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TRANSACTIONS On Wednesday, the Twins placed RHP Marco Raya on the Injured List. On Thursday, LHP Connor Prielipp was played on the Injured List with a blister. They called up LHP Kendry Rojas and activated RHP Bailey Ober. With catcher Ryan Jeffers expected to return on Friday, Kyler Fedko has been optioned. Wind Surge infielder Jake Rucker and Kernels LHP Ross Dunn began rehab assignments with the FCL Twins on The organization also signed 19-year-old RHP Wisarly Reinoso from the Dominican Republic. He was assigned to the DSL Twins. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 7, Iowa 21 Box Score In many games, seven runs will be enough to win. However, when your opponent scores six runs in one inning and nine runs in another inning, it’s not going to be a good night. Ryan Gallagher started for the Saints and gave up one run over the first three innings. Likely, he was feeling pretty good about how he was pitching against several of his former Cubs teammates. However, he recorded just two outs in the fourth inning. In total, he was charged with six runs on eight hits (2 homers) and two walks. He struck out five batters. Eduardo Salazar came on with two runners on and allowed both to score. He gave up one more run on three hits and a walk over 1 1/3 innings. He had three strikeouts. Matt Bowman is back again with the Saints. He started the sixth inning and got two outs. He gave up three runs (1 earned) on three hits and a walk. Trent Baker came in with two runners on and left them stranded. Baker gave up two runs on three hits in the seventh inning. Jake Higginbotham got the eighth inning. The lefty was charged with six runs on four hits and two walks. He got two outs. David Banuelos came in with a runner on and allowed him to score. He also was charged with three runs on three hits (including a homer) before getting the final out. The Saints batters scored their seven runs over six different half-innings. They had 11 hits and walked five times in the game. Ben Ross went 2-for-5 with his 20th double and seventh home run with the Saints. That gives him 27 doubles and 12 homers overall this year. Walker Jenkins went 2-for-5 with his 10th double. Hendry Mendez went 2-for-4 with a walk and two doubles. Orlando Arcia (13) and Aaron Sabato (21) also hit a double in the game. Sabato walked twice. Brett Bateman was the Cubs eighth-round pick in the 2023 draft out of the University of Minnesota. The Mounds View High School graduate has steadily moved up the organizational ladder and has spent the entire 2026 season in Des Moines, with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs. In his two starts against the Saints this week, the center fielder is 7-for-10 with a walk and 3 doubles. Overall, he is hitting .302/.431/.409 (.840) with 15 doubles, a triple, two homers. In 65 games, he’s walked 51 times and struck out 52 times. He is also 17-for-19 on stolen base attempts. For more on Bateman and other prospects in the (former Twins outfield prospect) Jason Kanzler-led Cubs farm system, check out our sister site North Side Baseball. Many of the Iowa Cubs are in their Top 20 Cubs Prospect rankings, or like Moises Ballesteros was near the top of the rankings for a long time. He went 2-for-4 with a walk and a double. Bateman, who has consistently landed just outside their top 20, went 3-for-6 with a double. #9 prospect Jonathan Long went 5-for-5 with a walk, two doubles and a home run. B.J. Murray was 3-for-5 with a walk. #11 prospect James Triantos went 3-for-5 with a walk and a double. Owen Miller was 2-for-5 with two doubles. Christian Bethancourt went 3-for-5 with a double, two homers and five RBI. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 6, Northwest Arkansas 13 Box Score Like above, when your offense scores six runs and has 12 hits and seven walks, they should win a lot of games. A little later, you’ll see why they didn’t score more runs. Unfortunately, the Naturals scored three in an inning, five in an inning, and they scored two runs twice. Sam Armstrong started and gave up eight runs on seven hits and a walk in 3 2/3 innings. He gave up two homers including the 17th homer of Carson Roccaforte whose three-run shot ended Armstrong’s outing. Sam Ryan came on and got the final out of the fourth. He worked a scoreless fifth inning, but then he got just one out in the sixth inning. He left the mound with the bases loaded. Hunter Gregory came on and allowed just one of the inherited runners to score. Ryan worked 1 2/3 innings. He gave up three runs (1 earned) on three hits and two walks. Gregory worked 1 2/3 innings and had three strikeouts. He was charged with no runs, no hits and no walks. Ruddy Gomez worked the final two innings and gave up two more runs on two hits and a walk. He struck out three batters. Caden Kendle led the offense. He went 3-for-4 with a walk. Marek Houston was 2-for-6 with his second double. He already has 11 stolen bases with Wichita. Jaime Ferrer went 2-for-5 with his sixth double. Andrew Cossetti went 0-for-2 but walked three times. Jay Thomason went 2-for-4 with a walk and his first Double-A home run. Kyle DeBarge added his 10th home run of the season. Garrett Spain added a double. Unfortunately, the Surge went just 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position and left 13 on base. It’s been a long season for the Wind Surge. Manager Nico Giarratano was ejected from the game in the sixth inning. Seven players on the NW Arkansas roster are in the Royals Keep Top 20 prospect rankings. Five of them are pitchers, though none of them threw on Thursday. #8 prospect Carson Roccaforte went 1-for-3 with two walks. He hit his 17th home run and stole his 16th base. #18 prospect Daniel Vazquez, a shortstop who was the team’s DH in this game, went 2-for-5 with two RBI. KERNELS CHRONICLE Cedar Rapids 1, South Bend 9 Box Score The Saints and Wind Surge both put up solid offensive performances, but their pitching staffs gave up a lot of runs and big innings. The Kernels followed suit with the exception that the Kernels offense had just one run on three hits in the game. Danny De Andrade had the lone extra base hit, his eighth double. Jose Salas went 1-for-2 with a walk. He stole a base and scored the lone run. Graham Brown drove in Salas with a single. Kolten Smith made his first appearance with the Kernels. In 3 1/3 innings, he gave up four runs (2 earned) on three hits and two walks. He had four strikeouts. Cole Peschl came in and tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits. Jesse Bergin struck out four batters over 2 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up just one hit. Yehizon Sanchez gave up five runs on three hits, two hit batters, and a walk in 2/3 inning. Brian Zeldin came on and got the final out on a strikeout. Five South Bend Cubs players are on the Northside Baseball Top 20 Cubs Prospect rankings.19-year-old Josiah Hartshorn, the org’s #4 prospect, went 0-for-3, was hit by a pitch twice and two RBI. #7 prospect Kane Kepley didn’t play on Thursday, but he has already reached 40 stolen bases. MIGHTY MATTERS Ft. Myers, Bradenton (postponed) Box Score The game was postponed by rain. The teams will hope to play two games on Friday. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 5, FCL Rays 6 Box Score The Twins jumped out to an early 3-0 lead. In the third inning, the Rays scored four to take the lead. The Twins responded with two runs in the top of the fourth to reclaim the lead 5-4. Both bullpens did well, throwing nothing but zeroes on the board from the fifth through eighth innings. Unfortunately, the Rays scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to take the win. Yovanny Duran singled to lead off the game. He stole second and scored on a Jake Rucker single. Carlos Taveras singled Rucker to third. Rucker scored on a Jhomnardo Reyes sacrifice fly. With nobody on and two outs in the top of the second, Yovanny Duran was walked. After a pitching change, he stole second and went to third on an errant pickoff attempt. He scored on a Rucker double to make it 3-0. LHP Ross Dunn was the Twins 10th round pick in 2023 out of Arizona State. He pitched in 19 games (16 starts) for Fort Myers in 2024. He made one start in 2025 for the Kernels but was removed from the game in the fourth inning. He didn’t pitch again until Thursday morning in Fort Myers. It was his first rehab appearance after Tommy John surgery. He struck out two batters over two scoreless, hitless innings. 20 of his 27 pitches were strikes. Omar Mantano came in for the third inning and was charged with four runs on four hits and two walks and recorded just two outs. Jake Covey came in and stranded two runners on base. He went 3 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up just one hit, walked two and had eight strikeouts. In the top of the fourth, Daiber De Los Santos reached on a one-out walk and went to second on a wild pitch. De Los Santos actually was picked off at second base, but a throwing error allowed him to score the tying run. Yovanny Duran followed with a walk. He also was picked off, but he was able to get to third on a throwing error by the first baseman. Rucker came up and came through again. He hit a triple to make it 5-4. Santiago Rojas came in and tossed two scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked two and had a strikeout. Matt DesMarets came in for the bottom of the ninth inning. He gave up two runs on two hits, a hit batter, and a walk. He struck out two batters but recorded just two outs before the winning run scored. The rehabbing Jake Rucker went 4-for-4 with a run and three RBI. He had two singles, a double, and a triple. Duran went 1-for-3, walked three times and scored three runs. His two stolen bases give him 25 for the season. DSL Twins 3, DSL Yankees 19 Box Score Keeping with the theme of the day, the DSL Twins were shellacked by the DSL Yankees. Seven Twins pitchers gave up at least one run in this game. (If you want to relive it, feel free to click on the box score.) The Twins scored three runs and had five hits, and nine walks Misael Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with his fourth double. Jendy Martinez walked three times. Enmanuel Merlo, Luis Duarte, and Anibal Beltre each had a single and a walk. Juan Holmann walked twice. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter(s) of the Day Ben Ross (St. Paul): 2-for-5, 2B(20), HR(7), R, 2 RBI, K Jake Rucker (FCL Twins, Rehab): 4-for-4, 2B, 3B, R, 3 RBI. Pitcher(s) of the Day Jake Covey (FCL Twins): 3 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K, 54 pitches, 31 strikes (57.4%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. #1 - OF Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, 2B(10), 2 R, K (batted second, played DH) #4 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4 (batted second, played DH) #5 - SS Marek Houston (Wichita) - 2-for-6, 2B(2), 2 RBI, K, SB(11) (batted first, played SS) #7 - LHP Kendry Rojas (Minnesota) - 2 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 47 pitches, 25 strikes (53.2%) #9 - OF Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 2-for-4, BB, 2-2B(6), R, RBI, K, (batted fifth, played LF) #10 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 0-for-1 (PH and played RF) #12 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Wichita) - 1-for-4, BB, R, K (batted fifth, played 3B) #13 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Wichita) - 0-for-5, K (batted second, played catcher) #15 - RHP Ryan Gallagher (St. Paul) - 3 2/3 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 89 pitches, 59 strikes (66.3%) . #18 - OF Yasser Mercedes (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, K (batted fifth, played RF) #20 - 2B/SS Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 1-for-4, BB, HR(10), R, RBI, K (batted sixth, played 2B) UPCOMING PROBABLES Friday, July 10 St. Paul @ Iowa (7:08 pm CT) - RHP Ty Langenberg (3-3, 4.91 ERA) NW Arkansas @ Wichita (6:05 pm CT) - RHP Cory Lewis (0-3, 4.95 ERA) South Bend @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 pm CT) - LHP Cesar Lares (0-3, 16.71 ERA) Bradenton @ Ft. Myers (DH @ 3:35 pm CT) - RHP Callan Fang (3-1, 1.35 ERA), TBD FCL Twins @ FCL Red Sox (11:00 am CT) - DSL Rockies @ DSL Twins (10:00 am CT) - CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 46-48 St. Paul Saints: 49-39 Wichita Wind Surge: 28-54 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 34-47 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 45-36 FCL Twins: 27-22 DSL Twins: 6-20 Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the rosters, and discuss today’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related! View the full article

The San Diego Padres' four full-season affiliates failed to win a game in similar fashion as the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas lost to Oklahoma City 6-3, the Double-A San Antonio Missions fell to Midland 5-2, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps lost to West Michigan 8-5 and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm dropped a 6-2 decision to Rancho Cucamonga. Padres Minor-League Transactions None. Chihuahuas Can't Dig Way Out Of 6-Run Hole Against Comets Despite digging an early 6-0 hole, the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas clawed back to have the tying run on base or at the plate in two innings but lost to the host Oklahoma City Comets 6-3. Padres catcher Freddy Fermin, in the second game of his rehab assignment following a head contusion, went 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI while again serving as the Chihuahuas' designated hitter. After having just seven singles the night before, the Chihuahuas had only six hits (five singles, one double), while drawing four walks. In addition to Fermin, leadoff hitter Mason McCoy and No. 9 hitter Anthony Vilar each had a single and a walk. McCoy picked up his 20th stolen base, the third time in four seasons he has swiped at least 20. He stole 25 in each of the 2023 and 2024 seasons in the minors. He had 19 between El Paso and the Padres last year. Down 6-0, the Chihuahuas put up three runs in the top of the fifth. It started with a pair of strikeouts, then Clay Dungan was hit by a pitch, Vilar singled, then McCoy and Fermin each had RBI singles and Carlos Rodriguez a run-scoring double. Rodriguez has reached base in 41 of his last 42 games. After a pitching change, Nick Solak, with two runners on, grounded out. The Chihuahuas also started the top of the sixth with a pair of strikeouts, then loaded the bases on Bryce Johnson's single and stolen base and walks to Dungan and Vilar, but McCoy flew out to end the threat. Chihuahuas right-handed starter Evan Fitterer allowed six runs (four earned) on five hits and three walks with two walks in five innings. Right-hander Matt Flynn pitched two scoreless innings and right-hander Ethan Routzahn a scoreless eighth. EP_0709.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Mason McCoy 4 1 1 1 1 0 Freddy Fermin 4 0 1 1 1 0 Carlos Rodriguez 4 0 1 1 0 1 Nick Solak 4 0 0 0 0 2 Marcos Castanon 4 0 1 0 0 2 Nick Pratto 4 0 0 0 0 4 Bryce Johnson 4 0 1 0 0 3 Clay Dungan 2 1 0 0 1 0 Anthony Vilar 3 1 1 0 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Evan Fitterer 5 5 6 4 3 2 0 Michael Flynn 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 Ethan Routzahn 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Early Homers Subdue Missions In Loss To RockHounds A three-run second inning that featured a pair of homers was enough to upend the Double-A San Antonio Missions, who dropped a 5-2 decision to the Midland RockHounds. Missions right-handed starter Andrew Thurman, back in affiliated ball after stepping away from the game entirely following the 2017 season, went a season-high five innings, but gave up four runs on seven hits with a pair of walks and two strikeouts. The 34-year-old gave up an RBI double in the first inning, then back-to-back homers to begin a three-run second inning after the Missions had tied it. Thurman did finish by retiring 12 of the final 15 batters he faced. Jake Cunningham had two of the Missions' eight hits. Albert Fabian tripled in Cunningham in the second inning and Tirso Ornelas scored on a wild pitch in the fourth as Ryan Jackson walked. The Missions did put up a threat in the ninth as, with two outs, Wyatt Hoffman and Luis Verdugo singled, but Ethan Salas, Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect, grounded to shortstop Leo De Vries to end it. SA_0709.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Luis Verdugo 4 0 1 0 1 1 Francisco Acuna 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ethan Salas 5 0 1 0 0 1 Tirso Ornelas 4 1 1 0 0 2 Jake Cunningham 4 1 2 0 0 1 Braedon Karpathios 3 0 1 0 1 2 Ryan Jackson 3 0 0 0 1 1 Albert Fabian 4 0 1 1 0 1 Kai Roberts 3 0 0 0 1 1 Wyatt Hoffman 4 0 1 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Andrew Thurman 5 7 4 4 2 2 2 Francis Pena 2 3 1 1 1 1 0 Clay Edmondson 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Late Rally Too Little Too Late For TinCaps Seven runs over the first three innings, including five in the second, spelled doom for the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps in an 8-5 setback to the host West Michigan Whitecaps. Ryan Wideman, Padres Mission's No. 4 prospect and the minors' stolen-base leader with 50, went 2-for-5, including a double, with an RBI and a run scored. Wideman has a hit in 11 of 13 games since being promoted from Low-A Lake Elsinore. This was his third multihit game with the TinCaps. Eight of the nine TinCaps batters had at least one hit and five had RBIs. TinCaps right-handed starter Carson Montgomery was lit up for seven runs on seven hits with three walks and four strikeouts in five innings. Left-hander Braian Salazar struck out three and allowed a run in two innings, while right-hander Will Varmette pitched two scoreless innings. The TinCaps were held to a fifth-inning Wideman RBI double before the offense really came to life late. The scored twice with two outs in the eighth on Rosman Verdugo's RBI triple and Jack Costello singling home Verdugo. In the ninth, Kasen Wells was hit by a pitch with one out and Wideman singled, with both runners moving up on a wild pitch. Justin DeCriscio hit a sacrifice fly to left and Kerrington Cross singled home Wideman. But that threat ended as Kavares Tears struck out to end the game. FW_0709.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Wideman 5 1 2 1 0 1 Justin DeCriscio 4 1 1 1 1 2 Kerrington Cross 5 0 1 1 0 2 Kavares Tears 5 0 1 0 0 1 Rosman Verdugo 3 1 1 1 1 2 Jack Costello 4 0 1 1 0 1 Carlos Rodriguez 4 0 1 0 0 1 Oswaldo Linares 4 1 0 0 0 0 Kasen Wells 3 1 1 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Carson Montgomery 4 7 7 7 3 4 1 Braian Salazar 2 1 1 1 0 3 1 Will Varmette 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 Storm Unable To Overcome Early Quakes Surge Dawson Willis had two hits and scored a run, while Bradley Frye drove in a pair, but the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm were beaten by the host Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 6-2. Storm right-hander Lan-Hong Su had a third straight rocky start since being promoted from the Arizona Complex League. Su, a 19-year-old key international signing last year, gave up four runs on five hits and one walk with no strikeouts in two-plus innings. He has given up four runs in each of his three Storm starts over 7⅔ innings for a 14.09 ERA. Frye singled home Willis in the top of the first, then the Quakes scored three in the second and one in the third, then added another in the fifth for a 5-1 lead. In the sixth, the Storm pulled within 5-2 as Qrey Lott had an infield single, Yimy Tovar walked and both runners advanced on Jose Verdugo's sacrifice bunt. After a pitching change, Willis walked to load the bases and Frye drew a free pass to force in a run. But the next two batters were retired to end the inning. The Storm got two runners on in each of the seventh and eighth innings, but were unable to chip into the Quakes' advantage. Player AB R H RBI BB K Yimy Tovar 4 0 1 0 1 1 Jose Verdugo 3 0 0 0 0 1 Dawson Willis 2 1 2 0 1 0 Bradley Frye 2 0 1 2 1 1 Truitt Madonna 3 0 0 0 1 3 Dylan Grego 4 0 0 0 0 3 Conner Westenburg 4 0 0 0 0 1 Alcides Hernandez 3 0 1 0 1 2 Qrey Lott 3 1 1 0 1 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Lan-Hong Su 2 5 4 4 1 0 1 Daichi Moriki 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 Zack Qin 3 1 1 1 1 2 1 Isaiah Lowe 2 2 1 1 0 2 1 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 1-for-5, 1 K Kash Mayfield: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Ryan Wideman: 2-for-5, 2B, 1 K Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Jorge Quintana: DNP Ty Harvey: On injured list Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Braedon Karpathios: 1-for-3, 2 K Jagger Haynes: DNP Lamar King Jr.: DNP Tucker Musgrove: DNP Truitt Madonna: 0-for-3, 3 K Alex McCoy: DNP Jesus Castro: DNP Rosman Verdugo: 1-for-3, 3B, 2 K Garrett Hawkins: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Michael Salina: DNP Winyer Chourio: DNP View the full article

Once again in 2026, I will be monitoring Miami Marlins predictions from our valued SuperSubs, Fish On First staffers and livestream guests. Individual article pages like this one will be created prior to every Marlins series and featured prominently on the FOF site. Consistent participation is key if you want to win this annual contest. Submissions only take a few seconds. Scoring system A "perfect" series is worth three points: Earn one point for predicting which team will win the upcoming series Earn one point for predicting the precise number of victories for each team Earn one point for predicting the “Series MVP” who accumulated the highest win probability added (WPA) during the series as calculated by FanGraphs (could pick a player from either team) FOF staffer Jeremiah Geiger is currently atop the 2026 season leaderboard, which will be updated between every Marlins series. If you are a SuperSub, leave a comment with your Prediction Time picks on this page, or join the Marlins Discord Server and submit there. We'll feature them on the upcoming Fish On First LIVE episode and track your points throughout the season! Any picks submitted prior to the first pitch of the series opener will be counted. If you are not a SuperSub, please consider signing up here to support the FOF staff. Series preview notes Probable starting pitchers: RHP Sandy Alcantara (MIA) vs. LHP Parker Messick (CLE) on Friday RHP Eury Pérez (MIA) vs. RHP Tanner Bibee (CLE) on Saturday TBA (MIA) vs. LHP Joey Cantillo (CLE) on Sunday The Marlins rank 10th in MLB with a 103 wRC+ and eighth in MLB with a 3.99 FIP. They are 8-2 in their last 10 games and have a 31-17 record at home this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Anthony Bender (15-day IL), Owen Caissie (10-day IL), Josh Ekness (60-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), John King (15-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL), Andrew Nardi (60-day IL) and Robby Snelling (60-day IL). The Guardians rank 26th in MLB with a 92 wRC+ and 10th in MLB with a 4.00 FIP. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have a 24-24 record on the road this season. The following Guardians players are on the injured list: Tim Herrin (15-day IL), Angel Martinez (10-day IL) and José Ramírez (10-day IL). View the full article

While a lot of Milwaukee Brewers fans might be clamoring for more punch in the offense, one of baseball's top insiders has identified another need for the Crew. Playoff-caliber starting pitching, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. One of the reasons for needing starting pitching is the new shoulder injury to right-hander Brandon Woodruff, while right-hander Logan Henderson just returned Thursday from a stay on the injured list with a back issue. As Passan sorts through all of the contenders, he made two choices for each club. One was a best-match trade addition, the other was a dream pickup. The best match, Passan says, is the Brewers connecting with their old front-office boss David Stearns with the New York Mets and acquiring right-handed starter Clay Holmes. Having recently returned from a broken right leg 2.39 ERA (3.19 FIP) in 52⅔ innings with an 8.4% walk rate and 20.9% strikeout rate. But it is Holmes' experience as a postseason reliever in 2021, 2022 and 2024 that could help push the Crew over the top. Holmes also fits financially as he is making $12 million this year and $13 million next year. But in a dream scenario, the Brewers would grab Minnesota Twins right-handed starter Joe Ryan. Ryan has ace qualities that would pair very nicely with Brewers right-hander Jacob Misiorowski, the MLB leader in strikeouts (167) and ERA (1.62). Ryan has a 2.65 ERA (2.83 FIP) in 19 starts, having already logged 104⅓ innings. Ryan has a 5.4% walk rate and 28.8% strikeout rate. Ryan, making $6.1 million this year, would be more of a rental as he has a mutual option for 2027. Mutual options are almost always declined. The Brewers certainly have the prospects to get either deal done. View the full article

MIAMI -- For much of the past two seasons, the Marlins and their rising shortstop Otto Lopez have mirrored each other. A year ago, the two exceeded expectations. While it wasn't all pretty, there was serious reason to believe there was long-term hope--even if most of the baseball world overlooked them. As for 2026? They've been undeniable. On the same night Lopez tallied his franchise record-breaking 127th hit before the All-Star break, Miami won their sixth straight-an 8-4 sweep-clinching effort over the AL West-leading Mariners. The hottest team in the sport improves to ten games over .500 for the first time since July 17th, 2023, and secures a second consecutive sweep. "It's so much fun right now," said Lopez postgame. "When you win, you can celebrate, and this team has to give it their all until the end of the season. We're showing what we want from now on until October, because we want October here in Miami. That's what I'm focused on." Lopez's decisive knock to pass Luis Arraez's mark of 126 set in 2023 came in the midst of a four-run fourth. A sharp ground ball past a diving J.P. Crawford knocked around just enough in the corner for the 27-year-old to cruise into third for his sixth three-bagger of the year. Awaiting Lopez at third and his following at-bats were MVP chants from the crowd at loanDepot park, which caused an ear-to-ear smile when discussing the moment. "It makes me feel super good," said Lopez. "They motivate me to just keep going and be comfortable. So, I just want to continue to keep putting on." "It's hard really to describe," said skipper Clayton McCullough. "It's so many hits that he's collected -- I think 140 multi hit games. He's has a hit in every series, and just the way they've come, he's got a bunch of doubles, triples, and he's got homers. He'll hit the ball over the place, tonight down the third base line, right center, infield hits. It's been a real hitting display with his bat to ball and how he moves the ball around the field. He's hitting all pitch types so much better this year and getting a lot more balls in the air this year than he has in the past. I mean, if he gets two hits in a game, you're not even really surprised anymore. It just seems like it's every single night." With just three games remaining in the first half, Lopez has a commanding lead across all of MLB in batting average (21 points higher than #2) and hits (15 more than #2, who happens to be Arraez) as of this writing. His OPS now sits at a clean .900. In addition to their first-time All-Star, Griffin Conine and Jakob Marsee enjoyed fine nights of their own at the plate. Conine shined with a three-hit, two-extra-base performance—including his fourth blast of the year in the second—while Marsee continues to show improvement, getting on base three times and notching an RBI. On the bump, an admittedly amped up Janson Junk settled in after an uncharacteristically wild first two frames. Making his first appearance since being sidelined with right shin inflammation in mid-May, the right-hander completed five innings of two-run ball, striking out five. The red-hot Fish return to action Friday night, playing host to the slumping Guardians in a rematch of the 1997 World Series. Ace Sandy Alcantara takes the mound in the series opener opposite Parker Messick. First pitch from LDP is set for 7:10 pm EST. View the full article

The MLB trade deadline is quickly approaching, but identifying buyers and sellers has rarely been more difficult. With the American League playoff picture packed tightly together, a single hot streak can transform a fringe contender into a postseason favorite. That uncertainty has made projecting deadline moves especially challenging, and the Twins are one of the biggest surprises in the mix. After a disappointing start to the season, Minnesota has clawed its way back toward the .500 mark and remains firmly in the Wild Card conversation. Even with obvious flaws, the Twins have stayed within striking distance in an American League that has lacked dominant contenders beyond the top teams. With that in mind, ESPN's Jeff Passan recently outlined the ideal deadline additions for playoff hopefuls, and he believes Minnesota's biggest need is clear: starting pitching. The most realistic fit on Passan's list is Nationals left-hander Foster Griffin, a pitcher who has quietly become one of baseball's better breakout stories. After spending the previous three seasons pitching in Japan, Griffin returned to Major League Baseball by signing with Washington before the 2026 season. The results have been outstanding. Across 110 1/3 innings, the left-hander owns a 2.77 ERA while pairing it with a 4.04 FIP, a sparkling 1.02 WHIP, a 24.5% strikeout rate, and an excellent 5.8% walk rate. Just as importantly for Minnesota, Griffin isn't simply a rental. He won't be eligible for arbitration until 2028 and isn't scheduled to become a free agent until after the 2030 season. That type of club control would make him valuable beyond this year's playoff race and could help stabilize a rotation that has battled inconsistency and injuries throughout the season. Adding Griffin would also fit the Twins' typical approach under their front office. Rather than paying premium prospect prices for a short-term acquisition, Minnesota has often targeted controllable players who can contribute for multiple seasons. Of course, Passan also included a much bigger name. His "dream" acquisition for the Twins is veteran right-hander Kevin Gausman of the Blue Jays. On paper, it's easy to understand why. Gausman has the experience and swing-and-miss arsenal to front a postseason rotation despite a somewhat uneven regular season. Through 106 1/3 innings, Gausman has compiled a 4.32 ERA, but his underlying numbers remain encouraging. He owns a 3.77 FIP, a 1.22 WHIP, a 24.3 percent strikeout rate, and a 6.5 percent walk rate while heading toward free agency this winter. Passan summed up the appeal simply: "If Toronto does wind up dumping its impending free agents, Minnesota adding Gausman to (Joe) Ryan and Taj Bradley in a three-game wild-card series certainly would play." The obstacle, however, is obvious. Toronto sits only a couple of games behind Minnesota in the standings and is chasing a postseason berth of its own after falling just short in last year's World Series. Unless the Blue Jays suffer a significant collapse over the next few weeks, it is difficult to imagine them moving one of their veteran starters to a direct Wild Card competitor. That makes Griffin feel like the more attainable target. Whether the Twins ultimately pursue Griffin, aim higher for a bigger name, or stand pat will depend on where they sit as August 3 approaches. But if Minnesota intends to capitalize on an unexpectedly competitive season, improving the rotation should be at the top of the priority list. Griffin may not be the flashiest deadline acquisition, but he could be exactly the type of move that helps the Twins turn a surprising season into a legitimate playoff run. View the full article

The New York Mets are losing another infielder. And a potential trade chip. Corner infielder Mark Vientos has a fractured bone in his right hand and will be placed on the 10-day injured list before Friday's game. Vientos was hit on his right hand by a pitch from Kansas City Royals right-hander Michael Wacha in the bottom of the second inning of 7-3 Mets loss. The exact diagnosis will be made following more imaging on the right hand, but broken bones have a four- to six-week recovery period. Vientos was thought to be a trade piece that the flailing Mets to spin off for a prospect or two. While his slash line of .211/.256/.388 with 11 homers and 35 RBIs isn't very inviting, he does hit left-handed pitching well, producing a .281/.316/.539 mark with six homers and 17 RBIs. The Mets are currently without second baseman Marcus Semien (strained left hip flexor) and Vientos' injury prompted rookie outfielder A.J. Ewing's MLB debut at second base and Bret Baty, who started at second, moved over to third, where Vientos made just his second start of the season. Infielder Ronny Mauricio is the leading candidate to replace Vientos on the roster. View the full article

From going undrafted to signing with the Red Sox while driving to Cape Cod, Calvin Bickerstaff has an interesting story. Pitching in Greenville in 2026, the right-hander continues his pursuit of pitching in the majors. Talk Sox's Nick John sits down and discusses the path Bickerstaff has taken to get to professional baseball. View the full article

The Twins are probably going to be active over the next few weeks, and regardless of whether they believe they can still make a run at the AL Central or not, roster moves are coming. Names like Trevor Larnach, Kody Clemens, Josh Bell, and a handful of others have all surfaced as potential trade candidates. One of those "others" is Ryan Jeffers. It makes sense, on the surface. Jeffers is set to become a free agent after the season. If the Twins have already decided he isn't part of their long-term plans, then the logical move would be to see what kind of return they can get, rather than letting him walk for nothing in free agency. But I think trading Jeffers would be a huge mistake, for a few reasons. Before landing on the injured list in May, Jeffers wasn't just having a good season. He was quite literally one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball. Through 37 games, Jeffers was hitting .295 with an outstanding .408 on-base percentage, while posting an even 1-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. That's incredibly difficult to do, especially for a catcher, and it reflected just how complete his offensive game had become. The underlying data backed it up, too. His quality of contact had reached career-best levels, and perhaps even more importantly, his bat-to-ball skills continued to improve. It was shaping up to be the best version of Jeffers we'd ever seen. But then came the injury. Jeffers suffered a fractured hamate bone in his left hand and has spent the last couple of months on the injured list. Whether it's simply the effects of a lengthy layoff or the process of getting back into game rhythm, it's reasonable to expect his production to take a step back after he returns. Because of that, it's entirely possible Jeffers won't look like the same hitter during the second half of the season. Ironically, though, that might actually work in the Twins' favor. If Jeffers’ production declines, his value in free agency may take a hit as well. Instead of pricing himself into a contract the Twins aren't comfortable matching, a quieter finish to the season could make him significantly more affordable this winter. Of course, his value goes beyond what he can do at the plate. One of the more underrated developments this season was what Jeffers brought behind the plate through the ABS challenge system. While he's never been known as an elite defensive catcher, Jeffers quickly became one of the more valuable catchers in baseball when it came to challenging balls and strikes. Those successful challenges created extra strikes for Twins pitchers and erased bad calls that otherwise would've extended at-bats. It's a small part of the game, but one that absolutely provides value over the course of a season. For a catcher who has never consistently thrown out runners at a high rate or been viewed as an elite blocker, adding another tangible defensive strength is significant. It's another reason why his overall value may be greater than the traditional numbers suggest. Then there's the organizational picture. Even though the Twins still have Victor Caratini under contract for another year, their catching pipeline isn't close to being major league-ready. Eduardo Tait has tremendous upside, but he's still only 19 years old and is currently playing at High-A. Enrique Jimenez is at that same level, while Khadim Diaw's long-term future behind the plate remains uncertain, especially given his frighteningly low caught-stealing rates. There are talented catchers in the system; they're just not close enough to make an impact at the major-league level anytime soon. That could change this weekend, if the Twins use their third overall pick in the MLB Draft on Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey. He's been heavily connected to Minnesota throughout the pre-draft process and certainly fits the type of player they could target. But even if Lackey becomes the selection, that doesn't suddenly solve the major league catching situation. College catchers still need time to develop. Whether it's Tait, Lackey, or someone else, the Twins are going to need somebody to bridge the gap between the present and the next generation. To me, Jeffers is the obvious choice, because what's the alternative? If you trade Jeffers now, you're probably turning around this offseason and spending money on another catcher, anyway. Why not keep the player who already knows the organization, has a strong track record of offensive production, and has built relationships with the pitching staff? That continuity matters, especially for a team that's likely going to lean on young starters and young position players over the next several seasons. Even if the Twins don't believe 2026 is shaping up to be a competitive year, I don't think Jeffers should be available at this trade deadline. He gives the Twins value immediately. He provides leadership inside the clubhouse, he’s helped stabilize a young pitching staff, and perhaps most importantly, he allows the organization to be patient with its next wave of catching prospects instead of forcing one of them to the majors before they're truly ready. There are certainly players the Twins should consider moving over the next few weeks, but Jeffers shouldn't be one of them. If I'm running this front office, he’s going nowhere this summer. View the full article

There is one number that follows Bradgley Rodriguez everywhere. Not a highlight, not a moment, but a data point: 41%. That is how often he throws his changeup. For a pitcher sitting 98.1 mph on the fastball, that alone makes the profile feel off-axis. Most pitchers with that kind of velocity lean on the fastball as the thing that organizes everything else. Rodríguez has gone the other way. The four-seam is almost background noise now, while the changeup has taken over as the pitch that actually drives the structure of the arsenal. It wasn't always like this. In 2025 at Double-A, Rodríguez looked dominant on paper: 12.49 K/9, 2.01 BB/9, 0.90 WHIP. But Triple-A changed the environment quickly. The strikeouts dropped to 4.40 K/9, walks jumped to 6.91 BB/9, and his xFIP climbed to 6.06. It was not a velocity issue; the fastball was still there. The problem was that more advanced hitters could handle the hard stuff. What followed was not a tweak, but a full reordering of usage. In 2026, the changeup has become his unquestionable primary offering, while the four-seam fell to a 22.3% usage rate. The sinker stayed at 27.1% as the stabilizing piece of the mix. The slider (8.3%) slid in as a fourth option, effectively taking the cutter’s place from 2025 (10.2%). It is not really a power arsenal in the traditional sense. It works more like a set of overlapping speeds that share the same visual window for as long as possible. Bradgley Rodriguez Changeup Performance Metric 2025 2026 MLB Average Usage 23.6% 41% ~15% BA Against .000 .123 .220 SLG Against .000 .193 .350 Whiff% 46.7% 39.1% ~25% Exit Velocity 91.2 mph 84.2 mph 89 mph HardHit% 33.3% 28.6% ~38% The changeup holds up even under heavy usage, which is really the point here. He only threw 30 of them all of last year in San Diego; he's already up to 253 in 2026. The surface line is strong on its own, but the underlying data actually pushes it a bit further (.126 xBA, .180 xSLG). That gap is usually where volatility shows up. Here, it does not really appear in a meaningful way. What matters more than the whiff rate itself is how consistently the pitch avoids damage contact. Even when hitters do put it in play, it tends to stay on the ground or come off the bat soft, which is not something that usually survives when a pitch becomes a primary option in the mix. The entire pitch works because of how it pairs with the sinker. Rodríguez’s changeup drops 25.6 inches with 17.3 inches of arm-side run. The sinker sits at 16.9 and 14.9. On paper, they are not identical, but visually they live in the same lane for most of the flight. Then the speed gap does the rest. The sinker comes in at 97.7 mph. The changeup sits at 89.4. By the time it arrives at the plate, it is usually too late to adjust. The result is a lot of early swings, a lot of contact under the ball, and a 47.1% topped rate that sits at the top of the league. It is less about swing quality and more about when the swing decision is being forced. Rodríguez is not winning on pure stuff. His Stuff+ sits at 101, basically average. The jump is in execution. His first-pitch strikes have noticeably increased from 41.9% to 61.5%; his in-zone rate from 45.7% to 50.7%. The changeup stopped being just a swing-and-miss pitch and became something closer to a placement tool, living on edges and expanding chase zones rather than the heart of the plate. The sinker, despite the velocity, is not really an out pitch in isolation. It plays more as a shape connector, something that keeps the fastball-changeup tunnel intact. The results (.300 BA, .375 SLG, 14.1% whiff) back that up—it is useful, but it is not driving outcomes on its own. The fastball ends up in a similar role. It is not dominating at all. The production is neutral (.280 BA, .341 xSLG), but its value is tied to perception. It keeps 98 mph in the hitter’s mind, even if it is not actually finishing at-bats very often. The question that sits underneath all of this is sustainability. A changeup sitting around 40% usage is still unusual in MLB, even among pitchers who lean heavily on off-speed offers. It is not a common workload distribution, and there are not many stable comparisons for it. The pitch value has dropped from 4.7 to 2.5 runs per 100 pitches, and the whiff rate has come down from the 46.7% rate last year. That looks like regression at first glance, but the underlying indicators suggest something closer to adjustment under increased exposure rather than a real collapse in quality. The slider is the one real development lane left. It has a 128 Stuff+, which usually signals upside, but the results have not followed (-1.6 runs/100, .308 BA, .538 SLG, 36.4% whiff, 55.6% hard-hit rate). The shape is not the problem. The execution is still inconsistent enough that hitters are not being disrupted in the same way as with the changeup. Rodríguez is 22, so there is still time for this to evolve, but the core problem is already solved. He has restructured the hierarchy of his arsenal. Instead of building around a 98-mph fastball, he pushed it into a supporting role inside a system driven by a high-usage changeup. It works right now because the command holds everything together, but the entire model still depends on whether that separation in timing holds as hitters see more of it. View the full article

To most New York Mets fans, the thought of trading young catcher Francisco Alvarez never seemed like an option. That was until Will Sammon of The Athletic mentioned that evaluators around the league believe that the Mets could get a substantial return for the former top prospect at this year's trade deadline. It is hard to label Alvarez as a bust, but he certainly has not lived up to the sky-high expectations that were put onto him. In 2023, the top three prospects in baseball were Orioles All-Star Gunnar Henderson, Diamondbacks All-Star Corbin Carroll and then Alvarez, who certainly has not been near the level of the other two. Later that season, both Henderson and Carroll won Rookie of the Year, and Alvarez did not receive a single vote. Across parts of five seasons in the majors, Alvarez has a .234 average with a 106 wRC+. He has been constantly sidelined with various injuries throughout his young career, with his career high in games played coming in his rookie season with 123. There are parts of his game that are still begging for improvement, namely in terms of plate discipline. He works his fair share of walks, but he's got a bad habit of chasing outside the zone, which leads to big swing-and-miss numbers. Alvarez does a good job of negating some of that with huge exit velocity numbers and a proclivity for meeting the ball with the barrel of his bat, but he still hasn't matured in the batter's box the way most have hoped. With that being said, I am not sure now is the time to move Alvarez. The Mets need to look at themselves in a mirror and realize they need to rebuild. One thing you should not do in a rebuild is trade a 24-year-old former top prospect with three more years of control. The Mets also do not have many catchers in waiting if Alvarez is moved. Kevin Parada can very well be labeled as a bust as he was recently emoted from Triple-A to Double-A. Yovanny Rodriquez has been good but he is still in rookie ball and at least three years away. Luis Torrens seems like the more likely trade candidate of the two. Torrens received an extension this offseason and is still one of the most undervalued catchers in baseball. He's an elite defender who should appeal to any contender in need of a veteran backstop. Barring a huge return, all the Mets should be doing with Alvarez is their due diligence. He is an integral part of this team, both now and in the future. View the full article

It wasn't enough to give the Cubs breathing room and win the game Thursday afternoon, but Pete Crow-Armstrong sparked a go-ahead rally in the top of the eighth inning. On a 1-0 pitch, he cracked a double to put himself instantly into scoring position—although in this particular case, "cracked" feels a bit cheeky. This was not, as the kids would say, an especially ethical double. It wasn't even a clean single, by a certain reckoning. When people talk about hitters getting lucky, this is often (rightly or wrongly) what they mean. Here's the thing, though: that wasn't luck. Firstly, give Crow-Armstrong credit. His speed made this a double; it's a single for most hitters. But secondly (and more importantly, for our purposes), this kind of hit is a new and durable part of the evolving offensive skill set Crow-Armstrong has showed off during his searing-hot stretch since May 22. When you start working to get your pitch, the balls you put in play start to cluster more in certain areas of the zone. We know how much better Crow-Armstrong has gotten at that lately, as he's drawn nearly as many walks (28) in the last 43 games as he drew in all of 2025 (29). Here's a heat map showing where the pitches on which he's put the ball in play have been this year, though, split into before and after the off day I've repeatedly cited as the starting point of his breakout. That's step one in making ferocious contact. Step two, of course, is swinging fast enough to deliver the barrel to the ball with massive force; Crow-Armstrong has also gotten much better at that. He made a big jump in bat speed from last season to this spring, but has also swung faster as this season has progressed. Step three in being a dangerous slugger is to find a swing path that allows one to consistently work uphill through the ball and pull it, rather than hitting too many grounders or using the big part of the park too much. Ironically, this is the thing Crow-Armstrong showed a knack for the soonest. All players develop uniquely, but one of the fascinating quirks about Crow-Armstrong is that he's gone through the three steps of blossoming into a great power hitter in the opposite of the most common and logically clear order. Now, though, let's talk about the bonus value a great power hitter can find, if and when they master the three steps above. You have your swing figured out; it's on plane and on time. It's also extremely violent, so even a mishit ball goes somewhere. You've tightened your zone, so that your mishits are just slight errors in the execution of a swing so fierce, rather than wild variants on an inconsistent stroke that sacrifice a lot of bat speed just to touch the ball. Your best moments are still when you click on the ball, the way Crow-Armstrong did for two home runs Wednesday night. But when you don't quite do so, you also get a residual benefit: a bunch of flared singles (and, if you're speedy, doubles). This season, Crow-Armstrong has 11 hits on batted balls with an exit velocity between 63 and 78 miles per hour and a launch angle between 25° and 40°. No other player in the league has more than eight such hits on the year. That's only part of the story, though. Of those 11 hits for Crow-Armstrong, 10 have come since the beginning of June. It's only once he started organizing his zone so well that he tapped this vein of balls that aren't well-hit, but are going to fall in just about every time. They look like this: WnhxQWxfWGw0TUFRPT1fVXdnREFWd0RWUVVBQ1ZCUVVBQUhVbFZTQUZoVEFRY0FWMTBIQ0FzTUExRURDQXRW.mp4 And like this: ek13eVpfV0ZRVkV3dEdEUT09X0FRUUFYVklNVkZZQVhGdFhVQUFIVUFRSEFGa0JWUUFBQkFZR0FWRlJBUW9HQ1FJRA==.mp4 And like this: UHY2eXhfV0ZRVkV3dEdEUT09X0JsTUhCMUVNQXdVQVhnRlRBd0FIQ1FKVEFGa0VBbEVBQWxRSENRQlJCd1ZkVXdSVA==.mp4 His average swing speed on the 11 hits we're talking about (you can find more hits that fit this genre more loosely by changing the constraints, of course, but these 11 capture the skill he's found perfectly) is 75.8 MPH. That ensures that these balls get up in the air and over the infielders. They're also in hittable locations, because Crow-Armstrong has become so much more selective in his aggressiveness; that's why he's hitting lofted wedges instead of pure popups, lazy flies or impotent choppers. And because outfielders must both start in deep positioning to respect his near-elite power and initially read these swings as full and aggressive, they have almost no chance of reading the ball well enough to cover the ground required to make the catch in the time it actually spends in the air. He's htting them off the end of the bat, and off the label. He's getting slightly under them. But these are swings on which Crow-Armstrong is only missing by a little, and because his is such a dangerous swing and such a newly mature approach, the result is a series of balls finding parts of the field that the defense can't fill. Hitting for power is great. Crow-Armstrong brought that element last year, and turned into a star because of it. Now, however, he's much more than a power hitter. With an approach that puts him on base via the walk consistently and this ability to hit for average by finding singles even when he doesn't square the ball up, he's essentially unstoppable. Since May 22, he leads qualified batters in batting average, OBP and slugging—yes, in OPS, but also in each individual segment of the slash line. That's because he's become so complete that he now gets to profit from slugger's singles, as well as racking up extra-base hits and taking his base when pitchers show well-founded fear of him. When you bake in the fact that he's also a plus on the bases and in the field, it gets very, very easy to build an MVP case for him, even in a world he must share with Shohei Ohtani. View the full article

MIAMI, FL — The Miami Marlins announced on Thursday a flurry of roster moves. Outfielder Owen Caissie is going on the 10-day injured list due to a right calf strain. The corresponding move for him was recalling outfielder Rece Hinds from Triple-A Jacksonville. Left-handed reliever John King will be going on the 15-day IL due to a left lateral ankle sprain and right-hander Ryan Gusto has been recalled. The Marlins also sent down righty reliever Zach Brzykcy to Jacksonville to make room for Janson Junk's return. Caissie, who has played in 80 games this season, started for Miami in right field on Wednesday night, but left after the top of the first inning, not taking an at-bat in the game. Marlins manager Clayton McCullough told reporters that "he started to kind of grab on it a little bit" when running during pregame warmups. "Not something we wanted to really take a chance on." After a slow start to the season, Caissie is now slashing .239/.297/.459/.755 with 12 home runs, 50 RBI and a 101 wRC+. Since the start of June, Caissie is hitting .243/.314/.568/.882 with seven home runs and 21 RBI. Caissie told the media at loanDepot park that it is something he had never felt before. This is only the second IL stint of his professional career. There should be a clearer timeline for his return once the Marlins receive the results of his imaging on Friday. As for Hinds, who the Marlins acquired back in May from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Zach McCambley, he has played in 51 games (28 with Jacksonville), slashing .265/.356/.508/.864 with 12 home runs, 33 RBI and a 124 wRC+. In his stint with the Marlins organization, he has struggled a bit, posting an 85 wRC+. Hinds last played at the major league Level on May 2 of this season, posting a -5 wRC+ in 12 games with the Reds. "Right-handed bat that can give us some options to start versus left or come off the bench," said McCullough. " He hits the ball incredibly hard and what intrigued about us is it's a young player that has some impact potential. The swing decisions being a big theme for him to work on." Part of the outfield shuffle will include even more Heriberto Hernández, who since returning from Triple-A has slashed .278/.333/.619/.952 with 12 home runs and 26 RBI. In the series finale against the Mariners, Hernández is hitting fifth as the designated hitter. Griffin Conine and Esteury Ruiz are the two other options that are going to get some more playing time. John King, who has been the Marlins' top left-handed reliever all season, suffered his injury while doing pitching drills in the outfield. The Marlins recalled Ryan Gusto to fill his active roster spot "Just went to go catch a ball and stepped awkwardly on the platforms out there and rolled his ankle pretty good," McCullough said. "It was looking like it was going to be at least a few days he wasn't going to be able to throw. With the All-Star break coming and the ability to build that in, hopefully it's not too long." King is eligible to be reinstated beginning on July 23. The lone lefty in the bullpen is now Cade Gibson, who in 16 appearances has a 6.00 ERA, but a 3.41 FIP. Since being recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville on May 20, Gibson has a 2.03 FIP. On Wednesday against the Mariners, Gibson tossed two shutout innings, striking out three. McCullough also mentioned Michael Petersen, Lake Bachar and Calvin Faucher as options who can get both right-handed and left-handed hitters out. "We have one lefty right now, and so if he's not available, we'll have to throw righties," McCullough said jokingly. "But I believe we have guys that are good enough to go get them out." The Marlins and Mariners wrap up their series on Thursday at 6:40 pm with Janson Junk taking the mound. It'll be his first MLB appearance since May 25. View the full article

Acquired from Cincinnati earlier this season, Marlins outfielder Rece Hinds speaks with the media about receiving the call-up news and his early impressions of the organization.View the full article

John Holobetz could be the next dominant pitching prospect in a line of recent names that have stolen the show. We’ve seen Payton Tolle and Connelly Early already break through, and Anthony Eyanson is having a dream start to his professional career right now. Jake Bennett is in the majors as well. Holobetz is the next name Boston Red Sox fans need to buy stock in before it’s too late. John Holobetz’s Updated Red Sox Scouting Report Holobetz was originally a fifth-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft when the Milwaukee Brewers selected him to be the next member of their pitching laboratory. Holobetz pitched for three seasons in college, with one run at Radford before logging a pair of years at Old Dominion to catch Milwaukee’s eye. He debuted with the then Single-A Carolina Mudcats before the Crew dealt him as part of a package deal in the Quinn Priester trade. Holobetz, voted as the Red Sox no. 15 prospect per Talk Sox, is currently with Boston’s Double-A affiliate, the Portland Sea Dogs. Through 14 appearances (13 of them starts), he has a 4-3 record with a 4.57 earned run average. Holobetz has 74 punchouts to 22 walks over 67.0 innings of work. Building Off An Electric Fastball Holobetz’s fastball has a 55-grade on MLB Pipeline’s 20-to-80 scouting scale. His primary offering is electric, but not in the way that most pitchers’ fastballs are. The pitch rides in between 92-95 miles per hour and can climb up to 97 on occasion, but his above-average extension and low release point gives the ball plenty of arm-side ride off of his hand. This makes his fastball extremely tough to time up, and he does a remarkable job of mitigating hard contact. Opposing hitters managed just a .514 OPS against his fastball in 2025, making the 50-grade slider, 45-grade cutter and 45-grade changeup that much more impactful. The slider breaks both vertically and horizontally, and the changeup caused trouble for opposing hitters during his Old Dominion days. Everything starts with the fastball, though, and the better he tunnels it with the other pitches, the more effective he’ll be. Controlling The Ballgame Control is another prominent part of Holobetz’s game. The 23-year-old righty walked just 4 percent of hitters during the 2025 campaign, good enough for the second best rating in Minor League Baseball. The Pottsville, PA native has kept this reputation through his career thus far, logging 194 punchouts to only 42 walks for a better than 4-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio. This consistency earned him a 60-grade for control, as his ability to work through a lineup efficiently gives him back-end starter potential. A Realistic Timeline When will this deceptive Red Sox prospect break into the big leagues? The Sox may be struggling in the win-loss column, but they are loaded with arms. Injuries aside, the rotation includes the likes of Garrett Crochet, Ranger Suarez, Sonny Gray, Payton Tolle, Connelly Early, Jake Bennett and then Anthony Eyanson, who is also in Double-A Portland, is lighting the world on fire. Just like how the trade market changed Holobetz’s trajectory by giving him a new organization, he may need it to come in handy again to cut out of what is a surplus of pitching talent in and around Boston. Overall, I’d guess he breaks in some time during the 2028 season, unless the ball club makes some splash moves and lets a few of the names above Holobetz go. His scouting report (per MLB Pipeline) describes him as a “high floor” player, so he should climb his way to the show. It’s just a matter of making room for him with so much talent standing in the way. View the full article

Box Score SP: Bailey Ober - 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K (74 pitches, 48 strikes (65% strikes)) Home Runs: Royce Lewis Bottom 3 WPA: Kendry Rojas (-0.29), Trevor Larnach (-0.18), Alex Jackson (-0.15) Win Probability Chart The Twins entered Thursday afternoon's series finale against the Guardians with a chance to complete a three-game sweep and climb back to .500 for the first time since April 22. A victory also would have pulled Minnesota even with Cleveland in the AL Central standings. Instead, the Guardians spoiled the opportunity. Despite a strong return from Bailey Ober and a brief fifth-inning rally, Cleveland used three home runs and a pair of late insurance runs to hand the Twins a 5-2 loss. Minnesota saw its four-game winning streak come to an end, but still walked away with a successful series after taking two of three from its division rival. BAILEY OBER RETURNS WITH A STRONG FIVE INNINGS Making his first start since May 30, Ober looked sharp from the opening pitch. The right-hander retired the Guardians in order in the first inning and needed just 15 pitches to navigate the frame. Outside of one mistake in the second, he consistently worked ahead in counts and generated plenty of weak contact. That lone mistake came against Gabriel Arias, who jumped on a first-pitch fastball and launched it into the bullpen for a solo homer, giving Cleveland an early 1-0 lead. Other than that swing, Ober was in complete control. He struck out four batters over five innings while allowing just three hits and one walk, throwing 51 of his 74 pitches for strikes. Through four innings, he had needed only 51 pitches, and even after working around a two-on jam in the fifth, he exited having allowed just the lone run. With Ober making his first appearance since returning from the injured list, the Twins elected to lift him after five innings despite the modest pitch count. It was exactly the kind of outing Minnesota hoped to see from one of its key starters. GAVIN WILLIAMS DOMINATES THE TWINS' OFFENSE Unfortunately for the Twins, Cleveland starter Gavin Williams was just as impressive. Williams retired the first 12 Minnesota hitters he faced, striking out six over the first four innings while keeping the Twins completely off balance. Through four innings, Minnesota had yet to put a runner on base and had little answer for his upper-90s fastball and sharp breaking ball. The perfect game finally disappeared in the fifth, when Royce Lewis dumped a two-strike bloop single into shallow right-center. That proved to be the spark the Twins desperately needed. Alan Roden followed with a walk, and then Williams plunked Luke Keaschall, suddenly loading the bases with one out. Tristan Gray came through, shooting a ground ball past Travis Bazzana at second base to score Lewis and tie the game at 1-1. The Twins had a chance for much more. With the bases still loaded, Alex Jackson hit a ground ball that resulted in Roden being thrown out at the plate, and Trevor Larnach struck out to end the inning. Minnesota managed to erase the deficit, but leaving additional runs on the table would prove costly. CLEVELAND RESPONDS IMMEDIATELY The tie lasted less than one half-inning. Kendry Rojas, who had been recalled earlier in the day, entered in relief of Ober to begin the sixth. After recording the first out, Chase DeLauter turned on a fastball up in the zone and pulled it into the right-field seats for a go-ahead solo homer, putting the Guardians back in front 2-1. An inning later, Cleveland created more separation. Rojas issued back-to-back one-out walks to Patrick Bailey and Steven Kwan before Rocchio lined a ball over Brooks Lee's head into left field. Both runners scored easily, stretching the Guardians' lead to three. Lewis answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning. The third baseman crushed a 2-0 sweeper into the seats for his ninth home run of the season, cutting the deficit to 4-2 and briefly giving the Twins some life. But Minnesota's offense was unable to build on the momentum, managing just one baserunner over the final two innings. GO MAKES HIS MAJOR LEAGUE DEBUT Minnesota also received a memorable moment in the ninth inning when Woo-Suk Go made both his Twins and major league debut. The outing began on a sour note as Patrick Bailey connected on a solo home run to push Cleveland's lead to 5-2. However, Go settled in nicely afterward, winning a 10-pitch battle against Steven Kwan for his first career major league strikeout before retiring Bazzana to end the inning. It wasn't the debut he'd envisioned, but finishing the inning with his first big-league strikeout gave the rookie something positive to build on. Cade Smith then closed the door in the ninth, retiring the Twins in order to secure the victory for Cleveland. Minnesota's offense never found much consistency against Williams and the Guardians' bullpen, finishing with just four hits while striking out 13 times. Lewis accounted for half of those hits with a single and a solo homer, while Gray drove in the Twins' other run. The loss prevented Minnesota from reaching .500 and drawing even with Cleveland in the division standings, but after winning the first two games of the series and extending its recent stretch of strong baseball, the Twins still leave the matchup with momentum as they head into their next series. What’s Next? The Twins continue their homestand tomorrow with the start of a three-game weekend series against the Los Angeles Angels. Zebby Matthews will take the mound for the good guys, and the Angels have not yet announced who he’ll be facing off against. First pitch is set for 7:10 PM. Postgame Interviews Coming Soon! Bullpen Availability Chart View the full article

On Fish Unfiltered, former Marlins All-Star closer AJ Ramos relives his trip to San Diego for the 2016 festivities and offers some advice to this year's Marlins reps, Otto Lopez and Max Meyer.View the full article

The Milwaukee Brewers have one of their key arms back. Right-hander Logan Henderson was activated from the 15-day injured list and will start for the Brewers in Thursday's series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals. Right-hander Garrett Stallings was optioned to Triple-A Nashville. Henderson has been out since late May with a strained lower back. Henderson was not on the Opening Day roster and then made an early spot start before coming up again in early May. Overall, he has made five starts and pitched 23 innings, with a 2.42 FIP (2.74 ERA) along with a 6.7% walk rate and 33.3% strikeout rate. If Henderson goes 2⅓ innings today, he will match the number of innings he pitched last year with the Brewers in his MLB debut season. Henderson also returns to the rotation as the Brewers have lost veteran right-hander Brandon Woodruff, who is considering shoulder surgery with a new injury. Stallings made two appearances since being called up June 30, including his MLB debut. In those two outings, Stallings pitched two scoreless innings, allowing a hit, walking one and striking out four. View the full article

With the MLB All-Star break right around the corner, Kevin Barral and Isaac Azout discuss what the experience is like behind the scenes with Fish On First's resident All-Star, AJ Ramos. The guys also catch up on the Marlins' continued stretch of excellent play, Janson Junk's return to the starting rotation and the loss of Owen Caissie to a calf injury You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods. AJ was one of five Marlins representatives at the 2016 All-Star festivities, joined by Giancarlo Stanton, José Fernández, Marcell Ozuna and Fernando Rodney. He recalls getting the news of his selection straight from team owner Jeffrey Loria. Stanton won the Home Run Derby that year, while the American League won the All-Star Game itself, 4-2. Marlins manager Clayton McCullough confirmed on Thursday that Max Meyer will not participate in the game this year. Otto Lopez is expected to be used off the bench. View the full article

The Twins will have to finish the 2026 season without one of their veteran left-handed relievers. Anthony Banda told reporters that he recently underwent surgery to repair his injured lat, ending his season. The veteran southpaw expects to be fully recovered in time for spring training next February. While the news isn't entirely surprising, it officially closes the door on any chance of Banda returning for a late-season playoff push. Banda was placed on the 15-day injured list earlier this month with what the Twins initially described as a lat strain. At the time, manager Derek Shelton acknowledged the injury was significant and suggested Banda's recovery would be measured in months rather than weeks. There was still some optimism that he could return, but this specific surgery eliminates that possibility. Minnesota will eventually transfer him to the 60-day injured list once it needs another spot on the 40-man roster. Although Banda's overall numbers don't jump off the page, he had quietly become one of the Twins' more dependable relievers before getting hurt. He finished the year with a 4.46 ERA across 34 1/3 innings, but those numbers were heavily skewed by a difficult start to the season. Beginning on May 5, Banda posted a 1.33 ERA over his final 20 1/3 innings. That stretch came with some favorable fortune, including a .259 batting average on balls in play and a 90.6% strand rate, but he consistently gave the Twins quality innings during that stretch. That's a difficult arm to lose for a bullpen that has struggled to find consistency all season. Minnesota's relievers own a collective 5.24 ERA, tied with the Royals for the worst mark in Major League Baseball. Even if Banda's dominant stretch wasn't completely sustainable, his absence leaves the Twins with even fewer reliable late-inning options as they continue to chase a postseason berth. Despite those bullpen struggles, Minnesota remains in the thick of the American League playoff race, sitting just a half-game out of a Wild Card spot. For now, Taylor Rogers and Kody Funderburk become the club's primary left-handed relief options, while Kendry Rojas was recalled to provide additional length out of the bullpen. If the Twins remain in contention over the next few weeks, adding another bullpen arm could become an even bigger priority before the trade deadline. For Banda, the injury comes at an unfortunate time in his career. After spending 2025 with the Dodgers, Banda struggled during the postseason and found himself designated for assignment in February because he was out of minor league options. The Twins acquired him by sending international bonus pool space to Los Angeles, hoping his recent success would carry over to Minnesota. Financially, the Twins still have a decision looming this offseason. Banda is earning $1.625 million this season and remains arbitration eligible for 2027. Minnesota will need to determine whether to tender him a contract before November, and the progress of his recovery will likely factor into that decision. Unfortunately for both Banda and the Twins, they'll have to wait until 2027 to find out whether he can continue building on his success with the club. View the full article

I'm still not ready to entertain the possibility that the Blue Jays will be sellers at the trade deadline. As I write this, the Jays are six games below .500 with a -38 run differential. They're only three games back of a Wild Card spot, but they would have to surpass three teams (and stave off several more) to put themselves in the playoff picture. If Toronto can't stop losing over the next couple of weeks, eventually Ross Atkins will have to face reality. But we're not there yet. For now, this is still the team that made it to Game 7 of the World Series last year. This is still the team with a top-five payroll in the sport. This is still a team that should absolutely have eyes on the playoffs. Of course, if they're going to get there – and give themselves the best chance to advance when they do – they'll have to bring in some reinforcements. The Blue Jays need another starting pitcher. Dylan Cease is a stud and Kevin Gausman is a horse, but I'm worried about Trey Yesavage and Spencer Miles running out of steam down the stretch. I'm also concerned by what we've seen from Shane Bieber so far, and I'm not counting on anything from Max Scherzer at this point. Patrick Corbin can rejoin the rotation as needed, but the Blue Jays can and should aim higher. I know I just named seven guys there, but if the 2026 Blue Jays have taught us anything, it's that we shouldn't ever worry about having too much starting pitching. If the Jays ever end up in a situation where they do have too many guys, they can figure it out then, but that possibility shouldn't affect their deadline strategy. So, Toronto needs to shop for a starter. There are plenty of options to consider, but thankfully, DiamondCentric has a list of the top 40 trade candidates I can use to narrow my search. Let's take a look at some of the top-ranked names. Tarik Skubal (No. 1) Not happening. I'd love to see the back-to-back Cy Young winner in Toronto, but the Blue Jays aren't in a position to make this kind of blockbuster. We can reconsider Tarik Skubal if they go on a 15-game winning streak. Joe Ryan (No. 2) DiamondCentric's second-highest-ranked trade candidate is a much more realistic target for the Blue Jays. The Twins ace might cost nearly as much as Skubal in terms of prospects; he's making a lot less money, and he's still under team control through arbitration in 2027. However, that's exactly why he makes sense for Toronto. If the Jays were to trade for Skubal and still miss the playoffs, it would be a disaster. If they trade for Joe Ryan and miss the playoffs this year, it would be disappointing, but they would go into 2027 with Cease, Ryan, and Yesavage atop their rotation. That's a great top three to build around, and even in his final year of arbitration, Ryan will come significantly cheaper than re-signing Gausman (or an equivalent free agent replacement). Here's what DiamondCentric's Matthew Trueblood has to say about Ryan: Reid Detmers (No. 4) Reid Detmers is under team control for two more seasons after this one. The left-hander would bring some much-needed variation to Toronto's rotation; the only lefty on their depth chart right now is Corbin. The downside with Detmers is that he's never pitched a full, qualified season. He threw a career-high 148.2 innings back in 2023. The next year, he technically threw 165.1 frames, but almost half of those were at the Triple-A level. In 2025, he threw 63.2 innings, all of them out of the bullpen. Detmers has looked great this year, but ultimately, the Blue Jays need a high-floor guy more than they need a high-ceiling guy right now. Kevin Gausman (No. 6) The next-highest starting pitcher on our rankings is a very familiar face, given that he already pitches for the Blue Jays. Jim Scott wrote an interesting piece about the possibility of Toronto flipping Gausman at the deadline, but I still think DiamondCentric's No. 6 trade candidate is staying put. Freddy Peralta (No. 7) My gut reaction here was no. The Blue Jays should stay away from Freddy Peralta. He's a rental, and he's pitching uncharacteristically poorly. Then I reconsidered. For one thing, Peralta won't cost anything close to the kind of prospect return the Tigers will demand for Skubal. And even in a down year, he has already reached 100 innings with a mid-4.00s ERA. His upside is similar to Ryan's, and his floor would still improve Toronto's staff. Here's what Matthew Trueblood wrote about Peralta: Sonny Gray (No. 8) I'm a big fan of Sonny Gray, who has been one of the more underrated frontline starters in the game for years. Since 2019, he has made 200 starts with a 3.44 ERA. In that span, he ranks fourth in FanGraphs pitching WAR behind Zack Wheeler, Gausman, and Logan Webb. His ERA right now is a career low, and his underlying numbers are as strong as ever. His strikeout rate is down, but he hasn't had any trouble compensating in other ways. Here's the problem: Gray is a very expensive rental. He'll have about $10 million in 2026 salary remaining at the deadline, plus a $10 million buyout on his mutual option at the end of the year. The Blue Jays could probably get the Red Sox to eat some of that money, but the way to do that would be to offer some enticing prospects to a division rival. I don't see that happening. José Soriano (No. 10) There's a lot to like about José Soriano, who owns a career 3.77 ERA and 4.13 xERA in 430 innings. The 27-year-old has come back to earth since his phenomenal March/April, but he's a reliable pitcher with plenty of skills the Jays would love to build on. Like his teammate Detmers, Soriano is under contract through the 2028 season, and I'm more convinced of his high floor. However, I'm less convinced the Angels will be shopping him. I think they'd only give him up for a price higher than the Jays might be willing to pay. Here are Trueblood's thoughts: Casey Mize (No. 12) This is another one where I'll say, "Let's reconsider if the Jays go on a winning streak." Casey Mize is a free agent after the year, and the Blue Jays cannot give up too much for a rental unless their playoff odds are significantly higher three weeks from now. What's more, the other rentals I've discussed so far (Skubal, Peralta, and Gray) all have longer track records of success. When it comes to Mize, the Tigers will be hoping his old prospect pedigree and excellent first-half results convince a team to pay a frontline-starter price for a pitcher who had never warranted that label before. Some teams might be willing to do that, but Toronto shouldn't be one of them. View the full article

Bailey Ober has completed his rehab assignment and been returned to the active roster prior to the finale against the Guardians. He threw 8 1/3 innings in two rehab starts with Cedar Rapids and St. Paul. Prior to going on the injured list, Ober had 12 starts for the Twins, with a 4.59 ERA and 4.98 FIP. He's had his ups and downs but the hope is that he can provide some veteran depth in a rotation that has showed promise at times. Along with Ober being reinstated, LHP Kendry Rojas was recalled from Triple-A. He's bounced between the majors at Triple-A this year. In his time in the majors, he has looked promising, throwing 16 1/3 innings over six appearances. In that time, he has struck out 18 hitters, but also walked 13. If he can improve the walk rate, there is plenty of promise in the young lefty, either as a starter, or more likely as a relief option going forward. The last move made was that Connor Prielipp has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a finger blister on his left middle finger. Prielipp has been solid in the rotation this year, most recently pitching on Wednesday, giving up three runs over five innings pitched in a game the Twins won in walk-off fashion. On the year, Prielipp has a 5.00 ERA and a much better 3.90 FIP. In 66 2/3 innings, he has recorded 71 strikeouts over 13 appearances. The timing of the injured list stint could be beneficial with the All-Star Break right around the corner, so Prielipp could miss fewer games as long as the blister doesn't turn into a longer-lasting issue. He was not scheduled to start until after the break, so he won't miss a start until after the All-Star break is finished. View the full article

Could A.J. Preller make another blockbuster move involving Mason Miller at this year's trade deadline? Other front offices certainly think it is a possibility for the San Diego Padres, as MLB.com's Mark Feinsand laid out in this article. Preller, the Padres' president of baseball operations and general manager, made a huge splash at last year's deadline when he sent four prospects, led by shortstop Leo De Vries (at the time MLB Pipeline's No. 3 prospect in baseball), to the A's for Miller and left-handed starter JP Sears. In addition to his devastating repertoire as a closer, Miller is also attractive as he still has three more years of club control. That would benefit the Padres in terms of what they would get back from a team if Preller decides to sell. The Padres entered play Thursday at 45-45 and 4½ games out of the third and final NL wild-card spot. “They have to consider it if they keep playing like this,” an NL executive said. “They won’t get De Vries-type value back for him, but they’ll still do well if they trade him.” “I would think he would be capable of two Top 100 [players] or a Top 100 and another two players that are organizational Top 10s or so,” an NL executive said. “But I’m not sure they would feel it would be worth it.” View the full article

John Holobetz is a rising star in the Boston Red Sox pipeline. After acquiring him in the Quinn Preister trade, the Pottsville, PA native has flexed one of the more deceptive fastballs in baseball. In this video, we'll break down how the current Portland Sea Dogs starter is leveraging his extension, release point, and control to rise up the rankings and inch closer to the big leagues. View the full article

With the 2026 draft right around the corner, we wanted to take a look at how the draft class from one year ago is doing in their first year in the Royals organization. With Mondays being an off day across the minor leagues, all stats mentioned are as of Monday, July 6. Round 1, Pick 23: Sean Gamble, OF, IMG Academy Gamble was taken 23rd overall and started his professional career after signing for $4 million and forgoing his commitment to Vanderbilt. In 2026, he was assigned to Single-A Columbia. Over his first two months, he has struggled at the plate, with a .567 OPS through 63 games. He has struck out at a pretty high rate (25.2%). He hasn’t hit for much power yet, but has shown the ability to steal bases, with 19 stolen bases in 23 attempts. It’s likely too early to worry, as many young players struggle offensively when they start their careers. The hope is that Gamble will begin to show more promise offensively as the season continues. He’s currently ranked as the #5 prospect on Royals Keep. Round 1, Pick 28: Josh Hammond, SS, Wesleyan Christian Academy Hammond was taken five picks after Gamble out of Wesleyan Christian Academy in High Point, NC. Similar to Gamble, he did not make his professional debut until 2026. He’s also played this season at Single-A Columbia and has played most of his games at shortstop, but quite a few at third base as well. He’s played 42 games at shortstop and 28 at third base, along with two at DH as well. He’s been solid offensively, hitting five home runs with three triples and 17 doubles as well. His 20.7% strikeout rate is something to keep an eye on if he climbs up to the next level in the future. The 19-year old also has a 9.1 % walk rate, along with 18 stolen bases in his first 74 games played. His solid start has had him climb up to the #3 prospect in the Royals system. Round 2, Pick 61: Michael Lombardi, RHP, Tulane Lombardi has also been playing this year at Single-A Columbia. He was mainly used as a relief pitcher in his final year at Tulane, but the Royals have tried him as a starter this year. His 2.44 ERA looks solid, but the 3.45 FIP tells a slightly different story. Both numbers are still solid in his first year of professional ball. He’s struck hitters out at a high rate (13.72 K/9), but also walked batters at a pretty high rate as well (5.52 BB/9). This is not uncommon for young pitchers, so the Royals are hoping those numbers can improve going forward. Round 2, Pick 71: Justin Lamkin, LHP, Texas A&M Lamkin started the year at High-A Quad Cities, and after six starts with a 1.27 ERA and 3.45 FIP along with 38 strikeouts over 28 ⅓ innings, was called up to Double-A. In two starts, he looked solid, throwing 11 ⅓ innings and a respectable 4.09 FIP. Unfortunately, he was put on the seven-day IL and then transferred to the 60-day IL with an undisclosed injury, so hopefully this is not something that gets in the way of his development long term. Round 3, Pick 97: Cameron Millar, RHP, Alhambra HS (Martinez, CA) Millar has played this year at the Complex League, pitching in six games (five starts). He’s thrown 16 ⅔ innings and has recorded 25 strikeouts. The home run rate is high (2.70/9), but it’s a small sample, so it's hard to extrapolate if this will be an issue long term or not. He’s an intriguing arm and someone to keep an eye on, as he is ranked #13 in the Royals system. Round 4, Pick 128: Nolan Sailors, OF, Creighton Drafted out of Creighton, where he was a four-year starter, Sailors was a high-average hitter, hitting for a .913 OPS in his time with the Blue Jays. He got his professional career started after being drafted, playing in 32 games with High-A Quad Cities, where he looked comfortable at the plate (.780 OPS), and he stole 17 bases in 21 attempts. In 2026, he played again at High-A, where he continued similar production with a .777 OPS and 23 stolen bases over 65 games played. Round 5, Pick 158: Aiden Jimenez, RHP, Arkansas Jimenez started his collegiate career at Oregon State in 2023 and then missed the 2024 season due to Tommy John surgery. He pitched the 2025 season with Arkansas, where he threw 42 ⅓ innings, mostly out of the bullpen for the Razorbacks. He didn’t pitch in game action in 2025 after being drafted, but has pitched at High-A this year, throwing 48 innings in 14 appearances (seven starts, seven relief). Some of his underlying numbers have not been great, but the 22-year-old is still early in his career. The 5.79 FIP and 1.50 HR/9 along with a low strikeout rate (6.19 K/9) are concerning if they don’t improve going forward. Round 6, Pick 188: Tyriq Kemp, SS, Baylor Born in the Netherlands, Kemp played two seasons with Baylor, where he hit for a solid slash line of .305/.403/.446 with nine home runs over 108 games played. He got his first taste of professional ball after being drafted, playing with Single-A Columbia, and he struggled offensively, which is not uncommon for players in their professional debuts. Over 16 games played, he posted a .683 OPS, but did have five stolen bases in eight attempts as well. In 2026, he moved up a level, playing at High-A, where he has played both middle infield positions. He’s posted at .786 OPS with seven home runs and 21 stolen bases, so he has taken clear steps forward since being drafted. Keep an eye on how he continues to develop, as he has shown some promise over the past year. Round 7, Pick 218: Bryson Dudley, P, Texas State Dudley was drafted out of Texas State where he pitched as a relief pitcher. Over 50 ⅓ innings with the Bobcats, he struck out 53 hitters, but also showed some struggles with his control, where he walked 31 hitters. The Royals were intrigued with his pitch mix and saw promise, taking him in the seventh round. After being drafted, he pitched at Single-A, striking out 22 hitters in 13 ⅓ innings in nine games, recording two saves. He was placed at High-A and subsequently placed on the full-season injury list at the beginning of the 2026 season. Round 8, Pick 248: Brooks Bryan, C, Troy Bryan did not make his professional debut until this season, where he has played at Single-A Columbia. He’s played in 33 games (as of July 6) and looked very solid at the plate, with a slash line of .319/.406/.496. He’s added six stolen bases, which is more than he stole in any season while at Troy. He’s currently on the 7-day IL, where he was placed on June 1. Round 9, Pick 278: Shane Van Dam, P, NC State Van Dam started his collegiate career at SUNY Cortland, but pitched the final two years with NC State, where he served as mostly a reliever out of the Wolfpack bullpen. In 2026, he’s pitched in 15 games, starting 11 of them, so the Royals are trying him as a starter to start his professional career. The states have been a bit tough, as he has a 5.34 ERA with 48 strikeouts over 57 ⅓ innings pitched. At just 22 years old, he still has time to adjust, but if he doesn’t succeed as a starter, a move to the bullpen could be in his future. Round 10, Pick 308: Max Martin, P, UC Irvine Martin got his first taste of professional ball last year after being drafted, pitching in four games, where he threw 6 ⅔ innings, recording six strikeouts and not giving up a run. Between Single-A and High-A in 2026, he’s thrown exclusively out of the bullpen, and he has thrown 35 ⅔ innings over 24 appearances and recorded 30 strikeouts, along with giving up just one home run. He’s an intriguing arm as a mid-round pick, and time will tell if he can continue to make adjustments to continue climbing the organizational ladder as he gets deeper into his career. Round 11, Pick 338: Hunter Alberini, P, Arizona Alberini appeared in four games, pitching six innings after being drafted last year at High-A Quad Cities. He started the year at High-A again, appearing in 10 games, but struggling mightily with his control, walking 17 batters in 9 ⅔ innings pitched. He was sent to Single-A Columbia in late May and has looked better since being demoted, with four walks in 11 ⅓ innings pitched. Hopefully, this reset is what he needed to start having regular success out of the bullpen. Round 12, Pick 368: Matthew Hoskins, P, Georgia Hoskins is no longer in the Royals organization, as he was acquired by the Tampa Bay Rays as the PTBNL as part of the Kameron Misner deal, which was completed in November of 2025. Hoskins is currently pitching in the Complex League for the Tampa Bay organization, where he has pitched in 11 games, throwing 12 innings with eight strikeouts, 12 walks, and eight hit batters. Some of the stats are rough around the edges, but Tampa saw enough in him to choose him instead of cash considerations in return for Misner. Round 13, Pick 398: Tyson Moran, SS, Ontario Playing in 38 games in the Arizona Complex League, Moran has hit seven home runs and hit for a slash line of .315/.389/.562, which is a solid start to his professional career for the Canadian. He has shown some promise and is someone who is looking to carve out a role for himself as a mid-round pick to have some success. Round 14, Pick 428: JC Vanek, 1B, Chipola Vanek got into 14 games at Single-A after being drafted and has played this year at the same level. He has shown a little bit of power, hitting seven home runs in 58 games with a .772 OPS. He’s played mostly first base, but also played a few games in the corner outfield as well. His bat will have to carry him at a position that has a high bar to be a successful big leaguer. Round 15, Pick 458: Connor Rasmussen, IF, Tulane Rasmussen has bounced mostly played second base, but also played some third base as well. He started the year at Single-A, where he hit well enough (.816 OPS) to get promoted to High-A, where he has not seen the same success, but still looked decent in his first 10 games with Quad Cities. His defensive versatility will help him, so it will be interesting to see where he plays in the future and if more positions are added to his defensive repertoire. Round 16, Pick 488: Randy Ramnarace, P, New Haven Ramnarace didn’t get into a game with the organization until this season, where he has appeared in 18 games out of the bullpen for the Fireflies in Columbia. He’s thrown 28 innings and has recorded 20 strikeouts with 29 walks, so getting his control under control, no pun intended, will be key to having success going forward. Round 17, Pick 518: Luke Pelzer, OF, Illinois-Chicago Playing in 19 games after being drafted, he absolutely crushed Single-A pitching, which earned him the opportunity to play at High-A this year. His offense has not slowed down over his first taste of a full professional season, hitting for a .929 OPS over 61 games, with three home runs, six triples, and 17 doubles on the year. He’s played left field this year, but can also play in right field and played a little bit of centerfield in college as well. If he continues to hit like this, it won’t be long before he gets called up again. Keep an eye on this late-round pick to make a little noise on prospect lists if this success continues. Round 18, Pick 548: Grayson Boles, P, St. Augustine HS (San Diego, CA) Pitching in the Arizona Complex League, Boles has thrown 10 innings this year and has recorded 20 strikeouts, with nine walks. This type of production isn’t too uncommon for young pitchers, but he clearly has raw stuff and is someone the Royals believe in. The development might just take a bit of time to see it come to fruition. Round 20, Pick 608: Kamden Edge, P, Northern OK Tonkawa Edge made his professional debut after being drafted, pitching 14 ⅓ innings over 9 appearances with 17 strikeouts in Single-A. He’s pitched this year out of the bullpen exclusively at High-A, where the strikeouts are still occurring at a high rate (45 in 32 ⅔ innings). For a late-round pick, he is having success early. The Royals signed all but one player from the draft class, but I wanted to mention him, and we can check out how he did this year as well. Round 19, Pick 578: Dylan Wood, P, Franklin HS (Oak Grove, CA) Wood decided to pursue a collegiate career and pitched the 2026 season with the University of Georgia, where he appeared in six games and threw 4 ⅔ innings. He struggled with his control, walking nine batters in that span, but did strike out seven. He has since entered the transfer portal and has not announced where he will be transferring this next year. Which of these prospects are you most intrigued by and excited by a year after the Royals drafted them? View the full article