NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 30: CJ Abrams #5 of the Washington Nationals and teammate James Wood #29 celebrate a win over the New York Mets after the ninth inning of a game at Citi Field on April 30, 2026 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Heather Khalifa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Yesterday voting opened for the All-Star game. It is insane that we are already this far into the season, but here we are. The Nationals have two players who deserve to start in Philly next month. Through the first two months and change, CJ Abrams and James Wood have done enough to earn a starting nod.
With the Nats on the upswing, our fans need to have their voices heard. We need to stuff the ballot box to make sure our guys get in. In the past, we have seen Nats players get robbed of starting this event due to players from bigger market teams. This year we need to vote! Here is where you can go vote.
Even after the sweep against the Marlins, the Nats have still scored the most runs in all of baseball. Abrams and Wood have been the drivers of this well oiled machine. Interestingly, Wood has been the man at the top of the order, while Abrams has been the run producer in the middle. Abrams is more of your traditional leadoff type, while Wood is your prototypical middle of the order bat. However, with their roles reversed, both have excelled. Wood is first in baseball in runs scored, while Abrams is second in RBI’s.
I actually made a ballot myself, which had Wood and Abrams starting. Curtis Mead also made my lineup, but if I put my bias aside, Max Muncy probably deserves it over him. If I had a re-do, Matt Olson would also be at first base over Bryce Harper. With the game being in Philly, I wanted to put someone on the Phillies in there, but Olson is the more deserving candidate.
When you look at the offensive metrics, it is clear that Wood and Abrams are deserving. Wood is 8th in baseball with a 158 wRC+, while Abrams is 11th, with a 152 mark. While Abrams is behind Elly De La Cruz and Otto Lopez in WAR, I still think he deserves a starting nod for a couple reasons. The first is that De La Cruz is going to miss time with an injury, which should help Abrams. In the case of Lopez, Abrams is just 0.1 wins behind him, and I prefer the explosiveness Abrams provides at the plate.
For Wood, the case is very straightforward. He is third among outfielders in WAR, and has been one of the best hitters in all of baseball. I also believe that Wood can be a star attraction in the game. His freakish size, power and athleticism is breathtaking at his best. He is the kind of player you want in an All-Star game. Who doesn’t love to see a giant hit balls 115 MPH.
James Wood hits an absolute rocket to the stands 😮
Wood and Abrams are not the only candidates the Nats have, but they are the only ones who I think will end up getting in. Curtis Mead has had an incredible breakout season, and he is certainly a name who should receive some consideration. However, his lack of name brand value and the fact he was not playing every day until recently is likely to hold him back.
A couple other players who deserve shoutouts are Brad Lord, Keibert Ruiz and Cade Cavalli. All three are long shots, but have been excellent this season. Ruiz had a monster month of May, and if he has another great month, his name could be in consideration. Lord does not have a flashy job in the Nats pitching staff, but he has been amazing in his multi-inning relief role. Cavalli is certainly a long shot, but if he catches fire in June, he could have a chance due to his strikeout numbers and low FIP.
At the end of the day, I think Wood and Abrams get in, and at least one will start. Both have put up ridiculous numbers, and have put the league on notice. Abrams has taken his game to another level this season. He is on pace for 32 home runs and 125 RBI’s as the Nats cleanup man. That is an All-Star shortstop if I have ever seen one.
Outside of this past series against the Marlins, the Nats have provided fans with more joy than anticipated. We need to repay them for their hot start. James Wood and CJ Abrams should not be overshadowed by players from bigger markets that are not as deserving. Make sure to make your voices heard and vote!
RICHMOND, VA - APRIL 26: Cesar Perdomo #57 of the Richmond Flying Squirrels pitches during the game between the Somerset Patriots and the Richmond Flying Squirrels at CarMax Park on Sunday, April 26, 2026 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Matthew Mitrani/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
The rookie ball teams were off on Wednesday, but the San Francisco Giants quartet of A-ball teams were all in action. So let’s dive into the Minor League baseball results!
All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.
News
Just a tiny bit of news. AA Richmond activated LHP Jack Choate (No. 37 CPL) off the Injured List, while placing recently-signed RHP Christian Alvarado on the Development List.
AAA Sacramento (33-24)
Sacramento River Cats lost to the Tacoma Rainiers (Mariners) 5-1 Box score
Not a very good game for the River Cats, who are scuffling through their roster churn. They’ve lost 4 of their last 5 games, and have opened this series by getting held to 1 run in each of the 2 games thus far.
The big news for Sacramento is that LHP Matt Wilkinson made his AAA debut. Wilkinson, a burly 23-year old who was taken in the 10th round of the 2023 draft, came to the Giants in the Patrick Bailey trade, and was promoted to AAA after just 9 starts in AA (and just 3 in the Giants’ system).
Unfortunately, Wilkinson, as happens with most Sacramento prospects, reminded the Giants that there is a cavernous gap in talent between AA and AAA, which makes it all the more confounding that they opted to have Jonah Cox skip the level entirely (but that’s a rant for another day).
After thoroughly dominating the Eastern League, Tugboat ran into some issues with the hitters in the Pacific Coast League. More specifically, he ran into some issues with the strike zone in the Pacific Coast League, and with the hitters’ ability to stay within it.
Wilkinson threw just 26 of 49 pitches for strikes, and had as many walks (4) as outs recorded. He wasn’t particularly hittable — he gave up just a single, while striking out 2 — but walking 4 of the 9 batters you face is no way to make a living, and so he gave up 2 runs while getting pulled after just 1.1 innings. That will be an adjustment for the southpaw, who only had 4 walks in 15 innings with AA Richmond. But adjustments are why AAA exists … except, again, for Cox apparently.
Rehabbing RHP Jason Foley also pitched, which was a big deal because it was his 1st time pitching in back-to-back games. That’s a critical part of the rehab process for a reliever, and while he didn’t pitch particularly well (he gave up 2 hits, 1 walk, and 1 unearned run in an inning of work, without a strikeout), it’s a big milestone to reach. Foley is now 9 games into his rehab assignment, and about a week away from maxing out his 30-day rehab window. He should be making his Giants debut very soon.
RHP Braxton Roxby pitched well, tossing 2.2 shutout innings with just 1 hit allowed, while striking out 3. Those numbers are good as is, but underscore his performance, as he replaced Wilkinson in the 2nd inning and inherited a bases loaded, 1-out situation. Tugboat’s ERA could have been disastrously ugly, but Roxby didn’t allow any of the inherited runners to score, which included striking out MLB veteran Miles Mastrobuoni with just 1 out.
Roxby, who came to the Giants in the Taylor Rogers trade, is starting to settle in following a tough beginning to his 1st full season in AAA. Through his 1st 9 appearances of the year, Roxby allowed 11 earned runs in just 9 innings; in 7 games since, he’s given up just 1 earned run in 11.2 innings.
The hitters did very little. Second baseman Nate Furman (No. 39 CPL) had a nice game, hitting 2-4 with a pair of doubles and a strikeout. Furman’s really been hitting the ball lately, and the 24-year old lefty has an 11-game hitting streak going on. Over his last 14 games, the 2022 4th-round pick (by the Guardians) is 22-61 with 3 home runs, 1 triple, 5 doubles, 4 walks, and 9 strikeouts. He’s up to an .802 OPS and a 116 wRC+, with just a 12.3% strikeout rate … assuming the Giants trade Luis Arráez this summer, I expect we’ll see Furman in the Majors at some point this year.
Designated hitter Jared Oliva continued his rehab assignment, and hit 1-4 with a stolen base. Recently-optioned Jesús Rodríguez (No. 16 CPL) hit 0-4 with 2 strikeouts, but made his season debut at third base, the position he played most when he 1st came up through the Minors. The Giants still view him primarily as a catcher, but it seems they’re happy to let him develop into a super-utility player, which would have a ton of value (not many utility players can catch!).
AA Richmond (35-17)
Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Erie SeaWolves (Tigers) 4-2 Box score
This game was all about the starting pitcher, LHP Cesar Perdomo. With Matt Wilkinson and Joe Whitman (No. 26 CPL) promoted to AAA, Perdomo takes over the title of staff ace. And he did a damn good impression of that pair of more well-known prospects on Wednesday, with one of the top pitching performances on the farm this year.
Perdomo, a 24-year old who signed in 2021 out of Venezuela, was nearly unhittable against Erie. He threw 6 scoreless innings, and gave up just 2 hits (both singles) and 2 walks. And best of all? He struck out 9 batters.
That’s been the story of his season so far, which is always exciting. You expect players to lose some strikeouts as they climb the Minor League ranks, but Perdomo — who has some nasty pitches — has done the opposite. He had a strong 2025 with High-A Eugene, but it featured just 8.3 strikeouts per 9 innings … this year, at a higher level? 10.6!
And while you expect an increase in strikeouts to be accompanied by an increase in walks, it hasn’t been a huge raise for Perdomo, whose BB/9 number has gone from 2.7 to 3.5. Room for improvement, to be sure, but not exactly a concerning figure.
In all, the strikeouts — and the fact that he’s ceded just 1 home run in 46.2 innings — have given Perdomo a nice ERA (3.86) and a stellar FIP (2.86). That latter figure is 2nd among the 49 Eastern League pitchers with at least 30 innings thrown this year, trailing only his (now former) teammate Whitman. All of that is to say: we should probably be talking about Perdomo more!
No one else on the team, however, really deserves to be talked about in this game. RHP Ryan Vanderhei made his AA debut and struggled, giving up 2 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run in 1.2 innings, with 1 strikeout. RHP Manuel Mercedes struck out the side in a scoreless inning, but also allowed a hit and a walk.
Second baseman Diego Velasquez (No. 31 CPL) and catcher Ty Hanchey both hit 2-4 with a double. Velasquez has been quietly chugging along in his 3rd year in AA, where he has a .764 OPS and a 108 wRC+. Critically for the 22-year old switch-hitter, who has always been a all-contact, no-power hitter, his isolated slugging mark of .133 is higher than it was in his 1st 2 AA stints combined. He probably deserves to be in AA, but with Nate Furman there, it doesn’t really work logistically.
Hanchey has been a player that the Giants send wherever they need a roster hole filled this year, as he’s seen time with Eugene, Richmond, and Sacramento. The 26-year old UDFA has done quite well with the Squirrels, posting a .987 OPS and a 163 wRC+ in 50 plate appearances.
Center fielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) had his 2nd consecutive multi-hit game, as he went 2-4 with a strikeout, while also showing off his tremendous athleticisim.
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) June 4, 2026
High-A Eugene (37-16)
Eugene Emeralds lost to the Everett AquaSox (Mariners) 5-3 Box score
Eugene is the most talent-stacked team in the Giants system right now, but all eyes are on one player: Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL). The just-turned 19-year old switch-hitter earned a quick promotion from Low-A to High-A, and now he’s even more of a must-watch and must-follow prospect, as we all want to see how he’ll handle higher competition.
So far, so good. After going 2-5 in his High-A debut on Tuesday, Level one-upped himself on Wednesday, hitting 2-4, getting hit by a pitch, and stealing a base, though he struck out twice. We’ll have to wait to see the power play — he had 26 extra-base hits in 44 Low-A games this year — but reaching base 5 times in 2 games, with a stolen base, is quite an introduction to the Northwest League. So far it sure doesn’t seem like he’s fazed by the better pitching at the level.
Interestingly, Level has now played second base in both of these games, with Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL) playing shortstop. I still think that they’re likely to fairly evenly split time between the 2 positions, but it’s something to keep an eye on. Maybe instead of having them rotate game by game, they give the pair a few games at each position before making the switch. Or maybe they’ll just keep Level at second for a while. Stay tuned to find out!
Kilen, on that note, went 0-5, and he’s in a bit of a slump at the moment. In his last 9 games, the 2025 1st-rounder is 4-36 with 2 doubles and 4 walks, though he only has 4 strikeouts in that time. I’m guessing the Giants were hoping that Kilen would be ready for a promotion at the same time as Level, but with just a .762 OPS and a 109 wRC+, they’ll probably keep him in Eugene for a while.
Left fielder Carlos Gutierrez (No. 18 CPL) had the team’s only extra-base hit, as he went 2-4 with a double. The 21-year old lefty continues to show a massive power improvement, as he’s boosted his year-over-year isolated slugging from .101 in Low-A to .186 in High-A. The quality of contact is way up, though the rate of contact is way down: his average has dropped from .351 to .256, while his strikeout rate has risen from 13.7% to 18.0%, and his swinging strike rate from 6.9% to 10.4%. Still, a fabulous year for Gutierrez, who has an .803 OPS and a 121 wRC+, with 13 stolen bases in as many attempts and some strong defense. And a reminder that he’s only played 127 games in his professional career!
Eugene’s other top hitting prospects had pretty nice days, as designated hitter Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL) went 1-3 with a walk, while center fielder Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL) hit 2-5 with a stolen base and 2 strikeouts. Jordan now has an .806 OPS and a 119 wRC+, while Cohen has a .766 OPS and a 115 wRC+, with 17 stolen bases in 21 attempts.
But a day to forget for third baseman Walker Martin, who struck out in all 4 plate appearances, while committing his 14th error of the year. Martin has shown some flashes this year on both sides of the ball, but ultimately is hitting below league average (.696 OPS, 92 wRC+), striking out a ton (31.1% rate), and committing a lot of errors.
Unfortunately, it was also a day to forget for Eugene’s starting pitcher, LHP Jacob Bresnahan (No. 11 CPL). Like Wilkinson in AAA, Bresnahan struggled to find the strike zone, with just 33 of 59 pitches going for strikes. The soon-to-turn 21-year old issued 5 walks on the day (and hit a batter), while recording just 6 outs.
That said, Bresnahan was utterly dominant for 2 innings, before falling apart in a 3rd inning in which he failed to record an out. He hit the 1st batter he faced in the game, but that batter was then thrown out by catcher Jancel Villarroel (No. 42 CPL), and Bresnahan responded by striking out the next 2 batters. He issued a leadoff walk in the 2nd, then struck out the next 3 batters. Elite!
But he walked 4 consecutive batters to open the 3rd inning, and then gave up a grand slam, ending his night and tattooing him for 5 earned runs in just 2 innings. It’s a brutal part of being a pitcher: sometimes everything is going great, until it all goes awful.
Bresnahan, who missed the start of the season with an injury, is still trying to find his rhythm in High-A, and his numbers (4.97 ERA, 5.53 FIP) don’t resemble the guy who won Pitcher of the Year honors in his league in each of the last 2 seasons. But there sure are some reminders as to his talent, most notably the 11.4 strikeouts per 9 innings.
LHP Esmerlin Vinicio had an awesome game, pitching 3 shutout innings with 5 strikeouts. Vinicio didn’t allow a hit or a walk, with Martin’s error being the only thing that kept him from perfecting in his 3 innings. It’s go time for the 23-year old, who is in his 3rd High-A season, and so far he’s going all right: he has a staggering 0.35 ERA on the year, and a very nice 2.58 FIP. Vinicio remains one of the best groundball pitchers in system, with a 53.8% rate this year. That, combined with his 10.5 strikeouts per 9 innings, has resulted in allowing only 10 hits all year, in 25.2 innings pitched. What a great season he’s having!
Low-A San Jose (31-22)
San Jose Giants beat the Inland Empire 66ers (Mariners) 10-3 Box score
Finally, a win!
This was a hitfest for the Baby Giants, who had 13 knocks and 4 walks on the day, en route to 10 runs. The biggest day belonged to third baseman Dario Reynoso, who just refuses to slow down. A day after bopping a pair of home runs, Reynoso was back at it on Wednesday, hitting 2-4 with a 2-run blast and a strikeout.
Yesterday I wrote about Reynoso’s power surge, so let’s update it: after hitting 0 home runs in his 1st 30 games with San Jose (spanning the end of last year and the start of this year), Reynoso has bopped 9 dingers in just 26 games. He’s figuring it out, folks!
If you read this space often, you probably know the scouting report on Reynoso, a recently-turned 21-year old from the Dominican Republic who signed with the Giants almost 3 years ago to the day. He gets a ton of hits, a lot of extra-base knocks, and a kajillion walks … and also strikes out like it’s going out of style. To wit: of the 84 California League hitters with at least 100 plate appearances this year, Reynoso is 14th in batting average (.306), 4th in isolated slugging percentage (.272), 18th in walk rate (16.0%), and 66th in strikeout rate (29.8%).
At higher levels he’ll probably have to improve the swing-and-miss to have success, but in Low-A it’s a mighty fine equation, as he has a 1.006 OPS and a 147 wRC+. Just an awesome season for the right-hander.
Also putting a ball over the fence was catcher Fernando Gonzalez, who hit 2-4 and smashed a solo home run, his 1st big fly of the year. We haven’t talked much about Gonzalez, a 24-year old righty who was taken in the 20th (and final) round of the 2024 draft. The Giants are using him fairly sparingly, as this was just his 16th game of the year. He has a .704 OPS and a 75 wRC+, a year after having a .726 OPS and a 104 wRC+ in his debut season at the same level. He doesn’t do a lot of damage with the bat, but he has just a 6.5% strikeout rate this season.
More nice games for second baseman Isaiah Barkett, who hit 2-5 with a double and was caught stealing, and first baseman Hayden Jatczak, who went 2-3 with a double and a walk. Barkett, a 22-year old taken in the 10th round last year, has a .901 OPS and a 131 wRC+; Jatczak, a 24-year old UDFA, has a .947 OPS and a 135 wRC+. It’s the 1st season of pro ball for both players.
A strong, if unconventional, outing for LHP Jordan Gottesman, who started the game. The team’s 6th-round pick in 2025 tossed 5 shutout innings, and struck out 5 batters, while allowing just 3 hits. That’s excellent! He also walked 3 batters and hit another, which is less excellent. It’s been a very solid debut season for Gottesman, and it’s only been getting better: he’s tossed 5 shutout innings with at least 5 strikeouts in 4 of his last 5 starts, and that’s phenomenal. The primary stain on Gottesman’s debut resume is that he’s allowed 5 home runs, but we can give him a little bit of a pass there, as 4 of those 5 occurred in April as he was getting his feet wet. Those dingers are the primary reason why his FIP is a not-very-good 5.23, but his 2.45 ERA sure is glistening. He’s allowed just 32 hits in 44 innings, with 46 strikeouts, and the Giants are surely pleased with those numbers.
RHP Alix Hernandez pitched well in relief, with 3 strikeouts in 2.1 no-hit innings, with 1 walk allowed. I’ve always been a fan of Hernandez’s stuff, and he’s shown it off this year with 29 strikeouts in just 23.2 innings … though 11 walks and 3 homers allowed have given the 21-year old a 3.80 ERA and a 5.52 FIP.
Oct 4, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Former Seattle Sonics Gary Payton hypes up the crowd before the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Detroit Tigers during game one of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Hooting, hollering, things of that nature. These activities have found fertile ground at T-Mobile Park this spring, whether the tarps have been off, on, or unnecessary thanks to Seattle’s most beloved roof. If it’s seemed particularly packed at the park so far, you’d be correct.
The Seattle Mariners have drawn 1,158,012 fans to the stadium thus far through a league-leading 35 home games. That’s nearly half 2025’s total of 2,538,053 attendees with 46 games here to go. But contrasting those numbers undersells things a bit.
As Seattle heads out for an extended East Coast road trip, they leave home averaging 33,086 fans per game at home. It’s expected for a team that just had a deep playoff run and a competitive offseason, to see a bump in attendance the coming season, and that sum exceeds 2025’s overall numbers, when the eventual AL West champions drew 31,334 fans per game. It’s a jump of 1,752 tickets sold per game that’d already be one of the top 10 growths in MLB this year.
But that undersells the waves of Salish Sea Supporters who’ve flooded T-Mobile Park. Seattle is up a massive 6,163 fans per game against this point last year, when, helpfully, they’d also hosted 35 home games. That’s over 200,000 more butts in seats so far, the second-largest gain by any club in MLB this year trailing only the Toronto Blue Jays. Understandably, the top three clubs are Toronto and Seattle, whose best seasons in a generation have spurred excitement and trust, along with the Tampa Bay Rays who are both playing brilliantly and, more importantly, back in Tropicana Field where they are physically capable of filling more than 10-12,000 seats.
And it’s still June 4th. That 1,752 per game number over 2025’s final attendance total would still represent growth, but it’s likely to be outpaced even faster. Most local public schools conclude in mid-to-late June, representing one of several milestones that conspire with summer weather to swell attendance nationwide as the season progresses. At this stage, uncompetitive clubs see lesser bumps, or even full degradation. But Seattle, even if they maintain their flirtation with mediocrity for a longer period, is likely to remain a first place team or right amidst the race. The Jerry Dipoto era has been all-but-exclusively a variation on #StillInIt in September. For the first time this early, they are in the driver’s seat by roster quality AND playoff odds, in addition to the actual divisional standings at press time.
Add that with the hotter than usual spring and it’s a recipe for the highest attended Mariners season in more than 20 years. Every season’s attendance from 1997-2004 except 1998 (2,651,511) exceeded 2,900,000, and three eclipsed three million. My preseason bold prediction was Seattle would set their attendance record, the 3,542,938 welcomed for the 2002 season. That’s not likely to occur, but they are drawing like a team who might actually reach the three million mark for the fifth time in franchise history.
To get there, they’d need to be bringing in 37,037 fans a night. A year ago, Seattle saw their per game attendance improve from June 3rd to the season’s end by 4,411 folks. It’s hardly plug and play to expect identical results in 2026, but if Seattle saw that same increase in attendees from now through summertime and the stretch run, they’d be at 37,497 each game. That’s 3,037,257 for the year, which would’ve been 6th-most in MLB a season ago.
The factors involved go beyond just wins and losses, although they are typically most impactful. Seattle had Randy Johnson’s number retirement this May, which drove up attendance for the usually-chillier early games. The weather has been a boon thus far, but the El Niño conditions are likely to bring a heat wave and likely the return of smoke season, which has innumerable more important impacts but would also likely hurt Mariners attendance. The club could completely nosedive, rendering this and much more moot. But as it stands, Seattle is packing out T-Mobile Park, and looks poised to continue doing so all season long.
BOSTON, MA - MAY 28: Chris Sale #51 of the Atlanta Braves looks on prior to the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Thursday, May 28, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Natalie Reid/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
There will be no rubber match this time for the Braves, with the series already in hand entering Thursday’s home finale against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Instead, Atlanta is going for its first sweep since early May. And it’ll be doing it with its ace on the mound.
Chris Sale (8-3, 2.01 ERA) gets the start for the Braves as they turn the page from Toronto to the Pittsburgh Pirates this weekend.
Just past a third of the way through the season, Sale isn’t really in the conversation at the moment to win his second Cy Young in three seasons with the Braves.
However, that has much more to do with what other pitchers (Jacob Misiorowski, Cristopher Sanchez, Shohei Ohtani) are doing than what he isn’t. His ERA and hits/nine are lower than they were in 2024 — although his FIP is higher (2.91 to 2.09) — and he continues to be a stabilizing force on the mound for Atlanta.
He’s allowed two or fewer earned runs in eight straight starts, finishing May with a 1.69 ERA and 0.97 WHIP.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone what his Statcast profile looks like:
While Toronto hasn’t formally announced its starter, multiple reporters have said that Mason Fluharty (3-0, 3.97) will serve as an opener for the Blue Jays.
The left-hander threw two-thirds of an inning of scoreless relief in Tuesday’s series opener. He’s tied for the major league lead with 32 appearances this season and has allowed one total run over 11 2/3 innings and 16 appearances since the start of May.
After that, things seem to be trending towards a prospect making his major league debut as the bulk pitcher behind Fluharty. Chad Dallas was in Atlanta on the Toronto taxi squad Wednesday and is reportedly a target to debut Thursday.
A former fourth-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, the right-hander has an 0-3 record and 4.50 ERA in 10 games (eight starts) this season at Triple-A Buffalo. He has 38 strikeouts to 13 walks in 36 innings, allowing just two home runs.
We’ll find out soon enough how the Blue Jays approach their pitching as they look to salvage a game and if the Braves can deny that opportunity.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 23: Kyle McCann #55 of the Colorado Rockies at bat during the spring training game against the Chicago White Sox at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on February 23, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Kyle McCann did not choose catching.
Catching chose him, the way it tends to do in youth baseball, suddenly, out of necessity, because someone else didn’t show up.
He was 12 years old, on a travel team somewhere in Georgia, and the regular catcher was sick. When the coach and the players who would step in, McCann raised his hand.
“Ever since then, I fell in love with it,” he said. “I wanted to catch every day after that.”
What he loved, he said, was the involvement. Other positions offered bursts of action — a ground ball to the shortstop, a fly ball to center — with long stretches of waiting in between. Behind the plate, there was no waiting. Every pitch was his.
“I was in every pitch of the game,” McCann said. “I wasn’t in the infield or outfield, just hoping a ball would get hit to me. I was calling pitches. I was in every play.”
That instinct — to be in the middle of everything, all the time — has followed McCann through a career that has required a great deal of patience.
Getting to The Show
McCann grew up in Suwanee, Georgia, attended Lambert High School, and went to Georgia Tech, where he spent his first two seasons largely at first base while Joey Bart — the second-overall pick in the 2018 draft — handled the catching duties.
When Bart departed, McCann stepped in and made the most of it, hitting .299 with 23 home runs and 70 RBI in his junior season and earning All-American recognition. The Oakland Athletics took him in the fourth round of the 2019 draft — 134th overall — and signed him for $500,000.
Five years in the Oakland system followed. He hit 17 home runs at Triple-A Las Vegas in 2023, posted an .825 OPS, and earned his way on Oakland’s Opening Day roster in 2024, making his major league debut on March 30 of that year.
He appeared in 54 games, hit .236 with five home runs, and then — as the Athletics began their transition to Sacramento — was released the day before the following season.
“I got released from Oakland the day before the season, didn’t get picked up,” he said.
Finding a way forward
“So I chose to go to Mexico to keep playing,” McCann said.
The league was the Liga Mexicana de Béisbol. His team was the Piratas de Campeche. His first game was in Mexico City, in a stadium holding 30,000 fans, with air horns blaring and an atmosphere unlike anything he had experienced in affiliated ball.
“Everyone’s screaming, air horns — the environment was very, very cool to see,” he said.
He enjoyed it. He learned things about elevation that would prove useful later — that at 7,000 feet above sea level, the ball behaves differently; that hydration matters more than you think; that running hard to first base in thin air will leave you more gassed than expected. Denver sits at roughly 5,280 feet. Mexico City had prepared him for what was coming.
Finding the Rockies — and another injury
It almost didn’t come at all. About a month and a half into the Mexican season, McCann was involved in a collision at first base — a season-ending injury that sent him home to rehab. He spent the rest of 2025 recovering. In early January 2026, his agent reached out to the Colorado Rockies. A minor-league contract was signed by early February. Spring training arrived.
Then, in one of the cruelest twists the sport offers, a cutter came in hard and up, McCann put a check swing on it, and the ball hit his wrist. He walked down to first base, thinking it hurt a little but when he tried to go out and catch, he knew it was more than that.
He didn’t fight Warren Schaeffer when the manager came to remove him from the game.
“Yep,” he told him. “We’re going to go see what this is about.”
An X-ray confirmed a fracture of the ulnar styloid. Six weeks of healing. Two weeks of progression. A week and a half of games. And now, finally, here — with the Albuquerque Isotopes, behind the plate again, doing exactly what he loves.
Enjoying Albuquerque
McCann is 28 years old and has been around long enough to have a philosophy about how he approaches the job. Ask him about working with pitchers, and he talks about reading people — figuring out which ones need encouragement and which ones need a more direct conversation.
“Some pitchers need a little more loving than others,” he said. “Some guys, you kind of got to get in their grill and say, ‘Come on now, lock in right here. We need to do this pitch in this situation.’ It’s really just learning what each guy likes.”
Regarding the ABS challenge system, he has mixed feelings, which he articulates with precision. As a hitter, he loves it — the ability to challenge a called strike and get it overturned is a real advantage. As a catcher, it cuts the other way. Framing has always been part of the craft, a skill catchers develop over the years, and the ABS system limits how much that skill can influence outcomes.
“It kind of hurts us a little bit,” he said, “because now we can’t steal many pitches.”
He doesn’t think it changes the game as dramatically as some have suggested, but he acknowledges the shift.
He also discussed Albuquerque’s pitch-suggestion system — where the dugout calls pitches for the first four batters of opposing lineups, with the catcher and pitcher able to shake off the suggestion. McCann has embraced it.
“They give us a sheet at the beginning of the game — here’s how we’re going to pitch each guy — so we kind of already have an idea of what we’re going to do,” he said. “I trust what they have in the dugout, what they have on hitters. I don’t mind at all.”
Welcome to Albuquerque, Kyle McCann!!
A two-run homer (428 feet) onto the berm and we're back in this one!
There is one more Georgia Tech connection worth mentioning. Charlie Blackmon — the longtime Rockies outfielder, a Tech alum himself — used to come back to the Georgia Tech facility in the offseason to hit and work out. McCann and his teammates would seek him out.
“We’d always go up to him and ask questions, trying to pick his brain, because obviously he had a great career,” McCann said.
It’s a fitting footnote for a player who has spent his entire career collecting lessons wherever he can find them — from Blackmon at Georgia Tech, from the veterans in the Oakland system, from 30,000 fans and 7,000 feet of altitude in Mexico. All of it is in the bank now.
The wrist is healed. He’s back behind the plate, for every pitch, right where he belongs.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - AUGUST 10: Maikel Garcia #11 of the Kansas City Royals makes the out against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on August 10, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Twins were big-time sellers at last year’s trade deadline, making many feel they were going for a rebuild. But they retained big stars like Byron Buxton and Joe Ryan, and have been a fairly middling team this year hovering near .500 most of the year. They have lost six of their last eight games, and they lost their earlier series against the Royals in Kansas City at the start of the season.
Kansas City Royals (24-38) vs. Minnesota Twins (29-34) at Target Field, Minneapolis, MN
Byron Buxton is sixth among all American League outfielders with a 132 wRC+, and is tied for the third-most home runs in all of baseball with 17. Luke Keaschall is hitting .302/.396/.395 in his last 26 games. Trevor Larnach is hitting .284/.442/.418 at home. Austin Martin is hitting .306/.457/.435 against lefties.
Brooks Lee has been one of the worst defenders in baseball in Outs Above Average at -7. The Twins have just a 71 percent success rate on stolen bases, one of the lowest in baseball. The Twins have allowed more stolen bases than any team in baseball, and have only thrown out 17 percent of attempts.
Rookie Andrew Morris will get the start Thursday after spending most of this season in the bullpen. He likely won’t be stretched out to go deep in the game – his longest outing this year is 3.2 innings. The 24-year old had a 4.09 ERA in 94.2 innings as a starter in Triple-A last year. Seth Lugo has a career 7.29 ERA in 21 innings at Target Field.
The Friday game will air exclusively on Apple TV. Zebby Matthews has made 29 career MLB starts and has a 5.71 ERA. He allowed just two runs in 13 innings at home this year. Byron Buxton is 0-for-10 in his career matchups against Michael Wacha.
Joe Ryan has been the sixth-most valuable pitcher in baseball, according to Fangraphs WAR. He has the 12th-highest strikeout rate and the sixth-lowest walk rate. He is 8-2 with a 2.58 ERA in 12 career starts against the Royals.
Rookie Connor Prielipp was ranked as the #5 prospect in the Twins organization by MLB Pipeline before the season. He has given up 16 runs in 14.1 innings over his last three starts. He throws a 95 mph fastball and relies heavily on a slider that opponents are hitting just .157 against with a 30 percent whiff rate.
The Twins have a 4.75 ERA out of their bullpen, eighth-worst in baseball, with the second-lowest strikeout rate, and sixth-highest walk rate. The team acquired Yoendrys Gómez from the Rays, and he has allowed just one earned run in 12.2 innings since the trade, picking up three saves. Lefties are hitting .186/.314/.279 against Anthony Banda.
The Royals are facing a team with a few elite talents, but with a roster largely filled with castoffs and underperformers. The Twins should be a team the Royals can beat, but with a league-worst 9-21 record on the road, every opponent away from Kansas City will be a challenge.
As noted by BCB’s JohnW53 in the game recap, Happ is the 37th Cub to produce 1,000 hits in the blue pinstripes. He likely moves up five or six spots on that list before the end of the season. The two doubles gave him 12 for the year and 229 for his career. That ranks 22nd on the Cubs’ all-time list (next up: Bill Buckner with 235). And, it seems likely he’ll hit his 200th career home run later this year. He’s already got 13 for the season and 186 for his career. Only nine players have hit 200 or more home runs in a Cubs uniform, so Happ could become the 10th.
Add to that his defense in left field — four Gold Gloves and likely a fifth this year — and for me personally, Happ has been a rock-solid Cub for his 10 seasons in a Cubs uniform. He turns 32 in August and becomes a free agent at the end of this season.
It seems as if he makes plays like that all the time. He makes them look easy. Trust me, those are absolutely NOT easy plays.
And yet, Happ seems to be the most polarizing Cub in recent years. Many don’t like him. Why is that?
I’m honestly not sure and perhaps if you’re not a fan of Ian Happ, you can tell us why in the comments. My perception — and I could be wrong — is that the Happ dislike is focused on his low batting average.
Happ is batting .232. That’s… low. It’s below his career average of .246, which is also a below-average BA. My response to that is: So what? BA is a poor way of analyzing a hitter. Happ draws lots of walks. He’s walked 37 times this year, on pace for 100. He walked 87 times last year, 80 in 2024 and 99 in 2023. His OBP is .350, which, okay, could be higher, but it still ranks just outside the top third of qualified hitters in MLB this year (56th of 162 qualified hitters). His .473 slugging percentage leads all Cubs qualified hitters and ranks in the top 25 percent of qualified hitters (39th of 162). Lastly, his .823 OPS is just outside the top 25 percent (45th of 162).
Happ has posted 2.0 bWAR in a bit more than a third of this season. He’s generally around a 4 WAR player and should be about there again in 2026.
Is Ian Happ a superstar? No, he is not. What he is, is a remarkably consistent year-to-year player who is prone to long cold spells and long hot streaks. But when things average out, he’s likely to hit 25 home runs, walk 90 or more times, score around 90 runs and have an OPS around .800, while playing Gold Glove defense.
What team wouldn’t want a player like that?
Even though he’ll be going into his age-32 season in 2027, I would not be opposed to signing Happ to a two-year extension with a third-year vesting option. I think he can continue to be this productive for at least that long. And he’s meant quite a bit to this franchise and, at the very least, to left-field bleacher fans, who have a long-standing love relationship with the Cubs left fielder.
Just thought I’d give some praise to a baseball player who deserves it.
Ronald Acuña Jr. is in the middle of one of the hottest stretches of his season. Over the last week, the Atlanta Braves superstar owns a barrel rate north of 35% and a hard-hit rate above 60%, indicating he's consistently generating elite contact quality. Acuna has already hit five home runs in his last five games.
The Toronto Blue Jays will use Mason Fluharty as an opener before turning things over to the bullpen. Fluharty has allowed a 45.5% hard-hit rate across his last five appearances, while Toronto's relievers own a 12.5% HR/FB rate over the last week.
That could be problematic against a hitter like Acuna, who has put 54.5% of his contact in the air during that span. With the Braves outfielder consistently elevating and barreling baseballs, this matchup offers another opportunity for his power surge to continue.
I'd play this pick up to +400.
Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
Where to watch: BravesVision, Sportsnet One
Home run pick: Jarren Duran (+610)
Jarren Duran is swinging the bat well lately, collecting four doubles and two home runs across his last six games. The Boston Red Sox outfielder has also turned his fly balls into damage, posting a 40% HR/FB rate during that stretch.
The matchup is what stands out most, however. Trevor Rogers has been extremely vulnerable to power lately, allowing 2.53 home runs per nine innings alongside a 6.66 FIP across his last two starts. Opponents have also generated a 47.2% hard-hit rate, 11.1% barrel rate, and 22.7 average launch angle against him.
Those indicators suggest hitters are consistently making dangerous contact against Rogers, creating an appealing opportunity for a hot bat like Duran.
I'd play this pick up to +550.
Time: 1:35 p.m. ET
Where to watch: NESN, MASN
Home run pick: Bryan Reynolds (+710)
Bryan Reynolds is tearing the cover off the baseball lately, posting a 20% barrel rate, 94 mph average exit velocity, and 53.3% hard-hit rate across his last 29 plate appearances. The Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder continues to generate loud contact and draws an intriguing matchup against Houston Astros right-hander Kai-Wei Teng.
While Teng has pitched reasonably well overall this season, the long ball has become a concern lately. Over his last 11 innings, he's allowed 1.64 home runs per nine innings and owns a 20% HR/FB rate, indicating opponents have capitalized when they've elevated the baseball.
That could be problematic against a hitter like Reynolds, who has put just under 35% of his contact in the air over his last six games while consistently producing hard contact.
I'd play this pick up to +650.
Time: 8:10 p.m. ET
Where to watch: SportsNet Pittsburgh, Space City Home Network
Quinn Allen's 2026 Transparency Record
HR picks: 9-54, -9.56 units
Today’s HR parlay
Ronald Acuna Jr
Bet Now +32508
Jarren Duran
Bryan Reynolds
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - MAY 03: Yordan Alvarez #44 and Josh Hader #71 of the Houston Astros celebrate after a 5-3 win against the Seattle Mariners at Minute Maid Park on May 03, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Astros pitcher of the Month Spencer Arrighetti may have struggled, but the team picked up their pitcher to do what they haven’t been able to do all year: Come from behind with a large deficit. Here are my 3 takeaways from this outstanding comeback performance!
1. Cam Smith’s Spectacular At-Bats.
His at bat in the Bottom of the 5th inning knocked out Paul Skenes which was huge for the Astros. Although Paul Skenes was on the mound he has shown times where he can fall to a decent or bad start. The Astros were good enough to get him out of the game. Their plan was to get him out of the game with a no decision. Cam Smith and company was a big part of that.
Two 2 strike, 2-out hits for 3 RBI tonight for Cam Smith.
One hit 102.0 mph off a 98.3 mph fastball on the outside corner.
This one hit 106.2 mph off a 98.1 mph fastball on the outside corner. You love to see it!!! #Astroshttps://t.co/wSIKsImKZ0
This Tweet says it all, and shows that Cam seems to be really putting something together at the plate and the patience of the Astros seems to be paying off at the moment. When you look at what he’s done lately, it seems Cam Smith is more productive, a sign of life this club desperately needs in 2026. As you can see from his MLB.com profile he sits between .290 and .262 with 3 home runs in his last 15 games, with a slug around .500.
2. Spencer Arrighetti: Learning from Mistakes.
Is it possible to improve, even when you fail to complete a task. Absolutely, ask anyone who owns a small business. Many times, if not every time, success comes after failure. As I listened to Spencer Arrighetti address the media after the game I was encouraged how much he has grown up in his young career. After the game he said,
“ I should have known that throwing 5 straight fastballs to a major league hitter was a mistake. Henry Davis is a big leaguer for a reason.” “I was confident in my approach at the time, I just know now not to repeat that.”
The fact that he is aware of this tells me he is going to deal next several outings. It does seem many times a pitcher or hitter who gets one of these awards tails off a little in success. Maybe its a coincidence, then again maybe the athlete whoever it is just presses. No matter the reason Spencer Arrighetti is better after last nights game. There are two different types of athletes: Good athletes and GREAT athletes, the Great athletes are the good athletes that were able to get over their mistakes and failures and not let those setbacks define them.
Absolutely love this clip. Thank you @MaxZepedaSports for posting this. I have been impressed with him since I first spoke with him. He has really grown, and what I love is Spencer sees the mistakes and I am sure he will be dialed in next game. Prayers for his next opponent!… https://t.co/nDAN9O2Cby
— Htown Wheelhouse™️2X World Series Champs '17, '22 (@HtownWheelhouse) June 4, 2026
3. Josh Hader’s Return – The Fireman is About to Burn the League Down!
The Astros bullpen has missed Josh Hader, and this statement alone does capture the frustating performances Astros fans have come accustomed to in 2026. The Bullpen has had to deal with Bryan Abreu in the closer role, and he has not done well. All season his failures have been at the demise of the Astros, even in comback efforts. While you do have semi-reliable arms like Aj Blubaugh, Brian King, Seven Okert and Enyel De Los Santos, these guys do suffer and stand to be exposed if the starting pitching isn’t going the distance. This is why your leader, your stabilizer in Josh Hader is so important.
Having him as the anchor, doesn’t just help, it solidifies your bullpen with the assurance of knowing you know what you’re going to get with Josh Hader. Josh Hader is one of the Best at what he does with a career WHIP of 0.94, 228 career saves and 830 strikeouts, you feel much more confident if you are an arm going out there between a starter and the 9th inning.
These three players can help the Astros move one step at a time closer to .500. This is the goal, the question is can they come out of June with a winning record. I believe with their remaining opponents this month: The Athletics (I know, I know…), Angels, Royals, Tigers, Guardians (who are terrible at home), Blue Jays, Tigers again, and Minnesota. This team with Josh Hader now back, Hunter Brown returning soon, and getting back Jose Altuve and Joey Loperfido will help this team. So you tell me what do you think their record will be in the month of June?
Baseball: NLCS Playoffs: Fox Sports announcer Steve Lyons wearing ribbon for autism awareness before New York Mets vs St. Louis Cardinals game at Shea Stadium. Game 4. Flushing, NY 10/15/2000 CREDIT: Chuck Solomon (Photo by Chuck Solomon /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: X61612 TK3 R23 F3 )
Steve Lyons is a baseball lifer, having played the game and commentated for decades. For Astros fans, “Psycho” as he’s affectionately called had a front row seat as part of the Fox Sports broadcast crew in 2005 when the Astros brought us their first pennant.
We caught up with one of the more colorful and engaging personalities to ever grace the diamond and broadcast booth to talk modern day Astros and that magical ride from 2005:
Q: If you’re only a handful of games out of the wildcard race, it’s almost impossible to push the reset and blow this thing up, right?
A: I don’t think you can panic. There’s just too much baseball to be played. It’s funny when the dog days come around. To me the dog days are in mid-September when you see teams that you think are going to be there and they drop seven out of ten and fall out of the race. They go from second place down to fourth and ultimately miss the playoffs. It’s just way too early, we’re so far away from that point.
You see clubs that do it but I wouldn’t go that route. Every year it literally comes down to the final weekend, or final day of the season and one game. It’s going to happen again, just watch. You cannot overact in June.
Q: So many guys are in the process of coming off the IL, or just now returning. Does Joe Espada receive a reprieve of sorts or if they fail to reach the post-season, could he be on the hot seat even with the onslaught of injuries, is that even fair?
A: It’s not even close to being fair. I will tell you that in the clubhouse, you have to adopt a mentality that if guys get hurt, somebody else has to step up.
There’s a big difference between being hurt and being injured. Most guys are hurt and have to play through it. When you’re injured though, that’s a different story.
You just want to make sure you don’t continually have the same type of injuries over and over, and in terms of the manager, they have nothing to do with that.
If you even have four guys out, you’ll quickly become a Triple-A club and you’ll lose series after series when you are competing against big leaguers.
Q: Let’s talk about that 2005 team. You were there in the clubhouse with Phil Garner, and around that team when you were with Fox. What do you most recall about that team?
A: You know, when I think back to that, it’s so ironic because the White Sox weren’t predicted to do anything and Houston of course got off to that 15-30 start. They called the White Sox one dimensional and nobody thought they’d even reach the playoffs. They came together as a club, just as the Astros did and started playing better baseball week after week.
Q: That series was so evenly matched, I just cannot believe it resulted in a sweep. The four games were decided by six total runs. It’s just crazy. Were you surprised it wound up being a sweep?
A: Listen, if you look at those games, the White Sox could’ve been the ones getting swept. The games were all so close. It could’ve gone the other way. There are weird things in baseball and Houston not winning a game was one of them.
Q: You played with Roger Clemens in Boston. You know Roger. How much does it have to be killing him not to have a plaque in Cooperstown?
A: I have a tough time in general with the hall of fame. I understand what it’s supposed to represent, but when Pete Rose isn’t in the hall of fame, that’s a problem.
Outside of Ichiro, he’s the single greatest hitter in our lifetimes and no one else is even close. Pete Rose wasn’t even a great athlete. He just willed himself as a hitter to be great.
The steroids era was bad, it’s a black eye, but these guys should be in, especially if they have the numbers to be in. There are guys who did steroids who are in the hall of fame right now.
I know how competitive Roger is, and it’s got to be killing him on the inside. I love the guy but there’s a lot of smoke about if he did steroids or not.
DENVER, CO - MAY 30: Adrian Houser #12 of the San Francisco Giants pitches in the second inning during the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Saturday, May 30, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Ray Bahner/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants wrap up this four-game road series against the Milwaukee Brewers this morning.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Adrian Houser, who enters today’s game with a 5.59 ERA, 5.21 FIP, with 35 strikeouts to 21 walks in 56.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 8-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Saturday, in which he allowed four runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and two walks in three and two thirds innings.
He’ll be facing off against Brewers right-handed rookie Coleman Crow, who enters today’s game with a 3.14 ERA, 3.73 FIP, with eight strikeouts to three walks in 14.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Brewers’ 5-4 win over the Houston Astros on Friday, in which he allowed four runs (two earned) on four hits with one strikeout and two walks in four innings.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 03: José Ramírez #11 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on June 03, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The UIL concludes its 2025-26 athletic season with the Texas state baseball tournament, and as always, it's loaded with players who are either headed to college or waiting for the July Major League Baseball draft to assess their professional options.
Of the 11 state championship games spread over three days, most of the big names are in Class 5A and 6A.
The tournament starts Thursday, June 4 at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock.
Here are six top players at the UIL state baseball championships.
Lucas Nawrocki, Aledo, LHP, 1B/OF
Nawrocki is an LSU signee and left-handed pitcher ranked as the No. 151 prospect for the MLB draft. He enters the championship with an 11-0 record on the mound and a .530 batting average at the plate.
Cooper Webb, Lake Travis, RHP/OF
The University of Texas signee has 127 strikeouts and a 1.04 ERA. He has been clocked with a 94-mile-per-hour fastball.
CJ Sampson, Tomball, 3B/RHP
Sampson is a Texas A&M commit and son of former Astros pitcher Chris Sampson. The exit velocity on his fastball has been clocked at 99 miles per hour.
Logan Corley, Lucas Lovejoy, LHP/1B
The TCU signee has a batting average over .450 and a fastball in the low 90s, complimented with a good slider and excellent control
Reed Blakely, Lucas Lovejoy, OF/LHP
A USC signee, Blakely has a 0.70 ERA as a pitcher and a .403 batting average. He has been clocked in the low 90s with his fastball.
Isaac Richardson, Houston Memorial, 3B
A Houston signee, Richardson has hit four home runs in the playoffs, including a walk-off in the semifinals that sent his team to state.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached, bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 3: Mauricio Dubón #14 of the Atlanta Braves hits a three-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays in the third inning at Truist Park on June 3, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Brett Davis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Mauricio Dubón just continues to get the job done for the Atlanta Braves so far in 2026 in any way that they’ve asked of him. Whether it’s through his versatility in the field or increasingly more at the plate, Dubón’s been all over the place in a good way. Grant McAuley recently wrote an in-depth article covering Dubón’s great start to the season so far and so far, Dubón has been performing like he wants that story to continue rather than this being the peak for him in any way.
Dubón wrote yet another exciting page in what’s been a very fun chapter of his career that the Braves are benefiting from. His three-run homer off of Patrick Corbin in the third inning of Wednesday night’s eventual victory essentially turned the game around for the Braves at that point. While everybody has expected his defense to be what it has been so far (which is to say that there’s an expectation of quality defense no matter what position he plays in the field), the big hits have been something special to see. His numbers may not jump out as something fantastic as he’s hitting .249/.304/.380 with a .305 wOBA, 93 wRC+ and four homers but he’s getting it done in some big spots. He’s hitting .274/.354/.452 with two outs on the board, with an .806 OPS and an sOPS+ of 132 — indicating that he’s doing some of his best work when the Braves are down to their final out of any inning.
When did he crack that dinger last night? With two outs on the board. It’s impressive and a tiny bit shocking to witness Dubón coming up big in so many spots but one person who isn’t surprised by this development is Mauricio Dubón, himself. I asked him after Wednesday’s game about what’s changed at the plate for him with what he’s been doing now compared to what he had done in previous stops in his career. Dubón is a self-described “confident guy” and his answer to my question belied that confidence.
“I’m finally getting a chance to play, man,” replied Dubón. “In times past, I would get pinch-hit for and never get to finish the game. I’d go for 0-for-2…it’s funny because me and my Dad would always talk about ”You can hit righties,“ but I never got the opportunity to go out there [with the confidence of knowing] that I can hit anybody.”
Indeed, Dubón is hitting .258/.324/.411 against right-handers with a wRC+ of 107 and three of his four homers coming against right-handers so far this season. Those numbers are actually way up from his career numbers of .246/.285/.354 with a wRC of 76 against righties. Dubón has been given an opportunity with the Braves to play every day and he’s taking full advantage of showing what he can do in roles that he didn’t usually get to experience in the past.
“It’s just a matter of getting the opportunity and getting the chance to go another [day],” continued Dubón during the presser. “Nobody has given me anything. I’ve gone out there and earned every chance and opportunity that I get.”
Dubón’s glove is more-than-enough to keep him in the lineup on an every day basis at this particular point in time but he’s also shown that he can get it done with the bat whenever the Braves need him the most. It’s been a lot of fun to see him continue to prosper in the role that he’s been put into here in Atlanta and obviously everybody in Braves Country is looking forward to seeing Dubón continue to make good things happen in that role as this season progresses.
Ronald Acuna Jr.
Jarren Duran
Bryan Reynolds
