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Dodgers top prospect Josue De Paula has become major league stretch-run contributor over the last week and a half. But that followed a wonderful season in Double-A Tulsa, and on Monday he was named Texas League MVP.

De Paula with the Drillers hit .303/.401/.547 with a 145 wRC+, 27 home runs, 37 doubles, 106 runs scored, 104 RBI, and 31 stolen bases in 124 games. He set career highs across the board, including more than doubling his previous marks for home runs (previous high of 12) and extra-base hits (66, up from 30).

He led the league in runs scored, RBI, hits, doubles, and was in top five in the league in OPS, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, batting average, home runs, stolen bases, total bases (274), and extra-base hits.

Also on Monday, Baseball America named De Paula as the Dodgers minor league player of the year.

De Paula hasn’t stopped producing since getting his first call-up to the majors, reaching base 18 times in 38 trips to the plate with his 10 walks more than doubling his four strikeouts, hitting .286/.474/.500 with three doubles and a home run in his first 10 games in the majors.

The Dodgers were loaded with outfield prospects this year, and the entire Texas League All-Star outfield were Tulsa Drillers, with Zyhir Hope — traded on August 2 to the Detroit Tigers in the Tarik Skubal deal — and Mike Sirota joining De Paula. Other Tulsa All-Stars were infielder Jake Gelof at designated hitter plus relief pitcher Nick Robertson.

Eric Wedge was named Texas League manager of the year, the fifth Tulsa Drillers manager to capture the award, and the first since Tim Ireland in 2002 when Tulsa was a Texas Rangers affiliate. This honor comes 19 years after Wedge won American League manager of the year with Cleveland in 2007.

So far a Dodgers minor leaguer has won Most Valuable Player at all three full-season levels, with De Paula joining High-A Great Lakes outfielder Charles Davalan in the Midwest League and Class-A first baseman Ontario Easton Shelton in the California League. Whenever the Triple-A awards are announced, James Tibbs III has a good shotat winning Pacific Coast League MVP.

The Cubs haven’t yet said anything about the frightening injury to third baseman Alex Bregman during Sunday’s game in Cincinnati. I’ll spare you more photos, you’ve probably seen enough of Bregman’s swollen left eye.

We do have this update from ESPN’s Jeff Passan:

So… at this point what we have is “hopeful.” What that post also says is that Bregman likely will not return for the six games remaining in the regular season.

Could he be ready to play a week from tomorrow when the Cubs will (presumably) be opening a Wild Card Series… somewhere, either at Wrigley Field or on the road? I suppose that depends on how quickly the swelling around his eye goes down and how he feels.

Will they place Bregman on the injured list? If the Cubs do that, he’d be out for the Wild Card Series. My feeling is that they won’t, hoping that he could play by then and that they can manage a roster a player short for the next six games.

It seems likely that Pedro Ramirez will play third base, mostly, with Matt Shaw possibly taking a game or two there. The Cubs also have Gabriel Arias to back up all three infield positions.

If the Cubs do decide to IL Bregman, I suppose they’d call up James Triantos, who can play third base, though most of his experience this year is at second base.

As always, we await developments.

All eyes have been on Robert Suarez, one of the Braves’ prized offseason additions, as he rehabs and recovers from an elbow ailment that has cost him the last three months of the season.

Following his first rehab appearance with the Gwinnett Stripers on Sunday — which was Gwinnett’s final game of the season — it was a bit unclear what the next steps would be as he continues ramping up with hopes of pitching in the postseason.

On Monday afternoon, Alex Anthopoulos went on 680 The Fan Radio and was asked about Suarez. While Alex did not guarantee anything, he said it was “highly likely” that Suarez would be activated to the active roster “relatively soon,” perhaps on Wednesday or Thursday.

Alex also mentioned that Suarez, who is currently on the 60-day IL, will need a roster spot opened for his return. My guess would be Owen Murphy, who does not seem very likely to be in the Braves’ postseason mix and has options. But we will see.

Regardless, the healthy return of Suarez would be a major development for the Braves as they make final preparations for the postseason. We will see how he looks whenever he gets his name called in a few days.

The 10 most important Red Sox players for the postseason, ranked originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Red Sox have officially clinched a postseason berth, completing one of the most improbable turnarounds in MLB history.

But the real test begins next week. After falling to the New York Yankees in last year’s Wild Card Series, Boston is looking to make a deeper October run this time around, and it looks like the Yankees will once again stand in the way.

It’s been a total team effort for Boston all season long, but the playoffs are where stars emerge and the margin for error becomes razor thin. While nearly everyone on the postseason roster will play a role, we’ve narrowed it down to the 10 players who could have the biggest impact on how far this team goes.

Here are the 10 most important — not necessarily the best — Red Sox players for the 2026 playoffs:

1. Payton Tolle, SP

What a difference a year makes. Last year, Tolle experienced growing pains in his first MLB stint and pitched just 1/3 of an inning in the Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium. This time, he’s coming off an exceptional rookie campaign with a chance to start Game 1 in the Bronx.

Tolle will enter the postseason with momentum on his side. The 23-year-old tallied 12 strikeouts while allowing just one run in six innings against Baltimore. He followed that up with six shutout innings against Kansas City, including an immaculate inning to begin the game.

If Tolle continues to perform at this level, he’ll give the Red Sox another frontline starter who can match up against other teams’ aces. He’s the pitcher with the greatest opportunity to change the trajectory of this postseason roster.

If the Red Sox make a deep postseason run, it’ll be because their rookie left-hander delivered each time he took the mound on the big stage.

2. Sonny Gray, SP

We’re sticking with pitching, because pitching is what propelled this Red Sox club to a postseason berth in the first place.

If Tolle is No. 1, it would be silly not to put Gray right behind him at No. 2. The 36-year-old veteran stabilized the rotation in the wake of Garrett Crochet’s injury. He was signed to be the No. 3 starter behind Crochet and Ranger Suarez, but he performed like an ace with a 17-5 record and a 2.82 ERA in 28 starts.

Now, Boston will lean on Gray and his big-game experience to lead the staff in October. Even if he doesn’t start Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, Gray will play a huge role in any postseason success.

3. Roman Anthony, LF/DH

The top position player on our list is the 22-year-old many expected to anchor Boston’s lineup and produce an MVP-caliber season in 2026. Instead, Anthony spent most of the year on the injured list and has largely struggled in the 50 games he’s been healthy. We know what the former No. 1 prospect is capable of, however, and he’ll significantly raise the Red Sox’ ceiling if he plays up to his potential in the postseason.

The Red Sox will lean heavily on their pitching staff throughout the playoffs, but Anthony is the X-factor in the lineup. This is a completely different club when he gets hot.

All it will take is a signature postseason moment for Red Sox fans to forget about the disappointing start to Anthony’s young career.

4. Ranger Suarez, SP

OK, back to pitching. A big reason the Red Sox signed Suarez to a five-year, $130 million contract in free agency is that he has a stellar postseason track record. The 31-year-old boasts a 1.48 ERA across 11 playoff appearances (eight starts) with the Philadelphia Phillies.

The only reason he isn’t higher on this list is we project him to be the No. 3 starter, which means we won’t even see him if the Sox get swept out of the Wild Card Series. If Boston advances, another strong postseason from Suarez will be critical for their World Series chances.

5. Wilyer Abreu, RF

Abreu is one of Boston’s best all-around players, but he’s a streaky hitter. The Red Sox’ mediocre offense can’t afford for him to go cold in the postseason, so he’s an incredibly important piece if they hope to make a deep run.

When he’s hot, Abreu’s bat is elite. He leads the American League with 36 doubles along with 24 homers in 151 games.

As important as his bat will be, Abreu’s Gold Glove defense in right field will also be a difference-maker. Postseason games can come down to one defensive miscue, and Abreu has earned a reputation as one of the best defensive right fielders in baseball.

If Abreu can give the Red Sox consistent at-bats and quality defense, he can quietly become one of the most impactful players on the roster over an entire series.

6. Willson Contreras, 1B

We’ve got the Venezuelan sluggers back-to-back. Contreras has been the Red Sox’ most consistent bat all season, and he’ll be leaned on heavily in the heart of the lineup throughout the playoffs.

Unlike most of Boston’s lineup, Contreras will enter the Wild Card Series with plenty of postseason experience. He won a World Series with the 2016 Chicago Cubs and has 30 playoff games under his belt in total.

With a team-high 27 homers, Contreras will be counted on to supply the Red Sox lineup with power throughout their playoff run. If he goes cold, there will be even more pressure on guys like Anthony, Abreu, and the player who’s next up on our list to get runs on the board.

7. Adley Rutschman, C

Rutschman will need to step it up offensively, but his importance goes beyond his bat because of his position. One could argue the role he plays behind the plate is even more crucial.

As Boston’s starting catcher, Rutschman will be responsible for managing the pitching staff through almost every postseason game, meaning he’ll be involved on almost every pitch thrown. There’s also a significant downgrade at catcher if he goes down with an injury, with only Connor Wong and Mickey Gasper as his potential backups.

For the Red Sox to make it far, Rutschman has to be more than just a productive hitter; he must also work seamlessly with the rotation and bullpen while living up to his reputation as one of the best defensive backstops in the league.

8. Aroldis Chapman, CP

Having a closer who can slam the door shut gives clubs a huge advantage come postseason time. The Red Sox are fortunate to have arguably the best of the bunch.

While Chapman wasn’t otherworldly in 2026 like he was in 2025, he still was elite with a 1.95 ERA in 52 appearances. He’ll look to limit free passes after watching his walk rate jump from 2.2 to 4.1 BB/9 over last year. If he does that, Boston can effectively shorten games by having him available for the ninth inning. He can also single-handedly lose games, automatically making him one of the club’s most important players for the postseason.

9. Garrett Whitlock, RP

Boston’s bullpen is perhaps its biggest strength heading into the postseason, and that’s because of the Whitlock/Chapman combo at the back end. Whitlock has been an elite set-up man with a 1.75 ERA and 0.877 WHIP across 53 appearances this season.

Starters typically have shorter outings in the playoffs, so we could see the Red Sox turn to Whitlock early and often throughout October if they advance past the Wild Card Series. He’s the reliever Boston will count on to mow down the heart of an opposing lineup in a high-leverage situation. That could be the difference between a win and a loss, and that’s why Whitlock makes the top 10 over some other very important players.

10. Ceddanne Rafaela, CF

Rafaela rounds out our top 10 most important Red Sox players for the postseason, but don’t let his ranking fool you. With elite defense in center field and a bat that made a significant leap this season, he can be considered another X-factor for this club in the playoffs.

If Boston makes a deep run, there’s a good chance we’ll get at least one signature Rafaela moment. The 26-year-old has a knack for coming up big in the clutch, whether it’s with a timely extra-base hit or a mind-blowing catch in center field.

Rafaela’s glaring absence during his time on the injured list with a quad injury has highlighted his importance to this club. If he’s back to full strength in time for the playoffs, that’ll give the Red Sox a major boost.

Honorable mentions: 3B Caleb Durbin, SS Trevor Story, LF/DH Jarren Duran, RP Erik Miller, RP Tyron Guerrero, P Brayan Bello and P Jake Bennett.

They didn’t crack the top 10, but that doesn’t mean they won’t have huge roles in October.

Durbin completely changes the outlook of the offense when he’s hitting. He’s also been an elite defensive third baseman all season long.

Story has been one of Boston’s best hitters since returning from the injured list. There’s no guarantee that’ll carry over into the playoffs, but he’ll at least have to be adequate defensively as the team’s starting shortstop.

Duran had a 2026 to forget, and with Anthony in left field and Mickey Gasper likely at DH, he’ll probably spend a fair amount of time on the bench. Still, he’s the type of player who can change a game with one swing, and his speed is a huge factor.

Miller and Guerrero will have major roles at the back end of the bullpen. Bello (if he makes the roster) and Bennett will be leaned on as bulk relievers. Miller has struggled lately, Guerrero is returning from injury, Bello is unproven in the playoffs, and we haven’t seen Bennett come out of the ‘pen.

We’re nearly there folks. The Yankees have just seven games left in the regular season, with only the thinnest of hopes at the division title left. The Rays will eliminate the Yankees from AL East contention with a combinationwin and a Yankees loss, and with the four-game set between the two about to kick off in the middle of this week that means that New York would essentially have to run the table from here to steal away the division crown. Their most recent outing in Arizona was a letdown as they lost two of three and had some self-inflicted wounds that prevented them from taking the middle game, but truth be told the Yankees have played well overall, owning one of the best records post-Deadline of any American League team — the only problem is the Rays have been a hair better than them through that same stretch, preventing them from gaining any ground whatsoever.

The good news is that the Yankees’ lead over Boston is as secure as the Rays’ lead over them, with a 5.5 game advantage plus the tiebreaker entering the final week of play. That all but assures that they’ll be playing the Wild Card Round at Yankee Stadium, but their fate is still largely up in the air for how far they can go. Aaron Judge’s immediate future is a question mark after he strained his calf trying to get involved without rehab games down the stretch, Ryan Weathers won’t be getting into any of these last regular season games, and Clarke Schmidt was unavailable for precautionary measures over the weekend. What are the Yankees going to do with Judge, and would it be safer to just shut him down? Can they make it far without him if they do or if he misses a significant amount of October? And can they survive the gauntlet run against Boston and Tampa regardless of who is available? If you have questions like these, or anything else on your mind, send ‘em in for a chance to be featured in our Yankees mailbag.

Answers will run on Friday afternoon. All questions received by the night of September 24th will be considered. You can leave your submissions in the comment section below or by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.

The Mariners are not the worst team in baseball anymore.

That hasn’t always been obvious these last few months. The Mariners have been terrible in the second half of the season. They’ve confirmed a losing record for the first time since 2021 and are all but eliminated from contention. In fact, they’ve been so bad one could fairly argue they were underdogs going into their recent series against the lowly A’s and Angels — they lost all three series. I even went so far as to say they were a push against the Rockies over the weekend. And that wound up being a fair assessment. They won the series but walked away with an even run differential at 10 runs scored and allowed.

Still, I have to give credit where it’s due. The series did move the Mariners ahead of the Rockies by WAR since the All-Star break. They are now merely the second worst team in the majors in the second half:

Now, all of my league-worst doomsaying generally comes down to these WAR leaderboards. If we look at actual wins and losses, the Mariners are more like the sixth worst team in the majors in the second half, and not all that notable in a historic context. There’s reasons for this discrepancy, and WAR isn’t always the best at capturing the nuance in team-level performance in small (going on medium) samples.

But I think it’s worth understanding just how bad the Mariners look from this “true talent” perspective. This isn’t just a normal slump that every team goes through at some point in the season. This is the worst the Mariners have played in a half season this century:

The 2026 team is right there with the 2008 and 2010 teams by WAR in the second half. Again, both those teams lost far more games in either half, but it’s notable that the 2026 squad is comparable.

Now, “half” seasons are a misnomer. The split you see at FanGraphs or Baseball Reference simply denotes where the All-Star break divided the season in two, rather than equal 81-game stretches. For instance, the Mariners played 74 games in the second half of 2010, while they’ll only play 65 games in the second half of this year. In other words, on a rate basis, the Mariners aren’t nearly as bad in this second half as they were in those years.

Let’s account for this. I found every team’s half-season WAR and found the percentile and z-score within each half season. This way, we kind of sidestep the sample size question and think of these figures as relative to the rest of the league and half season. From that view, this is somewhere between the second and fourth worst stretch of baseball the Mariners have played this century.

What makes 2026 weird, of course, is the Mariners were actually pretty good in the first half. Sure, they were disappointing in many ways, but they ultimately ranked seventh in WAR and had a decent run differential. It wouldn’t have been surprising to see them surge in the second half, or at least maintain a frustrating relationship to .500. That would have been a totally normal shape for the season to take.

Instead, we got this:

Again, the Mariners are second worst team by WAR in the second half of 2026, behind only the Rockies. I looked into how rare it is for a team to collapse like this. In terms of raw WAR, the Mariners 16-WAR drop between halves is the ninth largest this century. That figure contains a few teams, like the 2018 Astros, who went from “best ever” to merely elite. If we instead look at change in z-score, the Mariners collapse is the sixth largest this century. And if we look at percentile change — i.e., the drop from seventh to 29th — the collapse is the third largest. We don’t see something like this every year:

That’s to say, no matter how you cut it, 2026 represents both 1) some of the worst baseball the Mariners have played this century, and 2) one of the largest collapses in true talent we’ve seen from any team this century.

The reason isn’t complicated. The Mariners have been dreadful — truly dreadful — on the mound. They have a total of 0.6 WAR from their pitching staff in the second half, which ranks last by nearly a full win. Their starters have posted 1.7 WAR (29th) and their relievers have posted -1.1 (obviously 30th). August was arguably the worst pitching month in team history, and the Mariners have never been outscored by more runs.

Of course, the reason the Mariners were competitive in the first half is because their rotation was the very best in the majors by WAR. And while the bullpen was always somewhat shaky, they could avoid their worst options by getting seven innings a night from their starters. They were a top five pitching group overall in the first half. It doesn’t matter how you sort it, this is far and away the largest pitching collapse this century. We’ve never seen such excellence followed by such… whatever you want to call it.

It’s hard to know exactly how much to blame the pitching, because the Mariners on defense are easily the worst fielding group in the majors in the second half. They were in the first half, too, but they’ve somehow gotten even worse. Since the All-Star break, they are in last by Fielding Run Value at catcher, third base, and shortstop. They are next to last at second base. The only position they’ve gotten positive value from is first base.

The Mariners lineup hasn’t even been that bad. They currently rank ninth by batting runs in the second half, with a broadly acceptable 103 wRC+. But for a team that largely punted defense to maximize offense, that’s not quite enough to reach even the median. The Mariners position players rank 18th in the second half by WAR, essentially unchanged from the first half.

I’ll leave you with a final plot: 

This shows second half WAR (by z-score) on the x axis and next season WAR on the y axis. The Mariners second half WAR in 2026 is represented by the red line. 

We can see a somewhat linear relationship between the points, meaning second half performance is generally indicative of next year performance. We can also see it’s rare for a team to play as bad as the Mariners have in the second half and then go on to be good, much less great, the next year. This is why the depth of the Mariners recent failure is concerning. What we’ve seen is not just bad baseball but a symptom of a bad baseball team. And it’s not easy to go from a bad baseball team to a good baseball team in an offseason.

That said, a bounce back is not without precedence. The only team this century to go from a bottom five team in the second half to a top five team the next year is the Red Sox. They did it twice, once from 2006 to 2007, and once from 2012 to 2013. They won the World Series both years.

After a promising start to the season (remember when the Rockies went 13-14 in April?), the Rockies are one loss away from their fifth straight 100-plus-loss season. That’s largely due to a 7-25 skid since Aug. 17.

With Colorado (57-99) hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks (82-74) in its home finale Tuesday through Thursday, it’s hard to tune in with much optimism or interest right now. However, whether you plan on going to 20th and Blake to catch one last game or you’ll be tuning into Rockies.TV or KOA radio, here are some individual milestones and bright spots to look for in the final action at Coors Field in 2026.

Bark at the Park

With temperatures projected to be in the low 80s and high 70s, it’s a perfect time to bring out the dogs to Coors Field! Both Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s games will feature canines of all shapes and sizes participating in the pre-game parade for the annual Bark at the Park games. Regardless of what’s happening on the field, it’s aways fun to see the Simba Cam and how Ryan Spilborghs will interact with the dogs and fans in the stands.

K-Free’s final start as a Rockie at Coors?

131 Games over 10 seasons.

687 innings pitched.

Through the ups and downs, Kyle Freeland has been there for the Rockies. In those 131 games at Coors Field, which include 128 starts, Freeland has gone 40-40 with a 4.97 ERA and 538 strikeouts.

When he takes the mound on Tuesday against the Diamondbacks, it’s possible that it could be his last start as a Rockie at Coors Field. While Freeland, 33, has certainly had his share of struggles this year and in his career, this season he’s recorded four quality starts, including the first complete game in his career — an 8-1 win over Kansas City in the Mile High City on Aug. 2.

This season marks the end of Freeland’s five-year, $64.5 million deal. His future is unknown, and he could certainly be re-signed to stay with his hometown team. The majority of the Purple Row community believes that will be the case. Either way, it’s worth noting the history that might happen on Tuesday.

McCarthy’s triples and on-base streak

One of the most fun and exciting additions to the 2026 Rockies has been Jake McCarthy. Not only has he stepped up to be a great leadoff hitter, but his speed and ability to come up with clutch hits have made the Rockies a bigger threat at the plate.

The first thing to watch with McCarthy is to see if he can continue his on-base streak through the final homestand. McCarthy has currently reached base 22 games in a row, which is a career high for the former Diamondback. What a way to show the team that traded him what they are missing by stretching that to 25 games?

McCarthy hit a triple on Sunday against Seattle to extend his 22-game streak.

The 13th three-bagger of the year is currently the second-most in MLB behind Arizona’s Corbin Carroll, who has 16. McCarthy’s 13 triples are one shy of tying Charlie Blackmon (2017) for the second-most in a single season and only two behind Dexter Fowler’s single-season franchise best 15 in 2010. Nine of McCarthy’s triples have come at home this season. In an even deeper dive, McCarthy’s six triples during his 22-game on-base streak make him the third Rockie with six or more triples in a 22-game span in franchise history, joining Fowler (2011 and 2012) and Juan Uribe (2001).

The final thing to watch is McCarthy’s batting average. Entering the Arizona series, McCarthy is batting .297, which ranks No. 8 in MLB and No. 6 in the National League. Maybe McCarthy can take advantage of the spacious outfield at Coors Field by adding a triple or two and increasing his batting average.

Rumfield’s 24-game streak, AVG and OBP

Perhaps it’s fitting that during the same season that Todd Helton’s statue was unveiled at 20th and Blake, the Rockies seem to have found their first baseman of the future. Rumfield has proved to be the hitter the Rockies needed as a tough out who always finds a way to get on base.

Rumfield drew his 71st walk of the season to extend his on-base streak to 24 games on Sunday. On Saturday, Rumfield went 2-for-4 with an RBI and one run scored to help the Rockies beat Seattle 5-3.

Rumfield’s 24 games is the longest active streak in the Majors. It is also the longest on-base streak by a Rockie since Tyler Freeman’s 25-game streak, June 13-July 12, 2025.

Going into Tuesday, Rumfield is batting .300./.392/.451 with 71 walks and 85 strikeouts. His batting average is No. 7 in MLB and No. 5 in the National League, while his OBP is third-best in MLB and second in the National League behind Milwaukee’s Jake Bauers (.397). His numbers put him into tiers with veteran All-Stars like Jordan Alvarez and Luis Arraez, which is all the more impressive considering he’s a rookie. If he can finish hitting above .300, it will be the first time for a Rockie since Nolan Arenado (.315) and Trevor Story (.314) did it in 2019.

Then take McCarthy and Rumfield together. They are the first pair of Rockies to have an active on-base streak of at least 20 games at the same time since Charlie Blackmon (22g) and Elehuris Montero (26g) in 2023.

Goodman reaching the 40-HR milestone

Last season, Goodman had an outstanding year with 31 homers, 91 RBIs and hitting .278/.323/.520 in his first All-Star campaign. This season, he returned to the All-Star Game and enters the final homestand hitting .245/.312/.528 with 39 homers and 82 RBIs.

It would be so fitting for Goodman to hit his 40th home run at Coors Field to close out 2026. If he can hit the 40-HR milestone, whether it’s at home or in the final series of 2026 at the Chicago White Sox, Goodman will become the first Rockie to hit 40 homers since Arenado hit 41 in 2019.

It might be a long shot for Goodman to hit his 40th at Coors Field since only 16 of his 39 have come at home. But anything could happen, especially considering No. 39 came on Sunday vs. the Mariners, even though it was his first Coors Field homer since Aug. 1 vs. Kansas City.

Final thoughts

Despite the Rockies going out with a whimper instead of a bang, the end of a season can be a bittersweet feeling as it’s never fun when baseball is over. With 100 losses seeming unavoidable, at least there are some smaller, individual things to watch for.

What are you excited about in the final three games at Coors this season? Anything you’re hoping to see? Let us know in the comments!

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

It was a very scary moment during Sunday’s game against the Reds when Michael Busch hit a foul ball that Alex Bregman was unable to avoid as he warmed up on deck. Al already summarized what we know from the injury (and there likely won’t be another update until tomorrow due to today’s off day), but an uneasy question remains.

With six games remaining in the regular season and the Cubs one game from clinching a berth in the Wild Card round, today we need to take a closer look at what the Cubs offense and defense might look like if they are without their star third baseman for any length of time.

Even writing that sucks, a lot. After some early season struggles at the plate, Bregman is currently the second best hitter on the Cubs and it’s not particularly close. As I detailed less than a week ago, he’s been the second best hitter in all of baseball since the All Star Game, behind likely National League MVP, Pete Crow-Armstrong. Those numbers have shifted slightly since last week, with Fernando Tatis Jr. inching ahead of Bregman via fWAR in the last few games, but it’s still a potentially huge loss for any team.

It may be an even bigger loss for the 2026 Cubs than it would be for other teams in the Postseason hunt. The Cubs competitive edge is built almost entirely on elite offense and defense. You can see how the Cubs rank in a number of categories below:

It’s old news at this point, but the reason the Cubs are where they are in the standings is their bats and their gloves. The pitching has been questionable at the best moments and that success is built on the ability of the Cubs defenders to turn weak contact into outs while outscoring their opponents. The former is what allows them to win games where they are giving up way more runs than they should.

Bregman isn’t just a team leader. He isn’t merely the big free agent signing who has set the tone for the Cubs. He’s their second-best hitter since the All-Star break, and their third best hitter during the 2026 season (behind Seiya Suzuki). He’s their fourth best defender this season (behind PCA, Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner). So let’s just stipulate up front that if the Cubs need to replace Bregman it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to replicate that production. Below are select stats for all of the Cubs who have at least 180 plate appearances in 2026:

The most obvious solution is a combination of Pedro Ramírez and Matt Shaw filling in at third base. In limited sample sizes, Ramírez has hit .350/.409/.575 with a wRC+ of 172 in 44 plate appearances against left-handed pitching. Shaw has hit .273/.367/.468 with a wRC+ of 132 against lefties. The results have not been as good against righties for either hitter. Ramírez is slashing .247/.305/.385 with a wRC+ of 89 in 201 plate appearances against righties while Shaw is slashing .205/.295/.373 with a wRC+ of 86 in 97 plate appearances against righties.

Neither is in the same category of defender as Bregman, who should compete for his second Gold Glove this season. You can see the OAA leaderboard from Statcast below:

It’s definitely not ideal, but winning baseball seasons always have a curveball or two. Here’s hoping the Cubs receive good news on Bregman after more tests are run and he’s able to rejoin the team quickly. In the meantime, it’s quite the opportunity for a couple of the Cubs young infielders to make their mark on a Cubs Postseason run. If he can’t play himself, I imagine no one will be cheering for Pedro and Shaw more than Bregman.

Officials with Fifth Third Bank and the Detroit Tigers held a press conference on Monday afternoon to announce a new name for Comerica Park. Back on February 2, Fifth Third Bancorp completed its merger with Comerica Incorporated. The latter’s absorption into Fifth Third immediately prompted the question about future naming rights for the Detroit Tigers’ ballpark. That question was answered today, as starting in 2027, Comerica Park will be re-named Fifth Third Park.

In a sense, this keeps things in the family. The Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens play at Fifth Third Field. From 2000-2021, the Tigers’ High-A affiliate, the West Michigan Whitecaps, played at Fifth Third Ballpark in Comstock Park, Michigan, until it was re-named LMCU Ballpark.

We could’ve hoped for something like Tigers Stadium at Fifth Third Park, or Mike Ilitch Field at Fifth Third Park, but instead it’s the most basic name possible. We’ll get used to it, but “Fifth Third” just doesn’t roll off the tongue. It sounds more like an exercise for people trying to cure a lisp, but here we are. Fans tend to find their own way to a nickname, but we’ll see if anyone comes up with a slightly more workable option.

In other news, first baseman and former prospect Jace Jung reportedly has a locker in the Tigers clubhouse as of today. It looks like he’ll get to join the team for the final week of the season, earning a bit of a thank you check after being stuck in Triple-A all year. He’s on the 40-man roster anyway, so perhaps he’ll just take Troy Melton’s active roster spot for the final week after Melton left Sunday night’s game in Chicago with tightness in his right forearm.

Comerica Park has 25 years of memories in it through Tigers baseball and various concerts people have attended over the year, as well as via the buildup of the surrounding entertainment district. This is a new chapter, but as some Olde English guy once wrote, “what’s in a name?” Ultimately, all that matters is how the Detroit Tigers play in Fifth Third Park.