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Box Score SP: Taj Bradley 5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K (88 pitches, 56 strikes (66% strikes) Home Runs: -0- Top 3 WPA: Taj Bradley (0.14); Byron Buxton (0.11); Kaelen Culpepper (0.08) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) After what threatened to be a season-derailing weekend against the Phillies, the Twins roared back with huge wins in the first two games of the final set of their homestand. They sent de facto ace Taj Bradley to the mound on getaway day, hunting a deliciously unexpected sweep. Bradley responded with ruthless efficiency over his first two innings of work. On the broadcast, Cory Provus mentioned that Bradley threw 16 pitches in the first two innings, the fewest to get the first six outs in any start of his career, After he'd needed three times that many offerings to get through two frames against the Phillies at the Field of Dreams, that was an especially welcome surprise. The offense got a runner on against Atlanta's AJ Smith-Shawver, with a walk to Victor Caratini, followed by a single from Kaelen Culpepper. Luke Keaschall squared to bunt, but rather than drag it up the third-base line or dribble it for an easy sacrifice, he popped it over Smith-Shawver's head and neatly into the undefendable area behind the pitcher's mound. The unique single loaded the bases for Byron Buxton. Returning to the lineup after a day off Tuesday, Buxton hit a ground ball toward the hole at shortstop, on which Atlanta again failed to find an out. Caratini came home with the first run of the game, though the Twins were stymied after that. Royce Lewis gave the lineup a chance to get more runs at the bottom of the fourth with a one-out, line-drive single, a stolen base and an advancement on an error to end up on third. Alas, he was left after a strikeout and grounder ended the inning. Bradley continued to push through the game, but it unraveled in the fifth. He got two quick outs, but then issued a pair of walks, as his command seemed to desert him. With Taylor Rogers warming up in the bullpen, Bradley’s follies bit him. Ronald Acuña Jr, singled to left field, with the ball falling in front of Trevor Larnach and Austin Riley racing home to tie the score at 1-1. The bottom of the fifth was a repeat of the third, in a way, as Culpepper and Keaschall both got on base with one out. This time, Smith-Shawver walked Buxton, loading the bases, and Josh Bell took a walk, ending Smith-Shawver’s day and bringing home Culpepper to put the Twins back in front 2-1. Dylan Dodd replaced Smith-Shawver, and immediately, Kody Clemens doubled home two more runs, with a clobbered fly ball off the wall in right-center field. Kody Funderburk came out to replace Bradley in the sixth, making his fourth appearance of the week. (He also warmed up at length on Monday night, when he didn't pitch.) Funderburk has been one of the most reliable Twins relievers as of late, making him one of the most used. That caught up to him Wednesday, though, and he left having recorded just one out and given up two runs. Tommy Nance replaced Funderburk, but balked home the tying run before extricating the team from the jam. Atlanta reliever Victor Mederos kept Minnesota fairly quiet in the sixth, but Nanace and A.J. Minter responded by hanging a goose egg in the top of the seventh. After the stretch, Josh Bell hit a one-out rocket up the middle and turned what looked like a single into an utterly stunning hustle double. His smarts and intensity immediately paid off, too. Dylan Lee came out to face Clemens, but the left-on-left matchup didn't tilt Atlanta's way. Clemens dunked an RBI single down the right-field line, untying the game and giving the Twins a surge of momentum. The Braves walked Ryan Jeffers, but Brooks Lee made them pay for their tactic with another RBI single, providing some insurance. Jeff Hoffman worked in and out of trouble in the top of the eighth. With one out and after a nine-pitch at-bat with a runner in scoring position, Mauricio Dubón was rules to have gone around on a check-swing—by the home-plate umpire. Dubón was furious that Carlos Torres hadn't appealed for help at first base, rather than ringing him up, and argued vociferously. Atlanta manager Walt Weiss was ejected for his own argument. When the dust cleared, though, Hoffman finished the frame with another strikeout to defuse the tension. Yoendrys Gómez came out for the ninth inning, working a third day in a row, but it proved no sweat. On to San Diego! By the time the Twins play again, they could very well be officially in playoff position. What’s Next? The Twins get a day off to travel to San Diego, where they'll take on the Padres Friday night. Connor Prielipp (3-6; 3.46 ERA) will start the series against a pitcher TBD. The game starts at 8:40 pm CST. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Availability Chart View the full article

It only took one minor-league rehab assignment for the Milwaukee Brewers to determine that Cooper Pratt was ready to return. The Brewers activated the rookie shortstop from the 10-day injured list Wednesday and he was expected back in the lineup for tonight's game against the Seattle Mariners. Pratt has been out since Aug. 9 with a strained right hamstring. Outfielder Brandon Lockridge was optioned to Triple-A Nashville to make room on the 26-man roster. Also, infielder-outfielder Jihwan Bae cleared waivers and was outrighted to Nashville. Bae has the choice to accept the assignment or become a free agent. The 22-year-old Pratt made his only rehab appearance Tuesday for the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, going 1-for-2 with an RBI on a sacrifice fly and a run scored. He played seven innings on defense, batting second. He has been a nice contributor offensively in his first 44 MLB games since his debut in June, putting together a .272/.352/.368 slash line with two homers, 17 RBIs and 10 steals. His return allows Joey Ortiz and David Hamilton to resume their platoon at third base and not having to shift second baseman Brice Turang over to his natural position of shortstop, a spot he has played sparingly in the majors. Lockridge returned Aug. 1 from a gruesome knee laceration he sustained while sliding into a concrete wall attempting to catch a foul ball May 8. He has played in 10 games since, going 2-for-14. He will get regular playing time at Triple-A and a top candidate to be called up when rosters expand Sept. 1. For the season, Lockridge is slashing .273/.345/.313 with no homers, 12 RBIs and six stolen bases. View the full article

There's something special about Major League Baseball returning to the Field of Dreams site in Dyersville, Iowa. The setting is unique, the backdrop is recognizable, and the league has repeatedly shown that these games can become major events. The latest installment, however, didn't quite reach the audience MLB had hoped for. The Phillies defeated the Twins 7-1 last Thursday, behind two home runs from Kyle Schwarber. The game averaged 1.66 million viewers on Netflix, according to Nielsen. That number isn't necessarily a disaster, but it represents a noticeable drop from some of MLB's previous special-event broadcasts. It also raises a larger question for the league: How does baseball continue to make these games feel like must-see events, when fans have to search for them and even wonder where to watch them? This year's audience fell well short of the 2.5 million who watched the 2024 matchup between the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. That game aired on Fox. Last year's Speedway Classic between the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds averaged roughly 1.6 million viewers on Fox. That game was heavily impacted by rain, eventually stretching from Saturday night into Sunday. The Field of Dreams Game also has a much stronger history. More than 3.1 million viewers watched the 2022 game in Dyersville, the last time MLB played there before this year's return. The inaugural Field of Dreams Game in 2021 was an even bigger television success, attracting approximately 5.9 million viewers and becoming the most-watched regular-season baseball game on any network since 2005. Those numbers create a difficult comparison for MLB. The Field of Dreams concept clearly has the ability to attract casual viewers. The challenge is getting those people to actually find the game. It would be easy to blame Netflix, because of the way they've produced baseball events and marketed it and/or because the platform is less accessible than network TV. That probably isn't fair. Netflix produced another polished broadcast and has quickly demonstrated that it can make live sports feel like major entertainment events. They probably did too much to distract from the action, but the product itself also didn't live up to the hype. A 7-1 Phillies victory over the Twins isn't exactly the ideal recipe for keeping casual viewers glued to their televisions. This was Netflix's third major MLB broadcast of 202,6 after carrying Opening Night and the Home Run Derby. Netflix reported an estimated average of 3 million U.S. viewers for Opening Night, according to Nielsen. The company's MLB experiment has produced mixed results, though. The Home Run Derby reportedly drew the event's lowest audience in more than two decades. That doesn't mean Netflix can't become an important part of MLB's future. It does mean the league still has work to do when it comes to building an audience on streaming platforms. That itself might be the biggest issue facing baseball's television product. For years, a fan could have a pretty good idea of where to find a nationally-televised baseball game. Turn on ESPN, Fox, TBS or MLB Network, and there was a reasonable chance you'd find what you were looking for. That isn't always the case anymore. Want to watch a particular MLB game? It might be on Netflix. Another could be on Apple TV+. Another might be on Peacock. A national game could be on ESPN, Fox or TBS. Regional broadcasts remain split among different networks and streaming services. None of those platforms are inherently bad places to watch baseball. In fact, many of them provide excellent viewing experiences. The problem is discoverability. Fans shouldn't have to remember which streaming service has which game every night. Casual fans certainly aren't going to spend several minutes searching through apps to figure out where a special-event game is being broadcast. MLB wants these games to become cultural events. That becomes much more difficult when the first question for a potential viewer is, "Where can I watch it?" The league's media landscape is changing quickly, and MLB is clearly willing to experiment. Last November, MLB formally announced new media-rights agreements involving Netflix, NBC and ESPN. That means streaming will play an increasingly important role in how fans consume baseball. It's not going away. The question is whether MLB can make the transition without losing the casual viewers who might otherwise stumble upon a game while flipping through the channels. Netflix has until at least 2028 to continue developing its MLB audience, but the Field of Dreams Game won't be part of that equation next year. NBC Sports will broadcast the 2027 Field of Dreams Game between the Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals. That game has plenty going for it, including two historic franchises and another opportunity to showcase one of baseball's most recognizable concepts. Recently, NBC Sports has restored some of its previously fading glory. There's every reason to expect next year's game to be better-produced and better-presented than this year's, and fans will be able to find the game on over-the-air TV. That will provide a great test case for the staying power of this particular spectacle. Are fans now bored of the Field of Dreams? Or did Netflix just fail to deliver? And how important is it that viewers simply be able to view the game, rather than that their interest in that game be built up over weeks of anticipation? View the full article

Chicago Cubs Minor League Report Affiliate Overview Triple-A Iowa Cubs Series at Toledo MudHens (Detroit Tigers): Mud Hens lead, 1-0 Season Record: 48–70-1 Double-A Knoxville Smokies Series at Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Miami Marlins): Game suspended Season Record: 63–51 High-A South Bend Cubs Series vs. West Michigan Whitecaps (Detroit Tigers): Cubs lead, 1-0 Season Record: 66–45 Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Series vs. Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Houston Astros): Woodpeckers lead, 1-0 Season Record: 45–67 Triple-A: Iowa Cubs Season Record: 48–70-1 Series Opponent: Toledo Mud Hens (57-63) Series Standing: Trail, 1-0 Aug. 18: The Iowa Cubs dropped Tuesday night’s series opener at the Toledo Mud Hens, 9-2, at Fifth Third Field. Chas McCormick (2-for-2) gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead in the first on an RBI-single but the Mud Hens quickly made it 5-1 by scoring three in the second and two in the third. Toledo plated another run in the seventh to make it 6-1 before McCormick launched a solo shot in the eighth, his 11th of the season, to make it 6-2. The hosts added three more in the home half of the eighth to make it 9-2. Braxton Garrett, making his second start since being acquired by the Cubs, wears handed the loss, falling to 4-5 on the season. Garrett allowed five runs on six hits over four innings of work, walked one and struck out five. Tyler Santana tossed two shutout frames in relief, giving up one hit and punching out one. Double-A: Knoxville Smokies Season Record: 63–51 Series Opponent: Pensacola Blue Wahoos (65–49) Series Standing: Game suspended Aug. 18: The Knoxville Smokies had their series opener on Tuesday night at the Pensacola Blue Wahoos suspended due to rain in top of the second inning, with the Smokies leading 9-0. Knoxville scored all their runs in the first, with Alex Ramírez (1-for-1) opening the scoring with a two-run single. Edgar Alvarez (1-for-1) followed with a two-run single of his own two batters later to make it 4-0. Alex Madera (0-for-1) picked up an RBI on a groundout, which was then followed by a Drew Bowser (1-for-1) RBI-single to make it 6-0. Andy Garriola (2-for-2) put the exclamation point on the opening frame with a three-run shot to make it 9-0, his 21st home run of the season. This contest will resume today at 4:05 p.m. CT, with today’s regularly scheduled contest to follow. High-A: South Bend Cubs Season Record: 66–45 Series Opponent: West Michigan Whitecaps (53–60) Series Standing: Lead, 1-0 Aug. 18: The South Bend Cubs opened their series vs. the West Michigan Whitecaps with a 5-1 victory on Tuesday night at Four Winds Field. The Whitecaps took a 1-0 lead in the first but the Cubs were able to answer back in the second on a Kade Snell (2-for-4) solo shot, his eighth of the season. South Bend starter Jostin Florentino, who would not factor into the pitching decision, shut down West Michigan’s offense, spinning five innings of one-run ball, allowing just one hit while striking out seven and issuing just one walk. The Cubs broke the 1-1 deadlock in the sixth when Josiah Hartshorn (2-for-4) crushed a two-run shot to make it 3-1. South Bend added some insurance in the eighth when Hartshorn singled home a run and Matt Halbach (1-for-3) picked up a sacrifice fly to make it 5-1. Brayden Spears would pick up the win in relief for the Cubs, improving to 8-3 on the season, after tossing two scoreless innings, whiffing four batters. The South Bend bullpen combined for four shutout innings and did not allow a hit, whiffed nine batters and walked two. Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans Season Record: 45–67 Series Opponent: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (59–53) Series Standing: Trail, 1-0 Aug. 18: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans dropped their series opener to the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, 10-7, on Tuesday night at Pelicans Ballpark. The Woodpeckers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second but the Pelicans rallied for four in the fourth to take the lead. Eli Lovich (1-for-4) picked up an RBI-single and Jan Luis Reyes (0-for-3) drew a walk with the bases loaded. Juan Cabada (2-for-5) then gave Myrtle Beach the lead with a two-run single to make it 4-3. Fayetteville hit back with four runs in the sixth to go back in front 7-4 but the Pelicans grabbed two runs back in the bottom of the inning to make it a one-run game. Ivan Cespedes (1-for-2) drove in a run with a single and Cabada picked up his third RBI of the night on a groundout. The Woodpeckers added one in the eighth and two more in the ninth to make it 10-6. Myrtle Beach was able to claw one back in their last trip to the plate to make it 10-7, thanks to a wild pitch, but were unable to rally further. View the full article

From a pure production standpoint, Luis Fragoza isn't just having a good year for a 19-year-old. He's having one of the best seasons of any teenage prospect in all of baseball. Drop the age qualifier entirely, and he's still producing like a top 25 prospect at any level, in any organization. That's not hyperbole. Fragoza signed with the Minnesota Twins in 2024 as an international free agent out of Venezuela for just $77,500. He's a physical, strong right-handed hitter who has bounced around the diamond, playing everywhere except second base, catcher, and pitcher. In his three years in pro ball, he's already shown the kind of power that makes evaluators pay attention, even if most of them haven't started paying attention yet. His path so far has been a bit uneven, which is normal for a player this young. He debuted in the Dominican Summer League at 17 and posted a respectable .784 OPS. In 2025, he struggled to find consistency in his first stint in the Florida Complex League (FCL), finishing with a .646 OPS. This season, though? Different story After a return trip to the FCL, Fragoza quickly forced a promotion to full-season Single-A Fort Myers, where he turned into the most dangerous hitter on the Mighty Mussels roster. Right now, most public prospect rankings barely acknowledge him. FanGraphs mentioned him only as a footnote in their most recent team list. MLB Pipeline has him as the 27th-ranked prospect in a system, and he’s yet to get a vote amongst Twins Daily contributors. Given what he's done this season, that feels like it's about to change. The bat is Fragoza's carrying tool, and he's a power-over-hit type of hitter. That's both the exciting part and the cautionary part of his profile. He has a free-swinging approach that leads to plenty of strikeouts, and that approach is going to get tested as he climbs the ladder and starts seeing better pitching. His strikeout rate sits around 27 percent right now, which isn't ideal, though his walk rate of about 8 percent is respectable enough to suggest he's not completely undisciplined at the plate. What makes evaluators willing to live with the swing-and-miss is the raw power. Fragoza has shown a real ability to lift the ball, especially to his pull side, and the exit velocity numbers back it up. His max exit velocity this season sits at 110 mph, and he's in the 90th percentile leaguewide in that category. He's also an average runner who can steal a base when the opportunity is there, tallying 15 steals this year. Defensively, he's been all over the field, though MLB Pipeline projects him as an outfielder long-term. Now let's get to the fun part, because this season's production has genuinely been special. Among teenagers with at least 250 plate appearances across all of affiliated baseball, Fragoza has the third-highest wRC+ in the sport, sitting at 154. If you look at teenage qualified hitters (which he is not), he'd rank 10th overall. If you drop both qualifiers and look at production regardless, he'd be a top 25 hitter in all of affiliated baseball. For a guy two years younger than the average hitter at his level, that's about as impressive as it gets. With the Mussels, Fragoza hit .322/.398/.607 (1.005 OPS) with 14 home runs and 15 stolen bases. Performing this well while being this young is a real signal, even if the underlying strikeout numbers suggest there's swing and miss to clean up. Fragoza saved his best for right before his promotion, too. He was named Florida State League Player of the Week after posting a video game-like line that included three home runs, nine stolen bases, and seven total extra-base hits. Shortly after, the Twins promoted him to High-A Cedar Rapids, where he'll look to carry that momentum into a tougher level of competition. Finding a diamond in the rough is one of the more enjoyable parts of following a farm system, and Fragoza checks a lot of the boxes that make a prospect fun to track. However, there's no guarantee he turns into that guy. The free-swinging approach is a real swing limiter, and his defensive future still needs to sort itself out given how much he's bounced around the diamond. Still, a 19-year-old already performing at this level, already forcing multiple promotions, and already doing damage against older competition is exactly the kind of development you want to see from an unheralded prospect. Fragoza might not have much name recognition yet, but that's usually how these stories start. What do you think about Fragoza's breakout? Join the conversation in the comments! View the full article

The Chicago Cubs are primed for another deep postseason run in 2026. They’re checking off plenty of boxes; among them are a superstar (Pete Crow-Armstrong), improved rotation (adding Clay Holmes, Kevin Gausman), an experienced manager in Craig Counsell, and a shutdown reliever. Yes, Jacob Webb has become a revelation out of the bullpen this season, emerging as the team's best high-leverage arm. Let's break down what makes him so remarkable. Jacob Webb’s Updated Cubs Scouting Report Webb is a 33-year-old right-handed reliever. The Atlanta Braves originally signed the veteran hurler in 2014, selecting him in the 18th round of the MLB Draft. The orthodox pitcher is a 6-foot-2, 210 pound pitcher who now has seven seasons under his belt. Webb is 22-16 with a 2.86 earned run average, striking out 307 hitters over 308 innings with a 1.20 WHIP. The Tabor College alum has played for the Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Angels, Texas Rangers and now the Cubs, and this is arguably his best season to date. Providing Stability In 2026 Just like any team, the Cubs have been blasted with injuries. Key arms like Daniel Palencia, Hoby Milner, Phil Maton, and just about everyone in the starting rotation have gone down at different points of the 2026 campaign. That created an insatiable demand for pitchers capable of handling pressure moments. Well, Webb has done what he can to quench that thirst. Over 55 appearances this season (five short of a career-high 60 set in 2024), he has tallied a 5-2 record and 2.29 ERA with 63 strikeouts over 55 innings of work. He's also locked down nine saves this season after entering the year with seven over his whole career. Having that level of stability has been key, and his production has spoken for itself. Elite Swing-And-Miss Stuff Webb has a remarkable swing-and-miss profile. The 33-year-old has a 33.9 percent whiff rate (95th percentile), showcasing an elite ability to miss barrels with a variety of pitches. As a result, his 27.6 percent strikeout rate (83rd percentile) and 35.4 percent chase rate (90th percentile) are both well above the league average, too. Webb is a unique case study, as he generates these metrics with below-average fastball velocity (94.2 miles per hour, 45th percentile). His 33-degree arm angle allows the ball to move horizontally (arm-side), gliding through and out of the zone to fill out his swing-and-miss profile. Varied Arsenal Another reason Webb has had so much success this year is that despite being a reliever, he operates with a five-pitch arsenal. He uses the four-seam fastball more than any other option (44 percent of the time), with the veteran right-handed pitcher overcoming a .274 expected batting average to allow just five extra-base hits across exactly 100 plate appearances. This is further shown in his ability to meander around quality contact, allowing a 6.3 percent barrel percentage (69th percentile) that’s far better than the league average. He uses his changeup nearly just as much, going with his secondary option 38 percent of the time. The pitch holds a similar shape to his fastball, yet it leaves his hand at a significant nine miles per hour slower (85.6 mph) . The slider (.188 BAA) and curveball (.167 BAA) are his two best pitches, What’s Webb’s Role? With Palencia on the 60-day IL and unlikely to be thrust into high-leverage action right away, there’s a great chance that Webb will be the closer entering the 2026 postseason. His combination of experience, poise, swing-and-miss breaking ball options, and overall production this year surely makes him qualified for those situations. View the full article

“Our color broadcaster, Braden Schneck, pointed out it out to me before my first start this year. It was 610 days in between my starts. I don’t think I’ve went that long of a stretch in my life without playing baseball. It feels really good to be in a uniform, be in the clubhouse, just to be back at the field every day.” Selected in the 18th round of the 2024 Draft, it’s been a long road back for Cole Tolbert. A right-hander taken out of the University of Mississippi, Tolbert has missed most of the past two seasons with injury. Thankfully, unlike most pitchers drafted by the Red Sox in the last few years, Tolbert managed to get into a few affiliate games after being picked, making five appearances for the then Salem Red Sox. In his first taste of professional baseball, he wound up tossing 11 1/3 innings, allowing seven runs on 11 hits and six walks while also striking out 14 batters. Then, his career would end up hitting a standstill, as Tolbert would need Tommy John surgery in March of 2025. The injury and subsequent recovery process prevented him from pitching in a game until May 9, 2026. Because of that, Tolbert treasures his professional debut. “When I showed, the Red Sox knew I had been throwing over the summer. Coming in they knew that I was built up and ready to go. I feel like it gave me a good insight of getting to spend that last five or six weeks in Salem,” Tolbert explained about his post-draft process. The right-hander admitted that for him, the pros were completely different from college. Whereas he once had class in the morning and then practice in the afternoon, with pro ball he would be arriving at the field around noon and staying there until almost midnight. The attention to detail was another major difference for him, no longer dealing with homework or studying and instead just showing up to the field, putting his uniform on and going to work. There’s more care for the body and recovery than when he pitched in college. He attributes a lot of his success in 2026 from that time learning about the flow of professional baseball. “If I didn’t get to go play in ’24, I would have been a pro ball player for 18 months and never set foot on a field.” The right-hander didn’t find his competitive spirit dwindling despite the injury keeping him from the mound. Rather, he found other ways to keep the mindset needed as a pitcher while also tuning it up to a new level. He attributes that to Nick Murray, the rehab pitching coach in Fort Myers, for creating such a competitive environment for the rehabbing pitchers. Tolbert wasn’t alone in his rehab process, joined by Matt Duffy, a member of the 2023 draft class. “I had surgery the same day as Matt Duffy, so we threw with each other near about every day. Right down to your simple catch play, we tried to compete." The duo would attempt to see how many times they could hit each other in the chest while warming up before moving the competition into other areas of their rehab. Of course, even while creating their own competitions, Tolbert admitted that there was nothing that could recreate standing on the pitcher’s mound in a game. The stretch of time from when he underwent surgery until he could officially start throwing again was the roughest part for the right-hander. During that window, he reminisced of how it would be six days of just lifting, running and not being able to touch or even look at a baseball. To Tolbert, that stretch of rehab felt like “an eternity” as he worked his way back onto the field. He did admit that once he got a ball back into his hand and was able to start throwing again, things began to speed up for him. In 2026, Tolbert has returned to the mound where he’s made 13 appearances and given Salem 39 innings either as a starting pitcher or in a piggyback role. He struck out 43 batters in that span while allowing just 14 earned runs, good for a 3.23 ERA. Even more impressive is the fact opponents are hitting just .199 against him on the season and slugging just .287. He attributes the success to attacking his strengths. “Getting in the zone early. Hitting’s one of the hardest things to do in professional sports so why not make it harder by starting 0-1, 0-2, 1-2 to guys? In college, coach Bianco [Mike Bianco] at Ole Miss showed a stat to us. I won’t be perfect on this [number], but batters who start 0-1 hits in the low-.100s and batters who start 1-0 hits in the mid-.300s. The first pitch strike is a major role in pitching. Attack the zone early,” Tolbert explained. And yet, regardless of the success he's having, the best part of 2026 for Tolbert has been his ability to get back out there and play the sport he’s always loved. “I’m a baseball lover. The day I stop playing baseball, I’ll never stop watching it. I’m a fan of the game in itself. Just being back at the ballpark, again I spent 610 days away from the game. When you love it as much as I do, that can be really tough. Just being back, every day to day at the ballpark has been the highlight of mine.” View the full article

The 2026 campaign has been a career year for Kody Clemens, coming right on the heels of what looked like a career year in 2025. After being acquired from the Phillies last spring for cash considerations, Clemens has turned himself into a staple of the Twins’ lineup. He’s provided Minnesota with defensive versatility, while his bat has taken a significant step forward. In 445 plate appearances, Clemens is hitting .233 with a .291 on-base percentage. Those numbers certainly aren’t going to jump off the page, but his impressive power output has his OPS sitting north of .750. He’s already set career highs in doubles (20), triples (5), and home runs (21), giving the Twins some short-sequence offense on a team that often seems to be cobbling together runs too slowly. However, his bat has gone cold of late—and not cold like “a little chilly”. It's more like a Minnesotan winter. Since the start of August, Clemens is hitting just .185/.254/.296. After posting an impressive 115 wRC+ during the first half of the season, he's hitting .208/.257/.406 since the All-Star break. When he's not hitting in good luck, things can get very ugly; his aggressive approach rapidly makes him an out machine. It’s worth noting that Clemens has already shown that he can bounce back from a slump this season. He had a pretty rough first month of the year: .197/.296/.366 through the end of April, when the Twins had that strangely lefty-heavy stretch early in their schedule. He eventually found his rhythm, started making better contact, and became one of the more productive hitters in Minnesota’s lineup. So what’s actually going on with Clemens, and dare we hope for another recovery? For starters, a lot of his success this season has come from his ability to hit line drives. During the first half of the year, Clemens posted a 17.5% line-drive rate. Line drives are the most productive type of batted ball, and the more often a hitter produces them, the more opportunities he gives himself to do damage. That 17.5% clip isn’t an absurdly high number, but so far in August, Clemens’ line-drive rate has dropped to 8.6%. Instead, Clemens has been putting the ball on the ground quite a bit more, and he’s also not pulling the ball nearly as much as he was earlier in the season. For a lot of hitters, that might not necessarily be a bad thing. In Clemens’s case, though, it is. Of his 21 home runs this season, 19 have come to his pull side. Among his 46 extra-base hits, 36 have been hit to right field. Clemens has found a lot of his success by leaning into his pull-side power. When he’s able to get the ball into the air and turn on it, he can do some serious damage. That part of his game simply hasn’t been there in August, and the result has been considerably worse contact. Clemens’s 90.1 MPH average exit velocity this month isn’t bad on its own. There are plenty of hitters who would be more than happy with that number. But it’s well below where his season-long numbers sit, and it’s more than a mile per hour slower than the exit velocity he produced during his first slump back in April. His hard-hit rate is also 6.7 percentage points lower than his season-long mark, while he’s producing barrels at roughly half of his normal rate. Call it a blip, but don't call it a fluke. His batted-ball data and quality-of-contact numbers are lining up almost perfectly, and they’re telling the same story. Clemens isn’t hitting the baseball with nearly as much authority as he was earlier in the season. That doesn’t necessarily mean there’s some major issue that needs to be addressed. Slumps happen, especially over a small sample size like 59 plate appearances. Considering that Clemens has already demonstrated that he can make adjustments and work his way out of a slump this year, there’s reason to believe he can do it again. The Twins also don’t have much reason to take him out of the lineup. Clemens’s defensive ability and versatility provide Derek Shelton with plenty of flexibility, and his power gives Minnesota a legitimate threat in the middle of the lineup. Even with his recent struggles, the prior three months are a perfect example of just how valuable his bat can be when he’s right. Shelton has also made it clear in word and deed that he trusts Clemens more than Trevor Larnach against left-handed pitchers. But there’s no denying that his bat has run completely cold over the last few weeks. Clemens needs to start hitting the ball in the air more often, and perhaps more importantly, he needs to get back to pulling the baseball with authority. When he’s doing those things, he’s a dangerous hitter. In a way, though, those are results, just like hits are. The process—the input—that needs to change lies a layer deeper. He's at his best when achieving a fairly steep attack angle, which indicates that he's getting out and beating the ball to its spot with his barrel. Early in the season, he wasn't doing so. When he got hot, he was. Lately, he's back to catching the ball deeper and working uphill less at contact. That needs to change, and since nobody suddenly finds renewed bat speed during the peak of August's grind, it probably means starting a hair earlier in his swing. Teams have spotted the best way to attack Clemens. Since the start of July, over 60% of the pitches he's seen have been fastballs; he does most of his damage on mistake breaking and offspeed offerings. By speeding him up, pitchers are forcing him to hit deeper in his hitting zone and to flatten out his swing, which has robbed him of his ability to lift and pull for power. The best version of Clemens is the one who can foul off the fastball or lay off it when above the zone, and who obliterates secondary pitches. By giving him a steadier diet of heaters, pitchers have challenged Clemens to show he can be that guy even when timing himself to barrel the fastball. If the Twins are going to make a legitimate push for the playoffs, they’re going to need that version of Kody Clemens to show up again. He'll have to prepare in a way that allows him to anticipate more and attack the ball again, getting around and through it so he can hit it with more authority. That's much easier said than done, but it needs to be done if Clemens is to help the club down the stretch. View the full article

Each game, the Cubs provide more evidence that they are a special defensive unit. One question has been on my mind for the past few weeks; just how special are they? Defense has always been the trickiest part of baseball to quantify, especially across historical eras, but there are a few different metrics out there that can put what the 2026 Cubs are doing on defense in context. As a unit, the Cubs are on pace for 83 defensive runs saved (DRS), per Sports Info Solutions. Only 20 teams have reached that number over a full season since 2003, as far back as that stat goes. Historical defense, as we noted, is difficult to put in context and is changing regularly, so another way to look at the Cubs' defensive dominance is compared to their 2026 peers. The second-best team this season is the Atlanta Braves, on pace for 62 DRS. That gap of 21 runs between the two best teams has been topped once since 2013, by the 2022 Yankees (41!!). Since 2016, Statcast has provided more in-depth defensive data. Outs Above Average (OAA), from Baseball Savant, encompasses that information. The 2026 Cubs are currently at 60 OAA as a team, on pace for 77 for the full season. The highest single-season OAA a team has recorded was the 2017 Minnesota Twins, at 66. In fact, the 2026 Cubs already have the second-highest OAA ever, and they still have 35 games to play. To add the same historical context to OAA as we did to DRS, the Cardinals and the Diamondbacks are tied with 31 OAA right now, on pace for around 40 for this season. The difference between them and the Cubs, a whopping 37 runs, is shocking. Only 12 teams in the Statcast era have even put up 37 OAA in a single season; the 2025 Cubs finished with 36 OAA. The 2017 Minnesota Twins finished 34 OAA above the second place team that year; they are the only other team to finish the season more than 20 OAA above the competition. Since 2018, Statcast has also given us Fielding Run Value (FRV). The highest team FRV ever recorded was the 2018 Diamondbacks, at 64 FRV. The 2026 Cubs are already at 62 and on pace to easily be #1 here as well. One of the other reasons the Cubs are outliers here is that 61 of the 62 runs saved come from the Cubs' infielders and outfielders, and only 1 from their catchers. The top 20 FRV teams are all buoyed by high catching runs; the Cubs have done it without elite framing. Digging deeper, the IF/OF FRV of 61 is made up of 49 from their range and 11 from their arms. While the 11 runs from their arms ranked just outside the top 5, there is no doubt they will be there by the end of the season, potentially pushing the 2021 Red Sox (17 FRV) for the top spot. As for their range, they already stand alone, clear of the pack. Only the 2021 Cardinals (41 FRV) have put up a full season range FRV over 40, let alone 49. The FRV gap between this year’s Cubs and the second-place Blue Jays (26 runs) is also significant, as teams are normally much closer together. Only the 2018 Diamondbacks finished more than 10 runs clear of the competition, and in 5 of the 7 years of FRV, the difference between first and second was 6 runs or fewer. By any defensive measurements you like, the 2026 Cubs are putting up historic numbers. With contributions from every position, the defense on display every night is worth the price of admission. We can't satisfactorily compare them to the great defensive teams from much earlier eras, like the best of Earl Weaver's Orioles, but it's fair to say that over the last quarter-century, no team has been demonstrably better than the 2026 Cubs at turning balls in play into outs. View the full article

With Mason Miller, Adrián Morejón, Jeremiah Estrada and Jason Adam leading the way, the Padres have the kind of bullpen that could make them a nightmare in October. View the full article

The organization made more minor-league promotions this week. Among them were two trade deadline arrivals being bumped up to Triple-A Syracuse. Both played to type in their respective debuts for the Mets on Tuesday. Émilien Pitre had two hits and scored a run, and he put the ball in play all four times up. Billy Amick doubled in a tack-on run in the eighth, but before that, he had struck out three times. They were among the many contributors to a 5-1 victory over Worcester. The Mets got five hitless innings from Xzavion Curry and a third-inning home run from Ronny Mauricio to establish an early advantage. Mauricio doubled in a run in the fifth to put Syracuse ahead 4-0. Elsewhere in the organization: Binghamton rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth to defeat Altoona 4-3. Jefferson Rojas tied the game with a double, and Chris Suero won it with a sacrifice fly. Brooklyn got two home runs from John Spikerman and 5 2/3 strong innings from starter Nicolas Carreno in 9-1 rout of Asheville. Spikerman’s second homer broke the game open in the seventh. St. Lucie fell 10-1 to Lakeland. Justin Hagenman allowed a run and struck out three over 2 1/3 innings in a rehab start. Ryan Tayman drove in the Mets’ run with a sac fly in the fourth. DSL Mets Blue dropped a 6-2 decision to the DSL NYY Bombers. Jesus Minaya had two hits and an RBI, and Eduardo Pina threw three perfect innings. DSL Mets Orange fell 9-1 to DSL Colorado. Michalle Mercedes drove in the Mets’ run with a sac fly in the fifth. New York Mets Transactions New York Mets activated RHP Austin Warren from the 15-day injured list. New York Mets sent RHP Justin Hagenman on a rehab assignment to St. Lucie Mets. New York Mets optioned RHP Chayce McDermott to Syracuse Mets. Curry Spotless In Win For Syracuse Curry has been on the New York-Syracuse shuttle for about a month, pitching in long relief for the big club and then being sent back to the minors. Tuesday, he started for Syracuse and was stellar. The only runner he allowed came on a fielding error by third baseman Nick Lorusso in the fifth. He struck out four and threw 34 of his 53 pitches for strikes. Tobias Myers, who has been dropped off at Syracuse after struggling in Queens, followed Curry and allowed a run and two hits over three innings. He also fanned four. Syracuse grabbed a 3-0 lead in the third. Jose Ramos singled, and Pitre doubled to put runners on second and third. After Nick Morabito struck out, a balk scored Ramos. Mauricio then hit a two-run home run, his 15th of the season. Rojas also singled in the eighth. Mitch Voit ignited Binghamton's rally in the ninth when he was hit by a pitch with one out, Marco Vargas singled, and then Rojas doubled to left, scoring Voit and advancing Vargas to third. Altoona intentionally walked Jacob Reimer to set up a force at every base. Chris Suero foiled the strategy with a fly to left that brought home Vargas with the winning run. Gary Gill Hill turned in a quality start. He allowed two runs and four hits over six innings, walking one and striking out eight. Player AB R H RBI BB K Mitch Voit 4 1 1 0 0 1 Marco Vargas 5 2 3 0 0 1 Jefferson Rojas 5 1 3 3 0 1 Jacob Reimer 4 0 0 0 1 0 Chris Suero 3 0 1 1 1 0 John Bay 4 0 0 0 0 0 Corey Collins 2 0 0 0 2 1 D'Andre Smith 4 0 0 0 0 2 Kevin Parada 4 0 2 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Gary Gill Hill 6 4 2 2 1 8 1 Felipe De La Cruz 1 3 1 1 0 2 0 Carlos Guzman 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 Bryce Jenkins 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Spikerman Powers Up For Cyclones Spikerman launched his first two home runs for Brooklyn in the win. He went deep in the second inning to give Brooklyn a 1-0 lead, and then clubbed a three-run shot in the seventh to extend the lead to 6-1. The blast was part of a four-run inning that broke open a 2-1 game. Carreno turned in his third consecutive outstanding start and his fourth in the last five outings. He struck out seven, walked one and scattered five hits as he again worked into the sixth inning. The run he allowed was unearned. it is the only run he has given up in 17 1/3 innings this month. Yonatan Henriquez hit a solo homer in the ninth for the final margin. Trey Snyder drove in two runs, while Aidan Smith had two hits and scored three runs. Player AB R H RBI BB K Sammy Stafura 6 0 0 0 0 3 Elian Peña 4 0 0 0 2 3 Aidan Smith 3 3 2 0 3 0 Ronald Hernandez 3 2 0 0 3 1 Trey Snyder 4 0 2 2 1 2 Yonatan Henriquez 4 1 1 1 1 1 John Spikerman 5 2 2 4 0 0 Daiverson Gutierrez 4 1 1 1 1 2 Antonio Jimenez 5 0 2 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Nicolas Carreno 5 2/3 5 1 0 1 7 0 Rafi Vazquez 1 1/3 0 0 0 1 1 0 Gregori Louis 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 Hunter Hodges 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 Hagenman Takes First Step In Rehab With St. Lucie Start Hagenman got his first game action of the season after missing 4 1/2 months with a rib fracture he suffered during spring training. He threw 43 pitches, 25 for strikes, The run came on a single in the second. The fact he threw that many pitches in his debut is a sign the major-league club intends to use him as a starter or long reliever if he makes it back to New York. He last pitched for the Mets on Sept. 9 of last year. St. Lucie's run came with the Mets already down 3-0, and it scored without the benefit of a hit. Aiden Robbins walked, moved to second on a balk, advanced to third on a groundout by Eli Serrano III, and scored on Tayman's sacrifice fly. St. Lucie was held to five hits in the game. Jeremy Rodriguez had two of them. Player AB R H RBI BB K Vladi Gomez 4 0 0 0 1 1 Aiden Robbins 2 1 0 0 2 1 Eli Serrano III 3 0 0 0 1 0 Ryan Tayman 2 0 1 1 1 0 Julio Zayas 3 0 0 0 1 2 Jeremy Rodriguez 3 0 2 0 1 0 Jack Toomey 3 0 1 0 1 1 Reed Stallman 4 0 1 0 0 2 Jake Ogden 4 0 0 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Justin Hagenman 2 1/3 3 1 1 1 3 0 Owen Woodward 1 2/3 4 2 1 1 2 0 Jose Lopez 2 1/3 3 6 6 4 1 0 Tyler McLoughlin 1 2/3 2 1 1 1 2 0 Caden Wooster 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Jonah Tong: DNP Jack Wenninger: DNP Ryan Clifford: DNP Elian Peña: 0-for-4, 2 BB, 3 K Nick Morabito: 0-for-4, 2 K Jacob Reimer: 0-for-4, BB Mitch Voit: 1-for-4, K Jonathan Santucci: DNP Zac Thornton: MLB Chris Suero: 1-for-3, RBI, BB Will Watson: DNP Wandy Asigen: DNP Eli Serrano III: 0-for-3, BB Randy Guzman: DNP Dylan Ross: DNP Ryan Lambert: DNP Antonio Jimenez: 2-for-5, 2B, K R.J. Gordon: DNP Jonathan Pintaro: MLB Marco Vargas: 3-for-5, K View the full article

Boston Red Sox Affiliate Recap Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Season Record: 62-54 Worcester’s offense fell asleep as they took a 5-1 loss to the Syracuse Mets (New York Mets). The WooSox bats put up a measly two hits in the entire game. Worcester was getting no-hit through six innings until Romy Gonzalez broke it up with a two-out single; afterward, Allan Castro’s double brought him in to make it a 4-1 game. After a stellar three-inning start in his Worcester debut, Jedixson Paez got a bit unlucky even with five strikeouts, putting two runners aboard on an infield single and a double on a ball that was well over the strike zone. The 22-year-old gave up a three-run homer on a dotted changeup in the corner of the zone, putting Syracuse up 3-0. Patrick Halligan and John Brebbia finished the rest of the game for the WooSox, giving their team somewhat of a chance to come back, but the offense had nothing going. Both righties combined for four innings, six strikeouts, and two earned runs. Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Season Record: 59-55 In front of a packed Portland crowd, the Sea Dogs came out on top with a 7-5 victory over the Reading Fightin Phils (Philadelphia Phillies). With the additions of newly promoted Justin Gonzales and a rehabbing Roman Anthony, this is most likely the most stacked Portland Sea Dogs lineup we have seen in a while. Portland scored seven runs on 11 hits and five walks. Leading off for Portland, Gonzales did not disappoint, lining a single up the middle to center field for a base hit in his first Double-A at-bat. Anthony followed up with a walk in a 3-2 count to put two runners aboard with no outs. Next up was Jack Winnay, who singled home Gonzales to make it a 1-0 game in the first inning. As he continues to figure out Double-A since his promotion, Henry Godbout crushed his first Sea Dogs homer in the fourth to extend their lead to 2-0. After dropping a single into left field in the third, Anthony did not stop there, blasting a towering two-run shot over the right field stands, pushing the lead to 4-0 in the fifth. The inning continued, however; Winnay drew a walk, and Brooks Brannon brought him in with a double, his 25th of the season, giving Portland a comfortable 5-0 lead. The Sea Dogs pitching staff got into some trouble in the sixth; a solo shot and a two-run homer made it an interesting 5-3 game all of a sudden. When Anthony walked once again, he was subbed out for Ahbram Liendo to pinch-run. Winnay collected his second knock of the game to put two runners aboard, Brannon earned his second hit of the game as well, this time an RBI single to bring in Liendo, while Ronald Rosario’s RBI groundout made it 7-3. The Fightin Phils fought back in the ninth, making it a two-run game, but Portland’s pitching staff held on, taking a 7-5 victory. On the pitching side, Dalton Rogers dealt with some traffic but was still outstanding, striking out eight batters with two runs given up through 5 ⅓ innings while also earning the win. Tyler Davis held his own through 2 ⅔ innings of relief, giving up just one run on two hits with two strikeouts. Erik Rivera struggled in the ninth; command issues hurt him badly, but he still came out of the wreckage with a victory. Standout Performances: Roman Anthony: 2-for-2, HR, R, 2 RBI, 2 BB Jack Winnay: 2-for-3, 2 R, RBI, BB Brooks Brannon: 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI High-A Greenville Drive Season Record: 50-62 Greenville outhit the Winston-Salem Dash (Chicago White Sox), yet they took a 7-4 defeat at home. The Drive had 10 hits and four walks as a team, seemingly having no problems getting runners aboard, but they could not string together many runs, scoring four runs while going just 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Batting first and second in the lineup, Jake Schaffner had a multi-hit day with a stolen base, with his former college teammate Owen Hull smacking his fifth double through 11 games. Facing a 7-0 deficit in the seventh, Ronny Hernandez crushed a two-run homer, while Yophery Rodriguez’s RBI double and Antonio Anderson’s RBI groundout in the eighth inning made it a 7-4 game, but Greenville came up short. It was not a great day for Greenville’s pitching staff. Marcus Phillips gave up three runs (one unearned) through two innings, then came out of the game with a trainer. Out of the four pitchers the Drive sent out, Adam Bates had the lone scoreless appearance, tossing two scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Season Record: 50-63 It was a bloodbath down in Salem, with the RidgeYaks blowing out the Wilson Warbirds (Milwaukee Brewers) 21-4. The entire lineup was raking for the RidgeYaks; other than the late substitutions due to the blowout, everyone had multiple hits. The squad produced 23 hits and eight walks with just five strikeouts. Franklin Primera continued to show that he cannot be stopped, recording three hits that included a solo homer, a two-run double, and a base-clearing double to cap off his seven-RBI night. Starlyn Nunez added three hits of his own, a two-run single, a two-run homer, and an RBI groundout, putting his RBI total to five. Louis Andujar, Andrews Opata, and Adonys Guzman all put together three-hit games as well. Guzman, however, was the only Salem batter to get on base six times, three walks and three singles. Kleyver Salazar had a great day at the plate, providing a two-run blast and a sacrifice fly. Cole Tolbert was not great in his three-inning start, but with how good the offense was, it did not matter either way. Nicolas De La Cruz earned the win with two innings of work, allowing one run. Yermain Ruiz was outstanding out of the bullpen, shoving through three perfect innings with five strikeouts while Wuilliams Rodriguez tossed a perfect inning as well to end the game. Standout Performances: Franklin Primera: 3-for-6, HR, 2 2B, 4 R, 7 RBI Starlyn Nunez: 3-for-5, HR, 2 R, 5 RBI Adonys Guzman: 3-for-3, 3 R, 2 RBI, 3 BB Kleyver Salazar: 2-for-3, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI 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 is the first check-in since the Dominican Summer League season concluded, leaving only full-season affiliates participating in official games moving forward. This report covers the games played from August 11-18. Triple-A Jacksonville The Jumbo Shrimp posted a 2-4 week against the Syracuse Mets. Karson Milbrandt started the Saturday game, where in five innings of work, he allowed three runs on five hits, two walks and struck out seven. That was actually among his "best" starts since being promoted to the Jumbo Shrimp. The right-hander now owns a 7.65 ERA, 6.86 FIP, 8.50 K/9 and 7.65 BB/9 in 42 ⅓ innings pitched. After a dominant start at the Double-A level, Milbrandt is experience failure and hopefully learning from it. Jack Ralston recently had his contract selected, but has been optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville, yet to make his Marlins debut. The month of August has been the worst of his 2026 season up to this point, posting a 6.23 ERA in four appearances. Overall, he has a 1.70 ERA, 3.86 FIP, 11.26 K/9 and 4.32 BB/9 in 58 ⅓ innings pitched. In his first appearance for the Jumbo Shrimp, waiver claim Wikelman González surrendered two runs on no hits, but walked three. He tossed just one inning. It took until Tuesday, in his 10th game with the Shrimp, for trade deadline acquisition Brayden Taylor to record a hit. He was one of three players acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in the Liam Hicks trade. His slash line with his new organization is .040/.368/.120/.488. As shown below courtesy of TJStats, Taylor is being way too patient, swinging at barely one-third of all pitches. His contact ability is there, but the quality of that contact is not good enough right now. It was a nice week for Kemp Alderman, who continues to make his case as a potential September call-up. Against Syracuse, he had two home runs, his 16th and 17th respectively. He is now slashing .265/.345/.471/.816 with 17 home runs, 51 RBI and a 113 wRC+. Along with Alderman is Deyvison De Los Santos, notching three home runs during the week and another on Tuesday. Unlike Alderman, De Los Santos is on the team's 40-man roster, sporting an 1.167 OPS in the month of August. He is slashing .279/.342/.489/.831 with 18 home runs and 63 RBI. Since joining the Jumbo Shrimp, Jonathon Long is slashing .321/.513/.393/.906 with three RBI. In the series against Syracuse, Long had four hits and drove in one run. He continues to split time between left field and first base with the Marlins organization. In seven games at the Triple-A level, Brendan Jones is slashing .267/.421/.400/.821 with one RBI and four stolen bases. Jones, one of four players acquired in the Ryan Weathers trade, Jones could factor into the Marlins' outfield plans next season. Double-A Pensacola The Wahoos kept their winning ways rolling in grand fashion in their series against the Biloxi Shuckers, sweeping them in a six-game set. It was the first six-game sweep since 2023 for Pensacola, which has now won 16 of their last 19 games. The bats were out in abundance for the Wahoos as they won the run differential battle, 58-24. They have their sights set firmly on the playoffs as they now lead the Southern League South by 3.5 games during the second half of the season. Brandon Compton just continues to do Brandon Compton things, being not-so-arguably the best hitter in Minor League Baseball. Over the course of the six-game series, Compton went 9-for-28 with two home runs. He upped his wRC+ to 159, which is 12th in all of MiLB. There really are only two caveats to consider regarding Compton's success: he’s done virtually all of his damage against righties and he is defensively inflexible, limited to only corner outfield in a system chock full of lefty-hitting outfielders. Regarding the latter, Fish On First has recently learned that during the series against Biloxi, Compton began doing infield work including taking grounders and rehearsing plays at first base, which has been a position of weakness for the Marlins in the majors. The plan is for Compton to start receiving in-game reps at first base as early as this coming week. Now up to 29 home runs on the season with the ability to spray the ball to all fields via great strength and quick hands, Compton is proving this isn’t just a hot stretch—it is something he is capable of on a regular basis. In an organization that has recently become known for developing lefty bats and getting the most out of them, Compton is in an advantageous situation. If things work out well at first base, he could make that his primary home next season in Miami, with Kyle Stowers reacquainting himself with the outfield. Not to be lost in all of the offensive production from the Wahoos was another solid start from Joey Volini. Rebounding from a short outing his last time out, the Marlins’ 2025 sixth-rounder worked a career-high seven innings on six hits and three earned runs, two of which came on homers. He struck out five and walked one. Volini pitched to batters in the eighth inning, making him the first Pensacola starter to reach that mark in a game since Luis Palacios in 2023. After a slow introduction to pro ball, Volini is now clearly stretched out. In previous outings, he was able to limit walks but lapses in command caused him to run into trouble on the scoreboard. In this start, Volini looked spectacular, limiting damage by finding his spots consistently. He induced eight groundouts, mainly with his changeup. Still young to starting having only been made a featured arm his final year of college at FSU, Volini is still honing his craft and feeling things out, but he has started to show good strike zone knowledge and the ability to mix well with four pitches. Because none of his pitches truly stand out as plus offerings just yet, Volini's future is still pretty volatile, but if he can continue to make positive strides as he’s being challenged pretty quickly, he could reach the ceiling of a back-end starter. This week’s past start was a good look at that potential ceiling against the most advanced competition he’s faced in his career. At the very least, Volini has an MLB future as a bulk reliever. High-A Beloit Powered by a four-run 10th inning in their first game and a season-best 16-run performance in their penultimate game, the Carp took four of six from the Peoria Chiefs for their first series win since late July. Their outburst on Sunday was powered by seven home runs, the most Beloit has hit in a single game during their affiliation with the Marlins. With the win, the Sky Carp climbed to 29-19 in the second half and are in a deadlock for their division lead with Quad Cities, whom they will match up against in two weeks. It’s been an up-and-down season for Starlyn Caba. A fantastic first half in which he slashed .265/.404/.442 has given way to a disappointing second half. Since June, Caba is hitting just .202/.373/.326. In this series against Peoria, though, Caba showed signs of breaking the cycle. In five games, he went 4-for-16 including a three-hit performance in the final game which included a homer and four RBI. During his dry spell at the plate, Caba’s patience and ability to work his way on via a walk have sustained. His 19% walk rate ranks in the 95th percentile league-wide. However, his K rate has also leapt from 21% to 27%. Caba is forcing pitchers to come into the zone and is seeing tons of strikes, proven by the fact that has a whiff rate in the 77th percentile as well as a O-swing percentage in the 83rd percentile. The issue is Caba is just simply not swinging the bat. With a swing percentage of just 38.7%, Caba’s passivity has reached new heights. Opposing pitchers are exposing this trait by locating well, allowing them to work ahead early and finish ABs well, leading to his heightened K rate which is in the 35th percentile. What worked in the first half for Caba in terms of his approach will need to be slightly altered in order for him to get back on track. Teaching a young, light-hitting infielder to alter his approach and adjust back to a higher level of competition can be a tall task, but if the Marlins can persuade Caba to become a bit more aggressive particularly in longer counts when its strength versus strength, these are gaps that can be filled. Hopefully for the slick-fielding shortstop, the start of that turnaround has already begun. Julio Mendez is not a name you’ll see on top prospects lists, but he has been a consistently solid and reliable left-handed pitcher since arriving in the Marlins organization in 2022. After holding down a 3.83 ERA with a 95/43 K/BB in 91.2 IP at Low-A last season and restarting there to begin this season, Mendez matriculated up to High-A this past month. He’s had to adjust a bit to his new level of competition was recently able to do so advantageously. His latest outing this past week was a five inning shutout performance in which he walked four and struck out five. A 5’11”, 180-pound southpaw, Mendez isn’t an imposing physical specimen nor will he wow with velo, but he is a true strike-thrower who has garnered an enhanced ability to collect whiffs inside the zone. At 49.5%, Mendez’s zone percentage ranks in the 80gj percentile in the Midwest League. He also has a CSW% of 30.7, which ranks him in the 76th percentile league-wide. Mendez lives by a fastball that sits 93 mph and tops at 95. From there, Mendez owns a wide arsenal. His best secondary is a slider with outstanding spin rates in the 2600s, giving it wipeout action. Mendez also throws two different changeups, a traditional variety and a faster cutter, giving him the ability to inside-out hitters. Mendez just keeps producing. With a strong pitcher’s IQ, this under-the-radar arm is a potential MLB contributor someday. Low-A Jupiter FOF prospect of the week Echedry Vargas has been putting on a special power display at the Low-A level. In the week against the St. Lucie Mets, where the Hammerheads went 5-1, Vargas had nine hits, 10 RBI and hit five home runs. Vargas became the first Hammerheads player to have a 20-homer season since Marcell Ozuna back in 2012. He also leads the Florida State League in home runs (21). Vargas is now slashing .310/.365/.580/.945 with 72 RBI and a 141 wRC+. Along with Vargas, Andrés Valor has nothing left to prove in Jupiter. After a rough start to the season, he is slashing .220/.341/.395/.737 with 13 home runs, 44 RBI, 51 stolen bases and posting a 99 wRC+. Marlins first-round draft pick Jacob Lombard is now slashing .244/.396/.463/.859 with three home runs, 12 RBI, six stolen bases and a 130 wRC+. He has also committed five errors in that small sample. Yohanfer Santana made his Low-A debut as a reliever, topping out at 100.4 mph and averaging 99.4 mph. The 6'7" right-hander tossed one inning, allowing one hit and striking out two. Santana spent most of the 2026 season at the complex level. He posted an 8.49 ERA, 6.12 FIP, 15.78 K/9 and 9.40 BB/9 in 16 appearances (12 starts). DSL Marlins & DSL Miami The Dominican Summer League regular season concluded on Tuesday. DSL Marlins and DSL Miami had final records of 32-23 and 12-43, respectively. Gregori Arias had a tough year at the plate, homered in two of his last three games. He has also drove in five runs over those three games. In August, Arias hit .286 with a .429 OBP and a .643 SLG. On the year, Arias finished at .189 with four home runs, 15 RBI’s and 13 stolen bases. Ronny Muñoz hit his fourth home run of the year on Saturday. August was the best month of the year for Muñoz. The strikeout rate is a serious issue moving forward, ending at 36% over the summer, but the power is certainly there. Santiago Solarte placed 19th among DSL qualifiers in batting average (.339) and seventh in SLG (.598). According to Ely Sussman, he became the first player in modern minor league history to have a 10 HR/40 SB season in rookie ball. Left-hander Keyner Cedeño, even in a slugfest, remains untouchable. On Saturday, in a 14-13 win over DSL Rangers Blue, Cedeño pitched the final 2 ⅔ innings and struck out four, notching his fifth win of the year in the process. From June 15 onward, he went 33 consecutive innings without giving up an earned run. This week's schedule Triple-A Jacksonville at Memphis Double-A Pensacola vs. Knoxville High-A Beloit vs. Cedar Rapids Low-A Jupiter at Bradenton View the full article

There has been a lot of chatter over the last week about the possibility of Ethan Salas being called up by the San Diego Padres to make his MLB debut this season as the team makes a push for the postseason and then hopefully a lengthy run toward a third World Series appearance. But there was a recent article in The Athletic that wasn't particularly clear on how that could happen, which has caused a little extra buzz from Friars fans. As it stands right now, the tandem of Luis Campusano and Freddy Fermin are playing well, but both are also right-handed bats, whereas Salas, Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect, is a left-handed hitter and has been lighting it up in the three weeks since being promoted to the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas. The Padres realistically have four choices to make regarding the 20-year-old catcher. Let's take a look at those possibilities: Call Ethan Salas Up Before Sept. 1 This is the cleanest path for Salas making an impact down the stretch and into the postseason. He would be added to the 40-man roster before rosters expand in September, so no special permission would be needed. The Padres were recently carrying three catchers until infielder Gage Workman, acquired from the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline along with right-handed starter Casey Mize, was added to the major-league roster. Workman has since been replaced by outfielder Austin Hays. Salas could be added to the 26-man roster in place of outfielder Jase Bowen, whose role has lessened with Hays' presence, and to the 40-man by transferring right-hander Lucas Giolito to the 60-day injured list in a paperwork move (he has been out almost 60 days already). This would be the same process for any player claimed off waivers or signed and added to the roster before the end of August, like Hays. Call Ethan Salas Up Before The End Of The Regular Season No longer can you call up a slew of prospects when the calendar flips to September. That is now limited to two players, no more than one being a pitcher. So Salas can come up without knocking anyone off the MLB roster and with the same move with Giolito. With the call-up coming in September, the Commissioner's Office would need to sign off on Salas being on the postseason roster, but that is a rubber-stamp process since he was in the organization before Sept. 1. One big example of this is right-handed reliever Francisco Rodriguez, who made his MLB debut for the Anaheim Angels on Sept. 18, 2002, and appeared in five regular-season games, then being a key member of the bullpen as the team won the World Series that year (before being called Los Angeles). This would also allow Salas to complete the regular season with the Chihuahuas, which runs through Sept. 20, a week before the MLB regular season concludes. If the Padres don't need him before then, this could be their best option. Call Ethan Salas Up Before The Postseason Begins There are two instances of this happening in recent years that come to mind. Just last year, Cleveland Guardians center fielder Chase DeLauter made his MLB debut by starting Games 2 and 3 of the AL Wild Card Series. The other came in 2015, when Kansas City Royals shortstop Adalberto Mondesi made his MLB debut in the World Series, pinch-hitting in the fifth inning of Game 3 (it would be his only appearance of the series). Both were added to the MLB roster and 40-man roster before those series began. While Salas will not have faced MLB pitching before, this path could also be good, as he will have had regular at-bats at Triple-A, then a week off before being put on the postseason roster (likely being on the taxi squad the final week and around the team). Don't Call Ethan Salas Up Until 2027 I know, this is the least fun option. But this could also be beneficial for Salas. While any postseason experience would be tremendous to get his career off the ground, the downside would have to do with the owners promising to lock out the players on Dec. 1. If added to the Padres' roster, Salas would be just like any other MLB player and not able to use the Padres' facilities during the lockout or have any contact with the team. But if Salas is not added to the major-league roster this season, he would be just like the rest of the minor-league players. The minor-league collective bargaining agreement doesn't expire until next year, so for all players not on 40-man rosters, this will be like any other offseason. They'll then report to spring training as usual (albeit strange with no MLB players around). Salas should have a normal offseason after coming off a stress reaction in his lower back wiped out most all of his 2025 and would be able to ramp up for a 2027 season in which he most likely would be the Opening Day catcher, whenever that day actually comes. View the full article

The Minnesota Twins selected Vahn Lackey with the third overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, handing the organization one of the most talented college hitters in recent memory. Scouts praised his advanced approach, athleticism, and all-around offensive upside. Unfortunately, none of that mattered to 43-year-old Brainerd resident Randy Swenson, who has apparently seen enough. "I've been patient," Swenson said while refreshing Lackey's game log for the ninth time before breakfast. "But the guy was supposed to be the next Joe Mauer, and now he can't even hit home runs against teenagers in the Florida State League. I don't know what else there is to say." When reminded that Lackey is, in fact, only a few games into his professional career after signing only a few weeks ago, Swenson remained unconvinced. "Excuses," he replied. "Joe Mauer would've hit three home runs by now. Probably four. Honestly, I expected him to force a promotion to Double-A by the end of the month." Swenson admitted he has not actually watched a single plate appearance. Instead, he has formed his opinion almost entirely by checking the box score every morning and comparing Lackey's home run total to players who have several hundred more professional games under their belts. "If I'm looking at a first-round pick and there's not at least one ball in the parking lot by now, something's wrong," Swenson explained. "You don't draft a guy third overall to go out there and... develop." His frustration stems from what he describes as "false advertising." "They kept saying he has an advanced hit tool," Swenson said. "That's great. Where are the moonshots? I was promised Joe Mauer, except with more power. Right now, I'm seeing a guy who's getting on base instead of hitting 500-foot home runs every night." The reaction has not surprised those closest to him. "Oh, this is pretty standard," said his wife, Melissa. "He declared Byron Buxton a bust after his first Spring Training because he struck out twice. Two years later, he was telling everyone he'd believed in Buxton all along." His uncle, Dennis, remembers similar behavior stretching back decades. "When Joe Ryan gave up a homer in his first Grapefruit League outing, Randy wanted to trade him for 'literally any veteran,'" Dennis recalled. "Then Joe became an All-Star, and Randy started wearing his jersey like none of that happened." Even Swenson's 16-year-old daughter, Emma, has grown accustomed to the cycle. "Dad once called a prospect untouchable after a three-hit game," she said. "The next week the same player went 1-for-16, and suddenly he wanted him DFA'd. I don't think he fully understands how the whole thing works." Despite Lackey owning just a handful of professional games on his résumé, Swenson believes enough evidence has accumulated. "I'm just saying," he insisted. "The third overall pick should be batting at least .450 by now. If you're still 'adjusting to pro ball' after a week, are you really a generational talent?" Scouts continue to praise Lackey's plate discipline, swing decisions, and ability to make consistent hard contact. Twins officials have repeatedly emphasized that player development is measured over years—not days. Swenson disagrees. "Prospects are like avocados," he explained confidently. "If they're not perfect immediately, you've waited too long." As of Thursday afternoon, Swenson had moved on to criticizing the Twins' newest international signing for "only" posting a .417 on-base percentage in his first week of professional baseball. Family members expect he'll eventually come around on Lackey—roughly two weeks after the catcher reaches the majors and starts hitting. Until then, Minnesota's newest top prospect can take comfort in one thing: if Randy Swenson already thinks you're overrated, history suggests you're probably on the right track. View the full article

Joe Ryan's return to the Minnesota Twins rotation took another step forward Tuesday afternoon. Nearly two weeks after being placed on the injured list with a mild left glute strain, Ryan climbed back onto the mound at Target Field for his first bullpen session since the injury. The session was brief — just 25 pitches — but it represented a meaningful checkpoint for a Twins rotation that desperately needs reinforcements. Ryan left the Twins shortly after his August 4 start against the Kansas City Royals to undergo an MRI. The examination revealed the glute strain, which has kept him sidelined since. While he has been cautious about the injury, Ryan said he has continued throwing regularly because he wanted to keep his arm moving. Tuesday marked the first time he tested the injured area from a pitching mound. “It’s a step in the right direction for sure,” Ryan said. For the Twins, that was exactly what they wanted to see. “Very encouraging,” manager Derek Shelton said before Tuesday's game against Atlanta. “He looked free and easy. He’s a very important part of our team. To see him out there and be healthy — (it’s the) first step in the progression to getting him back.” Ryan Tests the Glute Ryan's bullpen was intentionally limited. He threw 25 pitches, all fastballs and sinkers, as the Twins continued to ease him through the recovery process. The goal wasn't to recreate a normal bullpen session. It was to see how Ryan's body responded to pitching off the mound. So far, so good. “I think it’s good to get off the mound and see how we feel,” Ryan said. “Just check in that area and, yeah, just do my job out there.” Shelton emphasized that Ryan still has several steps to complete before the Twins can consider activating him. The next bullpen session should include breaking pitches, adding another layer to the physical test. “I think anytime a guy’s dealing with an injury, to be able to cross hurdles like that, it’s extremely important,” Shelton said. “We diagnose what we think the situation is. And then we treat it and then we take the step of him getting out on the mound.” A Much-Needed Rotation Boost Ryan has struggled since returning from the All-Star Game, posting a stretch that included three consecutive losses before the injury. In his final three starts before landing on the IL, he surrendered seven home runs and 16 earned runs across 15 1/3 innings. Now, the Twins are hoping the time away allows him to get healthy and return to something closer to the pitcher who earned All-Star honors in both 2025 and 2026. Ryan has gone 6-8 with a 3.65 ERA this season. He also represented the American League in this year's All-Star Game in Philadelphia, throwing a scoreless inning while allowing one hit and striking out two batters in the AL's 4-0 victory. Minnesota's rotation has not exactly provided much stability since the All-Star break. Entering Tuesday, Twins starters had posted a 5.81 ERA across 29 games since the break. That ranked 29th in baseball during that stretch. The rotation had also allowed 24 home runs while issuing 59 walks. Those numbers make Ryan's progression particularly important. The Twins remain in a crowded American League Wild Card race, and every quality starting pitcher becomes increasingly valuable as the schedule moves toward September. Minnesota doesn't need Ryan to return simply because he's one of its best starters. It needs him because the current rotation needs another reliable arm. Ryan's return won't solve every problem facing the Twins, but getting a healthy two-time All-Star back into the rotation could dramatically change their outlook. The first step is now complete. The next few will determine just how quickly Minnesota can get its ace back on a big-league mound. View the full article

Luis Fragoza is an unheralded teenage prospect who's having one of the best seasons of any prospect in affiliated baseball. With prospect hounds updating their end-of-season lists, will he get his flowers? View the full article

The previous Cub who went by 'Javy' also went by another name. Javier Báez cast gasp-inducing and delightful spells all over the diamond, from optical-illusion-quick tags around second base to now-you-see-it, now-you-don't slides on the bases. His nickname, 'El Mago', was a celebration of the way he seemed to want to entertain, as much as to win. Javier Assad is dabbling in darker magic. He casts some devastating spells over the game in his own right, but they feel a bit more worrisome. Like so many great stage acts, Báez titillated you with a wink and a smile. You knew the only real 'magic' was his genius. Assad is one of those street magicians whose act feels less sustainable and more enigmatic. He can't actually be communing with some force beyond our ken, or his... or can he? It raises the hairs on your arm. Sometimes, you wish he'd stop. This is magic that doesn't have a punchline. There's no moment of exhilaration, when he fools a hitter so badly that they fall over or blow a pitch by them at triple-digit velocity. He's not as physically entertaining as Báez. No, Assad's magic all shows up in the numbers, in all the ways you've been trained to believe are unsustainable. You've even been taught to mistrust and/or dislike pitchers who thrive this way. But you can't bring yourself to dislike Assad, can you? So, what does that say about you? Here are the black-magic numbers in question. Even before entering in a pinch on Tuesday night and firing three shutout innings against the White Sox, batters facing Assad had the following splits for his career. By outs in the inning: 0 Outs: .249/.326/.444 1 Out: .267/.333/.442 2 Outs: .206/.287/.307 By runners on base: Bases Empty: .260/.332/.447 Men On: .217/.295/.339 Runners in Scoring Position: .168/.247/.256 By Leverage Index: Low Leverage: .247/.326/.423 Medium Leverage: .256/.319/.421 High Leverage: .182/.280/.278 The samples involved aren't huge, of course, but nor are they tiny. Tuesday's was Assad's 100th career appearance, spangled across five seasons, and he's done all of this remarkably consistently throughout. He has a career ERA of 3.46; he has a 2026 ERA of 3.46. In Spanish, 'mago' is the name for a Báez-style magician—a showman and a dazzler. For those who seem to truly meddle with forces that ought not be meddled with, the better word is 'brujo'—a witch or sorcerer. That's what Assad is. You don't have to believe that his knack for escaping jams and coming up clutch is real, of course. In fact, it's extremely hard to buy into his profile in a far-seeing way, which is why the Cubs are always, always trying to replace him. He's only getting this latest shot to be on the roster because Edward Cabrera is hurt again. He only made an emergency appearance Tuesday night because Kevin Gausman's thumb cramped up in a strange and hideous sort of way, forcing an early departure. Statistically, it's unlikely that Assad keeps being this guy over a full career, and because modern teams run on what the stats tell them, it's unlikely that he even gets many more chances to have a full career. Assad's stuff ratings and his peripheral numbers (walks, strikeouts, hard-hit rates) all suggest the same thing as these splits, too: that there's regression ahead. He's not succeeding in a traditional way in terms of movement or velocity or missing bats, any more than in terms of when he succeeds and when he fails. He's allowed just a .272 career BABIP, and that number is .237 this year, but it's not at all easy to articulate how. He can't keep getting away with this. Right now, though, the Cubs are trying to catch the best team in baseball in their division, and strange setbacks keep afflicting many of their other pitching options. For now, there are much worse ways they could go than to place some trust in El Brujo. Nothing ever goes wrong when someone desperate for a particular outcome turns to black magic for help, right? View the full article

The Royals took a calculated risk at the trade deadline by not letting go of pitchers like Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo, and Daniel Lynch IV. The Royals front office believes that the Royals are able to compete for the playoffs in 2027. This belief makes sense on the surface since many Royals contributors are still under club control for next season. However, the deeper you look at the roster, the more 2027 starts to look less like a team one offseason away from contention and more like a team that has too many problems that need to be solved. This is one of two articles. To read the opposing viewpoint, click here. Unsettled Rotation The Royals entered last offseason with a surplus of major-league options to the point where they were open to trading away starters to bolster the lineup. With the summer coming to a close in 2027, only three of the starters from that group remain on the active roster: Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo, and Noah Cameron. To account for injuries and departures, the Royals have turned to Randy Dobnak and Lynch to fill the remaining rotation spots. Player Injury Last Played Estimated Return Cole Ragans UCL Repair 5/6/2026 Mid-2027 Kris Bubic Elbow Soreness 5/14/2026 Traded to Dodgers/Free Agent Stephen Kolek Tommy John Surgery 7/2/2026 Late 2027 Luinder Avila Tommy John Surgery 8/1/2026 Late 2027 Bailey Falter n/a - DFA 5/26/2026 Traded to Braves Ryan Bergert Tommy John Surgery Spring Training Early 2027 With the exception of maybe Bergert, none of these pitchers (those who are still in the organization) can be counted on for a high volume of innings next season, and the Royals will need to add a minimum of two major-league proven starters to have a chance at competing. While the front office could expect a return from Bergert and Ragans to help this team next season if their rehabs stay on schedule, the Royals would be asking a lot of those pitchers to make immediate impacts following their recoveries. While Dobnak has been a surprise spark to the rotation since joining in July. In his first five starts with the Royals, Dobnak has a 2.05 ERA over 26 ⅓ innings. However, his 3.57 FIP and 4.74 xERA indicate he is headed for a regression, and his spot with the Royals is not guaranteed after this season since he is set to be a free agent. Could the Royals decide to hold onto Dobnak after his successful start? Until this season, he had not thrown more than 10 major-league innings since 2021. Choosing to rely on him long term would carry its own risks. For Lynch, he has only pitched a total of four innings in his two starts since joining the rotation. In those short appearances, he has allowed six earned runs with two home runs. Lynch had previously been a starter for the Royals but has not started the majority of his appearances since 2023. He had been the Royals’ best reliever this season and will almost certainly need to return to the bullpen to regain his impact. The prospect options do not look like they will be able to provide an immediate impact either. Avila was called up this season and suffered a long-term injury. No. 18 prospect Ben Kudrna was projected to possibly make his major-league debut this season before he was sidelined for all of 2026 after undergoing surgery to repair a stress fracture in his elbow. Mitch Spence struggled in limited time this season. One intriguing option could be Lucas Braun, who was acquired from the Braves in exchange for Falter and Lane Thomas near this year’s trade deadline. Though in a season in which the Royals intend to contend for the postseason, relying on a prospect with only 14 starts in triple-A is usually not a recipe for success. Injury Issues Have Plagued The Lineup Unsurprisingly, Bobby Witt Jr. is the most consistent bat in the Royals’ lineup this season, with Jac Caglianone proving that he can be a threat in the middle of the order. After those two, there is a drop-off in production from Royals hitters this season. Of Royals players with at least 100 plate appearances, only Witt, Caglianone, Tyler Tolbert, and Lane Thomas have a wRC+ over 100 (league-average). Thomas was traded to the Braves, and Tolbert is only just above that qualifier with 104 PAs and had a streak of 12 straight PAs with a hit, which perhaps has skewed his stats. Previous offensive standouts Maikel Garcia and Vinnie Pasquantino are currently on the injured list and have spent extended stretches out of the lineup. Garcia was one of the standout performers last season for the Royals, and he was rewarded with a contract extension that runs through the 2030 season. He also had a strong World Baseball Classic with champions Venezuela and won the tournament MVP. Can Garcia return to his 2025 form after fully recovering from his injury? Pasquantino entered 2026 after finishing his only fully healthy season, where he hit 32 home runs and 113 RBIs with a 116 wRC+. In his limited time in 2026, he has a wRC+ of 84 with a lower wOBA of .295. First base is a position that is expected to provide power in the lineup. Pasquantino has not been able to provide that this season despite also having a strong performance in the WBC with Italy. He is another player that the Royals will need to return to his previous form in order to compete in 2027. The Bullpen Will Need A Full Reset What could go wrong in the bullpen has gone wrong for the Royals in 2026. The Royals' bullpen ranks among the bottom two in many key metrics, including fWAR, ERA, and FIP. Many standout performers from previous seasons saw severe regression. Carlos Estévez was the MLB saves leader in 2025 but saw an almost 5 mph drop in his pitch velocity. He has only appeared in one game this season and has been on the IL since. The Royals will certainly not be picking up his club option for 2027. Lucas Erceg assumed the closer job in Estévez’s absence, a job he would eventually lose after his ERA ballooned to 6 after having an ERA under 3 in each of his previous seasons in Kansas City. Erceg still has three years of control but will need to regain his command to make a meaningful impact in the bullpen moving forward. Other offseason acquisitions with years of control include Nick Mears and Alex Lange. Lange took over the closer role after Erceg and had a stretch of successful save opportunities. His ERA now sits above 6.00, and he no longer occupies the closer role. Mears has one more year of control, but hasn’t pitched since May with a shoulder impingement, with no current timetable for return. Left in the bullpen are Steven Cruz, Jose Cuas, Nate Pearson, Mason Black, Craig Kimbrel, and Lynch. Lynch, Cuas, and Pearson are the only relievers with positive fWAR, and with the exception of Kimbrel, who is definitely past his prime, none of these pitchers have extensive experience in high-leverage or save opportunities. The Royals will need to add proven bullpen arms to anchor the bullpen if they truly want to compete in 2027. The Outfield Isn't Settled Other than from Caglianone, the Royals must get more production from their outfield. The outfield has improved compared to 2026, when they ranked last in fWAR and wRC+, but the improvement has only moved the Royals to 17th in wRC+ and 24th in fWAR. A lot of that production was carried by Lane Thomas, who has since been traded to Atlanta. Isaac Collins has been a steady performer in left field, but he only has a league-average wRC+. His plate discipline is strong with low chase and whiff rates, but that is offset by his lack of power with an xSLG in the bottom 5% in MLB. Kyle Isbel has returned from injury to play center field, but he needs a platoon partner to face left-handed pitchers. Tolbert can be the player to split time in center, but he hasn’t proven to be a consistent threat to do damage in the lineup. For a lineup that has been over-reliant on Witt and Caglianone for power, at least one of Isbel, Tolbert, or Collins would need to step up to that role, but none of them have yet demonstrated the ability to do so. The Royals will need to add a player of that profile in the offseason. Other outfield options include John Rave and potential callup, former 1st-round draft pick, Gavin Cross. Rave has not been able to cement himself in the Royals lineup with streaky performances. Cross’s minor-league career has been full of ups and downs with a high strikeout rate. He could make an impact if given the promotion to the majors, but neither he nor Rave should truly be counted on for regular playing time next season at this time. Other Lingering Questions What role does Perez have in 2027? He has one more year left on his contract, but Father Time has caught up with him in 2026. He is having a career-worst season with a 68 wRC+ and -1.3 fWAR. Carter Jensen has assumed the starting catching duties, and Perez will need to take on a lesser role. If the Royals decide to make him the primary designated hitter, his bat will need to improve. Is Michael Massey the starting second baseman? Massey is having one of his better years with a 96 wRC+ and 1.4 fWAR. He has been able to remain relatively healthy. Can he continue to remain healthy and secure the second base position? To sum all of the above, on offense the Royals need Pasquantino and Garcia to regain their health and return to previous levels of production, add at least one outfielder who can ideally hit for power, and answer how to handle Perez and the DH position. For pitching, they need to add two MLB-proven starters and multiple relievers, one of which being the everyday closer. For a small-market franchise that does not have a history of making big moves in free agency, the laundry list of needs has gotten too long. The Royals are yet to prove that they are willing to make the moves necessary to take their roster to the next level. With an impending lockout after the CBA expires in December, free agency and offseason moves will have an added level of difficulty and anxiety to navigate. View the full article

Kyle Harrison isn’t at his best right now. Since returning from a stint on the injured list with forearm tightness, his velocity and command have been below their first-half levels. That was the case again on Tuesday night. Harrison’s fastball averaged 93.5 MPH (well below his season average of 95 MPH) and he threw just 47% of them in the strike zone. “I think there was flashes of brilliance, and then there was times when he was kind of not in sync, and the fastball didn’t play like it normally does,” Pat Murphy said postgame. As Harrison approaches his career-high of 124 ⅓ innings from 2024 (between the big leagues and a rehab start last month, he’s at 104 this year), he’s battling mechanical issues. His arm angle has steadily gotten lower, particularly since his return from the injured list. “Just looking at the history of my time here, it’s been as the season gets longer, and as you go further in the season, the arm release likes to drop a little bit,” Harrison said. “I’ve always known that with myself, but then it’s staying consistent on the work throughout the week to make sure I maintain that.” Harrison is at his best when his arm angle is closer to 34°. That’s when his slot is high enough to drive through the baseball and backspin it to create the carry on his dominant four-seamer. In Harrison’s last start in San Diego, his slot dropped to a season-low 28°, and he allowed a season-high eight runs. Those velocity and mechanical declines are real concerns to monitor down the stretch. The Brewers will need the healthy and effective version of Harrison in October. For now, amid those issues, he still struck out eight in five scoreless innings Tuesday night. After just three swings and misses through his first three innings, he induced six whiffs over his final two frames. “I’d say the heater was more down in the zone early, and then just wasn’t really getting up to the arm slot I’d like,” Harrison said. “It took a little bit longer than I liked, but yeah, the heater command definitely got better.” Harrison is a microcosm of the Brewers as a team right now. The dog days of August are here, and they just played 17 games in 17 days—a stretch that included parts of two West Coast trips. They lost Joey Ortiz, Cooper Pratt, and Brice Turang to concurrent injuries, forcing a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency infield of Andrew Vaughn at third base and Gary Sánchez at first. Using a six-man rotation left them a man short in the bullpen even before Abner Uribe hit the injured list. They were swept by the Padres last week in a three-game series filled with poor situational hitting and questionable defense. “Seventeen games and two West Coast trips in a matter of three weeks wasn’t easy,” Jake Bauers said. “I think everybody was kind of feeling it a little bit. I don’t know that anybody in here will tell you that, but I think we were feeling it toward the end there.” And yet, the Brewers kept winning just enough. They snapped their three-game skid with a ninth-inning comeback win against the Dodgers, the first of three wins in the four-game series. At the start of those 17 games, they led the NL Central by 5.5 games. After going 10-7 in that stretch, they returned home with a five-game lead. Monday was a much-needed off day. With a grueling trip in the rearview mirror, the Brewers returned to play and clobbered the Mariners in a 22-0 win, the most lopsided victory in franchise history. It didn’t start that way. The Brewers were still in grind-it-out mode through the first half of the game, clinging to a 1-0 lead through four-and-a-half innings. That lone run scored on a gritty baserunning play by Bauers in the first. After an aggressive send by third base coach Matt Erickson on William Contreras’s two-out single to shallow left field and a strong throw by Randy Arozarena, Bauers looked like an easy out at the plate. He tried to dive headfirst into home, just as he did successfully on a nearly identical play in LA on Sunday. This time, the throw took Cal Raleigh into the lane to which Bauers had already committed himself, so Bauers’s dive attempt took him into Raleigh’s glove. “I saw the replay. I definitely wasn’t trying to hit his glove,” Bauers said. “I was more trying to protect him and me because I didn’t want to barrel through him. I didn’t want to break my neck on his chest protector.” In bracing himself, Bauers inadvertently swatted the ball out of Raleigh’s glove. As Raleigh retrieved it, Christian Yelich noticed that Bauers hadn’t touched the plate and yelled at him to dive back into home. “I don’t really remember what happened after that,” Bauers said. “I just remember Yeli screaming at me to touch home.” It wasn’t pretty, but Bauers’s left hand barely beat Raleigh’s tag to score the run. That kind of scratch-and-claw play epitomizes the Brewers’ identity under Murphy, and it’s been their means of survival during this stretch. Every inch has felt like a mile. “I play hard,” Bauers said. “I don’t know any other way. Regardless of the score, if I’m out there, I’m going to play hard.” After that 18-pitch first, the Brewers worked Bryce Miller for 23 more pitches in the second. The breakthrough didn’t come until the fifth, though. After they pecked away with two singles and a pair of walks (including an RBI knock by Jackson Chourio and a sac fly by William Contreras), Yelich blew things open with a three-run homer to make it 6-0. That ended Miller’s night at 92 pitches in just 4 2/3 innings. “That’s how we play,” Murphy said. “To be able to lay off really tough pitches and not panic that you have to swing because you’re down 0-1. Having two strikes is not a death [sentence]. Those type of at-bats. Then Yeli hits a big homer, and you break through.” The floodgates opened from there, with a combination of quality plate appearances and poor Seattle defense. Earlier in the day, there were symbols affirming that the most grueling portion of the schedule was over. Turang returned to the lineup after missing four games, and Pratt began what could be a one-game rehab assignment in Appleton. With each run that scored, the road trip seemed further in the rearview mirror. Exactly one week ago, Gary Sánchez was lobbing eephus pitches in a blowout loss. Now, he was finishing off a blowout win. More challenges lie ahead. The Brewers must manage the workloads of Harrison and their other young starters during a pennant race. Next week, they begin a stretch of 16 games in 16 days, seven of them against the second-place Cubs in two series that could decide the division. They still can’t let off the gas, even after weathering what was likely to be their toughest stretch on paper. Most teams have hot streaks throughout the course of a 162-game season. What separates the best teams is their ability to avoid prolonged losing streaks when they aren’t playing well and their environment is stacked against them. The Brewers earned a comfortable division lead by playing their best baseball in the first half. This is the time for staying afloat. So far, they’ve remained up to the task. View the full article

In 6,721 defensive innings over his 11-season major-league career, Byron Buxton has only ever played center field. The last time he played a position other than center in affiliated ball was in 2014, when he notched 14 innings in right field at High-A. This development shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who follows the Twins—or baseball, for that matter. Buxton has long been a world-class athlete, with elite sprint speed and a feel for making late adjustments when needed. That athleticism resulted in him winning a Platinum Glove Award in 2017, when he was arguably the rangiest center fielder of the 2010s. Nine years later, however, the 32-year-old is no longer one of the sport’s best center fielders. That's no knock against Buxton; him still being one of the fastest players in baseball 11 seasons into his career is a remarkable feat. Despite maintaining that speed on the bases, though, Buxton has regressed in multiple defensive metrics over the past two seasons. He still makes all the routine plays, but he no longer takes away should-be hits. Of course, Buxton doesn’t have to be an elite defender to remain at center field. He's still playable there, with 3 Outs Above Average (OAA) over 193 attempts this season. Cracks are still forming beneath the surface, however. He’s remained elite at tracking balls hit in front of and behind him this season. However, his ability to reach balls on which he has to range far to his left or right has steadily regressed over the past couple of seasons, with 2026 as a low point. Moving toward third base, Buxton has generated 1 OAA. At the same time, he has manufactured 0 OAA moving toward first. His combined 1 OAA while moving laterally would be the lowest mark of his career (save his 2018 campaign, when he played only 28 games). Can you guess his second-worst season getting to balls hit laterally? Great job, valued reader! You’re correct. It was 2025. Buxton has steadily regressed in his ability to reach balls hit in the gap over the past two seasons, and at this point in his career, it's extremely likely that he'll continue to fade. Again, nobody is holding Buxton to the same standard as Pete Crow-Armstrong or Ceddanne Rafaela. Twins decision-makers would be more than justified in finishing the 2026 season with Buxton as the club’s primary center fielder; his regression doesn’t require immediate attention. Still, Minnesota would be wise to have a succession plan in place for 2027. Luckily, the organization’s top solution is knocking on the door of the majors in Triple-A: first-ranked prospect Walker Jenkins. I’m not advocating that Minnesota call up Jenkins right now. He's a 21-year-old enjoying his first extended success against Triple-A pitching. He is still a platoon liability against left-handed pitching, netting a .277 xwOBA over 80 plate appearances at Triple-A. He is undeniably at the parent club’s door, preparing to rush through, with intentions of immediately becoming one of Minnesota’s best position players. That time will come, but there’s a strong chance it won’t be until 2027. Whenever Jenkins does get his contract selected from Triple-A St. Paul, the Twins should make him their primary center fielder, moving Buxton to the corner outfield. Jenkins has played center field in most of his appearances at Triple-A, with 370 innings at the position. He's been solid, with no errors and good range. Right now, Buxton is probably as good or better in center than Jenkins is. However, by this time next year, that won't be true. What separates Jenkins from Buxton now is the top prospect’s elite arm value, an area in which Buxton has declined more obviously and sharply. Buxton sports a -1 Arm Value over 168 advancement attempts in 2026, placing him in the bottom third of the league. Runners have been able to take extra bases on him, a trend that has become significantly worse since 2024, when Buxton was toward the top of the league. Jenkins, however, has one of the best arms in the minors. Whether Buxton moves to left or right field is largely inconsequential. Right field is higher on the defensive spectrum, with clubs often placing stronger-armed fielders there in order to reduce a runner’s likelihood of advancing from first to third on a single or tagging up from second to third on a flyout to right. Buxton is probably better-suited to left, particularly given that left-center is deeper than right-center at Target Field. One way or another, though, it's time to start making a succession plan—which, in this case, is also a relocation plan. View the full article

No one would argue that the 2026 season did not go as planned for the Royals. It turned out to be disappointing for a variety of reasons, but there is still some optimism if you look at parts of the roster. A return to being more competitive, not only in the AL Central but in the American League as a whole, is still realistic, even if it might not feel that way when looking at the Royals sitting in last place this year. While parts of the roster need more addressing than others, there are plenty of reasons for optimism when looking ahead to 2027 and beyond. Some of those reasons include a group of young lineup pieces that the organization should be able to build around, some veterans in both the rotation and in the lineup, and a group of complementary pieces who could take a step forward next year. This is one of two articles. To read the opposing viewpoint, click here. Let’s take a look at those things more in depth. Young Royals Players to Build Around The list of young players to build around goes well beyond superstar Bobby Witt Jr. Anyone who knows anything about baseball can see that Witt Jr is a bona fide superstar and someone that the Royals were smart to lock up when they did. At 26 years old, he will be well worth his contract. He has three top-10 MVP finishes and is likely headed for a fourth to go with two Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers as well. Witt’s contract has him signed through 2030 at a minimum with four years of player opt-outs, and then three years of club options beyond that. If Witt continues to perform to the standard he has set, it would be a foregone conclusion that he will opt out of his contract given the first opportunity after the 2030 season. This means he will stay with the Royals for at least the next four seasons. There are other young players to build around, giving the organization and fans alike hope for the future. Both OF/1B Jac Caglianone and C Carter Jensen have bounced back from tough starts to the year to look like locks in the lineup going into the future. Caglianone is under team control through 2031 via the arbitration process, and Jensen is as well. With those two under team control for a handful more years, the team will look to build around the core three and return to contention sooner rather than later. Complementary Roster Pieces Speaking of surrounding Witt Jr, Caglianone, and Jensen, the Royals have a few other pieces who could complement them and help them return to contention. These players include Vinnie Pasquantino, who is having a down year in 2026, and Maikel Garcia, whom the Royals signed to a long-term contract through 2030, including a club option for 2031. Both Pasquantino and Garcia have underperformed expectations, but it isn’t too crazy to think they could return to previous form and extend the Royals lineup. Both have upside as being above-average hitters, with Pasquantino having an above-average OPS+ each of the first four seasons prior to 2025 and Garcia having an above-average 2025, which earned him his long-term deal. However, he has regressed some and still been solid offensively in 2026. There is plenty of upside in other parts of the offense as well, including outfielders Kyle Isbel and Isaac Collins, and IF Michael Massey, so it is quite easy to see how the Royals could have an above-average offense as soon as the 2027 season. Veterans in the Rotation The Royals decided to keep both Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha at the trade deadline, even with trade rumors swirling around both right-handers. Both Lugo and Wacha provide stability in a rotation that includes some younger arms. Noah Cameron is having a coming-out party as of late, so he should easily slot into a rotation slot for next year as well. If healthy, Cole Ragans has tons of upside, as shown recently in 2024, when he threw 186 ⅓ innings, striking out 223 batters and pitching to a 3.14 ERA with an even better 2.99 FIP. With four of the spots already accounted for, finding a fifth starter shouldn’t prove too difficult, whether that be inserting Randy Dobnak into that spot until a younger pitcher with more upside is ready, or giving a longer look to Luinder Avila or Stephen Kolek as internal options. Another choice would be to sign a veteran fifth starter to provide more depth and stability to the end of the rotation, if they don’t want to rely on the trio of Dobnak, Avila and Kolek. Prospects Looking to Make an Impact The Royals will also have prospects that could be ready to make an impact as early as 2027. While many of the Royals' top prospects are in the lower minors, there are a few intriguing pieces that could carve out roles for themselves in the next year or so. There are a couple of position players, including OF Carson Roccaforte (#9 on Royals Keep), who has torn up Double-A this year, and C Blake Mitchell (#4), who has hit extremely well in High-A this year and could be on the fast track to the majors if he continues to hit for over a .900 OPS. On the pitching side, LHP Justin Lamkin (#12) and RHPs Lucas Braun, Ben Kudrna (#18), Drew Beam (#13) and L.P. Langevin could all be at Kauffman Stadium depending on how they perform in the near future. Braun was acquired in the Lane Thomas deal and is pitching at Triple-A Omaha. Kudrna is also at Triple-A, but has spent most of this year injured; otherwise, he may have made his debut already. Lamkin is in Double-A in his first professional season after being drafted in the second round in 2025, while Beam hasn’t pitched well at Double-A but could have a turnaround year and move up the organizational ladder, potentially as an option out of the bullpen. Langevin has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen with a 44.7% strikeout rate over 47 ⅔ innings this year. With those kinds of numbers, he could move up levels pretty quickly and be a force out of the Royals bullpen for quite some time. In looking at all of these things, it’s not hard to convince yourself that the Royals could return to contention, especially in the AL Central, and across the AL with how weak the American League has been this season. Let’s discuss in the comments what you expect from the Royals in 2027 and beyond! View the full article

Drafted in the 12th round of the 2026 MLB Draft out of Oak Hills High School, Jacob Webster is a prospect full of potential. Sitting down with Talk Sox's Nick John, Webster talks about his draft experience, along with how things are going down in Fort Myers since officially signing with the Boston Red Sox. View the full article

There is no shortage of reasons why the Miami Marlins lost to the Philadelphia Phillies Monday night. Poor hitting with runners in scoring position. An umpiring decision so inexplicable that it still boggles the mind. The enduring presence of Leo Jimenez. The excellence of Cristopher Sanchez, a continuation of Miami's years-long inability to handle lefty starting pitchers. However, I wanted to focus on something that might have flown under the radar. John King pitched horribly. Cade Gibson was better, but not by much. The ineffectiveness of Miami's lefty relievers since essentially the start of July is highly concerning. For much of the year, King looked unequivocally like the best of the Marlins' offseason acquisitions. Overall, he remains a positive WAR player with a 3.88 ERA and still-sterling 0.98 WHIP. Yet his season splits are eye-opening. First half? A 2.48 ERA and 0.75 WHIP. Second half? Those numbers have ballooned to a 10.48 ERA and 2.07 WHIP. To be fair, King's first-half stats come from 40 games' worth of appearances, compared to only nine games in the second half. He has also maintained a pretty clean sheet when it comes to high leverage. There hasn't been a meaningful velocity dip. A slight decrease in sweeper spin was evident on Monday, but there just isn't a lot to point to other than the poor results and an MLB track record that always indicated he was unlikely to maintain his elite pace. At least Gibson has been consistent in 2026. Unfortunately, that just means he's been equally unhelpful all season long. Going into Wednesday, that came out to a 5.25 ERA in the first half and a 6.55 ERA in the second. He has struggled all season long to recapture his 2025 form. He's been a -0.6 bWAR pitcher. Only two Marlins pitchers have been worse this season from that standpoint. One of those is Chris Paddack. The other is Pete Fairbanks, but he's showing every sign of having resurrected his season these past couple weeks. The clock might be ticking on this bullpen composition...except for the fact that the Marlins essentially have no impactful lefty reinforcements to call upon. Scheduled to undergo elbow surgery, Andrew Nardi, who thrived as the club's high-leverage lefty during their last NL Wild Card campaign in 2023, has been fully ruled out. Two of baseball's best southpaw prospects, Robby Snelling and Thomas White, are also hurt. The only 40-man roster alternative is rookie Dax Fulton. Dipping deeper into the organization, there's not much help. Other than Fulton, Patrick Monteverde and Justin King represent the lone lefty offerings at AAA. Monteverde, who's mostly been used as a starter in the minors, has just a 5.79 ERA and 1.49 WHIP. Justin King doesn't even meet that modest standard with a 6.84 ERA and 2.00 WHIP. Bottom line? No help is coming from within if the Marlins either continue to not get much help from their lefty relievers, or if it turns out the reason they have struggled is a yet to be revealed injury. Which makes it all the more essential that King (John) and Gibson turn it around ASAP. Well that, or some team decides to shed some salary and dumps a lefty on waivers over the next two weeks. View the full article

As documented here, the Miami Marlins have had a low hit rate on their international amateur free agent signings. Identifying talent and developing it has been particularly challenging on the position player side. We are nearly a decade and a half into the "bonus pool era," and with all due respect to Javier Sanoja—a 2019 signing out of Venezuela—none of the Marlins' international hitters during that span have become everyday MLB starters. Santiago Solarte took an encouraging first step in that direction this season. The $1 million signing bonus he received in January is already looking like money well spent by the Fish. The 17-year-old infielder just wrapped up a dominant, unprecedented campaign in the Dominican Summer League. Solarte's offensive numbers in 2026 were amazing. In only 52 games, he slashed .339/.450/.598 with 10 home runs, 42 stolen bases and a 149 wRC+. Solarte also ranked tied for seventh among all players in total bases (104) and 11th in OPS (1.048). Keep in mind, the league consists of 51(!) teams. We have comprehensive Minor League Baseball stats across all levels available dating back to 2006. Solarte is the only player on record to post a 10 HR/40 SB season in rookie ball (including both stateside and foreign leagues). Solarte has elite power potential long term. He pulls the majority of his batted balls to right field, but six of his homers went to left or center. This grand slam from August 11 was a no-doubter to the deepest part of the ballpark with an exit velocity of 106 mph. For context, fellow Marlins prospect PJ Morlando, who was coveted for his power coming out of the 2024 MLB Draft, has reached that exit velo only five times this season. Morlando is three and a half years older than Solarte. There's only so much we can learn from stolen base totals at the lower MiLB levels, but Solarte's legs are a legitimate weapon. At 6'5", he covers a lot of ground with his long strides. This grounder to the left side was fielded cleanly. Solarte easily beat it out for an infield single anyway. He grounded into only one double play all season. Let's not get too carried away, though. Solarte was the beneficiary of a .450 batting average on balls in play (third among DSL qualifiers). He will not come close to maintaining that against stateside competition, causing his overall batting average to dip. His plate discipline is still a work in progress. His walk rate (12.9 BB%) was lower than the average DSL hitter and his strikeout rate was significantly higher (26.3 K%). Solarte split his defensive reps between shortstop and third base. It's difficult to imagine him sticking at the former moving forward, where he averaged one error every 13 innings. Most of his struggles on that side of the ball occurred during the first month of the season, to be fair. Ranked 16th on the Fish On First Top 30, Solarte should be assigned to the FCL Marlins in 2027. Even with some anticipated regression at that level, he's a candidate to taste Low-A Jupiter during the second half of that season. View the full article