Jul 24, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryce Miller (50) comes out of the game during the sixth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Like a child in a Victorian workhouse, we sup on the thin gruel of this game preview in dim hopes it will sustain us through another punishing day of watching the 2026 Seattle Mariners. I think I’d rather have my hand caught in a spinning jenny.
Heads up: today’s game is on ESPN. Because that’s exactly what this team needs: National Exposure.
Lineups:
Here is today’s lineup graphic with today’s load-bearing Randy Arozarena picture:
News:
LHP Gabe Speier was not available last night due to back tightness; he remains day-to-day and his availability for tonight’s game is in question.
Reinforcements for the beleaguered bullpen gets closer. Carlos Vargas made his second rehab outing for Triple-A Tacoma last night; he’s expected to make one more rehab appearance before rejoining the team.
Carlos Vargas throws a scoreless 4th inning in his 2nd rehab appearance. 1IP, 2H, 0R, 0BB, K, 17 pitches, 12 strikes. Fastball topped out at 98.2mph. pic.twitter.com/pvlN3am1tH
The Mariners have claimed former UW catcher Willie MacIver on waivers from the Blue Jays. He’ll report to Tacoma. This is their second waiver claim this week; on Monday they claimed RHP Nolan Kingham off waivers from the Rangers.
Not news, particularly, but Nice, and heaven knows we all need that right now:
HOOVER, AL - MAY 21: Infielder Justin LeBron #1 of the Alabama Crimson Tide watches the ball as he starts toward first base during the SEC Baseball Tournament Quarterfinals game between Florida Gators and Alabama Crimson Tide on May 21, 2026, at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama.(Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Cincinnati Reds used the 18th pick of the 2026 MLB Draft to select shortstop Justin Lebron out of the University of Alabama, a player who actually entered the 2026 season for the SEC powerhouse as a potential #1 overall pick.
Things didn’t go quite as well for him during his final season in Tuscaloosa, but he still flashed all the skills in the world you’d need to go off the board as one of the first 30 picks. The Reds chose to look past the adjustments made against him during SEC play and focus on the tools – power, speed, incredible bat speed, and the athleticism to play shortstop for the rest of his career – and their confidence in him is already showing as he makes his professional debut.
Cincinnati didn’t send the 21 year old to Daytona to begin things down in the Florida State League. Rather, they chose to begin him at High-A Dayton with the Dragons, where he made his debut on Tuesday night.
Lebron backed up their confidence with a 2-hit game, both of which came on hard-hit balls to the pull side – the second of which went for a double. He also scored a run as part of a 2 for 5 day.
He’s part of an overall infield that’s oozing with talent, as 2nd round pick Eric Becker has slotted in at 2B and Top 5 prospect Tyson Lewis is manning 3B for the Dragons. If you’re in central Ohio for the last month of the season, you should absolutely find your way to Dayton to check that group out.
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 11: Will Warren #29 of the New York Yankees looks on during the game against the Seattle Mariners at Yankee Stadium on August 11, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Yankees are doing a decent enough job putting wins on the board even if they’re not doing it with much dash. It took them until the seventh inning last night to push any runs across the board, but those four runs were enough to give the club the win over the Mariners. Now the team can lock up their third series win of the last four with a victory tonight, although hopefully one that sees a little more juice from the hitters.
Will Warren gets the ball for the Yankees, in the down cycle of a mercurial season. Over the last two months he’s run an ERA over 5.20, and the really tough bit is that when Warren’s off, he’s off. In his last 10 starts he’s completed six innings just once while failing to finish five four times, and allowing 5+ earned runs three times. The Mariners’ offensive ineptitude has been well-documented, so we have a bit of weakness vs. weakness going tonight.
Bryce Miller counters for the M’s, having a solid enough season after starting the year IL’d with an oblique injury. A 3.08 ERA/3.38 FIP in 14 games, 13 of them starts, makes for a tough assignment for the Yankees, but an elevated home run rate in one of baseball’s best home run parks catches the eye. Miller’s 1.38 HR/9 could be just the tonic this thin lineup needs.
Speaking of the lineup, Spencer Jones bats third now! George Lombard Jr. finds himself all the way down in ninth, while Ben Rice is DH’ing with Luis García Jr. playing first and cleaning up. Take note this is a national game, so we’ll see you on ESPN.
How to watch
Location: Yankee Stadium — The Bronx, NY
First pitch: 7:05 pm ET
TV broadcast: ESPN/ESPN App
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY), Seattle Sports 710 AM (SEA)
CLEVELAND, OH - AUGUST 06: Cleveland Guardians pitcher Foster Griffin (22) leaves the field following the fourth inning of the Major League Baseball interleague game between the New York Mets and Cleveland Guardians on August 6, 2026, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Detroit Tigers center fielder Max Clark (15) looks on before taking the field for the fourth inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
Detroit Tigers (59-60) vs. Cleveland Guardians (58-62)
Time/Place: 6:40 p.m., Comerica Park SB Nation Site:Covering the Corner Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network Pitching Matchup: LHP Framber Valdez (7-7, 4.17 ERA) vs. LHP Foster Griffin (12-4, 3.31 ERA)
When the Red Sox were winning 15 straight, and later nine straight, an — all told — 35 of 43 games over a seven-week stretch, everyone knew the utterly unsustainable run would eventually come to an end.
The question, simply, was how severe would the correction be?
The answer, five games into this new reality, is quite severe.
The latest loss — Boston’s fifth straight — came Wednesday night in Toronto, in a game that was fairly even through seven innings. The first seven innings featured Willson Contreras snapping out of his cold streak with a game-tying solo homer in the fifth inning, Wilyer Abreu authoring a top-10 web gem for the week, and Ranger Suarez allowing just one run over six innings.
The game also featured Ceddanne Rafaela unwisely trying to take two bases on a wild pitch, a decision which resulted in him being easily thrown out at third base by catcher Alejandro Kirk.
That was one mistake, though. And throughout the Red Sox’ stretch of seemingly endless wins, the team overcame numerous gaffes along the way.
This one, however, was compounded in the bottom of the eighth. With two on and nobody out, reliever Tyron Guerrero was able to induce a harmless foul pop-up from Kaz Okamoto for the first out of the inning.
But Contreras didn’t catch it.
And Okamoto sent the very next pitch into center field, breaking the 1-1 tie and plating two runs for Toronto.
Willson Contreras dropped a foul ball that would have been an infield fly rule if fair and Kazuma Okamoto immediately drove in the go-ahead run pic.twitter.com/hndvqzW5df
Guerrero, who’s historically struggled with command but has displayed great control all season, then walked Ernie Clement to give Toronto another run. Guerrero gave way to Alec Gamboa, who gave up a sacrifice fly before surrendering a back-breaking double to Myles Straw.
And just like that, a 1-1 tie was a 6-1 deficit for the Red Sox.
To that point, the Red Sox had been 3-for-39 (.077) with runners in scoring position dating back to Saturday’s game vs. the A’s, the day when the current losing streak started. They did manage to improve those numbers ever so slightly, with Caleb Durbin singling to center with runners on second and third before Jarren Duran ripped an RBI double in the top of the ninth. Closer Louis Varland was called upon, and Andruw Monasterio hit a sacrifice fly before Nick Sogard harmlessly grounded out to second base to end the game.
Improving the RISP batting average to .119 and making the final score 6-4 might have represented some positive progress for a Red Sox team that’s been scuffling for five straight days. Still, that’s a very minor moral victory on a night where things once again fell apart.
Contreras — who’s been the target of booing at Fenway Park and criticism from some corners of the media, all while battling through some physical ailments and illnesses — was once again at the center of this one. Had he simply caught the routine pop-up instead of trying to make the catch while spinning toward the runner at second, perhaps Guerrero would have settled down. Based on the fact that he has allowed a run in just five of his 30 appearances this year and allowed multiple runs just twice, the flamethrower’s record would suggest exactly that.
Instead, Guerrero unraveled, taking the Red Sox down with him.
The Red Sox have now been outscored 24-14 since Saturday, and the mistakes — whether it’s forgetting how many outs there are on the bases, Durbin making fielding errors, Monasterio missing balls at short, Contreras dropping pop-ups, Aroldis Chapman and Garrett Whitlock combining to turn wins into losses, Jake Bennett running out of gas, etc. — are piling up.
That’s not to suggest that the Red Sox played perfect baseball when they were winning 32 of 37 games. Far from it. Those Red Sox, though, found a new way to overcome the mistakes when they did pop up. These Red Sox seem stuck in some mud.
Combined with a Yankees win in New York, the Red Sox dropped to four games behind the Yankees for the top wild-card spot. Dreams of catching the Rays in the AL East — which may have been a bit aggressive to begin with — are now fully dashed, with Boston sitting 10 games behind Tampa Bay.
What the team seems to need more than anything is a break. They had last Monday off — the day of the trade deadline — but also spent it traveling back from a late-night West Coast game. Their last day off before that was July 23, and their next scheduled day off is next Thursday, Aug. 20.
The question, amid this sudden stretch of losing, is what position the Red Sox will be in before they welcome Rafael Devers (and perhaps Marcelo Mayer) and the San Francisco Giants to Fenway Park next weekend. At some point, they’re going to need to stop the bleeding. As it stands right now, they don’t appear to have any solutions.
Aug 12, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics second baseman Zack Gelof (20) looks on after hitting a home run against the Tampa Bay Rays in the eighth inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Athletics took on the Tampa Bay Rays in the series finale, hoping to avoid yet another sweep. The Rays left no doubt about which team was better, defeating the A’s 8-4 to complete the sweep and leave the A’s still searching for answers on how to pitch and win at Sutter Health Park.
Rays Strike First
The Rays began the top of the second inning with three straight hits, capped by second baseman Richie Palacios’ RBI single that put them up 1-0. Designated hitter Yandy Díaz brought the second run home on a slow dribbler, which A’s starter Jack Perkins errantly fielded. The right-hander stopped the bleeding by getting the next batter to ground into an inning-ending double play.
For a second straight inning, the A’s failed to capitalize after getting a runner on second with one out against Tampa Bay starter Drew Rasmussen. First baseman Tommy White once again made an out on the first pitch he saw. He needs to go back to Triple-A and learn some patience, as that is becoming a major weakness in his game.
The Rays rallied again in the third inning as Perkins allowed two more singles to begin the frame. With two outs, center fielder Cedric Mullins lined an RBI double to left, extending the visitors lead to 3-0. On that play, the A’s defense put together a nice relay to cut down the second runner, who was trying to score from first base.
A’s Comeback
In the bottom of the third, A’s left fielder Carlos Cortes lined a two-out, two-run double against Rasmussen, cutting the Rays’ lead to just one run.
Perkins was left in the game too long and immediately erased his team’s momentum. After getting the first two outs of the fourth inning, he fell apart, allowing three straight singles. The Rays were not done teeing off. Catcher Liam Hicks delivered the knockout punch with his third hit of the game. Hicks’ 16th home run of the season, a three-run shot to right-center, put Tampa Bay ahead 7-2.
Perkins should not be a starting pitcher any longer. Yes, he was facing a tough Rays lineup, but it is inexcusable to allow seven runs on 12 hits with only two strikeouts over five innings, particularly when his team is on the verge of being swept at home. The A’s should put Perkins back in the bullpen, where he had some success earlier this season.
Bullpen Time
Unlike Perkins, Rasmussen maintained his team’s momentum. He allowed two runs on just four hits over five innings. Left-handed reliever Steven Matz replaced him in the bottom of the sixth inning as the Rays turned to their rested bullpen to finish the game and complete the series sweep.
Speaking of relievers, left-hander Drew Rom made his A’s debut, tossing a scoreless sixth inning against the three best hitters in the Rays’ lineup. Scott Blewett followed with a second consecutive scoreless inning from an A’s reliever.
Small Positives
The struggles continued for freshly recalled A’s reliever Hayden Juenger, who allowed one run on two hits in the top of the eighth inning. The young right-hander showed poise by recording a strikeout and then inducing an inning-ending double play to escape a runners-on-the-corners, no-out jam. Fellow struggling youngster Seth Johnson bounced back from his Monday meltdown, pitching a scoreless inning in a less stressful situation with the A’s trailing by multiple runs.
The Athletics scored a couple consolation runs against Rays’ reliever Michael Grove in the bottom of that inning. With one out, second baseman Zack Gelof hit his 13th home run of the season and second in three games, a solo shot to left-center field.
Two batters later, right fielder Lawrence Butler joined Gelof in the home run column. His ninth home run of the season and second in as many days was a 426-foot solo shot to right-center field that cut the Green and Gold’s deficit to four runs.
Grove retired the side in order in the bottom of the ninth, securing the victory that completed a historic 9-0 West Coast road trip for the Rays, who are on a collision course for the top seed in the American League playoff bracket.
Meanwhile, the A’s are just attempting to finish this season on a good note. They still have not won a series at home since the week they spent as the home team at their Triple-A ballpark, meaning the drought in West Sacramento extends even further.
After receiving the day off tomorrow to reset, the Athletics will look to finally end that drought this weekend when they host the Texas Rangers for a three-game series. At the moment, neither team has announced its starter for Friday night’s series opener.
TORONTO, CANADA - JULY 19: Fans view the new Joe Carter statue in before the Toronto Blue Jays play he Chicago White Sox in their MLB game at the Rogers Centre on July 19, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Game #122. Forty games left after this on.
I think I’m going to use this picture for every Game Thread the rest of the season. It will save me the time I usually waste looking at the pictures we are allowed to use, trying to remember ‘did I use that one already’.
Might as well win the series today and go for the sweep tomorrow.
The Jays picked up Paul Sewald off waivers from Diamondbacks. He was DFAed because of a 6.23 ERA, caused by a .228/.278/.530 batting line against. He gave up 12 home runs in 39 innings, which seems like a lot. But, nobody is DFAing their best pitchers. After selling off guys and watching guys get injured, it was down to you or me or Paul, and apparently you weren’t picking up the phone.
They say he’ll be with the team Friday.
To make room, Jake Bloss was called up to the major league roster and has been put on the 60-day IL.
Also catcher Willie MacIver was claimed by the Mariners. Willie was having a pretty good season for the Bisons, hitting .270/.344/.460 in 60 games.
Tonight we get to see Jose Soriano make his second start for the Jays. We could use him going more than the 4.2 innings he did last time.
And Kazuma Okamoto is back in the lineup, in the DH spot. McAdoo leads off again and plays third again. Brett Bateman is in right, which Straw in center.
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 11: Nico Hoerner #2 of the Chicago Cubs steals second base against Nasim Nuñez #26 of the Washington Nationals during the ninth inning at Nationals Park on August 11, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After dropping a hard fought contest in game one, the Nats will look to even the series tonight against the Cubs. It will be a tough task, as the Cubs offense looked like a well oiled machine last night. The Nats will have a new face trying to shut down this offense, with Jackson Kent making his debut.
With another lefty on the mound for the Cubs, it will be the same nine guys for the Nats. However, Andrew Pinckney will move up in the lineup for this contest. The Nats have been strong against LHP this season, and will look to keep that up. As mentioned, lefty Jackson Kent will be making his debut. The Illinois kid will be making his debut against his hometown team.
With a lefty on the mound, the Cubs have made two tweaks. Tyrone Taylor will replace Ian Happ in left field. The other change is at DH, where rookie Pedro Ramirez will replace veteran Michael Conforto. After being traded mid-season, long time Met David Peterson is a Cub now. The Nats have seen a lot of Peterson over the years.
Last night was a good battle between two elite offenses. I would expect more of the same in this one, though hopefully Kent has more success than Jake Irvin did. It is a tough opening assignment for the 23 year old lefty, and I am curious to see him in action. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 7: Zac Thornton #49 of the New York Mets pitches in the second inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on August 7, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Mets lineup
A.J. Ewing – LF Francisco Lindor – SS Bo Bichette – 3B Carson Benge – RF Luis Robert – CF Jared Young – 1B Francisco Alvarez – DH Brett Baty – 2B Luis Torrens – C
SP: Zac Thornton – LHP
Braves lineup
Ronald Acuna – RF Drake Baldwin – DH Matt Olson – 1B Ozzie Albies – 2B Michael Harris – CF Mauricio Dubon – SS Lane Thomas – LF Austin Riley – 3B Sean Murphy – C
SP: Tyler Mahle – RHP
Broadcast info
First pitch: 7:15 PM EDT TV: SNY Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 26: Casey Schmitt #10 of the San Francisco Giants between innings at Oracle Park on July 26, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Godofredo Vásquez/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Giants fans and fans across the country.
The San Francisco Giants employed one of the best second baseman in the Majors this year. They also traded that second baseman, Luis Arráez, at the deadline.
When the Giants made that trade, it seemed pretty clear who would be replacing Arráez next year: Casey Schmitt, who was in the midst of a breakout season before suffering a season-ending meniscus injury. And then, just a few hours later, the Giants swung a shocking trade for Marcelo Mayer.
And now I have no clue who the second baseman in 2027 will be.
It’s impossible to know right now, because the Giants don’t know right now. How Mayer, who is expected to debut in the next week or so, performs over the final weeks of the season will play a role. How both perform during Spring Training will play a role. Whether or not the Giants swing an offseason trade involving left-side infielders Matt Chapman or Willy Adames will play a role.
But it’s fun to speculate now, and see who you think has the inside track to the position, and who you think should hold down the role in 2027: Mayer or Schmitt?
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 7: Carmen Mlodzinski #50 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the first inning during the game against the New York Mets at PNC Park on August 7, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates are hoping to bounce back from their 2-0 loss in last night’s game, as they take on the Miami Marlins for the second contest of a three-game set.
The Pirates are trotting out Carmen Mlodzinski, who recently returned to the rotation earlier this month after Mitch Keller suffered a season-ending injury in his first start back in the rotation on August 7 against the New York Mets. Mlodzinski pitched three innings, giving up seven hits and five earned runs in a 6-4 loss. Perhaps there was some difficult adjusting back to the rotation that has vanished between then and now that can help the Pirates get back in the win column.
After last night’s shutout and scoring just one run since Sunday, the Pirates will have to battle against Janson Junk.
Junk, 30, is coming off a rough start of his own on August 6 against the Atlanta Braves. He pitched three innings, giving up five hits and two earned runs in an 11-3 loss at Truist Park. Junk pitched against the Pirates in 2025, and Pittsburgh was able to get the best of him. In four innings during a game back on June 9, 2025, Junk surrendered nine hits and five earned runs as the Buccos won 10-3. Pittsburgh hopes to have similar luck this time around.
Location: loanDepot Park, Miami, FL
Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh
Pitching Matchup: Carmen Mlodzinski (6-4, 3.51 ERA) vs. Janson Junk (5-7, 4.63 ERA)
BD community, this is your gameday thread for today’s game. Chime off in the comments section below.
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 11: Ronald Acuña Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves looks on in the seventh inning during the game against the New York Mets at Truist Park on August 11, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves may have lost the season series to the New York Mets, but a victory in tonight’s finale will earn them a much-needed series win following the series loss in the Bronx.
Take a look at today’s lineup – I don’t know about you, but I would’ve been pretty [heart eyes emoji] about this lineup on Opening Day:
Enough of the experiment (for now) – Walt Weiss has reinstated Ronald Acuña Jr. in the leadoff spot. He’ll also return to right field after DH’ing last night. He’ll trade spots with Drake Baldwin, who gets the day off from being behind the plate. Hitting third, Matt Olson could break the current four-way tie for the league’s HR lead with a couple more of his patented moonshots. Ozzie Albies hits cleanup followed by Michael Harris II. Mauricio Dubón gets the start at shortstop today and will bat sixth. LF Lane Thomas will hopefully live up to his lefty-crushing reputation as he bats seventh with Zac Thornton on the mound for the Mets. Austin Riley bats eighth, and Sean Murphy will serve as the battery mate for Tyler Mahle and hit ninth.
The New York Mets will also have last night’s catcher be their DH today – Francisco Alvarez remains in the lineup in the seven-hole. The top three in the order are also unchanged: AJ Ewing (LF), Francisco Lindor (SS), and Bo Bichette (3B). Carson Benge and Luis Robert Jr. swap so that Benge can hit cleanup. Jared Young and Brett Baty get the start at first and second base, respectively. Luis Torrens will bat ninth and catch for Thornton.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 06: Dustin May #21 of the Milwaukee Brewers pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first inning at American Family Field on August 06, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Although it’s August, the divisional races are starting to heat up; with these last couple of wins for San Diego, they find themselves in the mix for a Wild Card. For the Brewers, the heat has intensified with these last two losses; the Chicago Cubs now find themselves 4.0 games behind for first place.
With arguably one of the biggest series of the year looming with the Los Angeles Dodgers this weekend, the Brewers look to salvage the final game of the series with the Padres with Dustin May on the mound.
May will be making his second start in a Brewers uniform after having a stellar first outing a week ago. He’ll try to build upon his six innings of two-run ball, with five strikeouts, in what feels like a must-need similar outing today.
Thankfully, the Brewers caught a break this afternoon as it came out that Pat Murphy misspoke when talking about injuries last night, stating that it was Jackson Chourio who hurt his thumb and not Brice Turang. With already a roughed-up infield, a blow to Turang on the right side would not have been ideal. However, Chourio is back in the lineup today, batting leadoff, and playing in left field. Also returning from injury is shortstop Joey Ortiz, who will look to fill a much-needed hole in the infield as Turang can slide back to second base.
Pat Murphy says he misspoke last night. It’s Jackson Chourio who is dealing with a sore thumb, not Brice Turang. Both are in today’s lineup at this particular point in time.
Other notable moves in the lineup is Jake Bauers will be in left field today, as Andrew Vaughn takes over at first base, and Luis Lara and Christian Yelich will be riding the pine in today’s series finale.
First pitch is 3:10 p.m., and you can find the game on Brewers.TV and WTMJ 620.
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 11: Jacob Young #30 of the Washington Nationals hits a home run against the Chicago Cubs during the second inning at Nationals Park on August 11, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With the most runs in all of baseball, the Nats have had a lot of offensive success stories this season. You could argue that Jacob Young made the biggest transformation out of anyone though. The defensive minded center fielder entered the season with just 5 career homers despite having near everyday reps the last two seasons. This year he has already hit double digits after a 427 foot bomb last night.
This offseason, adding power was a real focus for Young. He went to Driveline to improve his bat path and exit velocities. Between that instruction and the work by the Nats hitting coaches, Young has made tremendous strides at the plate while maintaining his elite defense. His OPS has gone from .583 to .719 thanks mostly to slugging. Young’s OBP is only up 16 points, but his slugging percentage has increased a whopping 120 points.
After yesterday’s game I asked Young if reaching double figures in home runs was a goal for him. Young said that was not really a goal he was looking at. Instead, he said he was working on “The internal goals of getting the ball in the air more, hitting it harder and chasing less. The home runs are just a byproduct of that”.
This is the ultimate Toboni era answer, at least in my opinion. Part of what the new regime is trying to instill is a process driven mindset. With the energetic Jacob Young, they have an eager Guinea Pig. The Nats center fielder is always looking to get better. Last season it was his infamous muscle gain before the season. However, with the new regime, he is now being led in the right direction.
On the broadcast Dan Kolko said something revealing after Young hit his home run. He said that Young reaching double digits in the home run column was “Pretty awesome for a guy who was told to hit the ball on the ground quite a bit”. This was pretty clearly a dig at the old regime who wanted Young to be a more prototypical slap hitter.
Jacob Young crushes his 10th HR and Dan Kolko appears to diss the old hitting coach (Darnell Coles) and manager (Davey Martinez) about hitting groundballs. pic.twitter.com/tst4hdF9lV
The data also backs up Kolko’s claim. Young’s average launch angle has risen from 3.8 degrees to 11 degrees. That means he is trying to lift the ball more and is up to do damage rather than slap ground balls. The steeper bat path has predictably lowered his ground ball rate significantly. In 2024 and 2025, Young had an identical 56.5% ground ball rate. Among qualified hitters, Young had the 7th highest ground ball rate last year, and that appears to be by design.
This season, that number has dropped to 40.6%, a nearly 16 point dip. Young is actually hitting the ball on the ground slightly less than the average hitter. A lot of Nats players have seen a dip in ground ball rate this year under hitting coach Matt Borgschulte. However, nobody has evolved as drastically as Young.
While Young is having a breakout offensive season, it has not been a totally linear progression. The Nats center fielder looked like his normal light hitting self through April, even if he had already hit two homers matching his 2025 total. However, the changes he made really seemed to click in May. He shockingly hit 5 homers that month and by May 20th, he had more homers in the 2026 season than he had his entire career before this year.
However, Young took a major step back at the plate in June, hitting just .186 with one homer. Young said the big problem that month was the fact he was chasing too much. The staff showed him the alarming data and talked to him about his approach right before the All-Star Break.
Something must have clicked during that conversation because since the break, Young is hitting .352 with a 1.057 OPS. Plate discipline has played a massive role in that with the 27 year old walking more than he is striking out in that time.
For the season, Young has been roughly a league average hitter with a 98 wRC+. That is more than enough for him to be an impactful starter though. In the field, Young is as good as ever, registering 12 outs above average in center. He has also been a better baserunner this year after being weirdly bad on the bases last year.
Young is 13 for 16 on steals this year. That is a major improvement on his abysmal 15 for 26 mark from 2025. His overall base running IQ has also been noticeably better this year. It is just another area where the former Florida Gator racks up value.
Overall, Jacob Young has been highly impactful for the Nats. He has 2.2 fWAR this season, which is actually tied for third on the team with the departed Luis Garcia. Young is ahead of names like Daylen Lile, Dylan Crews and Keibert Ruiz.
With the offensive strides Young has made this season, he has turned into such a nice player. When you look at the Nats outfield, there are guys with more pedigree and more offensive upside. However, you cannot forget about Jacob Young because he has proven to be able to produce in multiple different ways.
