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Felix Arronde fanned eight over five scoreless innings as Northwest Arkansas rallied late to beat Springfield 6-3, with Carson Roccaforte driving in three. Darwin Rodriguez tossed seven scoreless innings, and Jhosmmel Zue belted a grand slam in Columbia’s 4-3 win. Bailey Falter won in Omaha’s 3-2 victory behind homers from Abraham Toro and Drew Waters. Quad Cities fell 6-2 despite Angel Acosta’s two-run shot. Royals Transactions Kansas City Royals placed 3B Maikel Garcia on the 10-day injured list. Left hand muscle strain. Kansas City Royals recalled 3B Josh Rojas from Omaha Storm Chasers. Toro And Waters Go Deep As Storm Chasers Edge Columbus Omaha rode two home runs and a strong start to a 3-2 win over the Columbus Clippers. Falter set the tone, allowing one run on six hits over five innings while striking out five and walking none. Anthony Gose followed with two scoreless innings, striking out three, and Genesis Cabrera struck out two in a scoreless frame. Eric Cerantola allowed a run in the ninth but closed it out for the save. Toro got the scoring started with a solo home run in the second inning. The Storm Chasers added two more in the fourth, when Waters launched a solo shot and Luke Maile singled home Brandon Drury. That proved to be enough, as Omaha held on through the final innings. Toro, Waters, Drury, Brett Squires, and Maile each collected a hit. The Storm Chasers left six runners on base and went 1-for-3 with runners in scoring position. Omaha is now 34-41 this season. Player AB R H RBI BB K Peyton Wilson 4 0 0 0 0 1 Matthew Lugo 4 0 0 0 0 1 Brett Squires 3 0 1 0 0 0 Luca Tresh 1 0 0 0 0 1 Abraham Toro 4 1 1 1 0 3 Drew Waters 4 1 1 1 0 0 Brandon Drury 4 1 1 0 0 2 Gavin Cross 1 0 0 0 2 0 Luke Maile 2 0 1 1 1 0 Kevin Newman 2 0 0 0 1 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Bailey Falter 5 6 1 1 0 5 0 Anthony Gose 2 2 0 0 1 3 0 Genesis Cabrera 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 Eric Cerantola 1 2 1 1 0 2 0 Arronde Dominates And Roccaforte Drives In Three In Naturals Comeback Northwest Arkansas scored five runs over the seventh and eighth innings to pull away from the Springfield Cardinals in a 6-3 win. Arronde, our 14th-ranked prospect at Royals Keep, was outstanding, striking out eight over five scoreless innings while allowing three hits and no walks. Caden Monke struck out three over 1 2/3 scoreless innings, and Zachary Cawyer struck out two in a scoreless ninth. Tommy Molsky surrendered three runs in the home half of the ninth. The Naturals took an early lead in the first when Roccaforte scored on a Spencer Nivens groundout. The game stayed close until the seventh, when Roccaforte doubled home two runs. Northwest Arkansas broke it open in the eighth, plating three runs, two of them on bases-loaded walks to Alberto Rodriguez and Roccaforte. Roccaforte finished 2-for-4 with three RBI, while Rudy Martin Jr. scored twice and stole two bases. The Naturals left nine runners on base and went 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position. The Naturals improved to 30-38. Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Roccaforte 4 1 2 3 1 0 Jack Pineda 4 0 0 0 1 1 Sam Kulasingam 4 0 0 0 0 0 Spencer Nivens 5 1 2 1 0 1 Daniel Vazquez 5 0 1 0 0 3 Rudy Martin Jr. 3 2 1 0 1 0 Omar Hernandez 2 2 0 0 1 1 Connor Scott 2 0 0 0 2 2 Alberto Rodriguez 2 0 1 1 2 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Felix Arronde 5 3 0 0 0 8 0 Caden Monke 1 2/3 1 0 0 1 3 0 Tommy Molsky 1 1/3 1 3 3 3 1 0 Zachary Cawyer 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 Acosta Homers But River Bandits Fall To South Bend Quad Cities dropped a 6-2 decision to the South Bend Cubs despite an early lead from a home run. Tanner Jones took the loss, allowing three runs on seven hits over five innings with five strikeouts, two walks, and a home run. Aiden Jimenez followed with a scoreless inning, but Yimi Presinal gave up three runs in two-thirds of an inning. L.P. Langevin struck out three over 1 1/3 scoreless innings to close. The River Bandits got their offense going in the fifth inning, when Angel Acosta hit a two-run home run that scored Connor Rasmussen. That accounted for both Quad Cities runs. The lineup managed five hits, with Nolan Sailors, Blake Mitchell, Ramon Ramirez, Tyriq Kemp, and Acosta each recording one. The River Bandits drew six walks but left eight runners on base, unable to add to their total after the fifth. They also went just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Quad Cities fell to 30-36 after the loss to South Bend. Player AB R H RBI BB K Nolan Sailors 5 0 1 0 0 3 Asbel Gonzalez 4 0 0 0 0 2 Blake Mitchell 3 0 1 0 1 1 Ramon Ramirez 1 0 1 0 2 0 Luke Pelzer 2 0 0 0 1 0 Derlin Figueroa 4 0 0 0 0 2 Tyriq Kemp 4 0 1 0 0 2 Connor Rasmussen 2 1 0 0 2 1 Angel Acosta 4 1 1 2 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Tanner Jones 5 7 3 3 2 5 1 Aiden Jimenez 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 Yimi Presinal 2/3 3 3 3 0 1 0 L.P. Langevin 1 1/3 0 0 0 1 3 0 Zue Grand Slam And Rodriguez Gem Lift Fireflies Past Kannapolis Columbia rode one big inning and a dominant start to a 4-3 win over the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers. Rodriguez was excellent, throwing seven scoreless innings while allowing five hits and one walk and striking out six. Dash Albus pitched a scoreless inning for the save. Henson Leal allowed three runs in the eighth, but the lead held. All four Fireflies runs came in the second inning. With the bases loaded, Jhosmmel Zue hit a grand slam to right field, scoring Yandel Ricardo, Hyungchan Um, and Roni Cabrera ahead of him. That outburst gave Rodriguez all the support he needed. Sean Gamble, Stone Russell, JC Vanek, Roni Cabrera, Zue, and Josi Novas each collected a hit, and Gamble added a stolen base. Columbia left just three runners on base and went 2-for-3 with runners in scoring position. The win improved the Fireflies' overall record to 35-35. Player AB R H RBI BB K Josh Hammond 4 0 0 0 0 0 Sean Gamble 4 0 1 0 0 1 Stone Russell 4 0 1 0 0 0 JC Vanek 4 0 1 0 0 2 Yandel Ricardo 3 1 0 0 1 0 Hyungchan Um 3 1 0 0 1 0 Roni Cabrera 4 1 1 0 0 2 Jhosmmel Zue 3 1 1 4 0 2 Josi Novas 3 0 1 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Darwin Rodriguez 7 5 0 0 1 6 0 Henson Leal 1 4 3 3 1 1 0 Dash Albus 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Kendry Chourio: DNP David Shields: DNP Josh Hammond: 0-for-4 Blake Mitchell: 1-for-3, BB, K Sean Gamble: 1-for-4, SB, K Ramon Ramirez: 1-for-1, 2 BB Drew Beam: DNP Carson Roccaforte: 2-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI, BB Asbel Gonzalez: 0-for-4, 2 K Yandel Ricardo: 0-for-3, BB Michael Lombardi: DNP Ben Kudrna: DNP Justin Lamkin: DNP Felix Arronde: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K Blake Wolters: DNP Steven Zobac: DNP Austin Charles: DNP Daniel Vázquez: 1-for-5, 3 K Kamden Edge: DNP Warren Calcano: 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K View the full article

Pete Crow-Armstrong contains multitudes. Almost immediately upon making his Chicago Cubs debut with a 2023 cup of coffee, it was clear that there would be multiple sides of the Crow-Armstrong experience. He's a player with loud tools capable of doing things rarely seen on a baseball field, in all phases of the game. There's also an erratic quality to his game, wherein his immaturity as a hitter can compromise those tools in a way that prevents them from manifesting with as much consistency as one might prefer. Since he became a full-time player during the 2024 season, we've seen each end of that spectrum. The 2025 season, specifically, illustrated the layers of his performance, with a first half that garnered buzz as a National League MVP candidate before it faded entirely in the second. But we've never seen a Pete Crow-Armstrong like we're seeing this June. It's hard to imagine this is where we are after the start in which Crow-Armstrong found himself mired back in April. He finished that month with a .241/.307/.362 line and a 88 wRC+, while striking out roughly 30 percent of the time. Things progressed steadily in May, and his blazing hot streak really began on May 22, but (like Sammy Sosa did back in 1998) he really began to find the national spotlight once we reached June. The numbers this month read as follows (79 plate appearances): Batting Average: .437 On-Base Percentage: .481 Slugging Percentage: .930 K%: 22.8 BB%: 7.6 Isolated Power: .493 wRC+: 282 It's nearly impossible to communicate the immensity of that output, especially when the month is just about gone. The sample isn't exactly small at this point. To add some further context, this is where the second-best hitter ranks in each of the above this month (save strikeout and walk rates, which are only notable given how reasonable they are within Crow-Armstrong's wider body of work with respect to plate discipline): Batting Average: .391 (Yordan Álvarez) On-Base Percentage: .473 (Shohei Ohtani, though Álvarez is tied with Crow-Armstrong) Slugging Percentage: .783 (Ohtani) Isolated Power: .433 (Ohtani) wRC+: 234 (Ohtani) It would be unreasonable to suggest that Crow-Armstrong possesses the comprehensive skill set and consistency required to match hitters like Álvarez or Ohtani over a larger sample. However, the fact that he isn't just ahead of them but comfortably so speaks to just how obscene his output this month has actually been. It far exceeds anything he did in in the first half of his breakout 2025 season. And the above was all before he did this on Tuesday: Such is the nature of a stretch like this that Matt Trueblood already invoked Sosa's 1998 heater when discussing his output earlier this month (with plenty of additional nuance beyond the numbers). To update the comparison, since May 22, Crow-Armstrong is batting .387/.466/.811, with 21 extra-base hits. From May 22 through June 23 in 1998, Sosa hit .325/.358/.921, with 24 extra-base hits. Only 12 of Crow-Armstrong's long hits were homers, whereas an impossible 22 of Sosa's were, but this is what a run like Sosa's looks like in the modern game. Perhaps, though, there's a former NL MVP out of the Cubs organization of an even more recent vintage to which we can draw comparisons. Kris Bryant took home the award in 2016 as a sophomore, in what would end up being the peak of his career. That season, he posted a line that ran .292/.385/.554 with a .262 ISO and a 148 wRC+. The output that season was massive. His best month that season was August, wherein he went .383/.472/.748, which looks a whole lot like Crow-Armstrong's line over the last 31 days—but is worse. The best player in his best month on a championship team falls short of where we're seeing Pete Crow-Armstrong in June of 2026. We could even extend it to a player who has been a comp for Crow-Armstrong since the two were part of the same 2021 trade: Javier Báez. In 2018, there was a real case to be made that Báez should have taken home the MVP award over Christian Yelich—though he peaked a little too early to make it convincing. His best month that year came in July, with a line of .333/.347/.606, an ISO of .273 (though his .288 in August was higher), and a 155 wRC+. Again, we're not even in the same ballpark in comparing that to Crow-Armstrong's June. Of course, none of this is to cast aspersions on some of the most beloved Cubs of the modern era at the individual peak at the absolute pinnacle of their powers. It's to showcase just how absurd this version of Pete Crow-Armstrong has been in June. With the torrid month he's had, he's run his overall line on the season up to .287/.366/.529. He's been 50% more productive than an average batter for the year. There isn't a player in the sport who has accrued more fWAR on the season than Crow-Armstrong has, which also speaks to the fact that he's remained the sport's best defensive center fielder in the midst of this offensive explosion, an impressive feat in itself. It often feels like as long as Shohei Ohtani is in Major League Baseball, he's the National League's lock for the MVP award, but there's a real case emerging for Crow-Armstrong to steal one. Regardless of the award implications, it feels like there's something of a foundation being laid for Pete Crow-Armstrong this month. Between the steady improvement in May and the explosion in June, it does feel like we're watching a player settle into his skill set and demonstrate a level of maturation at the plate that can fuel a lasting brilliance. The month itself is important because it's among the most enjoyable things in the sport to watch a player performing at this level for nearly four consecutive weeks. What happens next, though, could prove just how important it is, for the long run. View the full article

Roughly three weeks remain until the All-Star Break gives most of the Kansas City Royals a few days’ relief from the deepening disappointment of their once-promising 2026 season. A bad bullpen, an improving but still wanting offense, and too many injuries to key players have the Royals stranded in, or at best near, the American League Central cellar. But the All-Star Break also marks that point of the summer when the trade market finally heats up — the August 3 major league trade deadline will loom large when the Break ends and regular play resumes July 17. Barring some astonishing reversal of fortune, the Royals will be deadline sellers. With his club on pace to lose 90 games or more, general manager J.J. Picollo won’t be looking for a playoff race roster edge; instead, he’ll be fielding calls from legitimate contenders searching for game-changing down-the-stretch help. Selling is, of course, easier and almost always cheaper than buying. Because contenders seek valuable, proven big-league players, selling enables weaker teams to reduce payroll, typically in exchange for much cheaper prospects who may be years away from the majors. But selling has its risks. Here are three Picollo must avoid. The 2026 Trade Deadline Isn’t the Time To Start a Royals Rebuild As disappointing as this team is, tearing it down to facilitate another painful rebuild isn’t warranted — the Royals aren’t very good, but their cupboards are far from empty. Bobby Witt Jr. is his usual self, and his season will sour only if his strained MCL turns into something worse. Jac Caglianone (.275, .349 OBP, and a club-leading 12 homers through Sunday) seems to be living up to the huge hype he didn’t live up to last year. Michael Massey (.266 with seven homers and good defense) may end up proving he belongs at the keystone. Maikel Garcia isn’t at the top of his game, but will be fine. Although a foot injury currently sidelines center fielder Kyle Isbel, his bat is better, and his defense remains excellent. And while injuries continue to plague Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic, starters Stephen Kolek (4-1, 2.68 ERA before St. Louis battered him Sunday) and Michael Wacha (3.64 ERA and 10 quality starts in 15 tries) have been good. Daniel Lynch IV is, with his steadiness and 2.53 ERA in 32 appearances through Sunday, the best in a troubled bullpen. The Royals have enough talent to form a good present and future core; they don’t require a complete overhaul. The time isn’t ripe for the kind of hasty, ill-advised, “burn it down” approach that will leave the roster weaker on Aug. 4 than it is now. But what about prospects, you say? The farm system needs help, but the bulk of its best prospects are two seasons or more away from Kauffman Stadium. At the same time, the big league roster isn’t that far from winning — now, and this winter, are the times to fine-tune it, not rip it apart and wait several long years for success. The Royals Should Not Blow Up Their Starting Rotation The potential for a rotation exodus exists. Bubic can test free agency for the first time this winter. Ragans’ recently-extended trip to the Injury List renders his future uncertain, veterans Wacha and Seth Lugo could be attractive at the deal deadline, and some teams are bound to offer up a good prospect or two for Kolek or Noah Cameron… or both. None of that, though, gives KC good cause to move multiple pieces of its rotation. If he’s healthy, trading Bubic makes sense — he’s liable to bolt in free agency and extending him a qualifying offer seems unlikely, so dealing him before August 3 guarantees the club more than the nothing he’ll net them if he opts for free agency. Beyond Bubic, the Royals can afford to stand pat. Ragans’ health poses serious questions, but the club shouldn’t give up on him yet. Wacha and Lugo are signed through 2027, and the club holds one-year options when those deals expire; both could play key roles next season when the Royals should be better. Kolek has been too impressive to dangle as prospect bait, and Cameron hasn’t done anything to imperil his starter’s spot. No, the Royals have a solid rotation, diminished this season only by maddening injuries to important pieces. The organization’s need for prospects isn’t so extreme that Picollo should break up his starters to get unseasoned arms not yet suitable for prime time. The Royals Shouldn’t Put Vinnie Pasquantino On the Trade Block A broken hamate bone has Pasquantino on the IL, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be on the market. His reputation as a slugger and 100-plus-RBI man is well-deserved (he pounded 51 homers and drove in 210 runs across the 2024 and 2025 campaigns), and after a slow start this season, Kansas City’s star first baseman was slashing .298/.365/.426 with a homer and seven RBI this month before going down June 13. That he could be back before the deal deadline arrives means he might be shopped. And even if he isn’t back, remember the Royals dealt Danny Duffy to the Dodgers at the 2021 deadline when he was on the IL. Pasquantino, then, could be an attractive target who won’t break the banks of contending clubs hunting for more punch and production — he hits for power, drives in runs, and is playing on an easily affordable two-year, $11.1 million contract that runs through next season. Some might also argue that Caglianone makes Pasquantino expendable: first base is Caglianone’s “natural” position; he’s been superb there since Pasquantino went on the IL, and Pasquantino is eligible for free agency after the 2028 season. But Caglianone’s emergence as a big league-caliber hitter doesn’t mean his development is complete, and do the Royals really want to compound the difficulty of their continuing and frustrating search for more outfield offense by moving Caglianone to first permanently? And the club is better off offensively with both sluggers in the lineup. Deal Pasquantino? No. This is a team that shouldn’t be shopping for the kind of firepower Pasquantino can generate. Unless he’s faced with a phenomenal offer too great to reject, Picollo should listen politely, then turn down overtures for Pasquantino. View the full article

When Luke Keaschall arrived in Fort Myers this spring, expectations bordered on unreasonable. After an impressive debut and years of strong minor-league production, many believed Keaschall was ready to become a foundational piece of Minnesota's lineup. There were legitimate arguments that he should open the season as the Twins' leadoff hitter. Some even projected him as the club's second-best offensive player, behind Byron Buxton. Instead, the first month of the season was a reminder that development is rarely linear. Keaschall struggled out of the gate, his defense remained a work in progress, and questions started to emerge about whether he was ready for an everyday role. A few months later, however, the conversation shifted dramatically. He still isn't producing the power numbers many hoped to see, but he is beginning to look like something else. Maybe Luke Keaschall isn't becoming the next star slugger. Maybe he's becoming the next Luis Arraez. And that might be perfectly fine. Early Season Sophomore Slump Keaschall's April numbers painted an ugly picture. In 90 plate appearances, he hit .217/.267/.275 with four doubles and one home run. Perhaps even more concerning was his approach. He struck out 21 times while drawing only eight walks, a significant departure from the disciplined offensive profile that had made him such an intriguing prospect. The struggles became impossible to ignore. At the plate, Keaschall looked caught between being aggressive and trying to work counts. He increased his bat speed this year, but that initially caused more problems than it solved. In the field, his below-average defense at second base continued to create questions about his long-term fit. When a player isn't providing defensive value and isn't producing offensively, roster spot discussions naturally follow. There were legitimate reasons to wonder if a reset at Triple-A might be necessary. Instead, the Twins stuck with him. That patience is beginning to pay off. Keaschall is Officially Fixed Since May 1, Keaschall has looked like an entirely different hitter. Across 164 plate appearances, he owns a .288/.390/.381 slash line, with eight doubles, one triple, and one home run. More importantly, the underlying plate discipline metrics have returned to the levels that made him successful throughout his climb through the minors. During that stretch, he has drawn 20 walks while striking out only 23 times. The trend has become even more noticeable recently. Over his last 11 games, Keaschall owns a .930 OPS, fueled by an outstanding .457 on-base percentage. He's walked seven times while striking out only six times during that span. The Twins' offense has finally started to find consistency over the last couple of weeks, and Keaschall has become an important part of that resurgence. Every lineup benefits from hitters who can extend innings, force opposing pitchers to throw extra pitches, and consistently find ways to reach base. Keaschall is doing all of those things right now. Keaschall Won't Hit for Power As encouraging as the recent turnaround has been, it has also clarified exactly what kind of hitter Keaschall is likely to become. Power probably won't be a major part of the equation. His average exit velocity of 84.7 mph ranks in the 4th percentile league-wide. He also sits in the 18th percentile or lower in xSLG, Barrel%, and Hard-Hit%. Those numbers aren't flukes. Much of the issue stems from his 69.2 mph bat speed. Even when Keaschall makes quality contact, he simply doesn't generate the same raw force as many of the league's premier power hitters. He squares the ball up fairly well, but his hardest contact comes when he's hitting to the center of the diamond on a line, rather than when he pulls and/or backspins the ball. The result is a unique offensive profile. Instead of launching balls into the seats, Keaschall produces line drives and hard-hit singles. With a 28.7 feet-per-second sprint speed, he has enough athleticism to turn some of those balls into doubles and create pressure on opposing defenses. It may not be flashy, but it can still be productive. The Luis Arraez Connection The comparison to Arraez becomes increasingly difficult to ignore. Throughout his career, Arraez has built value almost entirely through elite contact skills, good plate discipline, and an ability to reach base. Home runs were never a significant part of his game, but his offensive profile worked because he consistently put the baseball in play and rarely gave away at-bats. Keaschall appears to be following a similar blueprint. The encouraging part is that many of the foundational skills are already present. His chase, whiff and strikeout rates all rank in the 83rd percentile or better this season. Those numbers suggest that the early-season swing-and-miss issues were more of a temporary slump than a permanent concern, and that he will find ways to draw walks even though pitchers don't fear him. Like Arraez, Keaschall's success will depend on maintaining elite bat control and strike-zone awareness. If he starts chasing pitches or allowing strikeouts to creep back into his game, the lack of power becomes a much bigger problem. But if he continues controlling the strike zone the way he has since May, there is a path to becoming an extremely valuable offensive contributor. Keaschall is unlikely to replicate Arraez's batting titles. Arraez routinely posted strikeout rates below 10% and possessed perhaps the most advanced contact skills in baseball. Keaschall's game includes more walks, more athleticism, and more speed on the bases. The comparison is less about identical production and more about the path to offensive value. Arraez showed that players do not need 25-home run power to contribute to wins. They need to get on base, create scoring opportunities, and consistently put pressure on opposing pitchers and defenses. Keaschall is beginning to demonstrate that he can do exactly that. The version of Keaschall many envisioned this spring may never fully materialize. He may not become a middle-of-the-order force. He may never produce the type of exit velocities that light up Statcast leaderboards. The home run totals will likely remain modest. That doesn't mean he can't be an impact player. Minnesota's lineup already features hitters capable of changing a game with one swing. What it has often lacked is a player who consistently reaches base and keeps the line moving. Keaschall's recent surge suggests he can fill that role. The comparison to Arraez should not be viewed as a disappointment. Twins fans spent years appreciating one of baseball's most unique offensive talents. If Keaschall develops into a player who reaches base at an elite clip, controls the strike zone, and frustrates opposing pitchers every night, Minnesota will gladly take those results. The path may not look exactly like what many expected in March, but it is becoming increasingly clear that Keaschall has found a formula that works. And if that formula resembles the one Arraez used to become a batting champion, the Twins should have no complaints. Are there other similarities between Keaschall and Arraez? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

Major League Baseball released its latest All-Star balloting update on Monday afternoon. Brice Turang is the closest to representing the Brewers in Philadelphia next month, but he remains roughly 63,000 votes behind Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott for second place. To advance to the next phase of voting, Turang must bridge that gap to land within the top two spots at his position. Turang deserves to play in the Midsummer Classic for his performance on the whole this year. He leads qualified second basemen with a 132 wRC+, and his 2.9 bWAR ranks second. However, he hasn’t been in his All-Star form for several weeks. It’s been an especially rough go lately. Since June 5, Turang is hitting .225/.267/.437 for a .703 OPS. During that time, he’s struck out in 35.2% of his plate appearances, while walking at just a 5.6% clip. “I think he's going through a little lull,” Pat Murphy said in the visiting manager’s office in Cincinnati earlier this week. “I think he'll self-correct.” Since a red-hot start to his season, Turang’s bat has cooled considerably. After posting a 160 wRC+ in April, he slipped to 105 in May and 124 in June. His strikeouts have steadily increased throughout. The good news is that even the slumping version of Turang has still been a solid hitter, particularly for someone still playing strong defense at the keystone. “There's a few exceptions, but he figures it out for a hit for one at-bat,” Murphy said. “Well, not figures it out, but he's good enough to still produce, and his lulls are not that low. That's a sign of a really good player.” During the club’s last homestand, Murphy explained that Turang was struggling with his timing because he was drifting forward off his back leg, rather than staying back and working behind the baseball with his swing. “He understands his swing, and he understands what he's doing right now that's holding him back a little bit. We talked about it in the dugout yesterday,” Murphy said at the time. “He totally understands what he's doing when he gets in these modes where he drifts forward and gets to his front, he can't stay behind the ball.” When a hitter drifts forward, velocity gets on them quicker. Turang has always let the ball get deep, which means he swings later at fastballs, but it has progressed to the point where he’s too late too often. That lateness means that even when he lines the ball up and makes contact, it's weaker than it should be, because the ball sails a hair deeper before his bat can get to it, so he catches it off the end. Overcompensating for that can also result in pulling off the ball, with the same result. “You're going forward, ball's coming, it makes sense,” Murphy said. “So then you start cheating to it, and then what happens? Then you come off the ball. So there's all sorts of ramifications of it.” The issue has been most pronounced against left-handed pitchers. Turang has kept his head above water against right-handers, but the quality of his at-bats has fallen off badly against southpaws. According to Statcast, he was late on 30% of his swings against left-handed fastballs in May. That’s up to 58% in June. Month wRC+ (RHP) wRC+ (LHP) DRC+ (RHP) DRC+ (LHP) April 185 98 150 110 May 140 14 123 89 June 170 -20 102 51 Murphy wanted to give Turang, who has played in 73 of the team’s 77 games and experienced a slight decrease in bat speed, more days off to work through the issue, away from the pressure of a game setting. That may be more plausible now that Cooper Pratt is in the fold as the everyday shortstop. On June 14, two days after Pratt’s promotion, Turang was out of the lineup for the first time since May 3. In eight games since then, he’s hit .303/.343/.455 while making more loud contact, but he’s remained too late on velocity and continued striking out 37.1% of the time. The good news is that Turang and the Brewers have already diagnosed the problem, and it’s a fairly simple fix. Nothing is wrong with his swing path, which is nearly identical to when he was crushing the ball in April. That doesn’t necessarily make applying the adjustment easier, though. “It's easy to talk about. ‘Well, just change it.’ But it's hard to do when the action’s on and you've repeated it,” Murphy said. Fortunately, Jackson Chourio and Jake Bauers have alleviated the pressure on Turang to be the linchpin of the lineup. Those hitters will fall into their own ebbs. At that point, it could again be Turang’s turn to carry more weight in the middle of the order. In the meantime, his timing and contact rate are worth monitoring. “If he stays behind the ball, things are a lot different for him,” Murphy said. “The swing is just beautiful. I mean, it's what you dream about.” View the full article

The New York Mets may send just one representative to the 2026 MLB All-Star Game. Juan Soto is the favorite to earn the spot after being left off the National League team last year. He would join the group of one-time Mets All-Stars, although that feels like a temporary “honor.” More than one trip seems inevitable, even after the snub in '25. In this three-part series, Grand Central Mets will look at each player who has made just one All-Star Game appearance as a member of the club. Part 1 will span the franchise's first 20 seasons, 1962 through 1981. Duke Snider (1963) “The Duke of Flatbush” was not the Mets’ first All-Star. Richie Ashburn holds that distinction. But Ashburn was technically a two-time All-Star with the club, even though he played one season for the Mets. There were two All-Star Games in 1962 and he was named to the National League team for both games. Thus, the No. 1 designation goes to Snider. Duke was no stranger to the Midsummer Classic by the time he got to the Mets. He made the NL squad seven seasons in a row (1950 through 1956) during his prime as the Brooklyn Dodgers’ center fielder. As a Mets outfielder, though, he was mostly washed, a big name who could attract nostalgic fans to the Polo Grounds. On the other hand, he was a top player on a club that would go on to lose 111 games, so he deserved the trip to Cleveland for the game. He entered in the ninth inning as a replacement for Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Tommy Davis. Snider struck out as a pinch hitter in the top half and then played in the field in the bottom half as the NL prevailed 5-3. He finished the year with 14 home runs, 45 RBIs and a .243/.345/.401 slash line in 415 plate appearances. That looked great when compared with the team's anemic .219/.285/.315 line. Snider's return to New York lasted just one season. He wanted to end his career playing for a contending club, and the Mets were years away from becoming one, so they sold him to, of all teams, the San Francisco Giants on April 14, 1964, just prior to the season opener. Ed Kranepool (1965) Kranepool was the Mets’ first homegrown All-Star. The Bronx native signed with the club out of high school in June 1962 for a reported $75,000, a huge sum at the time. He was called up from the minors that September and got into three games, making him an original Met. Three years later, as a 20-year-old, he was backing up NL first baseman Ernie Banks at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota. Kranepool didn't get into the game, a 6-5 NL victory. The managers back then treated the All-Star contest as a mini-World Series rather than an exhibition. The berth became his only shot at glory. He never did much better than his 1965 season numbers: 10 home runs, 53 RBIs and a .253/.303/.371 slash line over 575 plate appearances. But Kranepool could boast other accomplishments. He won a World Series ring with the 1969 Mets, hitting a home run in Game 3. He also played a bench role for the Mets in the 1973 World Series. He lasted 18 seasons with the franchise, and his name is still high on many of its all-time lists: first in games played, third in hits, and sixth in RBIs. Cleon Jones (1969) Jones was in the midst of a career year when he represented the Mets alongside Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman in Washington, D.C. He was fourth in the NL batting race when average still meant something. (He finished the year third at .340, to go with 12 homers and 75 RBIs.) Jones started in left field and went 2-for-4 with two runs scored in a 9-3 Senior Circuit victory. One week later, his season took an odd turn. As the Mets were getting hammered by the Houston Astros in Game 2 of a doubleheader at Shea Stadium, manager Gil Hodges walked to the outfield to publicly yank Jones from the game. The official reason was a hamstring pull, but it was clear in the moment that Hodges was benching Jones for loafing in the field. The incident helped to spark a furious stretch run that ended with the Miracle Mets winning the World Series over the 109-win Baltimore Orioles. Jones caught the final out of the clinching Game 5 victory. Tug McGraw (1972) McGraw became one of the game's top relief pitchers in 1971, posting a 1.70 ERA, 11 wins and eight saves. In 1972, he was even better as the Mets’ late-game stopper. He earned the trip to Atlanta for the Midsummer Classic. The screwballing left-hander wound up playing a huge role in the game. He pitched a scoreless ninth and 10th inning, striking out four (including Reggie Jackson) and allowing one hit. His teammates scored a run in the bottom of the 10th for a 4-3 victory, making McGraw the winning pitcher. He finished 1972 with another 1.70 ERA, along with eight wins and a career-high 27 saves, but by the summer of 1973 he was in a steep decline and no longer reliable. Then came his “Ya Gotta Believe” clubhouse rant. McGraw and the Mets got red-hot in September. The vibes lasted all the way to Game 7 of the World Series, where Jackson homered to power the Oakland Athletics to a championship repeat. Dave Kingman (1976) Kingman was dubbed “Sky King” and “Kong” in New York because of his size (6-foot-6) and power. In ‘76, he was leading the NL with 30 home runs at the break. The fans rewarded him with a trip to Philadelphia for baseball's bicentennial celebration. He started the game in right field and went 0-for-2 with a strikeout (he did that a lot, too) in the NL's 7- 1 triumph. Six days later, Kingman's season fell apart. He tore a ligament in his left thumb diving for a ball in left field against the Atlanta Braves at Shea Stadium. He underwent surgery and missed 33 games. When he returned in late August, his power wasn't quite the same. He hit five more homers to finish the season with 37, eclipsing his franchise record by one. By mid-1977, the Mets were moving on from him. They traded their slugger to the San Diego Padres at the June 15 deadline for Bobby Valentine and Paul Siebert. The move was not the most notable one that night, of course. Pat Zachry (1978) Zachry came to the Mets from the Cincinnati Reds on June 15, 1977, as part of the Tom Seaver “Midnight Massacre” trade. The right-hander from Texas was never going to fill “The Franchise”’s shoes, but he was good enough to lead a rotation and represent his new club in the All-Star Game. He went to San Diego for the ‘78 game but only watched as the NL won 5-3. Two weeks later, Zachry pitched in a game that came to define his career. He was facing the Reds at Shea, and Pete Rose was pursuing Joe DiMaggio's record 56-game hitting streak. Zachry gave up a single to Rose in the seventh inning, extending the streak to 37 games. Zachry was taken out of the game later in the frame with the Mets trailing. After he got into the dugout, he tried to kick a helmet in frustration. He ended up hitting a cement step. Zachry broke his left foot and missed the remainder of the season. His final numbers were solid — a 10-6 record, 3.33 ERA and five complete games in 21 starts. More injuries followed. Elbow and Achilles ailments limited him to seven games in 1979. He finally came back strong in 1980 and went on to pitch into the 1985 season. Lee Mazzilli (1979) The ‘79 game is known as “The Dave Parker Game”: Mets fans could claim it as “The Lee Mazzilli Game.” Parker gained lasting fame for throwing out Jim Rice at third base and Brian Downing at the plate from right field, but Mazzilli contributed greatly to the NL's 7-6 win at Seattle's Kingdome, too. First, “The Italian Stallion” lined a game-tying pinch-hit home run off the left-field foul pole in the eighth inning against Texas Rangers fireballer Jim Kern. Then, the kid from Brooklyn drew a go-ahead bases-loaded walk in the ninth against New York Yankees ace Ron Guidry. It was a rare moment of pride for a Mets team that finished 63-99 that season. But Mazzilli's magic was about to disappear. Prior to the 1980 season, the Mets moved him from center field to first base to make room for the newly acquired Jerry Morales. He eventually moved back to center, but on April 1, 1982, the Mets traded Mazzilli to the Rangers for two major league-ready pitchers: Walt Terrell and a kid from Yale named Ron Darling. Joel Youngblood (1981) Youngblood possessed speed, pop and versatility, but mostly, he possessed a big arm. In 1981, he also possessed a lofty batting average, and that made him All-Star material. He was hitting .359 in 48 games as the club's everyday right fielder when the players went on strike in mid-June. When the strike ended about two months later, baseball decided to use the All-Star Game in Cleveland as the relaunch. Youngblood's average — and the Mets’ 17-34 record —- hadn't changed, so a spot on the NL roster was his. Youngblood made an early cameo in the game. He pinch-hit for NL starter Fernando Valenzuela in the top of the second. With that out of the way (the NL won 5-4), it was on to the makeshift second half of the season. Youngblood didn't last a week. He had injured his left knee in June, and he injured it again in mid-August. His season was over by Aug. 15. The Mets missed him as they fought for the second-half NL East title in the final six weeks. View the full article

Sandy Alcantara's fourth strikeout against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night was also the 1,002nd of his Miami Marlins career, surpassing Ricky Nolasco for the franchise's all-time strikeout record. For his record-breaker, Alcantara got Rangers catcher Kyle Higashioka swinging in the top of the seventh inning. That was the penultimate batter Alcantara faced en route to breaking another record—by earning his 30th career win at loanDepot park, he broke a tie with the late great José Fernández. Here is a career breakdown of Alcantara's Ks by pitch type: 279 with changeups 271 with four-seamers 255 with cutters 156 with sinkers 41 with sliders 10 with sweepers Nolasco originally surpassed Dontrelle Willis for the Marlins strikeout lead on August 23, 2011. Nobody had come close to challenging it since then until Alcantara. It took Alcantara nearly eight years from the day of his Marlins debut to become the record-holder. It won't necessarily require Cy Young Award-caliber talent for somebody to usurp him. but finding common ground with the club on a contract extension that delays free agent eligibility will be crucial. Alcantara, for example, would've been eligible to walk after the 2024 season had he not signed an extension. Alcantara has a firm hold of the record through the end of the decade, at the very least. Current Triple-A arm Braxton Garrett is next closest to him among active Marlins with 325, followed by Eury Pérez at 285, who’ll be returning from an injured list stint on Wednesday. Should Alcantara remain with the Marlins through season's end and avoid lengthy injury absences, he's on track to surpass Nolasco for several other franchise records, including innings pitched (currently 48.2 IP behind), games started (11 behind) and losses (one behind). View the full article

Caleb Durbin’s rise didn’t begin when the hits started falling. It began when the ball stopped ending up on the ground. That single change helps explain almost everything that has happened over the past month. After spending much of the season making contact without doing much damage, Durbin has transformed the shape of his offensive game. Groundballs have become line drives and fly balls. Extra-base hits have started to follow. For the first time in Boston, he looks remarkably close to the hitter the Red Sox believed they were acquiring. The results reflected his early struggles. Durbin posted a 45 wRC+ in March and April, followed by a 41 mark in May. He was still putting the ball in play, still showing the bat-to-ball ability that had defined his climb through the minors, but too many plate appearances ended the same way: a ground ball, a routine out, and another missed opportunity. Then June arrived. Suddenly, the same player looked different. Durbin hit .309 with a .600 slugging percentage and a 146 wRC+ during the month, emerging as one of Boston's most productive hitters. The obvious question is whether this is simply a hot streak, or something he can actually build upon. Caleb Durbin Has Made Groundballs Disappear The most important change in Durbin’s profile is found in the type of contact he is producing. Players with his skill set often walk a narrow path offensively. Without elite raw power, they must create value through contact quality, athleticism, and smart swing decisions. Making contact alone is not enough; the contact has to matter. For much of the season, it did not. During March and April, 61 percent of Durbin’s balls in play were hit on the ground. While ground balls can benefit players with speed, they also limit offensive upside. It is difficult to drive the baseball when most of your contact never leaves the infield dirt. Luckily, we've started to see a paradigm shift here in June. Month GB% FB% LD% HR/FB Mar/Apr 61.0% 25.6% 13.4% 4.8% May 50.0% 33.3% 16.7% 0.0% June 32.7% 46.9% 20.4% 17.4% There's nothing hiding in that data. The ground balls steadily disappeared, the line drives increased, and the fly balls nearly doubled. That alone is a change worth celebrating, before we even get into the actual results. His average launch angle climbed from 5.1 degrees in March and April to 17.9 degrees in June. His barrel rate increased from 1.2 percent to 6.0 percent. His hard-hit rate moved in the same direction. At long last, he's hitting like a major leaguer again. Better Discipline Begets Better Contact What makes this breakout particularly intriguing is how it happened. Many hitters attempt to unlock power by swinging harder and accepting more strikeouts as the cost of doing business. Durbin has taken a different path: His strikeout rate actually dropped to 10.3 percent in June. Month Z-Swing% Swing% Contact% Bat Speed Mar/Apr 56.7% 41.9% 86.5% 67.9 mph May 64.1% 46.7% 81.7% 68.2 mph June 74.1% 52.1% 88.1% 69.8 mph Durbin is swinging more often than he was earlier in the season, but not because he has become reckless (his chase rates have remained under control). Instead, he has become significantly more aggressive against strikes. You don't need me to tell you this, but more aggressive swings at the right pitches lead to better contact. Better contact leads to more damage. And when a hitter can create that damage without sacrificing contact ability, their offensive outlook changes. What This Means For Durbin, Red Sox Going Forward The most important question is not whether Caleb Durbin can maintain a .600 slugging percentage. Truth be told, he he probably can't. Very few hitters can sustain that level of production over a full season, and his expected metrics suggest some regression is likely. However, Durbin’s improvement is supported by better swing decisions, increased bat speed, a dramatically different batted-ball profile, and expected metrics that are moving in the same direction as the results. Those are precisely the indicators teams trust when evaluating whether a breakout is real. Durbin has always possessed the contact skills -- he proved it last year in Milwaukee with the Brewers. It took him a while to find his way after that shocking trade in February, but it appears he's finally found a way to marry impact with those innate talents. If he sustains it, that trade may not age quite as poorly as we've all feared. View the full article

Grand Slams? We got 'em in pairs! Flirtations with the cycle? We got those too! How about a perfect day at the plate for an emerging prospect? Check! An exciting debut, a shutout, a walk-off, and a blowout so bad the first half champs had to pitch their catcher. Tuesday saw a little bit of everything on the way to a 6-1 night for the Brewers' system. Transactions: Nashville Sounds activated RHP Blake Holub from the 7-day injured list. C Andrick Nava assigned to Nashville Sounds from Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Nashville Sounds transferred C Andrick Nava to the Development List. OF Alexander Frias assigned to Wilson Warbirds from ACL Brewers. OF Gerlyn Payano assigned to ACL Brewers from DSL Brewers Blue. Also, it’s been reported, but not yet official, that Peter Strzelecki has signed a minor league contract with the Brewers and will return to Nashville. Game Action: Nashville pre-game media notes Nashville 12, Gwinnett (Braves) 5 Box Score Via the Sounds, game details, and we encourage readers to always review affiliate write-ups as part of their Link Report routine: Brock Wilken, Tyler Black Record First Multi-Slam Game in Sounds History - Luis Lara Sets Career-High with Five Hits Nashville flexed their muscle Tuesday night, routing the Gwinnett Stripers 12-5 thanks to explosive late-game heroics. Trailing 4-3 entering the bottom of the sixth inning, the Sounds' bats erupted to completely flip the script. Brock Wilken delivered the defining blow of the rally, launching a devastating grand slam to swing the momentum permanently in Nashville's favor. Check out Wilken’s slam courtesy of the Sounds’ X account: Not to be outdone, Tyler Black punctuated the offensive showcase with another grand slam in the eighth inning, putting the game completely out of reach: For two guys who have had their shares of ups and downs, it was really cool to see Wilken and Black share this rare feat together. But there’s more! Luis Lara’s bat finally reawakened. Entering play Tuesday, Lara was slashing just .174/.309/.174 in June. Lara made that look like a distant memory while going a flawless 5-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. You can check out all five hits in rapid succession here. Meanwhile, catcher Jeferson Quero delivered an electric performance of his own, falling just a double shy of the cycle. Quero went 4-for-5, launching a solo home run in the eighth: Quero’s triple, the fifth of his professional career, just missed going out to straight away center as well. While the monumental power display stole the show, the Sounds' bullpen did its job to quiet the Stripers and secure the victory. After Gwinnett put up four runs in the top of the fifth against starter Thomas Pannone, the bullpen took over and shut Gwinnett down. Gerson Garabito earned the win with two scoreless, one-hit innings of relief. Drew Rom and Easton McGee also chipped in combining to close out the final three frames with just an unearned run allowed. RHP Lyon Richardson (2-2, 4.54 ERA in AAA with Louisville and Nashville) is scheduled to make his first start for Nashville on Wednesday. Richardson, a former second round pick of the Reds, only joined the Brewers’ organization earlier in June. Biloxi pre-game media notes Biloxi 5, Montgomery (Rays) 1 Box Score As always, you are encouraged to read the official round-up from the team’s site: Gillis, Offense Lead Shuckers to Win in Second-Half Opener - Fischer hits 3rd home run in 5 Double-A games with sky-scraping shot Biloxi opened the second half of their Southern League season with an impressive and complete victory over Montgomery on Tuesday night. The new look Shuckers' offense was clicking on all cylinders with the team pounding out 13 hits, with everyone but Mark Coley II collecting at least one hit. Catcher Darrien Miller led the charge with a 3-for-4 night and an RBI. Josh Adamczewski had a two-hit day including this run scoring double, courtesy of the Biloxi X account: Adamczewski has hit safely in all five games since his promotion to AA. So has his teammate Andrew Fischer who launched his 3rd home run in five games at the level: Watching these two seamlessly fit into the Biloxi lineup to support has been really exciting so far. It no longer feels like Jesús Made or Blake Burke have to do the heavy lifting, and the Shuckers' lineup suddenly feels so much deeper. Other players in the Shuckers lineup are coming around too. Mike Boeve extended his hit streak to seven games with a two-hit night, and Jacob Hurtubise also had two hits and drove in a pair. On the mound, the Shuckers got a strong performance from starter Tanner Gillis who threw six scoreless innings. Gillis struck out four, allowing just two hits and two walks to improve to 3-3 on the season. Yorman Galindez (0-2, 10.13 ERA) will take the mound for Biloxi on Wednesday night. Wisconsin pre-game media notes Wisconsin 5, Cedar Rapids (Twins) 0 Box Score Rattlers Run Winning Streak to Three with 5-0 Shutout - Owens strikes out eight over five scoreless innings Wisconsin secured a dominant 5-0 shutout victory over Cedar Rapids on Tuesday night at Neuroscience Group Field. Strong pitching and a single, explosive inning on offense were the winning formula for the Rattlers, who improved their second half record to 3-0. The Timber Rattlers' pitching staff was completely in control, holding the Kernels' offense to just three hits and one walk while racking up 11 strikeouts. Starter Braylon Owens picked up the win with eight strikeouts over five scoreless innings. Owens’ lowered his ERA to 3.84 with his superb performance. Multi-inning scoreless appearances from Garrett Hodges and Peyton Niksch slammed the door on the thought of any sort of Cedar Rapids rally. The bats were quiet on both sides until the bottom of the fourth inning when Wisconsin broke the game wide open. The rally started innocently, with Eric Bitonti drawing a walk and Tayden Hall poking a single to center. After a balk advanced both runners, Daniel Guilarte broke the scoreless tie with a sharp RBI single to left field. Juan Baez followed with an RBI single of his own to make it 2-0. After a Blayberg Diaz single and a walk to Josiah Ragsdale loaded the bases, Marco Dinges delivered the knockout punch. Dinges grounded a single to center field to score two, with a throwing error from the centerfielder allowing Ragsdale to come home, capping off a five-run frame that put the game entirely out of reach. Check out all the highlights on the Rattlers’ YouTube page: RHP Josh Knoth (0-0, 2.70 ERA) toes the rubber for Wisconsin in game two on Wednesday. Wilson pre-game media notes Wilson 15, Fredericksburg (Nationals) 2 Box Score Wilson Blasts Fredericksburg in Series Opener Wilson put on an absolute offensive clinic Tuesday night, crushing the first half champions Fredericksburg 15-2. The Warbirds' lineup was relentless, racking up 12 hits and capitalizing on a dumbfounding 16 walks issued by Nationals pitching to hang some crooked numbers in the linescore through the first six innings. Ultimately things got so bad for Fredericksburg that only a position player on the mound could shut down the Warbirds’ offense late in the game. Shortstop Brady Ebel was the draw stirring the drink for the Warbirds' offense, finishing the game just a triple shy of the cycle. He put together a spectacular 4-for-5 performance at the plate, driving in four runs and scoring three times. His night was highlighted by a two-run blast which you can see courtesy of the Wilson X account: Alexander Frias made his Carolina League debut as the designated hitter and immediately made his presence felt. Frias went 1-for-5, recording his first hit, first run, and first RBI in Wilson. However, his biggest impact came on the basepaths, where he collected three stolen bases. Leftfielder Nick Monile recorded professional highs with three walks and four runs scored. Slugger Jose Anderson knocked in two runs with a double and a single. Anderson leads the Carolina league with 52 RBI on the season. Juan Ortuno knocked in a run and stole his 20th base. Leadoff man Handelfry Encarnacion was on base three times and also scored three runs. The hit parade was so long, and the highlights so numerous, I recommend you click through the video highlights here, rather than link each play individually. Not to be overshadowed by the offense, the Warbirds got two solid performances on the mound as well. Starter Jarrette Bonet had his best start since May 22, working five innings of two-run ball with five strikeouts. Hayden Robinson backed up Bonet with four scoreless innings to earn his professional save. It was the first appearance of the season for Robinson where he did not walk a batter or allow a run. Wilson moves to 38-32 on the season and 2-2 in the second half. RHP Miqueas Mercedes (1-1, 5.13 ERA) heads to the hill for Wilson on Wednesday. ACL Brewers 2, ACL Angels 1, seven innings as scheduled Box Score The ACL Brewers showcased exactly how to maximize limited offensive opportunities on Tuesday, scraping out a dramatic 2-1 walk-off victory over the ACL Angels despite mustering only two hits all evening. The foundation of the victory was built on a quality start on the mound. Joan Pena settled in beautifully after giving up a lone run in the first inning, grinding through six strong frames. He scattered just three hits and struck out four, successfully working around four walks to keep the Angels' lineup at bay and give his team a chance. Offensively, Milwaukee relied entirely on the long ball to manufacture their runs against the Angels’ pitching staff. After trailing for the first four innings, Brailyn Antunez hit a solo home run to tie the game in the bottom of the 4th. It was Antunez' 7th homer of the year, which is best on the team. The game remained deadlocked until the bottom of the seventh, when Juan Martinez stepped up and delivered a clutch, walk-off solo home run to lead off the bottom of the 7th. The win gets the ACL Brewers back above .500 with a 20-19 record. Outfielder Gerlyn Payano made his stateside debut as the designated hitter, 0-for-2 with a walk. DSL Cleveland Goryl DSL 12, Brewers Blue 8 Box Score Despite a strong start and some early offensive fireworks, the DSL Brewers Blue couldn't hold off a relentless late-game surge from DSL Cleveland Goryl, falling 12-8 in a wild, high-scoring affair on Tuesday. The Brewers came out swinging, building a quick 4-0 lead by the end of the second inning. Third baseman Diego Frontado was the star for the Brewers, finishing the day 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI and a double that sparked a two-run first inning. The 17-year-old Venezuelan now sports a 1.064 OPS with the completion of Tuesday’s game. First baseman Eryks Rivero (2-for-3, RBI) and right fielder Angel Gonzalez (2-for-4, RBI) also put together multi-hit performances, each ripping a double of their own. Catcher Sebastian Franeites also chipped in two singles and an RBI on the day. Things began to unravel for the Brewers in the bottom of the 5th inning. After starter Luis Aguayo threw two clean innings to stake the Brewers to their early lead, the Brewers' bullpen simply couldn't find the strike zone. Wilmer Duarte (2.2 IP 4ER 6BB) and Jordy Brache (2.1 IP 8ER 5BB) took the brunt of the damage, surrendering all 12 runs and issuing 11 walks in their combined five innings. Cleveland battered the Brewers for multi-run rallies in each of their last four innings, flipping the score from a four-run Brewers' lead into a five-run deficit heading into the 9th inning. While the offense battled to the end with a pair of one-run rallies in the 8th and 9th innings, it was simply too deep of a hole for the Brewers to climb out of. The loss drops the Brewers Blue to 12-5 on the season. DSL Brewers Gold 3, DSL Pirates Gold 1 Box Score The DSL Brewers Gold took care of business on Tuesday morning, leaning on rock-solid pitching and just enough offense to secure a 3-1 victory over the DSL Pirates Gold. Paul Hoff was dialed in on the mound for the Brewers in his longest outing of the season. Hoff (5IP 2H 0R 1BB 5K) silenced the Pirates’ bats on his way to his first win of the season. The Brewers made the most of their five hits on the day and then benefitted from some poor Pirates’ defense. The scoring opened in the bottom of the 3rd inning when Romano Donato wreaked havoc on the basepaths. After reaching on a fielding error, Donato immediately stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by the Pirates' catcher. Shortstop Ricki Moneys then stepped up and delivered a clutch RBI single to center, bringing Donato home and putting the Brewers up 1-0. Milwaukee found their insurance runs in the bottom of the 6th. Left fielder Angeni Fernandez ignited the rally by lacing a triple to lead off the frame. Following back-to-back walks to Moises Salazar and Carlos Done that loaded the bases, Jefer Lista put the ball in play and reached on a critical fielding error by the Pirates' third baseman. The miscue allowed both Fernandez and Salazar to score, extending the Brewers' lead to 3-0. The Brewers' early execution and ability to capitalize on Pittsburgh's sloppy defense proved to be the difference-maker. The Brewers, now 5-12 with the win, proved to be the true “gold” standard while the Pirates proved to be mere fools’ gold in defeat. What an epic night across the system! Wednesday will see just one rookie ball game in the morning in the DSL. Wisconsin has a day game at noon central. The rest of the full-season squads will get started in the evening, as per usual. Organizational Scoreboard including starting pitcher info, game times, MiLB TV links, and box scores Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Batting Stats and Depth Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Pitching Stats and Depth View the full article

As the top four affiliates opened the second half Tuesday, they combined to go 2-2 with the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas falling to Sugar Land 12-5, the Double-A San Antonio Missions cruising past Arkansas 7-1, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps allowed just one hit in a 6-2 triumph over Lake County and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm lost to Fresno 6-4. For a recap of all the player moves from recent days, check out this article. Padres Minor-League Transactions San Diego Padres optioned C Blake Hunt to El Paso Chihuahuas. San Diego Padres recalled LHP JP Sears from El Paso Chihuahuas. RHP Andrew Moore assigned to El Paso Chihuahuas from San Antonio Missions. 1B Romeo Sanabria assigned to El Paso Chihuahuas from San Antonio Missions. SS Dylan Grego assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from El Paso Chihuahuas. El Paso Chihuahuas sent RHP Daison Acosta on a rehab assignment to Fort Wayne TinCaps. San Antonio Missions activated SS Wyatt Hoffman from the 60-day injured list. OF Jake Cunningham assigned to San Antonio Missions from Fort Wayne TinCaps. RHP Bernard Jose assigned to Fort Wayne TinCaps from San Antonio Missions. RHP Tucker Musgrove assigned to San Antonio Missions from Fort Wayne TinCaps. RHP Clay Edmondson assigned to San Antonio Missions from Fort Wayne TinCaps. RHP Nick Falter assigned to Fort Wayne TinCaps from Lake Elsinore Storm. RHP Bryan Balzer assigned to Fort Wayne TinCaps from Lake Elsinore Storm. RHP Winyer Chourio assigned to Fort Wayne TinCaps from Lake Elsinore Storm. OF Ryan Wideman assigned to Fort Wayne TinCaps from Lake Elsinore Storm. 3B Kerrington Cross assigned to Fort Wayne TinCaps from Lake Elsinore Storm. RHP Isaiah Lowe assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from Fort Wayne TinCaps. RHP Will Koger assigned to Fort Wayne TinCaps from Lake Elsinore Storm. 1B Luke Cantwell assigned to Fort Wayne TinCaps from Lake Elsinore Storm. RHP Luis Germán assigned to ACL Padres from Fort Wayne TinCaps. RHP Jeferson Villabona assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from Fort Wayne TinCaps. RHP Isaiah Lowe assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from Fort Wayne TinCaps. LHP Zack Qin assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from ACL Padres. RHP Jordan Valenzuela assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from ACL Padres. RHP Lan-Hong Su assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from ACL Padres. LHP Joseph Herrera assigned to ACL Padres from Lake Elsinore Storm. Chihuahuas Walk 13 In Loss As German Marquez Appears In Relief In a stat line straight out of Nuke LaLoosh lore, the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas walked 13, a season high, and struck out 15, also a season high, in dropping a 12-5 decision to the host Sugar Land Space Cowboys to open the second half of the Pacific Coast League schedule. Padres right-handed starter German Marquez made a brief relief appearance in his fifth rehab game as he comes back from right forearm irritation. Marquez came on with one out and one on in the second inning and the Chihuahuas up 1-0. He allowed the inherited runner to score and gave up another in 1⅔ innings, giving up three hits while walking two and striking out three. The run he gave up came on a homer in the third inning. Marcos Castanon hit a three-run homer, drove in four and had two hits, as did Carlos Rodriguez and Pablo Reyes. While Marquez got the loss, the damage done by the Space Cowboys came off right-hander Michael Flynn, who was tagged for five third-inning runs on four hits and two walks while getting just one out, putting Sugar Land up 7-1. Castanon hit his three-run blast, his 11th homer of the year, in a four-run fifth inning, but the Space Cowboys pulled two of those runs back in the bottom of the fifth to go up 9-5. Chihuahuas right-hander Triston McKenzie gave up three runs while walking five in two-thirds of an inning. EP_0623.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Mason McCoy 5 1 1 0 0 0 Carlos Rodríguez 4 1 2 1 1 0 Pablo Reyes 4 1 2 0 1 2 Marcos Castañon 5 1 2 4 0 1 Bryce Johnson 5 0 1 0 0 2 Nick Pratto 4 0 0 0 0 1 Clay Dungan 3 0 0 0 0 1 Nate Mondou 3 1 1 0 1 0 Anthony Vilar 2 0 0 0 2 1 Totals 35 5 9 5 5 8 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Logan Gillaspie 1.1 1 1 1 0 2 0 Germán Márquez 1.2 3 1 1 2 3 1 Michael Flynn 0.1 4 5 5 2 1 0 Justin Yeager 1.2 2 2 2 2 4 1 Andrew Moore 2.0 0 0 0 2 4 0 Triston McKenzie 0.2 1 3 3 5 0 0 Ty Adcock 0.1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals 8.0 11 12 12 13 15 2 Tirso Ornelas Homers Twice, Eric Yost Leads 2-Hitter For Missions Tirso Ornelas homered twice, while right-hander Eric Yost and two relievers combined to allow just two hits as the Double-A San Antonio Missions jumped out to a 4-0 lead and went on to a 7-1 triumph over the host Arkansas Travelers to open the second half. Albert Fabian also homered as part of a two-hit, two-RBI night, while Ryan Jackson also had a pair of hits and drove in two and Kai Roberts had two hits and scored twice. Ornelas hit a two-run homer in the first inning and a solo shot in the third, giving him 10 homers. Fabian's blast was his fifth this year. Yost retired the first nine Travelers of the game before giving up a leadoff homer in the fourth inning and then gave up a one-out double in the sixth. But those would be the only hits against the Missions. Right-hander Sadrac Franco struck out five of the six hitters he faced in his two innings and right-hander Johan Moreno was perfect in the ninth, striking out one. For Yost, it was the second straight start in which he went six innings and allowed two hits. SA1_0623.mp4 SA2_0623.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Jackson 5 0 2 2 0 1 Francisco Acuna 5 1 1 0 0 0 Tirso Ornelas 5 2 3 3 0 0 Jake Cunningham 4 0 0 0 0 2 Braedon Karpathios 4 0 0 0 0 1 Luis Verdugo 3 1 1 0 0 0 Albert Fabian 4 1 2 2 0 1 Kai Roberts 4 2 2 0 0 1 Brendan Durfee 3 0 0 0 1 0 Totals 37 7 11 7 1 6 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Eric Yost 6.0 2 1 1 3 3 1 Sadrac Franco 2.0 0 0 0 0 5 0 Johan Moreno 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals 9.0 2 1 1 3 9 1 Matthew Watson Spearheads 1-Hitter As TinCaps Prevail Right-hander Matthew Watson, right-hander Will Varmette and left-hander Braian Salazar combined on a one-hitter, while Kavares Tears broke a sixth-inning tie with a two-run single as the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps dropped the host Lake County Captains 6-2. Watson gave up the only hit during his six-inning start, a homer leading off the fourth inning by Jace LaViolette, and two of his four walks came in the second inning, leading to another run. Watson did strike out three in earning his first professional win in five decisions since debuting this season. Varmette followed with a perfect seventh and Salazar finished the final two innings, walking one and striking out four for the 18th one-hitter in TinCaps history. The TinCaps were down 2-1 entering the top of the sixth, when they batted around and scored four times. After Rosman Verdugo singled home Alex McCoy to tie the game, Tears singled to center, bringing in newcomer Kerrington Cross and Verdugo for a 4-2 lead. Two outs later, Ryan Wideman, another promotion, singled Tears to third and Justin DeCriscio drove home Tears to make it 5-2. The TinCaps added their final run in the sixth as Cross and Verdugo drew one-out walks, then pulled off a double steal. One out later, Zach Evans walked to load the bases and Kasen Wells lined a single to left to bring in Cross. FW_0623.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Wideman 5 0 1 0 0 2 Justin DeCriscio 5 0 1 1 0 0 Lamar King Jr. 4 0 0 0 1 2 Alex McCoy 4 2 1 0 1 1 Kerrington Cross 2 2 2 0 3 0 Rosman Verdugo 4 1 1 1 1 0 Kavares Tears 4 1 2 2 1 2 Zach Evans 3 0 0 1 1 0 Kasen Wells 4 0 1 1 1 1 Totals 35 6 9 6 9 8 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Matthew Watson 6.0 1 2 2 4 3 1 Will Varmette 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Braian Salazar 2.0 0 0 0 1 4 0 Totals 9.0 1 2 2 5 7 1 6-Run First Inning Dooms Storm; George Bilecki Goes Deep George Bilecki homered and drove in two runs, but the host Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm couldn't overcome a six-run first inning in a 6-4 loss to the Fresno Grizzlies. Storm right-handed starter Jesus Castro was roughed up in the first inning, giving up six runs (three earned) on two hits and two walks with a pair of strikeouts, the only outs he would record on the night. Storm shortstop Jorge Quintana booted a grounder by the second batter of the game, contributing to the three unearned runs. The Storm didn't get going until the sixth inning, when Bilecki hit his fourth homer of the season to make it 6-1. In the seventh, Truitt Madonna had an RBI double, Quintana a run-scoring groundout and Bilecki drove in the final run with a double. Bilecki, Madonna and Jose Verdugo each had two hits. LE_0623.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Dawson Willis 5 0 1 0 0 3 Jose Verdugo 4 0 2 0 0 2 Qrey Lott 3 1 1 0 0 2 Yoiber Ocopio 4 0 0 0 0 1 Truitt Madonna 4 1 2 1 0 1 Bradley Frye 4 1 1 0 0 0 Jorge Quintana 4 0 1 1 0 1 George Bilecki 4 1 2 2 0 1 Conner Westenburg 2 0 0 0 2 1 Totals 34 4 10 4 2 12 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jesus A. Castro 0.2 2 6 3 2 2 0 Jeferson Villabona 2.1 1 0 0 1 3 0 Daichi Moriki 2.0 1 0 0 1 1 0 Carson Swilling 2.0 0 0 0 0 3 0 Vicarte Domingo 2.0 1 0 0 2 1 0 Totals 9.0 5 6 3 6 10 0 Padres Mission Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: On injured list Kash Mayfield: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ryan Wideman: 1-for-5, 2 K Jorge Quintana: 1-for-4, RBI, K Ty Harvey: On injured list Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Braedon Karpathios: 0-for-4, K Lamar King Jr.: 0-for-4, BB, 2 K Jagger Haynes: DNP Alex McCoy: 1-for-4, 2 R, BB, K Truitt Madonna: 2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI, K Tucker Musgrove: DNP Garrett Hawkins: DNP Michael Salina: DNP Eric Yost: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K (W) Rosman Verdugo: 1-for-4, R, RBI, BB, SB Bryan Balzer: DNP Deivid Coronil: DNP View the full article

TRANSACTIONS The Minnesota Twins swapped arms in their bullpen, optioning RHP Cody Laweryson and selecting the contract of RHP Austin Voth from the St. Paul Saints. With the Wichita Wind Surge RHP Nick Mikolajchak was placed on the Development List. In the Midwest League the Cedar Rapids Kernels placed LHP Garrett Horn on the 7-day injured list with a left shoulder injury but also activated RHP Charlee Soto from the same list. In Fort Myers the Mighty Mussels sent RHP Billy Oldham on a rehab assignment with the FCL Twins, while RHP Matt Barr was assigned to their roster from the FCL. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 2, Louisville 3 Box Score While the big story on the Twins organization side of this one was the return of Walker Jenkins to the Saints lineup, he and the rest of the team were in for a bit of a velocity challenge in this one as Hunter Greene of the Cincinnati Reds continued a rehab assignment. While he registered 100 MPH on the radar gun, you might be surprised to find out that wasn’t really all that close to the fastest pitch Saints hitters saw in this one. As far as Jenkins was concerned, he was ready in the top of the first. He took a 99 MPH fastball from Greene and missed a home run by inches. He had to settle for a triple and would end up stranded as Greene was just warming up. Greene retired the next nine in a row before Gabriel Gonzalez singled in the fourth. Green went four innings, allowing just two hits, walking one, and striking out three. In opposition to the masquerading major leaguer, Ricky Castro did his best impersonation. He allowed just one unearned run in his three innings, allowing four hits, walking two, and striking out six Bats hitters. With Greene out of the game the Saints finally struck in the top of the fifth. With two men on, Alan Roden delivered an RBI single to tie the game at one, and a sac fly from Gonzalez after a Jenkins walk put them up 2-1. If you were wondering, the new Bats pitcher Zach McCambley, peaked at 98.0 MPH with his fastball. C.J. Culpeper came on for the Saints to start the fourth inning and would finish the fifth as well. He was charged with one earned run on three walks while striking out one in his two innings. The run came on a sac fly in the fifth that tied the game at two. Culpepper tossed the Saints' fastest pitch of the contest, topping out at 97.1 MPH. Raul Brito (1 IP, 3 H, ER) and Grant Hartwig (2 IP) finished off the final three innings, keeping the lineup within one. Unfortunately for them, they ran into even more velocity from the Bats, in the form of Zach Maxwell. He topped out at 101.9 MPH in the seventh inning, setting down Ben Ross, David Banuelos, and Alan Roden down in order. Aaron Sabato delivered a one-out double in the ninth to get the tying run in scoring position, but he would be left stranded to end the game. Jenkins’ triple and Sabato’s double were two of their five hits in the game. Jenkins also drew a walk. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 6, Midland 4 Box Score Newcomers to Double-A, Marek Houston and Jay Thomason each got the start in this series opener. Houston manned shortstop and batted second, while Thomason took on the DH duties, batting seventh. It didn’t take Houston long to get the first hit out of the way. He singled on the third pitch of his first at-bat in the top of the first but was unable to advance any further. The Wind Surge scored first in the top of the second thanks to a Caleb Roberts double to score Jaime Ferrer and Jorel Ortega for an early 2-0 lead. In the third Houston reached on an error, stole his first base with Wichita, and later his first run on a sac fly from Garrett Spain. Thomason got his first hit out of the way with a gift single in the fourth, and he would later score on a ground out from Kyle DeBarge that made it 4-1. With Houston at-bat, a balk made it 5-1, before the Wind Surge got their final run of the game in the fifth on an RBI single from Ferrer to score Spain, who had doubled in front of him. Preston Johnson made the start for the good guys and completed the first four innings. He gave up just one earned run on two hits and two walks, while striking out four. Darren Bowen picked up the win by completing the next two innings. He allowed two earned runs on two hits (both solo homers) and a walk. He struck out three. Hunter Gregory, Spencer Bengard, and Kyle Bischoff each pitched an inning to finish it out. Gregory allowed an unearned run on one hit, striking out one. Bengard and Bischoff both retired all three hitters they faced, with Bischoff striking out two to pick up the save. Khadim Diaw (2-for-4, K), and Spain (2-for-4, 2B, RBI, K) each had multiple hits. Houston finished 1-for-5 in the scorebook in his Double-A debut but reached base multiple times thanks to an error. Jorel Ortega scored two runs, and Roberts drove in two. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, Wisconsin 5 Box Score Now missing one of their best players of the first half in Marek Houston, the Kernels struggled to get anything going on the road against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Part of that may have been because they were facing one of the top strikeout pitchers in the Midwest League so far this season, in Braylon Owens. The Milwaukee Brewers 10th round pick of the 2025 draft carved up the Kernels over his five innings, allowing only two hits and one walk, while striking out eight. The Cedar Rapids lineup managed just three hits in the game, with the biggest knock coming from Eduardo Tait, who delivered his 13th double of the season. He finished 2-for-4 to lead the way. Jacob McCombs collected their only other hit and stole a base. As a team they went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position and left only four men on base in the contest. Lefty Dasan Hill got the start and was looking to correct some of the issues he’s been experiencing so far this season. If you call two innings of scoreless baseball a step in the right direction, he did so. Of his 32 pitches, 18 went for strikes (56%), allowing just one hit and one walk, while striking out three. Xavier Kolhosser took all the venom of the Timber Rattlers. In his 1 2/3 innings, he was tagged for five runs (four earned) on five hits and a pair of walks. He struck out one. Cole Peschl (2 1/3 IP, 3 K) and Nick Trabacchi (2 IP, H, K) kept them in check over the final four-plus innings. Peschl retired all seven men he faced. MUSSEL MATTERS St. Lucie 6, Fort Myers 2 Box Score The Mighty Mussels were outhit 10-5 by the Mets in this one but had plenty of opportunities as they also drew 10 free passes. That combination led to a 0-for-11 night with runners in scoring position however, leaving 11 men on base. Right-hander Justin Mitrovich got the start at Hammond Stadium and was good at limiting damage thanks to five strikeouts. He made it through 4 2/3 innings and was charged with three runs (two earned) on six hits and a pair of walks. Down 4-0 in the bottom of the sixth, the home team lineup was finally able to put a tally on the scoreboard. Jayson Bass led off with a walk, Quentin Young moved him to third with an infield single that included an error, and Bass was able to score on a double-play ball. In the bottom of the seventh they added their second run thanks to some erratic pitching. Merphy Hernandez was hit by a pitch with one out, stole his 18th base of the season, and later scored on a wild pitch to make it the final of 6-2. The bullpen trio of Eduardo Salazar (1 1/3 IP, 2 H, ER), Eric Hammond (2 IP, 2 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, K), and Brent Francisco (1 IP) finished off the rest of the game for the pitching staff. Luis Fragoza led the way for the hitters with two hits in four plate appearances, including a double and a walk. His OPS with Fort Myers now sits at .943 in 26 games, including nine doubles, six homers, and 27 RBI. Catcher Ryan Sprock finished 1-for-2 with three walks, extending his hitting streak to 16 games. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Braves 7, FCL Twins 8 (9 innings) Box Score This one was only scheduled for seven innings, but thanks to a heroic late swing the teams got to put in a full nine. Serving as an opener for the Twins, the rehabbing Billy Oldham delivered a one-two-three top of the first, including a strikeout. The Braves were in front 5-0 after the top of the sixth as they were able to figure out the bulk pitcher, Cristian Hernandez. He was charged with five earned runs on eight hits and three walks over his five innings. He struck out five. The Twins lineup finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth after Yilber Herrera delivered a one-out triple and scored on a single from Pablo Castillo. Castillo would later score thanks to an error that made it 5-2. The Braves added an insurance run in the top of the seventh and they needed it, as in the bottom half three walks loaded the bases for the Twins, and Herrera tied it with one swing. His grand slam sent it to “extra” innings where they each scored the Manfred man in the eighth, but Brad Rudis shut down the Braves in the top of the ninth to give the lineup a chance. They went the sac bunt route to move the winning run 90-feet away, which the Braves responded to by walking the bases loaded. While this may be a good idea on paper, it also means your pitcher has to throw strikes. In the Braves case, they couldn’t, after getting a flyout the Twins very literally “walked” this one off, as Yovanny Duran drew the bases loaded free pass to end the game. Relievers Jack Walker (2 IP, H, 2 R (0 ER), 5 BB, 4 K) and Rudis (1 IP, BB, 2 K) pitched the final three innings for the Twins. Victor Leal (3-for-4, R, BB) and Herrera each had three hits. Herrera filled up his batting line with a double, triple, grand slam, and a walk. He also scored two runs. DOMINICAN DAILY DSL Colorado 13, DSL Twins 10 Box Score As is common in the Dominican Summer League, a slow-pitch softball score broke out at the Twins academy. The Colorado squad took an early three-run lead against Twins starter Yosangel Braffit, but he was able to finish 3 2/3 innings before being chased after another run in the fourth. In all, Braffit was charged with four earned runs on seven hits and one walk. He struck out two. The Twins had tied it at three in the bottom of the third thanks to an RBI single from Jendy Martinez, an error, and a double steal. But after that, the visitors kept pulling away. Out of the bullpen all four of Enmanuel Mena (2 1/3 IP, H, R, BB, 2 K), Manuel Meza (2/3 IP, H 2 R (1 ER), 3 BB), Failin Placencio (1 2/3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, BB, K), and Aldwin Morillo (2/3 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, BB) gave up at least an unearned run. The lineup finally stormed back with a seven-run rally in the bottom of the eighth that gave them a 10-9 lead heading into the final frame. Four singles, two walks, and two errors led to those runs. Colorado still had gas in the tank in the top of the ninth, scoring four to crush the valiant comeback attempt. Despite their 10 runs the Twins had just seven hits while drawing eight walks on offense. Enmanuel Merlo led the way with two hits in five at-bats, but they did not have any extra-base hits. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Ricky Castro, St. Paul Saints (3 IP, 4 H, R, 2 BB, 6 K) Hitter of the Day – Yilber Herrera, FCL Twins (3-for-4, 2 R, 2B, 3B, GS HR, 4 RBI, BB, K) 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): 1-for-3, 3B (1), BB, K #4 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-4, 2B #5 - SS Marek Houston (Wichita): 1-for-5, R, K, SB (1) #7 - LHP Kendry Rojas (Minnesota): 2 IP, H, ER, 3 BB, 4 K #9 - LHP Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids): 2 IP, H, BB, 3 K #10 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul): 1-for-3, RBI, K #12 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-3, 2 K #13 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Wichita): 2-for-4, K #14 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Fort Myers): 1-for-4, 2 K #17 - RHP C.J. Culpepper (St. Paul): 2 IP, ER, 3 BB, K #20 - 2B/OF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita): 1-for-5, RBI, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Louisville (11:05 AM CDT) - LHP Aaron Rozek (1-0, 2.75 ERA) Wichita @ Midland (6:30 PM CDT) - RHP Chris Vallimont (0-1, 2.70 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (12:10 PM CDT) - RHP Riley Quick (0-1, 4.55 ERA) St. Lucie @ Fort Myers (11:05 AM CDT) - RHP Kolten Smith (2-4, 5.56 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! View the full article

Box Score SP: Kendry Rojas 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K (50 pitches, 25 strikes (50%)) Home Runs: Victor Caratini (6), Brooks Lee (12) Bottom 3 WPA: Austin Voth (-0.39), Byron Buxton (-0.08), Lee (-0.08) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Dodgers did what the Dodgers do on Monday night, winning a close game thanks to their superstars. On Tuesday night, the rain delayed the inevitable, but ultimately, the Minnesota Have-Nots had to play the Los Angeles Haves. Justin Wrobleski and his 2.84 ERA stood in the way of the Twins getting the series back to even. Kendry Rojas looked to take the first couple of innings in his return to action, with newly promoted righty Austin Voth waiting in the wings. The Twins made a game of it early, but they were just the mouse that Los Angeles was playing with before they lost interest and finished the job. Effectively Wild and Wildly Ineffective Rojas walked the lead-off man in both of his innings, but he only got burned in the first. The rookie was all over the place, and occasionally in the strike zone, as well. After walking Shohei Ohtani and Andy Pages to start things, Rojas then struck out Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts. Tommy Edman stayed red-hot and singled in Ohtani to put the Dodgers up 1-0. Rojas' 50% strike rate ensured that he would not get a second crack at the lineup, and that set the stage for Voth's debut in the third. In the bottom of the second, Victor Caratini had tied the game with a flower-destroying homer just over the left-field fence. Voth and the Twins' defense managed to immediately give the lead back to the visitors. Freeman hit a double, because that's what he does—more than any other active player. Just when Voth thought he had escaped the threat, Luke Keaschall took what was a guaranteed out number three and underhand chucked it into the dugout to allow Freeman to scamper home. The Twins fought right back in the bottom of the third, but they ran themselves out of an opportunity at home plate (yikes, Austin Martin) and then had a three-run Brooks Lee home run go just foul. Josh Bell did plate Byron Buxton in the middle of it all, but the Twins definitely had Wrobleski on the ropes and didn't get the job done. Dodgers Show How to Get the Job Done Immediately, the Dodgers made the Twins pay for their missed opportunities and miscues in the top of the fourth. Voth surrendered a couple of singles to put runners at the corners with one out and Ohtani up to bat. Shohei hit a shallow pop fly, but Martin's throw to the plate was cut off, and the Dodgers were back on top 3-2. Then three straight singles with two outs made it 5-2, and any glimpse of hope left the home team. Voth wore almost 100 pitches, but ultimately his 9.90 ERA wasn't going to get the job done. His fifth earned run of the game got bunted in in the top of the seventh under Travis Adams's watch to make it 7-2 Dodgers. The Twins' bats could only muster one hit over the final four frames of Wrobleski's night, as he scattered five hits over his seven innings of professional pitching. Pop fly after pop fly left little to cheer about for the hometown faithful, while those sporting Dodger blue yawned due to the redundancy with which they have witnessed this excellence year after year. Taylor Rogers continues to struggle for the Twins' bullpen, and he gave up a homer in the ninth to remind everyone of that fact. 8-2 Dodgers, please make it stop. A walk and a blast to the gap later, it was 9-2. Please make it stop. Pages singled to make it 10-2. Then the bases were somehow loaded up, and then Max Muncy doubled in two more to invoke the mercy rule at 12-2. I didn't know a bullpen could implode when you were already down five runs to start the ninth, but somehow Rogers and the Twins proved me wrong. Lee did get his home run off of old pal Brock Stewart in the bottom of the ninth. Way too little, and way too late to save this night. It's not because of their payrolls, really, but these are two very different calibers of baseball team. What’s Next? Target Field should enjoy its largest crowd of the season on Wednesday evening. Twins ace Joe Ryan (5-3, 2.99 ERA) looks to avoid the sweep, while the Dodgers will put their trust in a bigger ace named Ohtani (7-2, 1.47 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Coming Soon Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Voth 0 0 0 0 96 96 Paredes 0 0 75 0 0 75 Adams 42 0 0 0 30 72 Rogers 0 0 0 17 38 55 Orze 0 24 0 11 0 35 Morris 0 0 17 15 0 32 Gómez 0 7 20 0 0 27 Banda 0 12 10 0 0 22 View the full article

On Tuesday, before the Royals' second game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field, manager Matt Quatraro shared some deflating news about Opening Day starter Cole Ragans. Here's what Quatraro shared with the media, as shared by KC Star Royals beat writer Jaylon Thompson. It's been a difficult year for Ragans, who was already coming off an injury-plagued 2025 campaign. In eight starts and 35.1 IP this year, the 28-year-old lefty posted a 4.84 ERA, a 1.42 WHIP, and a 6.18 FIP. Once again, Ragans proved to be a strikeout machine with a 29.8% K%. Unfortunately, he struggled with his control, posting a 15.2% BB% and 14.6% K-BB%. He also allowed a 26.3% HR/FB%, nearly double his rate from a year ago. When looking at his TJ Stuff+ summary from this year, the stuff and whiff rates remained solid, but he struggled to find the strike zone and allowed too much hard contact, as demonstrated by his rough xwOBACON numbers. Ragans had a 104 overall TJ Stuff+ and three pitches with grades over 55 (four-seamer, changeup, and slider). He also had a 31.7%, which is excellent (he also had a 30.9% whiff rate on the four-seamer and a 40.4% mark on the changeup). However, Ragans' 44.4% zone rate was mediocre, and that command inefficiency allowed hitters to be more selective, which explains the slightly subpar chase rate. Overall, the former Ranger allowed a .428 xwOBACON, with his changeup (.452) and knucklecurve (1.267) getting hit particularly hard. For context, it wasn't just an increase in walks that hurt Ragans. When looking at his Statcast percentile comparison between this year and 2025, he saw massive declines in categories in which he thrived a year ago. That sharp regression illustrated that something was ailing Ragans on the mound. In 2025, he ranked in the 98th percentile in xwOBA, 70th percentile in O-Swing%, and 69th percentile in Swing%. This year? He ranks in the 30th percentile in xwOBA, 25th percentile in O-Swing%, and 24th percentile in Swing%. Those are massive declines and uncharacteristic for him, even though he could be prone to wildness at times on the mound. The data showed that something was wrong with Ragans, and so far, the Royals have seemingly acted accordingly, even though they haven't been specific about his injury. A couple of weeks ago, he was pulled from his rehab stint in Omaha after experiencing elbow soreness the day after his start. Less than a week ago, he was moved from the 15-Day IL to the 60-Day IL. Now, he's en route to surgery and could not just miss the remainder of the season, but perhaps a significant portion of the 2027 campaign. So what does this latest setback mean for not just Ragans, but a Royals rotation that's running on fumes? This Will Be Third Major Surgery for Ragans Ragans has an extensive injury history, which explains why the Rangers made him available in the Aroldis Chapman trade back in 2023. In 2018, as a Minor Leaguer in the Rangers system, he underwent his first Tommy John surgery. In May 2019, he had a second Tommy John surgery after they found out the first surgery didn't address what had been ailing him initially. While there were two surgeries, many experts felt that Ragans' situation was better characterized as one "long" surgery because he didn't pitch much during his rehabilitation after the first unsuccessful surgery. A full breakdown of his surgery, recovery, and comeback can be found in this piece from Tread Athletics, which supported Ragans in his second rehabilitation process and helped him develop into an "ace" pitcher with the Royals. Cy Young Candidate" width="200" id="ips_uid_3489_13"> data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== It's unclear if the surgery to repair a VEO impingement will be similar to Tommy John surgery or what kind of timetable it will put Ragans on, recovery-wise. If it is a similar recovery time to Tommy John surgery, then Ragans may miss the entirety of 2027. The Royals will face an interesting dilemma regarding Ragans' contract at the conclusion of next season. In February of 2025, Ragans and the Royals agreed to a three-year, $13.25 million extension. The deal bought out three of Ragans' arbitration years, and he is due to make $4.583 million this year and $7.583 million next season. However, the deal leaves his final year of arbitration open for 2028, which would be the last year the Royals would have control over Ragans. As of now, a positive aspect of this injury situation is that the Royals could negotiate a cheap one-year deal with Ragans after his current deal expires at the end of next season. While Ragans hasn't been healthy the past two years, he showed in 2024 that when he is, he can be one of the best starting pitchers in the league. In 2024, Ragans posted a 3.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 2.98 FIP, and 20.5% K-BB% in 186.1 IP. He demonstrated not just excellent stuff but also posted strong numbers in zone, chase, whiff, and xwOBACON, as evidenced by his TJ Stuff+ summary from that All-Star season. The Royals could put their blind trust in Ragans, perhaps extend him after next year on a super-cheap deal, with the hope that he will be 100 percent in 2028 and 2029, at the very least. As much as Royals fans would like to trade Ragans now, especially after two injury-plagued years in a row, the reality is that this latest setback probably kills his trade value. One has to wonder if the Royals regret not trading Ragans for a package involving Jarren Duran when they had the chance this offseason. With this latest news, Kansas City may be better served by investing in Ragans, hoping he bounces back and outperforms his contract, rather than trading him for pennies on the dollar after this surgery. How Does This Royals Staff Adapt? The Royals have gotten lucky with their pitching depth. In addition to Ragans, Kansas City has lost Kris Bubic to an extended absence, and his outlook remains murky after he was pulled from a rehab stint due to shoulder soreness. On a positive note, he had a bullpen session last week, so at least he's in a better spot for an MLB return than Ragans. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== Right now, the Royals' rotation is in decent shape with Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo, Stephen Kolek, Noah Cameron, and Luinder Avila. Even though Avila wasn't the sharpest in the Royals' 12-5 win over the Rays, he did a great job of working through jams and minimizing hard contact in the winning effort, as illustrated below in his TJ Stuff+ summary. That said, while Kansas City may be okay for now, they could be in trouble if someone else gets hurt. Having a contingency plan explains why they acquired MLB veterans Randy Dobnak and Matt Moore. They are guys who could fill in at the MLB level if needed. Still, it may be worthwhile for the Royals to think about acquiring starting pitching depth at the Trade Deadline, especially since Bubic will be a free agent next year and with Ragans likely out for a majority, if not all, of next season. Last year, GM JJ Picollo traded catcher Freddy Fermin to San Diego for Kolek and Ryan Bergert. Kolek has obviously been a success story, but Bergert was on a positive trajectory with the Royals until an early-season injury in Omaha that required surgery. Like Ragans, Bergert's future for 2027 is questionable, but he holds solid starter potential if healthy, as evidenced by his TJ Stuff+ summary from a year ago. In 76.1 IP, Bergert posted a 3.66 ERA and 1.26 WHIP with a 105 TJ Stuff+ and 51.5% zone rate. He needs to improve his chase and whiff rates, as well as his xwOBACON, to be a more dependable arm in the rotation. Nonetheless, Bergert proved last year that, if healthy, he could be a No. 4 or 5 starter in this rotation, much like Kolek. In fact, Kolek's TJ Stuff+ metrics have paled in comparison to Bergert's. And yet, the 29-year-old former Padres pitcher has demonstrated success with the Royals, sans last Sunday's disastrous outing against the Cardinals. The Royals need to be aggressive in acquiring starting pitching this summer, much like they were last summer in the Fermin trade. Even after a second-straight win over the Rays, which improves their record to 34-46, Kansas City is still 7.5 games back in the division and has 5.8% odds to make the postseason, according to Fangraphs. That percentage is the lowest of any team in the AL Central. Safe to say, Picollo and the Royals front office need to be thinking about 2027, even with this positive stretch in June. To acquire pitching to make up for the Bubic and Ragans losses next year, Kansas City could lose some popular players. However, if they trade the right assets, such as Lane Thomas, John Schreiber, or Daniel Lynch IV, just to name a few, they could get the starting pitcher or just general pitching depth they need to feel better about their outlook for 2027 and beyond. Losing Ragans for the year is a tough pill to swallow for this organization that has been snakebitten by injury. That said, this is an opportunity for the Royals to mold their organization in-season in the right way and to get a head start for the upcoming offseason as well. View the full article

The late start to the season for Lucas Giolito has been interrupted. The San Diego Padres on Tuesday placed the right-handed starter on the 15-day injured list with inflammation in his right elbow. Left-hander JP Sears was called up from Triple-A El Paso. Giolito, the last of MLB's top free agents to sign, signed a one-year, $3 million contract April 22, nearly a month after Opening Day, and spent another three-plus weeks getting his arm in game shape in the minors. But he has been inconsistent in his seven games, which included the last two with an opener to try and give him a path to success. But Giolito has produced a 6.07 FIP (5.16 ERA), with career worsts of a 16.7% walk rate and 13% strikeout rate. His last start came in Sunday's series finale against the Texas Rangers, a 4-3 loss, in which Giolito lasted just four innings, giving up all four runs on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Sears, the other piece the Padres got from the A's in the Mason Miller deal at last year's trade deadline, has been in the minors all season. In 14 starts, Sears has a 7.92 ERA with 28 walks and 62 strikeouts in 63⅔ innings. View the full article

Brooks Lee is currently having the best season of his major-league career. Entering Tuesday night's game, the Twins infielder is hitting .238 with a .293 on-base percentage. On the surface, those numbers don't exactly jump off the page. If you looked at the stat line without any additional context, you probably wouldn't think much of it. But there's more to Lee's season than his batting average. The biggest difference has been the power. Lee already has 12 home runs this season and is on pace to finish the year with a career-high 25. His slugging average has jumped more than 50 points from where it sat a season ago, and for the first time since arriving in the big leagues, it feels like he's beginning to establish himself as a legitimate major-league hitter. That doesn't mean everything is perfect. There are still parts of Lee's offensive profile that could be improved, adjusted, or refined moving forward. One of those adjustments, in my opinion, should be abandoning switch-hitting and becoming a full-time left-handed hitter. Now, before you immediately disagree and close the tab, hear me out. Switch-hitting works for a lot of players. There are plenty of hitters throughout baseball history who have built successful careers by hitting from both sides of the plate. If you think Lee should continue switch-hitting, that's completely fair. But I think there's at least a conversation to be had. The first thing worth acknowledging is that the historical data doesn't necessarily support my argument. Over the course of his major-league career, Lee has actually been a better hitter from the right side of the plate. As a right-handed hitter, he's posted a .249 batting average. As a left-handed hitter, that number drops to .228. His career on-base percentage is also 11 points higher from the right side. So yes, if we're looking strictly at career batting average and OBP, I'm not exactly building a great case. But the 2026 version of Lee has looked very different. This season, the numbers have essentially flipped. Lee has been a better hitter from the left side of the plate, and it hasn't been particularly close. His batting average is 36 points higher as a left-handed hitter, and his OPS is 119 points higher. He's also striking out less from the left side, which is something that's been true throughout his major-league career. When Lee bats left-handed this season, he owns a 107 wRC+, meaning he's been comfortably above league average offensively. From the right side, however, he owns an 80 wRC+. That's a pretty substantial difference. Of course, there’s a reasonable counterargument here: we're talking about roughly three months of data. That's not nothing, but it also isn't enough to completely ignore everything we've seen previously. There's a very real possibility that I'm overreacting to a relatively small sample that happens to run contrary to his historical production. But perhaps it's also possible that we're seeing something more meaningful. Even when you zoom out and look at Lee's entire major-league career, there are signs that his left-handed swing might be the more impactful version. Despite having a higher batting average and on-base percentage from the right side, Lee's career OPS is actually higher as a left-handed hitter. He hits for considerably more power from the left side of the plate, but as I mentioned earlier, he strikes out less as a left-handed hitter, too. I'd also argue he's been a bit unlucky. As a right-handed hitter, Lee owns a career .286 BABIP. That's a perfectly normal number. It doesn't scream bad luck, nor does it suggest he's been unusually fortunate. As a left-handed hitter, however, his BABIP sits at just .238. While BABIP isn't perfect, it can give you a pretty good idea about whether a hitter's results accurately reflect the quality of contact he's producing. A .238 BABIP would suggest Lee has likely been on the wrong side of some batted-ball luck as a left-handed hitter, meaning there's a good chance his production should look even better than it already does. We're finally seeing the first legitimate offensive breakthrough of Lee's major-league career, and much of that success has come from one side of the plate. Matt Trueblood wrote about this earlier today, in a way, when he noted that Lee has made two different adjustments this year: one to become a more competent actual hitter, and one merely to wait out more at-bats and draw some walks. Guess which side's adjustment is which. Again, this isn't meant to be an indictment of switch-hitting in general. For players who can effectively do it, switch-hitting provides a significant advantage. Being able to maintain the platoon edge almost every time you step into the batter's box is a valuable skill. But not every hitter benefits equally from it. Some players ultimately find more success by focusing on one swing, rather than maintaining two. A recent example is Cedric Mullins. Mullins entered professional baseball as a switch-hitter but decided to become a full-time left-handed hitter before the 2021 season. That year, he broke out massively, hitting .291 while becoming an All-Star and one of the few players in baseball to produce a 30-homer, 30-steal season. Giving up switch-hitting isn't all that uncommon. Tucker Barnhart did it recently, too. A couple big-leaguers elect to stop switch-hitting every decade. Now, to be clear, I'm not suggesting Lee is suddenly going to become a 30-30 player if he gives up switch-hitting, and I certainly wouldn't recommend looking too closely at how Mullins's career has unfolded since then. But his story does illustrate an important point: some hitters benefit from simplifying things. Sometimes one swing is better than two. Whether Lee ultimately makes that change is another question entirely. It's not something that the Twins would seriously consider until the offseason, but as Lee continues to take steps forward offensively, I think it's a discussion worth having. The historical numbers may not fully support it yet, and the sample size may still be relatively small. But between the power production, the improved strikeout rates, the stronger underlying results, and what appears to be some poor luck from the left side, there's enough evidence to at least wonder. If Lee's offensive breakout is just beginning, perhaps the next step is committing to the side of the plate that appears to bring out the best version of his bat. View the full article

Throughout baseball history, there have been several bunt hit specialists. During the Dead Ball Era, guys like Wee Willie Keeler and Eddie Collins excelled at placing bunts and using their speed to reach base. Brett Butler had 42 bunt hits in 1992 alone. Juan Pierre totaled 201 in his career. I want to talk about the best bunter in baseball, but we need to start by making clear that we won't be besmirching the names of the best bunters in history by pretending that any of them are active now. The game has changed. To wit, David Hamilton is on pace for over 20 bunt hits in 2026, but that wouldn't even come especially close to the top spot for the last 20 years. That honor goes to Carlos Gómez, who—as a raw hitter and speed demon playing his home games on the artificial turf of the Metrodome—had a whopping 30 bunt hits in his first full season of 2008. However, since Gómez did that, no batter has collected more than 20. That new benchmark was set by Dee Strange-Gordon, in 2014. It's not a record, then, but Hamilton has a real chance to collect more hits via bunt than anyone has since CC Sabathia spent a summer in Milwaukee. The last time anyone bunted for a hit more than 20 times in a year, Pat Murphy was the head baseball coach at Arizona State University; Jesus Made was one year old; and Giannis Antetokounmpo had just picked up a basketball for the first time. No one is surprised that Hamilton is fast, of course. He's been one of the fastest people in professional baseball for his whole pro career, and he's exceptionally aggressive on the bases. However, it would have been hard to predict this level of impact from bunting when this season began. That required Hamilton to develop a real facility for the craft of the bunt, and for many a fast hitter in the game's history, that's proved easier said than done. Hamilton has it down, though—literally. He's become so adept at bunting the ball straight down that he often hits home plate or the hard-packed dirt directly in front of it. That's led to a handful of easy singles, because by the time the ball comes down from a 20-foot initial bounce, there's no time for a fielder to secure it and make a strong enough throw all the way to first base. R0JyenJfWGw0TUFRPT1fRGdNRVVWQldWbGNBQVZ0VFZ3QUhBUTlYQUFNTVV3SUFCRk5XVmxjRUJGVlhCRmRR (1).mp4 Generally speaking, that's not a repeatable skill, but that's been Hamilton's genius. He has seven bunt hits with an official batted-ball distance of 0, 1 or 2 feet, and even that undersells him. Here's a ball on which he so niftily dropped the bat onto a dipping breaking ball that Statcast read the first bounce as upward flight off the bat, calling a ball he clipped straight into the dirt an 18-foot blooper. MnI0T1BfWGw0TUFRPT1fVUZKU0J3Y0NBd3NBQ1ZJS1Z3QUhVMVJXQUFOUVVRVUFVRkFHQlFwV0JsRUJBRk1G.mp4 That ability to move with a ball and almost lay the bat atop it has been marvelous to watch. Hamilton can also punch it a little, though, when he needs to get it away from an especially athletic catcher or the third baseman is cheating in but not close to the line. MTZORHJfWGw0TUFRPT1fQVFaV1ZsUlhVQW9BV2xwV1ZnQUhVZzlXQUFNQlVsSUFBZ0VIQUZZRENGVUFBRlFB.mp4 He also shows the capacity to get on top of high fastballs, which can often foil eager bunters with plenty of speed. Getting this down is almost the whole challenge, though getting out of the box well on such a high, hard one can also be tricky. a0R2WEJfWGw0TUFRPT1fQUFVQVVnQUhYbEVBQ1ZZSFhnQUhVdzhIQUFOWEJRQUFWMVJXVWdJSFYxQlVBd1FD.mp4 This skill hasn't turned Hamilton into a star or anything. He hits at the bottom of the Brewers lineup, and he's now in a de facto platoon with Joey Ortiz at third base. He's slugging .322 on the year. However, he's also getting on at a .313 clip, thanks to decent plate discipline, some shielding from tough lefties, and those bunts. Moreover, a bunt single (or a walk, or a plunking, or the time he reached on catcher interference, for which the scoring rules give the batter no credit) is often a double for Hamilton, who already has 16 stolen bases in 21 tries. His numbers won't be pretty. He won't be promoted to the top of the lineup. He won't even play every day. In all likelihood, the only chance Hamilton has for any national attention this year is if he collects enough bunt hits to claim the most since Gómez or Butler. But because he's used the bunt to augment his skills while he works to develop the Brewers' patented patient, let-it-travel approach, Hamilton has helped the team score at the excellent clip they've achieved this year, no matter what his stat line says. It's great to see him keeping the art form alive, and even leading its revival. It's also (aesthetically) good, old-fashioned fun when he lays one down and beats it out. The Brewers will take the fun, but it's the value he's finding ways to generate that has them happiest of all to keep penciling him in against right-handed opposing pitchers. View the full article

There’s been a lot of consternation about Dansby Swanson this year, and rightfully so. He has been really bad at the plate, after all. Heading into their late-June series against the New York Mets, his wRC+, which is an all-encompassing offensive statistic where 100 is average, sits at just 77, according to FanGraphs. Not only does this mean that he is 23 percent worse than the league-average hitter, but this ranks him as the 16th-worst qualified hitter in baseball. Like I said, he's been really bad at the plate. The thing with Swanson is that offense has never been his calling card. Even at his absolute best, the Chicago Cubs’ shortstop has never been any more more than a slightly above-average hitter. His ability to play exceptional defense at a premium position like shortstop is what has made him one of the most valuable players in baseball throughout the course of the 2020s. Until last year, that is. Per Baseball Savant, Swanson was worth two runs above average in the field last season. That was his worst defensive season since 2019. What was different? Swanson went from being elite to merely good at coming in on the ball, while also falling from above average to below average at moving laterally: Year Coming In (OAA) Lateral toward 3B (OAA) Lateral toward 1B (OAA) Going Back (OAA) 2024 14 2 2 -1 2025 9 -1 -2 -1 The values in the table represent the outs above average on each respective play type. At his defensive peak from 2022 to 2023, Swanson was not only elite at coming in on the ball, but also at moving towards third base: he was worth 12 outs above average moving towards third in 2022, and eight in 2023. This declined significantly in 2024, and all but disappeared in 2025. This year, though, he has been worth four outs above average moving toward third base and we’re only halfway through the season. To put this in simpler terms: he is making more plays in the hole between him and third base than he was last year: TDZObzlfWGw0TUFRPT1fQWdVRkFsTlJWd0FBV2dZQ1VnQUhCZ0JlQUFCUkFBTUFVRllEVmdaV0IxZGRWUUlG.mp4 The former Atlanta Brave has also been worth 0 outs above average on plays towards first base, an improvement over his below-average output in 2025. He’s also maintained a steady performance coming in on the ball, worth five outs above average in that regard. Cobble all of that together and Swanson has been worth seven runs above average and nine outs above average in the field so far this year, both of which are seventh in baseball. This is after being worth two runs above average and four outs above average just last season. Despite being one of the worst qualified hitters in baseball, he has still posted 1.5 fWAR, fifth among the Cubs’ position players and more than Alex Bregman, Nico Hoerner, and Carson Kelly. He is on pace for 3.2 fWAR after posting 3.3 last season. Is this all a glass half full view of Dansby Swanson? Of course it is! But we all need that right now while we stress about the bat. He might never be more than a shell of his former self at the plate again. However, at the age of 32, he might also be as good as ever in the field. This alone will continue to make him a plug-and-play option for Craig Counsell moving forward. View the full article

With the first half of the season complete, promotions at all levels were revealed before Tuesday's series openers of the full-season San Diego Padres affiliates. The biggest impact was felt at High-A Fort Wayne, where the TinCaps have eight new players, and Low-A Lake Elsinore, with six players joining the Storm. Among Padres Mission's Top 20 prospects, No. 5 Ryan Wideman, No. 14 Tucker Musgrove and No. 19 Bryan Balzer were the only ones to change levels, but not the only interesting names. Here is a recap of the movement (previous team in parentheses): Joining Triple-A El Paso: Right-hander Andrew Moore (San Antonio) First baseman Romeo Sanabria (San Antonio) Joining Double-A San Antonio: Right-hander Clay Edmondson (Fort Wayne) Right-hander Tucker Musgrove (Fort Wayne) Outfielder Jake Cunningham (Fort Wayne) Joining High-A Fort Wayne: Right-hander Bernard Jose (San Antonio) Right-hander Bryan Balzer (Lake Elsinore) Right-hander Winyer Chourio (Lake Elsinore) Right-hander Nick Falter (Lake Elsinore) Right-hander Will Koger (Lake Elsinore) First baseman Luke Cantwell (Lake Elsinore) Third baseman-first baseman Kerrington Cross (Lake Elsinore) Outfielder Ryan Wideman (Lake Elsinore) Joining Low-A Lake Elsinore: Shortstop Dylan Grego (San Antonio) Right-hander Isaiah Lowe (Fort Wayne) Right-hander Jeferson Vilabona (Fort Wayne) Right-hander Lan-Hong Su (ACL) Right-hander Jordan Valenzuela (ACL) Left-hander Zack Qin (ACL) Joining Arizona Complex League: Right-hander Luis German (Fort Wayne) Left-hander Joseph Herrera (Lake Elsinore) Outfielder Eddson Martinez (DSL) View the full article

The New York Mets have taken a chance on an outfielder. Jared Oliva was claimed by the Mets on Tuesday off waivers from the San Francisco Giants. Oliver was activated by the Giants off the 60-day injured list and then designated for assignment. The Mets had an open spot on the 40-man roster, so no countermove will be needed there. Oliva does have an option left, so he could be sent to Triple-A Syracuse or added to the major-league roster. The speedy 30-year-old was a feel-good story for the Giants, making the Opening Day roster after not having played in the majors since 2021 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In addition to the Pirates, who drafted him in the seventh round in 2017 out of Arizona, Oliva has spent time with the Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners and Milwaukee Brewers before signing a minor-league deal with the Giants this offseason. Oliva appeared in seven games with the Giants this year, going 1-for-7 before sustaining a hamate bone injury, which required surgery. View the full article

After a rough go with the Houston Astros, Jayden Murray has a second chance with the Chicago Cubs. Murray was officially added to the Cubs' 26-man roster after being acquired in a trade Saturday from the Houston Astros for minor-league first baseman Cameron Sisneros. Right-hander Gavin Hollowell was optioned to Triple-A Iowa. Murray had been designated for assignment by the Astros after a 7.43 ERA in eight appearances and 13⅓ innings. That was quite the difference from when he made his MLB debut in 2025 with the Astros, when he appeared in nine games and had a 1.54 ERA in 11⅔ innings. Murray was drafted in the 23rd round in 2019 out of Dixie State. Hollowell has appeared in three games with the Cubs this season, allowing two runs in 3⅔ innings for a 4.91 ERA with five walks and two strikeouts. View the full article

Blue Jays Affiliate Overview (June 20 - June 22) Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Series vs Charlotte Knights (Chicago White Sox): 2-4 Season Record: 35-40 Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats Series vs Birmingham Rumble Ponies (New York Mets): 3-3 Season Record: 34-33 High-A Vancouver Canadians Series vs Spokane Indians (Colorado Rockies): 3-3 Season Record: 29-40 Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays Series vs Lakeland Flying Tigers (Detroit Tigers): 4-2 Season Record: 32-36 FCL Blue Jays Week Record: 4-2 Season Record: 26-11 DSL Blue Jays Blue Week Record: 2-2 Season Record: 6-10 DSL Blue Jays Red Week Record: 1-4 Season Record: 5-11 Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Season Record: 35-40 Series vs Charlotte Knights (Chicago White Sox) June 20: On Saturday, the Buffalo Bisons rode a quartet of top performers to a win against the Charlotte Knights. It started on the mound, with Grant Rogers facing off against David Sandlin for Charlotte. Rogers and Sandlin were in a pitcher's duel from the start. Charlotte would get on the board first, Dustin Harris roped an RBI triple off of Rogers in the second inning. In the same inning, Caden Connor added an RBI single that scored Harris and gave the Knights an early 2-0 lead. In the third, Buffalo would scratch across a run, Josh Mendoza singled, stole second, and then scored on Josh Kasevich's RBI single. Both starting pitchers would finish their days without giving up any more runs. Sandlin would go five innings, and Rogers would pitch six. In the seventh, Kasevich slashed a single to right field, driving in Clase, who had reached on a double to left field. Both teams would fail to provide any further scoring until Sean Keys came up to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning. Mendoza was on second base after singling to center and moving to second on a groundout. Keys would blister a pitch, 109.8 mph off the bat, over the right field fence for a walk-off two-run home run. For the game, Clase and Kasevich each had three hits, while Keys had the one that mattered the most. Buffalo won this one 6-4. June 21: Pat Gallagher started on the mound Sunday for Buffalo in a bullpen game. It was the final game of the series against the Charlotte Knights. Gallagher only lasted two outs, giving up a two-run single to Caden Connor and loading the bases up, before being pulled in favor of Conor Larkin. Larkin was not able to stop the big inning for Charlotte, giving up a bases-clearing, three-run double to the first batter he faced. Before Buffalo even came to the plate in the bottom of the first, they were down 5-0. After the first, Buffalo's bullpen was magnificent, throwing eight one-hit innings and not allowing another run to score. Despite the pitching giving the bats a chance for a comeback, they never stood a chance. Noah Schultz was on the mound for Charlotte for 2.2 innings without allowing a run. He turned things over to Shane Murphy, who threw another 4.1 innings without allowing a run. Then their bullpen shut it down for the final two innings and closed the game out with Buffalo not on the scoreboard at all. Charles McAdoo, who was optioned back to Triple-A recently, was the lone standout on offense for Buffalo. He went 1-3 and had two walks. As a team, Buffalo struck out 11 times and took the loss 5-0. Double-A New Hampshire Season Record: 34-33 Series vs Birmingham Rumble Ponies (New York Mets) June 20: The Saturday game between New Hampshire and Binghamton started out promising for the Fisher Cats, but took a big step back in the middle innings. Hedbert Perez hit a big home run in the top of the first to give New Hampshire a one-run lead. Then, Cutter Coffey added a sacrifice fly in the fourth to erase a bases-loaded walk by Binghamton that came in the second inning. That was where the game remained until the sixth inning, when Binghamton started launching the baseball. Jaylen Palmer homered, then he doubled in two runs the next inning, followed by home runs from Kevin Villavicenoio and Nick Larusso. By the end of the game, New Hampshire ended up losing 10-2. June 21: In the Sunday series finale between New Hampshire and Binghamton, it was a wild game to the bitter end following a very slow start. Danny Thompson Jr. was on the mound for the Fisher Cats, and again, he pitched very well. He went five innings, only allowing one hit, zero runs, walking two, and striking out four. New Hampshire finally got on the scoreboard in the ninth inning with an Eddie Micheletti Jr. long ball. Unfortunately, the one-run lead didn't hold, as Binghamton scored on an RBI single to tie the game at one and send it to extra innings. In the tenth inning, Hedbert Perez walked with the bases loaded and was followed by a two-run single coming from Carter Cunningham. That three-run lead wasn't enough, though, as the bottom of the inning saw more runs from Binghamton. An RBI double was later followed by a two-run single from the Rumble Ponies to match the Fisher Cats' total. They moved to the eleventh inning, where Victor Arias roped an RBI single for the Fisher Cats. A single would move him to third, and then a fly ball set up Arias to tag and score another run, but it didn't happen. He was thrown out at home to end the inning. In the bottom of the eleventh, Binghamton couldn't answer, as they flew out twice and had a strikeout. New Hampshire won a wild one, 5-4, in 11 innings. High-A Vancouver Season Record: 29-40 Series vs Spokane Indians (Colorado Rockies) June 20: Spokane spoiled a four-hit night from Tucker Toman, who has been blazing hot for the Canadians as of late. Gilberto Batista again got a start for Vancouver, and he pitched two scoreless innings before J.R. Freethy hit a two-run homer to give the Canadians an early two-run lead. Tevin Tucker homered off of Batista in the bottom of the third inning, but Peyton Williams got that run back with an RBI single in the fourth. Batista gave up two runs in the fourth, including another homer, which tied the game up, but the Canadians took the lead right back with an Alexis Hernandez homer. Batista gave up homer number three in the fifth inning, this time for three runs, putting Vancouver in a two-run hole. Vancouver loaded the bases in the sixth inning, and Maddox Latta hit a grounder that ricocheted off the first baseman’s glove, allowing two runs to score. Toman then hit a go-ahead homer in the seventh inning. Carson Myers was great after replacing Batista, pitching 3 1/3 one-hit innings, striking out four batters. Jay Schueler replaced Myers in the 9th and gave up the tying run in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, as the game headed to extras. Jacob Sharp knocked in the ghost runner in the tenth, but Jack O’Dowd ended the game with a two-run homer off Schueler for a walk-off loss. June 21: Landen Maroudis took the pill for the last game of the series and pitched just two innings, allowing a solo shot and a sac fly in the first inning. He was able to get out of the second inning unscathed, but he threw 46 pitches, getting replaced by Jack Nedrow in the third inning. Eric Snow was able to take the lead for the Canadians with runners on second and third with his third homer in Vancouver in just eight games played. J.R. Freethy hit a sac fly in the fourth, but Nedrow allowed two runs in the fourth, which evened the game back up. Freethy had his second RBI of the night with a double in the sixth to take the lead, and Manuel Beltre drove him in with a two-run homer. Peyton Williams then hit a two-run homer in the seventh to make it a five-run lead. Jonathan Todd and Trace Baker both pitched excellently after Nedrow was taken out, as they struck out seven batters combined and only allowed a single run, as Baker earned the save and Todd got the win. Single-A Dunedin Season Record: 32-36 Series vs Lakeland Flying Tigers (Detroit Tigers) June 20: Giacomo Taschin made his Dunedin debut after dominating the Florida Complex League, the young Italian allowed two runs in three innings of work off of a two run homer in the second but struck out three hitters. Blaine Bullard was able to knock in a run on a groundout in the third before Aldo Gaxiola took the lead with a two-run double in the third inning. Angel Obando struggled in the fourth inning, allowing two homers and four runs. Lluveres Severino and Franly Urena kept the game in reach as they pitched a combined five innings without allowing a single run, while combining for eight strikeouts and only allowing two hits between the two of them. This allowed the D-Jays to have their own four-run inning in the eighth, as a fielding error and a throwing error allowed Juan Sanchez to score, then Aldo Gaxiola had his third RBI of the night with a triple to bring it within one. Will Cresswell tied it up with a liner to left, and Jake Cook knocked in the game-winning run to score Cresswell. Tibbitts gave the Jays an insurance run in the ninth, and the Jays snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. June 21: 20-year-old Troy Guthrie was once again spectacular for Dunedin, as for the second straight start, he went six innings, allowing only one run for his third quality start in four starts. This time, Guthrie had six strikeouts on the night. The Jays got an early run in on a balk in the first, which was evened up by a double against Guthrie in the bottom of that inning, but with one out in the fifth inning, Austin Smith grounded into a what looked to be a double play, but shortstop Jack Goodman made an errant throw, allowing a run to score. The Jays pounced on that mistake, as Dariel Ramon hit a run-scoring double right after, a wild pitch scored another run, then JoJo Parker capped it off with a three-run homer for a big six-run inning. The Jays tacked on another three runs in the sixth as Jake Cook hit a sac fly and Dariel Ramon had his second double of the night to drive in two more to make it double digits for the Jays. Luis Fonseca then closed it out with three innings, allowing a single hit and no runs for the save in a dominating win. FCL Blue Jays Season Record: 26-11 June 20: Ricky Tiedemann was back on the mound for his second game of the week in five days for the FCL Blue Jays. He was much more efficient this time, as he got the first batter to strike out on five pitches, then he struck out the second batter on just four pitches. With two outs, he got the third batter to ground out on seven pitches for a total of 16 in his lone inning this go around. The Blue Jays took the lead in the second inning on the back of a Kennew Blanco single to third base. The third inning saw two runs scored by the FCL Yankees from an RBI single and a throwing error by the catcher. The Yankees returned the favor in the sixth by allowing a Blue Jays run on a missed catch error at first base. Pascual Archila didn't let things be decided by defense, though, as he hit an RBI single on a line drive to right field in the eighth inning for the walk-off win. The Blue Jays won this one 3-2. June 22: In the Monday game between the FCL Blue Jays and FCL Phillies, hitting was not up to par on the day. The Blue Jays had just five hits in the nine-inning game. Angel Guzman, David Guzman, Gavin Smith, and Edgardo Villegas had singles and Max Viera had a double. The lone run for the Blue Jays came in the ninth inning on an RBI groundout from Villegas. The Phillies had managed two RBI singles, a sacrifice fly, and a run scoring on a throwing error by the catcher. It was a rough day for the Blue Jays, as they lost this one 4-1. DSL Blue Jays Blue Season Record: 6-10 June 20: Sahir De La Cruz set the tone early for BJB on Saturday against the White Sox DSL team. De La Cruz worked four strong innings, giving up only one hit and one run, while striking out four. The lone run he surrendered was on himself; he gave up a single to Sebastian De La Cruz, who then stole second, moved to third on a sacrifice fly, and then scored on a wild pitch by. The offense used the stellar pitching performance to grab the lead early in the game. Isay Veras and Sebastian Casanova had RBI singles in the first and second innings, respectively. In the third, it was Yariel Cordero who gave BJB the lead with a sacrifice fly scoring Michael Mesa. Mesa would then get in on the party in the fourth, adding a run from his RBI single and then scoring on a passed ball later in the inning. In the fifth, Samuel Orellana scored a much-needed run, stealing third and then scoring on a throwing error on the play by the opposing catcher. BJB would need every bit of those seven runs, as they went through two pitches in the seventh. The White Sox would score five runs (four earned) in the seventh and almost complete the comeback, but a strikeout ended their chances, giving BJB the win 7-6. June 22: Roberto Castellanos on the mound and Juan Caricote at the plate teamed up to lead BJB on Monday against the Texas Rangers Red (RNR) team. Castellanos almost completed the game himself if it were the regular seven-inning variety; unfortunately, this one went nine innings. Castellanos threw six innings, only giving up two hits and one run (zero earned). He would also strike out four and walk just one. Caricote tallied four hits in the game, scored two runs, and knocked in two. In the first inning, he got an RBI on a groundout, and then he scored a run in the fifth on Juarlin Soto's two-run single. In the seventh, he knocked in Sebastian Casanova on a single, while he scored the walk-off winning run on a fielding error by RNR's center fielder. DSL Blue Jays Red Season Record: 5-11 June 20: BJR played a nine-inning game on Saturday against the DSL Angels. BJR probably wished it were just a seven-inning game, although that would have meant they would have been shut out, so maybe not. Down 9-0 in the ninth, BJR got a lead-off walk from Darwin Nunez, who would advance to second on a wild pitch, move to third base on another wild pitch, and then score on yet another wild pitch. That's it, three hits in the game, but the only run coming from a walk and three wild pitches. BJR lost big, 9-1. June 22: Monday was a much better game for BJR. They would tally 10 hits in the game and used a monster five-run fifth to win the game. BJR started their scoring in the fourth with an Aneudi Severino RBI double, scoring Gabriel Porras. In the fifth, Fabian Gonzalez got an RBI double of his own and then scored on Severino's second double of the game. Porras would score his second run of the game in the fifth, making it home thanks to a fielding error. Diego Arce wrapped up the scoring in the fifth with a two-RBI single to right field. BJR wasn't done scoring in the game, though; they got their fourth RBI double of the game in the sixth, this one from Frelian Flores. Then in the seventh, Elian Reyes knocked in Arce with a single. BJR bounced back with a win, taking this game. View the full article

Joe Ryan has been one of the best arms in baseball this season. With his Cy Young odds continuing to climb, what are the chances he could bring home the award? View the full article

For the 2026 season, Fish On First will provide weekly reports on the Miami Marlins farm system, covering all levels. This late-June edition of the Fish On First Prospects Report includes a lot of familiar names who have maintained strong production across multiple weeks, plus some good problems to have with top prospects returning from injuries. This report covers the games played from June 16-22. Triple-A Jacksonville Gage Miller's time in Jacksonville has been nothing short of impressive, slashing .341/.442/.614/1.056 with three home runs, 12 RBI and a 178 wRC+. With the Jumbo Shrimp, Miller is posting the highest walk rate of his career (13.5%) and continues to strike out under 20% of the time (17.3%). Defensively, Miller is primarily playing second base, but has also seen time at third base as well. Worth noting, the big league club currently has the worst offensive production at the third base this season, per wRC+. Kemp Alderman split time between right field and first base in his first week back from a left elbow sprain. Overall, he is slashing .287/.365/.503/.868 with 10 home runs, 24 RBI and a 129 wRC+. Johnny Olmstead, a 19th-round pick back in 2023, is having a strong month of June, slashing .235/.422/.471/.893. Olmstead hit a home run on Friday against the Durham Bulls. His overall season slash line is .210/.365/.371/.763 with five home runs, 21 RBI and a 106 wRC+. In his most recent start for the Jumbo Shrimp, Karson Milbrandt went four innings, allowing one run on three hits, walked five and struck out seven. Milbrandt's fastball topped out at 96.8 mph, averaging 94.8 mph and generating eight whiffs. Of his seven strikeouts, four of them came on the sweeper, generating eight whiffs as well. Although extremely effective overall, control continues to be an issue for him, now having walked three or more in all three starts at the Triple-A level. Jack Ralston continues to have a strong season, posting a 1.30 ERA, 3.84 FIP, 11.23 K9 and 3.46 BB/9 in 25 appearances. The Marlins have given other relievers opportunities over Ralston so far, but his chance should come at some point soon. The Marlins brought back Zach Pop on a minor league deal. Pop previously spent time with the Marlins in 2021 and 2022, then bounced around the league with stints in the Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies organizations. Pop made his 2026 Jumbo Shrimp debut on June 16 against Durham. He has since pitched in three games, allowing three runs on two hits and three strikeouts. The three runs and two hits were all surrendered in that first outing. His two other outings have been perfect. Double-A Pensacola The Wahoos did their part to keep their first-half division title hopes alive all week long, including deep into the night and early morning on Thursday and Friday when the team attempted to wait out a lengthy delay. Despite falling just short of their ultimate goal, the team had a great series against Birmingham, winning four of six games by way of a 46-32 run differential. They ended the first half three games over .500 at 36-33. There’s taking the toughest promotion in the minors in stride, then there’s doing what Cam Cannarella is doing. Called up to Pensacola at the beginning of the month, the 22-year-old has barely batted an eye at the change in competition level. With nine more hits including two homers this past week, Cannarella is slashing .357/.439/.500 as a Blue Wahoo. He has a 155 wRC+. Cannarella is proving to be one of the faster-developing position player prospects the Marlins have housed in recent memory. Nearly matching the same solid walk rate he posted in High-A along with limiting his K rate to an elite 11% while making contact at an 85% rate on pitches within the strike zone, there isn’t much not to nitpick. Touted for a plus-plus defensive skill set and great bat-to-ball skills coming out of the draft, it was believed that Cannarella profiled as hit-over-power. However, he has definitely started to tap into more extra bases, already hitting five homers on the campaign. With sound mechanics, great discipline, decent speed and the aptitude to stick in center field due to good reads, instincts and athleticism, Cannarella has three of five tools. If the power continues to show up, he could be adding a fourth. Even though Cannarella’s career is still very young, he has answered every challenge successfully and with flying colors. If he keeps doing what he’s doing, Cannarella could be a candidate to arrive in Miami as early as next season. The quick challenge to the Double-A ranks hasn’t been the kindest to the Marlins 2025 first-rounder Aiva Arquette, save for one facet of the game: power. Since his promotion to the Wahoos, Arquette has gone 20 for his first 93 including 13-for-64 in June. While he’s hitting just .215 with a .284 OBP, Arquette is slugging .420. That is because 33% of his hits have left the yard. As a member of the Blue Wahoos, the 22-year-old already has five home runs. Arquette’s weaknesses have been two-fold: swinging at too many pitches outside of the strike zone and getting off his best swing altogether. While he has been able to avoid whiffs rather well, generating solid contact has been a struggle. Swinging at pitches outside of the zone 30% of the time and exhibiting a a lowly .298 wOBA along with a 45% ground ball rate, he’s left a bit to be desired amidst the challenge to the upper minors. Unlocking Arquette will take a few things: more reps, natural progression, and body control. The first two are an easy fix that just require time. The third may be a bit trickier for the Marlins as they attempt to groom the 6’5”, 220-pound specimen. Arquette’s swing itself is pretty sound—it’s getting to it that needs work. At his size, he works with a lot of moving parts and levers that can cause him to look awkward at times when attempting to time up his cuts. Additionally, the inherently picky and selective hitter is sometimes late to commit to a swing, compounding this issue. Quieting down Arquette’s approach and getting him to fully commit to swings earlier in his process will be key for Arquette as he continues his development with Pensacola. Where size has not hurt Arquette is in the field. Despite being a very unique build for the shortstop position, he looks every bit the part there and hasn’t given the Marlins any reason to doubt he stick there long term. That said, he’s also been tried out at third base. If the bat continues to lag behind the defense, more regular playing time at third rather than the higher-stress up-the-middle position may be an advantageous step for Miami to take. High-A Beloit Beloit bounced back from losing 10 of their previous 12 with a good offensive showing, leading to them taking three out of five games played against Cedar Rapids on the road. The final game of the series was postponed and will be made up next month. Beloit scored at least eight runs in every game and owned the advantage in a 51-41 run differential. After hitting four homers the week previous, Brandon Compton proved his recent power surge was no fluke. The 2025 second-rounder put out another four long balls against the Kernels including a couple absolute no-doubters. His slugging percentage on the season rose to .450 and to an audacious .767 in June, earning him our Prospect of the Week honors. A 6’1”, 225-pound lefty, Compton is putting absolute monstrous power on full display, particularly to his pull side. As his vision starts to improve and he starts to gain more confidence in his swing, pitching Compton inside is becoming more of a chore for opposing pitchers. Looking at Compton’s advanced stats, his slow start was marred by an inability to make contact on pitches within the strike zone. His 70.9% zone contact percentage is in the eighth percentile league-wide. It hasn’t been that Compton has swung at bad pitches—his swing rate on pitches outside the zone is 22.1%, in the 81st percentile and his 24.5% walk rate is ridiculously high. It just seems Compton was getting a bit over-zealous when swinging at strikes, leading to a heightened whiff rate. As he’s beginning to solve for that issue, we’re seeing what this bat is fully capable of. As we’ve stated previously regarding Compton, he is bat-first and arguably bat-only, so it will need to carry him to the next level. If he continues on his current track, a call-up to Double-A is merited this season once space becomes available in Pensacola’s crowded outfield. Two weeks ago, as part of our report, we mentioned how Dillon Head just needs to build confidence to break out of a injury-interrupted start-of-season slump that had him slashing just .163/.273/.231 with a 41 wRC+. Almost immediately after that writing, the 21-year-old’s bat perked up. He recorded six hits against Quad Cities and followed up with a seven-hit effort this week against Cedar Rapids. Over that span, Head doubled three times and homered twice. His June slash line represents the best offensive baseball he’s played in a Marlins-affiliated uniform. Altogether this month, he’s hitting .311/.408/.590. Confidence is key and Head is the proof. In the 91st percentile in zone contact but the 23rd in zone swing, Head just needed to start swinging at more strikes. Over the last two weeks, he’s showcased that trait, the main catalyst in his fiery stretch. One of few prospects in the Marlins’ ranks that profiles as a true center fielder long term, we are starting to get a glimpse at what the tooled-up prospect can do when making the most of loud raw tools including a quick bat and plus-plus speed. A guy that can and likely will live with a high BABIP due to his quickness and ability to turn anything in play into a hit, Head is also a smart baserunner who comes by extra bases fairly easily even if he does not hit a gap. Because of his twitchy hands, Head also isn’t completely devoid of power. With room to continue to grow into 20-double, 20-steal, 10-homer production annually, it is very refreshing to start to see it happen for Head. Despite injuries, time is still on his side. Trending up, he’s a name we will continue to monitor very closely. Low-A Jupiter Since his arrival to the Low-A level, Luis Arana has not stopped hitting, slashing .345/.479/.483/.962 with one home run, 13 RBI and a 169 wRC+. The main difference has been Arana striking out more (17.8%) at this level compared to the complex league (9.2%). Overall, Arana is slashing .366/.478/.464/.943 with one home run, 18 RBI, 20 stolen bases and a 158 wRC+. He is proving to be the crown jewel of Miami's 2025 international free agent class on the position player side. Edgardo De Leon was promoted along with Arana to the Low-A level and the results have different, hitting .200/.261/.450/.711 with three home runs, 11 RBI and an 82 wRC+. De Leon's main issue has been his strikeout rate (32.6%) now being exposed more at this level. The concern level shouldn't be too high yet given the limited sample. It's just a matter of time until Carter Johnson receives a promotion to High-A Beloit. Johnson is now slashing .243/.357/.430/.788 with eight home runs, 35 RBI and a 114 wRC+. Johnson, whose stock has fallen dramatically in two years of pro ball, still has a path to putting together a productive career. It will just take patience. Since his promotion to Low-A, Eiver Mosquera has been great, posting a 2.45 ERA, 3.75 FIP, 11.45 K/9 and 3.27 BB/9. Mosquera has made three appearances (one start) so far. In his most recent outing against the Palm Beach Cardinals, Mosquera went four innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits, two walks and struck out six. His fastball velocity topped out at 97.3 mph and averaged 96.4 mph. FCL Marlins The offense running through the organization right now is contagious. This week featured a 19-run performance in eight innings by the FCL Marlins last Tuesday. After struggling during his first two professional seasons, Adrian Bello broke out last year in the Dominican Summer League before making the jump stateside this season. He has been one of the more consistent bats for the FCL Marlins, hitting .290 with one home run, 11 RBI, and seven stolen bases. His plate discipline has also been encouraging, as he has drawn 12 walks while striking out just 13 times. This week, Bello recorded a hit in three of the four games he played, including two multi-hit performances. Bello's biggest concern remains his batted-ball profile. His 2.00 GO/AO ratio suggests he is putting a lot of balls on the ground, making it difficult to sustain his current production unless he starts elevating the ball more consistently. After a brief stint in Jupiter last year where he struggled and then continued to have difficulties following his demotion back to the FCL, John Cruz has finally started to find his groove. He is hitting .317 in June with two home runs and nine RBI. On the season, he owns a .267 batting average with four home runs, 18 RBI, and 11 stolen bases. The strikeout totals remain high, but he has made noticeable improvements compared to last season. With the draft approaching, it may be time to give Cruz another opportunity in Low-A Jupiter and see how he responds. DSL Marlins & DSL Miami Carlos De Los Santos is off to an excellent start in his professional career. He is hitting .342 with a home run and nine RBI on the season and has only gone hitless in four games. In two of those games, he received just one at-bat. This week, he continued to produce, going 4-for-14 (.286) with a double and two RBI. Two of those hits and both RBI came on Monday during DSL Miami's 15-12 victory over the DSL Twins. The strikeout rate and BABIP are both a little elevated, but for a 17-year-old in his first professional season, the early results are extremely encouraging for the Marlins. Jesús Pérez entered Monday's game hitting just .105 through his first 19 at-bats of the season. He responded by putting together one of the best individual performances in the DSL this year, going 5-for-6 with two home runs, six RBI, and a stolen base. That performance raised his season average all the way to .280. Prior to Monday, Pérez had struck out just three times in 19 at-bats, but had little to show for it. Sometimes all a player needs is one breakout game to get things going, and Monday may have been exactly that. Johan Machado put together one of the best weeks in the entire organization. He recorded a hit in every game he played and added three multi-hit performances. He capped off the week on Monday with a home run and three RBI. Machado is best known for his speed, highlighted earlier this season by a game in which he stole five bases. If he can begin to pair that speed with more consistent offensive production, he has the potential to become one of the fastest risers in the system. Santiago Solarte wasn't satisfied with the excellent week he had previously, so he followed it up with another strong performance. He recorded a hit in four of five games and added another home run. On Monday, after a one-out single in the first inning, Solarte stole second, third, and home. He now has 14 stolen bases on the season (fourth among all DSL players). He continues to improve each week, and with his 6-foot-5 frame, these flashes are exactly why the Marlins believe he has the potential to develop into a true five-tool player. After opening the season 1-for-6, Diego Martinez has found his groove during his first professional season. He is now hitting .393 with two home runs, seven RBI, and six stolen bases. This week was easily his best of the year, as he recorded back-to-back three-hit games and homered in both contests. The sample size remains small at just 28 at-bats, and his .474 BABIP is certainly inflated. However, the early foundation of his offensive potential has definitely started to reveal itself, giving the Marlins another intriguing young bat to monitor as the season progresses. This week's schedule Triple-A Jacksonville vs. Memphis Double-A Pensacola at Chattanooga High-A Beloit vs. Peoria Low-A Jupiter at Clearwater FCL Marlins, DSL Marlins and DSL Miami vs. various opponents View the full article

Owen and Jesse break down the Jays' 1-1 shortened series split in Chicago against the Cubs. They talk about a disappointing 16-2 loss in game one, where Kevin Gausman really struggled, Brendan Little made a less than triumphant return, and Myles Straw pitched before getting into the many positives from an 8-6 win in game two. They talk about Kazuma Okamoto's successful rookie season, George Springer's resurgence, and Daulton Varsho's big homer. The guys talk about Anthony Santander's potential return, Shane Bieber's upcoming start against the Astros, and use the extra time for a game of Agree or Disagree before taking listener questions and previewing the upcoming series. Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jays-centre-podcast/id1846108462 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Bi7SzfpcqMo5xYWnbCeoL Listen on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-jays-centre-podcast-300304824/ Listen on Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/2qk9wqxd Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jayscentre View the full article

The next man up in the Minnesota Twins' bullpen shuffle is Austin Voth. The right-hander had his contract selected from Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday, with the Twins sending right-hander Cody Laweryson down to St. Paul. Voth was designated for assignment by the Toronto Blue Jays, then latched on with the Twins on a minor-league contract on June 4. Voth made two appearances and pitched six innings for the Jays, giving up six runs on eight hits and five walks with just one strikeout. In three appearances at St. Paul, Voth surrendered nine runs (eight earned) on 14 hits with six walks and 17 strikeouts. Voth originally signed a minor-league contract with the Chicago White Sox this offseason before being released late in spring training. Laweryson has pitched in 16 innings over 14 games, posting a 5.06 ERA (4.97 FIP) with seven walks and 18 strikeouts. View the full article