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They’ve certainly been a frustrating watch at several points this season, but by definition, the Yankees are currently a contender in 2026. They’re neck and neck with the Rays for the lead in both the AL East and the AL in total. Now, you may have your doubts about whether that record will then translate into playoff success, but the fact of the matter is, putting up one of the best records in the league will get you into the playoffs — then you just have to have a couple things break your way, and who knows what happens after that.

The Yankees have also managed to accomplish all that while getting basically no offensive production out of one position in particular: catcher. Austin Wells has had his ups and downs, but he’s completely fallen off a cliff in 2026. None of the backups they’ve tried had fared much better either. As we near the Trade Deadline, the Yankees will likely target catchers for a platoon at the very least, which they wouldn’t have expected going into the year.

That being said, it’s not unheard of for one particular spot on an otherwise good team to yield bad results. In fact, even Yankees World Series-winning teams have carried a black hole in the lineup. To find the worst regular (which I’m counting as someone who qualified for the batting title by today’s standards) hitter to ever play on a Yankees World Series championship team, you can go right back to the first ever one in 1923.

After an eight-year career and three World Series wins with the Red Sox, the Yankees acquired shortstop Everett Scott in December 1921, along with pitchers Sad Sam Jones and Bullet Joe Bush. Scott was primarily known for two things in his career: his glove and his consecutive games played. It was his record of 1307 consecutive games played that was broken by Lou Gehrig and then eventually Cal Ripken Jr. Scott today still holds the third longest streak ever.

While he was considered one of the best shortstops in the game during his career, Scott was never much of a hitter. If you use the OPS+, which gets adjusted for era, Scott’s best career hitting season was 1920. That year, he hit .269/.300/.369, which equated to a 79 OPS+. His defense still led to him grading out as being a perfectly fine player according to WAR.

Scott’s first year with the Yankees saw them come up just short, as they fell in the 1922 World Series to the Giants. The following year, he was again the starting shortstop and a team leader as they made another run at the franchise’s first championship. He just didn’t always lead the team with his bat.

In the 1923 season, Scott hit just .246/.266/.325, which equated to a 54 OPS+. That season has gone down as the worst ever by a regular for a Yankees World Series-winning team. He actually did hit a little better in that year’s World Series victory over the Giants, posting a .636 OPS. Even then though, it was just him going 7-for-22 with all singles.

Scott’s hitting was a bit worse in 1924, and he posted just a .459 OPS in his first 22 games of 1925 leading to the Yankees selling him to the Washington Senators. He played for a couple more teams before hanging it up after 1926. Despite his light bat, he still ended his career with four World Series championships, and was well regarded enough in Boston to be posthumously inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame.

If the Yankees do end up winning the World Series, it would be difficult for them to do that while Wells breaks this particular “record.” It’s hard to see them actually pulling it off unless Wells manages to turn it around or they trade for someone who can hit better. That being said, it’s apparently not impossible to win the World Series despite carrying one particular putrid hitter.

COOPERSTOWN, NY — Carlos Beltrán’s emotions were in check throughout his press conference Saturday, but afterwards, taking a few more questions from Spanish-speaking reporters, he was asked what his Hall of Fame induction means to his homeland of Puerto Rico.

He began to talk, stopped, shut his eyes, and then hurriedly walked away as tears streamed down his face.

Beltrán, who turned down an opportunity to manage the New York Mets this summer, but would love to have the job if offered again after the season, spoke for 30 minutes about what his induction means to him.

He grew up in Puerto Rico, and believed one day that he’d become a professional baseball player, but never, ever, did he imagine that he’d be a Hall of Famer.

It never really dawned on him until July 26, 1999.

This was the day his Kansas City Royals were in Cooperstown playing a Hall of Fame exhibition against the Texas Rangers in honor of George Brett, who was being inducted along with Nolan Ryan, Robin Yount and Orlando Cepeda.

Beltrán, who was in his first season, was asked by Brett that day if he had ever met Cepeda, his hero.

Beltrán told him no, and that he was too shy to introduce himself, so Brett volunteered. Beltrán even brought a baseball for Cepeda to sign.

They walked up, Brett made the introduction, and says to Cepeda:

“Let me introduce you to the next Hall of Famer from Puerto Rico. His name is Carlos Beltrán."

Beltrán was speechless.

“I’m like, 'What are you doing?' You're introducing me as a Hall of Famer," Beltrán said. “I don't think that's a good statement, George. And George said, 'Well, Carlos, everything is possible in life if you play hard, and if you continue to play good, and if you continue to develop yourself. This is a chance that you could be here.'"

It stuck with Beltrán his entire career.

“That was always in the back of my mind," Beltrán said. “I always thought about what I need to do to get better. So, I always had the attitude of improving every single year. Every year I did an evaluation of how I did it and how I played the game and what I need to improve.

“I worked on it, got better, and here I am."

A Hall of Famer, and star-struck this week seeing Reggie Jackson, Johnny Bench and Juan Marichal in the halls of the Otesaga Hotel.

“It's kind of overwhelming," Beltrán said. “And at the same time, it makes me feel proud about my journey as a baseball player to be able to end up in this position."

And hopefully, Beltrán says, his journey will lead others from Puerto Rico to follow in his footsteps.

“There's no doubt that every generation has responsibility," Beltrán said, “you know, not only to play the game, but also to promote the game and to try to impact the community that you come from. In my case, coming from Puerto Rico, I feel very proud because there were a lot of guys in front of me that really created a better path for me.

“Because of their effort, I hope that I have done the same for others. Being able to inspire them, being able to motivate them."

Beltrán is a hero in Puerto Rico not only because of his baseball career, but his charity foundation and baseball academy, including a high school that he built 15 years ago on the island.

“I feel very proud of the job that I do with my foundation,’’ he said. “We help a lot of people. We believe in the game. We believe in the sport. We believe in opportunities.

“The most important thing that I try to promote is education. It's so hard to have a long career in the game, but we all can have incredible career through education.’’

And when he talks about Puerto Rico in his speech, with his family gathered in front of him, it may difficult to keep his composure.

“I don’t know how it's going to be for me when I get to see my mom and my dad in front of me and get to talk about them," he said. “The Hall of Fame is something that doesn't happen to everybody. God chose me to be in this position, and to use the platform that he's giving me to continue to motivate others, to get involved more in the community, and to continue to promote the game.

“That’s what I care about the most."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Carlos Beltran becomes Hall of Famer after years as scandal's scapegoat

Juan Soto is headed to the 10-day IL with a left calf strain, the same injury that kept him out for three weeks earlier this season. Eric Wagaman has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse with the corresponding move.

Soto left Friday night’s game with calf soreness and was replaced at DH by Jorge Polanco, as the 2026 Mets season continues to depress. Soto, an irreplaceable presence in the Mets lineup, was the lone All-Star for the club this season. Rejuvenated in the field and carrying a 163 wRC+, Soto can’t seem to shake problems with his calf. The left fielder has 15 RBIs and an OPS of .760 in 23 games played in July.

Wagaman has appeared in 28 games for the Mets this season, registering a 68 wRC+. He has DH’d and played the corner outfield spots as well as the corner infield spots.

Soto’s absence will make it easier for the Mets to audition possible trade pieces like Polanco and Luis Robert Jr. as the trade deadline quickly approaches.

The Mets play the Dodgers Saturday at 7:15 PM EDT on Fox. New York dropped the first game of the series 4-2, and now has to try to scrape out a win without their best bat.

Game #105.

After yesterday’s game, John said that Tyler Rogers wasn’t available for the game and that Louis Varland would only be used if there was a save situation.

It was nice to see them score more than one run. Today let’s shot for more than one run and a win. I know that is asking a lot, but that’s what I would like.

Though I’m ok with a loss if they put up an effort.

Beyond that, there isn’t much for news. Jesus Sanchez and Yimi Garcia are both starting rehab assignments. I’m thinking neither will be much longer than a week.

Lineups:

The Tigers looked to make it three in a row at home against the Royals in a four-game weekend series. It was a tight game all throughout, not unlike Friday night’s game, but a couple of solo home runs late in the game spoiled a solid pitching performance as the Royals won 3-2 on Saturday afternoon.

Casey Mize made his sixteenth start for the Tigers; his last one was cut short after getting hit by line drive but he ended up being alright. He’s also continuing to experience groin tightness from time to time, and that is not an ailment about which I’d ever make a lewd joke. Mize’s won-loss record coming into today was 4-6 but he had a 2.79 ERA, an even-better 2.62 FIP (Fielding-Independent Pitching, what his ERA would be if the defence had been average behind him), and a sensational WHIP of 1.029. In conclusion, win-loss records ain’t worth a hill o’ beans.

The veteran Michael Wacha took the hill for the visitors. He’s been Mr. Reliable since 2022: in every season he’s had an ERA between 3 and 4, kept his HR/9 innings between 0.8 and 1.3, and WHIP between 1.11 and 1.22. If there’s a knock on him, it’s perhaps that he’s fairly durable but gets put on the shelf for a short spell every year. Good so far in ‘26, though.

Vinnie Pasquantino led off the second with a single, was bunted over to second, took third on a wild pitch, and trotted home on a long sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead. Early on, Mize wasn’t looking as sharp as one might hope; his fastball was topping out around 93 mph (4.2 cm/ms) and his command looked a little off. Wait… control? Command? I’ve seen that those are two different things, but I’ll be darned if I know the difference between ‘em.

Riley Greene turned on the first pitch of the bottom of the second and slammed a double off the left-centrefield wall, narrowly missing a home run. No matter; Hao-Yu Lee hit a line drive to right that was misplayed by Jac Caglianone, Lee ended up on second and Greene came home to tie the game.

(In that clip, there’s a guy in the crowd at the very end who’s wearing a boat captain’s hat and a sash that looks like it says “GROOM” on it. Best of luck to ya, bud!)

In the third Mize’s pitch speeds crept upwards, with his fastball reaching 95 mph (12.6 furlongs/min) at times, and he was also locating his pitches better. To wit, he ended the fourth with a perfectly-dotted 94-mph heater low and away to Nick Loftin who was, as Ernie Harwell might’ve observed, “Out for excessive window-shopping.” Maybe it just took him a couple of innings to fully warm up.

Lee kept on a-rollin’ in the bottom of the fourth, thwacking a high changeup into the left-field seats for a solo home run to put the Tigers up 2-1.

Mize’s day was done after six very solid innings: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K. He limited the hard contact and coaxed a whole lot of soft fly balls to left field from left-handed hitters. Even though he clearly isn’t at the top of his game, he figured out how to work with what he had and did a great job.

In the bottom of the sixth with one out Kerry Carpenter singled and Greene walked, bringing up Lee who grounded out to second, pushing the runners up to second and third with two outs. Alas, Zack McKinstry popped up harmlessly for the third out.

Kyle Finnegan took over for Mize to start the seventh, and on his second pitch Salvador Perez took the all-time lead in home runs as a Kansas City Royal with his 318th, passing George Brett on that list and tying the game at two. Let’s face it, Perez is gonna mash at least one home run per series against the Tigers, and there it was; merely a matter of time. After a single and a strikeout Finnegan was out and Tyler Holton was in, and a flyout and a groundout ensued.

Wacha carried on into the seventh, and he got the Tigers to go 1-2-3. There was some solid contact off Wacha all day but he managed to, for the most part, scatter it around enough to minimize the damage. The Tigers only struck out 5 times all game but they weren’t finding the outfield grass much either.

Holton carried on to the eighth, as he does so often, and gave up a single to Carter Jensen after a lineout. Jacob Waugespack took over and struck out Lane Thomas, but a wild pitch sent Jensen to second and a grounder booted by Gleber Torres allowed him to advance to third. But Waugespack coolly got Perez to bounce out and the game remained tied.

What wasn’t so cool was Loftin hitting an 0-2 up-and-in Waguespack fastball into the seats with one out in the ninth to put the Royals up 3-2.

So, it was up to the Tigers to get out of the one-run hole they’d dug, and Greene led off with a single on the second pitch to put the tying run on base. The Royals then called upon Old Friend™ Alex Lange to try to close things out; he hasn’t been that great, and he’s ditched the curveball that he used to use a lot with the Tigers. After striking out Lee, McKinstry singled to right and Greene advanced to third to put runners on the corners. But then Vierling tried a safety squeeze, failed to get a bunt down, and struck out, leaving things up to pinch-hitter Spencer Torkelson… who popped up to the catcher to end the game on the first pitch. That’s disappointing.

Final score: Royals 3, Tigers 2

Numbers and Observations

• With his second-inning double, Hao-Yu Lee has now hit safely in ten straight games.
• Coming into today’s game, Colt Keith’s July was going pretty well: 11-for-42 for a .262 batting average, but three of those hits were home runs, boosting his OPS to .800. That’s going to go up after today with his multi-hit game, of course.
• Riley Greene had ten putouts in left field. That’s one short of tying the all-time record of 11, shared by four people including Tigers great Willie Horton.
• On this day in 1837 the first commercially-viable electrical telegraph was demonstrated in England. The prefix “tele-” means “at a distance” (think telescope, television, telephone), and “graph” means “to draw.” So, telegraphs draw things far away; kinda makes sense. This has been Etymology Corner for today.

Salvador Perez has resume most baseball players would envy – All-Star appearances, Gold Gloves, Silver Slugger Awards, and a World Series MVP. Now he can add one more accomplishment to his list – all-time Royals home run champ.

Salvy jumped on a hanging breaking ball from Kyle Finnegan and deposited it into the left field stands at Comerica Park in Detroit, the 318th home run of his career.

“FOR THE RECORD!”

Salvador Perez passes George Brett to become the @Royals all-time home run leader 💪 https://t.co/s6t4FFHPoqpic.twitter.com/H66Xgnr2bb

— MLB (@MLB) July 25, 2026

The home run surpasses George Brett for the most in club history. George needed 2,707 games to reach the mark. Salvy did it in 1,805.

After he hit the record, George had a message for hm.

Your new Royals All-Time Home Run King was kind enough to join the broadcast!

Congratulations, Salvy! pic.twitter.com/18kpJmR1qq

— Royals.TV (@kcroyalstv) July 25, 2026

The nine-time All-Star is also just seven home runs away from passing Gary Carter and Lance Parrish for fifth-most home runs by a player who spent more than half his games behind the plate.

Here are some fun facts about his home runs:

• His first career home run came on August 29, 2011 in Detroit against Max Scherzer.
• He has hit 141 home runs at Kauffman Stadium – more than any other player.
• The other top stadiums he has hit home runs in are Target Field (23), Guaranteed Rate Field (20), Comerica Park (17) and Progressive Field (12). Nationals Park is the only active stadium he has played a game in but not homered.
• He has homered off Lucas Giolito and J.A. Happ the most, with five each.
• He has homered off 14 Cy Young winners.
• 225 home runs have come off right-handers, 92 against lefties
• He has 242 home runs as a catcher, 59 as DH, and 17 as a first baseman.
• The sixth inning is the inning he has hit his most home runs – 51.
• 162 home runs have come with the bases empty. He has six career grand slams.
• He has three career walk off home runs (September 15, 2012 vs. the Angels, September 14, 2018 vs. the Twins, April 17, 2021 vs. the Blue Jays)

From all of us at Royals Review, congratulations Salvador Perez, truly a Royals all-time great!

Last night was not your usual Nationals game. The pitching gave them a chance to win, but the offense could not deliver. That led to a frustrating 3-2 loss. Now, the Nats will need to win this contest to give themselves a chance at a series win. With Foster Griffin on the mound, they will be all in on getting this curly W.

With another lefty on the mound, the lineup is not too different for the Nats. There are only a couple changes. Andres Chaparro moves to first, which slides James Wood to DH, making room for Daylen Lile. Keibert Ruiz will also be behind the plate in this one. He will be catching the Nats ace Foster Griffin, who might be making his last start for the team.

folks

→ https://t.co/iUBDqlACVspic.twitter.com/SO4L0Ma5Ik

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 25, 2026

The D-Backs are making a couple tweaks at the bottom of their order. Old friend Ildemaro Vargas will start at first base. James McCann will be behind the dish, while Gabriel Moreno is the DH. Rookie Ryan Waldschmidt will make his first start of the series as well. Another rookie will be on the mound, with Mitch Bratt taking the ball.

Let’s keep it going. pic.twitter.com/zNsvtpMhO0

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) July 25, 2026

Game Info:

Stadium: Nationals Park

Time: 4:05 PM EST

TV: Nationals.TV

Radio: 106.7 The Fan

Last night was a tough loss, but the series is still up for grabs. With Griffin on the mound, this feels like a game the Nats need to win. However, the offense will have to be better if they want to do that. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!

It’s time for game two between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Angels, arguably the two worst teams in baseball. Yay! What fun!

Robbie Ray takes the mound for the Giants, in what is almost certainly either his last or penultimate start with the Giants. Ray is 8-6 on the year, with a 3.33 ERA, a 4.60 FIP, and 96 strikeouts against 54 walks in 110.2 innings. He gave up three runs (one earned) in four innings against the Seattle Mariners his last time out.

For the Angels, it’s righty Ryan Johnson, a 23-year old rookie. In 10 games this year, he’s 2-4 with a 6.10 ERA, a 6.26 FIP, and 30 strikeouts to 16 walks in 38.1 innings. He gave up just one run in five innings against the Detroit Tigers in his last game.

Enjoy the baseball, everyone!

Game #104

Who: San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Angels

Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California

When: 1:05 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

San Diego Padres (51-53) at Miami Marlins (52-52), July 24, 2026, 1:10 p.m. PST

Watch: Padres.TV

Location: loanDepot Park – Miami, Fla.

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

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Saturday afternoon baseball. pic.twitter.com/wEwDUtMquY

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) July 25, 2026

Game two.

🤝: @PNCBank
📺: https://t.co/pMAEOPHNJ8
👂: @MarlinsRadio, @radiomambi710, @1043wqam
⏰: 4:10 PM ET
🏟️: Roof status: CLOSED#FightinFish // https://t.co/ZrOdIbYDTIpic.twitter.com/FqDnK5Htn4

— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) July 25, 2026

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• Don’t troll in your comments; create conversation rather than destroying it
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It’s the most beautiful day of the summer and we’ve got ourselves a bona fide pitcher’s duel that will start in the late afternoon and carry us into the gloaming.

Sonny Gray, whose 2.48 ERA would be fifth in baseball if he had enough innings to qualify, will take the bump in the top of the first to try to notch two-in-a-row for the hottest team in baseball. In the bottom of the first it’ll be Dylan Cease, who will likely end the night as the American League strikeout leader.

Who’s got it better than us?

Back at it in Boston! #BlueJays50pic.twitter.com/ZZzRjphcZO

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 25, 2026

First Pitch: 4:10 PM

TV: NESN

Mets star Juan Soto's MRI results Saturday showed a Grade 2 left calf strain and the team placed him on the 10-day injured list.

In a corresponding move, New York recalled Eric Wagaman from Triple-A Syracuse.

Interim manager Andy Green said Saturday more people both in-house and outside of the team are looking at the MRI to determine a timeline for Soto's return. He added that it will take Soto longer to return this time than it did during his first calf injury (a right calf strain) earlier in April.

"Anticipation right now is it's going to take longer than last time; he was out about three weeks last time, so it's a little more significant than last time," Green said. "It's not what we were hoping for... We'll be without him for a period of time now."

Green was asked if Soto may not play again this year due to the expected recovery period, but said they "would not characterize it that way at this point in time."

Soto left Friday's 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the sixth inning with left calf soreness, getting pinch-hit for by Jorge Polanco. He walked twice in his two at-bats and ran the bases without any noticeable issues.

After the loss, Green expressed some "concern" about the injury that limited Soto to DH duties most of the week. He also did not play in the series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers so he could try to have "48 hours to get the calf thing completely behind him" with the team's off day on Thursday. When asked Saturday if there's anything the team could have done differently with the injury, Green mentioned how Soto wanted to try to continue playing.

"Someone like him wants to be on the baseball field, he wants to play," Green said. "And the desire to be on the field is why he's so special in what he does. So this last week we gave him at-bats, we gave him rest at times when we felt were appropriate, and then yesterday he couldn't get over the hump. Is it possible we could've looked back and thought we could have moved a bit quicker on this? Given where we're at today, yes. 

"I don't know if that ultimately changes the situation we're in right now. I respect somebody who's trying to get on the field and play through things."

Overall across 84 games this season, the All-Star is hitting .283 with a .947 OPS and has 21 home runs, 52 RBI, and 63 walks. 

Salvador Perez will likely join George Brett in baseball's Hall of Fame after his playing days are done. And now he's surpassed him in one of the most significant statistical categories in Kansas City Royals history.

Perez hit his 318th home run Saturday, July 25 at Comerica Park in Detroit, dislodging Brett atop the Royals' all-time home run list, a spot he'd held for 40 years.

Perez's home run off Tigers pitcher Kyle Finnegan was his 15th this season, the 11th consecutive full season that Perez, a nine-time All-Star, reached that plateau. Perez debuted with the Royals in 2011 and has signed multiple contract extensions to remain a Royal.

He'd already joined Brett in another revered circle, leading the Royals to the 2015 World Series championship, 30 years after Brett hit a career-high 30 homers and finished second in AL MVP voting to lead Kansas City to its first title.

“FOR THE RECORD!”

Salvador Perez passes George Brett to become the @Royals all-time home run leader 💪 https://t.co/s6t4FFHPoqpic.twitter.com/H66Xgnr2bb

— MLB (@MLB) July 25, 2026

The Royals' home run list is a testament to the style of play the franchise developed in spacious Kauffman Stadium. Brett set the franchise record in 1986 with his 194th home run, topping Amos Otis, who was far better known as a basestealer in his 17-year career.

Longtime first baseman Mike Sweeney ranks No. 3 on the list with 197 homers, while Alex Gordon – like Otis, better known for speed and defense – is fifth with 190.

Perez hit a career-high 48 home runs in 2021, leading the majors in longballs and RBIs, with 121. He produced another 30-homer, 100-RBI season in 2025, his age-35 season. Perez, who has largely ceded catching duties to Carter Jensen, is eligible for free agency after this season. He's hit 242 of his home runs as a catcher.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Salvador Perez tops George Brett as Royals' home run king

This week, I asked you what the Phillies were going to end up acquiring at the trade deadline by way of a poll. Here are the results:

Maybe this is all of us thinking the bare minimum will be a reliever, but there seems to be a pretty good split amongst people about what the Phillies will end up doing. What we can kind of say is that the general consensus is that there will be multiple players brought into the organization once the dust has settled.

There seems to be a large swath of players that have been linked to the team right now. Anywhere from one year rentals to players that are on huge contracts that would require teams to help pay down the remaining salary to players with team control that would help the Phillies beyond 2026. With the CBA ending soon and negotiations already contentious, adding long term money without a clear picture of what will be allowed in the future as far as spending is probably not something the team is terribly interested in.

Who knows though, maybe that’s a way to get the opposing team to ask for a little less in a trade.

This post brought to you by FanDuel.