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San Diego Padres affiliates went 4-1 Thursday as the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas lost to Reno 8-1, the Double-A San Antonio Missions surged to an 11-7 win over Corpus Christi, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps swept a doubleheader from South Bend 5-2 and 4-3 and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm cruised to a victory over San Jose 7-1. Padres Minor-League Transactions LHP Ryan Och activated from 7-day injured list and assigned to Fort Wayne TinCaps from San Antonio Missions. Chihuahuas Done In By Aces' Big Inning Nate Mondou hit a solo homer, but that would be the lone highlight as the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas gave up a sixth-run fifth inning en route to an 8-1 loss to the Reno Aces. Chihuahuas left-handed starter JP Sears was tagged for seven runs (six earned) on eight hits and no walks with four strikeouts in four innings. The bullpen came up with a strong effort, with right-hander Justin Yeager allowing a run in two innings and right-handers Misael Tamarez, Triston McKenzie and Ty Adcock each tossing shutout innings. Mondou had two of the Chihuahuas' four hits, going deep in the bottom of the sixth, his fifth of the season. EP_0618.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Bryce Johnson 2 0 0 0 1 1 Carlos Rodríguez 4 0 0 0 0 0 Mason McCoy 4 0 1 0 0 1 Marcos Castañon 4 0 0 0 0 0 Nick Pratto 4 0 0 0 0 0 Clay Dungan 4 0 1 0 0 2 Nick Schnell 2 0 0 0 0 1 Nate Mondou 3 1 2 1 0 1 Anthony Vilar 3 0 0 0 0 1 Colton Vincent 0 0 0 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR JP Sears 4.0 8 7 6 0 4 1 Justin Yeager 2.0 3 1 1 1 2 1 Misael Tamarez 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Triston McKenzie 1.0 1 0 0 2 0 0 Ty Adcock 1.0 1 0 0 1 0 0 Romeo Sanabria Leads 3-HR Parade In Missions' Victory Romeo Sanabria went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and four runs scored, including one of three homers as the Double-A San Antonio Missions toppled the host Corpus Christi Hooks 11-7. Luis Verdugo and Tirso Ornelas also went deep for the Missions, with Verdugo having two hits and three RBIs and Ornelas two RBIs and two runs scored. Francisco Acuna scored twice after singling and walking. Sanabria and Ornelas have eight homers and Verdugo four this year, with Ornelas hitting his second in three games. Missions left-handed starter Jagger Haynes, Padres Mission's No. 11 prospect, surrendered five runs on seven hits, including four homers, and a pair of walks with four strikeouts in 5⅓ innings. Ornelas drilled a two-run homer in the first inning with Sanabria aboard, then, after the Hooks took a 4-2 lead, Verdugo doubled home Sanabria in the top of the fourth, with the Hooks pulling within 4-3 in the bottom of the fourth. The Missions then pulled away on Sanabria's three-run homer in the fifth, Verdugo's two-run shot in the sixth and two more runs in the seventh for a 10-5 advantage. SA_0618.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Jackson 5 1 1 0 0 1 Francisco Acuna 3 2 1 0 1 0 Romeo Sanabria 4 4 3 3 1 0 Tirso Ornelas 4 2 1 2 0 0 Braedon Karpathios 4 1 1 0 1 1 Luis Verdugo 4 1 2 3 1 0 Kai Murphy 5 0 1 2 0 0 Kai Roberts 3 0 0 0 1 2 Chris Sargent 5 0 0 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jagger Haynes 5.1 7 5 5 2 4 4 Andrew Moore 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 Andrew Thurman 1.0 3 2 2 0 1 0 Omar Cruz 2.0 1 0 0 0 3 0 Walk-Off Completes TinCaps' Doubleheader Sweep To End First Half Lamar King Jr. singled home the tying run and Jack Costello the winning run with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning as the host High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps walked off the South Bend Cubs 4-3 to sweep a doubleheader. In the opener, Alex McCoy and Jake Cunningham drove in a pair of runs in a four-run sixth inning as the TinCaps won 5-2. The win came as the TinCaps, who had lost 11 of 12 coming into the day, completed the first half with a 27-39 record, fifth in the six-team Midwest League East Division. The Cubs won the West Division at 39-23. Kavares Tears homered in the second inning of the first game, his eighth of the season. South Bend scored one each in the third and fourth innings. In the bottom of the sixth, the TinCaps loaded the bases on walks to Kasen Wells and Justin DeCriscio and Rosman Verdugo being hit by a pitch. One out later, McCoy hit an opposite-field go-ahead two-run double down the right-field line. Cunningham followed with a two-run single to left for a 5-2 lead. FW1_0618.mp4 In the nightcap, TinCaps right-hander Maikel Miralles pitched five shutout innings, giving up a pair of hits but walking four and striking out three. Right-hander Tucker Musgrove, Padres Mission's No. 14 prospect, gave up a pair of runs while punching out two in the top of the sixth as the Cubs took a 2-1 lead. Cunningham homered in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game 2-2. With the game in extra innings, South Bend scored once in the top of the eighth on a wild pitch by right-hander Ryan Och. In the bottom half, Wells was the zombie runner and was bunted to third by Rosman Verdugo. King, Padres Mission's No. 10 prospect, grounded a single to left to plate Wells. After a McCoy single moved King to second, Cunningham walked to load the bases and, after a dropped foul popup by the first baseman, Costello took advantage of the second chance by hitting a slow chopper to the third baseman and King raced home with the winning run before a play could be made. FW2_0618.mp4 FIRST GAME Player AB R H RBI BB K Justin DeCriscio 2 1 0 0 1 1 Rosman Verdugo 2 1 0 0 0 1 Lamar King Jr. 2 0 0 0 1 1 Alex McCoy 3 1 1 2 0 1 Jake Cunningham 2 0 1 2 1 1 Kavares Tears 3 1 1 1 0 1 Jack Costello 3 0 0 0 0 1 Zach Evans 2 0 1 0 0 1 Kasen Wells 1 1 0 0 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Carson Montgomery 4.0 3 2 1 2 3 1 Will Varmette 2.0 0 0 0 2 2 0 Javier Chacon 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 SECOND GAME Player AB R H RBI BB K Kasen Wells 3 1 1 1 1 1 Rosman Verdugo 2 0 0 0 1 0 Lamar King Jr. 4 1 1 1 0 2 Alex McCoy 4 0 1 0 0 0 Jake Cunningham 2 1 1 1 2 1 Jack Costello 3 0 1 1 0 1 Zach Evans 2 1 1 0 1 0 Oswaldo Linares 2 0 0 0 0 0 Carlos Rodriguez 1 0 0 0 0 0 Wyatt Hoffman 2 0 0 0 1 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Maikel Miralles 5.0 2 0 0 4 3 0 Tucker Musgrove 1.0 1 2 2 1 2 0 Clay Edmondson 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Ryan Och 1.0 0 1 0 2 3 0 Bryan Balzer, Kerrington Cross Fuel Storm To 5th Straight Win Right-handed starter Bryan Balzer threw five strong innings, while Kerrington Cross had three hits and was one of three players with two RBIs as the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm rolled to a 7-1 victory over the San Jose Giants, their fifth straight win. The Storm, winners of the California League's South Division, finished the first half 39-27. San Jose won the North Division at 37-29. Qrey Lott also had three hits and scored twice, with Jorge Quintana and Yoiber Ocopio driving in a pair. Dawson Willis singled, walked and scored twice. The Storm struck early for four runs in the second inning as Quintana had a sacrifice fly, Yimy Tovar an RBI single and Cross a two-run double. The Giants got one back in the bottom of the second, then Quintana made it 5-1 with a run-scoring single in the top of the third. Ocopio boosted the lead to 7-1 on a two-run single. Balzer allowed one run on five hits and a walk with a pair of strikeouts in five innings. Right-hander Rordy Mejia followed with two shutout innings and three punchouts and left-hander Cal Riehl and right-hander Sean Barnett each had a shutout inning. LE_0618.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Wideman 5 1 1 0 0 0 Kerrington Cross 5 0 3 2 0 1 Jose Verdugo 5 0 1 0 0 0 Luke Cantwell 5 1 1 0 0 2 George Bilecki 0 0 0 0 0 0 Dawson Willis 4 2 1 0 1 3 Qrey Lott 4 2 3 0 0 0 Jorge Quintana 3 0 1 2 0 1 Yoiber Ocopio 4 0 1 2 0 2 Yimy Tovar 3 1 1 1 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Bryan Balzer 5.0 5 1 1 1 2 0 Rordy Mejia 2.0 1 0 0 0 3 0 Cal Riehl 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 Sean Barnett 1.0 2 0 0 0 2 0 Padres Mission Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: DNP Kash Mayfield: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ryan Wideman: 1-for-5 Jorge Quintana: 1-for-3, K Ty Harvey: On injured list Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Braedon Karpathios: 1-for-4, K Lamar King Jr.: Game 1: 0-for-2, K; Game 2: 1-for-4, 2 K Jagger Haynes: 5⅓ IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 4 K (W) Alex McCoy: Game 1: 1-for-3, 2B, K; Game 2: 1-for-4 Truitt Madonna: DNP Tucker Musgrove: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K Garrett Hawkins: DNP Michael Salina: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Rosman Verdugo: Game 1: 0-for-2, K; Game 2: 0-for-2 Bryan Balzer: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K (W) Deivid Coronil: DNP View the full article

TRANSACTIONS RHP Jesse Bergin was assigned to the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Outfielder Ricardo Paez was assigned to the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. Both players were with the FCL Twins. The Mussels also placed RHP Matthew Dalquist on the seven-day injured list. Finally, infielder Orlando Arcia was outrighted after clearing waivers and sent to the Saint Paul Saints. SAINTS SENTINEL Game 1: St. Paul 4, Omaha 12 Box Score Game 1 today as St Paul was pretty ugly for the hometown team. They gave up two runs in the first inning, four in the fourth inning, and five in the sixth inning on their way to a 12-4 loss to Omaha. For the Saints, Gabriel Gonzalez was 2-for-3 with a walk. He also hit his 11th home run of the season. The Saints team had just six hits, and they walked four times. The only other extra base hits included a Noah Cardenas home run, his fourth of the season, and Ben Ross doubled for the 14th time in a Saints uniform. On the mound, Austin Voth started and went four innings. He gave up six runs (5 earned) on six hits and two walks. He had five strikeouts. Grant Hartwig struck out two in a scoreless fifth inning Then rehabbing Kendry Rojas came in. He gave up five runs on five hits and a walk in just 1 1/3 innings. Drew Smith came on and got the final two outs but not before giving up another run on two hits. Game 2: St. Paul 4, Omaha 12 Box Score Game 2 started out well for the Saints. Ricky Castro threw a zero on the board in the top of the first, and Ben Ross led off the bottom half of the first inning with a home run, his fifth with the Saints. However, Castro gave up three runs in the top of the second inning, but the Saints were able to match that in the bottom of the third frame when Henry Kusiak came to the plate with the bases loaded and knocked his third Saints double to clear the bases and give his team a 4-3 lead. Ricky Castro gave up three runs on four hits and two walks in two innings. He struck out two batters. John Klein came in and went the next three innings. He gave up three runs on four hits (2 homers). He struck out five batters without issuing a walk. Alejandro Hidalgo walked one and struck out two batters in a scoreless inning. Marco Raya struck out two batters in a perfect seventh inning. The Saints had eight hits in the second game. Gabriel Gonzalez went 3-for-3 and was hit by a pitch. Cody Morissette was 1-for-2 with two walks. Tanner Schobel hit his 12th double. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 6, Springfield 8 Box Score This was an interesting game in Wichita on Thursday night. The Cardinals scored six runs in the top of the third inning. However, the Wind Surge responded in the bottom of the fourth inning with five runs of their own. From there, however, things settled in, and Wichita was never able to tie the game up or take the lead and Springfield won the game 8-6. Preston Johnson made the start for the wind surge the right hander fell to oh and three. He gave up six earned runs on four hits and two walks in just two and 1/3 innings. Sam Ryan came on in relief and got five outs. He gave up three hits but no walks and no runs. Jose Olivares came in for the fifth inning and walked four batters to give up a run in his one inning pitched. Paulshawn Pasqualotto settled things down. He struck out two over two perfect innings in relief. Jacob Webb gave up a run on two hits and two walks in his inning. Lefty Zach Vennaro struck out three batters in his half of the ninth inning. Down 6-0 going to the bottom of the fourth inning, the Wind Surge mounted their one big rally of the game. Kala’i Rosario singled up the middle to lead things off. After a ground out moved Rosario to second base, Jorel Ortega flew out to right field, deep enough for Rosario to advance to third base. Two outs and a runner on third base, Jose Salas hit his fifth double of the season to drive in Rosario and put the Surge on the scoreboard. Maddux Houghton followed with a walk, and Quinn McDaniel was hit by a pitch to load the bases. That's when Andrew Cossetti stepped up to the plate and drilled his eighth home run of the year, a grand slam that cut the wind surge deficit to just one run. The next three batters walked (Khadim Diaw, Billy Amick, and Rosario), but they were unable to score that tying run. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, Ortega hit his third home run of the season but that only made it 7-6 Cardinals. That was the last of the Wind Surge scoring opportunities. The Wind Surge scored their six runs on eight hits and six walks. Jose Salas was the lone Wichita batter with a multi-hit game. He was 2-for-4 with a double. Diaw was 1-for-3 and walked twice. Houghton added his third triple. KERNELS CHRONICLE Cedar Rapids 13, Beloit 10 Box Score This was another crazy game in Cedar Rapids on Thursday night. There have been a lot of unique, high scoring, back-and-forth games throughout the minor leagues the last few weeks, but several have happened in Cedar Rapids. Down 3-0, the Cedar Rapids Kernels scored seven runs in the bottom of the second inning. With one out, Enrique Jimenez started things with a single. With two outs, Caden Kendle walked. Jacob McCombs came up next and drilled his fourth home run of the season to tie the game at 3-3. One pitch later, Danny De Andrade followed with his seventh home run of the season to give the Kernels a 4-3 lead. With the bases cleared, Marek Houston singled to right field and stole second base. Walker Jenkins walked. Brandon Winokur singled to left to drive in Houston and make it a 5-3 game. Eduardo Tait drove in Jenkins and Winokur with a double to give the Kernels the 7-3 lead. Beloit scored a run in the top of the third, but the Kernels added on in the bottom of the fifth inning. Winokur led off the inning with a double off the wall in right field. He scored when Tait lined a single to center and made it 8-4 Cedar Rapids. After one out, there was a pitching change. Jay Thomason welcomed the new pitcher with a walk as did Caden Kendle to load the bases. McCombs followed by singling to center field which drove in two more runs and gave the Kernels a 10-4 lead. But the game wasn't over. In the top of the seventh, Beloit scored a run making it a 10-5 game. But the Kernels added another three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. It all started with two outs. Graham Brown walked, and Brandon Winokur reached on catcher's interference. That brought Tait to the plate, and he launched his 14th home run of the season to give the Kernels a 13-5 lead. This is the Midwest League. Games aren't over until the last out is recorded. The Sky Carp weren’t quitting. They scored five runs in the top of the ninth, but the Kernels had plenty of cushion and hung on for the 13-10 win. Lefty Cesar Lares started for Cedar Rapids. In 3 1/3 innings, he gave up four runs (3 earned) on four hits. He walked two batters and struck out two batters. Xavier Kolhosser came in and tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up just one hit, walked one, and struck out two batters. Nolan Santos gave up one run in the sixth inning on a hit and two walks. Yehizon Sanchez pitched a scoreless eighth inning, but he faced four batters in the ninth inning. All four reached, and all four scored. Mitch Mueller came on to get the final three outs, but not before he allowed all three inherited runners plus a run of his own to score. Eduardo Tait and Jacob McCombs were the heroes on offense. Tait went 3-for-5 with his 11th double and 14th home run. He scored twice and had six RBI. McCombs went 2-for-4 with his fourth home run. He had five RBI in the game. Brandon Winokur was the other Kernels hitter that had a multi-hit game He went 2-for-4 with his 11th double He scored three runs. Walker Jenkins went 1-for-3 with a walk as his rehab continues. De Andrade's home run was his seventh of the season. Houston's stolen base was his 23rd of the season. MIGHTY MATTERS Ft. Myers 16, Tampa 5 Box Score Did I mention earlier that there have been a lot of runs scored in Minor League Baseball recently? It is interesting to note that some online are starting to research and investigate if the baseball's used in minor-league games in 2026 are different than they have been in the past. I'll let smarter people than me try to figure all that out, I just enjoy watching all the runs score… when they're being scored by the Twins affiliates Through two innings, this game was scoreless. After that, the Mussels scored in five of their next six innings and went on to a 16-5 win. They scored three runs in the third inning, three in the fifth inning, four in the seventh inning, and five in the eighth inning. Oh, they had a one run fourth inning too (if you want to count that!). Fort Myers scored their 16 runs on 20 hits and six walks. It will come as no surprise that Dameury Pena led the way by going 4-for-6. Byron Chourio went 3-for-4 with a walk and his second home run. He drove in four runs. Ramiro Dominguez went 2-for-4 with a walk and three RBI. Jayson Bass had two hits. Luis Fragoza was 3-for-5 and scored three runs. He hit his eighth double. Ricardo Paez was 2-for-4 with two walks. He scored three runs and hit two doubles. Ryan Sprock came off the bench and went 2-for-2 with his sixth double and his fourth home run, a three-run blast. In addition, Fort Myers stole seven bases, including two by Dominguez who now has 15 on the season. Nine out of the 10 Mussels batters had at least one hit in the game. Most had more than one. So we won't mention that Quentin Young went 0-for-6 with five strikeouts. Don't forget that he hit home runs in his last two games. Kolten Smith started. He gave up two runs on three hits and two walks over 3 1/3 innings. He had five strikeouts. Brent Francisco came on and gave up only a walk over 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Eric Hammond gave up two runs on three hits over two innings. He walked one and had two strikeouts. Michael Hilker gave up one run on two hits over his two innings. He walked on and had two strikeouts. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 9, FCL Rays 3 Box Score In an unusual turn, the score of this FCL game was 1-1 going into the fifth inning. However, the Twins scored three in the top of the fifth and three more in the sixth inning and then added one more run in each the seventh and eighth innings to take a commanding lead and an eventual win over the Rays. On the mound to start for the FCL Twins was Frederick Hiciano. The 18-year-old gave up one run on one hit in 2 1/3 innings. He walked three and had four strikeouts. Carter Holjes came on and gave up two runs on two hits and a walk over the next 3 1/3 innings. He had one strikeout. Brad Rudis came in and was a hit batter from three perfect innings. He recorded three strikeouts. Jake Covey got the final out of the game after issuing a walk. The Twins scored their first run in the top of the fourth inning. Back-to-back-to-back singles by Miguel Caraballo, Carlos Taveras, and Teilon Serrano scored the first run. In the top of the fifth inning, Daiber De Los Santos walked. Following a pitching change, Yovanny Duran singled him to third base. Jhomnardo Reyes followed by reaching on a fielding error by the left fielder. De Los Santos scored. However, Duran was thrown out at third. That brought Miguel Caraballo to the plate, and he drilled his fourth home run of the short season to give the Twins the 4-1 lead. You might recall Caraballo came to the Twins in the infamous Daniel Susac trade in December. The top of the sixth inning started with a Darwin Almanzar walk. Jose Barrios doubled to advance him to third base. Following another De Los Santos walk, the bases were loaded, and the Rays made a pitching change. Duran walked to score Almanzar with the first run of the inning. Then Reyes was hit by a pitch to score the second run. The third run scored on a wild pitch. Welcome to FCL baseball! In the top of the seventh inning, Jose Barrios’s first Stateside home run gave the Twins an 8-3 lead. The 18-year-old had two homers last season in the DSL. In the top of the eighth inning, Caraballo walked and stole second. With one out, he stole third base. And after a Serrano walk, they executed a successful double steal with Caraballo stealing home to record his third steal of the inning, and his 10th stolen base of the season. The Twins scored their nine runs on 12 hits and nine walks. Duran went 3-for-5 with a walk. Caraballo was 2-for-5 with a walk and his fourth home run. Tavares was 2-for-5 with his fourth double. Serrano was 2-for-4 with his third triple. Barrios was 2-for-5 including his fifth double and first home run. De Los Santos walked three times. DSL Twins 1, DSL Diamondbacks 2 Box Score I may have to whisper-type about this game. I'm not sure if scoring just three total runs in a game is actually legal to write about or talk about much less play. So this could be quick. Both teams scored a single run in the third inning. The Diamondbacks affiliate scored a single run in the top of the seventh to take a 2-1 lead, and that's what the final score was. In the bottom of the first inning, the Twins got a leadoff double from Jendy Martinez. With one out, he went to third on a balk. He was left stranded. In the second inning, Abel Sosa, Jeferson Abreu, and Fabian Ulloa all walked to load the bases but the team was unable to score again. Like Diamondbacks in the top of the third, the Twins got on the board in the bottom of the third. Daiyer Barboza was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. He went to second on a wild pitch. Jhon Gonzalez grounded out to first base for the first out, but Barboza advanced to third. And in dramatic fashion, he scored on a wild pitch. Anibal Beltre followed with a single as if to show that he could have driven in the run himself. However, opportunities just stopped arriving after that. They had two consecutive 1-2-3 innings. Beltre singled to lead off the sixth inning, but he was unable to advance even to second base. Diamondbacks prospect Ismael Mejia led off the top of the seventh inning with his first home run which gave them a 2-1 lead. That takes us to the bottom of the seventh inning. The first two batters flew out. But Jendy Martinez followed with a line drive double to center field. Unfortunately, he attempted to make it a triple, and a perfect center field-to-shortstop-to-third baseman relay ended the threat before it even really started. 19-year-old Fernando Hernandez started for the Twins. He gave up one run on three hits over the first 2 2/3 innings. He struck out two batters. Yolcar Garcia was next for the Twins. The 18-year-old tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings in relief. He gave up one hit, walked one and had four strikeouts. Alam Soriano came in for the seventh inning and gave up the solo homer and a double, but just one run, in the inning. The Twins scored their one run on four hits and three walks. Martinez hit his fifth and sixth doubles. Beltre went 2-for-3. And the walks came back-to-back-to-back in the second inning. . PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter(s) of the Day Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul): 5-for-6, HBP, HR(11), 2 R, 1 RBI, K. Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids): 3-for-5, 2B(1!), HR(14), 2 R, 6 RBI. Jacob McCombs (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-4, HR(4), R, 5 RBI, K. Dameury Pena (Fort Myers): 4-for-6, R, SB(19). Byron Chourio (Fort Myers): 3-for-4, BB, HR(2), 3 R, 4 RBI, SB(14). Pitcher(s) of the Day Brad Rudis (FCL Twins): 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 3 K, 51 pitches, 32 strikes (62.7%) Yolcar Garcia (DSL Twins): 3 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K. PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. #1 - OF Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - Rehab in CR: 1-for-3, BB, R, K (batted second, played CF) #5 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 3-for-5, 2B(11), HR(14), 2 R, 6 RBI, K (batted fourth, played DH). #7 - SS Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-5, R, K, SB(23) (batted first, played SS) #9 - LHP Kendry Rojas (Minnesota) - Rehab in SP, Game 1: 1 1/3 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 33 pitches, 22 strikes (66.7%) #10 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - Game 1: 2-for-3, BB, HR(11), R, RBI, K (batted second, played 1B, Game 2: 3-for-3, HBP, R, (batted second, played DH) #12 - RHP Andrew Morris (Minnesota) - 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 8 pitches, 5 strikes (62.5%). #14 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-6, 5 K (batted third, played DH) #15 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, 3 R, RBI, E(10) (batted third, played 3B) #19 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Wichita) - 1-for-3, 2 BB (batted second, played C) #20 - 2B/SS/CF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - Temporary Inactive List UPCOMING PROBABLES Friday, June 19 Omaha @ St. Paul (7:07 pm CT) - LHP Aaron Rozek (1-0, 2.53 ERA) vs Randy Dobnak making his first start since being traded from the Mariners to the Royals. Springfield @ Wichita (6:35 pm CT) - The Return of RHP Chris Vallimont (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 pm CT) - LHP Garrett Horn (0-0, 2.08 ERA) Ft. Myers @ Tampa (5:30 pm CT) - RHP Ramiro Villanueva (0-2, 4.55 ERA) FCL Red Sox @ FCL Twins (11:00 am CT) - DSL Twins @ DSL Blue Jays (10:00 am CT) - CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 36-40 (3rd place (of 5) in AL Central, 4.5 GB)) (The first half of the minor league seasons ended on Thursday. None of the Twins affiliates are first-half champions, so they'll have to win the second half title to make the playoffs.) St. Paul Saints: 40-29 (3rd place (of 10) in IL West Division, 4.5 GB)) Wichita Wind Surge: 25-39 (5th place (of 5) in TL North Division, 17.0 GB)) Cedar Rapids Kernels: 31-33 (4th place (of 6) in MWL West Division, 9.0 GB)) Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 37-28 (2nd place (of 6) in FSL West Division, 2.5 GB)) FCL Twins: 19-15 (2nd place (of 6) in FCL South Division, 1.0 GB)) DSL Twins: 4-9 (6th place (of 7) in DSL East Division, 5.0 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

The Chicago Cubs have decided that Moises Ballesteros needs a reset. The 22-year-old designated hitter was optioned Thursday to Triple-A Iowa by the Cubs. A move to fill Ballesteros' spot on the 26-man roster will need to be made before Friday's series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays at Wrigley Field. Ballesteros has a slash line of .231/.303/.385 with six homers and 23 RBIs in 59 games. Those numbers would be better had it not been for an awful month of May, where he slashed .102/.206/.153 with just six hits in 59 at-bats. His June has been better at .231/.286/.269, already matching his hit total for May in 26 at-bats. The left-handed hitter was thought to be an offensive star in the making after making his MLB debut last year and putting up a .298/.394/.474 slash line, hitting two homers and driving in 11 in 20 games. But that has not been the case and the Cubs, at 39-36 and 7½ games behind the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers, decided it was time for Ballesteros to restore some confidence in the minors. View the full article

Yoendrys Gómez has me wondering: Can we have nice things? With the scars of last year’s trade deadline selloff still mending, I’m not ready to get hurt again. That’s why I’m shielding myself from falling for Gómez, a breakout bullpen sensation. Gómez has been brilliant since being plucked from the scrap heap. Perhaps this is outdated logic I’m applying to the current Twins brass, but I believe he’s more likely to be pitching for a contender come August than to be a long-term piece here. If the Twins continue to operate with the same mentality that Derek Falvey and Joe Pohlad did last July, Gómez is as good as gone. Will Jeremy Zoll and Tom Pohlad take a different approach? We’ll see. The thirst for bullpen help at the trade deadline is nearly unquenchable. Twins fans know this as well as anyone. The Twins may end up being among the teams seeking relief help. Thanks to a middling American League, they’re just two games out of a Wild Card spot despite being 35-40 entering Thursday's play. But, as Cody Christie recently wrote, decision time is coming, one way or another. Should the Twins fall further from contention, Gómez will be a commodity. Given his lack of a track record, he wouldn’t be any team’s first choice, but there will be no shortage of suitors if he continues to pitch well. Gómez had been used as a long-,relief mop-up man with the Rays, pitching at least two innings in six of his nine outings. After the Twins acquired him in early May, he worked himself into high leverage in short order. The role looks good on him, and a few minor adjustments are doing wonders. As Matthew Lenz recently pointed out, the Twins have Gómez throwing more sweepers and fewer of his other secondaries. Also, among the many items Aaron Gleeman recently called out in his lengthy profile of Gómez was that he dropped his arm slot (link to article here, subscription required but highly recommended). Gómez has a 1.53 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 29.2 K% in 17 2/3 innings as a Twin. In 20 outings, he’s already earned seven saves and five holds. This is exactly the type of guy the Twins desperately needed to find. As if the early returns weren’t exciting enough, the righty is also under team control for ages. Though this is the fourth season in which he's pitched in the majors, he didn't even start the campaign with one full year of official service time. He's likely to become artbitration-eligible as a Super Two guy after 2027, but he still won't hit free agency until the end of 2031 campaign. Relievers are frustratingly fickle, and Gómez embodies that. Still, there’s a real chance he could be a high-leverage reliever for the Twins for another five seasons. On the other hand, he could turn back into a pumpkin at any moment. After all, this guy had pitched so poorly that the Twins were able to acquire him for cash considerations. In the past two seasons, he has been claimed off waivers twice and traded twice. Before joining the Twins, Gómez had 93 1/3 career innings in the big leagues. In that time, he had a 5.11 ERA, 5.60 FIP, 20.2 K% and 10.5 BB%, and had recorded just a pair of saves (one of them being a three-inning save in a 9-2 blowout). In his pre-Twins days, Gómez particularly struggled to keep the ball in the park. From the start of the 2023 season to the point that he joined the Twins, he was among 524 pitchers to log 90+ innings. Among that sample, he had … The fourth-worst Barrel% (12.6%). The 20th-worst HR/9 (1.83). The 24th-worst xERA (5.52). It was easier to envision him being DFAd again by now, rather than him even simply finding his footing. Is this run he’s on sustainable? The one thing we can say for certain is that Gómez will eventually give up another home run. It might not feel like there’s any rush for the Twins to come to a conclusion on Gómez’s future outlook, but that conversation changes once teams start to ask about him. And they will. Maybe things will be different this time around. Jeremy Zoll inherited a mess. Even with Gómez stabilizing the late innings, this bullpen is in disorder. You can’t build a good team around a bullpen, but you also can’t build a good team without one. Zoll and his front office clearly saw something in Gómez. Maybe he’ll want to relish in this victory of an addition and keep him around as a building block of a more functional future bullpen. While he hasn’t done much to back it up, Tom Pohlad has talked a lot about the Twins' intention to win. Since he’s been every bit as penny-pinching as all his relatives before him, the fact that Gómez will be dirt-cheap over the coming several seasons should endear him to Pohlad. This is an affordable potential building block, albeit a minor one. If the payroll is going to continue to be limited, these are the types of players the Twins need to prioritize holding onto. At the end of the day, everyone has a price. It all comes down to value. Perhaps trading Gómez would turn out to be the smart move, but the Twins' bullpen is in dire straits due to a series of previous “smart moves.” If Zoll and Pohlad are content to simply sell off Gómez to the highest bidder, it’ll be a signal to expect more of the same. But if they aren't, maybe there's something genuinely different happening. View the full article

Getting the call-up to the majors in place of Culpepper was Kyler Fedko, who has gone 0-for-4 with a sac fly RBI in his first two MLB games. Jamie and Jeremy discuss the role Fedko will play in the Twins' lineup during his first stint in the Majors. View the full article

Despite a home run on Wednesday night, Dansby Swanson has been one of the more consistently broken components of a collectively broken Chicago Cubs lineup. His line of .176/.280/.318 features career worsts across each of the three categories while his wRC+ of just 71 is indicative of a player performing well below average at the plate. Despite the value he's still able to provide with his plate approach (and with his work with the glove and on the basepaths), he's been objectively bad as a hitter in 2026. Swanson has long been considered a player who needs to sit on four-seam fastballs to find success. The 2025 campaign notwithstanding, his run value — indicating his runs added or prevented within a specific situation or specific pitch — has landed on the positive end of the spectrum in each year of his career. In most of those cases, that pitch has served as his highest mark in that category. Things started to shift last year, when Swanson posted a run value of -10 against four-seam heat. While he was still able to generate hard contact (62.1 percent of the time) and find some positive outcomes (.409 slugging percentage) against it, he also whiffed more than 30 percent of the time, a career-worst rate by a wide margin. His chase rate jumped up to 27.1 percent (his highest since 2018), indicating a potential over-reliance on four-seamers, at least in the sense that it didn't necessarily matter where it landed in the zone, he was going for it. Nevertheless, the fastball still represented an area of success when you consider the volume he was getting against the outcomes. The run value came as more of a byproduct of his aggression rather than a regression against the pitch itself. Unfortunately for Swanson, opposing pitchers are keen to his history. For the third consecutive season, Swanson has seen a decrease in four-seamers his way, with the rate he's seeing the pitch sitting at 24.0 percent in 2026. Worse yet in his case, that rate has continued to decline as the season has progressed: Not only is Swanson seeing far fewer four-seam fastballs, it's happening while he's getting pounded with sinkers. The rate of four-seamers he's seeing has dropped by about seven percent while the sinker rate has jumped by about the same. This presents a couple of different issues for Swanson. The first is his actual outcomes against the sinker. He's putting the ball on the ground 44.1 percent of the time, feeding directly into what the pitch is designed to do. Of course, that's when he actually makes contact. He's had a tremendously difficult time adapting to this world of increased sinkers, with a swing-and-miss rate that sat at 12.5 percent in May now resting at an obscene 52.9 percent in June. It's no mystery what's happening here: The swing timing data only shows fastballs, with May and June illustrated above. Swanson's distribution in May looks largely like it should, but when you shift attention to the orange portion of the above (indicating June), it gets rather messy. The veteran shortstop is swinging over the baseball 24 percent of the time in June. That's an alarmingly high rate that is 11 percent higher than the next closest hitter against that pitch type. When you consider that data along with the visual above, it's clear that this is an exclusive byproduct of the increase in sinkers. A central issue within all of this is that we haven't seen the appropriate adjustment from Swanson. There hasn't been anything in his approach to help mitigate this. Nearly all of his mechanics that we can track (tilt, attack angle, etc.) remain nearly identical to what we've seen in the past few seasons. That there hasn't been a discernible change as the year has wore on and this has become more evident represents a paramount concern actively working against hope for Swanson to work his way out of this. There was this perception of Swanson that he, a hitter who needed the hard stuff to survive, was getting hit heavily with breaking and off-speed pitches as a means for opposing pitchers to minimize his impact at the plate. Instead, the call is coming from inside the house. It's the heaters proving to be his enemy this year. Coming at him in this new form appears to be something he's not yet ready to combat. View the full article

Box Score SP: Joe Ryan - 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K (97 pitches, 67 strikes (69% strikes)) Home Runs: Brooks Lee, Trevor Larnach, Ryan Kreidler Top 3 WPA: Brooks Lee (0.20), Joe Ryan (0.15), Josh Bell (0.11) Win Probability Chart The Twins entered Thursday afternoon’s series finale against the Rangers looking to complete a three-game sweep and make it four straight wins. With Joe Ryan on the mound and the offense swinging hot bats, the Twins delivered one of their more complete performances of the season, rolling to a 9-3 victory and securing the sweep in Texas. EARLY OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION PUT THE RANGERS IN A HOLE The Twins wasted no time jumping on Rangers starter Jack Leiter. Trevor Larnach opened the game by lining the very first pitch into center field for a single, and after Kody Clemens followed with a base hit of his own, Minnesota quickly put pressure on the young right-hander. Royce Lewis struck out swinging for the second out of the inning, but Josh Bell continued his torrid stretch by ripping a two-strike changeup into right field to score Larnach and give the Twins a 1-0 lead. The big blow came moments later. After Leiter used his changeup to punch out both Byron Buxton and Lewis earlier in the frame, Brooks Lee got a changeup that stayed over the plate and didn't miss it. The rookie crushed it 104 MPH over the wall in right field for a three-run homer, extending Minnesota's lead to 4-0 before Joe Ryan even took the mound. The Twins sent eight hitters to the plate in the inning, forcing Leiter to throw 28 pitches and immediately placing the Rangers in catch-up mode. LARNACH STAYS RED HOT Minnesota's offense cooled briefly over the next couple innings, but Trevor Larnach made sure the lead continued to grow. After Luke Keaschall worked a two-out walk in the fourth inning and swiped second base, Larnach stepped in and capped off an eight-pitch at-bat by launching a two-run homer to center field. Initially, it looked like Alejandro Osuna might have a chance to bring it back, but the ball carried just over the wall, giving the Twins a commanding 6-0 advantage. An inning later, he added another RBI with a bloop single to left field that scored Victor Caratini and pushed the lead to 7-0. Larnach finished the afternoon with three hits, including the homer, continuing what has been one of the hottest stretches of his season. JOE RYAN BENDS BUT DOESN'T BREAK While the offense provided plenty of support, Joe Ryan had to work harder than usual to keep the Rangers off the board. Texas put multiple runners on base in both the second and third innings, forcing Ryan to navigate traffic throughout much of his outing. His pitch count climbed quickly, reaching 65 pitches through three innings and 83 through four. Still, whenever the Rangers threatened, Ryan found a way to make the big pitch. He struck out Joc Pederson three times, froze Kyle Higashioka with a front-door sweeper, and worked around several baserunners to complete five scoreless innings. It wasn't his most efficient start, as he needed 97 pitches to record 15 outs, but he generated 13 whiffs, threw 69% of his pitches for strikes, and most importantly, left the game without allowing a run. BULLPEN WEATHERS A BRIEF STORM The only real blemish on the afternoon came in the sixth inning. Justin Lawrence entered in relief and immediately surrendered a solo homer to Wyatt Langford on the first pitch he threw. Two batters later, Ezequiel Duran added another solo shot, trimming the lead to 7-2. Any thoughts of a Rangers comeback were short-lived. Taylor Rogers worked around trouble in the seventh before Andrew Morris entered and promptly induced a 6-4-3 double play to erase a potential rally. Eric Orze escaped a two-on situation in the eighth, and Cody Laweryson closed things out in the ninth despite allowing a late solo homer. TWINS ADD INSURANCE AND FINISH THE SWEEP The Twins made sure Texas never got any closer. Ryan Kreidler provided the biggest insurance of the day in the eighth inning, turning on a middle-middle cutter and driving a two-run homer. The blast extended the lead to 9-2 and effectively put the game out of reach. Caratini added three hits in the victory, Keaschall reached base four times, and Bell continued his impressive series with another multi-hit performance. Even with Royce Lewis enduring a difficult afternoon that included four strikeouts, the Twins' lineup produced 15 hits and consistently applied pressure throughout the game. By the time the final out settled into Keaschall’s glove at second base, Minnesota had completed the series sweep and continued its recent surge. After a pair of disappointing divisional series against the Royals and Tigers, the Twins responded exactly how they needed to, taking five of six games against the Cardinals and Rangers. At 36-40, Minnesota remains within striking distance in the American League Central and will carry some much-needed momentum into the weekend. What’s Next? The Twins travel to Phoenix, Arizona to take on the Diamondbacks in a three-game weekend series, starting Friday night. Connor Prielipp is set to throw for the good guys, and right-hander Mike Soroka is the probable starter for the Diamondbacks. First pitch is set for 8:45 PM on Apple TV. Postgame Interviews Coming Soon! Bullpen Availability Chart View the full article

When the Twins designated Orlando Arcia for assignment earlier this week, there was at least a chance another club would take a flier on a veteran with nearly a decade of major league experience. Instead, Arcia passed through waivers unclaimed and will remain in the organization. According to The Athletic's Dan Hayes, Arcia has accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A St. Paul rather than electing free agency. That keeps a familiar depth piece in Minnesota's system as the club navigates the second half of the season. Arcia's latest stint with the Twins lasted just under a month. Minnesota promoted him after reshuffling the infield, a move that coincided with Royce Lewis being sent to Triple-A and Brooks Lee taking over at the hot corner. During his time with the big-league club, Arcia appeared in 19 games and collected 50 plate appearances, posting a .271/.300/.354 slash line with one home run. While his major league opportunity was brief, Arcia had done plenty to earn a look. Before his promotion, he was one of St. Paul's most productive hitters, batting .318/.376/.556 with eight home runs in 165 plate appearances for the Saints. The 31-year-old has built a lengthy major league résumé over parts of 11 seasons. Arcia carved out a respectable career and enjoyed a resurgence with the Braves, hitting .258/.319/.419 across the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Offensive production has been harder to find in recent years. Since the start of 2024, Arcia owns a .217/.265/.338 line in the majors, bringing his career numbers to .240/.292/.369 over more than 3,500 plate appearances. His return to St. Paul comes at a useful time for the organization. Top prospect Kaelen Culpepper is currently sidelined with a hip strain, creating regular at-bats in the Saints' infield. Even after Culpepper returns, Arcia provides valuable insurance for a Twins club that has dealt with its share of injuries and roster turnover. Minnesota doesn't currently have an obvious opening on the major league roster, but that can change quickly. If another infielder lands on the injured list or the Twins need a more reliable defensive option, Arcia's experience and familiarity with the organization could put him right back on the shuttle between St. Paul and Target Field. For now, the Twins keep a veteran depth piece in the fold, and Arcia keeps alive the possibility of adding another chapter to a major league career that has already spanned more than a decade. View the full article

Once again in 2026, I will be monitoring Miami Marlins predictions from our valued SuperSubs, Fish On First staffers and livestream guests. Individual article pages like this one will be created prior to every Marlins series and featured prominently on the FOF site. Consistent participation is key if you want to win this annual contest. Submissions only take a few seconds. Scoring system A "perfect" series is worth three points: Earn one point for predicting which team will win the upcoming series Earn one point for predicting the precise number of victories for each team Earn one point for predicting the “Series MVP” who accumulated the highest win probability added (WPA) during the series as calculated by FanGraphs (could pick a player from either team) FOF staffer Jeremiah Geiger is currently atop the 2026 season leaderboard, which will be updated between every Marlins series. If you are a SuperSub, leave a comment with your Prediction Time picks on this page, or join the Marlins Discord Server and submit there. We'll feature them on the upcoming Fish On First LIVE episode and track your points throughout the season! Any picks submitted prior to the first pitch of the series opener will be counted. If you are not a SuperSub, please consider signing up here to support the FOF staff. Series preview notes Probable starting pitchers: TBA (MIA) vs. TBA (SF) on Friday RHP Max Meyer (MIA) vs. TBA (SF) on Saturday TBA (MIA) vs. TBA (SF) on Sunday Ryan Gusto likely to pitch bulk innings The Marlins rank 18th in MLB with a 97 wRC+ and 10th in MLB with a 3.99 FIP. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games and have a 23-16 record at home this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Griffin Conine (60-day IL), Josh Ekness (15-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), Janson Junk (15-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL), Andrew Nardi (60-day IL), Eury Pérez (15-day IL) and Robby Snelling (60-day IL). The Giants rank 12th in MLB with a 103 wRC+ and 18th in MLB with a 4.25 FIP. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have a 17-23 record on the road this season. The following Giants players are on the injured list: Harrison Bader (10-day IL), Hayden Birdsong (60-day IL), José Buttó (60-day IL), Jason Foley (60-day IL), Tyler Mahle (15-day IL), Jared Oliva (60-day IL), Joel Peguero (60-day IL), Heliot Ramos (10-day IL), Randy Rodriguez (60-day IL), Rowan Wick (60-day IL) and Keaton Winn (15-day IL). View the full article

Fish On First staffers react to the latest Miami Marlins series and prepare you for what lies ahead. Wednesday's show was hosted by Jeremiah Geiger and featured panelist Alex Krutchik. The following topics were covered: The Marlins rebounding from two miserable losses The latest on the starting rotation's holes MLB fans voting for undeserving players to be MLB All-Star Game starters Appreciating how Miami's bullpen has stepped up in June Previewing and predicting the next series against the San Francisco Giants You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods. Our next FOF LIVE episode will be Sunday at approximately 5:30 p.m. ET following the Marlins-Giants series finale. View the full article

In this week's episode, Nick goes over how things have been for Greenville, Salem, and even the FCL, discussing some standouts such as Franklin Primera and Sadbiel Delzine in the FCL, along with slugger Jack Winnay of the Drive. From the pitching standpoint he once more talks about the young pitchers such as Marcus Phillips, Christian Foutch, Kyson Witherspoon, and Barrett Morgan, and how they've been doing so far in June. Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-talk-sox-podcast/id1783204104 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3qPrPXEngu0CxgTmlf0ynm Listen on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-talk-sox-podcast-244591331/ Listen on Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/4tmd121v Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@talksox View the full article

The American League remains a mess. Despite an inconsistent first half, the Minnesota Twins have played better over the last week and continue to hang around the Wild Card race. Entering the middle of June, Minnesota sits just 1.5 games behind the final playoff spot, which is close enough to dream about a second-half run. The problem is that simply staying close may not be enough. The Twins will likely need to play well above .500 baseball over the final three months and finish somewhere in the mid-80s in wins to secure a postseason berth. Given the current roster, ongoing injury concerns, and a lack of impact reinforcements arriving soon, that path feels increasingly difficult. Jeremy Zoll and the front office still have time before making any final decisions, but if Minnesota ultimately chooses to sell at the trade deadline, these are the players most likely to be involved. Definitely Traded SP Joe Ryan Team Control: Through 2027 2026 Stats: 15 G, 2.89 FIP, 22.9 K-BB%, 2.4 fWAR Ryan was one of the few core players who survived last year's deadline selloff, but that may not be the case this summer. The right-hander is putting together another All-Star caliber campaign and would immediately become one of the most coveted starting pitchers on the market. With another full season of team control remaining after 2026, Ryan offers contenders something most deadline acquisitions do not: certainty beyond October. If Minnesota decides to move him, the return could rival or exceed any prospect package the organization has received in recent years. C Ryan Jeffers Team Control: Through 2026 2026 Stats: 37 G, .411 wOBA, 163 wRC+, 1.7 fWAR Before suffering a broken hamate bone, Jeffers was in the middle of the best offensive stretch of his career. Over the last three seasons, he has established himself as one of baseball's most productive offensive catchers, a profile that always attracts interest at the deadline. Catching remains one of the thinnest positions in the sport, and contenders are constantly searching for upgrades behind the plate. As a pending free agent, Jeffers is exactly the type of player rebuilding or retooling teams often move. 1B Josh Bell Team Control: Through 2026 2026 Stats: 72 G, .300 wOBA, 87 wRC+, -0.3 fWAR Bell followed a familiar script this season. He struggled through the first two months, posting a .609 OPS over his first 53 games before catching fire recently. Over his last 19 contests, Bell owns an .883 OPS and has looked much closer to the productive hitter many expected when he signed. At 33 years old and headed toward free agency, Bell does not fit Minnesota's long-term plans. If he continues swinging the bat well, he could become a useful depth addition for a contender seeking lineup help. LHP Taylor Rogers Team Control: Through 2026 2026 Stats: 32 G, 3.39 FIP, 12.5 K-BB%, 0.4 fWAR Rogers' return to Minnesota has gone about as expected. The veteran left-hander continues to generate weak contact and provide quality innings against difficult matchups. Contending teams always search for bullpen upgrades in July, and left-handed relievers are among the most sought-after commodities. Given his age and place in the Twins' competitive timeline, Rogers appears like a logical trade candidate if Minnesota pivots toward selling. RHP Yoendrys Gómez Team Control: Through 2031 2026 Stats: 29 G, 4.73 FIP, 11.0 K-BB%, 0.2 fWAR This may be the most intriguing name on the list. After acquiring Gómez for cash considerations from Tampa Bay, Minnesota helped unlock another level by making mechanical adjustments. The results have been significant enough that he has worked his way into the closer's role. Relievers are notoriously volatile, and Gómez's value may never be higher than it is right now. If the Twins believe his current performance has maximized his trade value, cashing in could make a lot of sense. Possibly Traded OF Trevor Larnach Team Control: Through 2027 2026 Stats: 60 G, .343 wOBA, 117 wRC+, 1.0 fWAR Minnesota quietly explored Larnach's market during the offseason but never found a deal worth making. His 2026 season looks a lot like the previous few years: solid offensive production, quality at-bats, and enough defensive limitations to create questions about his long-term fit. Still, left-handed power remains valuable, and there are always contenders searching for lineup upgrades. A move would not be surprising, but neither would a decision to keep him. UTL Kody Clemens Team Control: Through 2029 2026 Stats: 62 G, .350 wOBA, 121 wRC+, 1.2 rWAR Clemens has become one of Minnesota's most important role players. He has provided production at the plate, competent defense at multiple positions, and the type of clubhouse presence every contender values. The challenge for the Twins is determining whether his current production represents a peak value opportunity. With three additional years of control after this season, Minnesota has no urgency to move him. However, his versatility and affordability could make him attractive to a wide range of playoff hopefuls. LH RP Anthony Banda Team Control: Through 2027 2026 Stats: 34 G, 4.16 FIP, 9.7 K-BB%, 0.1 fWAR Banda's overall numbers do not jump off the page, but his recent performance certainly does. After a difficult start to the season, the left-hander has posted a 0.56 ERA in 18 appearances since May 5. Teams looking beyond traditional statistics will notice the improvement. The additional year of team control only increases his appeal and gives Minnesota flexibility when evaluating potential offers. UTL Royce Lewis Team Control: Through 2028 2026 Stats: 41 G, .295 wOBA, 83 wRC+, 0.1 fWAR Lewis may be the toughest player on this list to evaluate. His struggles earlier this season resulted in a reset at Triple-A, but he has looked considerably better since returning to the major leagues. The talent that once made him the organization's top prospect is still present. At the same time, the fit has become more complicated. Injuries, position changes, and inconsistent production have created uncertainty about his long-term role. If another organization believes it can unlock Lewis' star potential, Minnesota could listen. A change-of-scenery trade remains a possibility. Unlikely To Be Traded CF Byron Buxton Team Control: Through 2028 2026 Stats: 63 G, .397 wOBA, 153 wRC+, 2.9 fWAR Buxton's name has already surfaced in national trade speculation, which is understandable given the season he is having. The problem is that a trade remains highly improbable. Buxton possesses full no-trade protection and has repeatedly stated his desire to remain in Minnesota. More importantly, the Twins are under no pressure to move him. He remains the face of the franchise and is arguably putting together the best offensive season of his career. Unless Buxton initiates those conversations himself, expect him to stay exactly where he is. C Victor Caratini Team Control: Through 2027 2026 Stats: 53 G, .287 wOBA, 78 wRC+, 0.2 fWAR Caratini's offensive production has been disappointing, but that alone makes a trade difficult. Minnesota signed him to a two-year contract with the expectation that he could help bridge the transition if Jeffers eventually departed in free agency. That need still exists today. The Twins would almost certainly be willing to move the second year of his contract if another team expressed interest, but finding that team could prove difficult. For now, he looks more likely to remain in Minnesota than leave. The Twins have done enough recently to keep their postseason hopes alive, which is why the next few weeks are so important. A strong stretch could push Minnesota firmly into the buyer category. Another extended slump could force the front office to continue the organizational reshaping that began last summer. If that happens, Ryan and Jeffers stand out as the most likely headliners. Beyond them, the Twins have a collection of veterans, relievers, and intriguing controllable pieces who could generate significant interest around the league. For now, Minnesota remains stuck between buying and selling. The standings will determine which direction Zoll ultimately chooses. View the full article

It would be hubris—hideous hubris—to suggest that the NL Central race is over already. Sure, the season starts early these days, so even though it's only June 18, the Brewers have already played 71 of their 162 games. Sure, they have a comfy 5.5-game lead in the standings table, and the teams who looked most likely to give them a run for their money this year (the Pirates and the Cubs) are even further back. Much can happen in 100 days, though, and that's how much time is left in this long season. One year and one day ago, I wrote an article entitled "The Brewers Can Absolutely Catch the Cubs," and that turned out to be true. They were 5.5 games behind Chicago at the time. That said, though: this thing is pretty close to over. The 2026 Cardinals aren't the 2025 Brewers; those Brewers were better. The 2026 Brewers aren't the 2025 Cubs; these Brewers are better. Milwaukee is a well-run, deep, dynamic team that hasn't even had everything go right this year, and that is dominating, anyway. They're 104-58 in their last 162 regular-season games. They're going to win this division. Even the news that Quinn Priester won't be back this year (hardly news, by now, really) doesn't change that. Specifically, FanGraphs gives the Crew an 83% chance to win the NL Central, the highest point they've reached this year. The projection system there gives the Cardinals, Cubs and Pirates each about a 5% chance to catch Milwaukee, but if you have an 83% chance of winning something, you'd also rather have three rivals dividing the rest of the pie than see one more serious one lurking. There's little the Crew could do to press the pedal harder to the floor, anyway, but these data make it clear: they don't need to. They can afford, for instance, the slightly risky maneuver of designating Luis Rengifo for assignment to install Cooper Pratt at shortstop. They can afford not only to lose Priester, but to give Jacob Misiorowski extra rest between starts so he can still be fully operational come October. This team is living on Easy Street. That doesn't mean they should slow down, or that they shouldn't be proactive as the summer wears on. Whether it's another prospect promotion that encourages medium-term development as well as patching a hole on the roster, or making a trade before the deadline on August 3, the team should work hard to improve their chances. It's just that the chances they work hard to improve should be those of remaining a thriving Midwestern hegemon for many more years, and those of winning a World Series soon. If they make a major addition later this summer, it should be someone who materially bolsters their hopes of getting past the Dodgers this time, rather than a depth starter or fortifying secondary setup man. If they turn over Sal Frelick's job to Luis Lara or replace Brandon Sproat in the starting rotation, it should be because that serves the long-term development of the players they most believe are part of their future, not because it might help them win one or two more games before the end of September. Some teams build great farm systems and string together a few division titles, but find they can't get over the hump in October. Eventually, many of them decide to go 'all-in' and swap some future wins for the chance at present glory. The Brewers almost certainly won't do that, and they almost certainly shouldn't, either. However, they also shouldn't remain unduly conservative. The freedom allowed by a nice cushion in the division standings isn't the freedom not to act; it's the freedom to act with precision and patience. This is the golden era of Milwaukee Brewers baseball. It's never been better than this, and it might never be better than this again. But 'this' isn't confined to this summer. It's also about last year, and the one before, and the two or three or five to come. The Brewers' responsibility over the next six weeks is to show that they understand all of that—that they prove to the fans that they understand the hunger for a championship, without overdoing it and giving up the delirious joy of a team that wins the division almost every year. That sounds difficult, but if you're the Brewers, it's really not. What was difficult was building the best organization in the game, in terms of scouting, development, instruction and execution. After doing all that, risk management is just about rolling the dice and not counting the bounces. View the full article

There are few pitchers in the Twins' organization whose raw stuff can match Connor Prielipp's. Ever since his freshman season at the University of Alabama, it was obvious the left-hander possessed the upside of a frontline major-league starter. Injuries altered that path considerably, but now that he's finally healthy and pitching in the big leagues, we're getting a better look at what his arsenal actually looks like against major-league hitters. And thanks to Statcast's new swing timing data, we're also getting a better idea of which pitches are working, and which ones aren't. At first glance, Prielipp's overall whiff rate doesn't look particularly impressive. His 22.2% mark would rank in just the 28th percentile among major-league pitchers, hardly the profile of a dominant swing-and-miss arm. But part of being a young pitcher is figuring out what plays at the highest level. The pitches that made you successful in college or the minor leagues aren't always the ones that generate the best results at the highest possible level of competition. For Prielipp, that learning process has been fascinating to watch unfold. Let's start with the fastball. Coming through the minors, Prielipp's fastball-slider combination was viewed as the foundation of his arsenal. The slider earned 70-grade projections from scouts, while the fastball's velocity and characteristics gave hitters plenty to think about. While the slider has largely held up, the fastball has been a different story. Interestingly enough, the swing timing data isn't entirely negative. Hitters have been late against Prielipp's four-seamer at times, suggesting the pitch still has enough life to disrupt timing. The problem is what happens when they actually connect. Opposing hitters own a .558 slugging percentage on fastballs put in play, and the pitch has generated just a 14% whiff rate. That's the lowest mark among his entire arsenal. Hitters aren't consistently missing the pitch, and when they do make contact, they're doing damage. That's shown up in the batted-ball profile as well. A significant portion of the hard contact Prielipp has allowed this season has come against the fastball, which has tended to play more as a fly-ball pitch than a true bat-misser. It needs to be that, too, because based on the way hitters are centering the ball on the barrel (in the left-hand image), they're going to hit it hard when they connect. (Centering the ball on the barrel controls exit velocity more than lining it up vertically or timing it perfectly.) The good news is that Prielipp hasn't relied on the fastball as a put-away pitch. That's where the breaking balls come in. His slider remains a weapon. Hitters are whiffing on roughly 28% of their swings against the pitch, and the swing timing data paints a pretty clear picture of why. Opposing hitters are frequently early and have given some ugly swings, off in multiple dimensions. It's still every bit the plus pitch scouts thought it could be. But oddly enough, it may not even be his best breaking ball anymore. That distinction belongs to the curveball. Added to his arsenal ahead of the 2026 season, the curveball has quickly emerged as one of the most effective pitches he throws. Hitters are whiffing on 34.4% of their swings against it, making it his best swing-and-miss offering by a comfortable margin. The swing timing data is even more encouraging. Unlike the fastball (which hitters occasionally square up despite being late) or the slider (which they're often way off on, but which they also meet perfectly surprisngly often), opposing hitters look completely uncomfortable against the curveball. They're frequently committing too early, swinging over the top of it, and generating exactly the kind of ugly swings pitchers love to see. Quite frankly, it's been a better pitch than the slider, which is saying something. The underlying characteristics help explain why. Prielipp's curveball is averaging nearly 3,200 RPMs of spin, a truly elite number. Not only is it generating more whiffs, but Prielipp has increasingly trusted it in put-away counts as the season has progressed. That evolution has become evident in his pitch usage. Early in the season, Prielipp leaned heavily on the slider. In his first couple of starts, he threw it more than 50% of the time, while the curveball accounted for less than 10% of his pitches. Those numbers have since gradually converged. In his most recent start, he threw only one more slider than curveball, and it’s hard to imagine that’s a coincidence. Pitchers adjust based on results, and right now the results are telling Prielipp that his curveball deserves a larger role. None of this means the fastball can't improve, nor does it mean the slider has taken a step back. Both pitches have shown flashes of being highly effective major league offerings. But if the swing timing data is telling us anything, it's that Prielipp may have discovered something even better. If he can consistently throw the curve for strikes (or for convincing strike-to-ball chases), it might be the most lethal arrow in his quiver. He was already a fascinating pitcher with a fastball-slider combination capable of overpowering hitters. Now he's pairing those pitches with a curveball that has quickly become one of the nastiest offerings in his arsenal. And if that pitch continues to perform the way it has so far, the path to becoming a frontline starter becomes a whole lot easier to envision. View the full article

There's no more lethal offensive player in the majors right now than Pete Crow-Armstrong. He's not at all likely to stay this hot, and to maintain an edge in batting and baserunning brilliance over the likes of Shohei Ohtani and Bobby Witt Jr., but over the last four weeks, Crow-Armstrong has been raking at a historic rate. He homered in his third straight game Wednesday night—a batted ball that both affirmed how locked-in he is and reminded everyone that any good hot streak requires a bit of good luck. For those who didn't see it, here is the homer Crow-Armstrong hit in the bottom of the fourth inning. It's equal parts majestic and silly. ZU53MW9fWGw0TUFRPT1fQVFZQVVWUUZVUVVBQVZWVFVBQUhVZ1lBQUZrQVZRY0FCRkZRQTFaV1ZRSmRBbEVD.mp4 Believe it or not, this isn't the highest homer of Crow-Armstrong's career. Last April, he hit a pair of skyscrapers with launch angles similar to the 41° on this one during the same April road trip to the West Coast, and he added another in Detroit last June. However, as you can see, it's reasonable to debate whether he really even hit a homer this time. The ball sure appears to be foul, doesn't it? It's very close, and after a crew chief review and consultation with the league's replay center in New Jersey, the call stood. But I mean, it looks foul. We didn't get a great camera angle on it, or at least, not a steady enough one to see what really happened, but even Crow-Armstrong seemed surprised when he got to keep his dinger. First, let's talk about this looked so much like a foul ball, but really might have been fair. As you probably know, Wrigley Field has the deepest foul poles of any park in the majors, which is part of why this was in question—but which also might turn out to be why he got the call. According to Statcast, this only would have been a homer in 20 parks—not because it wasn't hit far enough, but because in the other 10, it would have twisted foul before reaching the pole. Statcast's flight tracking on batted balls like this is less precise than the league would like you to believe, but its story is (in brief) that the ball flew foul, but managed not to do so until after reaching the pole. Crow-Armstrong hit another ball on which that was the case earlier this year, in Tampa, but because the foul pole is much closer to home at Tropicana Field, that homer was uncontroversial. Ok, but Statcast's eyes aren't human ones, and you and I are sometimes smarter than it is. This one can't have been fair because it waited long enough before twisting foul, because it was foul before it got to the pole. If anything—there really is a chance this happened, but we can't prove it either way based on the video feeds we've seen—the ball was foul as it passed the front of the pole, but was coming back toward the field and kissed the back side of the pole on its way by. Here's the first frame (from the Marquee broadcast) in which the ball appears as it falls steeply from its great height, already quite close to the pole. That looks foul, but just to reassure you that it's not merely a camera-angle or still-frame confusion, here's another moment in its descent, wherein it's clearly getting closer to the pole, taking an unusual angle for a batted ball headed to either corner—but especially to a batter's pull field. Now, here's the moment that I would guess led both to the initial call and to its being upheld, though not confirmed outright. The ball pretty clearly hits the line on which the flags atop the pole are flown, and although I'm not sure whether those lines count as part of the pole, it also looks like it probably hits the pole itself, anyway. It's an extremely difficult call, because it's such an unusual batted ball. Either way, I don't think you can blame the umpires or the video center for what they decided. Few balls come down that steeply, right at the pole, like a tee shot on a Par 3. Even fewer start foul, then come back toward fair territory. Let's talk a little about how that happened. The wind was in Crow-Armstrong's favor here. At that very moment in the evening, a storm was brewing to the west, and the wind was gusting pretty impressively at times, from the south-southwest. That pushed this ball toward fair territory, and because Crow-Armstrong hit it so high and not overwhelmingly hard (under 100 MPH off the bat), the wind had lots of time to act on it. But the way Crow-Armstrong met the ball was also a factor. He caught this thing 53.6 inches—near four and a half feet!—in front of his center of mass. His attack direction (the horizontal angle of the barrel at the point of contact) was 21° toward his pull field. He flattened out his swing gorgeously to handle a sweeper that stayed up, but he still caught it off the end of the bat and got under it. If his bat speed weren't an eye-popping 85 MPH on the swing, the ball wouldn't have come anywhere near being fair, or a homer. Since he did clip it that way, though, Crow-Armstrong produced a ball that wasn't destined to hook, the way most pulled fly balls do. In fast, the combination of attack direction, attack angle, ball and bat speed and placement of ball on bat better mimicked a fly ball hit to center or left-center by the lefty batter; everything was just turned about 45° to the right. So, while it seems absurd, yes, this ball probably was fair—and while the elements helped, so did Crow-Armstrong's unique ability to produce huge bat speed and catch the ball well even when his timing is slightly off. Statcast's rendering of the ball's flight, by the way, shows it hitting the pole—though again, the precision of the data isn't good enough to call that conclusive, and anyway, the ball is not as wide as the tracer on this visual. Whatever help you think he got—from the umps, or from Zephyrus, or from a truly lousy pitch by Ryan Sullivan—Crow-Armstrong hit his third homer in as many nights, and now has 10 bombs (en route to a 1.203 OPS) since May 22, which we've identified as the start of his historic heater because of the changes he made then to his stance and setup. To wrap this conversation, let's look at the way those changes have affected his ability to be on time—and what happens when he isn't. As you surely remember, Crow-Armstrong was tremendous in the first half of 2025, but he slumped badly over the final two months. He also started this season sluggishly, despite his boost in bat speed. Unlike superficially similar hitters who go into similar slumps, though, Crow-Armstrong never did have a big strikeout binge in there. From August 1 through the end of last year, he only struck out 51 times in 200 plate appearances. That's more than you'd like, but it's not far from his baseline at all. Crow-Armstrong's problems, when he's had them, have been about getting himself out by swinging at bad pitches and hitting them weakly. As such, the best way to tell whether he's locked in is by how well he's timing and squaring up the balls he does put in play. Here are the numbers, drawn from Statcast's new swing timing metrics, on Crow-Armstrong being on time (as opposed to early or late) and centering the ball on the barrel of his bat (as opposed to finding the end or the label/handle), over four spans: the first half of last year, the second half, and before and after that May 21 off day we've talked about as his moment of turning it on this spring. Span On Time % Centered % 1st Half, 2025 83 78 2nd Half, 2025 76 81 2026 thru 5/20 83 74 2026 since 5/22 88 79 It's pretty straightforward, in that first column. Crow-Armstrong started to mishit a lot of balls late last year, because he was often early even when he put the ball in play. That's a problem. He got it fixed to begin this year, but has really turned it on since changing his setup in the box to make himself more selective and better able to adapt his swing to what he sees out of the hand. The second column tells a messier story. Where on the bat you hit the ball, horizontally, broadly controls how hard you hit it. Almost all hard contact comes when the ball is centered on the barrel. Pitchers get ground balls with sinkers not by making you hit the top of the ball, but by getting in on your handle. Guys whose fastballs are straight give up more power than those with some wiggle, because the ball tends to crawl just off the sweet spot. Yet, Crow-Armstrong was centering it on his barrel as often during his struggles late last season as he ever has. Why didn't he come up with better results? Well, firstly, we come back to the timing question. He was often early on the balls he did center, which meant that he sometimes hit the top of the ball: QndvTWJfWGw0TUFRPT1fVkFZQ1VnY01CMUFBQ1FRTFVnQUhBUU1IQUZnQlVsSUFDZ0FFQWdJTUNRUmRCd29F.mp4 But even when he stayed beneath it, he was often running out of barrel, and would hit it off the end of the lumber. WEQybDJfWGw0TUFRPT1fQkZNRUFnVlNBQWNBVzFOWFh3QUhWQTVUQUZoUVYxY0FBQUFGQ1FkUlVGWmRVUUpS.mp4 This comes back, in a strange little way, to last year's hot topic: the torpedo bat. Not everyone has the same sweet spot on the bat. When Crow-Armstrong is on, he will sometimes be tied up slightly, and have the ball run up his bat toward the label. Broadly speaking, the centered stat still tells us something useful about Crow-Armstrong's contact profile, but it's not telling us the same thing as the same number would tell us about another hitter. If Crow-Armstrong is centering it on the barrel more often than usual, he's probably doing so on balls that belong slightly up the barrel toward his hands, and he's probably wasting too many of his best swings by catching it off the end of the bat. But there's another key reason why he's been more productive this year, while centering the ball on the barrel less often. It's the other main variable in the equation for exit velocity. If the degree to which you center the ball on the barrel decides the "mass" in the force equation, then it should be obvious what else we need to look at: "acceleration," or bat speed. So let's do that previous table again. Span On Time % Centered % Bat Speed 1st Half, 2025 83 78 74.3 2nd Half, 2025 76 81 73.9 2026 thru 5/20 83 74 77.9 2026 since 5/22 88 79 76.3 Swinging much, much faster this year has allowed Crow-Armstrong to thrive even when he slightly mishits the ball, in terms of horizontal barrel location. He got way, way faster this year, and once he learned to rein that in just enough to also be on time, it didn't matter that much whether he found the very center of the barrel or not. Those already getting familiar with these numbers might wonder where the usual third column for them is. The way Statcast reports the data on whether hitters are over the ball, under it or lined up with it vertically, we can't get much out of looking at that for balls in play. Virtually all balls in play count as Lined Up, by Statcast's reckoning, so I left out a couple of 99% and 100% figures to ease our collective numerical digestion. However, teams and players can use this data differently, and in a way, so can we. Here are the timing distributions in all three dimensions for Crow-Armstrong's swings in the second half of 2025, and for all of 2026 to date. With Statcast's tolerances, the area described as Lined Up is 4 inches wide. That's wider than both a ball and the barrel of an actual bat. Naturally, then, anything you hit into the 90° wedge that is fair territory was probably met solidly enough to count as Lined Up. But that also means that there are more and less valuable ways to be Lined Up. I've drawn boxes to show that, late last year, Crow-Armstrong was slightly above the center of the ball slightly more often than he has been this year, even isolating the balls he lined up well enough to put in play. I've also shown how he's more often very slightly below the center of the ball this year. Thence come the hard fly balls and line drives. You can also spot some of the things we've already discussed in these plots. Crow-Armstrong is much less prone to be early on balls in play than he was last year, even though he was very early on the one Wednesday night. He's also living more in his sweet spot, just off the technical center of the barrel, whereas in the second half of last year, he was less likely to miss the barrel by a big margin but had a more diffuse distribution along the bat, because he just wasn't locked in and delivering his well-engineered pull-it-in-the-air stroke consistently. The winds of fortune are blowing Crow-Armstrong's way right now, but he's also making his own luck. This is as good as any Cubs hitter has looked over this long a period since before the pandemic, and yes, the echoes of Sammy Sosa's 1998 are only getting easier to spot. Wednesday's homer was just the latest reminder that Crow-Armstrong can do things on a diamond that no one else can do, right now. View the full article

Blue Jays Affiliate Overview (June 13-15) Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Series vs Charlotte Knights (Chicago White Sox): 1-1 Season Record: 34-37 Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats Series vs Birmingham Rumble Ponies (New York Mets): 2-0 Season Record: 33-30 High-A Vancouver Canadians Series vs Spokane (Colorado Rockies): 0-1 Season Record: 26-39 Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays Series vs Lakeland Flying Tigers (Detroit Tigers): 2-0 Season Record: 30-34 FCL Blue Jays Week Record: 0-1 Season Record: 22-10 DSL Blue Jays Blue Week Record: 0-1 Season Record: 3-9 DSL Blue Jays Red Week Record: 0-1 Season Record: 4-8 Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Season Record: 34-37 Series vs Charlotte Knights (Chicago White Sox) June 16: Buffalo faced off against a Charlotte Knights squad on Tuesday that featured a number of major league players on rehab assignments. Noah Schultz, Kyle Teel, and Jordan Hicks would all be in the game for the Knights, but Buffalo had an answer for most of them. Teel did get a hold of a pitch from Lazaro Estrada in the top of the first inning for a two-run home run, but Buffalo answered with a two-run blast of their own from Sean Keys off of Schultz in the bottom half of the inning. Jonatan Clase then unloaded on a pitch from Hicks in the fourth inning for a three-run home run. C.J. Stubbs got in on the home run party in the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run to left, his first of the season at Triple-A. The Knights got two solo home runs as well in the top of the sixth inning that cut the Buffalo lead down to 6-4. Buffalo would pull away, though; they scored three more runs in the bottom of the sixth, highlighted by Keys’ RBI single to left. Buffalo ran away with this game and won 9-5 against some of the Chicago White Sox's major league players. June 17: Shane Bieber was on the mound Wednesday for Buffalo, in a start that will hopefully be the last of his rehab assignment. He looked serviceable in the first inning, getting a fly out and a double play, following a lead-off walk. It went south in the second, he gave up an RBI single and a three-run home run, putting Buffalo in a big 4-0 hole early in the game. In the third, Bieber again needed a double play to wipe out a walk. In the fourth, Bieber loaded up the bases before getting a strikeout to end the inning. While in the fifth, it was again a double play that aided him in working around runners on base. Buffalo did send Bieber out to start the sixth inning, but yanked him after he gave up a lead-off home run to Ryan Gelanie. The bats were about as bad as Bieber was on the mound. They only managed six hits and one run, the lone run being a Sean Keys solo shot to right. Buffalo fell in a game that was rough all around, 5-1. Double-A New Hampshire Season Record: 33-30 Series vs Birmingham Rumble Ponies (New York Mets) June 16: Danny Thompson Jr. was on the mound for New Hampshire as they kicked off their series against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies on Tuesday. It was his first Double-A start, and he was fantastic, going four innings and not allowing a hit, with one walk holding him back from being perfect over those innings. He also struck out three batters. Alex Amalfi came in for Thompson and was almost equally good. He threw four innings as well and only allowed one hit, a solo home run, while striking out five. The double great pitching performance set the tone for New Hampshire, who hit two home runs in the fourth inning. A solo home run from Aaron Parker and a two-run shot from Hedbert Perez in his first Double-A game. Carter Cunningham doubled home a run in the seventh, as New Hampshire held on to win this one 4-1. June 17: New Hampshire found themselves in an early hole in the Wednesday game against Binghamton. Vincent Perozo hit a solo home run to right field in the bottom of the second inning, which was answered in the next half inning by Jorge Burgos’ RBI single for the Fisher Cats. In the bottom of the third, Binghamton took the lead again, this time by a two-run double to center field. Dub Gleed responded with a solo home run to bring New Hampshire within one run. In the fifth inning, Victor Arias and Cade Doughty teamed up to bring in three runs for the Fisher Cats, when Arias hit an RBI single, and Doughty drove in two runs on an infield single and an error. JT Schwartz drove in a run for Binghamton the next half inning, but that is where the scoring halted. New Hampshire held on for the 5-4 victory. High-A Vancouver Season Record: 26-39 Series vs Spokane (Colorado Rockies) June 16: It was a high-scoring affair between Spokane and Vancouver in the first game of the series. Nolan Perry skipped his last start due to workload reasons, and he must have felt rusty. He had his first bad start of the season, allowing six hits and five runs in 2.1 innings, striking out only two batters. Jack Nedrow wasn’t much better, as he replaced Perry in the third inning, striking out five batters, but also giving up five runs in three innings, including two homers. The Canadians were able to get three runs in, but when Reece Wissinger came in, he also gave up three runs to make it 13-3. The Canadians roared back in the eighth inning, as Kendry Chirinos and Manuel Beltre hit two RBI singles before Sam Shaw hit his second homer of the season to make it 13-8. Matt Scannell then joined Shaw with another three-run homer to bring the game within two runs. Unfortunately for the Canadians, the comeback was spoiled as Jay Schueler gave up a two-run homer to make it a four-run game, and the offense couldn’t score in the ninth for a tough 15-11 loss. June 17: Johnny King had yet another solid start for Vancouver, although he yet again had a shaky first inning, allowing two runs. The Canadians kept it close with some extra base hits, however, as Maddox Latta hit a run-scoring double in the second to bring it within one, and Peyton Williams and Eric Snow both hit homers in the fourth inning to take the lead. King gave up a homer in the fifth inning, which evened it up again, but still struck out seven batters in the five innings he pitched. Sam Shaw hit a clutch go-ahead homer in the eighth inning for his third homer in just eight games back in Vancouver, but Jonathan Todd couldn’t close the game out in the ninth inning, allowing a run-scoring single, which sent the game to extras. The Canadians couldn’t get the ghost runner in, and Carson Myers was unable to prevent the ghost runner from scoring in another close loss for Vancouver. Single-A Dunedin Season Record: 30-34 Series vs Lakeland Flying Tigers (Detroit Tigers) June 16: Jake Casey made his return to Dunedin, as he was out at the beginning of the season due to injury. The Jays were able to get on the board early, with Blaine Bullard hitting his 10th double of the season to score Jake Cook in the first and Aldo Gaxiola hitting his ninth homer of the season in the second inning. Troy Guthrie had an excellent start for Dunedin, allowing only one run in the fourth inning after allowing runners on the corners with no outs, but was able to limit the damage, giving up a run for a double play. Guthrie went six innings, getting his second quality start of the season, but Angel Obando blew the save in the seventh, giving up a three-run homer to Nick Dumesnil, giving Guthrie a no-decision. Casey immediately made his presence known, as with runners on second and third, he hit a two-run double to tie the game up in the eighth, then scored to take the lead as Yendy Gomez balked him in. Will Cresswell gave them an insurance run in the ninth, and Franly Urena got the save for a solid 6-4 win. June 17: The D-Jays rallied off another win with strong performances from their two, three and four hitters, as Blaine Bullard, JoJo Parker, and Juan Sanchez each knocked in two runs and had at least two hits each. Parker hit his fifth homer of the season in the third inning to give the Jays the lead in the third. On the pitching end, Carson Messina hasn’t had the velocity that he displayed in Rookie ball, but he showed strong stuff despite allowing three runs in just over three innings pitched. Denis Samudio also made his debut for the Jays organization, as he just came over from the Pirates in exchange for Connor Seabold. He went four innings and struck out seven batters, but also allowed two homers. He ended up getting the win in his first appearance with Dunedin, as the Jays had a big five-run inning in the seventh, with Bullard, Sanchez, and Adam Hackenberg each hitting singles that drove in runs that inning. The Jays would maintain that lead thanks to Samudio, and Lluveres Severino closed it out with a scoreless ninth inning. FCL Blue Jays Season Record: 22-10 June 16: It was Ricky Tiedemann day for the FCL Blue Jays, and that was the biggest story there was in the organization on Tuesday. Tiedemann pitched the first inning for the Blue Jays squad, and it was his first time on the mound in 706 days. He gave up a double to the first batter, struck out star prospect Cris Rodriguez, gave up a run-scoring double, then finished the inning with a groundout to himself and another strikeout. The results weren't that significant for his first appearance, but two strikeouts are a good sign, and the fact that he is pitching again. Offensively, Giaconino Lasaracina had a double and a solo home run for the Blue Jays. Alex Stone had two hits as well, but the Blue Jays were looking up at the scoreboard most of the game, as they gave up 15 runs and 17 hits on their way to losing 15-2. DSL Blue Jays Blue Season Record: 3-9 June 16: BJB faced off against Cubs Red (CUR) on Tuesday in the Dominican Summer League. Michael Mesa continues to be a bright spot for the team; he went 3-for-3 with a double and three RBI in the game. He had an RBI single in the third and a two-RBI single in the fourth. In that fourth inning, BJB scored four runs: Mesa's single scored two, Samuel Orellana had a double that scored one, and Cristopher Polanco had an RBI single. Unfortunately for BJB, their bullpen got tagged in the last inning again. They gave up a walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh to lose 6-5. DSL Blue Jays Red Season Record: 4-8 June 16: BJR had a very forgettable game on Tuesday against the Nationals DSL team. They only had three hits in the game and were shut out until they got a rally going in the bottom of the seventh inning. Alex Linares doubled and then scored on Elian Reyes’ single. Unfortunately for BJR, Fabian Gonzalez popped out to end the game, with BJR losing 2-1 in a lackluster game. Transactions 06/17/26 Toronto Blue Jays recalled RHP Chad Dallas from Buffalo Bisons. 06/16/26 Buffalo Bisons activated C C.J. Stubbs from the 7-day injured list. 06/16/26 Buffalo Bisons transferred RHP Conor Larkin to the Development List. 06/16/26 Buffalo Bisons sent LHP Ricky Tiedemann on a rehab assignment to FCL Blue Jays. 06/16/26 Buffalo Bisons released SS Ryan McCarty. 06/16/26 Buffalo Bisons released RHP Nate Garkow. 06/16/26 Dunedin Blue Jays activated RHP Denis Samudio. 06/16/26 Dunedin Blue Jays placed CF Jean Joseph on the 7-day injured list. 06/16/26 Vancouver Canadians sent OF Jake Casey on a rehab assignment to Dunedin Blue Jays. 06/16/26 LHP Giacomo Taschin assigned to Dunedin Blue Jays from FCL Blue Jays. 06/16/26 RHP Dylan Watts assigned to Vancouver Canadians from Dunedin Blue Jays. 06/16/26 Buffalo Bisons sent LHP Ricky Tiedemann on a rehab assignment to FCL Blue Jays. 06/16/26 FCL Blue Jays placed RHP Michael De La Cruz on the 7-day injured list. 006/16/26 New Hampshire Fisher Cats activated LF Hedbert Perez from the 7-day injured list. 06/16/26 New Hampshire Fisher Cats transferred OF Jackson Hornung to the Development List. 06/16/26 New Hampshire Fisher Cats activated 2B Cade Doughty from the 7-day injured list. 06/16/26 New Hampshire Fisher Cats placed RHP Austin Cates on the temporarily inactive list. 06/16/26 RHP Danny Thompson Jr. assigned to New Hampshire Fisher Cats from Vancouver Canadians. 06/16/26 Vancouver Canadians sent OF Jake Casey on a rehab assignment to Dunedin 06/15/26 Buffalo Bisons sent LF Ismael Munguia on a rehab assignment to FCL Blue Jays. 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The expected bad news is now official: Quinn Priester's season is over. The Milwaukee Brewers' right-handed starter will have surgery to repair his thoracic outlet syndrome. Priester told reporters Thursday that he will have surgery Monday. Priester is expected to miss eight to 10 months, meaning the early portion of that timeline would have him completely healthy in spring training. Priester was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome in spring training and had tried a number of things in an attempt to return to the mound. Priester pitched in eight minor-league games on rehab assignments, including the last two in the Arizona Complex League. "I'm excited because this is a plan forward," Priester said. Priester was a revelation after being acquired by the Brewers in April 2025. Picked up in a trade with the Boston Red Sox when the Brewers were desperate for starting pitching, Priester, who had been at Triple-A with Boston, jumped right into the major-league rotation and went 13-3 with a 4.01 FIP (3.32 ERA), walking 7.7% of batters and striking out 20.2% View the full article

Boston Red Sox Affiliate Recap (June 17) Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Season Record: 35-32 An extra-inning thriller ended with a 7-4 victory for the WooSox while facing the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. The WooSox jumped out fast in the first inning. Braiden Ward led off the game with a single, then showed how much of a threat he is on the basepaths, stealing second and third base (his 31st and 32nd of the season). Vinny Capra followed with a single, bringing in Ward, then Kristian Campbell added a sacrifice fly to score Capra, giving his team a 2-0 lead. The Sox extended their lead to 3-0 in the fourth with a Nathan Hickey solo shot (his fourth of the season) to right-center. Lehigh Valley got on the board in the bottom of the fifth with a solo homer of their own, cutting the lead to 3-1. Worcester once again extended their lead 4-1 in the sixth after Tyler McDonough singled in Allan Castro, restoring the three-run cushion. The IronPigs stormed back in the sixth, stunning the Woosox. Lehigh Valley doubled in a run, then tied it 4-4 with a two-run homer. It was a pitchers' duel through the next three innings, pushing the tied game to extra innings. The WooSox broke it open in extras. Hickey singled in the go-ahead run (Castro), McDonough followed with an RBI single, and Capra capped it with another RBI single for the 7-4 final. Worcester pounded out 12 hits. Hickey was the star, going 2-for-4 with a homer, the go-ahead hit in the 10th, two RBIs, and two runs. Capra went 2-for-6 with two RBIs (including the early RBI single and the 10th-inning insurance run), McDonough chipped in two hits and two RBIs off the bench, and Castro reached base three times and scored twice, including a stolen base. On the mound, Osvaldo Berrios started and tossed three shutout innings with two strikeouts. Eduardo Rivera followed after, giving up one run in two innings of work. Seth Martinez was charged with the blown save after giving up three runs in the sixth. Alec Gamboa tossed two perfect innings with two strikeouts. Kyle Keller got the win with two scoreless innings, including the 10th inning, while striking out four. Standout Performances: Kyle Keller: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K Nathan Hickey: 2-for-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB Vinny Capra: 2-for-6, R, 2 RBI Allan Castro: 2-for-4, 2 R, BB, SB Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Season Record: 32-32 The Sea Dogs suffered a heartbreaker, blowing a lead in the ninth, then losing in extra innings 5-4 to the Patriots. The first run of the game came in the fourth when Somerset launched a solo homer to left-center, giving them a 1-0 lead. The Sea Dogs flipped it in the sixth. Ronald Rosario tripled in two runs (Romy Gonzalez and Brooks Brannon), then Miguel Bleis singled in Rosario to make it 3-1. Portland extended its lead in the seventh with an Ahbram Liendo double, bringing in Stanley Tucker for a 4-1 cushion. It seemed that the Sea Dogs had the game in control once they entered the ninth, but that was not the case; Somerset rallied to tie it. The Patriots doubled in two runs, then another came around to score after a wild pitch. Just like that, the Patriots pushed across three in the inning to knot it at 4-4. With the game now in extras and the ghost runner on second, a groundout forced the runner over to third base, then another grounder forced the runner to score, putting them up 5-4. Portland had a chance to walk it off, Tucker worked a walk, then a sacrifice bunt by Nelly Taylor, with some help from a throwing error, moved the ghost runner to third, loading the bases with no outs. But somehow, the Sea Dogs' best bats could not capitalize, going three up and three down. On the mound, Patrick Sandoval turned in a strong three-inning outing in his rehab start (one earned run with four K’s), then Dalton Rogers followed with four scoreless innings. But the bullpen faltered late: Reidis Sena coughed up the 4-1 lead with three runs in the ninth, and Cooper Adams took the loss after the 10th-inning run. Standout Performances: Dalton Rodgers: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 K Patrick Sandoval: 3 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K High-A Greenville Drive Season Record: 26-36 The Drive took a lopsided 11-2 defeat to the BlueClaws, splitting the series 1-1. Greenville’s bats could not get anything going; their first run came in the fourth when they were down 4-0. Justin Gonzales drew a lead-off walk, then advanced to second base after a balk from the pitcher. Yoeilin Cespedes followed up with a double to right, scoring Gonzales for the Drive's first run, 4-1. The second and final run Greenville recorded happened in the eighth inning on a Yophery Rodriguez single that brought in Gerardo Rodriguez, making the score 6-2. The BlueClaws made it an embarrassing blowout in the bottom half with a five-run eighth inning. For Greenville at the plate, it was a quiet night: just five hits as a team. Rodriguez led the way with a 2-for-4 day (the Drive’s only batter with multiple hits) and an RBI. Cespedes added the RBI double, and Gonzales reached base three times and scored a run. Starting on the mound for Greenville, Dylan Brown got knocked around, getting charged with six earned runs over four innings while taking the loss. Calvin Bickerstaff was sharp in his relief appearance, tossing three scoreless innings with three K’s. But it unraveled once again after that: Danny Kirwin gave up five runs in the disastrous eighth. Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Season Record: 24-40 A rough night at the plate for Salem led to a shutout loss to the Nationals, 3-0. It was a scoreless game through six innings. The bright spot for Salem was Leighton Finley, who pitched outstandingly, throwing five shutout, one-hit innings while striking out six batters. The bullpen couldn't hold the line: Adam Bates took the loss after surrendering the first run of the game (sacrifice fly) in the seventh, while Griffin Kilander gave up two runs in relief (two-run homer) in the eighth. At the plate, Salem tallied just five hits and was held off the board despite drawing some walks, going 0-for-8 with RISP. Avinson Pinto had the lone extra-base hit (a double), Adonys Guzman and Anderson Fermin each had a hit and reached twice via walks, but the RidgeYaks never strung together enough to push a run across. View the full article

Let's check in on everything that happened down on the Chicago Cubs' farm system last night. Cowles Grand Slam, Triantos Walk-Off Lift Iowa The Iowa Cubs erased an early deficit and won it in the 10th, beating the Indianapolis Indians 6-5. The decisive blow came in the fourth inning. After Indianapolis scratched out a run in the top half, Chas McCormick singled home Kevin Alcántara to tie the game. Two batters later, Ben Cowles launched a grand slam to right field, scoring Jonathon Long, McCormick, and Eric Yang to put Iowa ahead 5-1. Cowles finished 2-for-3 with four runs batted in, and McCormick added a hit, a walk, and an RBI. Indianapolis chipped away with two runs in the sixth and one in the eighth to tie the game at five, sending it to extras. In the bottom of the 10th, James Triantos singled to right field to score zombie runner BJ Murray for the walk-off win. Triantos went 2-for-4 with the game-winning RBI. Starter Paul Campbell turned in a steady outing, working 5 2/3 innings and allowing four runs on eight hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Vince Reilly closed the door with a scoreless 10th, walking one and striking out one to earn the result. Iowa left nine runners on base. Player AB R H RBI BB K Brett Bateman 4 0 1 0 1 1 Owen Miller 5 0 1 0 0 0 BJ Murray 4 1 0 0 1 1 Kevin Alcántara 5 1 1 0 0 2 James Triantos 4 0 2 1 0 0 Jonathon Long 4 1 1 0 0 1 Justin Dean 0 0 0 0 0 0 Christian Bethancourt 0 0 0 0 0 0 Chas McCormick 3 1 1 1 1 1 Eric Yang 3 1 0 0 1 2 Ben Cowles 3 1 2 4 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Paul Campbell 5 2/3 8 4 4 2 3 0 Antoine Kelly 1 1/3 0 0 0 1 0 0 Tyler Ferguson two 3 1 0 1 0 0 Vince Reilly one 0 0 0 1 1 0 Knoxville Bats Go Quiet In Loss To Chattanooga The Knoxville Smokies managed just five hits in a 5-2 loss to the Chattanooga Lookouts. Chattanooga jumped ahead with a three-run homer in the second inning. Knoxville answered in the third. Jefferson Rojas singled to left field to score Hayden Cantrelle, and Andy Garriola followed by grounding into a double play that allowed Alex Ramírez to score, trimming the deficit to 3-2. That was as close as the Smokies would get. Chattanooga added a run on a sacrifice fly in the fourth and another on a bases-loaded walk in the ninth. Rojas finished 1-for-4 with an RBI, and Hayden Cantrelle reached base three times, going 2-for-2 with a walk. Starter Frankie Scalzo Jr. struggled, allowing three runs on two hits and two walks while recording four outs, surrendering the second-inning home run. The bullpen was strong behind him. Nick Dean worked 3 2/3 innings and allowed one run, and Tyler Santana was dominant, striking out five over three scoreless innings without allowing a hit. Luke Little finished with two strikeouts but gave up a run in the ninth. Knoxville left 10 runners on base, repeatedly failing to cash in scoring opportunities. Player AB R H RBI BB K Alex Ramírez 3 1 0 0 1 2 Jefferson Rojas 4 0 1 1 0 1 Owen Ayers 4 0 1 0 0 2 Andy Garriola 3 0 0 0 0 0 Cameron Sisneros 4 0 0 0 0 2 Carter Trice 4 0 0 0 0 1 Karson Simas 3 0 1 0 0 0 Edgar Alvarez 3 0 0 0 0 1 Hayden Cantrelle 2 1 2 0 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Frankie Scalzo Jr. 1 1/3 2 3 3 2 1 1 Nick Dean 3 2/3 5 1 1 0 2 0 Tyler Santana three 2 0 0 0 5 0 Luke Little one 2 1 1 2 2 0 High-A South Bend Cubs: Postponed South Bend's game was postponed. They'll close the first half with a doubleheader against Fort Wayne. Myrtle Beach Builds Early Lead, Survives Late Charge The Myrtle Beach Pelicans scored seven runs in the first three innings and held on for an 8-6 win over the Delmarva Shorebirds. The decisive frame was the second inning, when the Pelicans batted around for five runs. Geuri Lubo and Alexey Lumpuy delivered run-scoring singles, Alexis Hernandez doubled home another and advanced on an error, and Eli Lovich singled in a run to make it 5-0. Myrtle Beach tacked on two more in the third when Edward Vargas singled home a pair. The lead was needed, as Delmarva rallied for three runs in the seventh and two more in the ninth. Lumpuy reached base four times, going 1-for-2 with three walks, three stolen bases, and an RBI. Vargas finished 1-for-3 with two runs batted in. Starter Noah Edders worked two scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Riely Hunsaker followed with a strong four-inning stint, allowing one run on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Aiden Moffett struggled in relief, recording one out while walking four and allowing three runs. Jhon Rosario closed it out, allowing two runs over 2 2/3 innings but securing the final outs. Myrtle Beach left seven runners on base. Player AB R H RBI BB K Alexey Lumpuy 2 2 1 1 3 1 Alexis Hernandez 4 1 1 1 1 1 Eli Lovich 5 0 1 1 0 3 Logan Poteet 5 0 0 0 0 3 Michael Carico 5 2 2 0 0 1 Derniche Valdez 5 1 1 0 0 0 Yahil Melendez 3 0 0 0 1 2 Geuri Lubo 4 1 1 1 0 1 Edward Vargas 3 1 1 2 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Noah Edders two 1 0 0 0 2 0 Riely Hunsaker four 4 1 1 2 2 0 Aiden Moffett 1/3 0 3 3 4 0 0 Jhon Rosario 2 2/3 2 2 2 0 1 0 Cubs Transactions Chicago Cubs sent LHP Doug Nikhazy outright to Iowa Cubs. Top-20 Prospect Performance Jefferson Rojas: 1-for-4, RBI, K Jaxon Wiggins: DNP Pedro Ramirez: DNP Kevin Alcántara: 1-for-5, R, 2 K Josiah Hartshorn: DNP Ethan Conrad: DNP Kane Kepley: DNP Jonathon Long: 1-for-4, R, K James Triantos: 2-for-4, RBI Cole Mathis: DNP Owen Ayers: 1-for-4, 2 K Brooks Caple: DNP Juan Cabada: DNP Kaleb Wing: DNP Angel Cepeda: DNP Dominick Reid: DNP Jostin Florentino: DNP Ty Southisene: DNP Will Sanders: DNP Brandon Birdsell: DNP View the full article

Any team that sees itself out of contention at the trade deadline will often be a seller, and unless the season turns around quickly, the Royals will be a team looking to trade pieces to be more competitive in future years. Which players the team decides to deal will depend on how the organization feels about the pieces they have going into next season and the following seasons. If they sell only players on expiring contracts, this will likely indicate that the organization sees the team as competitive as early as 2027. Now, if the team trades players with multiple years of control, this could signify a larger rebuild (or the organization might use the team re-tool). Players with more control tend to yield a better return, but will hurt the team’s chances of being competitive in the near future. There are some players the Royals have that are untouchable in trades for a variety of reasons, such as Bobby Witt Jr. or Salvador Perez. However, there are plenty of other players the team could look to deal near the August 3rd trade deadline. Here’s a look at four possible trade candidates and what they offer a team looking to acquire them. I’ll also include a list at the end of players that could be dealt if they are looking to shake things up on a larger scale. Lane Thomas - OF, 50 G, 99 wRC+, 0.5 fWAR Thomas is no stranger to being in the rumor mill as a possible trade deadline target for a contending team. He has been traded twice near the trade deadline. He was first traded in 2021, which sent him from St. Louis to Washington in a one-for-one swap for Jon Lester. The second time he was traded at the deadline was in 2024 when the Nationals traded him to the Cleveland Guardians in return for two minor leaguers, and infielder Alex Tena, who has served as a utility player for the Nationals the past few years. Now, why would a team want to acquire Thomas? The most obvious being that he is a right-handed hitter who has historically crushed lefties, with a career .850 OPS vs lefties. He hasn’t been quite that stellar against lefties this year, but has still hit for a solid .759 OPS against southpaws on the year. With the ability to play all three outfield spots, Thomas offers the ability to be a fourth outfielder with the ability to jump into a starting role against lefties in particular. He also has above-average arm strength in the outfield and has positive baserunning value as well. He also has a solid walk rate, which would contribute to a team looking for more on-base ability during a playoff run. While the return the Royals would get might be seen as minimal, Thomas is on an expiring contract, so the possibility of getting a minor leaguer who may contribute in the future would be better than letting him walk at the end of the year for no return. Matt Strahm - LHP, 23 G, 7.48 FIP, -1.0 fWAR Strahm is another impending free agent that a contending team may look to acquire at the trade deadline. His numbers on the year have not been great, but a team may look to buy low and use him as a lefty out of the bullpen, especially if they are looking for someone to get a tough lefty out in a key spot in a tight situation. Lefties are hitting .208 off of Strahm this year, while righties are hitting .246. Over his career, he has actually been better against right-handed batters, which shows he can hold his own in a middle relief role, especially with the three-batter minimum rule. If he can look a bit better than his 7.49 FIP between now and the trade deadline, the Royals could look to get something in return for him, especially since he is on an expiring contract. Kris Bubic - LHP, 9 GS, 3.71 FIP, 0.8 fWAR Bubic might be the most coveted trade target on the Royals roster in the next couple of months. He has pitched to a 4.11 ERA over 50 ⅓ innings, recording 51 strikeouts with a 1.23 WHIP on the year. Similar to Thomas and Strahm, Bubic is on an expiring contract. Bubic was an All-Star in 2025 prior to being shut down in late July with a rotator cuff injury. He made 20 starts, throwing 116 ⅓ innings with a 2.55 ERA and 116 strikeouts. He was healthy to start the 2026 season, but has been sidelined since May 18 after experiencing soreness in his left elbow. Unfortunately, he had a setback during his rehab stint, this time with a shoulder issue. If Bubic can come back healthy and throw a few good starts for the Royals, a contending team may look to acquire him for a postseason push of their own, with the Royals looking like a likely seller. How he looks in his potential return could dictate what type of return the Royals get for him if he is dealt come late July or early August. John Schreiber - RHP, 31 G, 5.15 FIP, -0.3 fWAR Schreiber is also an impending free agent and has been very solid out of a Royals bullpen that has struggled on the year. Schreiber has thrown 28 ⅔ innings, recording 21 strikeouts with a 2.83 ERA and 5.16 FIP. While those numbers don’t jump off the page at you, contending teams are always looking for reliable bullpen help, even if they see their bullpen as a strength. Schreiber is not necessarily a reliever that a contending team will toss into a high-leverage role, but is someone who could, in the right situation, get some key outs in tight situations. A low to mid leverage reliever who is an impending free agent may not get a return that will catch headlines, but it gives the organization an opportunity to see if they can find a diamond in the rough type prospect and turn a couple of months of Schreiber into a contributor in the future. While this focused on impending free agents, if the Royals decide to sell on players with more team control, the deadline could get much more interesting. They won’t trade any players they deem as part of the core of the next contending team in Kansas City, but here is a list of players that could interest contending teams, and the Royals may move if they deem the return is too good to pass up. Who do you think the Royals should, or shouldn’t, trade? Any other names not mentioned that the team should look to sell on? View the full article

Delusional Minnesota sports fans worry about their own teams winning championships. Now they're worried about everyone else's. The panic began in February, when former Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold signed a massive contract with Seattle and promptly led the Seahawks to a 29-13 Super Bowl victory over New England. Four months later, Karl-Anthony Towns helped deliver the Knicks their first NBA championship since 1973, defeating San Antonio in five games and cementing himself as the latest former Minnesota star to discover the magical secret ingredient known as "not playing in Minnesota." Naturally, Twins fans immediately shifted their attention to the only question that matters: Which former Twin is going to win the World Series this year? The possibilities are horrifying. The Toronto Blue Jays Have Become Public Enemy No. 1 Many Twins fans have turned their attention north of the border. The Blue Jays already acquired Louis Varland at last year’s trade deadline and picked up Simeon Woods Richardson in recent weeks. That combination has many Minnesota fans convinced that Toronto is quietly assembling the baseball equivalent of the 1992 Dream Team. "Varland is basically the best reliever in baseball now," said lifelong Twins fan Randy from Woodbury. "He'll have a 0.41 ERA, throw 104 mph, develop three new pitches, and finish second in Cy Young voting despite pitching only 62 innings." Another fan was even less optimistic. "The Twins spent years trying to figure out what Simeon Woods Richardson was," said Melissa from St. Cloud. "Toronto is going to unlock something in a bullpen session, and he'll suddenly become 1968 Bob Gibson during October. The fact they got him for cash considerations means he'll probably throw four complete-game shutouts in the playoffs." Many fans point to the long-standing Minnesota Sports Law, which states that any player traded away for a minimal return immediately gains Hall of Fame abilities upon crossing state lines. Scientists have been unable to disprove this theory. The Nightmare Philadelphia Scenario Of course, there is another possibility. Imagine a winner-take-all Game 7 of the World Series. The Phillies lead by one run. The bullpen door opens. Out jogs Jhoan Duran. The television broadcast immediately cuts to a montage of every 104-mph fastball he threw in a Twins uniform while Minnesota fans collectively stare into the void. Three outs later, Duran strikes out the side and dog-piles with Philadelphia teammates while national broadcasters discuss how the Phillies acquired "the final piece of a championship roster." According to several Twins fans, this scenario has already played out in their nightmares approximately 17 times. "My therapist says I need to stop imagining Duran closing out the World Series," said one fan who resembled Joe Pohlad wearing a cheap fake mustache. "Unfortunately, my therapist is also a Twins fan, so our sessions usually end with both of us crying." At Least Carlos Correa Can't Hurt Us This Year There is one small silver lining. Carlos Correa is out for the season. As a result, Twins fans can rest easy knowing that Correa will not be leading another organization to a championship in 2026 (while the Twins still pay him $10 million). Unfortunately, that peace only lasts until 2027. Everyone already knows how this story goes. Correa will return healthy. The Astros will magically develop three rookie stars nobody has heard of. Then they'll win another World Series while Minnesota fans spend the winter debating whether a 79-win season represents progress. The script practically writes itself. Searching for the Next "Victim" Some fans have expanded their search beyond the obvious names. They're monitoring former Twins throughout baseball. They're checking playoff odds. They're studying championship probabilities. They're preparing emotionally. Because if Darnold can win a Super Bowl and Towns can win an NBA title after leaving Minnesota, then surely baseball has its own cruel punchline waiting around the corner. Maybe it's Varland. Maybe it's Woods Richardson. Maybe it's Duran. Maybe it's someone nobody is paying attention to yet. Whatever happens, Minnesota sports fans are preparing for the possibility that the next championship parade involving a former Twin is already being planned somewhere else. And when that moment arrives, it won't be viewed as a coincidence. It will simply become the latest piece of evidence in the ever-growing case file known as the Minnesota Curse. At this point, the only mystery remaining is who gets fitted for the championship ring first. View the full article

St. Lucie powered past Daytona 8-2 behind a four-homer night and five strong innings from Emilio Obispo, who struck out six. Syracuse and Binghamton both pushed back-and-forth games to the brink before falling 6-5 and 5-4, respectively, with Jose Ramos collecting three hits and Nick Lorusso driving in two for Binghamton. Brooklyn managed five hits in a 6-0 shutout loss at Wilmington, with Mitch Voit accounting for two of them. Syracuse Falls Short As Bullpen Surrenders Late Homer The Syracuse Mets erased a two-run deficit but fell 6-5 to the Norfolk Tides. Cristian Pache led the offense with two hits, a stolen base pair, and an RBI, while Jackson Cluff reached base three times with a triple, two walks, and two runs scored. Jihwan Bae drove in two runs, and Nick Morabito added a double, two walks, and two runs. Starter Jack Wenninger struggled, allowing four runs on four hits across four innings, walking three and striking out six, but the damage came on three home runs. Syracuse trailed 4-2 entering the bottom of the fifth before a three-run inning tied and briefly took the lead. Bae singled home Cluff, Pache singled in Bae, and Yonny Hernández drew a bases-loaded walk that scored Morabito for a 5-4 advantage. The bullpen kept it close, as Joey Gerber struck out four over two scoreless innings, but Ben Simon surrendered a two-run homer in the top of the eighth that put Norfolk ahead for good. Dylan Ross allowed one run in his lone inning. Syracuse left nine runners on base, stranding the tying run and ending the comeback bid. Player AB R H RBI BB K Ji Hwan Bae 4 1 1 2 0 1 Nick Morabito 3 2 1 0 2 2 Ryan Clifford 3 0 0 0 2 2 Cristian Pache 4 0 2 1 1 0 Yonny Hernández 4 0 0 1 1 3 Grae Kessinger 4 0 0 0 0 1 Ben Rortvedt 3 0 0 0 0 1 Hayden Senger 1 0 0 0 0 1 Kevin Parada 2 0 0 0 2 2 Jackson Cluff 2 2 1 0 2 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jack Wenninger 4 4 4 4 3 6 3 Joey Gerber 2 0 0 0 1 4 0 Dylan Ross 1 0 1 1 1 2 0 Ben Simon 2 1 1 1 1 2 1 Binghamton Comeback Stalls In One-Run Loss The Binghamton Rumble Ponies dropped a 5-4 decision to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats despite outhitting their opponent 10 to 9. Jose Ramos led the attack with three hits, while Nick Lorusso doubled and drove in two runs. Vincent Perozo homered, and Matt Rudick added a double among the team's ten hits. Starter Bryce Conley took the loss, allowing five runs, four earned, on seven hits over 4 2/3 innings with three walks and five strikeouts. The decisive frame was the top of the fifth, when New Hampshire scored three times to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 5-3 lead, with the rally aided by a throwing error. Binghamton answered in the bottom of the fifth as JT Schwartz singled home Jaylen Palmer to make it 5-4, but the Rumble Ponies could not push across the equalizer. The bullpen was sharp the rest of the way, as Zach Peek, Saul Garcia, and Brian Metoyer combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings, with Garcia and Metoyer each striking out three. Binghamton stranded seven runners. Player AB R H RBI BB K Jacob Reimer 3 0 1 0 0 1 Jaylen Palmer 2 1 0 0 0 1 Matt Rudick 5 1 1 0 0 0 Jose Ramos 4 1 3 0 0 1 Nick Lorusso 4 0 2 2 0 0 JT Schwartz 4 0 1 1 0 1 Vincent Perozo 4 1 1 1 0 0 Wyatt Young 3 0 1 0 1 0 Diego Mosquera 2 0 0 0 0 0 Kevin Villavicencio 2 0 0 0 0 1 Nick Lucky 4 0 0 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Bryce Conley 4 2/3 7 5 4 3 5 1 Zach Peek 1 1/3 1 0 0 2 0 0 Saul Garcia 1 2/3 1 0 0 1 3 0 Brian Metoyer 1 1/3 0 0 0 1 3 0 Brooklyn Bats Silenced In Shutout Loss At Wilmington The Brooklyn Cyclones were held to five hits in a 6-0 loss to the Wilmington Blue Rocks. Mitch Voit collected two of those hits, including a double, while Daiverson Gutierrez added a double and a walk. The Cyclones never solved Wilmington pitching and struck out 13 times as a team. Starter Nicolas Carreno absorbed the loss, allowing six runs, five earned, on five hits over four innings with four walks and one strikeout. Wilmington built its lead early, plating three runs in the bottom of the first inning, with one run scoring on a throwing error. The home team tacked on single runs in the third and a two-run homer in the fourth to extend the margin to 6-0. Brooklyn's bullpen settled things down, as Ryan Dollar, Juan Arnaud, and Cristofer Gomez combined for four scoreless innings and seven strikeouts, but the offense could not capitalize, leaving 11 runners on base. Player AB R H RBI BB K Mitch Voit 5 0 2 0 0 1 Ronald Hernandez 4 0 0 0 1 1 Corey Collins 3 0 0 0 1 3 Daiverson Gutierrez 3 0 1 0 1 0 Yonatan Henriquez 4 0 1 0 0 0 John Bay 3 0 0 0 1 2 Colin Houck 4 0 0 0 0 3 Trace Willhoite 4 0 1 0 0 2 Sam Biller 2 0 0 0 1 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Nicolas Carreno 4 5 6 5 4 1 1 Ryan Dollar 2 3 0 0 1 3 0 Juan Arnaud 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 Cristofer Gomez 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 St. Lucie Powers Past Daytona With Three-Homer Outburst The St. Lucie Mets cruised to an 8-2 win over the Daytona Tortugas with homers and a strong start from Emilio Obispo. Elian Peña led off and went 3-for-5 with a double and two runs scored, while Antonio Jimenez drove in three runs on a three-run homer. Yohairo Cuevas and Francisco Toledo also homered, and Branny De Oleo doubled and drove in a run. Obispo earned the win, allowing one run on six hits over five innings, walking one and striking out six. St. Lucie scored twice in the third on RBI singles from Julio Zayas and a Branny De Oleo double, then added a Trey Snyder run-scoring double in the fourth. The decisive blow came in the bottom of the sixth, when St. Lucie erupted for five runs. Toledo homered to open the inning, Jimenez followed with his three-run shot, and Cuevas capped the outburst with a solo homer to make it 8-1. Miguel Mejias tossed two scoreless innings of relief, and the Mets stranded seven runners while striking out eight at the plate. Player AB R H RBI BB K Elian Peña 5 2 3 0 0 0 Trey Snyder 5 0 1 1 0 1 Antonio Jimenez 4 1 1 3 1 2 Yohairo Cuevas 2 2 1 1 2 0 Julio Zayas 3 0 1 1 1 1 Branny De Oleo 4 0 1 1 0 2 Francisco Toledo 4 1 1 1 0 0 Simon Juan 4 1 1 0 0 1 Jeremy Rodriguez 3 1 0 0 1 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Emilio Obispo 5 6 1 1 1 6 0 Miguel Mejias 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Franyel Diaz 1 2/3 0 1 1 5 2 0 Tyler McLoughlin 1/3 0 0 0 1 0 0 Mets Transactions No Roster Moves Top-20 Prospect Performance Carson Benge: DNP A.J. Ewing: DNP Jonah Tong: DNP Elian Pena: 3-for-5, 2B, 2 R Jack Wenninger: 4 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 3 HR Ryan Clifford: 0-for-3, 2 BB, 2 K Jacob Reimer: 1-for-3, K Nick Morabito: 1-for-3, 2B, 2 BB, 2 R, SB, 2 K Mitch Voit: 2-for-5, 2B, K Jonathan Santucci: DNP Chris Suero: DNP Zach Thornton: DNP Wandy Asigen: DNP Will Watson: DNP Eli Serrano III: DNP Randy Guzman: DNP Ryan Lambert: DNP Dylan Ross: 1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K Antonio Jimenez: 1-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, R, BB, 2 K R.J. Gordon: DNP View the full article

The San Diego Padres have what is perhaps the most impressive pitcher in baseball in Mason Miller. At worst, they have its most impressive pitch in the form of his slider. But while his slider and obscene velocity compound to grab most of the narrative around the stability of the team's relief corps, it shouldn't overshadow the work being done by Adrian Morejon. That Morejon is having an excellent season is hardly surprising. He's coming off a pair of impressive campaigns, including a 2025 season in which he posted a 2.08 ERA, 2.2 fWAR, and made an appearance in Atlanta as a National League All-Star. That excellence is a bit overlooked, however, given the first number to which one always points when examining a pitcher's quality: the ERA. Morejon has a 4.00 ERA through his first 33 appearances of 2026. That number itself ranks only 119th among qualifying relief pitchers. It's a number that makes his overall performance somewhat easy to overlook. It's also incredibly deceptive. Despite that figure sitting atop the stat sheet, Morejon has thrived everywhere else. His percentile distribution alone is indicative of a pitcher that has been much better than such a number would indicate; he ranks in the top 10 percent league-wide in xERA, fastball velocity, average exit velocity allowed, barrel rate allowed, hard-hit rate, chase rate, whiff rate, walk rate, and ground-ball rate. In other words, he's one of the best pitchers in the sport at basically anything you can do on the mound. Not only has Morejon brought elite velocity, he's been dominant in forcing opposing hitters to chase and look foolish in doing so, as illustrated by his whiff rate (34.2 percent). In those rare instances in which hitters do make contact, they're not doing it to any meaningful extent. As such, it becomes easy to attribute the ERA to a blend of bad luck (.305 opposing BABIP) and a pair of isolated clunky outings (one on April 7 in Pittsburgh and one on June 4 in Philadelphia). Otherwise, he's been genuinely excellent. Beyond the ERA itself, Morejon has posted a 2.21 FIP and strikeout (28.1 percent) & walk (4.8 percent) rates that would stand as a career best if the season ended today. He's already turned in a 1.3 fWAR figure, putting him on pace to at least match the total he posted in his standard-setting 2025 season. That Morejon is posting these numbers speaks to what the stuff is doing this year. He's thrown the sinker as a primary pitch at 47 percent of the time, with each of his slider (21 percent), changeup (18 percent), and four-seam (14 percent) serving as consistently-used secondary offerings. Stuff+ loves all four pitches, as they carry figures of 133, 127, 129, and 121, respectively. That means that not only his pitches above average in their physical characteristics but comfortably above. Only Mason Miller's slider ranks higher on the season among Padre pitchers and nobody (not even Miller) has a better pitch by that measure since the start of June. For what it's worth, all four pitches also sit above average on the Location+ side with the changeup leading the way at 115, indicating he's not only maximizing his pitches in their shape but in their situational value as well. Statcast's new data around swing timing and miss distance helps to further emphasize the work being done by Morejon: In general, the pitches are doing what they're supposed to be doing. Hitters are late on the four-seam and early on each of the changeup & slider. Two of Morejon's pitches, the change and the four-seam, rank in the top eight of individual Padre pitches in their ability to generate flawed swings (20 and 16 percent, respectively). That Morejon's avoiding bats in this way speaks to not only the stuff itself but his ability to locate. It's an effective supplement to what each of Stuff+ & Location+ tell us. Regardless of metric, though, it all tells us the same thing: Adrian Morejon has been one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball in 2026. If anything, his ability to mix four pitches this effectively rather than the relief industry standard of two or maybe three only adds to the lore. It's easy to overlook the season he's having; the Padres are struggling, his ERA looks below average, and he shares a bullpen seat with baseball's objectively best reliever. None of that, though, should lead to an underestimation of just how good Adrian Morejon has been this season. View the full article

Jacob Misiorowski is the best pitcher in baseball, officially proven after Blake Perkins and the Brewers hit Cristopher Sanchez while the Miz threw arguably the best game in the history of the franchise. But will he win the Cy Young Award? Kyle Harrison may not be quite as good as the Miz, but that doesn't mean he can't finish higher in the voting than some of the best pitchers in the National League. If it's Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Paul Skenes, or others, Harrison will have his work cut out for him, but his numbers still stack up among the best. View the full article

Pablo López, Taj Bradley, Mick Abel, and more. Here's an early prediction for how the Twins' 2027 starting rotation could shake out. View the full article