A third Ottawa Senators prospect has advanced to play in the Memorial Cup.
Goalie Lucas Beckman and the Chicoutimi Saguenéens won the QMJHL title on Sunday with a 5-1 over the Moncton Wildcats. The Sags took the series in six games and Beckman was excellent.
The 18-year-old was chosen by Ottawa in the fourth round last year, 97th overall, and said last summer his goal this season was to be the best goalie in the Q. He's certainly in that discussion, posting a record of 16-4 in these playoffs with a 1.98 GAA and .918 save percentage.
THN Ottawa's Steve Warne and Gregg Kennedy discuss the Senators backup goalie position.
The Sags probably entered Sunday's game feeling like a team of destiny. In Game 5, with the series tied at 2, they fell behind 4-0 before storming back to defeat the Wildcats 7-6 and grab a 3-2 series lead.
The title was a special one for Chicoutimi and their fans, who hadn't won it all in 32 years. Now they'll try to win a Memorial Cup, something they've never done in their 53-year history.
As QMJHL representatives, they'll face the host Kelowna Rockets, the WHL’s Everett Silvertips and the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers. Beckman will be facing two opponents who may soon be his AHL or NHL teammates. Sens prospects Luke Ellinas and defenseman Matthew Andonovski will be suiting up for the Rangers.
Outgoing Moncton was represented by big Finnish defenseman Eerik Wallenius, a 2024 Senators draft pick (5th round, 136), who had 10 points in 21 playoff games.
Nice moment in the handshake line between the two Sens prospects in this series, Beckman and Eerik Wallenius pic.twitter.com/zUONDOyn5U
All three Senators prospects in the Memorial Cup have signed their entry-level contracts with Ottawa. Beckman just signed his last month. Wallenius still has a couple of years before he has to sign his.
The Memorial Cup starts Friday with Kitchener facing host Kelowna. Chicoutimi will play Everett on Saturday.
CHICAGO, IL - MAY 13: Kansas City Royals pitcher Seth Lugo (67) pitches against the Chicago White Sox during an MLB game on May 13, 2026, at Rate Field in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Patrick Gorski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The 20-27 Royals have fallen back into a tie with the Detroit Tigers for last place in the AL Central. The Royals managed to blank the Cardinals in a 2-0 victory yesterday, but that was after six straight losses. This team seems to ping-pong from elation to despair a lot. Right now, there’s a little too much despair.
Hopefully a return to the K can add some hope. After that miserable road trip, the Royals welcome the similarly-despondent 19-27 Boston Red Sox to Kansas City. The Red Sox are also recent losers, having dropped 2 of 3 games against each of the Braves, Phillies, and Rays over the past week+.
Just a few weeks ago, the Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora and a whole bunch of his staff. Wilyer Abreu, Willson Contreras, and Ceddanne Rafaela are about the only hitters having a good season for the Red Sox. Offseason trade target Jarren Duran has scuffled pretty badly to a .183/.243/.305 line. Trevor Story similarly struggled before recently being put on the IL. They’ve had some decent starting pitching but their star – Garrett Crochet – pitched to a 6.30 ERA before also being put on the IL.
The Royals have their own issues, of course. Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino are similarly struggling in the middle of the lineup. Cole Ragans is on the IL. The bullpen is suspect.
The Royals will put Seth Lugo on the mound to start. He’s somewhat returned to form with a 3.76 ERA, but there are a lot of mixed signals there. His strikeout rate is stable compared to prior years but his walk rate is up. His BABIP is wayyyy up. The key thing is that he has limited home runs – he has somehow given up only 1 homer all season. That will paper over a lot of issues but I doubt that is sustainable.
The Red Sox start Sonny Gray, who is in the final year of a 3/$76M contract. In his older age (Gray is 36), he’s pivoted to being Mark Buehrle. Very low strikeout rate, low walk rate, low homers. Limits damage on contact. Gray has managed a 3.18 ERA doing this. It’s unprecedented for Sonny – this would be the lowest strikeout rate of his career, by a lot.
A stoppable force meets a movable object. Let’s see which team blinks and scurries away.
Keep in mind the original game time was 6:40pm US Central. Apparently because of the possibility of bad weather, the game has been moved up to 6:10pm US Central. You can watch on Royals.tv or listen on 96.5 The Fan or the Royals Radio Network.
SARASOTA, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 18: Trevor Rogers #28 of the Baltimore Orioles poses for a photo during Spring Training photo day at Ed Smith Stadium on February 18, 2026 in Sarasota, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Orioles start a very tough stretch of baseball tonight. Six of their next nine games are against the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays, who have the most wins in the American League. You can check out details of the Rays’ season so far in our series preview, but suffice it to say they have been kind of the opposite of the Orioles this year.
This is the first time the Orioles have visited Tropicana Field since 2024, after the Rays spent 2025 at a spring training site while their ballpark was repaired.
Some Orioles batters appear to be heating up, and it would be a nice change of pace if they would actually follow through and stay good. Gunnar Henderson and Coby Mayo are showing signs of life. Tyler O’Neill has started hitting balls harder. Even Colton Cowser hit a home run. Pete Alonso remains ice cold.
Trevor Rogers gets the ball for the Orioles tonight, and it would be another nice change of pace if he could manage to look anything like the Trevor Rogers of 2025. Come on, Trev! We want to believe!
For the Rays, it’s lefty Shane McClanahan. Gulp. He has a 2.27 ERA and an active 21.2-inning scoreless streak. I’m gonna be honest, I don’t feel like the Orioles have a chance against this guy. But maybe I’ll be wrong. That’s why they play the games, as the saying goes.
Orioles lineup
Taylor Ward (R) LF Gunnar Henderson (L) SS Adley Rutschman (S) C Pete Alonso (R) DH Tyler O’Neill (R) RF Coby Mayo (R) 1B Jeremiah Jackson (R) 2B Weston Wilson (R) 3B Blaze Alexander (R) CF
LET BASALLO FACE LEFTIES! Also, I can’t wait to see what kind of shenanigans Blaze Alexander gets up to in center field.
Rays lineup
Yandy Díaz (R) DH Jonathan Aranda (L) 1B Junior Caminero (R) 3B Ryan Vilade (R) RF Jonny DeLuca (R) CF Chandler Simpson (L) LF Nick Fortes (R) C Taylor Walls (S) SS Carson Williams (R) 2B
Boston Red Sox pitcher Sonny Gray (54) delivers a pitch in the third inning between the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Saturday, March 28, 2026. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Hello again, friends! It’s time to watch the Red Sox flail away once more on a Monday, this time in Kansas City, where the game has been moved up by 30 minutes to hopefully avoid bad weather, now boasting a 7:10 EDT start time. On the bright side, Sonny Gray, one of the team’s best stories this year (not that it’s saying much) takes the mound against Kyle Isbel. On the less bright side, a) the aforementioned weather and b) this is still a lineup that has Mickey Gasper DHing and batting second. Woof. Anyhow:
By contrast, the Royals’ #2 hitter plays shortstop very well and is currently the No. 2 favorite to win the AL MVP award. The wise man bowed and spoke and all that jazz. Here’s the full lineup:
MIAMI, FLORIDA - MAY 03: Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Miami Marlins during the fifth inning at loanDepot park on May 03, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The NL East leading Atlanta Braves, who have the highest winning percentage, Division lead, and Swag LevelTM in the league, have made a transaction before tonight’s game with the Miami Marlins.
The #Braves today reinstated OF Ronald Acuña Jr. from the injured list and placed INF Kyle Farmer on the 10-day injured list, backdated to May 16, with a strained right forearm.
The Braves have reinstated Ronald Acuña from the 10-day Injured List. Ronald has been recovering from a Grade 1 hamstring strain since May 3rd. Acuña has been taking batting practice and running in the outfield during the last home stand, but have been insistent that he won’t return until he can play the outfield. However, he will not immediately be inserted into tonight’s starting lineup. But with Walt Weiss at the reins, anything could happen. He could start tomorrow on the Miami Marlins’ IBD Day. Well, they do like beaning Ronald. There’s a dad joke in there somewhere that you can write yourself.
To make way for Acuña, Kyle Farmer will join the Injured List with a strained right forearm. It’s tough to tell if this is a “strained right forearm”, or one that will require scans, X-rays and some extended time off. So the listed outfielders tonight will be Acuña, Jose Azocar, Michael Harris, and Mike Yastrzemski, although Mauricio Dubon plays where he wants.
They weren’t kidding around about Tarik Skubal’s accelerated rehabilitation timeline.
Less than two weeks after having surgery to remove a loose body from his left elbow, the two-time defending American League Cy Young Award winner was back on a mound Monday, May 17 at Comerica Park. Unfortunately for the struggling Detroit Tigers it was the bullpen mound, but it does make a June return seem possible.
It’s a rare ray of hope for the Tigers, who have gone 2-10 since Skubal went on the injured list May 4.
Skubal threw long toss in the outfield before rain forced him inside for a bullpen session, according to reports. It was his second mound session since surgery. He is beginning his return to a five-day schedule of throwing.
On May 6, Skubal underwent a Nanoscope procedure, a less invasive method than traditional arthroscopic surgery. The Tigers had hoped this would fast-track his return.
So far, it appears to be doing that, but manager A.J. Hinch refuses to be pinned down on a timeline.
In seven starts before the injury, Skubal went 3-2 with a 2.70 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP, striking out 45 and issuing just six walks over 43 1/3 innings.
Over the past two seasons, Skubal went 31-10 with a 2.30 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 469 strikeouts in 387 1/3 innings. He won back-to-back AL Cy Young Awards and led the AL in ERA both years. In 2025, he posted a 2.21 ERA and a 241-to-33 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 31 starts.
Skubal, who had Tommy John surgery in college and flexor tendon surgery in August 2022, is in his walk year. He is a free agent after this season and expected to command one of the largest pitching contracts in MBL history.
The Tigers entered Monday's play at 20-27, battered by injuries and in a wide-open AL Central race.
May 9, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) hits a three-run home run against the Colorado Rockies in the third inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
DETROIT, MI - MAY 17: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on during the game against the Detroit Pistons during Round Two Game Seven of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 17, 2026 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
DETROIT — Over the past seven months, Donovan Mitchell made sure to remind every reporter he could that this season wasn’t the same as the previous.
“We got to let last year go,” Mitchell said back in November. “This is a whole different season. Everybody around us got better. It’s a different season. I think we have to drop this whole, ‘Well, last year was this.’ It’s not the same.”
Everything that seemingly could go right during the 2024-25 regular season did. They had three double-digit win streaks, won 41 games by 10 or more points, and didn’t face any adversity as they cruised to 64 wins.
Their good fortune reversed in the postseason. Injuries and an inability to close games led to them being a second-round exit in five games.
This regular season was the opposite.
The Cavs couldn’t establish any real momentum. Consistent injuries, underperforming role players, and two drastic trades led to 12 fewer wins. And far more ways for this team to fracture — except it didn’t.
“He kept this thing together,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said about Mitchell after the Game 7 win over the Detroit Pistons. “When things weren’t going great, he was the beacon, the light. His leadership carried us on the court.”
The Cavs never established any kind of rhythm or looked like a title-contending team throughout the season, but Mitchell’s steady hand on and off the court kept things on the rails. His consistent effort, seen mostly through his scoring, allowed the Cavs to tread water through turbulent times in the first half of the season. That bought the group time to figure out who they were.
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It’s not uncommon for a team that enters the year with championship aspirations to blow up before getting after the ground. Most recently, it was last season’s Philadelphia 76ers that fell flat due to injuries after trading for Paul George the summer before. The same could’ve happened in Cleveland.
Significant injuries to Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, Sam Merrill, and Max Strus, coupled with disappointing seasons from De’Andre Hunter and Lonzo Ball, could’ve easily derailed this year.
Mitchell stepped up every time he needed to. This included putting up 35+ point nights to get past tanking teams like the Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers, and Washington Wizards on a somewhat consistent basis. That isn’t ideal, but it allowed the Cavs to keep pace with the rest of the conference contenders.
For as good as he was on the court, it’s how he approached things off the court that allowed this team to keep going.
“When things weren’t going great, he was the person everyone looked to,” Atkinson said. “I would’ve said this if we lost. I was going to say the same thing. We could have splintered. If your leader splintered, if he goes another direction, which he very well could have, things weren’t going great. But he stayed positive, he supported the young guys, he never got down on the group. Kudos to him.”
That spirit was seen throughout the playoffs, even when things weren’t going his way.
Mitchell struggled in the final five games of the first round series against the Toronto Raptors. In the second round, his disappointing showing in Game 6 cost them their best chance to secure a spot in the conference finals. The flaws that have plagued him throughout his career were on full display.
Instead of doubling down on trying to pull the team over the finish line himself in Game 7, he trusted his teammates to get the job done. He hit the “singles” Atkinson has been asking him to look for all postseason and finished with eight assists. Three more than he’s had in any other playoff game this year.
“That’s huge,” Jarrett Allen said. “For the leading scorer of our team to come out with the mindset not to score the ball, but to get everybody else going. I think that really set the tone for the game for us offensively. Donovan knows he can get a bucket at any time. We all believe that. But he got everybody else going. He got me a quick six points. Everybody was scoring. Sam [Merrill] was scoring, Max [Strus] was getting [clean looks] all because Don was attacking downhill and distributing the ball.”
The perseverance that Mitchell has shown throughout the season, including the postseason, has now taken this team somewhere they haven’t been with this group. They’ve taken a meaningful step forward and are now four wins away from winning the conference, a feat this franchise hasn’t done without LeBron James.
That’s worth celebrating, even if they have eyes on more.
“Even last year, we lost to Indiana, we had our goals set on getting to the Finals,” Mitchell said. “And we’re one step closer, but it’s been almost a decade of running into the same issue. I personally, and as a team, we can breathe a little bit, but in the same token, we can only breathe for about 12 hours, and then get right back at it.”
Things won’t get any easier for the Cavs.
The New York Knicks have stood in this core’s way since the very beginning. Losing to them in the humiliating fashion that they did in 2023 has set the narrative for this core. They’ve done a lot to shake those preconceived notions over the last month. This isn’t the team that we saw last year or in any of the previous playoff runs.
However, if they’re going to rewrite history, they’ll need more star performances from Mitchell. Fortunately, he has a lot of practice coming up big for this group this year.
“It’s incredible,” Allen said of Mitchell’s leadership.
“I hope Don knows this. I’ll follow him into war. I’ll trust every single decision that he makes, every single shot that he takes, every single word that he speaks in the locker room. It speaks volumes to how he is as a person. He goes out there and does follow his own message.
“It’s easy for the team, easy for myself to follow somebody that goes out there and gives 110% no matter what and is a high-level character guy as well. That makes it easier for not only the guys who’ve been in the league who’ve seen guys who don’t lead in a certain way, but especially for the young guys as well, to follow that lead. It’s been incredible for him to keep us together during those times.”
BOSTON - JULY 7: As an appropriate metaphor for the Red Sox season thus far, a dark cloud hangs over Fenway Park as the game was delayed for around 35 minutes due to rain and tornado warnings in the area. The Boston Red Sox hosted the Chicago White Sox in a MLB game at Fenway Park. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
Tonight’s game between the Red Sox and Royals has already been moved up by 30 minutes, and for good reason. Originally scheduled for a 7:40pm (eastern time) first pitch, we’re not set to go at 7:10pm eastern.
Why you ask? Well, let’s just say Mother Nature is cooking up a whopper in the central Great Plains. By late afternoon, conditions will support numerous severe thunderstorms firing across Kansas and southern Nebraska. And, as you might expect, severe weather in this part of the country in the spring isn’t to be trifled with.
These supercells will be capable of producing large hail, strong winds, frequent lightning, and even some destructive, long-track tornadoes. As the evening progresses, these cells will likely merge into a large squall line that races into northwest Missouri where the Red Sox will be playing the Royals and probably have just fallen to 0-18 with runners in scoring position.
Below is a simulated radar from the HRRR model showing the projected conditions each hour between 6:00pm and Midnight eastern time:
Now, here’s the good news: Kauffman Stadium is located on the southeast side of Kansas City, which should buy a little bit more time before the terrible tempest arrives.
However, the exact speed of the storm is going to depend partially on how fast / if the individual supercells in Kansas and Nebraska form into a solid line as shown on the simulated radar above. If they do, they will move quicker, arrive faster, and of course be a bigger threat to cut the game short.
On the other hand, if the supercells stay separate and don’t form into a big line, they will move slower. But here’s the catch, the separated supercells scenario is also more capable of producing larger hail, and yes, one of those destructive, long-track tornadoes.
In other words, if we get that scenario and this games goes extra innings, somebody might be visiting the land of Oz.
Skipper Pat Cummins’ 3-28 and an attacking 70 by Ishan Kishan helped Sunrisers Hyderabad book their play-off spot in the IPL with a nervy five-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings on Monday.
Carson Benge – RF Bo Bichette – SS Juan Soto – DH Mark Vientos – 1B Brett Baty – 3B Marcus Semien – 2B A.J. Ewing – CF Tyrone Taylor – LF Luis Torrens – C
SP: Christian Scott (RHP)
Nationals lineup
James Wood – RF Luis Garcia – 1B Brady House – 3B CJ Abrams – SS Daylen Lile – LF Jacob Young – CF Jose Tena – DH Jorbit Vivas – 2B Drew Millas – C
SP: Jake Irvin (RHP)
Broadcast info
First pitch: 6:45 PM EDT TV: SNY Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
Less than two months ago, the Vegas Golden Knights were in danger of falling out of the playoff picture. Now, they’re four wins away from competing for a Stanley Cup.
“It’s been quite a year,” said Jack Eichel. “At times, it’s been trying. There’s also been a lot of highs; there’s been a lot of really great moments. I think that’s the beauty of our game.
“That’s the beauty of the playoffs and this time of year,” Eichel continued. “You can be just okay for a while. But if you find something and grab onto a little bit of belief, and the room starts to see confidence, you can start piecing your game together, and good things can happen.
“When you get in, anything can happen,” finished Eichel. “Down the stretch in the regular season, we won some games and started to feel a bit better about ourselves, and we were able to take a little bit of that into the playoffs. It’s been great. And so much credit to the guys in the room– I feel like we’ve just stuck it out and tried to play good hockey as much as we can. We stuck together as a group, and I think those things go a long way.”
Despite not being in Vegas for the whole year, the trade deadline acquisitions experienced enough of the roller coaster that was the 2025-26 season to appreciate just how far this team has come.
“You hear about the things they went through this year,” said forward Cole Smith. “Personally, too, just being on a different team, the highs and lows there, the highs and lows of being traded and coming to a great spot, and now I have the chance of my career to play for something here. It’s been a great opportunity, and the excitement level is as high as it can get.
“[The excitement level] should be as high as it can be, because there are only four teams left at this time. It’s an honor to be here– we’re one series away from playing for a Stanley Cup,” finished Smith. “There are only so many chances in your career you get to go after a championship. I want to make the most of it and play my best.”
The Colorado Avalanche will be the Golden Knights’ most challenging opponent to date. It’s not often that the Golden Knights enter a series as a heavy underdog, but they’re not fazed.
“It doesn’t really matter to me,” said Jack Eichel. “They had a really good regular season, and they’ve been playing good hockey; we feel like we’ve been playing good hockey. What it comes down to is, the team that plays better and executes better is probably going to win. We just want to go out there and play our best.”
The Avalanche won the President’s Trophy as the team with the best regular season, finishing with a record of 55-16-11. They went 1-1-1 against the Golden Knights during the regular season.
“They’re a great team, so it’ll be a great challenge,” said Cole Smith. “But we’re also a great team, so it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
“We’re looking forward to a great series, and we’re going to be ready to play,” agreed Pavel Dorofeyev.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone hit on several topics on Monday ahead of the first game of a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays in The Bronx...
With Elmer Rodriguez being optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre following his start Sunday and Yovanny Cruz’s promotion, the focus turns to what that means for Cole’s return from Tommy John surgery and his 2026 season debut.
“We’ll see, we’re kinda talking about that here today and tomorrow,” Boone said about Cole. “And we’ll make a call one way or the other.”
Boone added that they are going to talk with Cole to see what “makes the most sense” with him moving forward and if his next outing is another rehab start at Triple-A or with the Yanks.
“Just kinda everyone that’s involved from the training staff, Gerrit, just wanting to do the right thing, what’s the right timing?” Boone said. “Again, whatever we do, it’s with the long game in mind. A need doesn't necessarily mean we're bringing him back.
“If we feel like he’s absolutely ready to go and checked all the boxes, then we’ll make that call.”
With that said, he added that Cole’s next start being with the Yankees is "on the table.”
Cole last pitched on Saturday for Scranton, when he allowed one run on six hits and a walk with six strikeouts, which Boone called “mostly excellent.”
“Good, he looks really good,” Boone said of Cole’s start. “I think this outing was a little more with competition in mind, going to get guys out and stepping on it stuff-wise. I think he threw 85, 86 pitches. Finished really strong. I think I’ve watched every single pitch he’s made in rehab. I think it’s gone really well.”
On Cruz’s promotion, the manager said they “felt like we needed the extra arm in [the bullpen] today.”
“We really like the upside, obviously,” Boone said of Cruz. “Really kinda caught our eye at the end of [spring training] with some really strong outings. Obviously, it is the big arm, 100 mph, good slider, has had some success down there, has had some struggles down there.
“Just felt like we needed the extra coverage today, felt like he was the guy in line.”
For the second-straight day, Wells is not in the Yankees lineup as the catcher is going through it at the plate, batting .164 (10-for-61) with 20 strikeouts to eight walks for a .519 OPS in his last 19 games. The skipper is giving the backstop the day, but it doesn’t seem like this will be a long-term absence.
"Obviously been scuffling this trip,” Boone said of Wells, who is 2-for-14 with seven strikeouts in his last four games. “[Sunday’s] game, the way it turned out with him getting in there for half the game, I just felt like today with the lefty, another good day to have him down."
Boone believes that despite Wells’ struggles of late, he will return to form.
“He’s always been a hitter, and he’s had some inconsistencies certainly at this level, but he’s also hit at this level,” the manager said. “He’s hit 20 homers a couple times, has shown stretches of where he’s a really tough out, there’s some power there, obviously.”
Sep 23, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells (28) reacts after hitting a RBI double against the Chicago White Sox during the second inning at Yankee Stadium. / John Jones-Imagn Images
Boone noted that Wells, who won’t turn 27 until July, is “still a fairly young player in the league” and is dealing with a famously difficult position to balance hitting and defense.
“When you’re a front-line catcher, too, and there’s a lot of responsibilities on your plate, as we talk about with a lot of guys, it doesn’t just happen overnight,” Boone said, adding later, "He's catching really well, which is the No. 1 job, right?
“… He’s certainly, I think, established himself as an outstanding defensive catcher and a leader of our staff. So he’s been able to separate the two, which is very important, but I expect more out of him offensively, and we gotta keep working to try and get him on track."
Wells' biggest strength behind the plate is his framing, and he's in the 95th percentile in stealing calls in MLB.
Ben Rice could catch, but with him offering such great production at the plate – leading the league in OPS at 1.077 with 15 home runs in 42 games – and having a hand injury earlier in the month, it doesn’t appear the Yanks want to risk him behind the plate.
Asked if he expects Wells to be back in the lineup Tuesday against Blue Jays right-hander Dylan Cease, Boone said, “We’ll see.”
In the meantime, J.C. Escarra again starts in Wells' place, but his hitting isn't much to write home about either, with a .174/.224/.283 slash line for a .507 OPS in 16 games this year.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - FEBRUARY 24: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks drives to the basket around James Harden #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second quarter at Rocket Arena on February 24, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
These two teams couldn’t be coming into this series from more opposite perspectives.
The Cavs have played two physically demanding series that have gone seven games. This has left them without consecutive days off since Game 5 against the Toronto Raptors on April 29.
Meanwhile, the Knicks haven’t played since May 10. They’ll have nine days between their last playoff game and the opening of the conference finals. And their last series against a lifeless Philadelphia 76ers team was anything but physically demanding.
This game will be a matchup between a tired, but sharp team and a well-rested, but potentially rusty team. We’ll see which one will prevail on Tuesday.
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NEW YORK, NY - MAY 13: Luke Weaver #30 of the New York Mets pitches during the game between the Detroit Tigers and the New York Mets at Citi Field on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Phebe Grosser/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Mets have pitched a lot better lately. The high-leverage relievers are in an excellent run of form as a group and with Christian Scott settling in, the rotation seemed to have found some stability. But then the injury bug bit again of course and things will soon be launched back into chaos. But on the whole, this meter is a positive one.
Player
Last week
This week
Huascar Brazobán, RHP
Clay Holmes, RHP
Craig Kimbrel, RHP
Sean Manaea, LHP
Nolan McLean, RHP
Tobias Myers, RHP
Freddy Peralta, RHP
David Peterson, RHP
Brooks Raley, LHP
Christian Scott, RHP
Austin Warren, RHP
Luke Weaver, RHP
Devin Williams, RHP
Clay Holmes had been the Mets’ ace for the first month and a half of the season, but the Mets will now be without him for quite some time, as he was hit with a comebacker on Friday night and fractured his fibula. When the injury happened, he was in the midst of his first start in which he gave up three runs or more all season (which resulted in the Mets’ only loss in the past two series), which speaks to how good he has been. It’s an absolutely massive blow for the Mets.
On the flip side, David Peterson has shown a massive improvement since the Mets have started using an opener ahead of him. Peterson holds a 2.77 ERA in May across three outings and he earned the win in two of those three outings. The third one in Arizona was a game in which he gave up three runs in five innings of work, but none of them were earned. Huascar Brazobán has served as the opener most days when Peterson is slated to pitch and it has worked out well for the most part, but the game in Arizona was not kind to him either. After a clean first inning, he walked two batters to lead off the second and both of them eventually came around to score, charging him with two runs. Brazobán has otherwise been brilliant though with his most impressive outing coming against the Tigers on Wednesday in which he pitched 2 1/3 scoreless frames in a game the Mets would go on to win in extras.
Christian Scott started that game on Wednesday and needed Brazobán to record the final out of the fifth inning. Other than not going deeper into games, Scott has been solid since his horrific first start back from Tommy John surgery. But it makes sense that Carlos Mendoza is not pushing Scott too much in the early going. He’s been perfectly cromulent for what the Mets need him to do, which is help hold the rotation together as the Mets ride out this storm of injuries.
The same can’t be said for Sean Manaea; it’s hard to say what the Mets can do about him at this point because, even though his velocity keeps rising and is getting closer to his average from last season, he has not been effective in any role. The Mets pretty much only use him in low leverage and they were forced into a situation yesterday where they were down, but within striking distance, but because they had used their high leverage guys the day before, Manaea had to come in to pitch the middle innings. He gave up three additional runs (only two of them earned because of the whacky miscommunication between Tyrone Taylor and Bo Bichette in shallow left field) and almost put the game out of reach for the Mets, who were luckily able to come back, but Manaea gave them a much steeper hill to climb. That was the first time Manaea had pitched in a week and he had only thrown 1 1/3 innings in the month of May before that—a scoreless inning in Arizona and a poor, but ultimately inconsequential outing in Colorado in a game where the Mets were up big.
But ultimately the Mets did win yesterday and a gutsy performance from Devin Williams, who has been excellent, helped make it happen. He struck out the first batter he faced and then issued a walk, but then induced a double play grounder off the bat of Austin Wells to strand the ghost runner and set up the walk-off, for which Williams earned the win. That capped off a run of 5 2/3 innings over six games in the past two weeks in which Williams has gone unscored upon. Over those 5 2/3 innings, Williams has struck out seven, walked two, and earned three saves and two wins.
Williams isn’t the only one with a sparkly 0.00 ERA for this meter. Luke Weaver holds that distinction as well and earns a fireball for his incredibly clutch performance on Saturday, in which he inherited a bases loaded, nobody out jam and stranded all three Yankees runners by striking out two consecutive batters and then inducing a groundout to end the inning. He then went on to pitch a scoreless eighth inning as well. Weaver pitched a scoreless inning apiece across three other appearances in the past two weeks.
Weaver inherited that jam from Brooks Raley, who helped David Peterson navigate his way out of the sixth but then had the seventh inning get away from him a bit. But because of Weaver’s heroics, Raley’s 0.00 ERA for this meter was preserved. It was Raley who earned the win in the Mets’ other walk-off victory in the past week, which took place on Wednesday. Like Williams yesterday, Raley stranded the ghost runner in the tenth to set the stage for the walk-off in the bottom of the inning. In total, Raley pitched five innings across five games in the past two weeks and was unscored upon in all five outings. He has been the Mets’ most reliable reliever this season and his season ERA is down to 1.02.
Freddy Peralta was the starter in yesterday’s thrilling come from behind win and battled through not having his best control, limiting the damage to three runs in five innings despite issuing six walks. Peralta has not been flawless, but he has been quite good, as advertised—a pitcher who does not often go deep into the game, but almost always keeps his team in the game. Yesterday’s outing was the worst of the three he’s had so far in May. He pitched five scoreless innings in the Mets’ lopsided win against the Rockies—an impressive feat in Coors Field. He was the beneficiary of a lot of run support again on May 12 in the series opener against the Tigers in which he provided a quality start, giving up just two runs on seven hits in six innings of work while striking out seven batters, earning his third win of the season.
Austin Warren pitched the final two innings in that game against the Tigers and allowed only one hit in the appearance, striking out three batters. Warren is also part of the 0.00 ERA club this time around and what is even more impressive is that all five of his outings over the past two weeks were more than one inning. Though Warren has been ping-ponged back and forth due to the fact that he has options, he has demonstrated that he deserves to stay in the big league bullpen.
The same can’t necessarily be said for Craig Kimbrel, who remains mostly because the Mets have very few other options and they do not want to expose the future Hall of Famer to waivers despite the fact that his best days are long behind him. Kimbrel hasn’t been awful for the Mets, but he’s been inconsistent. Things began on a high note in the series opener in Colorado when Kimbrel pitched a scoreless eighth inning in a close game to set things up for Devin Williams and earned his first hold of the season. But then a few days later in the series finale he gave up a go-ahead grand slam off the bat of Jake McCarthy and took the loss. He bounced back after that and had consecutive scoreless outings in Arizona and against the Tigers on Thursday. But then he yielded an insurance run to the Yankees on Friday in the form of a Ben Rice solo homer.
To be fair to Kimbrel, he wasn’t the only one who fell victim to Coors Field. Tobias Myers had arguably his worst outing of the season in Denver, giving up four runs in the sixth inning before he was pulled after just 2/3 of an inning of work. It didn’t end up costing the Mets the game, but it forced the Mets to use their higher leverage arms in a game they planned to have Myers pitch multiple innings, which had negative downstream effects. Myers redeemed himself after that though. He pitched a scoreless inning in two of the games in Arizona, including a scoreless tenth last Friday to earn the first save of his career. He gave up an inconsequential solo homer but nothing more in Thursday’s victory that secured the Mets’ sweep of the Tigers. He then delivered two scoreless innings of work in Friday’s game to keep the Mets in it.
Myers’ outing on Thursday came in relief of Nolan McLean, who notched a quality start and earned his second win of the season. He gave up six hits across seven innings of work, but limited the damage to just three runs, striking out seven batters and walking three. McLean also delivered a quality start in Arizona in the only game the Mets won in that series—the extra-inning game that Myers saved. In that start McLean gave up just one run on three hits, striking out six and walking just one batter. With Holmes sidelined for a considerable length of time, McLean is now the undisputed ace of the staff and the Mets are going to need him to keep this brilliance up if they can hope to continue clawing their way back to .500, even as the injuries pile up.
