Author: MLB Baseball News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games

It needs to be asked: Is Manny Machado elite anymore?

The San Diego Padres’ third baseman has had a great career, making seven All-Star teams, winning three Silver Slugger awards, two Gold Gloves, and four finishes in the top five of MVP voting. But at age 33, it seems like he may no longer be a great player.

2025 marked his third straight season with an OPS under .800, although his .795 mark was still good enough to earn the Silver Slugger award, mostly thanks to hitting 27 home runs. In 2026, he’s still hitting home runs (10) but that’s about all he’s doing at the plate. His .174 batting average is about 100 points lower than last year, and he’s striking out at a career high rate. To top it off, the onetime Platinum Glove winner isn’t even grading out well defensively.

"It's been tough… I'm a baseball player, I'm not a theorist."
Manny Machado on what's going on with his offensive struggles. "@FriarTerritorypic.twitter.com/v2glLXDUgB

— Marty Caswell (@MartyCaswell) May 20, 2026

He’s not alone in his struggles. Fellow All-Stars Fernando Tatis, Jr. and Xander Bogaerts are also hitting below their career averages. They’ve been offset somewhat by better-than-expected production from Ty France and Gavin Sheets, but it seems unlikely that the Padres will be able to sustain their winning if the stars don’t start performing like it.

Machado has seven more years on his current contract, so the Padres certainly hope that his struggles are temporary. Then again, at his age, elite status might be permanently behind him. Considering how poorly he’s played this year; they’d probably be happy if he could just find a way to be a good player again.

Pennant year song battle

Patriotism (or anti-patriotism) wins the day. It’s a Mistake finally loses the crown at the hands of I Didn’t Raise My Boy to be a Soldier by the Peerless Quarter. Can they hold on to the title now that Memorial Day is behind us?

The next contender is in honor of Wednesday night’s starter Cristopher Sanchez and how many players scored runs against him in May. From 2008, it’s No One by Alicia Keys.

Vote for the winner:

Additional thought about the series

A 4-2 record on a trip through San Diego and Los Angeles is more than respectable, but it seems unlikely that they’ll be able to keep winning on pitching alone.

Phillies offense rankings this season:

AVG- .224 (29th)
OBP- .292 (30th)
SLG- .381 (21st)
OPS- .673 (28th)
Hits- 442 (29th)
Runs- 230 (27th)
Walks- 172 (29th)
Strikeouts- 492 (15th) pic.twitter.com/GhG1Q07dRU

— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) June 1, 2026

Adolis Garcia seems to be receiving the most criticism – and he certainly deserves criticism – but the Phillies’ offense has far more than one hole. The player who should be receiving the most flak is the one who is supposed to be a franchise cornerstone (The Phillies and Padres could compare notes on albatross contracts) and has been batting in the top two of the order all season despite poor results. (To be fair, there’s no obvious choice to replace him there.)

When Trea Turner struggled in Spring Training, I wasn’t concerned, because it seems silly to get worked up about Spring stats for an eleven-year veteran. But the struggles carried over into the regular season, and he got even worse in May, putting up a .529 OPS for the month.

While all the Phillies' right-handed bats are struggling, none are worse than Trea Turner's expectations.

"We've seen downs from him before. This is starting to look like an albatross of a contract."

How do you view the future of Turner's future with the Phillies? pic.twitter.com/5bkvp9WegB

— PHLY Phillies (@PHLY_Phillies) June 1, 2026

With two home runs against the Padres, there was some hope that he might be turning things around, but a 2-12 showing against the Dodgers doused those hopes. A low BABIP indicates there might be some bad luck involved, but you also might think that a top of the order hitter who is slumping might try to walk more. However, he only took five free passes in the month of May.

Like Machado, Turner is owed a lot of future money by the Phillies, so they’d better hope this isn’t a permanent age-related decline. And no, before anyone suggests it, we shouldn’t give him another standing ovation to get him back on track.

It goes without saying that the Twins’ bullpen is in need of some juice. They have seemingly found a few strong building blocks, including Yoendrys Gomez, who has been a revelation for this team after the Twins pulled him out of thin air. Others have done enough to keep the team afloat, but the bullpen as a whole ranks 24th in ERA and 29th in strikeout rate. The team desperately needs to add velo and stuff. Thankfully, there are two young prospects right across the river who look like they could solve some of the bullpen problems down the stretch.

RHP Marco Raya

Currently sitting at #17 on MLB Pipeline’s Twins prospect rankings, Marco Raya’s hype has worn off over the past couple years after struggling to adjust to the upper levels of the minor leagues. However, Raya’s stuff is as good as ever this year, and he has begun to find more success with the Saints in May.

Although his fastball is averaging 96 MPH this season, deadzone tendencies and inconsistent command have led to poor results. Instead, Raya has been relying on two excellent breaking balls in the mid 80s. With more than 12 inches of horizontal break and spin rates around 2,800 RPM, his sweeper has generated a 44% whiff rate this season. Raya pairs it with a curveball that sits at a similar velocity, but has more of a 12-6 shape. He also mixes in a power changeup in the low 90s that has been a weapon against lefties, but his struggle to command the pitch has forced him to limit its usage.

After posting a 9.98 ERA in his first 11 appearances with 11 walks and 15 strikeouts, Raya has since hit his stride, working a 4.02 ERA and 1 walk to 17 strikeouts in his last 8 outings. He has the highest graded stuff on the Saints and is currently holding a 40 man spot, so a major league debut could be on the horizon.

RHP Alejandro Hidalgo

It has been a rocky road of a minor league career for Alejandro Hidalgo. Signed out of Venezuela, he spent the first two years of his pro career in the Angels’ system before being shipped to Minnesota for Gio Urshela ahead of the 2023 season. His time in the Twins’ system did not get off to a good start. At 20 years old, Hidalgo ran a 5.24 ERA as a starter in High-A Cedar Rapids before a shoulder injury costed him the entire 2024 season. He returned in 2025 with much improved stuff, playing at both High-A and Double-A. This season, he has moved to the bullpen and taken his stuff to a whole new level at age 23, showing flashes of absolute dominance in the upper minors as he is now just across the river from Target Field.

Hidalgo leads with a dangerous fastball at 95-97, and at 18 iVB from a lower release point, the heater possesses elite carry. He has a cutter in the upper 80s that may be his best whiff pitch and also has a reliable changeup in the mid 80s that he uses to attack lefties. An occasional sinker is mixed in, but it’s mainly a three pitch arsenal, all of which are undoubtably big league pitches if he can command them.

This projection is more of a work-in-progress, as Hidalgo currently sits at a 6.75 ERA this season. Home runs and walks have both been major issues, but the stuff is some of the best in the system and cannot be ignored. He has struck out 43 batters in 28 innings of work while walking 14 this season.

Both Raya and Hidalgo have their flaws, but they also have electric stuff that can only be matched by a few other pitchers in the organization. There are a lot of questions to be answered over the next few months as the Twins hope to get David Festa and Garrett Acton back from injury. Will Kendry Rojas settle into a more traditional bullpen role? Will Kody Funderburk recapture his dominance from the end of the 2025 season? There are lots of pieces to fit into this puzzle, and these two flamethrowing prospects in the Saints’ bullpen have a chance to make a big impact.

Now, our brave heroes enter the dark lords’ realm in an attempt to overthrow their plan to cover AL lands in a twenty-eighth darkness.

I know some folks are disturbed by my series Preview of doom. I’m doing a thing. We all have to do a thing to reverse the curse against the New York Nazgul. Wear your lucky underwear, grab the Guardians hat that they win when you put it on, wear a clove of garlic, eat some lembas, something.

We should get Steven Kwan back tonight which hopefully sends Stuart Fairchild back to the shadow. The trial run was a nice idea but I have never seen a hitter look so overmatched.

Daniel Espino starts in Columbus tonight. I will be interested to see how many innings he goes.

AROUND MLB:

Tigers beat the Rays, Royals won and Twins beat the White Sox.

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Loaded Tuesday slate this evening with mispriced prop opportunities, and I am leaning into some familiar power bats in Yordan Alvarez, Nick Kurtz, and Kyle Schwarber to get things rolling.

Read on for our MLB player props and MLB picks for Tuesday, June 2. 

Best MLB player props today

Yordan Alvarez Over 1.5 total bases (-109)

I love Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez this evening against Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Bubba Chandler.

The big fella has been demolishing baseballs. Over his last 30 plate appearances against right-handed pitching, he's posted a 64.4% hard-hit rate, a ridiculous 42.9% barrel rate, and a 78.6% elevation rate (fly balls + line drives).

Not to mention, he owns 100% arsenal coverage against Chandler's pitch mix, per Batters-Box.

The Pirates' rookie has struggled against left-handed hitters this season, allowing a 15.2% barrel rate while generating just a 29.1% ground-ball rate and a 52% fly-ball rate. Lefties have tagged him for a .510 xSLG and .365 xwOBA.

If you need another mouthwatering stat, Chandler is throwing his fastball nearly 54% of the time. Alvarez owns a .468 xBA, 1.136 OPS, and 67.4% hard-hit rate against fastballs this season.

I think he leaves the yard tonight. I'd play this prop up to -115 if I had to. Anything around the number above is still a go.

• Time: 8:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SCHN, SNP

Nick Kurtz Over 1.5 Hits+Runs+RBI

Another complete misprice by the books, as Athletics star Nick Kurtz’s hits, runs, RBI prop is hovering around even money. The young star in the making enters tonight’s slate with the number one rating on Batters-Box, where he sports some of the most mouthwatering trends any numbers nerd has ever laid eyes on.

In 86 elite ratings, he clears this prop 62.79% of the time. In 45 elite ratings on the road, Kurtz jumps to nearly a 70% hit rate. Not to mention, he has gone over this prop in eight of his last 10 elite ratings on the road. Oh, and he brings 81% arsenal coverage into a matchup with Chicago Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon.

The veteran arm enters today with one of the weakest pitcher ratings on the slate. He also carries poor matchup grades in wOBA, ISO, hard contact, strikeout rate, and ground ball rate. Among today’s starters, Taillon is allowing the second-highest hard contact rate at 41.9%.

That is not all. Over his last 60 left-handed hitters faced, he is allowing a 41.9% hard contact rate, 19.1% barrel rate, and 73.8% elevation rate. During that stretch, those hitters have posted a .386 xBA, .770 xSLG, and .444 wOBA.

Based on the trends, I would personally take this prop up to -120.

• Time: 8:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Marquee, NBCSCA

Kyle Schwarber Over 1.5 Hits, Runs, RBI (-116)

Sadly, no plus money props for you all today, unless you count the home run props on every batter listed. Even if it is not mentioned, I always include the home run angle.

This evening, I think Philadelphia Phillies star Kyle Schwarber is due for a big one against San Diego Padres starter Randy Vasquez, who sports poorly rated matchup wOBA, ISO, and strikeout numbers, per Batters-Box.

The Padres starter has struggled to miss bats against left-handed hitters this season, which has me firmly on Schwarber tonight. When you think of the Phillies slugger, you think of a true three-outcome profile.

Vasquez owns just an 8.3% strikeout rate against the last 60 lefties he has faced. In that span, those hitters are posting a 46% hard-contact rate, a 10% barrel rate, and a 68% elevation rate.

Despite an off stretch due to illness, Schwarber still owns a 1.133 OPS, .482 wOBA, and a 33.3% barrel rate over his last 30 plate appearances at home. In 98 elite home ratings over the last three seasons, he has cleared this prop 55% of the time.

I would take this up to -120 if I had to.

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: TBS

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The New York Yankees are massive home favorites against the Cleveland Guardians, but I’m not laying a taxed price into this specific contact matchup.

Cam Schlittler has ace-level indicators, but Cleveland’s projected lineup has enough low-strikeout bats to make his best skill less automatic. 

Here are my Guardians vs Yankees predictions and MLB picks for Tuesday, June 2.

Who will win Guardians vs Yankees today: Guardians +1.5 (+100)

I see the Cleveland Guardians' moneyline case, but the run line is the better bet.

Cam Schlittler has been excellent, but numbers this sharp are not sustainable forever, and this is the right matchup to test him. His 94th-percentile chase profile meets a Cleveland lineup that rarely expands, and the Guardians own MLB’s second-lowest whiff rate at 22.9%.

The proof of concept is the Tampa Bay Rays, baseball's lowest-whiff team, being the only opponent to tag Schlittler for 3+ earned runs this season.

I’d play Cleveland +1.5 to -115.

Guardians vs Yankees Over/Under pick: Over 7.5 (-105)

It goes without saying that if I expect the Guardians to make Schlitter labor some, then I should like a low total going Over. I do, and I'd play this to 8 at +100.

On the other side of things, like we've hit on often with the New York Yankees, giving them free passes is an issue. Joey Cantillo’s12.7% walk rate is a problem, as it gives a group with patience and power a chance to create traffic.

For the most part, you're looking for both teams to score three or more runs, and I'm comfortable backing that here.

Guardians vs Yankees odds

• Moneyline: Guardians +200 | Yankees -250
• Run line: Guardians +1.5 | Yankees -1.5
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 | Under 7.5

Guardians vs Yankees trend

The Guardians have hit the F5 Run Line in 28 of their last 40 away games (+15.10 Units / 31% ROI)

How to watch Guardians vs Yankees and game info

Guardians vs Yankees latest injuries

Guardians vs Yankees weather

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The Atlanta Braves, who lead the NL East by 9.5 games and are leading the league in designating Carlos Carrasco for assignment, have made a roster move before tonight’s game with the Toronto Blue Jays.

The #Braves today selected RHP
Carlos Carrasco to the major league roster.

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 2, 2026

Lookie lookie lookie, here comes Cookie. I don’t quite understand why MLB doesn’t just allow teams to hold 14 pitchers on the active roster, but I really, really believe they need it. Carlos Carrasco is a perfectly fine long reliever. Just let him have the Josh Tomlin spot in the bullpen. It’s bad enough we have people out there talking about trading Ronald Acuña when this place exploded last year at the thought of not signing an extension. We don’t need this, Alex. I’m not quite this level internet annoyed, but come on.

You know who he is. Carlos Carrasco has gotten 22 outs this season. That’s just over 7 outs per DFA. He has a 2.45/4.17/3.75 line this season and 0.0 WAR. Come on Braves, quit making Carlos follow you guys around the country in a rented Escalade.

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Toronto Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement is positioned for another productive day at the plate with sinker-baller Bryce Elder on the mound for the Atlanta Braves.  

That makes Clement Over 1.5 total bases my favorite play for my Blue Jays vs. Braves predictions and MLB picks for Tuesday, June 2. 

Blue Jays vs Braves predictions

Blue Jays vs Braves best bet: Ernie Clement Over 1.5 bases (+155)

Ernie Clement enters Tuesday's matchup leading the American League with 68 hits while recording a hit in 13 of his last 14 games, including nine extra-base hits.

His hitting profile matches up well against Atlanta Braves starter Bryce Elder, who pitches to contact with an 88.1% zone-contact rating, while primarily relying on a sinker/slider combination with an 85% usage rate against right-handed hitters to get outs. 

His 23.2% whiff rate also ranks him in the 23rd percentile. 

That all plays directly into the Toronto Blue Jays sluggers' strengths. 

Clement is a contact hitter, owning a 92.6% zone-contact rate, while crushing the sinker/slider combo with a .358 average and a .444 slug against those pitches. I’d play Clement Over 1.5 bases to +130.

Blue Jays vs Braves same-game parlay (SGP)

Nathan Lukes owns a .429 batting average and a 195 WRC+ in his last 25 at-bats since returning from the IL for Toronto and has cleared his 0.5 hits total in six straight outings.

I’ll play the strong matchup game between Jays starter Kevin Gausman and Braves’ Sandy Leon, who is 0-for-14 against Toronto’s ace with a 43% strikeout rate. He also owns a 50% whiff rate against the splitter this season. Add Leon Over 0.5 K’s to the SGP. 

Blue Jays vs Braves SGP

• Ernie Clement Over 1.5 total bases
• Nathan Lukes Over 0.5 hits
• Sandy Leon Over 0.5 strikeouts

img loading="lazy" width="100%" height="null" src="https://img.covers.com/editorial/2026/jaysmlcbp.jpg" alt="Canada’s best price for Jays"

Blue Jays vs Braves home run pick: George Springer (+540)

Elder has allowed just five home runs all season, making this more of a half-unit sprinkle than a full-sized play.

Still, George Springer has shown encouraging signs lately, recording a hit in 10 of his last 13 games. Last season, he excelled against sinker-heavy pitchers, batting .371 with a .661 expected slugging percentage against the pitch type.

With his recent approach at the plate trending in the right direction, Springer is my home run pick for Tuesday afternoon.

Blue Jays vs Braves odds

• Moneyline: Toronto +113 | Atlanta -125
• Run line: Toronto +1.5 (-195)  | Atlanta -1.5 (+170)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-105) | Under 7.5 (-115)

Blue Jays vs Braves trend

The Toronto Blue Jays have covered the Run Line in 25 of their last 40 games (+10.80 Units / 21% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. Braves.

How to watch Blue Jays vs Braves and game info

Blue Jays vs Braves latest injuries

Blue Jays vs Braves weather

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Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford will both be with the Frisco Roughriders on a rehab assignment today. The Roughriders players will be eating well tonight.

Seager last played on May 13. The Rangers had an off day on May 14, and then Seager had a planned day off on May 15. On May 16, Seager reported back spasms which ultimately landed him on the injured list.

Langford, meanwhile, last played in the majors on April 21. He left that game due to forearm soreness, and ended up on the injured list with a forearm strain. He was with Round Rock on a rehab assignment over the weekend, DHing on Saturday and playing left field on Sunday.

With the Rangers off on Thursday, my guess is that Langford and Seager play for Frisco today and tomorrow and, if everything goes well, would be activated on Friday when the team returns home.

The Rangers will have some decisions to make once Langford and Seager return, as well as Sam Haggerty, who is currently on bereavement leave. Alejandro Osuna has been playing left field against righthanded pitchers in Langford’s absence, and with Langford returning to full time left field duties, Osuna would seem likely to be sent back to AAA.

With Seager back at shortstop, Ezequiel Duran would go back to being the regular second baseman, as well as playing some outfield. If the Rangers were to keep Haggerty once he returns from bereavement leave, that would allow the team to send Michael Helman back to AAA, as Haggerty would be the fourth outfielder. Should they decide they want to keep Freeman and let Haggerty go, Helman would probably need to stay up as the fourth outfielder, and either Nicky Lopez would be cut loose or Justin Foscue would get sent back down. Alternatively, they could send Freeman down when Seager is activated, waive Haggerty, and keep Helman up as the fourth outfielder.

The Jays finally got a day off after finishing 17 straight games with a 10-7 record. But back at it tonight, they are facing the team with the best record in all of baseball: Atlanta Braves. The Braves have gone 40-20 so far this season, burying their closest competitors at 9.5 games back out of first. This has been powered by an offense that leads baseball in RBIs, is second in home runs, and sports a top five rotation and bullpen. They’ve managed this despite injuries that have benched 2025 RoY Drake Baldwin and starter Spencer Schwellenbach.

I reached out to Battery Power’s Ivan the Great to answer a few questions about the Braves team and how their fans view the 2026 season.

Atlanta has a commanding lead at the top of the NLE right now, clicking on all cylinders. What are the key elements that are driving their winning ways so far?
Comprehensively answering this question would probably take 3,000 words, so I’ll focus on a few. First, the team was already supposed to be pretty good; last year was the outlier driven by a completely unforced error of a top-down change to team offensive approach, and then intensified by an absurdly bad run of injuries. Second, it looks like last year has finally spurred some changes in how the team approaches individual games, with new skipper Walt Weiss implementing a much more “let’s try to win most games we’re in” mentality that was absent from about 2023-onward when the team’s projections were really good. Third, they’re back to focusing on what many hitters were acquired for and initially coached to do: hit homers. Even as MLB continues to “experiment” with increased drag on the ball, that still remains the dominant strategy where you have the personnel to achieve it. Lastly, the defense has been really good, with Mauricio Dubon and a hopefully-it’s-not-just-a-small-sample defensive resurgence from Ozzie Albies really making the pitching look more effective than it has been

Baldwin looked like he was recreating his rookie season before the injury. How soon are the Braves hoping to get him back and why do you think he’s been able to successfully build on last season so far this season?

It looks like the timeline for Drake Baldwin is about mid-June, but the Braves generally slow-play injury returns, and there’s little reason to rush him back given the standings. Baldwin has an almost-ideal profile in that he doesn’t have a particular long swing, nor is he jumping out to pull the ball, but he’s able to generate a fast, hard swing that can cover the zone and then some even though he doesn’t need to cheat or rely on a longer swing through the zone to do it. This year, a huge difference has been simply hitting the ball in the air more, letting that hard swing turn what used to be lasers through the infield into things that go a lot further than the infield. Combine his ability to cover non-strikes and hit them pretty hard with a teamwide approach that’s tilted back towards aggression and damage on contact, and you’ve basically got a monster at the plate at this point.

Matt Olson continues to rake for the Braves. Anyone still missing Freeman or regretting that deal?

I’m sure lots of folks are still missing Freddie Freeman, but I hope that Olson continues to take the sting out of those proceedings. It’s worth noting that post-trade, through May 2026, Freeman still has a sizable fWAR advantage (23.7 to 19.3) and a large xwOBA lead (about .020) as well. That said, I don’t think the Braves would’ve been able to get out of Freeman what the Dodgers did in his 30s, as the Dodgers re-oriented him towards something he probably enjoys more (spraying liners) than what the Braves were morphing into (hitting bombs and scowling disgustedly at the punishment meted out, something Olson excels at).

Which prospect are Braves fans most excited for that debuted or might debut this year?

I think this was probably JR Ritchie, and folks got their wish as he was ultimately called up and did… okay for a call-up but not so great for an MLB pitcher. That excitement only grew after Ritchie’s very fun MLB debut, but he never really got back to that level of performance and has some stuff to figure out in the minors.

Who is your favourite member of the team to watch right now?

Well, Baldwin’s on the shelf, so I’d probably have to go with Chris Sale, because it’s just such a confident form of dominance. He’s not necessarily outsmarting you (guys, it’s two pitches) and it’s not like he can’t be squared up at all such that he never even has to work out of a jam or anything. But, when it comes down to it, the combination of his delivery and arm angle just makes trying to face his slider comical… and then you remember that he can blow it by you in the zone, too. At this point, everyone pretty much knows how Chris Sale is going to pitch against them, but it doesn’t help them much, not even when they stand in the box against him multiple times a game. In a league where many pitchers kind of feel like cookie cutter-esque fastball/slider guys that are nonetheless effective if interchangeable, Chris Sale stands out as a completely different fastball/slider guy who might look similar-if-better on paper, but looks like he’s from a completely different league when he gets up there and gets guys to swing and miss by a foot on a slider that sweeps all the way across the center field camera view.

And just a fun little exercise, if you could make a guaranteed trade for one player from a division rival, who would it be and what would you consider a fair return to acquire them?

The Braves don’t have too much that they could, and would want to, offer to improve what already looks like one of MLB’s best rosters. So, I’ll focus on plugging a hole in this one. The Braves could use another lefty reliever, as Aaron Bummer’s shoulder cratered his effectiveness and he was sent packing a few weeks ago. Brooks Raley is a boring older lefty veteran type who isn’t making much this year, and wouldn’t cost much of anything that the Braves would likely miss, either. While the Braves probably won’t actually get Raley given general Braves-Mets animosity, I expect them to add one or maybe two Raley analogues before the summer ends.

Thanks Ivan!