RBI singles from Matt Wallner and Royce Lewis gave Minnesota a 3-0 lead. Then came the moment Twins fans have seen too often. In the top of the fourth, the Tigers answered immediately. Colt Keith roped an RBI double, and Zach McKinstry followed with a two-run single to even the score at 3-3. It had all the signs of another game where early momentum would slip away. This time, it didn’t. In the bottom half of the inning, Keaschall delivered the swing of the game. After a slow start to his season, he turned on a pitch and launched his first home run of the year into the left-field bleachers, a two-run shot that immediately swung momentum back in Minnesota’s favor and put the Twins up 5-3. For Ryan, the fourth inning was the lone blemish in an otherwise steady outing. He battled some control issues but limited the damage, finishing with three runs allowed over five innings while keeping the Twins in position to win. From there, the bullpen took over and slammed the door. Anthony Banda, Eric Orze, Kody Funderburk, and Cody Laweryson combined for four scoreless innings. The Twins added breathing room in the eighth inning, and once again it was Caratini in the middle of it. With the bases loaded, he lined a two-run single to extend the lead to 7-3, giving Minnesota the cushion it had been missing in previous games. The Twins answered adversity, regained control after losing it, and got contributions up and down the roster. What’s next The Twins will look to build on the momentum as they continue the series against Detroit. They’ll face a tough test in Tarik Skubal, the two-time reigning Cy Young Award winner, who is set to take the mound for the Tigers. Opposing him will be Taj Bradley, as the Twins try to secure their first series win of the season at 6:40 PM CT. It will, blessedly, be warmer. Bullpen Usage Chart THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Laweryson 0 10 9 0 14 19 Topa 13 17 0 15 0 45 Rogers 4 0 23 18 0 45 Banda 0 17 15 0 17 32 Orze 0 37 0 0 12 37 Sands 11 0 0 21 0 32 Funderburk 15 2 0 3 20 20 Acton 0 0 0 0 0 0 View the full article

MIAMI — The Miami Marlins returned from their series against the New York Yankees to face the Cincinnati Reds back at home on Monday night. However, it seems that all of their offense missed the flight and remains back in the Bronx. The Fish struggled to put anything together against left-handed starting pitcher Brandon Williamson in their series-opening 2-0 loss. Starting pitcher Janson Junk had a very efficient outing in his second start of the 2026 season. Junk pitched 7 ⅓ innings, allowing seven hits, two runs, one walk, and three strikeouts. He improved his season ERA to 3.09. “I’m happy with what I did today,” Junk said postgame. “I feel like I did not have my best stuff, but I was able to go out there and compete and get through quick innings to get back in the dugout and give the guys a chance.” Right-handed relief pitcher Tyler Phillips took over for Junk and was able to keep a runner stranded. Phillips punched out Matt McLain and got Elly De La Cruz to ground out to Otto Lopez at shortstop. Phillips also pitched a scoreless ninth inning to keep the ballgame within reach. The Marlins offense had a putrid night. Otto Lopez was one of the few hitters who did well against Cincinnati’s pitching staff. Lopez went 2-for-4 and boosted his season batting average to .351. It was his third consecutive multi-hit game. Second-year catcher Agustín Ramírez was the only other Marlin to record a hit. Ramírez went 1-for-3 with a triple and drew a walk. His triple was about a foot or two away from being a solo home run to right field. “Unfortunately, we just couldn’t get much going offensively to back (Junk) up,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said postgame. “The ones we did square up, they just didn’t fall.” The Marlins totaled 12 hard-hit balls, according to Statcast, compared to 10 for Cincinnati. The Reds are now 4-0 on the road this season. The two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers are the only other MLB team that also remains undefeated in away games. What’s next? The Marlins will look to rebound and even the series versus the Reds. On Tuesday, Miami will hand the ball to their ace pitcher, Sandy Alcantara. The 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner has been stellar to kick off the 2026 season. Alcantara is coming off one of the best starts of his career, a complete-game shutout against the Chicago White Sox. It was also the second “Maddux” of his MLB career. The Reds will hand the ball to left-handed pitcher Andrew Abbott. In two outings far this season, the 2025 National League All-Star southpaw pitcher has recorded a 3.09 ERA, 3.80 FIP, 1.37 WHIP, and a .674 opponent OPS. The first pitch for Tuesday’s game is at 6:40 pm EST. View the full article

In the first injury news of the regular season affecting the Milwaukee Brewers' pitching staff, left-handed reliever Jared Koenig was placed on the 15-day injured list Monday with a sprained UCL in his left elbow. To replace Koenig, the Crew called up left-hander Shane Drohan from Triple-A Nashville. Drohan will make his MLB debut when he appears in a game. In a bit of ironic timing, Drohan will be active for the three-game series vs. the Boston Red Sox that begins Monday. Drohan was one of three players the Brewers acquired from the Red Sox in exchange for third baseman Caleb Durbin and two other infielders. Koenig is expected to be out two to four weeks. Drohan, once a well thought of prospect, had nerve decompression surgery shortly after the Chicago White Sox selected him in the Rule 5 draft following the 2023 season. The procedure was one reason why the White Sox returned him to the Red Sox the following season. Drohan had a 2.27 ERA in 14 appearances at Triple-A last season in 15 appearances, all but one a start. He appeared in one game for Nashville this season, striking out six, walking four and allowing two runs in 3⅓ innings. Right-hander Chad Patrick had been scheduled to start the finale of the Red Sox series on short rest Wednesday, but that spot is now listed as TBA, possibly an opening for Drohan if he doesn't pitch in relief in the first two games. View the full article

Minor-league players jettisoned from the organization? Players from three years ago finally retiring? NOPE! Mets Roster Central is here with powerful, relevant roster updates about the most powerful relevant player on their roster Transactions, 4/6/2026 GOING NEUTRAL GOING Placed on 10-Day IL, Retroactive to 2026-04-04, with Strained Right Calf Transferred from Infield Promoted from Syracuse Outfielders Outfielders Infielders Juan Soto Brett Baty Ronny Mauricio L/L DoB: 36093 High Level: MLB (2025) L/R DoB: 1999-11-13 High Level: MLB (2025) S/R DoB: 2001-04-04 High Level: MLB (2025) It's nobody's favorite hot, sinewy dose of reality, but you can put all the biggest resources to bear in securing the services of the most gifted players, but whether you wind up with Babe Ruth or Joe Shabotnik, the two of them will be worth exactly the same on the Injured List. So chase that shiny free agent, sure — and the Mets invested $765 million in chasing Juan Soto down — but the winning move is always depth, depth, depth. And then, maybe, you might want to add a little depth. While Juan's role in left field will be covered by some combination of Brett Baty, Jared Young, and Tyrone Taylor — which will almost certainly mean more opportunities for Mark Vientos at first and DH — his spot on the roster goes to Ronny Mauricio. It would be great to see delayed-launch opportunities be the key to Ronny establishing himself in the bigs, at it seemingly has been for Baty and Vientos, but right now, his role will seemingly be backing up at second, third, and short — and the guys there haven't been yielding any innings to anybody, so if this calf injury of Juan's is as quick to heal as we all hope it is, Ronny will likely have to make the most of very few opportunities. Give 'em Hell, Ronny! 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 Brian Chicklo Joseph Golia Bryan Baca Sean Bardanett Josh Bickel Dustin Clarke Tanner Miracle Jeremy Chiang DoB: 1972-07-17 DoB: 1978-??-?? DoB: Circa 1980 DoB: 1988-06-23 DoB: 1996-??-?? DoB: 1987-??-?? DoB: 1991-??-?? DoB: ????-??-?? Your 2026 New York Mets Starting Pitchers Clay Holmes Nolan McLean Freddy Peralta David Peterson Kodai Senga R/R DoB: 1993-03-27 R/R DoB: 2001-07-24 R/R DoB: 2996-06-04 L/L DoB: 1995-09-03 L/R DoB: 1993-01-30 Relief Pitchers Huascar Brazobán Luis Garcia Richard Lovelady Sean Manaea Tobias Myers Brooks Raley Luke Weaver R/R DoB: 1989-10-15 R/R DoB: 1987-01-30 L/L DoB: 1995-07-07 R/L DoB: 1992-02-01 R/R DoB: 1998-08-05 L/L DoB: 1988-06-29 R/R DoB: 1993-08-21 Relief Pitchers Catchers Infielders Devin Williams Francisco Alvarez Luís Torrens Bo Bichette Francisco Lindor Ronny Mauricio Jorge Polanco R/R DoB: 1994-09-21 R/R DoB: 2001-11-01 R/R DoB: 1996-05-02 R/R DoB: 1998-03-05 S/R DoB: 1993-11-14 S/R DoB: 2001-04-04 S/R DoB: 1999-11-13 Infielders Outfielders Marcus Semien Mark Vientos Brett Baty Carson Benge Luis Robert, Jr. Tyrone Taylor Jared Young R/R DoB: 1990-09-17 R/R DoB: 1993-12-11 L/R DoB: 1999-11-13 L/R DoB: 2003-01-20 R/R DoB: 1997-08-03 R/R DoB: 34356 L/R DoB: 1995-07-09 Also on 40-Player Roster Starting Pitchers Relief Pitchers Tylor Megill Christian Scott Jonah Tong Alex Carrillo Reed Garrett Joey Gerber Justin Hagenman R/R DoB: 1995-07-28 R/R DoB: 1999-06-15 R/R DoB: 2003-06-19 R/R DoB: 1997-06-06 R/R DoB: 1993-01-02 R/R DoB: 1997-05-03 R/R DoB: 1996-10-07 On 60-Day Injured List with torn right UCL. With Syracuse With Syracuse With Syracuse On 60-Day Injured List — right UCL surgery and nerve relocation surgery. With Syracuse On 60 Day Injured List with fractured rib. Relief Pitchers Catchers Outfielders A.J. Minter Dedniel Núñez Jonathan Pintaro Dylan Ross Austin Warren Hayden Senger MJ Melendez L/L DoB: 1993-09-02 R/R DoB: 1996-06-05 R/R DoB: 1997-11-07 R/R DoB: 2000-09-01 R/R DoB: 1996-02-05 R/R DoB: 1997-04-03 L/R DoB: 1993-11-29 On 15-Day Injured List — Left Lat Surgery On 60-Day Injured List — right UCL surgery. With Syracuse With Syracuse, on Seven-Day IL With Syracuse With Syracuse With Syracuse Outfielders Nick Morabito Juan Soto R/R DoB: 2003-05-07 L/L DoB: 1998-10-25 With Syracuse On 15-Day Injured List with strained right calf View the full article

After being the 8th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, Brooks Lee has failed to live up to his pedigree, struggling to sustain success in the majors so far. He hasn't shown enough improvement, and his weaknesses have been fully exposed. Opposing pitchers are taking advantage, and Lee's future with the Twins may depend on whether he can make a huge adjustment—quickly. Brooks Lee has a sub-.650 OPS so far in his career, as he nears 750 plate appearances. He fails to control the strike zone and work counts. He lacks consistent power, as evidenced by his .370 SLG in 2025, which tells a different story than the 16 homers he hit. There are plenty of reasons for concern with Lee's offense. Priority number one right now is simple: Lee can only hit fastballs, and the league has figured that out. If he can't respond by changing it, he's in big trouble. Struggling against non-fastballs isn't uncommon. Most hitters make a living out of simply surviving against the soft stuff and tearing up velocity. "The best way to hit the curveball," hitters have long said, "is to hit the fastball." The first issue is that Lee doesn't perform well enough against heaters to carry him, with a .340 xwOBA against them in 2025. The second is that Lee can't handle off-speed pitches at all. Lee posted .216 and .214 xwOBAs on breaking balls and off-speed pitches, respectively, in 2025. Pitchers took note and have adjusted accordingly. Lee's free-swinging ways are too easy to exploit with non-fastballs, and it looks like opposing pitchers are going to lean into that information until Lee gives them a reason not to. Lee has seen fastballs about one-third of the time in 2026, down about 15% from 2025. For reference, Byron Buxton and Luke Keaschall have seen about 50% fastballs. It's no secret what's going through the minds of opposing pitchers when Lee steps up to the plate. There's a real risk that this issue is too much for Lee to overcome. It requires a complete overhaul of his approach and (in a sense) his swing. He identified the need to make this adjustment last season, but hasn't shown improvement in the small sample of 2026 so far. He'll have to make the adjustment during the season, and quickly, which means changing what he looks for in the box and how he times his swing. With top prospect Kaelen Culpepper off to a hot start in St. Paul, the clock is ticking on Lee being the everyday starting shortstop at the other end of the Green Line. In addition to scuffling at the plate, he appears stretched defensively. When Culpepper gets the call, which could be any time in the next few months, Lee will be out of a job. He can roam several infield spots as needed, but if he's still posting a sub-.700 OPS, it won't be worth prioritizing him in the lineup every day. He could very well find himself back in Triple-A. The book on Lee's career hasn't been written yet, but what we've seen so far has been worrisome. We've watched how difficult it can be to make adjustments when the league finds a young hitter's weakness. Unlike players such as Edouard Julien, Jose Miranda, or Matt Wallner—hardly a murderer's row in its own right, as things turned out—Lee has yet to show signs of being an impactful part of the Twins’ future to this point in his career. His performance, paired with the turnover within the front office that drafted him, could put him at risk of being pushed aside quickly. Lee needs to figure out how to make opposing pitchers pay for attacking him with the soft stuff. It can be as simple as identifying and taking changeups off the plate, or driving an occasional hanger into the seats, but he has to show something. The clock is ticking, as other shortstop options close in on debuting this season. Brooks Lee needs to make an adjustment, and fast, and so far, he's only adjusted little by slowly in the major leagues. View the full article

For now, the Brewers and Jared Koenig will wait and see how his elbow responds to a prolonged rest. Koenig was shelved by a sprained elbow Monday afternoon, and yes, the damaged tissue is his ulnar collateral ligament. There's always a chance that a sprained UCL will lead to Tommy John surgery, or some variant thereof that still ends a player's season. It's good news that that's not the immediate plan, and perhaps the team and the player were proactive enough to catch a sprain early. According to Pat Murphy (as relayed by MLB.com Brewers beat reporter Adam McCalvy), there's even a chance Koenig will be back by early May, That seems a bit hopeful, but he wouldn't be the first hurler to come back on such a timeline, if the damage is minor. It's important to understand a distinction here, though: this is a diagnosed sprain (which indicates some degree of tearing) in the UCL itself. Pitchers often get diagnosed, first, with strains in the forearm or the biceps muscles, or in the tendons that connect bones to those muscles. Those can be precursors to torn UCLs, but it's not uncommon for the ligament to survive if the muscle or tendon gives way first, especially because the tissues can heal simultaneously as a pitcher rests. This is different. Koenig has a tear in the ligament itself, and ligaments heal more slowly than muscles, because their blood supplies aren't as robust. If there were a major tear in that ligament, we'd already be hearing that Koenig was seeking a second opinion or being scheduled for surgery. Instead, the team will try to let him have time to heal. He could undergo a platelet-rich plasma injection. There are non-surgical interventions for minor ligament damage, and they can (if nothing else) slow down wear to reduce the risk of a full-blown tear. However, Koenig's velocity was notably down this spring. He lost a bit of weight over the winter, and didn't look as strong in camp. There are many reasons to worry that Koenig will give the Brewers little for the balance of this season, even if he's spared from the scalpel for now. Luckily, the Brewers have arguably the deepest pitching staff in baseball. They called up Shane Drohan to take the place of Koenig as the second lefty in the bullpen, which is as tidy an expression of their privilege as one could hope for. Koenig himself would be the best lefty in several bullpens throughout the league. With Aaron Ashby as the high-leverage, high-volume southpaw of the team's relief corps, though, that was never anywhere near being true of the 2026 Crew. Drohan is also a better pitcher than most teams would have to call upon in case of this type of loss, and he'll give them length in the pen for as long as needed. It's a bad break for Koenig, who has earned Murphy's trust and teammates' respect and is an important part of the team. Hopefully, he'll avoid surgery and be back on the mound soon. In the interim, though, Drohan's nasty stuff and cerebral, thoughtful approach to his job make a fine replacement for him. The Brewers will weather the loss, even as they ardently hope for the best for their erstwhile setup man. View the full article

Cubs fans everywhere are spending their Mondays with a weekend-long case of the Sunday scaries that won't go away. Cade Horton walked off the mound Friday in the second inning, with what has been dubbed a forearm strain—but until the team reveals the results of the imaging Horton underwent Monday morning, the specter of that preliminary diagnosis being upgraded to a torn ulnar collateral ligament and a prescription for season-ending elbow surgery hangs grayer and gloomier over the team than the roof of Tropicana Field will throughout the next few days. To add injury to injury, the team placed left-handed starter and Opening Day assignee Matthew Boyd on the injured list Monday, with a biceps strain. Those are less likely to turn into season-ending tsuris than what Horton is dealing with, and there's no indication that the team is worried about the structural integrity of Boyd's arm. On the other hand, though, this is no minor malady. Over the last 10 seasons, biceps strains suffered during the season (eliminating those so late in the year that there were few games less to miss and those to a pitcher's non-throwing arm) have usually led to an absence of a month or more. Boyd, 35, has a long injury history and has missed long stretches during the last several seasons, so he's not a good candidate to come back on a faster-than-average timeline. Unfortunately, the Cubs should brace for at least six weeks without the starter who gave them nearly 180 innings of stellar work in 2025. Anticipating some of this trouble, the team retained Colin Rea and Shota Imanaga this winter. They also traded for Edward Cabrera, a pitcher one tier better in terms of stuff and ceiling than Rea or Imanaga, which cushions the blow of losing both Horton and Boyd at this early stage a bit. Rea and Javier Assad now step into the starting rotation, and each is likely to be there for at least a month, because that's about as soon as we're likely to see either Horton or Boyd. It's just as likely that only one of the two is back before, say, June. Rea and Assad are better depth options than many teams have, in the event of such a double-whammy. However, tapping both to join the rotation this early was miles from the planned route through the 162-game gauntlet. Rea's move to starting thins out the team's bullpen. Assad's arrival in the majors leaves only Jaxon Wiggins as a starter in Iowa about whom anyone might feel excited, and he comes with huge question marks. That's not to mention the even more daunting concern: that Horton and Boyd were the members of the initial quintet about whom one might typically have had the least worry a few weeks ago. Jameson Taillon suffered multiple injuries last year. His arm's odometer shows a higher number than anyone else on the staff, and non-arm injuries are an ever-present threat at this stage of his career. Imanaga wasn't the same pitcher after suffering a hamstring strain last May, and statistically, pitchers who suffer a hamstring strain are about 25% likely to suffer another. Cabrera's health history is perhaps the biggest reason he was available to the Cubs this winter, via trade. Ben Brown is still in the bullpen, and could be called upon if and when the team needs to plug yet another hole in its rotation. Justin Steele is on track to return some time around Memorial Day, barring a setback. The Cubs are in real jeopardy now, though. They've spotted the deeper Brewers three games in the NL Central, and Milwaukee has won those games despite dealing with injury issues of their own. More losses almost certainly lie ahead for Chicago, and their patchwork rotation has to support an offense that hasn't found its groove through the first nine games. Lucas Giolito remains available in free agency. Consider the Cubs a prime candidate to sign him, if he's healthy and can ramp up quickly this spring. That's an expensive and high-risk solution to a problem the team didn't want to be dealing with, though—so it might have to wait. Unhappily, it feels increasingly likely that the moment will come when they need to make some form of semi-desperate addition, be it Giolito or a trade acquisition. Boyd and Horton are a brutal first two dominoes to fall in the rotation, not least because they won't be the last. View the full article

In terms of status, Brayan Bello has regressed from the Opening Day starter in 2024 to the fifth starter in 2026’s rotation, at least the first time through. Many projected him as the fourth starter for this season given that the Red Sox added Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez in a pair of deals this offseason to slide in behind staff ace Garrett Crochet. Even when you consider the talent added to the rotation since 2024, though, this slide feels like a bit of a challenge to Bello to prove what he can bring to the table this year and the subsequent four remaining seasons he is under contract in Boston. His first opportunity of the season came last Tuesday evening in Houston as he took the mound against the Astros. To put it lightly, it did not go well. A quick look at the box score gives some of the story; he surrendered one run in the first and two more in the third, with scoreless innings in the second and fourth. But then it all fell apart. Bello gave up three more runs in the fifth, putting the Red Sox in a 6-1 hole that they would not ultimately be able to climb out of. Ultimately, Bello threw 92 pitches across 4 ⅔ innings, striking out two batters and walking three. It is safe to say that it was a pretty inefficient outing. Of his 92 pitches, 58 of them were strikes. However, that's inflated thanks to an overly aggressive Astros lineup; only 38 of his pitches were actually thrown in the zone. Part of a pitcher's job is to generate swing and miss by getting batters to chase out of the zone, but if Bello is to turn things around in his second start, he should begin by attacking the zone more. It's really the telltale sign of a struggling pitcher when they produce elite chase and whiff numbers and still can't strike anyone out. Again, a lot of that of that has to do with his inability to locate his pitches properly, but even after whiffing on more than one-third of their collective swings, Astros hitters still pummeled Bello to the tune of a .470 wOBA. They came out with intention to swing early and often; the right-hander must respond in his next start by flashing the same aggressiveness back, challenging hitters in the zone with his best stuff. Bello’s pitch mix also offers intrigue. Per Baseball Savant, he brought back a curveball not used since 2022. While he offered it up only six times, it will be interesting to see if he includes that in his arsenal consistently in 2026. Otherwise, he relied heavily on the sinker, cutter, and sweeper, with lighter use of his changeup and four-seamer offerings in a complementary role. His use of those five pitches closely mimicked the 2025 season, so fans should know what to expect. His next outing comes today as the Boston Red Sox host the Milwaukee Brewers, and the pressure is on. The Red Sox hold the league's worst record at 2-7 and the vibes might be even worse. Sunday was brutal, featuring an early lead blown en route to an 8-6 loss. Players and manager Alex Cora alike showed clear frustration in post game interviews. It's still very early in the season, but the Red Sox must turn it around soon and begin to perform to the level many expected of this talented roster. The responsibility will be Bello’s to help right the ship. View the full article

From a run production standpoint, there hasn't been much to be impressed with as far as the 2026 Chicago Cubs are concerned. Prior to the series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays, they rank 18th in runs (37), 21st in isolated power (.129), and 19th in collective wRC+ (89). In short, it's a below-average offense in the early going. Across the board, though, there are some underlying elements of the process that look quite good, and free-agent signing Alex Bregman is leading that charge. When the Cubs brought in Bregman, the book on him was a hitter who commanded the strike zone. While he wasn't going to sit up near the top of the walk rate leaderboard, he was able to drive quality contact and maintain strikeout avoidance on the strength of that keen eye. As easy as it is to be frustrated with the cumulative returns of the lineup thus far, it's hard to argue against the idea that Bregman is giving the Cubs exactly what they could've hoped for. The stats themselves are not terribly indicative of a player who has demonstrated early returns on a massive five-year contract. Through roughly 40 plate appearances, he's gone for a .167/.268/.333 line with a wRC+ of only 78. His contributions to the overall run production came in the form of a pair of home runs against the Washington Nationals in a game that the Cubs ultimately lost. But good process should, eventually, yield positive results, and Bregman has very much demonstrated such early on. It's a minuscule sample, but, to date, Bregman is exactly who the team thought he was: The most essential elements of the above are reflected in the approach and the resulting quality of contact. First is the fact that Bregman's chase rate is in the 100th percentile. His 6.9 percent chase rate is nearly three points below that of Baltimore's Taylor Ward, who ranks second in that category. When he does swing, he's making contact as reflected in a whiff rate that sits as the 18th-best and a strikeout rate that ranks 22nd. What's more is that he's able to drive quality contact as a result. Rather than use that patience to drive up his walk rate (which is still of quality on its own), Bregman is putting balls in play and doing so in an all-fields fashion: That was one of the positives with Bregman as a right-handed hitter playing his home games at Wrigley Field. He doesn't have to rely on dead pull power that could be heavily tamped by questionable park factors. Instead, his contact has found its way all over the field. And it's good contact, reflected by a 96th percentile hard-hit rate that ranks ninth in the league overall. These are all, objectively, positive things. While we can't say that this kind of process has yet contributed to a rather feeble Cubs offensive attack, it all sets the stage for Bregman to begin contributing regularly when the offense begins to find a groove for itself. After all, fortunes haven't favored Bregman in the slightest to this young point in the season. His batting average on balls in play sits at a brutal .138, which is one of the 10 worst marks in the sport. His current wOBA, at .278, would represent a career low. However, he's working with a .354 xwOBA that aligns much more with his career average from that standpoint (.362). The process is there, even if the results haven't been. Luckily for both Bregman and the Cubs, we're talking about a nine-game sample. The conditions at Wrigley, where the team has played the majority of their games thus far, haven't been super favorable to get the offense moving in the right direction. Trends like the ones Bregman has demonstrated thus far have a way of evening out over time. If history can be trusted, it shouldn't be long before the star third baseman begins dragging his stats back to where they belong. View the full article

When it rains, it pours. Less than two days after Cade Horton was placed on the injured list with a forearm strain, Opening Day starter Matthew Boyd has joined him there with a bicep strain. Boyd hasn't had the best start to the 2026 season, though he's looked downright filthy at times while flashing a 45.9% strikeout rate. In his stead, swingman Javier Assad will return from Triple-A Iowa to take his place back in the rotation. Colin Rea will replace Horton. Including Justin Steele, who is still recovering from elbow surgery, and Jordan Wicks, who has been dealing with elbow inflammation since the start of camp, the Cubs are now down four starting pitchers. The next man up would be Ben Brown, perhaps followed by top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins. View the full article

The regular season is not the ideal time to have a roster battle. For one thing, the games count in the standings, and when you don’t have a roster spot sorted out in the regular season, it can put some games in the 'L' column that may not have needed to be there. That said, in the wake of an injury to Jackson Chourio and a lack of collective faith in Blake Perkins, the Brewers have created an in-season roster battle for the fourth outfielder spot. As has been the case with some of their other roster battles, it’s hard to see how the team could go wrong. They have Perkins, who seems to have fallen out of favor but has a high floor; Brandon Lockridge, about whom the organization is more excited; and a newcomer, in ex-Giants outfielder Luis Matos. The Current Situation The Brewers found out shortly before Opening Day that Jackson Chourio had a fractured finger, suffered during a March 4 game in the World Baseball Classic. Remembering how the decision by William Contreras to tough out a similar injury had affected his offense, the team put Chourio on the injured list to recover, calling up Perkins from Triple-A Nashville to backfill the spot. The Brewers had planned to roll with Brandon Lockridge as the fourth outfielder before Chourio’s injury. Lockridge is now, of course, splitting time with Jake Bauers in left. So, how does this competition shake out? Let’s look over the three players. Blake Perkins Perkins, in one sense, is the most proven commodity. He was an elite defensive center fielder in 2023 and 2024, and his defense has been his calling card. Offensively, he's been at least intermittently competent, with his primary offensive asset being his speed. His pesky style at the plate can often draw his at-bats out, even when they end in outs. That can have an effect on the field, even if the box score doesn’t look pretty. Don’t take my word for it; just ask White Sox Opening Day starter Shane Smith what happens when a pitch count runs up. Perkins is a valuable complementary piece for the team, and while his offensive stats are weak and worsening, he sometimes enables Brice Turang, William Contreras, Christian Yelich, and Chourio to do the real damage against a pitcher he’s helped to wear down. Brandon Lockridge During spring training, Lockridge looked very impressive, powering four home runs en route to a 1.059 OPS. Not bad for a player who was picked up in a late-season rush for outfield depth after Chourio went on the injured list with a hamstring injury, in exchange for Nestor Cortes and minor-league prospect Jorge Quintana (who had been bypassed by Jesus Made and Luis Pena). Lockridge is someone manager Pat Murphy has been high on, and on teams with far less outfield depth, he’d probably be a solid starter. He’s got more speed and plays excellent defense, but it remains to be seen if he can translate his spring training breakout into regular-season results. His numbers (.348/.423/.391) so far reinforce the spring success and a big increase in bat speed hints that it's sustainable, but it's been all of 27 plate appearances. Luis Matos Matos was an intriguing pickup for the Brewers, partially because they already had a lot of outfield depth on the 40-man roster. In addition to Chourio, Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, Perkins, and Lockridge, there’s also Akil Baddoo, Christian Yelich, Bauers and Tyler Black, and only after they brought in Matos and made Cooper Pratt's extension official did they jettison Steward Berroa. However, Matos is only 24, and his bat could be quite dynamic. He's shown the capacity to play above-average defense in the corner spots, too. The issue with Matos, of course, is roster flexibility. The Brewers were able to pick him up for some cash because Matos was designated for assignment and is out of minor-league options. In essence, hitting coach Daniel Vogelbach and his team will have to develop Matos in Milwaukee. That said, Matos is much younger (24) than Perkins and Lockridge (both of whom are 29), so the upside could be longer-lasting if they can hold onto him and tap into his talent. Overview It’s hard to see how the Brewers could go wrong with any of these players when Chourio returns from the injured list. With minor-league options, Perkins and Lockridge could go down to Nashville. Matos may have an edge, simply because he can't similarly be shuttled down, but he'll have to quickly prove he can make the changes the team wants to see from him. For now, Lockridge remains the obvious leader of the pack. View the full article

Boston Red Sox Weekly Snapshot Record Last Week: 1-6 Runs Scored Last Week: 22 Runs Surrendered Last Week: 39 Standings: 5th in AL East 5.5 GB of 1st Place Transactions: 3/31/26: RHP Angel Bastardo returned to Red Sox from Blue Jays. 4/03/26: Red Sox recall RHP Zack Kelly from Worcester Red Sox. 4/03/26: Red Sox recalled RHP Tyler Uberstine from Worcester Red Sox. 4/03/26: Red Sox placed RHP Johan Oviedo on 15-day injured list retroactive to March 31. Right elbow strain. 4/04/26: Red Sox place RHP Garrett Whitlock on the paternity list. 4/04/26: RHP Jedixon Paez returned to Red Sox from White Sox. Scores: Game 3 (3/29): BOS 2, CIN 3 Game 4 (3/30): BOS 1, HOU 8 Game 5 (3/31): BOS 2, HOU 9 Game 6 (4/01): BOS 4, HOU 6 Game 7 (4/03): BOS 5, SD 2 Game 8 (4/04): BOS 2, SD 3 Game 9 (4/05): BOS 6, SD 8 TL;DR Breakdown/Highlights Astros Series: Very little went right in the series in Houston. The team looked lost offensively for the first two games and struggled on defense as well. Ranger Suarez made his Red Sox debut and gave up four earned runs in 4 ⅓ innings pitched, walking one and striking out three. What was maybe the most disheartening part of the entire series was watching Lance McCullers Jr. turn the clock back and strikeout the Sox nine times in a nearly flawless performance. RHP Brayan Bello failed to look sharp in his debut against the Astros as well, and the highlight of his start was when he walked a hitter he previously struck out in the same at-bat (no one on the field remembered what the count was). On top of everything else, catcher Carlos Narvaez was benched in the finale of the series for reasons that both he and Alex Cora are keeping close to the vest. Padres Series: Game one of the Padres series, and the home opener for the Sox, showed that this team could hang with other professional baseball teams. Game two wasted a gutsy performance by Connelly Early who didn’t have his best stuff early on but settled throughout the game. Game three was the heartbreaker, though. Through the first three innings of the game, Suarez looked like the pitcher the Red Sox splurged $130 million on. The offense seemed to be firing on all cylinders, and a multi-run inning was finally happening to fire up Red Sox fans everywhere. Then, in the fourth, the Suarez from the Astros series showed back up. He lacked control and the Padres took advantage. In the fifth, Greg Weissert entered the game and promptly gave up the lead on a Manny Machado home run. The Red Sox rallied in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game, but the top of the eighth put all forward momentum to a stop when Uberstine was left in for a third inning in his MLB debut. The team was playing with a short bullpen with Whitlock, Aroldis Chapman, and Justin Slaten all unavailable for the conclusion of the series, but Zack Kelly was warm in the pen. At Wilyer Abreu has been red hot and looks to be the offensive leader of this team. Website Highlights Red Sox Fans Divulge Hopes & Concerns About Team As Boston Takes Home Opener by Nick John Red Sox’s Roster Manipulation Puts Spotlight Squarely on the Reserves by Ryan Painter Sonny Gray’s Red Sox Debut Was Loaded with Miscues, But His Future in Boston Should be Better by Alex Mayes Looking Ahead April 6th: Brewers (Woodruff) @ Red Sox (Bello): 6:45 PM EDT April 7th: Brewers (Misiorowski) @ Red Sox (Crochet): 6:45 PM EDT April 8th: Brewers (Patrick) @ Red Sox (Gray): 1:35 PM EDT April 10th: Red Sox @ Cardinals: 8:15 PM EDT April 11th: Red Sox @ Cardinals: 7:15 PM EDT April 12th: Red Sox @ Cardinals: 2:15 PM EDT View the full article

Prior to Monday's game, the Miami Marlins will recall right-hander Ryan Gusto from Triple-A Jacksonville, as Craig Mish of Marlins.TV was first to report. He will temporarily fill Pete Fairbanks' roster spot when the veteran righty reliever goes on the paternity list. Gusto, 27, has been limited to six total regular season appearances since the Marlins traded for him last July due to a right shoulder impingement. In his 2026 debut with the Jumbo Shrimp, he tossed five innings of three-run ball, racking up seven strikeouts. The Marlins have used Gusto exclusively as a starting pitcher, but their rotation is at capacity for the time being. There's a solid chance he appears out of the bullpen against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday considering that four active Miami relievers (Anthony Bender, Calvin Faucher, John King and Andrew Nardi) have worked back-to-back days. The highest-paid reliever in Marlins history on an annual basis, Fairbanks had been as good as advertised prior to Sunday's game. Chris Paddack was originally listed as the club's starting pitcher against the New York Yankees, but in the midst of a lengthy rain delay, they decided to deploy Fairbanks as an opener. That way, he could contribute while also catching an early flight to be home for the birth of his third child. Fairbanks allowed a three-run home run to Ben Rice during his one inning of action. Overall, he has a 6.75 ERA and 4.19 FIP with two saves. Fairbanks can spend up to three days on the paternity list. Expect him to be reinstated on Thursday. View the full article

Cubs Affiliate Overview (April 3rd - April 5th) Triple-A Iowa Cubs Series at St. Paul Saints (Minnesota Twins): Win 5-1 Season Record: 5-3 Double-A Tennessee Smokies Series vs. Birmingham Barons (White Sox): 2-1 Season Record: 2-1 High-A South Bend Cubs Series vs. Quad Cities River Bandits: 0-1 Season Record: 0-1 Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Series vs. Charleston River Dogs: Win 3-0 Season Record: 3-0 Triple-A Iowa Cubs Season Record: 6-3 Series Opponent: Louisville Bats Series Standing: 5-1 April 3: The Iowa Cubs are back with a vengeance with their first series of the season against the Louisville Bats. Friday’s game was a dominant outing for the Iowa Cubs, overtaking the Bats 7-2. Will Sanders his first quality start of the season on the mound with 7 strikeouts and 2 home runs. The 2nd inning was the busiest for the Cub’s bats. Chas McCormick sent a rocket over the left center field wall on a 1-2 count to tie the game. Justin Dean singled with a line drive to center, scoring Christian Bethancourt and advancing Brett Bateman into scoring position. With two outs James Triantos extended the lead with a home run of his own, giving Iowa a 4 run lead against the Bats. Chas McCormick doubled on a lined drive to left field scoring Pedro Ramirez. Notably in the 9th, Jonathan Long tripled on a sharp hit fly ball to center field where he was able to score on a wild pitch, giving Iowa their 7th run of the night. April 4: It was an early and high scoring battle with Iowa’s game being cut short after the start of the 6th inning due to weather giving the I-Cubs their 4th straight win. Iowa set a strong lead in the first 3 innings running up the score to to 8 runs leading by 2. Justin Wiggins took to the mound pitching 4 innings. With increased focus following Cade Horton’s early removal from Chicago’s game against the Guardians on 4/03. Wiggins had a difficult start finding his rhythm, walking 2 batters, giving up 2 runs in the 2nd and a homerun in the 3rd striking out 4; Wiggins ERA sits at 5.63. Luke Little closed the game earning his 2nd win of the season. BJ Murray, Pedro Ramirez and Kevin Alcántara each logged their third home run of the season by the 3rd inning giving Alcántara his 7th RBI of the season and 3rd long ball in 6 games. April 5: The Iowa Cubs struck early and built a steady lead on the way to a 6–2 win over Louisville at Louisville Slugger Field. James Triantos set the tone in the first, singling, stealing second, and advancing to third on an error before scoring on Jonathon Long’s RBI single for a 1–0 lead. Kevin Alcántara added to the advantage in the third, launching a solo home run to left field. After Louisville answered with a run in the bottom half, Iowa responded with a decisive fourth inning. BJ Murray opened the fourth with a walk and stolen base, and later scored on Christian Bethancourt’s single. Triantos followed with a two-run double to left, bringing home Ben Cowles and Bethancourt to extend the lead to 5–1. Chas McCormick added insurance in the fifth with a solo home run to left center to mark his third straight games of homers. Triantos finished 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI, and a run scored, while Long added two hits and an RBI. Murray reached base twice, scored two runs, and tripled in the eighth. Bethancourt collected two hits and drove in a run. Starter Vince Velasquez worked five innings, allowing one run with two walks and six strikeouts and was named Player of The Game. Tyler Santana followed with three innings, allowing one run with one walk and three strikeouts. Gavin Hollowell handled the ninth, allowing one run and striking out one. Louisville scored once in the ninth, but Iowa maintained control to secure the win. Double-A: Knoxville Smokies Season Record: 1-1 Series Opponent: Birmingham Barons (White Sox) Series Standing: 1-1 April 3: The Knoxville Smokies started their season off with a bang wining their opener with a 9-6 victory. Jefferson Rojas for his first at bat launched a 3 run homer in the 1st inning. Rojas looked much more comfortable in the box compared to his last season appearance indicating strong offseason development. Seiya Suzuki made his first appearance on a rehab assignment going 1-2 with a sac fly and scoring a run. Suzuki looked comfortable in warm ups and batting practice prior to the game with solid plate appearances until being sat after the 5th inning. A.D. Ramírez contributed multiple hits with 2 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Jordan Nwogu and Ariel Armas also contributed multi-hit games. The Smokies bullpen preserved the lead with Zane Mills starting pitching going into the 4th. Knoxville played well defensively with a key double play from Rojas to Edgar Alvarez to halt any rally from the Barons. Jefferson Rojas made a stellar diving play to end the 6th inning. Starter Zane Mills worked on the mound for 3 innings before the bullpen came in. Tyler Beck earned the win by holding the game with 2 hits and 3 runs with relievers Andrew Schultz and Edwin Taylor both contributing 2 scoreless innings to hold the lead and secure the win. April 4: The Smokie lost 6-2 on Saturday. An inability for the offense to get traction set the Smokies back while pitching from Knoxville took longer than desired to find a rhythm. Jefferson Rojas went 1-4 and scoring a run his only hit being a double on an outside pitch with a 2-2 count. Edgar Alvarez hit a single and earned an RBI to score Rojas and Karson Simas got on base and scored a run to give Knoxville their only runs of the game. Seiya Suzuki went 1-4 in DH with a notable punch out looking that had everyone in knoxville wishing for ABS. Starting pitching for the Smokies was Luis Martinez-Gomez who had a shaky start to his season. The first inning proved difficult for Martinez-Gomez to find the strike zone while also giving up a 2 run home run earning him the loss for this game. April 5: The Knoxville Smokies fell 10–5 to Birmingham after a decisive early stretch at Covenant Health Park. Birmingham struck quickly in the second inning, stringing together four singles to take a 4–0 lead. The visitors added to it in the third, highlighted by a two-run double from Wilfred Veras and another two-run double from Calvin Harris. Caden Connor capped the inning with a three-run double, extending the deficit to 10–0. Knoxville broke through in the fourth. Seiya Suzuki singled and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Jordan Nwogu to make it 10–1. The Smokies added more in the fifth when Karson Simas connected on a two-run home run, bringing home Andy Garriola and trimming the margin to seven. Knoxville continued to chip away late. In the eighth, Jefferson Rojas singled and scored on Ariel Armas’ double. Garriola followed with an RBI single, scoring Armas to cut the deficit to 10–5. Suzuki reached base twice and scored a run, while Garriola collected two hits and scored once. Simas drove in two runs with his home run, and Armas added a double and RBI. Starter Yenrri Rojas worked 2 2/3 innings, allowing seven runs with two walks and two strikeouts. Grant Kipp followed with 1 1/3 innings, allowing three runs with two walks and no strikeouts. Jake Bockenstedt added two innings of relief, striking out one without allowing a run. Despite late offense, Knoxville could not overcome the early deficit. High-A South Bend Cubs Season Record: N/A Series Opponent: The Quad Cities River Bandits (Kansas City Royals) Series Standing: N/A April 3: The South Bend Cubs have had a less than ideal start to their season. The opening day ceremonies, and first home opener since 2022, were cut short due to a flooded infield that was deemed unsafe for play. A disappointing day as the South Bend Cubs unveiled their double decker stadium expansion to seat more than 10,000 attendees. April 4: Saturday’s game was also postponed due to Weather and Fielding Conditions. April 5: Sunday’s game was a 7 inning double header against the River Bandits. Low-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Season Record: 3-0 Series Opponent: Charleston River Dogs (Tampa Bay Rays) Series Standing: 3-0 April 3: Friday’s game for the Pelicans came on the heels of a 15 run blow out against the River Dogs. The Pelicans pulled through with a late game comeback win over Charleston, erasing a 1 run deficit in the 9th on a go-ahead 2 run home run from Cole Mathis to lock the 5-4 victory for the Pelicans. Cole Mathis delivered the securing swing of the night with his 2 run homer in the 9th while Josiah Hartshorn and Micahael Carico each contributed a solo homer earlier in the game. Jordan Henriquez earned the win on the mound. This win over the River Dogs delivers back to back wins for the Pelicans, scoring early in both games. The pelicans delivered a strong continuation off of thursday’s victory by clawing back the win with a multiple homerun game and a strong early offensive outing for Myrtle Beach to open the series. April 4: Break out the broomsticks for Myrtle Beach as the Pelicans held off a late game come back by the River Dogs to sweep the series at home with a final score of 4-3. Alex Lumpuy led Myrtle Beach at the plate with 3 hits and 2 stolen bases. Josiah Hartshorn, Luis Escobar, and Michael Vargas each drove in runs to bring up the Pelican’s lead. On the mound, David Bracho started, with Erisbel Melendez and Dean Jerzembeck each combining for 9 innings of solid pitching, each maintaining a 0.0 ERA for the start of their season. Dean Jerzembeck held the late game rally by the River Dogs to earn the win. On the fielding side for the Pelicans; 3 errors were earned with 2 coming in the 9th inning with a fielding error by Eli Lovich and a throwing error by Lu Espinoza that spurred the late game rally for the River Dogs. April 5: The Pelicans have April 5 and April 6 off to prepare for their stretch on the road against the Columbia Fireflies for a six-game series on April 7 at Segra Park. View the full article

Prospect rankings are never as simple as lining players up from best to worst. A traditional list tries to balance everything at once. Upside, present tools, age, injury history, proximity to the big leagues, and even organizational need all get thrown into the mix. It's part projection, part preference, and part educated guess. This exercise throws most of that out the window. Instead of weighing floors and timelines, this ranking leans fully into ceiling. It's about identifying which arms in the Twins system could become something special, if everything clicks. That might mean ignoring risk. It might mean betting on pitchers who have barely thrown, or struggled to stay on the mound. In some cases, the floor might be never reaching Target Field. But the reward, if it hits, could be enormous. Here are five Twins pitching prospects ranked purely by upside. 5. Riley Quick, RHP Twins Daily Current Prospect Rank: 11 Quick looks the part before he even throws a pitch. At 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, the former four-star football recruit brings rare physicality to the mound. That alone creates intrigue, but the upside comes from how quickly his stuff returned after surgery. Just a year removed from Tommy John, he was already touching the upper 90s, flirting with 99 mph. That kind of velocity rebound suggests there may still be another gear as he gets further removed from the procedure. Pair that with a legitimate four-pitch mix, and you start to see the outline of a durable, innings-eating starter with power stuff. The Twins slow-played his debut, which only adds to the mystery. Minnesota will start him in the low minors in 2026, where he should dominate the competition. There is risk in a pitcher with a limited recent workload, but the combination of size, arm strength, and pitch mix gives Quick a ceiling that extends well beyond a typical mid-rotation profile. 4. Connor Prielipp, LHP Twins Daily Current Prospect Rank: 5 At his best, Prielipp might have the most complete arsenal on this list. He's already shown what it looks like when everything is working. A mid-90s fastball, a true plus slider, and a quality changeup give him the weapons of a front-line starter. The strikeout numbers back that up (27.0%), and when he was finally healthy in 2025, the results followed. Health is the obvious caveat. Years of elbow issues have limited his workload to the point where projecting a full starter’s role becomes difficult. Even after a relatively stable season, he has still thrown a fraction of the innings typical for someone his age. But that's where upside comes into play. If Prielipp can hold his health long enough to build innings, the pitch mix is good enough to slot near the top of a rotation. And if durability pushes him to the bullpen, the stuff could play up into something even more dominant in shorter bursts. There are multiple paths to impact, which raises the overall ceiling. 3. Charlee Soto, RHP Twins Daily Current Prospect Rank: 10 Soto is the definition of volatile upside. The raw ingredients are loud. He can reach triple digits and flashes three pitches that project as above-average or better. His changeup already stands out as a legitimate weapon, and his slider took a step forward when his velocity ticked up early in 2025. That brief three-appearance stretch, before his season was cut short, is part of what makes him so intriguing. The added velocity hinted at another level, even if it came in a tiny sample. There was no ligament damage, which keeps the long-term outlook intact, but missed time and inconsistent command leave plenty unanswered. Soto does not need perfect command to succeed, but he will need more consistency in the strike zone. If that comes, the arsenal is good enough to dream on a high-impact starter. If it does not, the fallback could still be a power reliever with dominant stretches. Either way, the upside is tied to just how electric the arm can be. 2. Kendry Rojas, LHP Twins Daily Current Prospect Rank: 8 Rojas is a reminder that upside is not always a guarantee of linear development, especially after being traded to the Twins as part of the Louis Varland deal. His introduction to the organization did not go smoothly, as he struggled to find the strike zone in Triple-A. Walks piled up, and the stat line turned ugly in a hurry. For many rankings, that would be enough to push him down. For this exercise, it's almost irrelevant. Even during those struggles, the traits that matter showed through. He sat in the mid-90s with his fastball and generated swings and misses with both his changeup and slider. When he was around the zone, hitters had a hard time squaring him up. That's the key. If the Twins can help him harness the command, there is playoff-caliber starter potential, with the raw stuff to miss bats consistently. Injuries and inconsistency have limited his track record, but the flashes are loud enough to keep the ceiling intact. In a more optimistic outcome, he becomes a reliable starter. In a less stable one, he still has the weapons to thrive in high-leverage relief. 1. Dasan Hill, LHP Twins Daily Current Prospect Rank: 7 Hill is the purest upside play in the system. When the Twins drafted him, the appeal was projection. A tall, lean high school lefty with room to grow and a fastball that hinted at more. It did not take long for that projection to start turning into reality. His velocity jumped into the mid-90s almost immediately, and he began overpowering hitters in his first taste of pro ball. The strikeout numbers followed (31.1%), and both his slider and changeup showed the ability to miss bats against lower-level competition. The command, as expected, is still a work in progress. Walks piled up (15.0%), and efficiency was not always there. That's typical for a young pitcher learning to control newfound velocity and sharper secondary pitches. What separates Hill is how high the ceiling climbs if it all comes together. A left-hander with near triple-digit velocity and two swing-and-miss secondaries does not come around often. If he finds even average control, he has the ingredients of a true front-line starter. If he does not, the fallback could still be a dominant, high-leverage arm. Upside rankings are not meant to be comfortable. They require buying into uncertainty and accepting that some of these arms may never fully click. Injuries, command issues, and stalled development are all part of the equation. That is what makes pitching prospects so volatile in the first place. But it is also what makes them so compelling. The Twins system does not lack for intriguing arms, and this group highlights just how wide the range of outcomes can be. From near-ready options with frontline stuff to teenage projections still taking shape, the ceiling on this group is undeniable. If even one or two of these pitchers reach that ceiling, it could reshape the future of the organization’s rotation in a hurry. How would you rank the Twins' top pitching prospects by upside? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

On Monday morning, the Royals announced they would activate Michael Massey from the IL. The 28-year-old second baseman/left fielder was on a rehab stint in Omaha after suffering a calf injury in Spring Training. Massey started the season on the 10-Day IL. With the activation of Massey, Kansas City optioned utility player Nick Loftin to Omaha. Massey had a solid spring until he was sidelined with a calf injury. In 24 plate appearances, the former Illinois product slashed .364/.417/.545 with a .962 OPS. He also hit a home run, had 3 RBIs, stole a base, and posted solid Statcast percentiles in Cactus League play, as seen below via TJ Stats. Massey is trying to bounce back after a lackluster 2025 campaign. In 277 plate appearances, he hit .244 with a .581 OPS. He had three home runs, posted a .069 ISO, and only had a 3.2% walk rate. The Royals are hoping that Massey can be more selective at the plate and show more power, much like he did in 2024 when he hit 14 home runs in 356 plate appearances. With Massey coming up, the Royals optioned Loftin, who was hitting .222 with a .697 OPS in 11 plate appearances. The former Baylor product showed excellent plate discipline so far in 2026. He had a .364 OBP and had solid Statcast rankings, especially in terms of whiff rate, walk rate, and chase rate. That said, Loftin struggled to launch the ball, as evidenced by an LA Sweet-Spot% that ranked in the 18th percentile. He also showed questionable defense in the field, especially in left field, where he misplayed a ball badly that resulted in the Brewers scoring. Thus, the Royals may want Loftin to work on his defense and power in Omaha. With his strong plate discipline, it doesn't seem like Loftin will be waiting in Omaha for long, especially if Massey can't show progress at the plate in 2026. View the full article