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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Kansas City Royals are suddenly down both starters on the left side of the infield. With shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. having missed the last three games with a sprained right knee, the Royals on Tuesday placed third baseman Maikel Garcia on the 10-day injured list with a strained muscle in his left hand. Infielder Josh Rojas was called up from Triple-A Omaha. Garcia has been dealing with the hand injury for more than a month after having a minor hamstring injury this month. Garcia's numbers have been down this season, with a .261/.320/.373 slash line with three homers and 30 RBIs in 69 games. Rojas is up for the second time this season. He was on the roster for five days at the start of the month, appearing in two games and going 1-for-5 with a run scored and two RBIs. View the full article

While the Twins have remained within striking distance of contention for stretches, their inability to separate themselves from the pack has increasingly pointed toward a seller's approach at the trade deadline. If that direction becomes official, few players on the roster may generate more interest than catcher Ryan Jeffers. According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the New York Yankees "are making it no secret" that they want to acquire Jeffers before the trade deadline. The interest is understandable. Jeffers is playing on a team-friendly $6.7 million contract and will become a free agent after the season. Productive catchers are difficult to find at any point during the year, and contenders searching for offensive upgrades behind the plate won't find many options with Jeffers' combination of power, on-base skills, and defensive ability. Jeffers has been sidelined since May 18 after suffering a fractured hamate bone in his left hand. The injury required surgery and has kept him out for more than five weeks, but recent developments suggest he is trending in the right direction. The veteran catcher has resumed baseball activities and recently began taking batting practice. Speaking with reporters this week, Jeffers acknowledged that recovery from the injury has been anything but predictable. "There's good days, there's bad days," Jeffers told reporters. "It's a funky buildup just because it's not a straight line. It's not like rehabbing from an oblique where you can kind of timetable it out, of 'Hey, a couple swings here, a couple swings there.' Because there's so much — not to get too medical on it – but there's new pathways that the nerves and the tendons have to learn that just take a little time, but we're in the swings, and we're getting to above-arm BP swings. I like where we're at." The encouraging news for Minnesota is that most of the remaining hurdles involve hitting. Jeffers said he has experienced few issues on the defensive side of his recovery and even caught a bullpen session earlier this week. His return to game action will largely depend on how quickly he becomes comfortable swinging a bat again. Before the injury, Jeffers was producing at an All-Star level. Through 39 games, he slashed .295/.408/.541 with seven home runs, 26 RBI, and a .949 OPS. Those numbers represented some of the best offensive production of his seven-year career and reinforced his value as one of the more productive offensive catchers in the American League. The Yankees have plenty of reasons to pursue that type of player. While Austin Wells remains a strong defender and one of baseball's better pitch framers, New York has received very little offensive production from the catching position this season. Yankees catchers have ranked near the bottom of baseball offensively, creating a clear need for an upgrade as the club pushes toward October. Jeffers would provide exactly that. He would also come at a lower acquisition cost than many of the bigger names potentially available on the market. Teams are often reluctant to move catchers during the season because of the relationships they build with pitchers and coaching staffs. However, Jeffers' expiring contract and Minnesota's current position in the standings could create a rare opportunity. Victor Caratini has shown throughout his career that he can handle a larger workload and could step into the primary catching role if Jeffers is moved. That gives Minnesota flexibility that many clubs don't possess when considering a trade involving a starting catcher. None of that makes the decision easy. Jeffers has spent his entire professional career in the Twins organization since being selected in the second round of the 2018 MLB Draft. He has developed into one of the club's most consistent offensive performers and remains a respected presence in the clubhouse. Still, if Minnesota ultimately decides to prioritize the future over a long-shot playoff push, moving an impending free agent at peak value may be the most logical path. The next few weeks could determine everything. If Jeffers returns before the deadline and demonstrates that his bat is fully healthy, his market will only continue to grow. The Yankees may be the most obvious suitor today, but they likely won't be the only contender calling the Twins about one of the deadline's most appealing rental catchers. View the full article

After a long wait, Shane Bieber is back. The 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner was activated off the 60-day injured list by the Toronto Blue Jays and will start Tuesday's game against the Houston Astros. To make room for Bieber, right-handed reliever Lazaro Estrada was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo and right-handed reliever Hayden Juenger was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. Bieber has been out since spring training with inflammation in his right elbow. Bieber was acquired by the Jays at last year's trade deadline while he was on the injured list as he made his way back from Tommy John surgery in 2024. He made seven starts in the regular season, posting a 3.57 ERA in 40⅓ innings. In the postseason, he made four starts and came on in relief in Game 7 of the World Series, giving up the fateful homer to Will Smith of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Estrada came off the 60-day IL himself Saturday following a right shoulder impingement and made one relief appearance, tossing 2⅓ innings, allowing a two-run homer vs. the Chicago Cubs on the day of his return. Juenger was called up May 30 to make his MLB debut, which happened the next day as he surrendered three runs on two hits and two walks in one inning. He made one more appearance June 3, a scoreless inning vs. Atlanta, before being sent down the next day. View the full article

It’s that time of the year again, when TalkSox updates our Top 20 prospect rankings for the Boston Red Sox. Both staff and readers voted and after tabulating the votes, the reveal of the list is now ready. The Top 20 saw some changes from the one released in May, which we will break down. While one prospect graduated, one fell off and two new additions replaced both. Let’s jump into it below. Boston Red Sox Top 20 Prospect List Franklin Arias SS AA (previously #2) Anthony Eyanson RHP AA (previously #4) Kyson Witherspoon RHP A+ (previously #3) Justin Gonzales OF/1B A+ (previously #5) Henry Godbout 2B/SS A+ (previously #11) Jake Bennett LHP MLB (40-man) (previously #7) Marcus Phillips RHP A+ (previously #9) Juan Valera RHP A+ (previously #6) Enddy Azocar OF A+ (previously #15) Dorian Soto INF FCL (previously #10) Yoeilin Cespedes 2B/SS A+ (previously #13) Mikey Romero INF AAA (previously #8) Tyler Uberstine RHP AAA (40-man) (previously #12) Sadbiel Delzine RHP FCL (previously unranked) John Holobetz RHP AA (previously #14) Yophery Rodriguez OF A+ (previously #17) Franklin Primera C FCL (previously unranked) Hayden Mullins LHP AA (previously #19) Johanfran Garcia C AA (previously #18) Miguel Bleis OF AA (previously #16) The list retained most of the previous Top 20 with only Payton Tolle and Conrad Cason dropping off of the list. Tolle’s removal due to his graduation from prospect status thanks to his stay in the majors with Boston, while Cason fell off after appearing in just four games in the Florida Complex League before being shut down due to injury. In his limited play time of 15 at-bats, the two-way player hit .267/.313/.733 with a double, two home runs and two RBIs as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery. The biggest rank improvements belonged primarily to position players, as Henry Godbout and Enddy Azocar both rose six placements and broke into the top 10. Along with them, Justin Gonzales continued his rise on the list, going from 5th to 4th and Yoeilin Cespedes continued his resurgence to go from 13th to 11th. Meanwhile, on the pitching side, Anthony Eyanson, Jake Bennett, Marcus Phillips and Hayden Mullins all improved in the rankings. Eyanson is now the 2nd ranked prospect, while Bennett rose one spot to 6th and Phillips bumped up from 9th to 7th. Mullins rose quietly from 19th on the list to 18th. The biggest rank decreases belonged to Mikey Romero, who went from 8th down to 12th, falling out of the top 10, and Miguel Bleis, who continued to slide as he went from 16th down to 20th. Romero has seen his ups and downs in 2026, as he opened the year as one of the hottest hitters in all of baseball before a stretch of roughly six weeks where hits simply wouldn't fall. The month of May saw the infielder hit just .179/.222/.310 while striking out 20 times. The month of June has seen more positive results, as Romero looks to stay on track for the remainder of the season. Bleis, on the other hand, just can't find the consistency his talent deserves. So far on the season, he’s hitting .216/.286/.324 with eight doubles, four home runs and 19 RBIs. Much like Romero, he’s starting to heat up, having hit .257/.278/.329 in May followed by a line of .245/.333/.396 in June. For Bleis, the talent is there, it’s just a matter of having it show up each night. The ranking continues to be dominated in two specific areas much like the previous update. Nine of the top 20 are pitchers, while half of the top 10 is comprised of pitchers even after Tolle’s graduation. Thanks to that, the new top pitching prospect is 2025 third-round pick Anthony Eyanson, who has dominated this season with a 1.00 ERA in 11 starts and 45 innings between High-A and Double-A. In that span, he’s managed to strike out 62 batters while walking just 16. The area that made up the second most on the list would be infielders with five of them including two within the top 10 (technically three if we count Gonzales’ one game at first base). The second area that dominates this list is that once again, Greenville makes up the majority of the players on the list with eight (including six in the top 10). The High-A organization is a team that many should keep an eye on during the second half of the minor league baseball season to see what the future of the franchise might look like. Offensively, the team is led by Azocar, Cespedes and Gonzales. Godbout was also putting together a fine season before it was derailed with the need for hand surgery. Portland finished second once more with six players including the top two players on the list in Arias and Eyanson. The FCL came in third with three players including the two new additions to the list, while Worcester had two players on the list in mainstays Romero and Tyler Uberstine. Finally, Boston, who has had Bennett with them for the last couple weeks, had one lone prospect. Let’s review the two new additions to our list to round things out. Sadbiel Delzine, RHP (FCL Red Sox): No. 14 Delzine has shot up prospect rankings this season, as he went unlisted on not just the TalkSox list but nearly every major prospect ranking coming into 2026. That quickly changed once the FCL season began in early May, as he has put on a show with his pitching. A strong, tall right-hander, Delzine stands at a towering 6-foot-5 on the mound and still has room to grow as he enters his late teens (he won’t turn 19 until 2027). In his first taste of stateside baseball, Delzine has dominated in his seven appearances. Tossing 27 1/3 innings, he’s allowed just seven runs, six of them earned, while striking out 32 batters. Delzine, who signed with the Red Sox in January of 2025, is already viewed as a high-upside arm throughout the system thanks to his size and athleticism that he’s shown during his time in Florida. Even before this season, the Red Sox were high on him, as the right-hander received the largest bonus of any pitcher signed by the Red Sox in their 2025 international free agent class. On the mound, Delzine starts on the first base side of the rubber before throwing from a three-quarters arm slot. With a high leg kick and a quick arm, Delzine has shown an ability to repeat his delivery early on in his career. Thanks to his large body and the belief he’ll only grow more, Delzine has the body of a starter and will be developed as such. He already has a four-pitch arsenal, with three of them already in game-ready form. His best pitch is his fastball, while he uses a changeup and curveball to supplement it. Delzine also has a slider, but it’s behind his other two secondaries. The fastball averages around the low-90s, topping out as high as 94 mph at times and is viewed as having room to add velocity as he grows. Despite being his best pitch so far in his career, it might be his changeup that becomes his best pitch in the future thanks to the bat-missing ability it’s already showcasing. His curveball is one that breaks 11-to-5 and some have said that at its best, it showcases a tight rotation that allows him to bury it down in the zone and can throw it away from right-handed batters. There isn’t much on his slider, as it’s still being developed. Overall, he’s viewed as a high-upside prospect that should be able to handle the strain of starting games along with having the mental aspect needed due to his competitive nature. Should Delzine develop consistently and avoid injuries, there may be a new arm joining the likes of Eyanson, Witherspoon and Phillips when it comes to the most hype in the system. Franklin Primera, C (FCL Red Sox): No. 17 Whereas Delzine was signed in January of 2025, Primera was signed by the Red Sox out of Venezuela in September of 2024 and was sent to the Dominican Summer League in 2025 at the age of 18. The young catcher immediately dominated the league, as he slashed .333/.465/.430 with 10 doubles, one home run and 27 RBIs while being added to the All-Star Game as an injury replacement. Primera would go on to win the game’s MVP after hitting a home run in his lone at-bat. Following his great season, the team had him play in the 2026 Spring Breakout game along with being on the roster for their annual Futures at Fenway South game. The team then decided he was ready for the FCL and had him open the season in Florida instead of spending more time in the DSL. Through his first 27 games this season, Primera has made that decision look smart, as he’s hit .464/.589/.821 with six doubles, eight home runs and 28 RBIs all while playing outstanding defense. Measured at 6-foot-0, Primera still has some room to grow, especially in his upper body, but he should manage to stick behind the plate without worry about his size. He does, however, need to get stronger if he wants to improve various aspects of his game. As a hitter, Primera has a compact swing that is short and allows him to find the barrel consistently. However, he does not see many pitches as he will look to attack early in the count, something that more advanced pitchers could take advantage of as he moves up the minor-league levels. He will need to work on developing how he attacks pitchers along with recognizing different pitches. He has pull-side power, but if he wants to really tap into it, he’ll have to add strength so that he can impact the ball with higher exit velocities. His speed is well below average, however, and should not be viewed as a part of his game. Defensively, he is strong and should remain behind the dish barring a major injury. His ability to block baseballs in the dirt is great thanks to his ability to move well behind the plate. He also has plus receiving and framing skills despite being just 19 years old. His arm is also viewed as above average and should only increase as he improves his strength and conditioning. Overall, there’s a lot to like about Primera, as his defensive upside alone should give him a quicker path to the majors than most backstops. His ceiling and floor will all be based on how his hit tool develops, and he could either be a serious catching prospect or nothing more than upper-minors depth. Despite that, the Red Sox have a fun prospect to keep an eye on for the next couple seasons as the organization tries to figure out what they have in their catching department. View the full article

Let's check in on the San Diego Padres prospects who made a mark in the last week (check out Padres Mission's latest Top 20 rankings as well!): Clay Edmondson, RHP, High-A Fort Wayne Season stats: 2-3, 1.67, 23 games (all relief), 11 saves (13 chances), 27 IP, 13 H, 8 R, 5 ER, 13 BB, 38 K, .134 opponent average You don't expect a relief pitcher to retire every batter they face, although that would be nice. But the sidewinding right-handed closer for the TinCaps had as good of a week as you can. The 14th-round draft choice last year out of North Carolina-Asheville retired nine of 10 hitters in three appearances. The one blemish was a two-out walk in Tuesday's game against the South Bend Cubs. But that was also the game in which he struck out three. Edmondson is second in the minors with 11 saves, even though only one of last week's three games resulted in a save. In his two outings before last week, Edmondson had one rocky game and another where he took the loss in a walk-off. The latter one came as he was in his second inning and issued two of his three walks in the game. That was the second game in which he allowed multiple walks and they came on back-to-back outings. The first of those was his worst outing of the season. Edmondson got just two outs, the second time this year he didn't get at least three, on June 5 vs. Lake County, giving up two homers and three runs. Romeo Sanabria, 1B, Double-A San Antonio Season stats: .247/.345/.394, 66 games, 34 R, 13 2B, 0 3B, 8 HR, 32 RBIs, 36 BB, 72 K, 5 SB, 2 CS After a rough April in which the left-handed-hitting first baseman had a .176/.290/.282 slash line, Sanabria has bounced back with two very nice months (.283/.400/.413 in May, .284/.338/.500 in June). The 18th-round draft pick in 2022 earned a promotion to Triple-A El Paso with that progress and will debut at that level Tuesday. This was his second year at Double-A after slashing .257/.309/.376 with 12 homers and 56 RBIs in 119 games there last season. Sanabria isn't your prototypical first baseman. Power is a lesser part of his game, whereas contact is more prevalent. After his walk rate dipped down to 7.6% last year, it is back up to 12.4% this year. His strikeout rate is up a few points from 21.4% to 24.7%. His power is also slightly improved, with his ISO at .147 this year after being at .119 in 2025. Sanabria had a career-best 12 homers last year after 11 in 2024. He has eight at the halfway point of this season, so he's on pace to eclipse that number, especially as he moves to the offensive-minded Pacific Coast League. Winyer Chourio, RHP, Low-A Lake Elsinore Season stats: 2-1, 3.31 12 games (11 starts) 51⅔ IP, 38 H, 19 R, 19 ER, 25 BB, 74 K, .204 opponent average In his final start before heading to Fort Wayne, the right-handed starter turned in what feels like a typical outing: six innings, one run, four hits, two walks, five strikeouts. It came in a 3-1 victory over the San Jose Giants that clinched the California League's South Division first-half championship. With the help of a first-inning double play, Chourio faced the minimum until a two-out single in the eighth. While he has a few big strikeout games (one at 10 K's, two at nine), Chourio hasn't necessarily dominated. He has walked 13 in his last five starts, including a one-walk game. He does limit contact, with his season opponent batting average at .204. Chourio has gone six innings in each of his last two starts, which matches his career high from an outing in 2023 in the Dominican Summer League. Kerrington Cross, 3B, Low-A Lake Elsinore Season stats: .313/.467/.608, 58 games, 49 R, 15 2B, 2 3B, 11 HR, 43 RBI, 46 BB, 53 K, 17 SB, 2 CS An on-base machine, the third baseman went 8-for-16 with three walks, a pair of homers and five RBIs. He also had three steals. That type of production against San Jose also earned him a promotion to Fort Wayne. Most of that came in the final three games of the six-game series, where he went 6-for-12 with two doubles, a homer and four RBIs. Cross has a nice combination of getting on base and power. He has walked 46 times in 58 games and drilled 11 homers. His walks and homers are tied for third in the Cal League, while his .313 batting average is ninth and 49 runs is 10th. Cross has a 20.2% walk rate and 23.2% strikeout rate. He is also a stolen base threat, swiping 17 with the Storm. Dylan Grego, SS, Triple-A El Paso Season stats: .201/.283/.306, 44 games, 17 R, 8 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 16 BB, 41 K, 2 SB, 1 CS Grego might wake up each morning wondering what city he is in. After all, in addition to regular minor-league travel, he is on his third minor-league level this season. The shortstop started the season at High-A Fort Wayne, then got knocked down to Low-A Lake Elsinore before jumping all the way up to Triple-A El Paso due to players being promoted to the majors. The 13th-round draft choice last year out of Ball State only played in three of the six games against Corpus Christi in his first full week at Triple-A, but he made the most of his opportunity. He went 8-for-12 with three doubles and a homer with three multi-hit games after having three previously all season. His season got off to a rough start, going 0-for-19 in his first six games before finally getting a hit, leading to a dismal .109/.180/.218 slash line in April. His June has been much better as he has notched hits in seven of nine games for a .375/.417/.500 mark. Honorable Mention: Carlos Rodriguez, OF, Triple-A El Paso Before closing things out, I just wanted to give a nod to Rodriguez, who was included in last week's Hot Sheet, for his hitting streak, which reached 21 games before coming to an end. That didn't slow him down, though. After taking an 0-for-4 Thursday against the Reno Aces, Rodriguez came back with a 3-for-4 game, then an additional hit in the final two games of that series to give him hits in 25 of his last 26 games. View the full article

The Minnesota Twins continue to find ways to score runs, regardless of who is in the lineup. A road trip that featured a sweep of the Texas Rangers and a series victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks showcased the depth of an offense that has become one of baseball's best. Entering Monday's action (a disappointing 2-1 loss, but just one game, after all), Minnesota ranked sixth in Major League Baseball in runs scored. Among American League clubs, only the New York Yankees had crossed home plate more often, and they were only ahead of the Twins by one run. The Twins aren't searching for answers offensively, but that doesn't mean there aren't reinforcements waiting in St. Paul. With several left-handed outfielders producing at an impressive rate, the organization may soon have difficult roster decisions to make. Matt Wallner is Demanding Attention Few hitters in Triple-A have been as productive over the last month as Wallner. After struggling through a disappointing spring that resulted in a demotion following a .554 OPS in 34 games with Minnesota, Wallner initially needed some time to regain his footing with the Saints. Once he found his rhythm, however, the results became impossible to ignore. Since May 31, Wallner has launched 11 home runs in just 18 games. His June numbers have been particularly eye-opening, with a slugging percentage north of .800 and an OPS above 1.200. Those are the types of numbers that suggest a player has little left to prove at the Triple-A level. The challenge for Wallner has never been Triple-A pitching. He owns elite raw power and already carries a career 118 OPS+ in the major leagues. The bigger question is whether additional Triple-A at-bats can help him make the adjustments necessary to handle the consistent quality of major-league pitching, and the answer remains beyond our reach right now. Even if the developmental benefits are limited, confidence matters. Wallner appears to have rediscovered his offensive identity, and that could be valuable whenever the Twins decide it's time for another opportunity. Given his track record and recent production, it feels more like a matter of when than if he returns to Target Field. Alan Roden is Forcing His Way into the Conversation While Wallner's power surge has grabbed headlines, Roden may be the most intriguing promotion candidate at Triple-A. Acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays in last season's Louis Varland trade, Roden spent much of this year sidelined by a shoulder injury. Since returning to action, he has looked completely healthy. Over his first four games back, Roden collected 10 hits in 18 at-bats while blasting four home runs. On Monday, he was named the International League Player of the Week. It's the latest reminder that Triple-A pitching has rarely challenged him. Across his career at the level, Roden owns a .951 OPS and has consistently demonstrated an advanced offensive approach. The unanswered question is whether that production can translate to the highest level. Roden has accumulated only 153 major-league plate appearances between Toronto and Minnesota, hardly enough time to make a definitive evaluation and one argument for giving him a shot before Wallner. Wallner has already gotten lots of chances to prove his upside and show his warts in the bigs; Roden still hasn't had the chance to fully demonstrate either. His profile could fit a need on the current roster. Roden's left-handed bat would bring additional balance to an outfield group that has leaned heavily right-handed, with Trevor Larnach being the lone lefty. A promotion would likely come at the expense of a player such as Kyler Fedko or Austin Martin, and neither decision would be simple. Fedko, in particular, deserves additional opportunities after waiting years for his first major-league chance. Still, Roden is making a strong case for an extended look. He's also a much better defender than Wallner, which will enter the equation as the two continue to push for their chances. Walker Jenkins Could Change the Equation No prospect in the organization carries more long-term significance than Jenkins. The Twins' top prospect is nearing the end of his recovery from a left shoulder sprain and has already begun reminding everyone why he remains one of baseball's premier young talents. During a recent rehab assignment with High-A Cedar Rapids, Jenkins immediately launched a first-inning home run and followed a four-hit performance from earlier in the week with another display of impact power. When healthy, Jenkins possesses the combination of bat speed, strike-zone awareness, and power that can make life miserable for opposing pitchers. Few prospects in baseball can match his ceiling. His 2026 season has already featured more adversity than expected. A hamstring strain interrupted his spring buildup, and he opened the year slowly with Triple-A St. Paul before finding his groove. Over his final 16 games before suffering the shoulder injury, Jenkins slashed .295/.419/.475 and looked increasingly comfortable against advanced pitching. The injury itself was another example of Jenkins' aggressive style of play. His willingness to sacrifice his body for every play has become both one of his greatest strengths and one of the biggest challenges of his young career. If he returns to St. Paul and quickly resumes his previous form, conversations about a major-league promotion may accelerate rapidly. A Good Problem for Minnesota to Have What should encourage the organization even more than their encouraging scoring clip is the quality of the reinforcements waiting nearby. Wallner is crushing Triple-A pitching. Roden is making up for lost time after returning from injury. Jenkins remains one of the most talented prospects in baseball and appears close to returning to full strength. The Twins may not need to make a move today, but they have several attractive options if they decide another offensive boost is necessary. Few contenders can match the kind of left-handed outfield depth currently waiting just down I-94. Who should be the team’s next call-up? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

As the August 3 trade deadline approaches, front offices across baseball are beginning to shape their strategies. The biggest headlines are expected to revolve around established stars and frontline starting pitchers. Names such as Tarik Skubal, Freddy Peralta, Robbie Ray, and Joe Ryan could dominate conversations if their teams decide to sell, while clubs around the league continue monitoring the situations involving players like Jarren Duran, Aroldis Chapman, Sonny Gray, Rafael Devers, Willy Adames, and Matt Chapman. Yet every deadline produces a handful of unexpected moves involving players who were never viewed as obvious trade candidates. According to The Athletic's Jim Bowden, Royce Lewis could fit that description this summer. Bowden recently included Lewis among his list of 10 under-the-radar trade candidates, citing both his talent and the growing market for impact infielders around the league. While Lewis has spent much of his career battling injuries, he remains an intriguing player because of his age, athleticism, positional versatility, and offensive upside. "The only question is: Can he stay healthy?" Bowden wrote. "He's healthy now, and several contending teams are looking to upgrade at third base and he can also play first base, so he may get moved." The timing of the speculation is notable because Lewis has looked much more like himself in recent weeks. After opening the season with a disappointing .163/.261/.279 (.540) slash line and three home runs across his first 31 games, Lewis was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul in a move that felt unthinkable just a year earlier. Instead of sulking, the former No. 1 overall pick responded exactly how the Twins hoped he would. Lewis crushed eight home runs in just 13 games with the Saints before earning a return trip to Minnesota. Since being recalled on June 6, he has looked rejuvenated at the plate, producing the type of impact contact that once made him one of baseball's top prospects. In 15 games, he has an .873 OPS with four homers and three doubles. The improvements have extended beyond the batter's box. Minnesota has shifted Lewis primarily to first base, where he has appeared in all but one game since returning to the majors. The organization has paired him with Twins Hall of Famer Justin Morneau in an effort to accelerate his development at the position, and the early returns have been encouraging. That positional change can be viewed from multiple angles. On one hand, it may represent the Twins searching for a long-term defensive home that allows Lewis to remain healthy while keeping his bat in the lineup. First base could provide stability as the organization continues developing its next wave of infield talent. On the other hand, rival executives may wonder whether the Twins are also attempting to maximize Lewis's value before the deadline. During Lewis's stint in Triple-A, Brooks Lee settled in at third base while top prospect Kaelen Culpepper continued progressing toward the major leagues. Luke Keaschall remains part of the organization's future plans despite some defensive growing pains, giving Minnesota multiple young infield pieces around which to build. If the Twins remain firmly in contention, moving Lewis would be difficult to justify. A healthy and productive Lewis still possesses the type of talent capable of changing a lineup and impacting a postseason race. If Minnesota falls further behind, however, the front office could face difficult decisions. Last year's deadline demonstrated a willingness to make unexpected moves, and Lewis would undoubtedly attract interest from clubs searching for controllable upside. He remains under team control through the 2028 season, making him appealing to both contenders and teams planning beyond this year. For now, Lewis is impacting the Twins, but there could be an element of "freezer burn" with Lewis that makes the front office consider moving on with other younger options ready to take his place. View the full article

Aaron Ashby is the most potent weapon the Brewers have in their bullpen. He can be deployed in a multitude of different roles and has one of the nastiest, most diverse arsenals of any reliever in baseball. Using a shorter stride than most, Ashby gets vicious break on everything he throws, and it's caused despair for a number of the best hitters in baseball. That being said, you cannot succeed in a high-leverage role consistently without a strong fastball, and Ashby hasn't been as dominant with his sinker this year. This month, that's starting to catch up to him. Hitters are hitting .321 and slugging .462 against Ashby's sinker, with an expected weighted on-base average (xwOBA) of .355. All of these are career-high marks for one of the most unusual, outstanding pitches in baseball. Excuse a paragraph or two of nerdiness incoming, but it's important to break down why his sinker is so effective at its best, before diagnosing where it might be struggling this year. Ashby's high release point usually coincides with more vertical break and is not always conducive to a sinking fastball. Ashby's short extension gives his pitches more time to break, though, and his ability to generate seam-shifted wake (how the air moves around the seams of a baseball to enhance its movement) makes the sinker drop a lot more than a hitter would expect from his release point. On average. Ashby's sinker drops four inches more than expected from the seam-shifted wake he generates, and runs almost seven inches more than expected from his release point. To show that in a diagram, Ashby's expected movement on the sinker is the shaded orange area. The actual movement is the orange circle. It's a massive difference, and that movement is a key reason for Ashby's ground balls and how he has utterly overmatched hitters in the past. If that pitch is located well, good luck. If anyone has any questions surrounding the graph above or how to translate the data, please let me know in the comments below, by the way, I'm always happy to explain, but if you'd like a further breakdown of seam-shifted wake, I wrote a piece on the phenomenon over the winter here. The problem Ashby is finding so far in 2026 is that his sinker is being elevated at ideal launch angles far more frequently than it has in the past. That's key because, with this Brewers infield, even hard-hit balls are likely to turn into outs if they stay on the ground, and Ashby has historically induced a lot of worm burners. If you can get it over the infield, however, those hard-hit balls turn into extra-base hits and even home runs. Opponents' average launch angle on Ashby's sinker in any season previously reached a high of 2° way back in 2022, and was -1° in 2025. This season, it's all the way up to 8°, and that's the primary reason why we're seeing more hard-hit balls. His ground ball rate has dropped from 64% in 2025 to 51% this season. The first thing to check is whether the movement profile has changed, and it has—but ever so slightly. Ashby is getting about an inch less induced "drop" on the sinker. During his more dominant stretches, Ashby averages about seven inches of induced vertical break, but has been above eight inches each month so far in 2026. We can see from this graphic (both of the above graphics are from Jeremy Maschino at Pitch Profiler, an excellent resource for pitching information and analysis) that Ashby's Stuff+ grades on his sinker are largely identical this year. He's throwing from a slightly higher arm slot, which explains the increase in induced vertical break, but he's still getting impressive drop for that release slot. What is interesting, however, is the reduction in his ProPitch+ score, which combines location and his Stuff+ grades. His ProPitch+ has dropped this year, while Stuff+ remains the same—suggesting we could have a location issue so far. The other point to note is whether he's adjusted his pitch mix, and while I don't think this has made a massive difference, Ashby is using his slider more this year at the expense of his curveball. The changeup usage has slightly dropped, and a good changeup can keep hitters off your primary fastball, but not enough to cause this level of change in contact quality. So let's dig into Ashby's locations with his sinker. At his best, Ashby manages to get hitters off the end of the bat (a "flail") with regularity; that can be helped by hitting the outer third of the plate. We mentioned earlier that Ashby gets a lot of seam-shifted wake effects that help the pitch "sink", but have an even bigger effect on how much horizontal movement he gets. To right-handers, in particular, this movement can force the pitch onto the end of the bats and help with inducing weak contact. If we look at 2025 pitch locations to right-handers: While Ashby wasn't averse to hitting the heart of the plate, and that's something he could get away with given the vicious movement and depth in his arsenal, his most often hit zone was on the outer third of the plate to righties. He was happy enough to front-door his sinker to them, as well, locating quite evenly across the strike zone, but he didn't specifically live in the heart of the plate. When he did, he also kept it down more than up in the strike zone, and we can see the importance of Ashby keeping the ball off the heart of the plate when it comes to his ground ball rate on the sinker: Ashby's ground ball rates were far higher when he could find the inner and outer thirds of the plate, staying away from the center of the barrel, and saying good luck to any who dared chase below the strike zone. There are two clear areas in which Ashby didn't get ground balls with regularity: middle-middle fastballs, and middle-up fastballs. So let's take a look at his locations in 2026: Well, there's a fairly clear answer here. Overall, Asbhy is staying in those two danger areas more often than any other location inside the strike zone. Compounding this is that he seems to have lost the feel for locating in the bottom third of the zone, with his zone rate (how often a pitch lands inside the rulebook strike zone) dipping from 59% in 2025 to 53% in 2026. Ashby is electric when he gets ahead of hitters, but every pitcher in baseball finds it more difficult when they fall behind to a hitter. When they force him into the strike zone in a fastball count, 37% of those pitches are in the danger zone where his sinker gets elevated and hit hard. In short, Ashby needs to find his command of the sinker. Command has never been his overarching strength, but this is a step back for him in that regard. If he can command the two sides of the zone, or even locate better at the bottom of the strike zone, the Brewers will have their high swing-and-miss, high ground ball pitcher that's one of the toughest relievers in baseball. If he can't establish the fastball a bit more tidily, prepare for a slightly bumpier ride. View the full article