Buster Posey is confident that the Giants are in a good place with their closer situation and the fluidity it allows.
The San Francisco president of baseball operations was asked about the Giants’ recent change at closer, with Camilo Doval slotting into the position and Ryan Walker moving back to a set-up role.
“I read something yesterday where Bob [Melvin] said [the closer spot] was a fluid situation and it kind of took the words out of my mouth,” Posey said Thursday on KNBR’s “Murph & Markus.”
“The nice thing about having Doval and Walker is you feel like you could insert either one of them in the ninth [inning] and they’re going to do a nice job for you. The amount of close games that we play. Right now, the save situations can be Doval, but there’s a real chance that we’re sitting here on Sunday saying, ‘Doval has closed out the last two games, we need Walker to close out the ninth.’
“So, those guys have shown a real willingness to pitch in whatever role [Bob Melvin] decides.”
With the Giants recently finding themselves in a lot of close, low-scoring games, there has been added stress on the bullpen to shut down opposing teams and close out games.
Melvin elected to make the move earlier this week, reinstating Doval to the closer role for the first time since August 2024. Walker had filled in admirably, but he had recently begun to struggle with his command. With 10 saves and a 4.95 ERA this season, the 29-year-old no longer was performing at the level needed for San Francisco to remain in contention in a loaded National League West.
Doval has looked significantly better in recent months, so the hope is that he can continue to regain his All-Star caliber form.
Still, Posey and the Giants know how unpredictable baseball can be, so expect San Francisco to keep its closer situation fluid and dictated by what’s happening in the game.
Buster Posey is backing his catcher, Patrick Bailey, amid a sluggish offensive start to the 2025 MLB season.
The San Francisco president of baseball operations was asked about Bailey’s otherworldly defense behind the plate despite his dismal batting numbers.
“Well, Patty’s an instrumental part of our success,” Posey said Thursday on KNBR’s “Murph & Markus” show. “As far as pitching and defense goes, it’s well-documented [his hitting struggles]. And it’s not an easy place to be when you’re having to run out there and be a leader on one side of the ball, and then to struggle as much as he has, it’s not an easy thing.
“You’ve got to give him a lot of credit for keeping a positive outlook because, for anybody, you want to come through with the bat. For him to go out and not lose focus defensively, has been really impressive.”
Bailey is a Gold-Glove caliber catcher, with a strong arm and great instincts, but his batting average on the year is a measly .174. With the Giants struggling to produce consistent offensive numbers, this lack of production has been difficult for Bailey to endure.
The San Francisco offense has been particularly anemic over the past few weeks, as the Giants haven’t scored more than four runs in a game since May 14. Given the highly competitive National League West and the offensive juggernaut that is the Los Angeles Dodgers standing in the way, the Giants’ entire lineup will need to figure out how to put more balls in play.
Posey knows how hard it is to balance offense and defense while squatting behind home plate, so he’s supporting Bailey through this slump.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees will have a good head of steam as they bus 30 miles up the 5 Freeway for their World Series rematch against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
New York’s 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Angels gave the AL East leaders 16 wins in 20 games.
Clarke Schmidt continued a six-week stretch of superb starting pitching with six shutout innings, and Anthony Volpe drove in the only run with a first-inning sacrifice fly as the Yankees (35-20) completed a three-game sweep and sent the Angels (25-30) to their fifth straight loss.
A Yankees rotation that lost ace Gerrit Cole to season-ending elbow surgery and has two other starters — Luis Gil and Marcus Stroman — on the injured list has a major league-best 2.54 ERA over the last 40 games and has limited opponents to one run or less in 22 of those starts.
Left-hander Ryan Yarbrough allowed one run and two hits in six innings of a 5-1 win over the Angels, left-hander Carlos Rodon gave up five hits in seven scoreless innings of a 3-2 win, and Schmidt, a right-hander, gave up four hits in his six shutout innings.
Left-hander Max Fried, who is 7-0 with a 1.29 ERA in 11 starts, will pitch the series opener against the Dodgers, and right-hander Will Warren, who is 3-2 with a 4.09 ERA in 11 starts, is scheduled to pitch the second game.
“They’ve given us a chance to win every single night,” said Yankees reliever Mark Leiter Jr., who notched his second save with a scoreless ninth inning.
“Each guy is going out there and doing it a little different way, putting their own spin on it, which is great for us, because it gives them a different look for six or seven innings, and we get to do our thing with a different look for the last couple innings. You’re only as good as your starting pitching, generally, and they’ve been great.”
The NL West-leading Dodgers (34-22) have three frontline starters — Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki — and four high-leverage relievers — Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips, Michael Kopech and Kirby Yates — on the injured list.
But they still have plenty of star power, with Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, who have combined to win five MVP awards, plus Teoscar Hernández and Will Smith at the top of their lineup.
“Yeah, it will feel big,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of the matchup. “Now, we won’t go in treating it any differently, but we played the Subway Series (against the New York Mets) last week, and there was a lot of hype for that. I think these are good things for our guys to play in and experience.”
The series will feature two of the best players in baseball in Judge and Ohtani, both coming off an MVP season.
Judge, who has won two American League MVPs, leads the AL in batting average (.391), on-base percentage (.488), slugging percentage (.739), OPS (1.227) and hits (81) — numbers that prompted the Angels to intentionally walk Judge twice in the first two innings. He is tied for third in the majors in home runs (18) and ranks fourth in RBIs (47).
Ohtani, who has won three MVPs — his first two with the Angels in 2021 and 2023 — leads the major leagues with 20 homers and 59 runs and ranks third in OPS (1.042). He produced baseball’s first 50-50 season with 54 homers and 59 stolen bases in 2024.
The two-way star, who has a 38-19 record and 3.01 ERA in 86 starts over five seasons but did not pitch while recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2024, is also on track to return to the mound sometime after the All-Star break.
“I think Judge has been the best hitter in the sport now for a number of years, but what Shohei does with his speed and, when he’s healthy, being an ace on the mound, and his ability to swing the bat … we haven’t seen that,” Boone said.
“Ohtani, when you add in the pitching element, is just so unique, like nothing we’ve ever seen in this game.”
Freeman, the Dodgers first baseman, hit four homers, including a walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning of Game 1, and drove in 12 runs to earn World Series MVP honors last October.
Freeman’s two-run single also keyed a five-run rally in the fifth inning that helped the Dodgers overcome a 5-0 deficit in their series-clinching 7-6 victory in Game 5 at Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees held Ohtani to two hits in 19 at-bats (.105) and no RBIs in the World Series, but he played the final three games with a dislocated left shoulder that was surgically repaired after the season.
“You have to execute (pitches) at a high level against him, or we’re backing up bases or getting a new ball,” Boone said. “We did a pretty good job against him in the World Series last year, but he’s also hit some big homers against us.”
The Yankees will have a Dodgers nemesis that they didn’t have last October in veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who signed a one-year, $12.5 million deal last winter and is batting .347 with an .899 OPS, five homers and 27 RBIs in his first 55 games with the Yankees.
A former Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals slugger, Goldschmidt has a .283 average, .872 OPS, 35 homers and 109 RBIs in 163 career games against the Dodgers and a .308 average, .928 OPS, 19 homers and 50 RBIs in 77 games in Dodger Stadium.
“I would say he’s more than an X-factor,” Boone said of Goldschmidt, who led off the last game with a double and scored on Volpe’s sacrifice fly. “He’s one of our dudes.”
PHILADELPHIA (AP) Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper missed Thursday's doubleheader opener against the Atlanta Braves and wasn't in the starting lineup for the second game, two days after being hit by a pitch on the right elbow.
Harper was hit by a 95.3 mph fastball from Braves pitcher Spencer Strider during the first inning of Tuesday night’s game. X-rays were negative, but the 32-year-old Harper had swelling and pain.
“He’s doing better,” manager Rob Thomson said before the Phillies won the opener 5-4. “He came in yesterday for treatment. He’s in there now. I believe he still had swelling and was still in pain, but it’s a lot better than we expected, so it’s making progress.
“He hasn’t swung the bat yet. ... I wouldn’t put him in a game until he’s comfortable swinging a bat.”
Thomson said Harper had no additional testing after the original X-ray. He said he hopes Harper will wear an elbow guard once he does return to action.
“I think it’s a little uncomfortable for him. I think he feels like it restricts him a little bit,” Thomson said. “But, I hope he wears it.”
Harper, a two-time MVP, is hitting .267 with eight home runs, 33 RBIs and an .825 OPS.
Major League Baseball is investing in Athletes Unlimited to support its softball league that will debut next month, marking the first time MLB will have a comprehensive partnership with a professional women’s sports league.
MLB said Thursday it was making a strategic investment in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League of an undisclosed amount for operational costs and a commitment to help it gain visibility in various ways, including assistance with content, marketing and sales, events, distribution, editorial, and digital and social platforms. That includes marketing the AUSL and its athletes during MLB's All-Star Game and throughout the postseason.
“This is something we’re really excited about,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told The Associated Press. “We studied the space hard. We think it’s a real opportunity and we’re excited to be involved.”
Athletes Unlimited has featured softball since 2020, when it unveiled a unique format that crowned an individual champion. The company will launch a league with a traditional, team-based format starting June 7 and will keep its individual format for the AUSL All-Star Cup that follows.
Manfred noted that interest in women’s sports had “escalated significantly” in recent years and his league had been looking for ways to get more involved, including the possible launch of its own softball league. He said Athletes Unlimited’s overall success and its strong infrastructure helped make the decision to collaborate easier.
“We thought rather than starting on our own and competing, that finding a place where we could invest and grow a business was a better opportunity for us,” Manfred said.
Kim Ng, a former Major League Baseball executive, signed on as an adviser with the AUSL and was promoted to commissioner in April. Ng is the former general manager of the Miami Marlins, the first female GM in any of the major U.S. pro sports leagues, and has three World Series rings from a combined 21 years in the front offices of the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.
“As the process moved forward and it looked like we were going to make an investment, they hired Kim, and we had a long relationship with Kim, and it just added additional comfort to the idea of making the investment,” Manfred said.
Athletes Unlimited co-founder Jon Patricof said MLB’s commitment to increasing the AUSL’s visibility is as important as the financial investment.
“They’re committed to really elevating the AUSL,” he said. “It’s probably about one of the most difficult things for any sports league to do which is to get visibility and break through to new audiences, and I think MLB is already doing that for the AUSL, and there’s going to be a lot more to come.”
Women’s pro softball leagues and independent teams have come and gone over the years, but none have offered a consistent option for women to have a stable future in the sport.
It appears that might change, with the help of softball greats Cat Osterman, Jennie Finch, Jessica Mendoza and Natasha Watley as AUSL advisors. On June 7, the Bandits and Talons will open with a three-game series in Rosemont, Illinois, and the Blaze and Volts will start off with a three-game series in Wichita, Kansas. The four teams will play 24 games this season as touring properties that will play games in 12 cities. The top two teams will compete in the AUSL Championship, a best-of-three series July 26-28 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Patricof said the league plans to expand to six teams next season and be city based.
MLB already supports several women's softball and baseball initiatives, including a partnership with USA Softball and operation of the MLB Develops girls baseball pipeline. It is not involved with the upstart Women's Professional Baseball League, which plans to launch in 2026 as the first pro baseball league for women since the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League - of "A League of Their Own" fame - folded in 1954.
Manfred said he sees a bright future ahead for AUSL.
“I fully expect that they will expand, and we hope that we will end up with a league that is sustainable on its own, a good investment for us, and a partner in growing diamond sports internationally,” he said.
Patricof said the partnership with MLB and the already existing relationship between the Athletes Unlimited and USA Softball combine to help give the AUSL stability.
“As we announce MLB coming into the fold formally into what we’re doing with the AUSL, you really see a full alignment of this sport behind this league, and that I think is exciting for everyone,” Patricof said. “People who have sat on the sidelines or maybe have watched pro softball from a little bit of distance - everybody’s now jumped in, and I think that is an exciting moment for people who’ve been around this sport.”
SEATTLE — Even after hitting his first career home run, Robert Hassell III didn’t have much time to hang around the clubhouse and talk about it.
His girlfriend was waiting.
Eager to meet her at the team hotel, Hassell hustled onto the Washington bus and — with the help of a Nationals staffer — fielded questions from reporters via cellphone.
“I don’t want to have her waiting too long,” Hassell said. “My apologies.”
Playing his sixth major league game, Hassell had three hits and two RBIs for the Nationals in a 9-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners.
The 23-year-old prized outfield prospect was drafted eighth overall by San Diego in 2020 and traded to Washington — along with James Wood, CJ Abrams and MacKenzie Gore — for Juan Soto and Josh Bell in a blockbuster deal at the August 2022 deadline.
Hassell began the night batting .118 (2 for 17) with one RBI since making his debut. Before the game, Nationals manager Dave Martinez pulled Hassell aside and advised him to focus on the present rather than allowing himself to become over-amped.
“You want to try to do a lot,” Martinez said. “But, this game is tough enough. It’s tough enough.”
Hassell responded with by far his best performance yet. He hit an RBI single in the fourth inning and a solo homer in the eighth that made it 7-0.
The sweet-swinging lefty tried to focus on hitting balls to the opposite field. But when he got a pitch to jump on, he turned on a four-seam fastball from Mariners right-hander Blas Castano and drove it over the right-center fence for what Hassell called the best home run of his baseball career.
“This is the best one,” he said. “Something I’ve been waiting for, and you imagine what it’s like and all that, and it finally happened and I feel blessed.”
It’s unfair to expect Roman Anthony to save the Boston Red Sox. But as MLB’s No. 1 prospect continues to tear it up at Triple-A Worcester, it’s fair to wonder why he isn’t on the next flight to Atlanta for the club’s weekend series vs. the Braves.
Anthony could bring much-needed thump to the middle of Boston’s lackluster lineup. The 21-year-old is slashing .318/.450/.528 with eight homers and 23 RBI through 49 games in Worcester this season. He’s ready for The Show.
“We need to be mindful of the environment that Roman would be coming into, and the pressure that we’d be putting on a 21-year-old in the midst of a losing streak — to come up and save the team,” Breslow said. “Roman’s time is coming, and I don’t think there’s any question about that. So we have to figure out what is best for the organization and what is best for him.”
The biggest roadblock on Anthony’s path to the majors has been Boston’s outfield logjam. With Jarren Duran in left field, Ceddanne Rafaela in center, and Wilyer Abreu in right, finding ways to keep Anthony in the lineup would be challenging.
“We want to make sure when he comes up, not only is he ready, but there’s runway for him to play,” Breslow added. “You don’t wanna bring up a 21-year-old and have him play sporadically. He needs to be in the lineup every day.”
That explanation may have sufficed a month ago, but the Red Sox’ situation has changed. Injuries to first baseman Triston Casas and third baseman Alex Bregman have shaken things up, as have the ongoing struggles of shortstop Trevor Story and rookie second baseman Kristian Campbell.
Theoretically, Anthony could play left field with Jarren Duran sliding to center. The Red Sox could take advantage of Rafaela’s defensive versatility, mixing him in at second and shortstop. They’d lose some defensive upside in the outfield, but that would be outweighed by Anthony’s impact on the inconsistent offense.
At this stage, it’s fair to wonder whether Breslow and the Red Sox are manipulating Anthony’s service time. As ESPN’s Jeff Passan laid out, now is the time of year when prospects are called up and become “Super Twos.”
That label is given to players whose time on a big-league roster is in the top 22 percent of their service class. Super Twos are awarded an extra year of arbitration beyond the standard three, so they can earn more than the major league minimum before their third full season. Boston could also lose a year of control if Anthony wins the American League Rookie of the Year award.
Still, with the big-league club trending toward another letdown season, there is no valid excuse for holding Anthony back. The kid has nothing left to prove in Worcester, and the best projected Red Sox lineup features him in the middle of it.
He isn’t the savior, but he’d provide a spark that Boston and its restless fanbase so desperately need.
Rafael Marchan shined Thursday afternoon in the opening game of the Phillies’ split doubleheader with the Braves.
The backup catcher was a central figure in the Phils’ dramatic 5-4 victory at Citizens Bank Park and drove in the game-winning run with an eighth-inning hit by pitch.
Cristopher Sanchez started for the Phillies and pitched 5 and 2/3 innings. His final line was seven hits, two runs, two walks and five strikeouts.
Sanchez walked two Braves in the second inning and threw balls on 14 of his first 27 pitches. His sinker, slider and changeup all induced regular whiffs in the early innings, though.
In contrast to Sanchez, Atlanta starter AJ Smith-Shawver began the day with 18 of 20 strikes. The bottom of the Phillies’ lineup then broke through.
Brandon Marsh managed a seven-pitch walk. Marchan ripped a hanging curveball just over the right-field wall and on the good side of the foul pole to put the Phillies up 2-0. The home run was Marchan’s first of the season and his first hit of any kind since May 14.
Smith-Shawver soon headed back to the Braves’ dugout. Bryson Stott rocketed a liner that struck Smith-Shawver’s lower leg on its way to center field. The righty came out of the game following Trea Turner’s fly out to deep left.
Atlanta placed Smith-Shawver on the 15-day injured list with a strained right elbow postgame.
The Phillies were inches away from a 5-0 lead in the fourth inning. After one-out singles by Alec Bohm and Nick Castellanos against Braves reliever Scott Blewett, Michael Harris II robbed Max Kepler of a three-run homer, reaching over the center-field fence and nabbing his 403-foot fly ball.
Marchan registered another highlight in the fourth when he nailed Stuart Fairchild trying to steal second base. He also tallied the Phillies’ third run, working a fifth-inning walk and coming around to score on a Turner infield hit.
“Really impressed,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said of Marchan. “I’ve been saying all along this kid is really a player. There’s not many numbers there, but he’s really given us good at-bats.
“He understands the strike zone. He’s very disciplined. He can really throw, obviously. Calls a great game; he was coming off two shutouts. … He does a great job. It’s just a huge day for him.”
Austin Riley, Matt Olson and Sean Murphy singles in the sixth inning produced Atlanta’s first run of the series. Sanchez’s outing ended with two outs and runners on the corners. Orion Kerkering entered and Ronald Acuna Jr. lined an RBI hit over Turner’s head, trimming the Phillies’ lead to 3-2.
With assistance from a leaping Turner snag, Kerkering pitched a scoreless seventh. The Phillies got a little cushion in the bottom of the inning courtesy of a mammoth Kyle Schwarber dinger. Acuna didn’t move in right field for Schwarber’s 19th homer, which easily landed in the second deck and officially traveled 438 feet.
The Phillies’ advantage went down the drain in the eighth inning. Murphy crushed a solo shot vs. Matt Strahm and two-out doubles by Acuna and Harris evened the contest at 4-4.
Castellanos cracked his fourth hit of the afternoon on the first Daysbel Hernandez pitch the Phillies saw in the eighth inning. They then exploited Hernandez’s wildness to regain the advantage.
Kepler walked, Edmundo Sosa executed a perfect sacrifice bunt, and Marsh walked to load the bases.That set the stage for Marchan, who trotted to first base after apparently being nicked on the foot by a 2-2 slider. Following a Braves challenge, the call on the field stood.
Jordan Romano conceded a leadoff walk to Ozzie Albies, but Marchan rifled a beautiful throw to second base for his second caught stealing of the day.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Marchan said of the moment. “You feel like a kid when you do something good. You’re really excited, you’re really hype. A lot of emotion.”
The Braves then filled the bases with walks by Marcell Ozuna and Murphy and an Olson single. Romano ultimately sealed the deal, striking out Eli White looking.
Zack Wheeler (6-1, 2.42 ERA) and Chris Sale (2-3, 3.36 ERA) will start Game 2 of the doubleheader. Wheeler preferred the nightcap, according to Thomson.
“He just called me back,” Thomson said, “and he said, ‘Hey, is it too late to switch? I’d like to pitch the night game.’ “I said, ‘Yeah, whatever you want. You’re Zack Wheeler.’”
Rafael Marchan shined Thursday afternoon in the opening game of the Phillies’ split doubleheader with the Braves.
The backup catcher was a central figure in the Phils’ dramatic 5-4 victory at Citizens Bank Park and drove in the game-winning run with an eighth-inning hit by pitch.
Cristopher Sanchez started for the Phillies and pitched 5 and 2/3 innings. His final line was seven hits, two runs, two walks and five strikeouts.
Sanchez walked two Braves in the second inning and threw balls on 14 of his first 27 pitches. His sinker, slider and changeup all induced regular whiffs in the early innings, though.
In contrast to Sanchez, Atlanta starter AJ Smith-Shawver began the day with 18 of 20 strikes. The bottom of the Phillies’ lineup then broke through.
Brandon Marsh managed a seven-pitch walk. Marchan ripped a hanging curveball just over the right-field wall and on the good side of the foul pole to put the Phillies up 2-0. The home run was Marchan’s first of the season and his first hit of any kind since May 14.
Smith-Shawver soon headed back to the Braves’ dugout. Bryson Stott rocketed a liner that struck Smith-Shawver’s lower leg on its way to center field. The righty came out of the game following Trea Turner’s fly out to deep left.
The Phillies were inches away from a 5-0 lead in the fourth inning. After one-out singles by Alec Bohm and Nick Castellanos against Braves reliever Scott Blewett, Michael Harris II robbed Max Kepler of a three-run homer, reaching over the center-field fence and nabbing his 403-foot fly ball.
Marchan registered another highlight in the fourth when he nailed Stuart Fairchild trying to steal second base. He also tallied the Phillies’ third run, working a fifth-inning walk and coming around to score on a Turner infield hit.
Austin Riley, Matt Olson and Sean Murphy singles in the sixth inning produced Atlanta’s first run of the series. Sanchez’s outing ended with two outs and runners on the corners. Orion Kerkering entered and Ronald Acuna Jr. lined an RBI hit over Turner’s head, trimming the Phillies’ lead to 3-2.
With assistance from a leaping Turner snag, Kerkering pitched a scoreless seventh. The Phillies got a little cushion in the bottom of the inning courtesy of a mammoth Kyle Schwarber dinger. Acuna didn’t move in right field for Schwarber’s 19th homer, which easily landed in the second deck and officially traveled 438 feet.
The Phillies’ advantage went down the drain in the eighth inning. Murphy crushed a solo shot vs. Matt Strahm and two-out doubles by Acuna and Harris evened the contest at 4-4.
Castellanos cracked his fourth hit of the afternoon on the first Daysbel Hernandez pitch the Phillies saw in the eighth inning. They then exploited Hernandez’s wildness to regain the lead.
Kepler walked, Sosa executed a perfect sacrifice bunt, and Marsh walked to load the bases.That set the stage for Marchan, who trotted to first base after apparently being nicked in the foot by a 2-2 slider. Following a Braves challenge, the call on the field stood.
Jordan Romano conceded a leadoff walk to Ozzie Albies, but Marchan rifled a beautiful throw to second base for his second caught stealing of the day. The Braves then filled the bases with walks by Marcell Ozuna and Murphy and an Olson single.
Romano ultimately sealed the deal, striking out Eli White looking.
Zack Wheeler (6-1, 2.42 ERA) and Chris Sale (2-3, 3.36 ERA) will start Game 2 of the doubleheader. Wheeler preferred the nightcap, according to Phillies manager Rob Thomson.
“He just called me back,” Thomson said, “and he said, ‘Hey, is it too late to switch? I’d like to pitch the night game.’ “I said, ‘Yeah, whatever you want. You’re Zack Wheeler.’”
“We need to get more production out of that position, there’s no question,” Posey told Brian Murphy and Markus Boucher. “LaMonte [Wade Jr.], I think, you know it was nice he got a big hit yesterday in the game and we’re hopeful he can get that going but at this point we are going to need some more production and I think that’s the way that we’re kind of looking at this right now is some sort of time share.”
Wade went 2 for 3 in Wednesday’s loss to the Detroit Tigers, however, and has boosted his average from .133 to where it currently stands since the start of May while hitting .233 on the month.
Posey said the team will be looking at three players to potentially shore up the position.
“With [Jerar] Encarnacion coming back, he’ll mix in some, [Wilmer Flores] might mix in some, [Casey] Schmitt might mix in some,” Posey said.
Additionally, Posey didn’t indicate the Giants have any plans to rush top prospect Bryce Eldridge to the big leagues. The 20-year-old, who just so happens to play first base, is slashing .294/.361/.532 with the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels.
“We’re really happy with the way he’s progressing,” Posey said. “He’s hitting in a tough league. Still has a lot of work to do defensively. He’s making strides, he’s putting in the work and that’s all you can ask for.”
For now, the Giants will have to find a first-base solution with the guys who have big-league experience.
Not much has gone right for the Boston Red Sox since the calendar flipped to May. They’ve gone 10-16 this month to fall to 27-31, 9.5 games behind the first-place New York Yankees in the American League East.
The blame pie can be sliced several ways. The offense has been inconsistent, the rotation has struggled behind ace Garrett Crochet, and the team is 6-15 in one-run games. Several key players are in the middle of brutal month-long slumps.
So, who needs to turn it around for the Red Sox to get back above .500? Which players have been bright spots during the disappointing stretch?
Here’s our updated “Stock Up, Stock Down” with June looming.
Stock Up
Carlos Narvaez, C
The Red Sox acquired Narvaez in an under-the-radar offseason trade with the New York Yankees. The assumption was that he would serve as Connor Wong’s backup throughout the 2025 season, but he already has a firm grip on the starting catcher role amid a shockingly impressive start to the campaign.
In addition to being one of the game’s best defensive backstops, Narvaez has been one of Boston’s most consistent hitters. The 26-year-old rookie entered Thursday slashing .289/.357/.465 with five homers and 17 RBI. He ranks fourth on the team with a 1.8 fWAR, trailing only Alex Bregman, Garrett Crochet, and Rafael Devers.
Devers refusing to play first base wasn’t the best look, but it’s easy to look past when he’s in the midst of a career year at the plate.
The three-time All-Star is hitting .287/.409/.523 with 12 homers and an American League-leading 50 RBI. He recorded the first walk-off homer of his career on May 17 against Atlanta and a grand slam on May 23 against Baltimore.
Since starting the season 0-for-19 with 15 strikeouts, Devers has hit .315 with a 1.005 OPS.
The way Devers has raked as the designated hitter, it’s easy to see why the Red Sox have refrained from asking him to move back to third base in the wake of Bregman’s injury.
Jarren Duran, OF
Duran is heating up after a subpar start to the season. The 2024 All-Star Game MVP has hit .377 with two homers and 11 RBI in 13 games since May 16. He leads the majors with six triples.
Duran took his game to another level in June of last year and finished eighth in AL MVP voting. While it’s unfair to expect him to duplicate that success, it’s encouraging that he appears to be on the same trajectory as his All-Star season.
Brennan Bernardino, RHP
Bernardino has been the Red Sox bullpen’s unsung hero. The 33-year-old righty is tied for the MLB lead with 14 appearances in May. In those appearances, he has amassed an 0.75 ERA and 0.91 WHIP over 12 innings.
He has been a bright spot throughout Boston’s abysmal stretch.
The 22-year-old is hitting .120 with a .335 OPS through 20 games in May, and he was partly responsible for Boston’s demise in Wednesday’s series finale vs. Milwaukee with a brutal defensive miscue in the 10th inning:
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 28, 2025
Credit where it’s due: Campbell has willingly taken practice reps at first base despite never playing the position in his professional career. But at this stage, it’s fair to wonder whether the best course of action is to let him figure things out at Triple-A rather than throw him into the fire at a new position during a brutal slump.
Campbell ascended quickly through the minor-league ranks, cracking Boston’s Opening Day roster one year after playing at High-A. The raw talent is undeniable, but he hasn’t looked like a big-league player for the last month.
Story is slashing .218/.263/.318 in 54 games this season. Since May 6, he’s hitting .132 (10-for-76) with a .369 OPS. His fielding hasn’t made up for those offensive struggles as he’s in the midst of arguably the worst defensive season of his career.
Wong has never shined behind the plate, but he had some solid offensive stretches as the Red Sox’ starting catcher in 2024. That has not been the case this season.
The 29-year-old, who will forever be remembered as one of the key pieces in the infamous Mookie Betts trade, is hitting .157 with no homers and a .402 OPS in 22 games. It didn’t take long for him to lose the starting catching gig to Narvaez.
While the Red Sox aren’t regretting their offseason deal for Garrett Crochet, they may be kicking themselves for parting ways with top catching prospect Kyle Teel. It’s been a disastrous year for Wong, even by a backup’s standards.
Tanner Houck was placed on the injured list after a nightmare start to the season, Walker Buehler has been up-and-down and also spent time on the IL, Brayan Bello hasn’t looked the part, and Lucas Giolito isn’t anything close to his 2021 self. Hunter Dobbins looked sharp to start his rookie campaign but has come crashing back down to earth over his last few appearances.
The Red Sox rotation was expected to take a significant step forward in 2025. Instead, it has remained one of the club’s biggest weaknesses.
Its Friday, May 30 and the Giants (31-25) are in Miami to take on the Marlins (22-32).
Kyle Harrison is slated to take the mound for San Francisco against Cal Quantrill for Miami.
San Francisco had yesterday off following a three-game sweep at the hands of the Detroit Tigers. The Giants' offense failed them scoring just five runs over the course of the three games.
Miami's offense was far better in the Marlins' series against the Padres. San Diego won two of the three games, but Miami did plate 19 runs in the series.
Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.
Game details & how to watch Giants at Marlins
Date: Friday, May 30, 2025
Time: 7:10PM EST
Site: loanDepot Park
City: Miami, FL
Network/Streaming: NBCSBA, FDSNFL, MLBN
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
Odds for the Giants at the Marlins
The latest odds as of Friday:
Moneyline: Giants (-181), Marlins (+151)
Spread: Giants -1.5
Total: 8.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Giants at Marlins
Pitching matchup for May 30, 2025: Kyle Harrison vs. Cal Quantrill
Giants: Kyle Harrison (0-1, 3.86 ERA) Last outing: 5/24 at Washington - 4IP, 2ER, 5H, 0BB, 4Ks
Marlins: Cal Quantrill (3-4, 6.09 ERA) Last outing: 5/24 at Angels - 3.1IP, 1ER, 3H, 0BB, 2Ks
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Giants at Marlins
The Giants have won 4 of their last 5 at National League teams
10 of the Giants' last 11 games (91%) have stayed under the Total
The Marlins have covered in 4 of their last 5 games for a profit of 1.58 units
Wilmer Flores has at least 1 hit in 8 of his last 9 games (9-35)
Kyle Stowers is 1-18 (.056) over his last 4 games
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Giants and the Marlins
Rotoworld Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday's game between the Giants and the Marlins:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the San Francisco Giants on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Miami Marlins at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.
Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC
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In his second season playing shortstop, Mookie Betts currently ranks seventh among qualified MLB shortstops in fielding percentage. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Before the start of the season, Dodgers first base and infield coach Chris Woodward pulled Mookie Betts aside one day, and had him envision the ultimate end result.
“You’re gonna be standing at shortstop when we win the World Series,” Woodward told Betts, the former Gold Glove right fielder in the midst of an almost unprecedented mid-career position switch. “That’s what the goal is.”
Two months into the campaign, the Dodgers believe he’s checking the requisite boxes on the path toward getting there.
“I would say, right now he's playing above-average shortstop, Major League shortstop,” manager Dave Roberts said this week. “Which is amazing, considering he just took this position up.”
Betts has not only returned to shortstop this season after his unconvincing three-month stint at the position last year; but he has progressed so much that, unlike when he was moved back to right field for the stretch run of last fall’s championship march, the Dodgers have no plans for a similar late-season switch this time around.
“I don't see us making a change [like] we did last year. I don't see that happening,” Roberts said. “He's a major league shortstop, on a championship club.”
“And,” the manager also added, “he's only getting better.”
It means that now, Betts’ challenge has gone from proving he belongs at shortstop to proving he can master it by the end of the season. The goal Woodward laid out at the beginning of the year has suddenly become much more realistic now. And over the next four months, Betts’ ability to polish his shortstop play looms as one of the Dodgers’ biggest X-factors.
“Getting to that, even when he’s as good as he is now, there’s still a lot to learn,” Woodward said. “He’s done good up to this point. So how do we maintain that [progress]?”
In Year 1 of playing shortstop on a full-time basis last season, Betts’ initial experience was marked by trial and (mostly) error. He struggled to make accurate throws across the diamond. He lacked the instincts and confidence to cleanly field even many routine grounders. In his three-month cameo in the role — one cut short by a midseason broken hand — he committed nine errors and ranked below-league-average in several advanced metrics.
“Last year,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said when reflecting on Betts’ initial foray to the shortstop position, “it was like a crash course.”
In Year 2, on the other hand, Betts has graduated to something of a finishing school.
Unlike last year, when the former MVP slugger switched positions just weeks before opening day, Betts had the entire offseason to prepare his game. Over the winter, he improved the technique of his glovework while fielding balls. He trained on how to throw from lower arm slots than he had in the outfield. He focused on keeping a wider and more athletic base in order to adapt to funny hops and unexpected spins. He established a base of fundamentals that, last year, he simply didn’t have; providing renewed confidence and consistency he’s been able to lean on all season.
“Preparation,” Betts said recently about the biggest difference in his shortstop play this year. “[I have been able] to prepare, have an idea of what I’m doing, instead of just hoping that athleticism wins. At this level, it doesn't work like that. So you have to have an idea of what you’re doing. And I work hard every day. I’m out there every day early. Doing what I can to be successful.”
Such strides have been illustrated in Betts’ defensive numbers. He currently ranks seventh among qualified MLB shortstops in fielding percentage, his three errors to this point tied for the fewest among those who have made at least 50 starts. His advanced metrics are equally encouraging, ranking top-five in outs above average and defensive runs saved.
“He looks like a major league shortstop right now,” Roberts said, “where last year there were many times I didn't feel that way.”
A finished product, however, Betts is still not.
There are subtle intricacies he has yet to fully grasp, such as where to position on relay throws from the outfield. There are infrequent, higher-difficulty plays he’s yet to learn how to handle.
One important teaching moment came early in the season, when Betts' inability to corral a hard hooking one-hopper in a game against the Washington Nationals led to him and the coaching staff adding more unpredictable fungo-bat fielding drills into his daily pregame routine.
“It just kind of prompted a conversation of, ‘You’re gonna get different types of balls, and those are pretty rare. But what’s the process of catching that ball? And what do we need to practice?’” Woodward recalled, leading to changes that were enacted the very next day.
“The drills we do now, I don’t know if anybody else can make them look as easy as he now does,” Woodward added. “When he first started, you could tell, ‘Oh man, it’s uncomfortable.’ But now, I smoke balls at him … and he’s just so under control.”
Another moment of frustration came last Sunday in New York, when Betts athletically snared a bouncing ball on his forehand up the middle … but then airmailed a backhanded, off-balance flip throw to second base while trying to turn a potential double play.
Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts throws to first base during Monday's game against the Cleveland Guardians. (David Dermer / Associated Press)
“That was the first time ever in my life I’ve had to do that,” Betts said days later, prompting him to seek out more advice from Woodward and veteran shortstop teammate Miguel Rojas. “Miggy was telling me I can’t stress about it, because he got to mess that play up in high-A [when he was first learning the position]. Woody told me he got to mess that play up in double-A. I’m messing this play up for the first time ever in my life — in the big leagues.”
For Betts, it can be a frustrating dynamic, having to endorse inevitable such struggles as he seeks his desired defensive progress.
“I definitely feel I’ve grown a lot, just from the routine perspective,” he said. “But I don’t want to hurt the team, man.”
Which is why, in the days immediately afterward, he then incorporated underhand flip drills into his pregame work as well.
“You’re going to have to go through those moments to learn, to understand,” said Rojas, who has been a sounding board for Betts ever since last year’s initial position switch. “I don’t consider that an error. I consider it a mistake that you’re gonna learn from. Because that play is gonna happen again.”
“It’s like life in general. It’s about learning from your mistakes,” Freeman echoed. “And not that that [flip play] was a mistake. But it’s like, ‘Now I know how to adjust off of that.’ If he was not even trying to attempt things, then you’ll never know what you can really achieve out there. I think he’s learning his limits of what he can do. And I think that’s the key to it.”
Such moments, of course, also underscore the inherent risk of entrusting Betts (who still has a grand total of only 132 career MLB games at shortstop) with perhaps the sport’s most challenging position.
It’s one thing for such a blunder to happen in a forgettable late May contest. It’d be far less forgiving if they were to continue popping up in important games down the stretch.
There’s also a question about whether Betts’ focus on shortstop has started to have an impact on his bat, with the 32-year-old currently hitting just .254 on the season while suffering incremental dips in his underlying contact metrics.
The root of those struggles, Betts believes, stems more from bad habits he developed while recovering from a stomach virus at the start of the season that saw him lose almost 20 pounds. Then again, even though he has been able to better moderate his daily pregame workload compared with the hours he’d spend every day fielding grounders last season, he is still “learning a whole new position at the big-league level,” Freeman noted, “and all his focus has been on that.”
It all creates a relatively tight needle for Betts and the Dodgers to thread the rest of the year. Betts not only has to make continued strides on defense (and prove, at a bare minimum, he won’t be a downgrade from the team’s other in-house options, such as Rojas or Tommy Edman), but, he also needs to get his swing back in a place to be an impact presence at the top of the lineup.
“It’s a lot to take on, to be a shortstop in the big leagues,” Freeman said. “But once he gets everything under control, I think that’s when the hitting will pick right back up.”
It figures to be an ongoing process, one that could have season-defining implications for the Dodgers’ World Series title defense.
Still, in the span of two months, Betts has shown enough with his glove for the Dodgers not to move him — making what started as a seemingly dubious experiment into a potentially permanent solution.
“People around baseball should be paying a little more attention to the way he’s been playing short,” Rojas said.
“He's had a lot of different plays that he's been able to kind of see in games,” added Roberts. “He's a guy that loves a challenge, and he's really realized that challenge and keeps getting better each night."
Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Yankees continue their West Coast road trip by taking on the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-game series starting on Friday...
Preview
World Series rematch
A lot of baseball fans had this series circled on their calendars. It’s a rematch of the 2024 World Series, which the Dodgers won in five games. Of course, it’s how they won that made the series a classic for Dodgers fans and a nightmare for the Yankees faithful.
While this isn’t the World Series, this weekend will be a good barometer of where both teams are at this point in the season. For the Yanks, it’s a very different team. It’ll be intriguing to see how this new-look Yankees team plays against a Dodgers team that has been a bit of a disappointment, considering their high spending this offseason.
The Yanks also have a chance to stick it to the Dodgers, who criticized New York's World Series team.
Can Aaron Judge leave error in the past?
Speaking of last year’s World Series, Judge had one to forget.
Although he was just 4-for-18, Game 5 saw him smash a home run that was going to cap off a great win. Unfortunately, Judge’s error in center field sparked the Dodgers’ comeback and helped cause the Yankees' elimination.
How will Judge play against the Dodgers? Could he leave that error in the past? The fans will surely get on the reigning AL MVP, and the best way to silence them is with his bat.
Can Yankees get to Yoshinobu Yamamoto?
The Yankees were in hot pursuit of Yamamoto during the 2023 offseason, but the right-hander chose the Dodgers. Now, in his second season, the 26-year-old has dominated the league, with a 1.97 ERA.
In his rookie campaign, he owned the Yankees. In his one regular season start, he allowed just two hits in seven scoreless innings. In his start against the Yanks in the World Series, he allowed only one run on one hit in 6.1 innings pitched.
The Yankees will see Yamamoto this weekend, and New York will want to get to him in this matchup. If for nothing else, to prove they can if they were to meet again in October.
May 13, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Max Fried (54) pitches to the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at T-Mobile Park. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Max Fried's biggest test yet
Fried continues to be near perfect with the Yankees. He’s 7-0 and has a minuscule 1.29 ERA entering Friday’s start, but the series opener against the Dodgers will be a test for Fried.
Fried has 10 career starts against the Dodgers and has a 3.18 ERA, which includes a 3.21 ERA at Dodger Stadium. Last season as a member of the Braves, Fried allowed seven runs in 13 innings against the Dodgers, so the reigning champs know the southpaw very well. The Yankees need their ace to pitch well to have a chance to win this series.
Ryan Yarbrough or Carlos Rodon?
For the series finale, the Yankees have yet to announce their starter.Yarbrough pitched on Monday while Rodon pitched Tuesday, which means either starter could start on Sunday.
Manager Aaron Boone has a decision to make, but both have been excellent of late. Yarbrough has allowed just five runs in his four starts (20 innings) since moving into the rotation from the bullpen. Rodon has dominated, allowing five runs over his last four starts (24 innings) and striking out 33 batters over that span.
The Yanks have a great chance to win with either one on the mound.
Predictions
Who will the MVP of the series be?
Aaron Judge
The Yankees captain usually steps up when the team needs him, and they'll need him this weekend.
Which Yankees pitcher will have the best start?
Max Fried
Until proven otherwise, Fried is the safest bet.
Which Dodgers player will be a thorn in the Yankees' side?
Freddie Freeman
The World Series MVP burned the Yanks last October and he can do so again. The 35-year-old is having an amazing season, batting .359 with a 1.044 OPS, nine home runs, and 36 RBI
PHOENIX — The Pittsburgh Pirates are about to reach a crisis point when it comes to the future of the franchise.
Do they sign stellar starting pitcher Paul Skenes, the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year, for at least five seasons to cover his pre-arbitration and arbitration years, or do they trade him before he even gets to that point?
If they don’t trade or sign him, his price in each of his three arbitration years could prove to be very prohibitive for a franchise that has a $114.2 million payroll for tax purposes this season per Spotrac, which is 26th in Major League Baseball. That’s the second-lowest payroll in the National League to Miami’s $85.2 million.
Skenes, who is earning a second-year minimum salary of $875,000 this season, has not yet held contract talks with the Pirates, the right-hander said after earning the win in a 10-1 drubbing of the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday at Chase Field.
“That hasn’t happened,” Skenes, the No. 1 draft pick from 2023 out of LSU, said. “This is about the here and now. I’m not in any rush for a decision to be made like that. I don’t think they are, either.”
Skenes is this decade’s Gerrit Cole, as far as the Pirates are concerned. Cole was picked first overall by the Pirates in the 2011 draft and was ultimately traded to the Houston Astros in 2018 before he could reach free agency—something that still irks Cole. The right-handed pitcher went on to sign a nine-year, $324 million contract with the Yankees in 2019; he is out this season and into next after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. That deal was way too rich for Pittsburgh’s blood then, and it certainly would be even at half that amount now.
Skenes, turning 23 on Thursday, is constrained by the early restrictions the collective bargaining agreement places on young players. Even Detroit’s Tarik Skubal, who won the American League Cy Young Award last year, is a little more advanced, making $10.15 million this year after signing a one-year contract to avoid arbitration. He has one more year of arbitration before heading into free agency in 2027.
Skenes? “I’m tied up until 2030, I think,” the Pirates ace said.
And already the trade rumors are rolling. Does he pay any attention to all that?
“What trade rumors?” he said. “I don’t think any of that is for real.”
But unless the Pirates make a contractual overture, the rumors will persist.
One would think it would be in the Pirates’ best interest to do something long-term at what might now be a discount price. For example, the Diamondbacks signed outfielder and speedster Corbin Carroll in 2023 at age 22 for eight years, $111 million, wiping out his arbitration years and early free agency, which doesn’t begin by rule until a player has finished his sixth season. That gives the club more control and the player some much-needed security. MLB contracts are guaranteed if a player is hurt.
In Skenes’ case, he was the NL All-Star starter last year at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas and a player the Pirates would want to build around, you’d think.
“No doubt,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “A [player like] Paul Skenes doesn’t come around very often, maybe ever. There are few pitchers like that. When I was younger I got to play with [Justin] Verlander and [Max] Scherzer. You see the same thing in Paul. He’s definitely the kind of guy you want to build around.”
But that depends upon the Pirates and their thrifty ways. The club’s assistant general manager Bryan Stroh was on the road trip but declined to make himself available to answer questions about the subject.
In essence, the Pirates don’t get much of an attendance bump when Skenes is starting at PNC Park as opposed to the rest of their home schedule. They average 17,120 fans a game at PNC Park, 26th in MLB, and 18,937 in the five starts thus far this season that Skenes has made—and that includes the 37,713 who showed up on April 19 in a loss to Cleveland when the team gave away a Skenes bobblehead.
Demand was so high for the bobblehead that fans lined up early across the Roberto Clemente Bridge into downtown Pittsburgh. Initially, only the first 20,000 through the gates were to obtain the prized possession. But when owner Bob Nutting saw the commotion, he guaranteed a bobblehead to all fans in attendance handing out a voucher when fans scanned their tickets. It was such a great promotion that the Pirates are planning to give away a Paul Skenes Superman bobblehead for their game against the Texas Rangers at PNC Park on June 22.
Perhaps that’s to avoid these kind of attendance results: 8,291 to see Skenes pitch in an April 8 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals and 13,633 to see Skenes lose to the Chicago Cubs on May 1.
The largest crowd to see Skenes pitch this season was 53,055 at Dodger Stadium on April 25. The right-hander excelled that night by pitching into the seventh inning in a win, holding the Dodgers to no runs, five hits while striking out nine on 108 pitches.
Similarly, on Wednesday he allowed no runs on four hits while whiffing seven on 96 pitches before Kelly plucked him with two out in the seventh in front of another strong road crowd of 25,202.
If he’s more popular on the road and less of a payday at home, the Pirate might as well trade him than extend. But that all remains to be seen.
“It’s all probably a long way away,” Skenes said. “We have a good core and good opportunity to do so something significant in Pittsburgh.”
