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Four Royals affiliates fell on the same night despite individual standouts. Drew Beam dominated for Northwest Arkansas, allowing one run over 7 1/3 innings with five strikeouts before the bullpen faltered in extras. Matthew Lugo and Drew Waters homered for Omaha in a 10-inning loss. Blake Wolters struck out six for Quad Cities, and Josh Hammond collected three hits for Columbia. Shane Van Dam logged 5 2/3 innings in the Fireflies' shutout defeat. Royals Transactions No Roster Moves Lugo And Waters Go Deep, But Storm Chasers Fall In Ten The Omaha Storm Chasers traded blows with the Iowa hosts before losing 7-6 in ten innings. Lugo led the offense, going 2-for-5 with a double and a solo home run, his fifth, in the third inning. Waters followed immediately with a solo shot of his own, his ninth, to give Omaha a 4-2 lead in that third frame. The early scoring came in bunches, as both clubs plated runs in each of the first three innings. Brett Squires singled home Lugo in the first, and Kevin Newman doubled home Gavin Cross in the second. Mitch Spence carried the bulk of the work on the mound, allowing four runs on five hits over six innings with one walk and four strikeouts. Omaha kept fighting late, with Abraham Toro doubling home Josh Rojas in the seventh and Rojas delivering a sacrifice fly that scored Cross to tie the game 6-6 in the eighth. The hosts walked it off with a run in the tenth. Cross reached three times on a hit and two walks and scored twice, while Brandon Drury added two hits. Omaha left ten runners on base, a tally that loomed large in a one-run defeat. The Storm Chasers generated plenty of traffic and timely power but could not push across the deciding run in the extra frame. Player AB R H RBI BB K Josh Rojas 3 1 1 1 1 0 Matthew Lugo 5 2 2 1 0 0 Brett Squires 5 0 1 1 0 1 Abraham Toro 4 0 1 1 0 1 Drew Waters 4 1 1 1 1 1 Brandon Drury 4 0 2 0 1 0 Gavin Cross 4 2 1 0 1 2 Luke Maile 4 0 1 0 0 2 Elih Marrero 1 0 0 0 0 0 Kevin Newman 5 0 1 1 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jose Cuas 2/3 3 2 2 0 1 0 Ben Sears 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 Mitch Spence 6 5 4 4 1 4 3 Génesis Cabrera 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Anthony Gose 1 1 1 0 0 3 0 Naturals Bullpen Squanders Beam's Gem In Extra-Inning Loss Drew Beam was excellent for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, working 7 1/3 innings and allowing one run on two hits with one walk and five strikeouts. The Naturals broke a scoreless game in the seventh. Omar Hernandez reached on a sacrifice bunt and a throwing error that let Jack Pineda score, then Justin Johnson doubled home Hernandez, and Colton Becker doubled home Johnson for a 3-0 lead. Canyon Brown added a two-run double in the eighth, scoring Pineda and Hernandez to push the lead to 5-1. The bullpen could not hold it, however. Zachary Cawyer allowed two runs over two innings, and after a scoreless frame from Caden Monke, Dennis Colleran Jr. surrendered four runs while recording just one out in the eleventh. The Tulsa visitors plated four in the ninth and two in the eleventh to win 7-5. Brown finished 2-for-5 with two RBIs, Carson Roccaforte reached three times on a hit and two walks, and Pineda walked three times and scored twice. The Naturals stranded 12 runners on the night, repeatedly failing to add insurance. Beam's outing was the clear highlight, as he carried a no-hit bid deep before the offense and bullpen could not deliver the finish his start deserved. Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Roccaforte 4 0 1 0 2 0 Colton Becker 5 0 1 1 0 1 Sam Kulasingam 5 0 0 0 1 4 Spencer Nivens 5 0 1 0 0 2 Daniel Vazquez 4 0 1 0 0 1 Jack Pineda 2 2 1 0 3 0 Omar Hernandez 4 2 1 0 0 0 Canyon Brown 5 0 2 2 0 1 Justin Johnson 5 1 1 1 0 3 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Drew Beam 7 1/3 2 1 1 1 5 1 Zachary Cawyer 2 1 2 1 2 5 1 Caden Monke 2/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 Dennis Colleran Jr. 1/3 3 4 4 1 0 2 Brandon Johnson 2/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 River Bandits Buried By Big Fourth In Lopsided Loss The Quad Cities River Bandits managed only one run in a 14-1 loss to the Wisconsin hosts. Wolters got the start and absorbed the most damage, working 4 2/3 innings and allowing six runs on five hits with three walks and six strikeouts. The visitors broke through against him with a four-run fourth, capped by a run-scoring single, an RBI double, a run-scoring fielder's choice, and a sacrifice fly that built a 4-0 lead. Nick Conte followed and gave up two more across the fifth and sixth, including a two-run double in the sixth. Cory Ronan then surrendered home runs in the seventh and eighth, and Angel Acosta allowed a solo shot in the ninth as the hosts steadily pulled away. Quad Cities avoided the shutout in the sixth, when Tyriq Kemp lifted a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Ramon Ramirez. That was the lone bright spot on the scoreboard for the River Bandits, who otherwise found little traction against Wisconsin pitching. Nolan Sailors paced the offense with a 3-for-4 night that included a triple, and Ramirez added a hit and scored the team's only run. Quad Cities drew eight walks but stranded 11 runners, repeatedly failing to convert chances into runs. Blake Mitchell walked once but struck out three times, and Diego Guzman also struck out three times. Wolters generated swings and misses in volume with his six strikeouts, but the damage on the scoreboard piled up around him as the visitors continued to add on through the late innings. Player AB R H RBI BB K Nolan Sailors 4 0 3 0 1 0 Blake Mitchell 4 0 0 0 1 3 Ramon Ramirez 4 1 1 0 0 1 Chris Brito 1 0 0 0 0 1 Luke Pelzer 3 0 1 0 1 1 Derlin Figueroa 3 0 0 0 1 1 Tyriq Kemp 3 0 0 1 0 0 Erick Torres 4 0 0 0 0 2 Connor Rasmussen 2 0 1 0 2 0 Diego Guzman 4 0 0 0 0 3 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Blake Wolters 4 2/3 5 6 6 3 6 0 Nick Conte 1 1/3 3 2 2 2 3 0 Cory Ronan 2 5 5 4 1 0 2 Angel Acosta 1 3 1 1 0 0 1 Hammond's Three Hits Wasted In Fireflies Shutout Loss The Columbia Fireflies were blanked 6-0 by the Hickory hosts despite a strong individual day from Josh Hammond, who went 3-for-4. Van Dam handled the bulk of the pitching, working 5 2/3 innings and allowing six runs, five earned, on 11 hits with three walks and no strikeouts. The hosts opened the scoring with a single run in the third and then broke the game open with five runs in the sixth, the decisive frame that put the game out of reach. Columbia's offense generated little, managing six hits and drawing no extra-base hits on the night. Hammond's three singles accounted for half of the team's hit total. Yandel Ricardo reached three times on a hit and two walks from the leadoff spot, and Sean Gamble added a hit and a walk. The rest of the lineup combined to strike out repeatedly, with Stone Russell and Gabriel Silva each striking out three times. Yeri Perez and Henson Leal combined for 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief, with Leal allowing one hit and recording a strikeout. The Fireflies stranded four runners and could not string together enough offense to capitalize on the few opportunities they created. Van Dam absorbed heavy contact throughout his start as Columbia fell on the road. Player AB R H RBI BB K Yandel Ricardo 4 0 1 0 0 2 Josh Hammond 4 0 3 0 0 0 Stone Russell 4 0 0 0 0 3 JC Vanek 4 0 1 0 0 1 Sean Gamble 2 0 1 0 1 1 Roni Cabrera 3 0 0 0 0 0 Jhosmmel Zue 3 0 0 0 0 2 Angel Ramirez 3 0 0 0 0 0 Gabriel Silva 3 0 0 0 0 3 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Shane Van Dam 5 2/3 11 6 5 3 0 0 Yeri Perez 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 Henson Leal 1 1/3 1 0 0 0 1 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Kendry Chourio: DNP David Shields: DNP Sean Gamble: 1-for-2, BB, K Blake Mitchell: 0-for-4, BB, 3 K Josh Hammond: 3-for-4 Ramon Ramirez: 1-for-4, R, K Drew Beam: 7 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HR Asbel Gonzalez: DNP Ben Kudrna: DNP Carson Roccaforte: 1-for-4, 2 BB Yandel Ricardo: 1-for-4, 2 BB Felix Arronde: DNP Blake Wolters: 4 2/3 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 6 K Michael Lombardi: DNP Luinder Avila: DNP Steven Zobac: DNP Frank Mozzicato: DNP Daniel Vazquez: 1-for-4, K Warren Colcano: DNP Shane Panzini: DNP View the full article

Moisés Ballesteros' second-half audition in 2025 was so impressive that the Chicago Cubs felt comfortable handing him the reigns to the designated hitter spot full-time in 2026. Through 66 plate appearances, he posted a .298/.394/.474 line with proportionally-appropriate 18.2 percent strikeout and 13.6 percent walk rates and a 143 wRC+. The power remained fairly modest (.175 ISO), but he showcased enough of his steadiness that the role was his ahead of this season. Unfortunately, that small sample has not translated into increased success for Ballesteros. He's gotten his opportunity and even the occasional assignment behind the plate, but the iteration of "Mo Baller" the team is seeing over a much more expanded sample in 2026 is a far cry from last year's version. Prior to his gut-punch of a demotion, Ballesteros accrued 175 plate appearances to his name. His line reads a disappointing .231/.303/.385, with a 20.6 percent strikeout rate and a 9.7 percent walk rate. The power that did manifest last season has basically evaporated so far this year, with an ISO of just .154. There's a bit of bad luck baked in there, with a .259 batting average on balls in play, but it otherwise adds up to a hitter that has been below average as illustrated by his 93 wRC+. Much of the reason for this has come as a result of Ballesteros' inability to adjust to how opposing pitchers are working him. Part of what made Ballesteros such an appealing hitter for this group was his contact-oriented profile, supplemented by his ability to make adjustments. He's a mature hitter with fluid mechanics capable of handling various parts of the zone with good efficiency. That combination of factors is what had many believing he could stave off regression after a hot start to the season. Yet the regression monster has, nevertheless, come for Ballesteros due to declining battled ball luck working in conjunction with a deliberate approach on the part of opposing pitchers. The waning luck in his batted-ball fortunes is a little bit less in his control, of course. Ballesteros went for a .345 BABIP in April before it plummeted to just .122 in May. It's rose back up to .300 in June, but that leads us into the second issue with Ballesteros' performance at the plate: Ballesteros' bat path is leading to him both leaning a bit on the late side and consistently under fastballs. Despite above-average bat speed (73.3 MPH), he's working with a 9 degree attack angle that lands close to the flatter side. The former can't compensate for the latter. Which is why we're seeing this kind of trend from opposing arms: In kind of an inverse from what the rest of the Cub hitters are getting, Ballesteros is getting a steady diet of fastballs rather than an increase in breaking pitches. His 51.8 percent rate of fastballs seen represents a seven-percent increase from the season's opening month. That's problematic for Ballesteros, given his run value of -3 against four-seam fastballs and a -1 run value against sinkers. That distinction is important, too. Because while the overall fastball rate has jumped as the months have progressed, sinkers have become an especially relied-upon pitch for opposing hurlers. The nature of his flat bat means that the sinker is going to yield the type of groundball contact that it's designed to. That's when you get something like the obscene 65 percent groundball rate we saw from Ballesteros this month. Of course, the breaking pitches still play their role in all of this. Once pitchers get ahead of Ballesteros via the fastball, whether four-seam or sinker, they're able to get him with a pitch type against which he has a 29.6 percent swing-and-miss rate. That's his highest against any of the three primary pitch groups, which also fails to mention that breaking balls generate the lowest rate of hard contact of any pitching against Ballesteros (36.1 percent). This all means that a significant adjustment must be made on the part of Ballesteros for him to begin to reach the levels of success he demonstrated last year. Either he needs to adjust his swing to get out on the fastball quicker, or adjust the plane of the swing so that he can generate more positive contact against the increasing amount of sinkers and the steady amount of breaking pitches. Luckily, it appears that at least one of those adjustments was beginning to manifest just before his trip back to Iowa. Ballesteros had an intercept point just three inches in front of the plate from March to May that has since progressed to 6.5 inches in June. That could help him to combat fastballs, at least early in counts. The mechanical adjustment likely remains the more paramount one, however, considering his rapidly rising groundball rate. Regardless, that the Cubs have let their young bat go this far into the season without mechanical adjustments does look like something of an indictment of this coaching staff. As opposing pitchers adjust to a young hitter, there's a certain onus on the staff to aid in making the proper adjustments. Craig Counsell quipped about not messing with Ballesteros given his natural IQ. Perhaps some time in Triple-A will allow the organization to revisit that approach. View the full article

Connor Prielipp already possessed one of the best sliders in the organization. Now he may have an even better breaking ball. View the full article

Don't let giant offensive outputs overshadow strong mound work for Nashville and Wisconsin. Wilson's consistent ability to walk off its opponents is unreal. Transactions: Nashville Sounds placed RHP Brett Wichrowski on the 7-day injured list. Wisconsin Timber Rattlers activated C Marco Dinges. No word on the nature or severity of Wichrowski's injury. The 23-year-old has made three starts since his promotion from Biloxi. Dinges comes off the suspended list after serving time for his part in a dust-up last week. Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes (unavailable) Final: Nashville 17, Memphis (Cardinals) 3 Box Score and Game Log Via the Sounds, game details, and we encourage readers to always review affiliate write-ups as part of their Link Report routine: Baddoo Ignites Sounds Offense in 14-Run Monstrous Win - Baddoo sets career-high with 7-RBI night; Tyson Hardin earns fourth Triple-A quality start Click here to review a report regarding a serious Akil Baddoo injury in the 8th inning A true shame for Baddoo, as the game summary so clearly details just how productive the 27-year-old veteran has been. It's easy to get caught up in the football score and all the crooked numbers in the box you'll devour, but 24-year-old RHP Tyson Hardin deserves his proper due. We just published our annual Rule 5 projection analysis on Saturday, and you'll note that Hardin is not among the players mentioned. The Brewers don't have to add Hardin to the 40-man roster this calendar year and could preserve that 40-man spot through the offseason. However, if Hardin continues to post (game log here, focus on the seven AAA spots) and the front office believes he can contribute to a playoff push, he'll get the spot early. Amid all the offense, Luis Lara didn't get a chance to pad his numbers, day off. Jett Williams also sat this one out, though that may have been more of a reset. Speaking of the Rule 5, Luke Adams doubled, singled, and walked four times, pushing his OBP to .421, nearly matching his professional career OBP of .423. I've been dismissive of Tyler Black as of late, but he finished a double shy of a cycle, added a walk, and stole his 9th base, yet to be caught stealing in 2026. You saw four videos in the linked game summary above; other clips are available: Black's home run leading off the game Jeferson Quero homered immediately after the Baddoo injury exit Brock Wilken's third hit was an RBI single, and was the lone damage Nashville did vs. a position player Nashville at least has a chance to play big-time spoiler on Sunday. The loss for Memphis places the Redbirds on the brink of elimination heading into the first half finale. The Redbirds must defeat Nashville and Rochester must lose to Toledo for the Redbirds to win the International League first half championship. Go Sounds! Shuckers, Clingstones Postponed Due to Unplayable Field Conditions Resumption of Friday’s game two moved to Sunday as doubleheader, Saturday's regularly scheduled game canceled I kicked off our daily forum thread as follows, alluding to Brock Wilken's unfortunate injured knee during the 2025 clubhouse first-half celebration: If Shuckers Clinch, Nobody Slip in the Clubhouse Celebration, Please The canceled game essentially handed the Shuckers a reduction of one for their magic number, which is now down to one. As for the weather, the Biloxi pre-game media notes indicated; HITTING FOR THE CYCLE (THE WATER CYCLE): Over the last 5 days, the Biloxi/Gulfport/Ocean Springs area has received 14.7” of rain, including 3.7” on Friday night... The average amount for the area for the month of June is 4.2” ... Since May 1, the area has received 29.7” of rain, over 3 times the average rainfall for the two-month span... June 2026, has been the rainiest month on record (15.9”) since June 2017, when the area received 25.8” of rain. So, it's not as though this is a yearly issue, 2026 is a big and annoying outlier in baseball terms. For those in the area truly impacted, it's a serious situation. Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes (download link) Final: Wisconsin 14, Quad Cities (Royals) 1 Box Score and Game Log Via the Timber Rattlers, game details: Wisconsin Blitzes Bandits - Rattlers pound sixteen hits in 14-1 win over Quad Cities The T-Rats now have a 26-3 positive run differential two games into the second half standings. Hope you enjoyed the six videos included in the linked game summary. The only video from the team's Saturday 'X' feed not included there was this one, and I'm a sucker for that river view in Davenport, Iowa: Even with all that video, you can watch even more with these four RBI plays off the bats of Andrick Nava, Luiyin Alastre, Josiah Ragsdale and Luis Castillo. All that offense, and Braylon Payne had the night off. It is remarkable the parallels this game had to Nashville's own rout. Please gorge yourself on a breakfast feast of crooked numbers in the Wisconsin box. But like Tyson Hardin at AAA, we have to shine a spotlight on 20-year-old RHP Jayden Dubanewicz, another late-round heist from the 2024 draft (16th round out of a Florida high school). In his two Wisconsin starts since a deserved promotion from Wilson, Dubanewicz has walked none while striking out eleven. Look for the youngster to make the cut the next time our user community votes on the BrewerFanatic Top 20 Prospects Wilson Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Wilson 6, Charleston (Rays) 5 Box Score and Game Log Wilson Capitalizes on Mistakes, Walks Off Charleston - Healy Shuts Down RiverDogs for Win That's as detailed a game summary from Wilson as we've seen, please review and save me a bit of typing recapping a busy night on the farm. There are no direct social media video posts to link to, but MiLB provides: Well, we have to go to the final play, as the Walkoff Warbirds are just insane. Old friend Tom Haudricourt would say this is eleventy-ninth walkoff of the Wilson season. It's close to that figure! From earlier: Handelfry Encarnacion ropes an RBI double Luis Lameda sacrifice fly Filippo Di Turi RBI fielder's choice Kevin Garcia's pop-up sacrifice fly to tie the game Catcher Yannic Walther sat this one out, but you can hear him discuss his German upbringing within our dedicated Warbirds thread. Brady Ebel had a sacrifice fly and walked three times, our Spencer Michaelis' latest feature profile: It wasn't teenage RH starter Carlos Carra's best outing, but it was solid enough. 2025 9th round RHP Andrew Healy out of Duke is starting to stack effective outings. Final: ACL Brewers 4, ACL White Sox 1, seven innings as scheduled Box Score and Game Log We didn't get Statcast data in Glendale for this one, so we can't tell you how hard RF Alexander Frias' two singles were hit, though they were listed as a fly ball to center and a ground ball to center. This was the first scoreless appearance of 19-year-old Bryan Regalado's career. He was a surprise stateside bump after only appearing in two DSL games in 2025. Regalado walked three and hit a batter here but didn't allow a hit and fanned four over his four innings of work. Very effective in a different way was 18-year-old Diustin Mayorquin, who did not walk a batter and limited the damage to one run while scattering six hits. Mayorquin gave up a home run in the final frame before closing things out. Final: DSL Brewers Blue 7, DSL Brewers Gold 4, seven innings as scheduled Box Score and Game Log Blue improves to 10-4, Gold falls to 4-11. Game was scoreless through four innings as Gold RHP Raymond Sarmiento tossed four frames of hitless ball (two walks). Fellow 18-year-old Blue RHP Alejandro Bustamante walked four in three innings but likewise kept his camp complex mates off the board. All heck broke out in the 5th when 17-year-old 6'3" RHP Adrian Bello entered to make his 3rd pro appearance for Gold. Bello retired only one of the eight batters he faced as Blue took a 7-0 lead. (3.46 makes for a decent ERA, but not a WHIP, and Bello's figure represents the latter.) Not only did Gold batters earn 11 walks in the loss, but they were spread among all nine men in the lineup, that's a rarity. So, it's not as though Blue pitching coaches were pleased despite the win. Talk about a vulture, Gold 17-year-old RHP Jesus Vasquez has earned the win in each of his first three professional appearances despite his own 9.53 ERA and 2.82 WHIP. Five errors combined (four by Gold), so as the coaches seek cleaner efforts, this one fell short in that regard. Summer is officially here, everyone, enjoy the five scheduled games on tap, including a hopeful two completed contests in Biloxi wrapped around a first-half title. 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

Don't let giant offensive outputs overshadow strong mound work for Nashville and Wisconsin. Wilson's consistent ability to walk off its opponents is unreal. Transactions: Nashville Sounds placed RHP Brett Wichrowski on the 7-day injured list. Wisconsin Timber Rattlers activated C Marco Dinges. No word on the nature or severity of Wichrowski's injury. The 23-year-old has made three starts since his promotion from Biloxi. Dinges comes off the suspended list after serving time for his part in a dust-up last week. Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes (unavailable) Final: Nashville 17, Memphis (Cardinals) 3 Box Score and Game Log Via the Sounds, game details, and we encourage readers to always review affiliate write-ups as part of their Link Report routine: Baddoo Ignites Sounds Offense in 14-Run Monstrous Win - Baddoo sets career-high with 7-RBI night; Tyson Hardin earns fourth Triple-A quality start Click here to review a report regarding a serious Akil Baddoo injury in the 8th inning A true shame for Baddoo, as the game summary so clearly details just how productive the 27-year-old veteran has been. It's easy to get caught up in the football score and all the crooked numbers in the box you'll devour, but 24-year-old RHP Tyson Hardin deserves his proper due. We just published our annual Rule 5 projection analysis on Saturday, and you'll note that Hardin is not among the players mentioned. The Brewers don't have to add Hardin to the 40-man roster this calendar year and could preserve that 40-man spot through the offseason. However, if Hardin continues to post quality starts (game log here, focus on the seven AAA spots) and the front office believes he can contribute to a playoff push, he'll get the spot early. Amid all the offense, Luis Lara didn't get a chance to pad his numbers, day off. Jett Williams also sat this one out, though that may have been more of a reset. Speaking of the Rule 5, Luke Adams doubled, singled, and walked four times, pushing his OBP to .421, nearly matching his professional career OBP of .423. I've been dismissive of Tyler Black as of late, but he finished a double shy of a cycle, added a walk, and stole his 9th base, yet to be caught stealing in 2026. You saw four videos in the linked game summary above; other clips are available: Black's home run leading off the game Jeferson Quero homered immediately after the Baddoo injury exit Brock Wilken's third hit was an RBI single, and was the lone damage Nashville did vs. a position player Nashville at least has a chance to play big-time spoiler on Sunday. The loss for Memphis places the Redbirds on the brink of elimination heading into the first half finale. The Redbirds must defeat Nashville and Rochester must lose to Toledo for the Redbirds to win the International League first half championship. Go Sounds! Shuckers, Clingstones Postponed Due to Unplayable Field Conditions Resumption of Friday’s game two moved to Sunday as doubleheader, Saturday's regularly scheduled game canceled I kicked off our daily forum thread as follows, alluding to Brock Wilken's unfortunate injured knee during the 2025 clubhouse first-half celebration: If Shuckers Clinch, Nobody Slip in the Clubhouse Celebration, Please The canceled game essentially handed the Shuckers a reduction of one for their magic number, which is now down to one. As for the weather, the Biloxi pre-game media notes indicated; HITTING FOR THE CYCLE (THE WATER CYCLE): Over the last 5 days, the Biloxi/Gulfport/Ocean Springs area has received 14.7” of rain, including 3.7” on Friday night... The average amount for the area for the month of June is 4.2” ... Since May 1, the area has received 29.7” of rain, over 3 times the average rainfall for the two-month span... June 2026, has been the rainiest month on record (15.9”) since June 2017, when the area received 25.8” of rain. So, it's not as though this is a yearly issue, 2026 is a big and annoying outlier in baseball terms. For those in the area truly impacted, it's a serious situation. Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes (download link) Final: Wisconsin 14, Quad Cities (Royals) 1 Box Score and Game Log Via the Timber Rattlers, game details: Wisconsin Blitzes Bandits - Rattlers pound sixteen hits in 14-1 win over Quad Cities The T-Rats now have a 26-3 positive run differential two games into the second half standings. Hope you enjoyed the six videos included in the linked game summary. The only video from the team's Saturday 'X' feed not included there was this one, and I'm a sucker for that river view in Davenport, Iowa: Even with all that video, you can watch even more with these four RBI plays off the bats of Andrick Nava, Luiyin Alastre, Josiah Ragsdale and Luis Castillo. All that offense, and Braylon Payne had the night off. It is remarkable the parallels this game had to Nashville's own rout. Please gorge yourself on a breakfast feast of crooked numbers in the Wisconsin box. But like Tyson Hardin at AAA, we have to shine a spotlight on 20-year-old RHP Jayden Dubanewicz, another late-round heist, this one from the 2024 draft (16th round out of a Florida high school). In his two Wisconsin starts since a deserved promotion from Wilson, Dubanewicz has walked none while striking out eleven. Look for the youngster to make the cut the next time our user community votes on the BrewerFanatic Top 20 Prospects Wilson Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Wilson 6, Charleston (Rays) 5 Box Score and Game Log Wilson Capitalizes on Mistakes, Walks Off Charleston - Healy Shuts Down RiverDogs for Win That's as detailed a game summary from Wilson as we've seen recently, please review and save me a bit of typing recapping a busy night on the farm. There are no direct social media video posts to link to, but MiLB provides: Well, we have to go to the final play first, as the Walkoff Warbirds are just insane. Old friend Tom Haudricourt would say this is the eleventy-ninth walkoff of the Wilson season. It's close to that figure! From earlier in the game: Handelfry Encarnacion ropes an RBI double Luis Lameda sacrifice fly Filippo Di Turi RBI fielder's choice Kevin Garcia's pop-up sacrifice fly to tie the game Catcher Yannic Walther sat this one out, but you can hear him discuss his German upbringing within our dedicated Warbirds thread. Brady Ebel had a sacrifice fly and walked three times, our Spencer Michaelis' latest feature profile: It wasn't teenage RH starter Carlos Carra's best outing, but it was solid enough. 2025 9th round RHP Andrew Healy out of Duke is starting to stack effective outings. Final: ACL Brewers 4, ACL White Sox 1, seven innings as scheduled Box Score and Game Log We didn't get Statcast data in Glendale for this one, so we can't tell you how hard RF Alexander Frias' two singles were hit, though they were listed as a fly ball to center and a ground ball to center. This was the first scoreless appearance of 19-year-old Bryan Regalado's career. He was a surprise stateside bump after only appearing in two DSL games in 2025. Regalado walked three and hit a batter here but didn't allow a hit and fanned four over his four innings of work. Very effective in a different way was 18-year-old Diustin Mayorquin, who did not walk a batter and limited the damage to one run while scattering six hits. Mayorquin gave up a home run in the final frame before closing things out. Final: DSL Brewers Blue 7, DSL Brewers Gold 4, seven innings as scheduled Box Score and Game Log Blue improves to 10-4, Gold falls to 4-11. Game was scoreless through four innings as Gold RHP Raymond Sarmiento tossed four frames of hitless ball (two walks). Fellow 18-year-old Blue RHP Alejandro Bustamante walked four in three innings but likewise kept his camp complex mates off the board. All heck broke out in the 5th when 17-year-old 6'3" RHP Adrian Bello entered to make his 3rd pro appearance for Gold. Bello retired only one of the eight batters he faced as Blue took a 7-0 lead. (3.46 makes for a decent ERA, but not a WHIP, and Bello's figure represents the latter.) Not only did Gold batters earn 11 walks in the loss, but they were spread among all nine men in the lineup, that's a rarity. So, it's not as though Blue pitching coaches were pleased despite the win. Talk about a vulture, Blue 17-year-old RHP Jesus Vasquez has earned the win in each of his first three professional appearances despite his own 9.53 ERA and 2.82 WHIP. Five errors combined (four by Gold), so as the coaches seek cleaner efforts, this one fell short in that regard. Summer is officially here, everyone, enjoy the five scheduled games on tap, including a hopeful two completed contests in Biloxi wrapped around a first-half title. 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

New York Mets prospect Mitch Voit is showing some promise in High-A Brooklyn with the Cyclones. While it’s been a rough start to the season for the big-league ball club, their young nucleus could be a sign of brighter days ahead. Today, we’ll dive into what separates Voit from most prospects and when to expect his big league debut. Mitch Voit's Updated Mets Scouting Report Voit is a 6-foot, 201 lb middle infielder and the eighth-ranked prospect in the Mets pipeline, per GrandCentralMets.com. He was the team’s first-round draft pick last summer, going 38th overall after playing three years for the Michigan Wolverines in the Big Ten. The speedy right-handed hitter was a two-way talent his first two years of college, chalking up a similar profile to recent Mets prospect graduates Nolan McLean and Carson Benge. However, Voit had internal brace surgery in the summer of 2024 and decided to go the same route as Benge by specializing as a hitter. Channeling that focus on just one side of the game helped Voit’s hitting, as he logged a .346 batting average and .668 slugging percentage with 14 home runs in 56 games with Michigan. After his selection in last year’s draft, Voit wasted no time to get professional reps, as he played 22 contests for the Single-A St. Lucie Mets to cut his teeth. Voit's 60-Grade Run Tool The first aspect of Voit’s game that jumps off of the page is his speed. The 60-grade run tool was on full display last year, as he stole 20 bases in 22 contests and has 43 swipes in 74 total minor-league contests so far. After getting caught just once in the Florida State League last year, it’s clear that Voit has a combination of raw speed and the ability to read a pitcher’s cadence to perfection. While the 21-year-old has been getting most of his work in at second base heading into this year, the speed could come in handy at the shortstop position when it comes to chasing down a ball deep in the hole. Another one of Voit’s strengths is that he’s just a pure athlete. While he may not pitch anymore, he contorted his body and prepared like a pitcher for so long, he’s become more athletic and is used to tweaking his motion. If he needs to fix something in his batting stance, swing path or something else with his fundamentals needs to change, this is someone who has been toying with his game twofold until very recently. Pristine Discipline The discipline also jumps off of the page for Voit. It’s one thing to be naturally athletic or to build up strengths within a skillset, but Voit is drawing walks at a near-10% clip this season. He’s standing at 49 punchouts to 22 walks in his first 237 plate appearances this year, giving him another path to get his chaos-creating speed on the basepaths. If this plate discipline trend stands as he elevates up the Mets’ minor-league system, his floor will rise as a result. Outlook with Mets Voit may only be in High-A, but it’s fair to ask when he’ll ultimately debut in the major leagues. The 21-year-old is projected, per MLB pipeline, to get into the big leagues in 2028. I’d say he’s in line for a late 2027, early 2028 arrival if the power develops. The plate discipline and speed are there; now it’s just about generating some more hard contact to round out what’s already a very impressive skillset. View the full article

The Brewers have a history of drafting infielders with good gloves, strong baseball IQ to set a high floor, and offensive traits that need patience and development, but if they come together, they can provide a high ceiling. Brice Turang has evolved into one of the best examples of that model, turning elite defensive ability, speed, and contact skills into major league value early on, and then growing into impactful power at the plate, which has elevated him into a different tier. More recently, Cooper Pratt made his big league debut and is already showing similar traits. Brady Ebel may be the latest player attempting to follow a similar path. In fact, the parallels to Turang go pretty deep. They went to different high schools, but both are from the same city (Corona, CA), both are left-handed-hitting shortstops, and both were drafted, and signed, away from LSU commitments out of high school. While Ebel has not received quite the same level of attention or prospect status as Turang and Pratt did at similar stages, there are enough similarities in their profiles to make the comparison worth looking at. He brings a solid defensive floor, a high baseball IQ (Ebel grew up around MLB players, with his father being a coach for the Angels and now the third-base coach for the Dodgers since 2019), and budding offensive ability. Unlike the two before him, there's less certainty that he will stick at an up-the-middle defensive position, though if he winds up at third base, he will likely be above-average or better at the spot. Looking first at a surface level, Ebel has 287 plate appearances this season. How does his production compare to Turang and Pratt through the same sample size in Low-A? Player Season Age PA H 2B 3B HR K% BB% AVG OBP SLG OPS wRC+ SB CS Brice Turang 2019 18.5 288 71 9 3 1 15.60% 14.90% .295 .399 .369 .769 129 15 4 Cooper Pratt 2024 19.7 288 72 10 3 3 19.10% 12.50% .298 .394 .401 .795 133 23 2 Brady Ebel 2026 18.9 287 53 11 2 4 22.60% 18.50% .236 .394 .356 .749 111 21 2 Ebel has gotten off to a slower start than his predecessors, especially when normalized for the offensive environment (wRC+). However, Ebel got off to an especially slow start to the season. He posted a 68 wRC+ through the end of April but has taken off since then. What if we compare the same numbers from Pratt and Turang with the numbers Ebel's been putting up since the start of May? Player Season Age PA H 2B 3B HR K% BB% AVG OBP SLG OPS wRC+ SB CS Brice Turang 2019 18.5 288 71 9 3 1 15.60% 14.90% .295 .399 .369 .769 129 15 4 Cooper Pratt 2024 19.7 288 72 10 3 3 19.10% 12.50% .298 .394 .401 .795 133 23 2 Brady Ebel (since 5/1) 2026 18.9 187 40 9 1 4 23.50% 18.70% .272 .422 .429 .851 134 16 2 He compares much more favorably when you take the April results out of the equation. It should be noted that Ebel is doing it a little differently from those two. Since May 1st, Ebel has a .157 ISO, compared to the .074 Turang was posting in Low-A and the .103 Pratt was showing. He's also walking at a higher clip than those two were, while they were striking out less and had a higher batting average. Turang's power gains came in MLB, and the hope is that Pratt will be able to do the same. Ebel, meanwhile, already seems to be adding legitimate power compared to what he showed in high school. One adjustment he's made has been to the finish of his swing. Ebel looks to be extending through his swing more consistently now, and also finishing higher, which can be a cue that helps the bat path have more loft to it for some hitters. Video from his debut in 2025, compared to a swing from 2026, shows the difference pretty clearly. eycme4.mp4 The other thing that stands out in the comparison video above is that he seems to have already added some good weight to his frame. Brice Turang is listed at 190 pounds now, but he was only 170 pounds when he debuted in MLB, and even that seemed generous. Ebel is already listed at 195 pounds, and that was his weight at draft time. Looking at the difference in his lower half from last season to this season, he is likely over 200 pounds already. Another way to illustrate the power Ebel shows compared to the other two is in his exit-velocity data. According to Baseball America, thus far Ebel has a "102 mph 90th percentile exit velocity along with a league-average hard-hit rate, barrel rate, and air-pull percentage." Pratt's 2025 90th percentile exit velocity in Double-A was 100.7 MPH, and Turang's was 100.8 in MLB, as recently as 2024. While they were facing tougher competition, they were also multiple years older than Ebel at that time. As mentioned earlier, Turang and Pratt had lower strikeout rates than Ebel does at the same level. However, his swing decisions and contact skills are still well above average. There's a strong argument that Ebel is actually further ahead of those two offensively at the same stages of their career. If you look only at the power part of the equation, there's not much of an argument for the other two. Defense is where it's a bit of a different story. Ebel is no slouch with the glove. He's grading out well at shortstop this season, and in a lot of organizations, he'd likely have a chance to stick at the position in the long term. In fact, he likely will remain there as he continues to climb the ladder. To continue the comparison with the other two, Ebel has a .970 fielding percentage this season, while Turang had a .949 fielding percentage at shortstop in Low-A, and Pratt was at .973. Fielding percentage is a bit of a misleading stat, however, and the other two showed better range and more fluid actions, which are extremely important traits for middle infielders and tend to translate into better defensive metrics at the big-league level. Ebel has a cannon of an arm, garnering a 70 on the scouting scale from Baseball America, which would play extremely well at third base if that is where he eventually winds up. That arm helped make up for a couple of bobbles in the Spring Breakout game earlier this year. Jesse Borek of MLB Pipeline wrote that, "All three assists came with a throw that exceeded 88 mph, including the final out of the frame, which clocked in at 91.8 mph." ivqlte.mp4 Pratt is probably the best comparison for Ebel when it comes to running the bases. It's more about instincts and IQ than pure speed for both of them. They have both shown an ability to steal bases at a very efficient clip, and both show a good ability to read balls off the bat, go first to third on singles, and take advantage of defensive mistakes or laziness. Turang is a good baserunner, but he relies a bit more on his pure speed than on the intangibles that Pratt and Ebel have. Ebel seems to be paving a slightly different path than Turang and Pratt, or perhaps he's just ahead of schedule in the power development portion of the blueprint. Either way, there are still two recent, shining examples of high school infielders for him to look to when envisioning his path to an MLB debut in the future. Given his background, his advanced profile, and his early power gains, Ebel has the looks of a player who could rise through the system pretty quickly, much like Cooper Pratt did. What are your thoughts on Ebel? Do you think he's the next in line? View the full article

The easiest way to describe Bobby Witt Jr.’s defense is to call him the best defensive shortstop in baseball. The more accurate way is to say he has become the centerpiece of something much bigger. Over the past several years, the Royals have searched for different ways to build a sustainable contender around Witt. Some of those answers have come on the mound. Others have involved improving an offense that has struggled at times to score consistently. Yet one of the organization’s most significant accomplishments has largely flown under the radar: building a defensive core capable of preventing runs at an elite level. That story begins with Witt, but it does not end with him. Since the start of the 2024 season, no player in Major League Baseball has accumulated more Outs Above Average than Kansas City’s shortstop. His +58 OAA leads all defenders, regardless of position. Player Position OAA Since 2024 Bobby Witt Jr. SS 58 Pete Crow-Armstrong CF 52 Jacob Young CF 44 Andrés Giménez 2B 39 Mauricio Dubón 2B 37 The numbers are impressive on their own, but they only tell part of the story. Great defenses rarely depend on a single player. An exceptional defender can steal a few hits. A complete defensive structure can change the way an entire pitching staff operates. That is exactly what Kansas City has built. More Than One Elite Defender The Royals are one of the few organizations that can claim elite defenders at multiple premium positions at the same time. Since 2024, Witt ranks first among all shortstops. Kyle Isbel has established himself as one of the sport’s top defensive center fielders. Maikel Garcia has emerged as one of the most valuable defensive third basemen in the majors. Michael Massey, meanwhile, has become one of the American League’s steadiest second basemen. Together, they form the backbone of nearly everything Kansas City does defensively. Player Position OAA Since 2024 Positional Rank Bobby Witt Jr. SS 58 1st Kyle Isbel CF 25 T-4th Maikel Garcia 3B 23 2nd Michael Massey 2B 12 T-7th Combined, the group has accumulated +118 Outs Above Average. That total becomes even more impressive when you consider what it represents. It is not simply a measure of speed or athleticism. It reflects range, anticipation, positioning, reads off the bat, and consistency across thousands of defensive opportunities. What makes the group fascinating is that each player arrives at that value in a different way. Witt stands out because of the amount of ground he covers. His first step is exceptional, allowing him to reach balls that are simply out of range for most shortstops. Many of the plays that look routine on a highlight reel are only possible because Witt got to a ball that another defender never would have touched. Isbel brings something different. Center field demands speed, instincts, and the ability to process information quickly. Those are precisely the traits that make Isbel valuable. His routes are efficient, his reactions are quick, and his ability to convert difficult opportunities into outs has placed him among the game’s most effective defenders. Perhaps the most interesting case, however, is Garcia. When people think of elite third-base defense, they often picture diving stops down the line or spectacular throws across the diamond. Garcia is capable of both, but his greatest value shows up elsewhere. Since 2024, he has accumulated +24 Outs Above Average on balls hit in front of him, an extraordinary number even among the position’s elite defenders. His ability to attack slow rollers, anticipate choppers, and charge aggressively has become a genuine competitive advantage. Garcia does not wait for the play to come to him. He attacks it before it has a chance to become a problem. Then there is Massey. Unlike his teammates, he rarely generates headlines. His value comes from stability. Second base demands constant versatility: moving in both directions, turning double plays under pressure, providing support on defensive rotations, and serving as the bridge between shortstop and the corners. Massey has developed a rare ability to do all of those things consistently. He may not make the most spectacular play on the field. What he does is prevent routine plays from becoming problems. A Defense Built to Win Games The Royals have not assembled four standout defenders operating independently. They have built talent across some of the most important positions on the field. Witt anchors the defense at shortstop, Garcia has become one of the game’s premier defensive third basemen, and Massey provides stability at second base. Isbel ranks among the most valuable defensive center fielders in the majors. And the story does not end there. Kansas City has also ranked among MLB’s leaders in outfield assists, with Jac Caglianone and Lane Thomas adding another dimension to a defense that not only reaches difficult balls but also prevents extra bases. That combination has helped the Royals establish a clear identity. While much of modern baseball searches for advantages through offensive firepower, Kansas City has turned run prevention into one of its defining strengths. There are still questions that will shape the franchise’s future. The defense, however, is not one of them. When a team features the best defensive shortstop in baseball and elite talent throughout the rest of its defensive spine, it possesses a foundation few organizations can match. View the full article

Since Opening Day, the Twins’ shortstop position has been in flux. The club has already had four players play shortstop more than 10 times this season: Brooks Lee, Tristan Gray, Ryan Kreidler, and Orlando Arcia. Lee was the team’s Opening Day shortstop, but he played his way off the position and has not appeared there for over a month. Gray, Kreidler, and Arcia have been fighting for time there since, though Arcia has been designated for assignment and returned to St. Paul, effectively creating a timeshare between Gray and Kreidler at the position. The two inexperienced, though not young, form a natural platoon—Gray is a lefty and Kreidler is a righty—and the Twins have held firm to that setup. They have played Gray at shortstop in every game a righty started since May 23, a game he missed on paternity leave. I’m not one to call for sweeping changes, but is it time to end this type of usage? Gray is not playing like an everyday shortstop. Kreidler probably isn’t an everyday shortstop either, but he can at least defend like one. In May, Lee was moved off the position he had held since last July (when Carlos Correa was traded) due to his defense. And rightly so—Lee was, by some metrics, the worst defensive shortstop in baseball. Even if you don’t trust defensive metrics, which is justifiable, watching him told you that, at a minimum, he was not a good defender. At the time of his move off of shortstop, by defensive runs saved (DRS), he was a league-worst -7. His outs above average (OAA) and fielding run value (FRV) told a similar story, -6 and -5, respectively. The average is 0 on these metrics. In 44 games, he’d only committed two errors, but there were head-scratching plays galore, and many balls he simply could not get to because of his range. Gray has played 24 games at shortstop this season (184 innings), and wouldn’t you know, after Friday night’s game, he’s accumulated -8 DRS, -6 OAA, and -6 FRV. Those figures are as bad or worse than Lee’s, but they’re counting stats. He would be on pace to have accumulated -17 DRS, -13 OAA, and -13 FRV by the time he reached Lee’s 390 total innings (that’s not exactly how it works, but you get the point). If you’re an errors person, he’s already racked up six this season, committing one for every four games he plays at shortstop. Part of the reason Lee was moved to third base was that he isn’t a long-term shortstop, so it was sensible to move him to a place that better suited his skillset. Another part of that move was to help improve the team’s defense today. And they replaced Lee with an even worse defender at shortstop. Kreidler is clearly the superior defender out of the group of four Twins shortstops. He’s made a couple of mistakes defensively this season, including miscommunicating on a pop-up that resulted in Luke Keaschall knocking the ball from his glove, but he remains an at minimum average defender. He’s had only 61 innings at the position this season, but he has been an average defender by DRS and has accumulated 1 OAA and 1 FRV. He came to the Twins with a reputation for excellent play in the field, and compared to Lee and Gray, it’s a night-and-day difference. The issue with Kreidler is his hitting, though. Or, at least, that was the issue with his reputation. Kreidler has not played terribly often this season. He’s only accumulated 80 plate appearances. But he’s hit well enough in that time, slashing .243/.338/.486 (.823), about 20% better than league average. A lot of that is buoyed by his four home runs and 10 walks, and his .383 OPS (yes, OPS, not OBP) casts a cloud over anyone who wants to believe that he’s a competent hitter. But he’s hit enough to at least give him a look at more regular playing time. Kreidler has been slightly better against lefties than righties this season (.821 vs. .809 OPS), though his performance against righties is a bit inflated because three of his four home runs have come against same-handed pitchers (he has a .256 OBP but a .553 SLG against right-handed pitchers). In reality, he’s probably meaningfully better against lefties than righties, which isn’t great for an everyday shortstop candidate whose performance against southpaws also probably isn’t sustainable. However, it’s not as if Gray has lit the world on fire in his platoon-aided appearances. Gray has 126 plate appearances against righties this season, and he’s slashed .252/.294/.365 against them. He had a hot start to the year and was one of the early-season fun stories, slashing .269/.316/.462 (.777) overall through the end of April with three home runs and 13 RBI in 58 plate appearances. Since then, though, he’s cooled off considerably, slashing .222/.261/.296 (.558) overall, and his performance against righties has been just higher, his .608 OPS about 35% below league average. Twins fans (and managers, and front office members) should be under no impression that either Gray or Kreidler is a good hitter, or even an average hitter over a full season. But if neither of them is going to be good, why not play the only player on the team who wouldn’t be in competition for the worst defensive shortstop in baseball? Shortstop is an incredibly important defensive position, and the Twins have largely played poor defenders there. At some point, you have to give the guy who can field the position a shot. Of course, hopefully at some point within the next month, Twins Daily’s #2 prospect, Kaelen Culpepper, will be in that spot. But for now, I feel like I speak for a lot of people when I say that I’m growing weary of watching what’s going on at shortstop. Gray could have a role as a utility infielder, giving the Twins’ bevy of right-handed infielders a day off against same-sided pitching, but we’ve probably seen enough from him as the primary shortstop. Please, just play the sure glove. View the full article

During the Atlanta Braves’ run of success in the late 1990s and early 2000s, lefty reliever John Rocker was an important but controversial figure. On this day 25 years ago, however, Derrek Lee and the Florida Marlins helped send him packing. In the final game of a four-game set, Lee’s two-run home run in the ninth would end Rocker’s tenure with the Braves. It also gave the Marlins a thrilling 3-2 victory and the series win. After taking two of the first three games from Atlanta, the Marlins were down to their last out at Turner Field on June 21, 2001. With the Braves leading 2-1 after eight innings, Rocker was given the ball to open the inning. The Atlanta lefty had retired Preston Wilson and Charles Johnson but a one-out walk to Kevin Millar put the tying run on base. With two outs and Millar at first, Lee was called upon to pinch hit. Lee was able to get ahead in the count against Rocker before turning on his 2-1 pitch. Lee’s shot cleared the wall in left-centerfield for the go-ahead two-run blast. Chipper Jones singled off Florida closer Antonio Alfonseca to lead off the bottom of the ninth, but the hefty right-hander was able to get Keith Lockhart to pop up before Rico Brogna grounded into a double play to end the game. Braden Looper retired Andruw Jones to end the eighth to earn the win. Prior to Lee’s shot, the Marlins never led. The Braves used productive outs in the second and fourth innings to take a 2-0 lead. Florida broke up the shutout in the fifth when Johnson’s sacrifice fly scored Wilson. Brian Jordan was 2-for-3 and scored both Atlanta runs. Eric Owens had two hits for Florida. As for Rocker, he posted a sub-three ERA in each of his first three seasons with the Braves. One day after giving up the go-ahead home run to Lee, however, the lefty was traded to the Cleveland Indians. He never would return to his early form. As a member of the Indians, Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Devil Rays over his final three seasons, Rocker went just 5-10 with a 6.00 ERA. His final game as a member of the Braves ended with Rocker blowing the save, taking the loss and giving up the go-ahead home run. It came on this day a quarter-century ago. View the full article

Anthony Santander is about to start over again, but not in the way the Jays hoped when they signed him in January 2025. Santander was supposed to be a middle-of-the-order presence with real power. Instead, as he inches back toward a bat-in-hands routine, he feels more like a question mark than an answer. MLB’s Keegan Matheson relayed what John Schneider told reporters on Thursday: Santander is scheduled to start hitting “either this weekend or next,” and “there’s a shot he could definitely be a factor.” That doesn’t really tell us much, other than he is able to swing a bat. Like we’ve seen with some of the pitching staff, the Jays are not in a hurry to get players back on the field. Instead, they are taking a safer, health-first approach. That is especially true with Santander, who might have returned a bit too quickly last year, eventually landing him back on the injured list. Before signing with the Jays, Santander was one of baseball’s more productive switch-hitting sluggers. Across eight seasons in Baltimore, Santander was both consistent and quietly elite in bursts. He hit 33 home runs in 2022, 28 in 2023, and then exploded for 44 in 2024. That year, he also drove in 102 and had an .814 OPS, placing him among the game’s most dangerous hitters. He made the All-Star team. He won a Silver Slugger. He did it as a switch-hitter, joining an exclusive historical group to ever reach that home run total. When he was signed, the Jays were expecting a middle-of-the-lineup bat to force opposing pitchers to give Vladimir Guerrero Jr. some pitches to hit. Santander has a .241 average over his career with 161 home runs and a .763 OPS. Santander signed a five-year, $92.5 million deal. It carries an average annual value of $18.5 million, with options and deferrals that stretch the commitment even further. There clearly was an expectation that he could keep up his later-career breakout. So far, in limited action, he has stumbled. In his first season with the Blue Jays, he struggled immediately. In 54 games, he hit .175 with six home runs and a .565 OPS. Most of his woes have been attributed to injury. As a Jay, Santander has never looked fully right, even before the injuries were made public. His bad shoulder eventually required labral surgery earlier this year. There’s no question the Jays would dearly love the 44-home-run version of Santander to show up tomorrow, but it is late June, and his ramp-up, in the best-case scenario, wouldn’t culminate in a major league at-bat until August. And while the focus has understandably been on health, the bigger question is harder to answer. If Anthony Santander comes back, can he even be that impact player? The last version of Santander was one of the least productive stretches of his career. His 2025 OPS sat at .565, far below his career .762 mark, and his power output cratered. Is this recovering version of Santander his last real chance to return to form? Or does his contract guarantee that the Blue Jays will keep giving him runway, no matter how crowded things get? The 2026 Blue Jays are not desperate for outfield help. They are juggling it. George Springer has shifted into a regular DH role, and Daulton Varsho has returned to a mix that already included Nathan Lukes, Myles Straw, and others. Even before factoring in Santander’s absence, this was a roster where spots in the outfield were at a premium. Santander doesn’t provide a lot of versatility. If his bat doesn’t materialize, then does the team need a below-average fielder and runner in the outfield? Yohendrick Piñango and Jesús Sánchez have more speed and have demonstrated they have pop too. Don’t forget that Addison Barger is also nearing a return. So if Santander comes back and looks like the 2025 version of himself, where exactly does he play? When a team commits nearly $100 million to a player, it tends to create opportunity. The Blue Jays did not sign Santander to be a bench piece or a situational bat. They signed him to make an impact. The Jays will be in a bind if he returns as the 2025 version. He is owed significant money through 2029, and there won’t be a market for his services. His return will not just put pressure on his (recovering) shoulders to perform, but also on the team to figure out what to do. If there is any positive in this situation, it is that Santander needs a long runway to work himself into shape. There is no rush for anyone, and that might push a potential return beyond this season. Santander is not just working towards 2026; he’ll also be working toward 2027 and beyond. If he flashes the old power, even inconsistently, this could be a happy story. The Blue Jays can point to health as the missing piece, trust the track record, and plan accordingly. If he does not, his deal will go down as one of the worst in team history. Santander is not returning to a team waiting for him to save them. He is returning to a team that has learned to survive without him. When Schneider says there is a shot Santander could be a factor, the wording was probably deliberate. A shot. Because right now, that is exactly what this is. A shot that the player who hit 44 home runs not long ago can show up again. A shot that the shoulder heals cleanly, that the swing returns, that the timing clicks before the season runs out. A shot that the contract is worth it. The Jays will continue to give him a shot. His contract guarantees that. Whether he turns it into something more will decide everything. View the full article

There has been plenty of discourse lately about this year's potential Miami Marlins All-Stars. Don't forget that on July 12, two days prior to the Midsummer Classic, there will be another exhibition at Citizens Bank Park, featuring ballplayers who aren't household names yet, but have the talent to become ones. A handful of Marlins minor leaguers are deserving of participating in the 2026 Futures Game, though the most likely scenario is the organization will be limited to two reps. The Futures Game is not solely about rewarding minor league production. With all due respect to the strong statistical first halves that Carter Johnson, Emilio Barreras and Luis Palacios have had, their perceived upside as prospects is not high enough to get them into this conversation. Selections are usually young relative to their current level of competition. Another complicating factor is that MLB orgs themselves have a say in the process. Some have ulterior motives beyond simply sending their top-rated prospects. I'm fairly confident that the Marlins delegation will be a combination of the following names. RHP Karson Milbrandt FOF Top 30 rank: No. 9 2026 MiLB levels: Double-A/Triple-A MLB ETA: early 2027 Milbrandt is the most qualified Futures Game rep that the Marlins have had in a long time. His case begins with having limited opponents to nine earned runs in 12 starts for a jaw-dropping 1.31 ERA. The homegrown right-hander ranks second in the Marlins system in innings pitched (62) and strikeouts (85). Milbrandt entered 2026 with substantial long-term reliever risk. His improvement against left-handed batters, who have gone 13-for-99 off him with 46 Ks this season, now gives him a brighter outlook. SS Aiva Arquette FOF Top 30 rank: No. 6 2026 MiLB levels: High-A/Double-A MLB ETA: mid-2027 Arquette, on the other hand, has the weakest statistical case among my handpicked Futures Game "finalists." He posted an 80 wRC+ through his first 21 games with Double-A Pensacola (100 represents league average). However, he was the Marlins' top draft pick last year, makes plenty of hard contact and looks like a viable defender at shortstop. OF Dillon Lewis FOF Top 30 rank: No. 4 2026 MiLB levels: Double-A MLB ETA: mid-2027 Lewis is a new addition to the Marlins after headlining January's Ryan Weathers trade package. He has fully met expectations thus far with a very consistent campaign in Pensacola. The athletic right-handed hitter paces all Marlins prospects with 15 home runs while slashing .238/.318/.502 and going 14-for-16 on stolen base attempts. His speed and batted ball angles have kept him out of double plays (only 1 GIDP in 258 PA). A yellow flag: his strikeout rate has jumped from 23.5% last year to 30.6% this year. Health permitting, Lewis will get a taste of Triple-A competition before season's end. SS Starlyn Caba FOF Top 30 rank: No. 5 2026 MiLB level: High-A MLB ETA: early 2028 Caba had a lousy debut season in the Marlins org in 2025. Thankfully, he recalibrated during the Arizona Fall League and has sustained that high level of play with the Beloit Sky Carp. Caba is the best fielder in this article, if not the best in Miami's system, period. We already knew that a year ago. The most exciting change has been the 20-year-old's maturation in the power department, slugging .437 after previously owning a career mark below .300. A switch-hitter, he's been dominant against right-handed arms (slashing .300/.462/.527 with 5 HR). Caba's well-rounded game and the obvious step forward he has taken from the previous year make him the most deserving Marlins position player, in my opinion. OF/1B Kemp Alderman FOF Top 30 rank: No. 7 2026 MiLB level: Triple-A MLB ETA: late 2026 Alderman is Miami's reigning Minor League Player of the Year, though he wasn't a 2025 Futures Game selection because his best stretches of production occurred during the second half of the season. His 2026 campaign was interrupted by an elbow injury. He returned from the IL earlier this week. Alderman's power to the opposite field is awe-inspiring, as is his arm strength in the corner outfield spots. He has been learning to play first base on a part-time basis, which should hasten his arrival to the majors. Like Milbrandt, Alderman is doubtful to be eligible for another Futures Game after this one, so that element of urgency may get him the nod. OF Cam Cannarella FOF Top 30 rank: No. 10 2026 MiLB levels: High-A/Double-A MLB ETA: mid-2027 Cannarella has missed the most time due to injury among the serious candidates (limited to 34 games), but he's been elite at the plate while primarily patrolling center field defensively. He leads all full-season Marlins farmhands in batting average (.366) and on-base percentage (.434). View the full article

Box Score SP: Taj Bradley IP, 5.0 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K (91 pitches, 59 strikes (65%)) Home Runs: Byron Buxton (24) Top 3 WPA: Brooks Lee (0.20), Bradley (0.18), Trevor Larnach (0.10) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Life in the desert isn't for the weak at heart. The Twins lost their winning streak in Phoenix late on Thursday night, and as a monsoon rolled into town with 100 degrees at its back the Twins hoped to storm back into the win column. The air inside of Chase Field was a balmy 80 degrees, and their former ace Zac Gallen looked to keep the Twins offense contained between the lines. Taj Bradley took the rock for the visiting Twins, and he hoped to match the outside temperature on the radar gun early and often. Both of those things happened on Friday night, and both worked in the Twins' favor. Breaking Containment One Single at a Time The Twins offense wasn't the reason they lost their winning streak, and the hits kept on coming at Chase Field against a less-than-sharp Gallen. Trevor Larnach started things off as he has been, with a quality at-bat and a looping single to the outfield grass. Byron Buxton and Kody Clemens couldn't move Trevor along, but Josh Bell got his wheels spinning and then some with a booming double down the right field line. Thanks to an odd mesh wall and a once-in-a-lifetime bad hop, the first Twins run couldn't transpire because Bell's double bounded off the ground and straight up and sideways over the wall to become the ground-rule variety. Just when it looked like Thursday night's bad luck would keep on rolling across the artificial desert turf, Royce Lewis didn't chase Gallen's off speed pitches and earned a walk to load the bases. Brooks Lee unloaded them. 2-0 Twins! Gallen then took down eight Twins batters in a row, and it looked like he was beginning to find his way. Then the top of the fourth occurred, Lewis started the inning off with a strikeout, and he ended the inning with a pop out. While Twins fans can't be excited about that aspect of the inning, anytime the same batter registers two outs in an inning it bodes pretty well for the team. Lee started off a string of five straight singles, most of them of the cue shot or seeing-eye variety. Ryan Kreidler had made his presence felt with a web gem against Corbin Carroll in the bottom of the first. This time it was Kreidler's single that pushed the lead to 3-0. Larnach's single made it 5-0, and Clemens finished things off with yet another single to post Bradley to a 6-0 lead before he could throw a pitch in the fourth. Bradley Heats Up the Desert After a red hot start to his season, Bradley hadn't completed five innings of work in three of his last four outings. Getting the lead early definately helped Taj navigate two walks and a bunt single in the opening frames, but he lit up the strike zone with upper-90's heaters and nasty cutters. On any other night, Bradley's dominance would have been the story of the game. The Hits Just Keep on Coming And coming...and coming...and coming. If you thought batting around in the fourth inning was fun, how about batting 14 men across 29 minutes in the fifth inning? Gallen stayed on to wear it some more with the Diamondbacks having to throw an unplanned bullpen game on Thursday and having to scratch their starter for Sunday earlier in the week. He wore it and then some. Lee started things off with a triple, Victor Caratini then blasted a double to the gap in right-center to plate Lee. Luke Keaschall kept the line moving with a single to end Gallen's evening, but Kreidler greeted Yilber Diaz rudely with a single to plate Caratini. Diaz then walked Larnach to load the bases with nobody out. By the time Buxton touched home plate and got his handshakes and hugs finished, the bases were all cleaned up and the Twins were now up 12-0! It looked like Diaz would finish off the inning at that point, getting two of the next three batters out. Lee kept his cycle alive with a ground-rule double, however, and then Caratini stole his RBI with a single that plated Bell and Lee to make it 14-0. Keaschall singled to keep the inning alive even longer, and then Kreidler showed why Derek Shelton should stop platooning him at shortstop and just give him the job already. 16-0 Twins on a Kreidler bomb triple off the center field wall. How Does a Game This Lopsided End? The Twins were in offensive record territory as they headed into the sixth inning, but both teams decided that enough was enough. After Bradley finally proved he was in fact a human being and surrendered a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth, the whole-sale position changes became the name of the game. Kyler Fedko replaced Buxton in the lineup, and anyone with "All Star" next to their name in the Arizona lineup likewise took a seat. Bradley finished his five innings, but with the delay and the lack of need to extend his evening the Twins bullpen got the rest of the ballgame. So what was left to watch? Lewis was the only Twins starter to not get a hit in the game, and he launched a lead-off double to the gap in left to start the top of the seventh. Lee needed a homer to complete the cycle, but he flew out to keep his 50 at-bat without a strikeout streak alive without a cycle highlight...yet. Justin Lawrence is worth watching, because it takes a unique brand of courage to come into a 16-2 ballgame in the seventh inning and walk the first three men that you face. That actually happened. Certain things could not happen in the final innings of a ballgame where the Diamondbacks had all but surrendered. The first, second, and third things all are the same. Don't. Walk. People. Luckily for Lawrence, Tim Tawa was standing in the box instead of Marte with the bases loaded and nobody out and he went down swinging. Geraldo Perdomo was still in the game, however, and he took another walk to start the final DFA paperwork on Lawrence. Ildemaro Vargas probably completed that paperwork with a bases clearing double to make it 16-6 and force Shelton's hand in bringing in Eric Orze to save the day...after the inning started with a 14-run lead. Lawrence has glimpses of amazing "stuff," but glimpses simply haven't been getting three outs without surrendering game-changing amounts of runs. Tonight seemed like an unfortuneate breaking point, on what was otherwise a joyous evening for the Twins. With the game now 16-7, and most of Twins Territory already nestled soundly in their beds with visions of a blowout still firmly entrenched in their heads, those still up and watching this bullpen disaster unfolding couldn't get their final seven outs counted fast enough. The Diamondbacks took the unwatchable nature of the bottom of the seventh, and decided to one-up the Twins by bringing Vargas in with his 38 mph eephus pitches after Philip Abner couldn't get out of the inning. Of course, Vargas walked Austin Martin so that Bell could hit into a double play. Why not. Lee came up second in the top of the ninth to get a second crack at his cycle against Vargas' overhand slowpitch. The career ERA of 3.60 that Vargas brought into the outing actually got lower, and Lee popped up to end anything worth watching tonight. Great win, rough landing, let's take the series tomorrow. What’s Next? The Twins look to take another road series in the desert heat on Father's Day. Both the Twins and the Diamondbacks are waiting to recover from this game before naming their starter for Sunday's tilt. First pitch, by someone, is scheduled for 2:15pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE THU FRI SAT TOT Lawrence 0 0 18 0 40 58 Adams 0 13 0 42 0 55 Orze 15 0 12 0 24 51 Laweryson 0 20 17 5 0 42 Gómez 15 0 0 0 7 22 Rogers 6 0 15 0 0 21 Morris 9 0 8 0 0 17 Banda 0 0 0 0 12 12 Paredes 0 0 0 0 0 0 View the full article

TRANSACTIONS Kyle DeBarge was activated from the temporarily inactive list. Poncho Ruiz was placed on the 7-Day injured list. RHP Abraham Martinez was signed to the Twins. He is a 17 year old from Venezuela who will join the DSL Twins roster soon. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 7, Omaha 6 (10 innings) Box Score For the second straight game, the Saints were able to win on a walkoff. The game truly was a back-and-forth game and came down to a two-out game-winner by a guy with less than a week with the team. Omaha scored a run in the top of the first inning. So in the bottom of the inning, Matt Wallner hit a one-out solo homer to tie the game at 1-1. It was his ninth Saints homer. Omaha scored a run in the top of the second inning. So, in the bottom of the inning, Cody Morissette led off with a home run, his second of the week with the team, to tie the game at 2-2. Omaha scored two runs in the top of the third inning. So, in the bottom of the inning, David Banuelos was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. With one out, Matt Wallner drilled his second homer of the game, his 10th with the Saints, to tie the game at 4-4. Omaha scored zero runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. So, the Saints scored zero runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth inning. Omaha scored a run in the top of the seventh inning. So, in the bottom of the seventh, Ben Ross led off with his 15th Saints double. With one out, Henry Kusiak’s fourth double drove in Ross. With two outs, Gabriel Gonzalez singled to center to drive in Kusiak with the go-ahead run to make it 6-5. Omaha scored a run in the top of the eighth inning. Having scored an extra run in the seventh, the Saints didn’t score in the bottom of the eighth frame. Both teams went scoreless in the ninth inning, so we got a little Overtime! Omaha went scoreless in the top of the tenth inning. Matt Wallner started the bottom of the 10th inning as the Manfred Man on second base. With one out, he stole third base. On 2-2 with two outs, Cody Morissette lined the eighth pitch of the at-bat to right field to drive in Wallner with the winning run. Ryan Gallagher made the start. He gave up four runs on seven hits (2 home runs) and two walks. He struck out three. C.J. Culpepper got a strikeout to end the fifth inning. Ty Langenberg came in and gave up two runs on four hits and two walks over three innings. He struck out three batters. Grant Hartwig struck out two batters over two scoreless innings. Wallner went 3-for-5 with his ninth and 10th home runs. He drove in three runs. Morissette went 3-for-5 with his second homer and the game-winner. Henry Kusiak went 2-for-4 with his fourth double. Ben Ross and David Banuelos each added a double. Ross also walked twice. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 3, Springfield 5 Box Score The Surge took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second innings when Jose Salas launched his sixth home run of the season. That was it for the Wichita offense until two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning when Kyle DeBarge hit his seventh home run of the season. DeBarge returned to the Wind Surge lineup after spending a few days on the temporary inactive list. Sam Armstrong made the start for the Surge. He gave up one run on three hits and a walk over the first five innings. He had five strikeouts. Important to note, he was pitching on just three days rest. In his two starts against Springfield this week, he gave up two runs (1 earned) on four hits and two walks. He had 10 strikeouts. He has now made five starts in June and his 1-1 with a 2.74 ERA in 23 innings. Sam Ryan came in and gave up only a solo home run over his two innings. Jaylen Nowlin gave up two runs (1 earned) on one hit and one walk. Jacob Webb gave up one run on a solo homer in the ninth. Wichita had just three hits and walked seven times in this game .Khadim Diaw walked twice. Salas and Maddux Houghton each had a hit and a walk. KERNELS CHRONICLE Cedar Rapids 3, Beloit 9 Box Score Beloit scored five runs in the third and three more in the sixth inning to win a bit of a laugher in Iowa. Eston Stull started a bullpen game. He gave up three hits but no runs in the first two innings. He had three strikeouts and no walks. Veteran Jesse Bergin made his Kernels debut. He got two outs in the third inning and was charged with five runs on two hits, two walks and a hit batter. Michael Ross came in with the Kernels down 2-1.Two singles later, all three inherited runners scored and it was 5-1. Ross tossed three more innings and gave up three of his own runs on four more hits and a walk. Mitch Mueller gave up one run on one hit (a solo homer) over two innings. Ivran Romero pitched a scoreless ninth. The Kernels scored one run in three separate innings. In the bottom of the second, Yasser Mercedes singles, stole second and scored on a balk. In the fourth inning, Jay Thomason walked, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on a Miguel Briceno single. In the sixth Enrique Jimenez led off with a double and scored on a Thomason single. The Kernels had just five hits and two walks. Jimenez’s double was his first with the Kernels. Marek Houston and Walker Jenkins both got the day off. Could Houston be heading to Texas (Midland) to join the Wind Surge next week? Could Jenkins go with him, or should he just head north to St. Paul and join the Saints in Louisville next week? MIGHTY MATTERS Ft. Myers 13, Tampa 11 Box Score The Mussels had two big innings. The Tarpons had one big inning. The Mussels came out on top of a back-and-forth, entertaining game. Jason Reitz started and gave up two runs on four hits and a walk in 3 1/3 innings. He had three strikeouts. The runs came on solo homers by Logan Maxwell and Luis Escudero. The Mussels tied the score at one when Luis Fragoza scored on a wild pitch in the top of the third inning. Then down 2-1, Fort Myers put up a four on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth. Ryan Sprock led off with a single. He scored on a JP Smith single that tied the game at 2-2. Jayson Bass doubled to drive in Smith. Quentin Young then crushed a two-run homer to make it 5-2. Merit Jones came on and was changed with seven runs on eight hits and a walk over the next two innings. Jonathan Stevens went 1 1/3 innings and gave up two runs on four hits and two walks. After a six-run bottom of the sixth inning, the Mussels found themselves behind 9-5. How did Fort Myers respond? Pretty well, I’d say. They scored seven runs in the top of the seventh inning to reclaim the lead, 12-9. Irvin Nunez led off the inning with a walk. Merphy Hernandez walked too. After a pitching change, the runners advanced on a wild pitch. Dameury Pena singled to left to drive in Nunez. Sprock doubled to drive in two more runs. He moved to third on a wild pitch, and with one out, scored the tying run on a JP Smith "single." Jayson Bass was hit by a pitch, and Quentin Young walked to load the bases. Luis Fragoza drove in two runs with a single. After another pitching change, Nunez was hit by a pitch to load the bases again. After a fielder’s choice kept another run from scoring, a wild pitch gave the Mussels a 12-9 lead. In the top of the ninth, Bass provided a little insurance with his seventh home run of the season. Nick McAuliffe gave up a hit, walked three, and had struck out two batters over 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Brent Francisco got the final two outs to earn the save. Bass went 3-for-4 with his ninth double and seventh home run. He also threw out a runner at second base. Sprock went 2-for-5 with his eighth double. Smith was 2-for-5. The team was efficient. They were 6-for-11 with runners in scoring position, and they only left four runners on base. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 8, FCL Red Sox 1 (suspended in 4th inning) Box Score This game was delayed and eventually suspended due to rain in Fort Myers. There was one out in the top of the fourth inning. The Twins have runners on the corners and four runs already in. Of note, Adrian Bohorquez made a rehab start. He struck out two batters and walked one over two scoreless, hitless innings. In the top of the third inning, Daiber De Los Santos led off with a walk. Daniel Pena was then hit by a pitch. After a pitching change, Jhomnardo Reyes walked to load the bases. Carlos Taveras followed with a ground-rule double to drive in two runs. Yovanny Duran singled to drive in two more and give the Twins the 4-0 lead. The top of the fourth inning began with walks to Yilber Herrera and Darwin Almanzar. Jose Barrios reached on an error to lead the bases. De Los Santos walked again to make it 5-1. Daniel Pena singled to drive in two more runs. Reyes grounded into a force out, but De Los Santos scored to make it 8-1. And that’s when the game was delayed and ultimately suspended. The game will continue next Friday when the Twins make the short trek over to Jet Blue Stadium again. DSL Twins 5, DSL Rockies 4 Box Score The Twins jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first inning. Daiyer Barboza reached on an error. He proceeded to steal second and third bases. After Juan Holmann walked and Jhon Gonzalez was hit by a pitch, Anibal Beltre flew out, deep enough to score Barboza. The Rockies tied the game in the bottom of the second. The Twins responded by scoring two runs in the top of the third inning. Holmann led off with a walk. He stole second, and with two outs, he scored on a single by Abel Sosa. Sosa then stole second and scored on a Luis Duarte single. The Rockies cut the Twins lead to 3-2 with a run in the bottom of the third. The Twins responded by scoring two runs in the top of the fourth inning. Misael Rodriguez led off with a single and stole second base. He advanced to third base on a ground out. Holmann walked, and on the final pitch Rodriguez scored on a passed ball. Holmann stole second and later scored on a ground out to make it 5.2 Twins. The Rockies scored a single run in the bottom of the fourth, and another in the bottom of the seventh, but the Twins held on for the 5-4 win. Manuel Meza started and was charged with one run on three walks over two innings. He struck out two batters. 16-year-old Sebastian Echavarria was next on the mound. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on two hits and two walks in 1 1/3 innings. He struck out two. Juan Collado gave up one run on two hits over three innings. He had four strikeouts but walked five batters. Aldwin Morillo came on and got the final two outs, one on a strikeout, to record his first save. The Twins had five runs on seven hits and five walks. Luis Duarte went 2-for-4. Misael Rodriguez went 2-for-3. Juan Holmann walked three times. He stole his sixth and seventh bases. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter(s) of the Day Jayson Bass (Fort Myers): 3-for-5, 2B(9), HR(7), 3 R, 2 RBI, K Matt Wallner (St. Paul): 3-for-5, 2-HR(10), 3 R, 3 RBI, K, SB(2) Cody Morissette (St. Paul): 3-for-5, HR(2), R, 2 RBI, K. Pitcher(s) of the Day Sam Armstrong (Wichita): 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 54 pitches, 38 strikes (70.4%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. #5 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 2 K (batted second, played DH). #10 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 1-for-5, RBI (batted first, played 1B) #14 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-4, BB, HR(8), 2 RBI, R, 3 K. (batted sixth, played SS) #15 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, 2 K (batted first, played SS) #16 - RHP Ryan Gallagher (St. Paul) - 4 2/3 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 63 pitches, 44 strikes (69.8%) #17 - RHP C.J. Culpepper (St. Paul) - 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 5 pitches, 4 strikes (80.0%) #19 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Wichita) - 0-for-3, 2 BB, K (batted second, played C) #20 - 2B/SS/CF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 1-for-4, HR(7), R, RBI, K (batted sixth, played SS) UPCOMING PROBABLES Sunday, June 21 Omaha @ St. Paul (2:07 pm CT) - RHP Trent Baker (3-2, 5.52 ERA) Springfield @ Wichita (1:05 pm CT) - RHP Cory Lewis (0-2, 4.57 ERA) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (1:05 pm CT) - LHP Dasan Hill (1-6, 6.82 ERA) Ft. Myers @ Tampa (11:00 am CT) - RHP Hendry Chivilli (0-1, 12.79 ERA) CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 37-41 (3rd place (of 5) in AL Central, 4.5 GB)) St. Paul Saints: 42-31 (3rd place (of 10) in IL West Division, 3.5 GB)) Wichita Wind Surge: 25-41 (5th place (of 5) in TL North Division, 19.0 GB)) Cedar Rapids Kernels: 31-35 (4th place (of 6) in MWL West Division, 10.0 GB)) Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 38-29 (2nd place (of 6) in FSL West Division, 2.5 GB)) FCL Twins: 19-16 (3rd place (of 6) in FCL South Division, 1.5 GB)) DSL Twins: 6-9 (4th place (of 7) in DSL East Division, 4.0 GB)) Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the rosters, and discuss today’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related! View the full article

San Diego Padres affiliates went 2-2 Saturday. The Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas fell to Reno 7-1, the Double-A San Antonio Missions eked out a 2-1 win over Corpus Christi, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps rallied for a 3-2 win over South Bend and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm fell to San Jose 11-8. Padres Minor-League Transactions El Paso Chihuahuas activated OF Pablo Reyes from the 7-day injured list. Chihuahuas Sputter As Aces Pull Away A solid start from left-hander Jackson Wolf couldn't overcome an offense that was held to just four hits in the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas' 7-1 loss to the Reno Aces. The four hits tied the Chihuahuas' season low. Wolf scattered eight hits over five innings, giving up two runs, including a homer, and a walk with three strikeouts and benefited from a defense that turned three double plays on the night. Right-hander Logan Gillaspie gave up two runs on four hits in his lone inning, while right-hander Ty Adcock allowed a run on two hits in the seventh and right-hander Misael Tamarez two runs in two innings. After Reno scored in the top of the first, the Chihuahuas tied it in the bottom half as Bruce Johnson reached on an error by the third baseman, stole second and scored on Carlos Rodriguez's one-out ground-rule double. But that would be the extent of the offense for the Chihuahuas, who managed just three more singles the rest of the way. The Aces snapped the 1-1 tie with a run in the fifth, then two in the sixth, one more in the seventh and two again in the eighth. Player AB R H RBI BB K Bryce Johnson 4 1 0 0 0 2 Mason McCoy 4 0 0 0 0 1 Carlos Rodríguez 4 0 1 1 0 0 Pablo Reyes 4 0 0 0 0 1 Nate Mondou 4 0 1 0 0 0 Nick Pratto 3 0 0 0 1 0 Marcos Castañon 4 0 1 0 0 1 Clay Dungan 3 0 0 0 0 2 Victor Duarte 2 0 1 0 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jackson Wolf 5 8 2 2 1 3 1 Logan Gillaspie 1 4 2 2 0 0 0 Ty Adcock 1 2 1 1 0 1 0 Misael Tamarez 2 3 2 2 0 2 0 Victor Lizarraga, Missions Capture Pitchers' Duel Right-hander Victor Lizarraga turned in a strong start, while Tirso Ornelas and Kai Roberts each had two hits and drove in a run as the Double-A San Antonio Missions slipped past the host Corpus Christi Hooks 2-1. Romeo Sanabria reached base four times with three hits and a walk, Ryan Jackson had two hits and a free pass, while Luis Verdugo and Albert Fabian also had a pair of hits. Lizarraga went 6⅔ innings, one out shy of matching his career best, allowing just a run on four hits with a pair of walks and three strikeouts. He had a stretch where he retired 12 straight and also induced 12 grondouts. Right-hander Josh Mallitz didn't allow a hit in 1⅓ innings while walking two and striking out two and left-hander Harry Gustin pitched a perfect ninth with one punchout for his first save of the season and seventh of his career. After Lizarraga gave up the lone run on three hits in the second inning, the Missions took the lead with runs in the third and fourth innings. With two outs in the third, Sanabria doubled and scored just ahead of the throw on Ornelas' line single to right. Verdugo, coming off a two-homer game, opened the fourth with a single, went to second on a groundout and scored without a play on Roberts' ground single to center. SA_0620.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Jackson 4 0 2 0 1 0 Francisco Acuna 5 0 0 0 0 0 Romeo Sanabria 4 1 3 0 1 1 Tirso Ornelas 5 0 2 1 0 1 Braedon Karpathios 4 0 0 0 0 2 Luis Verdugo 4 1 2 0 0 1 Albert Fabian 4 0 2 0 0 0 Kai Roberts 4 0 2 1 0 1 Chris Sargent 4 0 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Victor Lizarraga 6 2/3 4 1 1 2 3 0 Josh Mallitz 1 1/3 0 0 0 2 2 0 Harry Gustin 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 TinCaps Withstand MLB Starter, Rally To Win With 3 In Eighth In a game started by Chicago Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd, the host Fort Wayne TinCaps rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, capped by Lamar King Jr.'s go-ahead single, to snatch a 3-2 victory from the South Bend Cubs. Boyd struck out seven of the 14 hitters he faced in four shutout innings, giving up a pair of hits and no walks in his first game since having meniscus surgery. Justin DeCriscio and King had first inning singles off Boyd, who picked off two TinCaps. TinCaps right-hander Abraham Parra matched his career high with six innings, allowing a pair of runs on five hits and two walks while punching out four. Both runs came in his final frame. He reached six innings for the sixth time, having done so four times last year with Low-A Lake Elsinore and once in 2023 in the Dominican Summer League. Left-hander Javier Chacon pitched two hitless innings and right-handed closer Clay Edmondson pitched a perfect ninth for his minors-leading 11 save this season. This was just the third outing of 23 this season in which Edmondson did not record a strikeout. After Parra gave up a pair of runs in the top of the sixth on an RBI triple and a sacrifice fly, the TinCaps entered the bottom of the eighth having been held scoreless and to just three hits. With a new South Bend reliever in the game, Kavares Tears (infield) and Zach Evans led off the eighth with singles. After a failed sacrifice bunt by Wyatt Hoffman forced Tears out at third, DeCriscio's grounder to short advanced both runners. Kasen Wells then tied the game by grounding a single through the right side, scoring Evans and Hoffman beating the throw home. Wells took second on the play and King, Padres Mission's No. 10 prospect, lined a go-ahead two-out single to left, with Wells scoring ahead of the throw. FW_0620.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Justin DeCriscio 4 0 2 0 0 0 Kasen Wells 4 1 1 2 0 0 Lamar King Jr. 4 0 2 1 0 1 Alex McCoy 3 0 0 0 0 2 Jake Cunningham 3 0 0 0 1 1 Jack Costello 3 0 0 0 0 2 Kavares Tears 3 0 1 0 0 2 Zach Evans 3 1 1 0 0 2 Wyatt Hoffman 3 1 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Abraham Parra 6 5 2 2 2 4 0 Javier Chacon 2 0 0 0 2 2 0 Clay Edmondson 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Storm Succumb To 7-Run Eighth Inning By Giants Despite a nice start by right-hander Tyler Schmitt and four home runs, the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm coughed up a seven-run eighth inning en route to dropping an 11-8 decision to the San Jose Giants. Kerrington Cross (11th this year), Jose Verdugo (fourth), Luke Cantwell (second) and Jorge Quintana (second) each went deep for the Storm, while Verdugo had three hits and three RBIs and Cantwell two hits and three RBIs. Quintana is Padres Mission's No. 6 prospect. Schmitt, coming off an 11-strikeout performance last week vs. Ontario, went five innings and struck out just two, while yielding three runs on five hits and a walk. Right-hander Nick Falter allowed a run in 1⅔ innings, but right-handers Vicarte Domingo (four runs) and Will Koger (three runs) could each only get two outs and combined to allow all seven eighth-inning runs. The Storm were down 3-0 entering the fifth and they scored in each of their final five at-bats, with one in the fifth, one in the sixth, two in the seventh, three in the eighth to take a 7-4 lead and one in the ninth. LE_0620.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Wideman 4 1 1 0 1 1 Kerrington Cross 3 2 1 1 1 0 Dawson Willis 3 0 0 0 0 2 Luke Cantwell 4 2 2 3 0 1 Qrey Lott 4 0 0 0 0 2 Conner Westenburg 0 0 0 0 0 0 Yoiber Ocopio 3 1 0 0 1 1 Jose Verdugo 4 1 3 3 0 0 Jorge Quintana 3 1 1 1 1 1 George Bilecki 4 0 0 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Tyler Schmitt 5 5 3 3 1 2 0 Nick Falter 1 2/3 4 1 1 0 2 0 Vicarte Domingo 2/3 3 4 4 1 0 0 Will Koger 2/3 4 3 3 0 0 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-4, 2B, BB, K Jorge Quintana: 1-for-3, HR, BB, K Ty Harvey: On injured list Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Braedon Karpathios: 0-for-4, 2 K Lamar King Jr.: 2-for-4, RBI, SB, K Jagger Haynes: DNP Alex McCoy: 0-for-3, 2 K Truitt Madonna: DNP Tucker Musgrove: DNP Garrett Hawkins: DNP Michael Salina: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Rosman Verdugo: DNP Bryan Balzer: DNP Deivid Coronil: DNP View the full article

For a brief moment, it looked like the Twins were about to get one of their most important reinforcements back. Instead, Mick Abel's return to Minnesota's rotation is on hold once again. According to the Minnesota Star Tribune's Bobby Nightengale Jr., Abel experienced a setback in his recovery process after throwing a 20-pitch bullpen session on Friday. The right-hander will not return from the injured list this week and is scheduled to undergo an MRI when the club gets back to Minnesota. That's an unwelcome development for a pitching staff that has already spent most of the season patching together innings. A Promising Rehab Assignment Takes a Turn Abel has been sidelined since April 20 after being placed on the injured list with right elbow inflammation. The injury interrupted what had been an encouraging first season in the Twins organization after arriving as part of last summer's trade deadline haul. The 24-year-old finally began a rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul earlier this month, and the early results couldn't have gone much better. In his first outing on June 10, Abel tossed three scoreless innings while allowing only two hits and striking out five batters. He followed that performance six days later with an even longer outing, surrendering one run across five innings while once again recording five strikeouts. Those appearances appeared to put him on the doorstep of a return to the major league rotation. Instead, the Twins are back in wait-and-see mode. Rotation Questions Continue to Mount Minnesota's pitching depth has been tested all season, and Abel's setback only adds another layer of uncertainty. Pablo López is already lost for the remainder of the year. Bailey Ober remains on the injured list with a flexor strain, though the organization remains optimistic that his absence won't be a lengthy one. Simeon Woods Richardson was moved to Toronto after struggling to establish himself in the rotation. That leaves the Twins leaning heavily on Joe Ryan and Taj Bradley at the top of the staff while searching for consistency from a younger group of arms. Connor Prielipp has shown flashes of why the organization remains excited about his future. Zebby Matthews continues to work through the ups and downs that come with gaining major league experience. Mike Paredes has also been asked to shoulder a larger role than originally anticipated. The group has managed to keep Minnesota competitive, but the margin for error continues to shrink. Every Game Matters The timing of Abel's setback couldn't be much worse. Entering Saturday night's action, Minnesota sat 4.5 games behind Cleveland in the American League Central and 2.5 games out of the final Wild Card position. The Twins remain firmly in the postseason conversation, but they can ill afford to lose additional rotation depth for an extended period. If the MRI reveals only a minor issue, Abel could still rejoin the club relatively soon. However, if the setback leads to another lengthy shutdown, Minnesota may need to explore external options before the trade deadline or continue relying on inexperienced pitchers to navigate meaningful games down the stretch. The Twins have spent much of the season waiting for reinforcements, and Abel looked poised to become one of the most significant additions to the roster. His strong rehab outings offered hope that help was finally on the way. Now, the organization is once again waiting on medical results. For a team trying to chase down a division title and climb back into a playoff spot, the news serves as another reminder of just how thin the line can be between contention and crisis. The Twins have survived plenty of pitching injuries already in 2026. Whether they can continue doing so may depend on what Abel's MRI reveals in the coming days. View the full article

MIAMI, FL—In front of 22,643 fans, the Miami Marlins defeated the San Francisco Giants by a final score of 6-3, improving to one game over .500 for the first time since April 14. A big reason for their success not, just in the month of June, but all season, has been shortstop Otto Lopez. Lopez currently leads baseball with a .332 batting average. With a single on Saturday, he became the first player in MLB this season to reach the 100-hit marker. He joins Luis Arraez (2023) and Dee Strange-Gordon (2015) as the only other players in franchise history to win the league-wide race to 100. Arraez and Strange-Gordon both went on to win National League batting titles in those seasons. "Otto's been our most consistent offensive player," manager Clayton McCullough said. "He gets hits all over the place. Otto has a lot of room to grow as an offensive player, like he can get better...There's a lot left for him to hit his ceiling, but certainly hard to not appreciate what he's done, playing almost every day at shortstop and running the bases, collecting hits. He's been incredible." The 100th hit of the season came in the bottom of the fourth inning with a runner on first and no outs. Lopez's hit had an exit velocity of 97.2 mph and moved the runner from first to second. After Kyle Stowers worked a walk, that loaded the bases for Xavier Edwards, who grounded into a double play, but still plated a run. Heriberto Hernandez, who since being recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville, entered Saturday slashing .288/.310/.538/.847 with six home runs and 17 RBI. With Lopez on third, Hernandez hit his seventh home run of the season off reliever Matt Gage. The ball left the bat at 107.2 mph and went 389 feet to left field, extending the Marlins lead, 6-2. "I think we saw Bert do this last year, and since he's come back, he's been a real key cog, sitting in the middle of those left-handed hitters that we have, and he's slugging, finding the barrel a lot," McCullough said. "He has a knack for coming up with some really big hits and he can leave the ballpark and the power from the right side is hard to come by. I think it's been a real shot in the arm for us." Although Max Meyer wasn't his best version, the Marlins starter went five innings, allowing two runs on seven hits (one home run), two walks and struck out seven. Meyer's slider did look sharp, generating five whiffs and struck out four on that pitch. The other three strikeouts came on his sweeper. The home run he gave up came in the top of the fourth inning. Casey Schmitt took Meyer deep, hitting his 16th home run of the season. The Marlins joined the Philadelphia Phillies as the only teams this season to make it back over .500 after being as many as eight games below .500. With the win, the Marlins are now just one game out of the third and final National League Wild Card spot. Ryan Gusto will get the start opposite of Logan Webb at 1:40 pm as the Marlins go for the sweep. View the full article

Blue Jays Affiliate Overview (June 18-19) Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Series vs Charlotte Knights (Chicago White Sox): 1-3 Season Record: 34-39 Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats Series vs Birmingham Rumble Ponies (New York Mets): 2-2 Season Record: 33-32 High-A Vancouver Canadians Series vs Spokane Indians (Colorado Rockies): 2-2 Season Record: 28-39 Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays Series vs Lakeland Flying Tigers (Detroit Tigers): 2-2 Season Record: 30-36 FCL Blue Jays Week Record: 3-1 Season Record: 25-10 DSL Blue Jays Blue Week Record: 1-2 Season Record: 4-10 DSL Blue Jays Red Week Record: 0-3 Season Record: 4-10 Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Season Record: 34-39 Series vs Charlotte Knights (Chicago White Sox) June 18: Thursday saw Jake Bloss finally return to the Triple-A Buffalo roster, and he made his presence known in his first start of the season there. He was a little shaky at the start, walking the lead-off hitter and then giving up a two-run home run to Charlotte's centerfielder, Dustin Harris. The pitch was in and off of the plate, but Harris was still able to put the good part of the bat on it and take it out, 364 feet to right field. After the blast, Bloss settled in and struck out the next three batters, all swinging. In the second inning, Bloss sat down the Knights hitters in order and then repeated that feat in the third. Only an outlier walk broke up his rhythm in the fourth, as Blos retired 12 of the last 13 hitters he faced. For the game, he gave up just the one hit and two runs, announcing his arrival to Triple-A with authority. The Knights starting pitcher outdueled Bloss, though, going five innings, striking out six, while allowing just three hits and zero runs. Carlos Mendoza did reach base twice, a walk in the first and a single in the third. Unfortunately for Buffalo, the bats were kept quiet by the Knights bullpen. Buffalo ended up getting shut out and losing 4-0. June 19: Friday night, Josh Fleming was on the mound for Buffalo, and he couldn't work around a couple of errors and poor command. He did pitch into the sixth inning, but gave up 10 hits, five runs (two earned), and only struck out four. In the first inning, Fleming gave up three singles before walking in a run, but escaped any further damage. In the bottom half of the inning, C.J. Stubbs tied the game up for Buffalo, knocking in Jay Harry on a single to left. After Fleming gave up a run in the top of the fourth, a Sean Keys single in the bottom of the fifth would tie the game back up. Unfortunately for Buffalo, a Carlos Mendoza error in the sixth opened up the doors to a big inning for Charlotte, as they scored four runs and took the lead. Jay Harry helped Buffalo by cutting into the Knights' lead, getting an RBI double in the sixth. Unfortunately for Buffalo, Charlotte tacked on three more runs in the seventh and ran away with the game. The Bisons would get a ninth-inning two-run home run from Jay Harry, but in the end, it wasn't remotely enough. Buffalo fell again, this time by a score of 10-5. Double-A New Hampshire Season Record: 33-32 Series vs Birmingham Rumble Ponies (New York Mets) June 18: Thursday's matchup between New Hampshire and Binghamton was a tough one for the Fisher Cats. They faced off against the Rumble Ponies’ pitcher Jonathan Santucci and did not have an answer against him. New Hampshire managed a couple of hits, like Victor Arias coming up with two singles and Jorge Burgos having a first-inning single. Ultimately, they were stifled, though, as Santucci went six innings and didn't give up a run, striking out seven. On the other hand, the Fisher Cats struggled to hold Binghamton off the scoreboard. On the backs of two home runs and a few doubles, the Rumble Ponies were up eight by the fourth inning. Aaron Parker drove in the lone New Hampshire run in the ninth inning on an RBI double, but it was a tough defeat. The Fisher Cats lost this one 8-1. June 19: The Friday Night contest between New Hampshire and Binghamton was a fun one, with rehabbing Francisco Lindor and Tyrone Taylor in the lineup against Gage Stanifer. Lindor started things with a single under the diving glove of second base, followed by a lazy line drive off the shortstop's glove for a “single” by Taylor. Lindor would score on a throwing error for the first run of the game. After that, Stanifer was exceptional on the mound. He appeared to be working exclusively on his fastball, as he threw it a lot. It didn't matter, though, because it was maybe his best fastball of the year. It looked like the velocity was up, and he was hitting his stops almost all night. He worked around two singles in the second and a home run in the third, but in the end, he went 4.2 innings, gave up five hits, one earned run, didn't walk a batter, and struck out eight. If his fastball can look like that more often, he may see the big leagues come September. He even struck out Lindor to end his night on a fastball. Offensively, Carter Cunningham had a sacrifice fly in the first inning and a run scored on a passed ball in the eighth. New Hampshire lost this one 5-2, but the key takeaway is Stanifer may have found something with his fastball. High-A Vancouver Season Record: 28-39 Series vs Spokane Indians (Colorado Rockies) June 18: Dylan Watts made his debut for the Canadians and struggled to acclimate, as he gave up seven runs in three innings of work. Luckily for the Canadians, their offense was able to keep it close through great performances from almost the entire starting lineup. Eric Snow, Peyton Williams, Alexis Hernandez, and Tucker Toman each had three hits, and Edward Duran had himself a four-hit night. Manuel Beltre added two hits of his own for 18 combined hits for the offense, while Maddow Latta and Sam Shaw each walked three times. Jack Eshelman allowed two more runs, and the Canadians were down eight to nine heading into the seventh inning, but a five-run inning capped off by a Tucker Toman three-run homer gave the Canadians a four-run lead that they didn’t relinquish. Trace Baker got his third save of the year with three scoreless innings. June 19: The offense for Vancouver continues to heat up, as just a day after getting 18 hits, the Canadians added 13 more. Eric Snow had himself his second three-hit night in a row, hitting two doubles and walking once to raise his OPS to 1.114 since getting promoted to Vancouver. Holden Wilkerson was the starter for Vancouver and had the win despite allowing five runs. Sam Shaw and J.R. Freethy both contributed two homers, and there were five more extra-base hits from the rest of the lineup for 12 runs. Reece Wissinger pitched four scoreless innings with four strikeouts for the save, as the Vancouver offense again dominated in a 12-5 win. Single-A Dunedin Season Record: 30-36 Series vs Lakeland Flying Tigers (Detroit Tigers) June 18: It was a close game until it wasn’t. JoJo Parker has begun to heat up, as he knocked in the first run of the game with a double in the first inning. Anibal Salas hit a two-run homer against Jays’ starter Blake Purnell in the second inning. The one-run deficit remained until the fourth inning, when a Salas single spelled the beginning of the end for Purnell, who gave up five runs. Bradley Wilson allowed another run for a disastrous fourth inning. Parker hit his sixth homer of the season in the eighth as one of the lone bright spots of the game. Luis Fonseca allowed two more runs for the Jays to lose 11-3. June 19: Silvano Hechavarria took a step back as he allowed three homers and seven runs in just under four innings of work. The offense wasn’t much better, as they only mustered up three hits and three walks, with the lone run coming in on a JoJo Parker triple in the first inning. Diego Dominguez pitched well in relief with 2.1 scoreless innings, but Josbel Garcia allowed three more runs in the seventh to make it double digits for the Flying Tigers for the second game in a row. FCL Blue Jays Season Record: 25-10 June 18: In the Thursday FCL matchup between the Blue Jays and Tigers squads, it was a close game early. Gavin Smith put the Blue Jays ahead in the second inning, when he hit a two-run double to right field. The Tigers responded with three runs in their half of the inning, but things spiraled into the Blue Jays' favor after that. In the fourth, Pascual Archila hit a two-run home run, Franklin Rojas drove in a run on a single, Gioconino locked in three runs on a double, and Archila had an RBI double to cap off the eight-run inning. Alex Stone homered to finish the scoring in the seventh as the game was called due to weather. The Blue Jays won big, 15-3. June 19, Game 1: Friday saw a double header of sorts between the FCL Blue Jays and FCL Yankees. The first game was a continuation of a suspended game on June 12th. It was tied at two in the seventh before the real fireworks began. In the eighth inning, the Blue Jays got two runs on a Franklin Rojas single and another run from Angel Guzman's RBI single to right field. In the ninth inning, Franklin Rojas launched a solo home run and was followed later by a three-run blast from Kennew Blanco. The Blue Jays made easy work in this one in the end, winning 9-2. June 19, Game 2: In the second game of the day, the Blue Jays kept on hitting. Pascual Archila homered in the first inning, Giaconino Lasaracina launched a home run in the fourth, followed by David Guzman homering, then Franklin Rojas crushing a home run, and the scoring in the inning ended with Lasaracina hitting his second home run of the inning. The Blue Jays ended the game with 12 hits, 13 walks, and five home runs, for 15 runs. The Blue Jays won this one 15-8. DSL Blue Jays Blue Season Record: 3-9 June 18: It was another battle of the Blue Jays squads down in the Dominican Summer League (DSL). BJB took on BJR on Thursday, with BJB looking to get some revenge and even up the season series. BJR set the tone early, sending Cristhian Duarte to the mound, and he opened the BJB lineup. He went five strong innings, only surrendering two hits, but not allowing a run to score. He would lower his ERA to 0.60 on the season and continued to be a standout for the Jays DSL teams. Facing off against Duarte for BJB was Tomoya Kinjo, a 23-year-old pitcher the Blue Jays signed back in April. He didn't go deep into the game, but he did match Duarte, giving up zero runs across three innings and allowing just one hit. In the bottom of the sixth inning, BJB finally broke through with the bats, getting two walks and then a two-RBI triple from Juan Caricote. He would then come in and score on Isay Veras’ RBI single. The three runs were enough for BJB, as their bullpen held strong and didn't allow a run. BJB got their revenge on BJR and won 3-0. DSL Blue Jays Red Season Record: 4-8 June 18: It was another battle of the Blue Jays squads down in the Dominican Summer League (DSL). BJB took on BJR on Thursday, with BJB looking to get some revenge and even up the season series. BJR set the tone early, sending Cristhian Duarte to the mound, and he opened the BJB lineup. He went five strong innings, only surrendering two hits, but not allowing a run to score. He would lower his ERA to 0.60 on the season and continued to be a standout for the Jays DSL teams. Facing off against Duarte for BJB was Tomoya Kinjo, a 23-year-old pitcher the Blue Jays signed back in April. He didn't go deep into the game, but he did match Duarte, giving up zero runs across three innings and allowing just one hit. In the bottom of the sixth inning, BJB finally broke through with the bats, getting two walks and then a two-RBI triple from Juan Caricote. He would then come in and score on Isay Veras’ RBI single. The three runs were enough for BJB, as their bullpen held strong and didn't allow a run. BJB got their revenge on BJR and won 3-0. June 19: Jorge Gonzalez was on the mound Friday for BJR, and he imploded quickly. He would not make it out of the first inning, giving up three runs all on wild pitches, in which he had six in his brief outing. BJR would cut into the lead in the second inning, with a sacrifice fly from Fabian Gonzalez. After the twins team added a run in the fourth, BJR stayed within striking distance, scoring a run on an RBI groundout by Luis Nunez in the fifth. BJR got another run in the bottom of the seventh, when Gabriel Porras scored on a wild pitch. Unfortunately, their rally ended with Ayberson Ortega popping out to end the game. BJR fell 4-3. View the full article

After being a late scratch for Friday's series opener, Isiah Kiner-Falefa is now out through at least next weekend. The Boston Red Sox on Saturday placed the infielder on the 10-day injured list with right forearm inflammation. Infielder Anthony Seigler was called up from Triple-A Worcester. Kiner-Falefa was in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Seattle Mariners, but was removed about 30 minutes before first pitch with Marcelo Mayer taking over at shortstop. Mayer had missed the previous game due to an illness and wasn't in the lineup. An MRI on Kiner-Falefa's forearm revealed the extent of the injury. He had not been taking batting practice during the recent homestand. Kiner-Falefa is slashing .277/.344/.361 with two homers and 13 RBIs in 47 games. Seigler is up for the third time this season, but has played in just two games and gone 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and a strikeout. At Worcester, Seigler has a .290/.409/.435 slash line with three homers and 23 RBIs. View the full article

With the trade deadline just about six weeks away, it is widely expected that the Boston Red Sox will look to trade away Aroldis Chapman. One of the game’s greatest closers in recent history, Chapman is in his age-38 season and playing for his seventh team. Despite being in the twilight of his career, Chapman has found success in Boston unlike anywhere else. Across 61.1 innings in the 2025 season Chapman posted a 1.17 ERA, the second-lowest mark over his 17-year career and the lowest since 2016. His success has carried over into 2026, as he is one of the lone bright spots of the Red Sox's underwhelming season thus far. Through 21.2 innings, the lefty has tallied an ERA of 0.83 and a 0.97 WHIP. His stellar stats amid a season of team disappointment make Chapman a clear trade chip. Should the Red Sox look to the future, there are a few candidates to take over the ninth inning in Chapman’s absence. Ranking Red Sox's 4 Best Replacement Plans for Aroldis Chapman We'll go in order here, with the best (and most likely) candidate first followed by a trio of less-heralded options. Garrett Whitlock Whitlock has blossomed into one of the league's most reliable set-up men over the past few seasons. The Rule-5 draft pick from the New York Yankees made an immediate impact in Boston, turning in a sub-2.00 ERA over 73.1 innings in his first big-league season. After missing the majority of the 2024 season with injury, Whitlock bounced back strongly in 2025. He pitched in a career high 62 games to the tune of a 2.25 ERA and 91 strikeouts, another career high. Through the start of the 2026 season Whitlock has played the same set-up role as last season, and he’s played it well. Through 21.2 innings, Whitlock has produced a 2.91 ERA and four wins. Inarguably one of Boston’s most consistent and reliable bullpen pieces this decade, Whitlock seems to be the heir apparent to the closer role. It makes too much sense to give Whitlock the extra responsibility. He has consistently proved his ability to perform under pressure and has long been one of the league's premier late-inning relievers. Tommy Kahnle Should the Red Sox desire to leave Whitlock in his current role, the next logical closer option would be Tommy Kahnle. A 12-year MLB veteran, Kahnle signed a minor-league deal with the Red Sox late in the offseason and began his 2026 campaign in Triple-A Worcester. In early June. Kahnle triggered an upward mobility clause, forcing the Red Sox to add him to the roster, lest he would opt-out and seek other opportunities. In five appearances since coming to Boston, Kahnle has impressed. He’s totaled a 1.50 ERA through six innings, building on his 1.40 ERA through two months in Triple-A. Despite the small big-league sample size in 2026, Kahnle’s career 3.58 ERA and his track record of success in the majors make a convincing argument for him to take over as the teams closer. Just two years ago, Kahnle posted a 2.11 ERA as a member of the Yankees. His changeup played a big role in his success, holding batters to a .157 average and generating a 38.9% whiff rate. He used the pitch 73% of the time and has similarly leaned into his changeup in 2026. While his smaller 2026 sample size doesn’t display astounding results, it isn’t a far-fetched possibility that Kahnle with his 17 career saves could be a reliable option for the remainder of the season. Tyron Guerrero Another player recently promoted from Triple-A, Guerrero is a power throwing righty. However, his career path has been less than conventional. The 35-year-old has played in parts of four seasons dating all the way back to 2016 and found a consistent role with the Miami Marlins from 2018-2019 but saw undesirable results. Guerrero bounced around the minors and overseas leagues before landing in Worcester this past January. He settled into a closing role with the WooSox, posting a 0.92 ERA across 19.2 innings pitched and earning a call up to Boston in late May. Guerrero has a four-pitch mix but relies heavily on his sinker, utilizing it 76% of the time. His fastball velocity is in the 99th percentile according to Baseball Savant and he averages 99.9 MPH on his sinker. Guerrero clearly has the tools to be an effective closer, but it all comes down to application. He gave up four runs through his first three big league appearances in 2026, good for a 9.82 ERA. However, in eight outings since then, Guerrero has only allowed one run, settling into a 4.35 ERA. Given his recent reliability, the veteran could be the most logical option to take over the closer role if Whitlock stays in his set-up role and Kahnle follows Chapman out the door at the trade deadline. Additionally, Guerrero has seen success as a closer in Worcester and has proven that he can be trusted to take over in high-stakes situations. Eduardo Rivera If Boston decides to look fully to the future, Eduardo Rivera is an intriguing name who could see more playing time as the season continues to slip away. A well-regarded pitching prospect, he got attention earlier this season when he was promoted to the big-league club without making a single appearance in Triple-A. In one relief appearance in Boston, he dominated. Over 3⅓ innings against the Yankees, Rivera allowed just one hit as he struck out three batters. In the two months since then, he has accumulated a 3.29 ERA while holding opponents to a .188 batting average, albeit entirely in the minors. While Rivera isn’t a traditional closer and typically fills in a multi-inning role, his ability to perform well under pressure helps make a case for a potential role change. Additionally, if the season continues to unravel, the experience of high-leverage work could be beneficial for Rivera’s development down the line. View the full article

The Toronto Blue Jays have more infield depth. The Jays on Saturday acquired infielder Luis Urias from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a cash trade. Urias was assigned to Triple-A Buffalo. He had been with Triple-A Reno for the D'backs. Urias, 29, signed a minor-league contract with the D'backs in March, but began the season on the seven-day injured list after playing for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic. He came back in early May, slashing .361/.393/.546 with three homers and 19 RBIs in 27 games. He last appeared in MLB last season, playing in 96 games with the A's and posting a .230/.315/.338 slash line with eight homers and 25 RBIs. He has a career mark of .231/.329/.378 over eight seasons. View the full article

It’s nearly the end of the month, making this the perfect time to reveal our updated prospect rankings for the site. No, you’re a little late. As a reminder, our list can be found here, and it currently reflects the voting from the early days of May. Updating on a monthly basis is our way of remaining on the pulse; players will improve or recede in play, suffer injuries that cause them to stagnate, or exhaust their prospect eligibility due to major league playing time (which is what happened to Connor Prielipp and Andrew Morris who are no longer “prospects,” under this technical definition). With that out of the way, let’s get to the list proper: Walker Jenkins OF, AAA (Previously #1) Kaelen Culpepper SS, AAA (Previously #2) Emmanuel Rodriguez OF, AAA (Previously #3) Eduardo Tait C, A+ (Previously #5) Marek Houston SS, A+ (Previously #7) Riley Quick RHP, A+ (Previously #8) Kendry Rojas LHP, MLB (Previously #9) Hendry Mendez OF, AAA (Previously #13) Dasan Hill LHP, A+ (Previously #6) Gabriel Gonzalez OF, AAA (Previously #10) Charlee Soto RHP, A+ (Previously #11) Brandon Winokur INF/OF, A+ (Previously #15) Khadim Diaw OF/C, AA (Previously #19) Quentin Young INF, A (Previously #14) Ryan Gallagher RHP, AAA (Previously #16) James Ellwanger RHP, A (Previously #18) C.J. Culpepper RHP, AAA (Previously #17) Yasser Mercedes OF, A+ (Previously Unranked) Billy Amick INF, AA (Previously Unranked) Kyle DeBarge INF, AA (Previously #20) An Unchanged Top 3 Voters kept the Walker Jenkins, Kaelen Culpepper, and Emmanuel Rodriguez triumvirate intact, despite all three players hitting the IL since our last update (Jenkins has since started a rehab assignment). Clearly, their talent remains triumphant—and no one has yet usurped any of them, even as health frustrations remain a nuisance for the two outfielders in the group. Two Hitting Hot Streaks Marek Houston entered June with a merely solid hitting season, and launched into supernova territory, terrorizing A+ ball pitchers with a .408/.545/.592 slashline with 16 walks to seven strikeouts. He’s reached base in every game he’s played in the month. Paired with his already adept defense at shortstop, Houston—Minnesota’s first-round pick in 2025—appears an obvious candidate to break through and become the next name that populates one of the top three spots on this list. We knew Hendry Mendez could hit, but did anyone know he could hit like this? The young outfielder nabbed as part of the Harrison Bader return from last year's deadline is something of a throwback hitter; someone who could walk more than they strike out while hovering around that coveted “.300” batting average mark. He hit a relative rough patch in June, and is now on the IL, but was so dominant in May that he jumped five spots and cracked our top 10. A Talented Lefty Drops There’s no way to supercoat it: Dasan Hill has been dreadful this year. He made waves with an impressive teenage showing in 2025, and has struggled mightily with control this season, walking nearly a batter an inning on average. Unsurprisingly, his ERA is near 7. Voters opted not to be too harsh on the 20-year-old, as his stuff remains incredible, and his lankiness may, more so than most hurlers his age, make command difficult as he matures into his body. Hello There, Khadim Diaw All he does is hit. The Senegalese super utility man holds an .850 OPS during his time in the Twins system, as his prescient sense of the strike zone, and hit by pitch abilities, has buoyed an OBP above .420. It appears he may have to Daulton Varsho it, and discard the tools of ignorance behind the plate in favor of letting his athleticism fly in center field, which is a perfectly fine outcome: the system is light on healthy and adept center fielders. Two Newcomers A pair of graduations necessitates a pair of elevations, and the lucky two this month were Yasser Mercedes and Billy Amick. Mercedes, a one-time big-time international get, has been famous for years now, even as his pro career has rollercoaster-ed between brilliance and struggles. This year, he pummeled A-ball but cooled off in Cedar Rapids. Billy Amick is here to hit home runs and strike out. He has 17 bombs in 61 games at AA, and is punching out at a 30% rate. He’s one of the bigger “boom or bust” candidates on this list, but the tantalizing power of a potential boom keeps him as a back-end name. View the full article

On Saturday morning, the Royals' Player Development account announced that they had signed left-handed pitcher Matt Moore to a Minor League contract. The 37-year-old pitcher is best known for his time with Tampa Bay, as he pitched seven shutout innings in Game 1 of the 2011 ALDS against the Texas Rangers. He made his first and only appearance in the All-Star Game with the Rays in 2013. That season, he posted a 3.29 ERA and 1.7 fWAR in 27 starts and 150.1 IP. While his best years came early in his career with the Tampa Bay Rays, he also found some success with the San Francisco Giants. In a split season with the Rays and Giants in 2016, he posted a 4.08 ERA and 2.0 fWAR in 33 starts and 198.1 IP, both career-highs. He struggled the next season as a starter with the Giants (5.52 ERA in 174.1 IP) and in 2018 with the Rangers (6.79 ERA in 102 IP). After pitching in only two games with the Tigers in 2019, he moved to Japan and posted a 2.65 ERA over 78 IP with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in 2020. In 2022, Moore moved to the bullpen and thrived in the role with the Rangers. In 63 appearances and 74.1 IP, he posted a 1.95 ERA and 1.3 fWAR. He served a similar role with three teams in 2023: the Angels, Marlins, and Guardians. In 52.2 IP among the three teams, he posted a 2.56 ERA and 0.6 fWAR. In 2024, he returned to the Angels but failed to duplicate his 2022 and 2023 reliever success. In 48.1 IP, he produced a 5.03 ERA and -0.8 fWAR. According to his TJ Stuff+ summary from 2024, he produced a decent whiff rate and xwOBACON, but his stuff was slightly subpar, and he struggled to find consistency in terms of zone and chase rates. Moore signed a Minor League deal with the Red Sox in February of 2025, but did not make an appearance with the Worcester Red Sox due to arm soreness. He was released and not picked up by a team for the remainder of 2025. Moore was not pitching for a baseball team this year prior to this signing. The Royals have been adding pitching depth to their system with so many pitchers on the IL. As of now, Alec Marsh, James McArthur, Cole Ragans, and Carlos Estevez are on the 60-Day IL, and Kris Bubic and Nick Mears are on the 15-Day IL. Kansas City acquired Connor Seabold from the Blue Jays and Randy Dobnak from the Mariners earlier this week. Dobnak made his Storm Chasers debut on Friday night. View the full article

The Toronto Blue Jays have one of their key offensive pieces back. Center fielder Daulton Varsho was activated from the 10-day injured list Saturday by the Blue Jays, who also got right-handed reliever Lazaro Estrada back from the 60-day IL. Second baseman Charles McAdoo and left-handed reliever Brendon Little were optioned to Triple-A Buffalo to make room. Varsho missed the minimum time due to inflammation in his left wrist. Varsho is slashing .256/.331/.408 with five homers and 17 RBIs this season. Estrada has been out since April 5 with a right shoulder impingement. He had made one appearance, going four scoreless innings, not allowing a hit while walking a pair and striking out three. He has been on a rehab assignment the last three weeks. McAdoo made his MLB debut by appearing in eight games, going 4-for-25 with a homer and three RBIs. Little was called up Friday and pitched one inning in the Jays' 16-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs. He allowed four runs on two hits and three walks with one strikeout. View the full article

Let's check in on everything that happened down in the Boston Red Sox's farm system on Friday. Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Series @ Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Philadelphia Phillies): 2-2 Season Record: 35-34 Worcester fell 9-3 as Brayan Bello’s struggles continued to mount up. Bello’s miscues have been well documented throughout 2026, eventually resulting in a demotion to Worcester. In his second appearance since being sent down, Bello struggled to find solid ground, a consistent trend throughout most of his starts this season. Over four and ⅔ innings pitched, Bello allowed three runs on seven hits. He struck out five but his woes continued despite being a step below the big leagues. Joe La Sorsa, another recent demoted player, took the next 1⅓ innings and was excellent. He allowed one hit but that was all as he turned the ball over to Angel Bastardo. Bastardo got the loss for his one inning outing, allowing one more run on two hits. Seth Martinez took the next ⅔ innings as the game got out of hand. Martinez allowed five more runs on five hits before first baseman Nathan Hickey took the final out of an embarrassing defeat. The WooSox struggled to get much going from the plate, reaching base eight times and only having two opportunities at the plate with runners in scoring position. Anthony Seigler and Matt Thaiss had two hits apiece as they generated most of Worcester’s offense. Thaiss got the WooSox on the board with a two RBI single in the fourth. The WooSox only other run came an inning later on Tyler McDonough’s third homer of the season as Worcester grabbed its only lead of the day. The bats were all but silent for the rest of the game as Worcester dropped its second in a row. Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Series vs. Somerset Patriots (New York Yankees): 3-1 Season Record: 34-32 Portland triumphed 6-2 behind a nine-strikeout appearance from Gage Ziehl. Ziehl put together one of his best appearances of the season on Friday night. He notched a season-high nine punchouts as he lowered his ERA to 4.56. Ziehl allowed two runs on four hits but didn’t allow a walk over five innings, earning his third win of the season. Max Carlson took the next three innings, allowing two hits but no runs. He struck out three before turning the ball over to Erik Rivera. Rivera was excellent, allowing one hit and striking out one as he sealed the win for Portland. Ahbram Liendo led the way with two hits and three RBIs during Friday night's contest. However, it was Marvin Alcantara who struck first for the Sea Dogs. Alcantara drove in Johanfran Garcia and Miguel Bleis on a double in the second inning. Portland grabbed the lead and didn’t look back as Stanley Tucker drove in Alcantara with an RBI double of his own. Not to be left out, Liendo joined in on the fun. He smashed his fourth homer of the year, driving in Tucker and capping off a five-run second inning. In the seventh, Liendo struck again. He drove in Nelly Taylor on an RBI single as he put an exclamation mark on the four-run victory. High-A Greenville Drive Series @ Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Philadelphia Phillies): 2-2 Season Record: 27-37 Greenville won behind a strong three-run ninth inning. Kyson Witherspoon has slowly begun to replicate his stellar final season at Oklahoma over his past few starts. This trend continued on Friday as he pitched five innings. He allowed two runs on four hits, but struck out a season-high eight batters. He allowed two walks, but it was a successful appearance for the young righty. Joe Vogatsky took the next three innings and was equally as impressive. Vogatsky allowed three hits but prevented Jersey Shore from scoring any runs as he sat down five batters on strikes, earning Friday’s win. Steven Brooks closed out the victory with a perfect ninth inning, completing the save opportunity. Despite a slow start, Greenville’s bats came up clutch to give it the win. Ronny Hernandez gave the Drive their first run of the day, clubbing his sixth homer of the season and cutting the lead to one run. In the top of the ninth inning, with the score 2-1 in favor of Jersey Shore, Mason White stepped to the plate with hero aspirations. He came through clutch, hitting his third triple of the year and tying the game as Hernandez scored. Then, Yoeilin Cespedes hit his first triple of the year, driving in White and giving the Drive a one run advantage. Cespedes crossed home on a Luke Heyman groundout as the lead was extended. It was better late than never on Friday as the Drive overcame early struggles to claim the win. Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Series @ Fredericksburg Nationals (Washington Nationals): 2-2 Season Record: 26-40 Salem won its second game in a row as the top of the order was excellent. Brady Tygart started Friday’s game for Salem and turned in a great outing. Over 2⅓ innings Tygart allowed two hits and walked two as he struck out three. Tygart is closing in on a return from injury and could be added to Salem’s roster in the near future. It wasn’t a lengthy outing from Tygart as he turned the ball over to Jacob Mayers in the third inning. Mayers earned the win for his 3⅔ innings of ball. He allowed one run on two hits as he walked four. He struck out six before Wuilliams Rodriguez took over in the seventh inning. Rodriguez struggled, allowing four runs on five hits. He also struggled with command, surrendering four walks. Adam Bates took the final 1⅓ innings, allowing four walks and a run but doing just enough to give Salem the victory as he earned a save. Salem’s top five batters each recorded an RBI, led by Andrews Opata and Kleyver Salazar who had two hits each. Ilan Fernandez scored in the top of the third to open the scoring, crossing home on an Avinson Pinto groundout. Later in the inning, Andruw Musett and Kleyvar Salazar scored as Skylar King reached on a fielding error. Salazar added to the lead in the seventh inning with an RBI single, driving home Justin Barry. Pinto then scored as Musett drew a bases loaded walk. Later in the seventh, Opata scored on a Skylar King sac fly. In the eighth, Opata added another run, driving in Justin Barry on a single to right. Despite a late-innings fight from Fredericksburg, Salem was able to hold onto the win behind efficient hitting. View the full article