Mets Injury Notes: Ronny Mauricio back in game action, updates on Jeff McNeil and Francisco Alvarez

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza provided a number of injury updated prior to Monday's game in Minnesota...


Ronny Mauricio

It's been a long road to recovery for Ronny Mauricio, but he's set to take a big step this week.

The young infielder will be back in game action for the first time on Tuesday afternoon, as he slots in as the designated hitter in the Florida Complex League at extended spring training.

Mauricio was initially sidelined due to a torn ACL he suffered while playing in Winter Ball last offseason, and while working his way back, he was forced to undergo a second procedure to remove scar tissue. Shortly after, he dealt with inflammation that stalled his recovery.

Since then, it's been smooth sailing for the 24-year-old. The Mets opted to not rush him back into action during spring training, but now he appears ready to take the next step.

"The fact that he's now in game action is certainly a good sign," Mendoza said. "We just want him to get at-bats in extended -- hopefully we'll get him some reps in the field and we'll see how it goes from there."

Jeff McNeil

McNeil has been feeling good over the first few days of his rehab assignment.

The slap-hitting infielder played a pair of games with Single-A St. Lucie late last week and looked strong at the plate and in the field, going 2-for-5 while also drawing a walk and scoring a run.

He has Monday off and will return to action tomorrow night with St. Lucie.

From there, McNeil will go to Triple-A Syracuse as he continues working his way back to the big league club. But Mendoza says he still has to get more at-bats before they are ready for him to return as their primary second baseman.

"He's feeling good but those are tricky injuries, with the oblique," he said.

With both Luisangel Acuña and Brett Baty struggling at the plate early on this season, getting McNeil back into the mix would certainly be a nice boost on both sides of the ball.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (4) hits a single against the Washington Nationals during the fifth inning at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches
New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (4) hits a single against the Washington Nationals during the fifth inning at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches / Sam Navarro - Imagn Images

Francisco Alvarez

Alvarez was supposed to take his rehab assignment to Triple-A this week, but instead he'll be heading to Double-A because of weather.

He's expected to join the Rumble Ponies in Reading to take on the Fightin Phils on Tuesday.

The young backstop is a bit ahead of McNeil in his road back, as he started his assignment a few days earlier, but he still has a few steps to take before rejoining the majors.

While it's more so about getting the reps than anything else, Alvarez had just one hit in 10 at-bats with St. Lucie.

It'll be interesting to see how the Mets handle the playing time when he returns, with backup Luis Torrens shining with the bat and behind the plate in his absence.

Paul Blackburn

Blackburn is scheduled to throw two-ups in live batting practice on Tuesday, and if everything goes as planned, he could begin a rehab assignment after that.

Mendoza said that the team is planning on building him back up as a starter, rather than using him as a reliever -- they indicated this toward the end of spring training. The goal is to get the veteran right-hander around 70-75 pitches.

With their busy schedule ahead, the Mets are planning on inserting a sixth starter into the rotation as early as this weekend against the Cardinals.

2025 Fantasy Baseball Injury Tracker: Kyle Tucker's uncertainty, Yordan Alvarez hurt again

Welcome to Rotoworld’s 2025 Fantasy Baseball Injury Tracker, where the
staff will be keeping you up to date with all the latest injury news and
status on fantasy-relevant players around the league. Check back daily
for updates.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Corbin Burnes - SP (elbow)

Burnes was pulled in the fifth inning of a game against the Nationals on June 1 with right elbow discomfort. After seeking a second opinion, he's set to undergo Tommy John surgery and be out for the next 12 months or so.

Tyler Locklear - 1B (elbow)

Locklear landed on the injured list with elbow inflammation on September 8th. There has been no other update on his status and it’s likely his season is over.

Justin Martinez - RP (elbow)

Martinez was pulled from a game on June 9 with elbow tightness and was placed on the 15-day injured list with a UCL sprain in his right elbow. This comes shortly after the 23-year-old right-hander was sidelined with a shoulder injury. He's now facing a 12-13 month absence, according to the team.

A.J. Puk - RP (elbow)

Puk, sidelined since mid-April with an elbow injury, underwent Tommy John surgery on Friday, June 20. The 30-year-old left-hander will now miss all of 2025 and a significant portion of the 2026 season.

Kevin Ginkel - RP (shoulder)

Ginkel is the latest Diamondbacks' reliever to fall this season. A shoulder strain he sustained during the first week of August will end his season and the beginning of his 2026 season is in doubt as well.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. - OF (knee)

Gurriel was carted off the field after a play in the outfield on Monday, September 1. Tests revealed a right torn ACL for the 31-year-old outfielder. He's set to undergo season-ending surgery and is likely to be sidelined for a significant portion, if not all, of 2026.

Athletics

Jacob Lopez - SP (elbow)

Lopez experienced some tightness in his forearm following his last start against the Mariners and was diagnosed with a Grade 1 left elbow flexor strain. He was placed on the 15-day injured list on August 25, but is reportedly making good progress of late and has a chance to return this season. What role he could return in is unknown though. The 27-year-old left-hander had posted a 4.08 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and a 113/37 K/BB ratio across 92 2/3 innings.

Denzel Clarke - OF (groin)

Clarke had been working his way back from an adductor strain when he was recently diagnosed with a new Grade 2 adductor strain that will prolong his return. He remains without a timeline.

Gunnar Hoglund - SP (hip)

After giving up eight runs over six innings in a start against the Blue Jays, Hoglund landed on the 15-day injured list with a left hip impingement. He underwent hip surgery on Friday, June 13, and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2025 season.

Max Muncy - SS/2B (fractured hand)

Muncy suffered a fractured right hand after he was hit by a pitch against the Rangers on July 21. The Athletics placed the 22-year-old infielder on the 10-day injured list and he resumed baseball activities soon thereafter. He's started a hitting progression and will likely need a rehab assignment to ramp back up before he's activated sometime in September.

Jack Perkins - SP (shoulder)

Perkins landed on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder strain on August 22. He received an injection a few days later but still remains without a timetable. It's possible Perkins' season is over. The 25-year-old right-hander posted a solid 4.19 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 37/18 K/BB ratio across 38 2/3 innings.

Atlanta Braves

Austin Riley - 3B (abdominal muscle)

After missing two weeks with an abdominal strain, Riley went back on the IL with the same injury. He recently experienced renewed discomfort after running the bases and underwent season-ending core muscle surgery with the expectation that he'll be ready for 2026 Spring Training.

Spencer Schwellenbach - SP (elbow)

Schwellenbach felt soreness in his right elbow following his last start on June 28 and landed on the 60-day injured list with a fractured right elbow. The 25-year-old right-hander believes his added velocity this season may have contributed to the injury. While he'll be eligible to return in late August, he still hasn't resumed throwing and there's a strong chance his season may be over.

Sean Murphy - C (hip)

Murphy was diagnosed with a labrum tear in his right hip which will require surgery and knock him out for the rest of the season. That serious of an injury could put him in jeopardy for spring training next season.

AJ Smith-Shawver - SP (Tommy John surgery)

Smith-Shawver left his start on May 29 against the Phillies after feeling a "pop" in his right elbow. Things progressed quickly from there as he was moved to the 60-day injured list and underwent Tommy John surgery, likely sidelining him for most of 2026.

Grant Holmes - SP (elbow)

Holmes' season has effectively come to an end as the 29-year-old right-hander was placed on the 60-day injured list with right elbow inflammation. With his roster spot cleared, the team acquired Erick Fedde in a deal with the Cardinals. Holmes ends the season with a 3.99 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and a 123/54 K/BB ratio across 115 innings.

Baltimore Orioles

Adley Rutchman - C (oblique)

Rutchman was placed on the 10-day injured list with a mild right oblique strain on August 21. He was able to take batting practice with the team last week and should be cleared for a rehab assignment this weekend. That puts him on track to rejoin the Orioles for their final few games of the season.

Grayson Rodriguez - SP (elbow discomfort)

Rodriguez has been sidelined since spring training with shoulder and elbow injuries. While the team was hopeful that the 25-year-old right-hander would pitch this season, he was shut down multiple times while rehabbing over the course of the season and has now officially opted for surgery ending his season. He expressed optimism that this will finally help him to avoid the consistent elbow discomfort that's plagued him for a huge chunk of the last few seasons.

Zach Eflin - SP (back)

Eflin is on the IL for the second time this summer with a back injury and has opted for lumbar microdiscectomy surgery, ending his season.

Félix Bautista - RP (shoulder)

After experiencing a dip in velocity, Bautista was placed on the injured list with what’s being described as “right shoulder discomfort” by the Orioles. He recently underwent surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff and is facing a 12-month recovery, sidelining him for likely all of next season.

Boston Red Sox

Roman Anthony - OF (oblique)

The Red Sox took a huge blow when Anthony was placed on the 10-day injured list with left oblique strain on September 3. He only just began walking on a treadmill in mid-September, so it’s apparent his season is over and his availability for the Wild Card round is in serious doubt. The 21-year-old outfielder was slashing .292/.396/.463 with eight homers and fours steals across 303 plate appearances most as the table-setting atop Boston’s lineup.

Wilyer Abreu - OF (calf)

Abreu was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 18 after sitting out a few games with right calf tightness. There was hope that it would be a minimum stint for Abreu, but he’s been held out since without many encouraging updates. He’s been with the team at Fenway Park for more than a week now though and could rejoin the lineup any day now.

Dustin May - SP (elbow)

May was placed on the 15-day IL on September 9th with right elbow neuritis. That leaves him first eligible to return on September 24th, almost certainly ending his regular season.

Triston Casas - 1B (knee)

Casas suffered a significant knee injury running to first base during a game on May 2 and had to be carted off the field. The 25-year-old first baseman underwent season-ending surgery to repair a ruptured patellar tendon in his left knee.

Tanner Houck - SP (forearm)

Houck was placed on the injured list on May 13th with a right flexor pronator strain. He appeared to be nearing the end of his rehab assignment before suffering a setback and has since opted for Tommy John surgery. His 2026 season and future as a starting pitcher is firmly in doubt.

Hunter Dobbins - SP (knee)

Dobbins left his start on July 11 against the Rays with a right knee injury he sustained while covering first base. It was later revealed the 25-year-old right-hander tore his ACL. The injury will require a significant rehab process that will keep him out until sometime in 2026.

Marcelo Mayer - 2B/3B (wrist)

Mayer was removed from a game against the Phillies on July 23 with right wrist discomfort and landed on the 10-day injured list with a right wrist sprain. He underwent right wrist surgery that will end his season.

Chicago Cubs

Kyle Tucker - OF (calf)

A nightmarish second half for Tucker has gotten worse. After battling a calf injury for a week, he landed on the IL with a strain. There was hope that he'd be able to return when first eligible on September 16th, but that date has passed and more recently there’s been an ominous update that his recovery has “plateaued” per manager Craig Counsell. He’s heading back to Tampa Bay for additional treatment which casts serious doubt he can return before the regular season is over.

Daniel Palencia - RP (shoulder)

Palencia was pulled from his appearance on September 7th with a shoulder injury. The team later put him on the 15-day IL with a strain, putting the rest of his season in jeopardy. Brad Keller and Andrew Kittdredge are splitting closer duties in his stead.

Owen Caissie - OF (concussion)

Caisse collided with the right field wall on Saturday, September 13th and was removed with concussion-like symptoms. He’s eligible to be activated on September 20th, but there’s no guarantee he will be.

Justin Steele - SP (elbow)

Steele landed on the 15-day injured list following his last start with left elbow tendinitis. After undergoing an MRI exam, it was determined the 29-year-old left-hander would need season-ending surgery on his left elbow. Steele underwent a UCL revision surgery, which is less invasive than a full Tommy John and should put him in line to return early next season.

Miguel Amaya - C (oblique)

Amaya can’t catch a break this season. After missing nearly three months with an oblique strain, he went down with a scary ankle injury in his first game back and had to be carted off the field. He could play again this season, though there's been no timeline for a return.

Chicago White Sox

Luis Robert Jr. - OF (hamstring)

Robert could be done for the season with just one month left to play after he was diagnosed with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain. If that's it for the 28-year-old outfielder, he'll end the season slashing .223/.297/.364 with 14 homers and 33 steals across 431 plate appearances.

Cincinnati Reds

Cleveland Guardians

Lane Thomas - OF (plantar fasciitis)

Thomas landed back on the injured list for the second time with plantar fasciitis in his right foot in early July. The team indicated that Thomas is progressing slowly from the injury, but he's finally begun taking batting practice with hopes to return next week before the season is over.

Colorado Rockies

Seth Halvorsen - RP (elbow)

Halvorsen was diagnosed with a 'mild' flexor strain in early August. He started his progression to a throwing program in early September but there’s no indication he’ll make it back to the mound this season.

Chase Dollander - SP (knee)

Dollander hurt his knee during his start on September 11th against the Dodgers and was placed on the injured list with a patellar tendon strain. That will end his season.

Warming Bernabel - 3B (concussion)

Bernabel suffered a scary head injury after colliding with the part of the gate down the right field line in Dodger Stadium while trying to chase down a fly ball. He’s likely to miss the rest of the season.

Thairo Estrada - 2B (hamstring)

Estrada is making his third IL trip of the season, this time with a hamstring strain. The Rockies transferred him to the 60-day IL, effectively ending his season.

Detroit Tigers

Kyle Finnegan - RP (groin)

Finnegan began to feel some discomfort in his groin on September 3rd when he was warming up in the bullpen to enter a game against the Mets. He tried to rest it for a few days, but was ultimately placed on the IL shortly thereafter. That’s opened up more save opportunities for Will Vest. Yet, Finnegan has just begun a rehab assignment and could be back for the last week for the last week of the regular season.

Alex Cobb - SP (hips)

Cobb has missed the entire season to this point after signing a one year, $15 million contract with the Tigers. He had a hip impingement that led to inflammation, yet began a rehab assignment on May 30th. Then, his other hip began to give him trouble and he was shut down until the last week of July. He then started another rehab assignment before being shut down again and needing surgery. Officially out for the season, it’s up in the air whether or not he throws another pitch in the major leagues.

Matt Vierling - OF (oblique)

Vierling hit the IL with an oblique strain on August 10th. He finally began a rehab assignment in mid-September, but was pulled off it after just a few games. That’s likely an indication that his regular season is over.

Jackson Jobe - SP (strained elbow flexor)

Jobe was placed on the 15-day injured list with a Grade 1 right elbow flexor strain on May 30. This comes after his velocity was notably down in his previous start against the Giants. It was determined shortly after that the 22-year-old right-hander will need to undergo Tommy John surgery, likely keeping him out until late 2026.

Reese Olson - SP (shoulder)

Olson will miss the rest of the regular season with a shoulder strain. The injury cropped up just after he returned from missing two months with inflammation in his right ring finger. He intends to return in time for the playoffs, but shoulder injuries can be fickle.

Houston Astros

Yordan Alvarez - OF/DH (ankle)

In a cruel turn of events, Alvarez rolled his ankle on home plate this past week and has been out of the lineup ever since. He was just beginning to find his groove after missing most of the season with a precarious hand injury and will now likely miss the rest of the regular season despite the team not placing him on the IL.

Josh Hader - RP (shoulder)

After announcing Hader was unavailable during their game on August 11th, the Astros placed him on the IL soon thereafter with what they called a shoulder strain. Things went from bad to worse when it was reported he was seeking a second opinion and we learned on August 15th that he more specifically has a sprain in his shoulder capsule and will be shut down for the next few weeks. As of September 15th, he’d still not resumed throwing and his availability for the playoffs is in doubt.

Luis Garcia - SP (elbow)

In just his second start back from Tommy John surgery, Garcia was removed with elbow discomfort and placed back on the IL. He threw a fastball 88 mph and immediately called for the trainers. This is an awful development after missing nearly 30 months following his last surgery.

Brandon Walter - SP (elbow)

Walter was placed on the IL with elbow inflammation on July 25th. He took a couple weeks off before resuming a throwing program, but was shut down again with recurring elbow soreness. It was reported he underwent surgery on September 15th, which will officially end his season.

Isaac Paredes - 3B (hamstring)

Paredes was placed on the 10-day injured list on July 20 with a significant right hamstring strain. After a few months of rest and rehab, manager Joe Espada said “there’s an outside chance” he could be back this weekend despite not getting any reps in rehab games.

Spencer Arrighetti - SP (elbow)

Arrighetti was placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to August 31, with right elbow inflammation. He’s heading for a second opinion, which is never a good sign. There's a strong chance his season is over and the hope is that it isn't something that could go into next season.

Kansas City Royals

Seth Lugo - SP (back)

Lugo had a start pushed back because of lower back tightness in early September and was ultimately placed on the IL. Apparently on the mend, he threw a bullpen session on September 14th, but still felt discomfort and was shut down again. It’s growing increasingly less likely he pitches again this season.

Ryan Bergert - SP (elbow)

Initially, Bergert was said to have forearm tightness. Then, he was placed on the IL with what the team called an elbow strain on September 18th. This will almost certainly end his season and casts a bit of doubt as to his health heading into 2026.

Kris Bubic - SP (shoulder)

Bubic reported some shoulder soreness after giving up four runs over 2 2/3 innings in his last start. He was placed on the 15-day injured list and transferred to the 60-day IL, sidelining him for the rest of the season. The 27-year-old left-hander had been enjoying a breakout season, posting a 2.55 ERA with a 116/39 K/BB ratio across 116 1/3 innings.

Los Angeles Angels

Zach Neto - SS (hand)

Neto battled wrist and hand soreness for the better part of a week before finally succumbing to the IL this past Tuesday. That will effectively end his season.

Travis d’Arnaud - C (concussion)

d’Arnaud was hit by a backswing in the Angels’ game on September 12th and placed on the 7-day concussion IL shortly thereafter. It’s unlikely he plays again this season.

José Soriano - SP (forearm contusion)

Soriano was struck by a 107 mph line drive on his hand in a start on September 17th. Luckily, x-rays came back negative, but the Angels still opted to place him on the IL and end his season.

Jorge Soler - OF (back)

Soler was removed from a game against the Mets on July 23 with lower back tightness and was held out of the lineup for two days before ultimately landing on the 10-day injured list with lower back inflammation. He's participated in batting practice, but has yet to go on a rehab assignment.

Nolan Schanuel - 1B (wrist)

Schanuel was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 24 with a left wrist contusion. Testing revealed no fractures or structural damage and he recently went to the Angels’ facility in Arizona to restart baseball activities. He could be back at some point during the team’s upcoming road trip.

Tyler Anderson - SP (strained oblique)

Anderson was placed on the 15-day injured list on August 30 with a left oblique strain. Given the timing of the injury, he's likely done for the season, ending his 2025 with a 4.56 ERA across 136 1/3 innings.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Will Smith - C (hand)

Smith hasn’t played since September 3rd after taking a foul ball off his throwing hand in a game against the Pirates. He rested while on the active roster and returned to the lineup six days later. After playing in that game and being penciled in to also play the next, he was suddenly scratched. That was the last time he’d play before finally being placed on the IL on September 13th. It’s a toss-up as to whether or not he’ll make it back before the end of the regular season.

Roki Sasaki - SP (shoulder)

Sasaki was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder impingement on May 13, an issue he had pitched through for a few starts. He resumed throwing in late May but was shut down a few weeks later and the Dodgers have since transferred him to the 60-day IL. He made his first rehab start on August 14th and his fastball sat in the low-90s for nearly a month straight. Then, last week, he was back to throwing 100 mph seemingly out of nowhere. That led to a meeting where he met with team officials to discuss a potential role on their playoff roster. Since, a calf issue cropped up that has allowed his rehab assignment to be extended past the 30-day allotment.

Miami Marlins

Kyle Stowers - OF (oblique)

The breakout outfielder was placed on the IL with an oblique strain on August 16th. It’s just a Grade 1 strain, but Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said that Stowers would be out for “several weeks”. He had started a minor league rehab assignment but was shut down after suffering a setback. Stowers' season could be over.

Edward Cabrera - SP (elbow)

Cabrera was placed on the 15-day IL with a right elbow strain after his start on August 30th. An elbow injury this late in the season is likely a season-ender, which is a shame because of how well he’s pitched. He threw a 50-pitch simulated game on Wednesday and hopes to return for one last start before the end of the season.

Max Meyer - SP (hip impingement)

After giving up 11 runs over his last two starts, the Marlins put Meyer on the 15-day injured list with a hip impingement on June 3. It wasn't expected to be a long stay on the injured list, but after meeting with a specialist, it was determined he'd need season-ending hip surgery. He should be ready for the start of spring training next season.

Griffin Conine - OF (shoulder)

Conine suffered a dislocated left shoulder on a slide into second base on April 19 and underwent season-ending surgery. The 27-year-old outfielder was in the midst of a breakout season, hitting .281/.352/.438 over 71 plate appearances.

Ryan Gusto - SP (shoulder)

Gusto went on the IL with a shoulder impingement after an awful outing against the Braves on August 27th where he allowed nine runs. That injury will likely end his season.

Milwaukee Brewers

Logan Henderson - SP (elbow)

Henderson was recalled from Triple-A to join the rotation after Jacob Misiorowski landed on the injured list with a shin contusion. After one start, Henderson was placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation and later transferred to the 60-day, ending his season.

Trevor Megill - RP (elbow)

Megill blew two saves inside of a week before landing on the IL in late August with a ‘mild’ flexor strain in his right elbow. He was hoping it would be just a minimum stint on the injured list but had to shut things down for a few days after experiencing some soreness. Megill is targeting the last weekend of the season for a return before the start of the playoffs.

Jose Quintana - SP (calf)

Quintana's regular season is over after he was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left calf strain. The time off should give him plenty of time to rest before he could potentially contribute during the postseason.

Minnesota Twins

Ryan Jeffers - C (concussion)

Jeffers took a foul ball off his mask and was removed from a game against the White Sox last Thursday. He was placed on the 7-day concussion injured list after missing the next two games with no timeline to return.

Justin Topa - RP (oblique)

Topa was placed on the 15-day injured list on September 12 with a left oblique strain, likely ending his season. Topa had stepped into a high-leverage role over the last month, converting four saves.

New York Mets

Tylor Megill - SP (elbow)

Megill was placed on the 15-day IL with an elbow sprain on June 15th. It was originally reported that he'd miss about a month, but was transferred to the 60-day IL soon thereafter. He began ramping up towards the tail-end of July and had an excellent rehab stint before experiencing renewed arm soreness, likely ending his season.

Jesse Winker - OF (oblique, back)

Winker was placed on the IL with a Grade 2 oblique strain on May 5th. He came back in mid-July, played two games, and then landed back on the injured list with back inflammation. He began a rehab assignment around Labor Day, but his back was still barking and he’s been shut down indefinitely. He's likely to miss the rest of the season.

Griffin Canning - SP (torn Achilles)

Canning was removed from his start on Thursday, June 26, with a left ankle injury. It was revealed that the 29-year-old right-hander suffered a ruptured left Achilles tendon, sidelining him for the rest of the season.

New York Yankees

Clarke Schmidt - SP (Tommy John surgery)

The oft-injured Schmidt was pulled from his start on July 3rd with forearm tightness. He was then sent for an MRI that revealed a tear in his UCL that required Tommy John surgery. He will obviously be out for the rest of this season and likely most of the next one, too.

Anthony Volpe - SS (shoulder)

Volpe sat out two games and was given a cortisone shot in his left shoulder, the same shoulder he reportedly heard "go pop" in May. He's apparently felt some discomfort on occasion, though the team insists he's healthy. It could be something to monitor and might've had an effect on his performance this season.

Philadelphia Phillies

Zack Wheeler - SP (blood clot)

The Phillies pushed one of Wheeler’s starts back with what they called shoulder stiffness towards the beginning of August. Then, in his next start, he only lasted for 83 pitches and his velocity was down across the board. About a week later, we learned he had an upper extremity blood clot in his right shoulder and was placed on the IL. He’s since had successful surgery to remove the blood clot and will have a second surgery for thorcic outlet syndrome with a 6-8 month recovery timeline.

Alec Bohm - 3B (shoulder)

Bohm was placed on the 10-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation after battling some soreness. Bohm hopes to return before the end of the regular season, but it's no guarantee. Rookie Otto Kemp will step in at the hot corner in Bohm's absence.

Trea Turner - SS (hamstring)

Turner was removed from a game against the Marlins on Sunday, September 7 with right hamstring tightness. He was diagnosed with a Grade 1 hamstring strain and placed on the 10-day injured list with the expectation that he'll return before the end of the regular season. Turner was cleared to resume baseball activities earlier this week.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Jared Jones - SP (elbow discomfort)

The Pirates were dealt a blow when Jones was diagnosed with a right UCL sprain in his elbow before the start of the season. The 23-year-old right-hander was placed on the 60-day injured list and underwent season-ending surgery. He could be ready to return in early 2026 following an internal brace procedure rather than a full Tommy John surgery.

San Diego Padres

Xander Bogaerts - SS/2B (foot)

Bogaerts fouled a ball off his foot on August 27th that fractured it. It was thought that he'd miss the rest of the season but he was cleared to resume some baseball activities and could be return during the final week of the regular season.

Nestor Cortes - SP (biceps)

Cortes was placed on the 15-day injured list with left biceps tendinitis following his last start in which he surrendered six runs over 2 1/3 innings against the Orioles. It's apparently an issue Cortes had been dealing with for a while. Cortes is set to face hitters over the weekend as he ramps back up for a potential return for the postseason.

San Francisco Giants

Landen Roupp - SP (knee)

Roupp was carted off the field during his start on August 20th after he twisted his knee awkwardly while trying to field a comebacker. He was placed on the IL with what the team called left knee inflammation, but was diagnosed with a bone bruise. He's advanced to throwing bullpen sessions but is running out of time to make it back before the end of the season unless the Giants land a playoff spot.

Randy Rodriguez - SP (elbow)

The Giants’ supposed closer after Camilo Doval was shipped off the Yankees at the trade deadline, Rodriguez struggled in that role and then was placed on the 15-day IL in late August with an elbow strain. He was later recommended Tommy John surgery and transferred to the 60-day IL, ending his season.

Carson Whisenhunt - (back)

Whisenhunt reported dealing with some back discomfort after his start on August 28th and was placed on the 15-day injured list soon thereafter. He made a rehab appearance with Triple-A Sacramento this week and should return to the Giants rotation over the weekend.

Seattle Mariners

Logan Evans - SP (elbow)

Evans was pulled from his start on August 14th and was placed on the IL with elbow inflammation soon thereafter. He threw a scoreless inning with Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday, throwing 22 pitches. He reportedly came out of the game feeling good and could potentially be an option out of the bullpen during the postseason.

St. Louis Cardinals

Masyn Winn - SS (knee)

Winn was placed on the 10-day injured list and shut down for the rest of the season with a torn meniscus in his right knee. He'll undergo surgery to repair the damage and should be ready for the start of spring training in 2026.

Willson Contreras - 1B (shoulder)

Contreras sat out a game with biceps soreness and landed on the 10-day injured list with a right shoulder strain. The timing of the injury effectively ends his season. The 33-year-old made the full transition to first base this year, slashing .257/.344/.447 with 20 home runs, 80 RBI, and five steals.

Tampa Bay Rays

Jonathan Aranda - 1B (wrist)

Aranda left the Rays' game on July 31st after Giancarlo Stanton ran through his wrist on a close play at first base and was clearly in serious pain. The 27-year-old was diagnosed with a left wrist fracture and placed on the 10-day injured list. He vowed to return before the end of the season. He resumed swinging in early September and took batting practice this week, putting him in line to make good on his word and potentially return for the final week of the regular season.

Shane McClanahan - SP (triceps nerve inflammation)

McClanahan, making his way back from Tommy John surgery, suffered a left arm injury during a spring training start on March 22. He was diagnosed with nerve inflammation in his left triceps that he has struggled to come back from all season. The 28-year-old right-hander finally underwent season-ending surgery in an attempt to fix the nerve problem. His readiness for 2026 will be something to monitor over the offseason.

Jonny DeLuca - OF (hamstring)

DeLuca was removed from a game against the Angels in early August with left hamstring tightness. He recently suffered a setback and he's set to miss the rest of the season.

Texas Rangers

Corey Seager - SS (appendectomy)

Seager underwent an emergency appendectomy on August 28th that will reportedly keep him out for several weeks. He intends to return this season though as the surging Rangers have suddenly found themselves in the thick of the playoff race. Seager did some light jogging this week but still needs to make some strides in his hitting progression. A return before the end of the regular season seems unlikely.

Nathan Eovaldi - SP (shoulder)

Eovaldi’s tremendous season has been cut short by a rotator cuff strain that landed him on the injured list. It likely will not require surgery, which is a great sign for next year, but it’s a brutal blow for the Rangers and fantasy managers alike to lose him and his 1.73 ERA at this juncture.

Marcus Semien - 2B (foot)

Semien fouled a ball off his left foot on August 21st and spent a few days trying to play through the pain before landing on the 15-day IL. Later, imaging revealed a fracture and lisfranc sprain, which will end his season.

Evan Carter - OF (wrist)

Carter fractured his right wrist on a hit by pitch in late August and will miss the rest of the season.

Toronto Blue Jays

Bo Bichette - SS (knee)

Bichette suffered a leg injury sliding into home plate during a game against the Yankees on September 6. He was placed on the 10-day injured list with a sprained left knee. Manager John Schneider confirmed that Bichette won't return before the end of the regular season and remains without a timeline.

Anthony Santander - OF (shoulder)

Santander has been out with a shoulder injury since late May. He struggled to a .577 OPS before going out and the Blue Jays caught fire without him, so there wasn’t much of a rush on their end to bring him back. He was finally ready to start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Buffalo but suffered a bit of a setback with some lower back tightness. Santander was cleared to continue his rehab assignment and hope to get back into the Toronto lineup for the final week of the regular season.

Bowden Francis - SP (shoulder)

Francis was shut down in mid-June with a shoulder impingement and was expected to miss around a month. He suffered a setback after his first bullpen session in mid-July and moved to the 60-day injured list. Francis has progressed to facing live hitters and could return in a bullpen role during the postseason.

Washington Nationals

Keibert Ruiz - C (concussion)

Keibert was concussed after a freak incident where a foul ball from teammate Josh Bell flew into their dugout and hit him on the side of his head. He returned rather quickly, then went back on the 7-day IL just a few days later after recurring concussion-like symptoms. He began a rehab assignment in early September but was pulled after experiencing recurring symptoms. He hasn't been shut down, but a return this season is starting to seem unlikely.

Umpire trolled by LASIK company for atrocious call in Giants game

Umpire trolled by LASIK company for atrocious call in Giants game originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

For all of the talk about the ABS system making its way to MLB games, the Giants certainly benefited from its absence in their 10-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday at Citizens Bank Park.

Home plate umpire Tony Randazzo fell victim to Giants catcher Patrick Bailey’s elite framing skills in the bottom of the seventh inning, calling Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto out on strikes with runners on first and second and Philadelphia trailing 8-4. Unfortunately for the Phillies, Erik Miller’s slider was almost in the other batter’s box and should have been called ball four.

Mistakes happen, but LASIK.com took the opportunity to question Randazzo’s eyesight with a comical advertisement aimed at MLB umpires on X, formerly known as Twitter, after the call.

Only time will tell if Randazzo takes up the company’s offer. But the Giants and Miller certainly weren’t complaining after improving to 12-4 on the 2025 MLB season following the questionable call in a big spot on Monday.

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Mets’ Sean Manaea resumes light throwing after latest MRI shows improvement

Mets starter Sean Manaea took a big step on Monday afternoon.

The left-hander was able to resume light throwing from up to 60 feet after the latest MRI on his right oblique showed “improvement,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. 

Manaea, of course, was first sidelined with the injury during the early stages of spring training -- and he was initially expected to make his return to the mound somewhere in mid-to-late April.

Things had been progressing as planned until that timeline ended up being pushed back at the beginning of the month, when he was shut down after experiencing discomfort in his oblique.

An MRI showed some inflammation and he received a PRP injection, slowing him another two weeks.

After taking that time off, it appears that Manaea is finally ready to get back on his road to recovery -- though Mendoza did say that the team will keep him at the distance and intensity for the next ten days or so in an effort to play it safe.

If everything continues going as planned, he could be back towards the end of May or later.

Siri IL decision coming soon

Jose Siri is still very sore after suffering a shin contusion during Saturday's game in Sacramento.

The speedy outfielder is undergoing another MRI, and manager Carlos Mendoza said the team is hoping to have a decision on if he'll have to go on the injured list or not following Monday's game.

"We'll see how the results are, but we'll have a conversation after and see where we go from there," he said.

The skipper added that everything is on the table as far as replacing Siri if he were to miss additional time, and he told Luisangel Acuña to make sure he gets some reps out there during BP after finishing his infield work.

The youngster has only played the infield during his time in the majors, but he appeared in 31 games in center while in Triple-A last season.

Walker's hiccup inning against Giants a flashback to 2024 season

Walker's hiccup inning against Giants a flashback to 2024 season originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Taijuan Walker wasn’t going to keep the goose egg earned run average forever — but things certainly escalated quickly.

And unfortunately when it comes to the right-handed pitcher, if it rains, it pours.

The Giants entered Monday night with the second-best winning percentage in the Majors — and in his first real test of the season — Walker faltered in the Phillies’ 10-4 loss at Citizens Bank Park.

The club is now 9-7 on the season and have dropped four of their last five games.

Walker entered the second frame with early run support, an infrequent occurrence through the first 16 games. It was flushed away in a blowout inning from the Giants, who batted through the order and put up six runs.

One play goes differently and the Phillies would’ve gotten out of the inning allowing just one run and still holding the lead. Instead of a double play, a throwing error from Walker sent the ball into shallow center field and play continued.

What happened next gave flashbacks to 2024 Walker with the domino effect in place. He gave up home runs to Tyler Fitzgerald and Willy Adames, both of which hadn’t homered to this point in the season.

“I think (the error) changes the entire inning,” Rob Thomson said after the game. “Other than that one inning where he made a couple of mistakes, hanging cutter and a fastball he’s trying to go in and left it out over the plate, I thought he pitched pretty good. His stuff was good, he saved the pen, he grinded through five innings.”

The error on Walker came a few plays after his 28th pickoff since 2015. It’s the most by any right-handed pitcher in that span and third overall in MLB.

“I felt like my stuff was pretty good still, attacking the zone,” Walker said after the outing. “One of the biggest things, I would get (ahead in the count) pretty quick and could put them away. Quite a few (full) counts and the pitch count got too high but for the most part though, my stuff was pretty good, it’s just really that one inning.”

He’s right. You take away the second inning and suddenly he has four scoreless and only gave up two hits. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. The magnitude of the inning that needed to be flushed was too big of a burden to bear for the Phillies’ offense.

Hot right out of the gate, the Phillies put up three runs in the first inning. The only other offensive contribution was a Nick Castellanos solo home run. With two men on in the seventh, J.T. Realmuto was inches away from the second home run of the night but it hooked the wrong side of the left field foul pole. Three pitches later on a full count, he was called out on strikes on a very questionable slider that was well off the plate.

Walker has turned into a surprising storyline after his first start of the year against the Rockies. He pitched six scoreless innings and collected his first win since May of last season.

That was followed up with another scoreless outing against the Braves. Suddenly, the spot in the rotation with the most question marks heading into the season, showed some promise.

Which leads us to his performance against the Giants: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 99 P, 2.30 ERA

They say once is an accident, twice is a coincidence and three times is a pattern.

So, was the hiccup inning an accident? Were his first two starts only a coincidence?

The way he responds the next time he takes the mound will be telling.

How Giants' defense made MLB history on road in red-hot start

How Giants' defense made MLB history on road in red-hot start originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Your eyes do not deceive you – the Giants’ defense has been that good.

In fact, San Francisco made defensive history in its 10-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday at Citizens Bank Park.

The Giants are the first team in MLB’s modern era (since 1901) to win eight or more of their first 10 road games while not recording a single error, per OptaSTATS.

Amid their 12-4 start to the 2025 MLB season, the Giants have made just three errors, tying them with the Phillies for the league’s lowest mark. The Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves are tied for second place with five, and the league-worst Boston Red Sox already have 19.

Interestingly, San Francisco still has plenty of room for improvement. 

The Giants are 27th in baseball with an outs-above-average of minus-six and are a middling 19th with a 79-percent success rate. StatCast has them in a five-way tie for second – with the San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros and the Cincinnati Reds – with an 82-percent estimated success rate.

Outside of center fielder Jung Hoo Lee, who has a third-best 97-percent success rate, the Giants don’t have many high defensive rankings, team- or individual-based, to boast. But it’s fair to assume elite infielders such as Matt Chapman and Willy Adames will end up in their respective upper echelons by season’s end.

Nonetheless, it has so been so far, so good for the Giants errors-wise. And they’d love to keep it that way.

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Fitzgerald's awaited breakout leads Giants to blowout of Phillies

Fitzgerald's awaited breakout leads Giants to blowout of Phillies originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

PHILADELPHIA — Willy Adames entered Monday night’s game with a .186 average and no homers through his first two weeks in orange and black. It would be easy to assume that Adames is pressing to try and live up to the largest contract in Giants franchise history, but he smiled late Monday night and said that hasn’t been the case.

“I was getting kind of worried,” he joked. “I thought I lost my power.”

Adames could slump for another two weeks, or even two months, and still know that his name will be displayed prominently on the lineup card every night. But that’s not the case for everyone, including the man who moved across the dirt when the Giants signed Adames in December. 

Tyler Fitzgerald also entered Monday’s game without a homer. He was hitting just .237, and he was very aware of the fact that he had driven in just one run through his first dozen appearances. 

Fitzgerald briefly turned into Barry Bonds last summer, but there’s not a lot of track record to lean on. After hitting a game-swinging three-run homer early in a 10-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies, Fitzgerald admitted that he has thought about the patience that has been shown by the staff this month. 

“Last year I probably would have been gone,” he said. “It was just a shorter leash at times. I did enough last year to where they are able to stick with me. It’s a confidence boost, for sure.”

Fitzgerald showed more than enough last summer to earn a prolonged look at second base this season, but he’s also benefiting from organizational changes. The Giants haven’t made a roster move through 16 games of the Buster Posey Era, and the new president of baseball operations is high on Fitzgerald. 

The Giants have other options at second base, including Casey Schmitt, who has swung the bat well. But there have been no hints in recent days that Fitzgerald had anything to worry about. The Giants have been happy to keep sending him out there every day and wait for the breakout. 

It finally came Monday, when Fitzgerald finished a single shy of the cycle. The biggest swing resulted in a three-run homer in a six-run top of the second that immediately wiped out a three-run deficit from the first inning. Fitzgerald’s blast was followed by Adames’ solo shot, his first as a Giant. 

The Giants have gotten to a dozen wins with very little from their middle infielders, who have the potential to combine for 50 homers. They also have gotten little from the bottom of the lineup other than Wilmer Flores, who drove in yet another run Monday. That has weighed on Fitzgerald, who generally hits ninth. 

“It’s about time that the bottom of the lineup kind of steps up for the top of the lineup,” he said, smiling. “I’m just happy to participate in the runs. We have some guys carrying us so far this season, like Flo and Jung Hoo [Lee], and it’s important for some other guys to step up now and then.”

Before the start of the series, manager Bob Melvin talked about how it’s seemingly a couple of guys leading the way every night. In New York, Lee put the team on his back, but he was 0-for-5 with three strikeouts Monday. It didn’t at all matter. 

Fitzgerald drove in three runs and scored three, and Mike Yastrzemski had a two-run insurance homer and an RBI double. Yastrzemski has been hot all year, so much so that he’s now hitting leadoff, but Fitzgerald has been trying to get rid of some bad habits since the Giants were in Scottsdale. 

“I’ve been doing a lot of high tee [drills] to try and swing downward. Barry actually helped me with that the last homestand,” he said. “I’m just trying to get on top of the ball. As you can see, with just that thought, I’m able to backspin balls better. I’m trying to stay with it and get rid of some of those bad habits I had and some of the swing-and-miss I had before.”

Fitzgerald raised his OPS by more than 200 points on the first night in Philadelphia. His numbers are now in line with the ones he put up last year, when he was one of the best stories of the season. The swing was slow to come around this year, but he said he has gotten plenty of support within the clubhouse, all of which gave him “peace of mind.” That made it a lot easier to just focus on the work every afternoon and not the possibility of ending up back in Triple-A. 

“At the same time, it’s the big leagues and I have to produce,” he said. “There are going to be weeks at a time when I’m struggling or someone else is struggling, [but] the coaching staff has stuck with me. It’s really awesome to see.” 

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A healthy David Peterson looks to cement himself in the Mets rotation

The narrative around the Mets coming out of spring training was that they simply didn't have enough pitching. They landed Juan Soto and re-signed Pete Alonso to round out a dynamic lineup, but they lacked a true ace starting pitcher. Then Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas were lost due to injury, converted reliever Clay Holmes was named the Opening Day starter, and baseball fans were quick to pile on.

Yet, heading into Monday's series-opening game against the Twins, the Mets rank first in baseball with a 2.30 team ERA. Their rotation also ranks first with a 2.55 ERA, and their bullpen is third with a 1.95 ERA. While pitching coach Jeremy Hefner is getting plenty of well-deserved praise, and a lot of words have been written about the early-season success of Tylor Megill, perhaps the most underappreciated member of this rotation has been David Peterson.

The lone left-hander in the starting rotation, Peterson has been with the Mets since being drafted with the 20th overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft out of the University of Oregon. He was solid enough in his first three years in the minors, but it surprised many when Peterson skipped Triple-A and made his MLB debut during the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

Those 49.2 innings in 2020 started the clock on what has been a fragmented five-year MLB career for Peterson.

He spent time on the IL with shoulder fatigue in 2020 and then was limited to just 66.2 innings in 2021 due to an oblique injury. He split the 2022 season between Triple-A and the majors and then pitched 111 innings in 2023, but also spent part of that season in the minors and was moved to the bullpen for six appearances. Following the 2023 season, he had surgery to repair a damaged labrum in his left hip, which kept him out until almost June last season.

When he returned, Peterson was lights out, pitching to a 2.90 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 101:46 K:BB ratio in 121 innings. It was the first time since 2019 that he had made every appearance as a starting pitcher and had also not been demoted to the minors during the season. While many factors contributed to the success Peterson had last season, health may have been the biggest.

"A lot of it started with the hip surgery and getting that cleaned up and just being able to be more efficient with my lower half," said Peterson earlier this season. "Obviously, being pain-free is nice, but I think being able to be more repeatable with my delivery, knowing that my body is consistently going to give me more than I had, was big."

Pitching without pain and with repeatable mechanics also led to a small velocity bump for Peterson in 2024, as well as a 5% improvement in his zone rate and a nearly 3% jump in strike rate. His pitches graded out better on pitch models, his location improved, and the quality of contact against him weakened. Not to mention, the improvement he felt mentally from knowing what his role was going to be day in and day out.

"In the previous years, we never really talked about me being in the bullpen until I actually made the move," recalls Peterson. "Last year, being able to just know what my role was and being able to come back and jump in the rotation and add to the productivity that Sean [Manaea] and Sevy [Luis Severino], and everybody gave us was important. It was important for me to get back and be able to show that I can continue to build on being part of this rotation."

That consistent role, and the confidence it gave Peterson, allowed him to find a consistency with his performance that he hadn't been able to lock into in previous seasons. "I had seen what I did last year in stretches and spurts before in my career, but I feel like last year I was able to put it together more consistently," he explained. "I felt like, this year, going into this off-season being able to get a full off-season of just training and not rehab was big."

A fully healthy off-season for a starting pitcher means the freedom to tinker and work on your pitches. In previous seasons, Peterson had spent so much time trying to get back to 100% health that he had little time to worry about playing around with grips or modifying pitch shapes. This off-season, he not only had the confidence that he was coming into the season as a member of the starting rotation, but he had the time to work with the Mets coaching staff to tweak some of his arsenal to try and build on his career-best year.

"We've been trying to get back to the slider that I had in 2022 and get more of that swing and miss," explained Peterson. During the 2024 season, Peterson posted solid ratios but had just a 19.8% strikeout rate and a 10.9% swinging strike rate. Both of which were below league average. For comparison's sake, in 2022, he had a 27.8% strikeout rate and 12.8% swinging strike rate in 105.2 innings with the Mets.

So far in 2025, the swinging strike rate is up on Peterson's slider, as is the overall strike rate, but the pitch has seen its biggest gains against right-handed hitters. Not only is the swinging strike rate up to righties, but the Ideal Contact Rate (a Pitcher List stat which measures barrels and solid contact and hard groundballs) is down from 57% last year to 25% this year. That's huge for Peterson since the only other pitch he throws to righties that had at least an average swinging strike last year is his four-seam fastball.

"I think the back foot [slider to righties], for me, is a good miss," explained Peterson, "but I think for us more overall, it's just kind of being down with the slider, being over the plate, making it look like a strong a strike as long as possible is the goal."

So far, through three starts, Peterson is executing exactly as he and the team wanted. The zone rate on his slider is down almost 7%, which means it lands in the strike zone less often; however, the chase rate is up, and the pitch is thriving as a two-strike offering. In 2024, the PutAway Rate on Peterson's slider, which measures how often a two-strike pitch results in a strikeout, was 19.2%. The MLB average was 19.1%. So far in 2025, his PutAway Rate on the slider is a ridiculous 36%.

While some of that might be tightening up the movement of the pitch, the biggest component, as Peterson alluded to, is the location. The left-hander has thrown the slider in the lower third of the strike zone (or below) 87% of the time this season, up from 74% last year. The pitch is starting as a strike and then falling out of the strike zone, hence the lower zone rate, but getting more swings and misses. Exactly the change the 29-year-old wanted.

Yet, it's not the only change that Peterson was looking to make in the off-season.

"We put some emphasis on continuing to improve my four-seam in terms of the vert [vertical movement] and create the separation with the sinker," he said. "Being primarily a sinker guy growing up and in college, I use the four-seam a lot out of the zone for chase up."

The location of Peterson's four-seam fastball is crucial for its success because he only throws 93 mph. However, he gets elite 7.1 feet of extension on his release, so the ball is released closer to home plate than average, which can make it look faster. Like a lot of left-handers, Peterson's fastball has some natural horizontal run, so it's not a typical flat fastball that thrives up in the zone, but through three starts this season, Peterson has added over one inch of Induced Vertical Break (iVB) on his four-seam, which has given it a flatter approach angle. That means it fights against gravity a bit more as it approaches home plate and seems to "rise" a bit more than it had previously. A fastball like that tends to thrive more up in the zone, which is what Peterson wants.

However, in execution, the pitch has been lacking a bit to start the season. He is throwing it in the strike zone more often, but he's not getting it up in the zone as much as he wants, leaving it in the middle of the zone too often, which has led to a drop in swinging strike rate and an increase in hard contact rate allowed. The same is happening with Peterson's changeup and is a big reason why his strikeout rate is up, but his overall swinging strike rate is down 4%.

"I think there's gonna be a little give and take," Peterson admitted about his four-seam approach, "but I think a lot of it is probably small sample size [right now], but being able to use the four seam up in the zone and giving the hitters two different fastballs looks has been big [for me]."

It also provides another opportunity for growth as the season goes on. Peterson's new approach with his slider is working just as planned, and the shape of the fastball appears to be on target as well. If he can continue to improve his fastball and changeup locations, then we could see the left-hander miss even more bats and start to chip away at that elevated .317 BABIP.

With a start this week against a Cardinals team that ranks 3rd in baseball with a .784 OPS, Peterson will have perhaps the toughest test of his new pitching philosophy. If he can survive that, and continue to execute on the changes the Mets have laid out for him, his breakout 2024 season may wind up just being the precursor to an even better 2025.

Reds place Sam Moll on the 15-day injured list due to left shoulder impingement

CINCINNATI — The Reds have placed left-hander Sam Moll on the 15-day injured list due to left shoulder impingement. The move was made retroactive to April 11.

Cincinnati begins a three-game series against Seattle.

It is the second straight year Moll has landed on the injured list with the same injury. He missed nearly a month at the start of last season with a shoulder impingement.

Moll has pitched in three games out of the bullpen and has a 3.00 ERA. His last appearance was on April 6 at Milwaukee, when he allowed three runs in two-thirds of an inning.

What we learned as Fitz, Yaz homers fuel Giants' win vs. Phillies

What we learned as Fitz, Yaz homers fuel Giants' win vs. Phillies originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

PHILADELPHIA — About 20 minutes into Monday night’s game at Citizens Bank Park, the Giants were behind 3-0 and Spencer Bivens was getting loose in a hurry. In the moment, it was easy to think of all of the potential repercussions if Landen Roupp got knocked out in the first inning. 

The Giants probably would be forced into their first roster move of the 2025 MLB season to get a fresh arm for their bullpen. Roupp might spend a sleepless night wondering if his time in the rotation was over after three starts.

At 9:27 p.m. in Philadelphia, the Giants gathered on the mound for their third handshake line in four days on this tough trip. Roupp picked up first win of the year. 

The Giants, who beat the Phillies 10-4, seemingly can do nothing wrong at the moment, and they responded to the three-spot from the Phillies by scoring six in the top of the second. That allowed Roupp to settle in, and he allowed just one more run the rest of the way while throwing more curveballs than most Phillies hitters have ever seen. 

The response to the early struggles was swift. Tyler Fitzgerald hit a three-run homer into the seats in left to give the Giants a 5-3 lead in the second inning, and Willy Adames followed with his first as a Giant.

After Roupp and Randy Rodriguez buckled down to keep runners in scoring position, Mike Yastrzemski hit a two-run moonshot to add insurance runs in the top of the seventh. The blast was Yastrzemski’s first against a lefty since his walk-off Splash Hit against the San Diego Padres’ Ray Kerr on June 19, 2023.

The Giants improved to 12-4 on the season and 3-1 on the trip, which spans 10 days and includes series against three teams with winning records. 

Curved

Roupp is a four-pitch guy now, but with his back against the wall in the fourth, he went to his bread and butter. The right-hander’s curveball is one of the best in baseball, and when the Phillies got a pair into scoring position with no outs, Roupp threw a curve on five of the next eight pitches. There were boos at Citizens Bank Park when he got out of the inning with no damage. 

Roupp opened the fifth by throwing five straight curves to Bryce Harper for a strikeout. After Kyle Schwarber popped up a curve, he threw four curves and a sinker at Nick Castellanos. The Phillies finally caught up, and Castellanos crushed the final one into the left field seats. 

Overall, Roupp threw 56 curveballs, the most in a big league game since Rich Hill threw 59 on May 13, 2016. Roupp and Hill are the only big league pitchers to throw more than 55 curveballs in a game in the last 10 years, and it certainly worked for Roupp on an offense-heavy night. He got 15 of his 20 swinging strikes with his best pitch. 

Roupp was charged with four earned in five innings and struck out eight. He has had two shaky starts and one good one, but the stuff has generally been good. Through 15 innings, Roupp has 20 strikeouts. 

On The Board

Everyone involved has been hesitant to say Adames has been pressing. He’s seemingly as laid-back as any Giant, but there’s a natural desire to try and live up to a massive contract, and Adames certainly hasn’t looked like his old self through two weeks. He entered the night with a .186 average and no homers, and he hasn’t even been particularly unlucky.

With the ballpark still reeling from the Fitzgerald blast, Adames jumped on a middle-middle cutter from Taijuan Walker and hit a soaring solo shot to right. The homer was Adames’ first in 135 plate appearances, the longest drought of his career. With Adames and Fitzgerald (who finished a single shy of the cycle) now on the board, Patrick Bailey is the only Giants regular still looking for his first blast of the year. 

Miller Time

The bottom of the seventh might have been the strangest scoreless inning of Erik Miller’s career. With the Giants holding a four-run lead and two runners on, J.T. Realmuto hit what looked to be a three-run homer, but the ball curled just foul. Realmuto then thought he had drawn a walk to load the bases for Max Kepler, who already had two hits, but he was rung up by home plate umpire Tony Randazzo on an outside slider. 

It was a hell of a frame job by Bailey, the game’s best framer, but still a huge break for the Giants. It went down as the eighth scoreless appearance of the year for Miller, who was taken in the fourth round by the Phillies in 2019 and is a reminder that the prior regime really did do some good work. Miller was acquired in a 2023 swap for Yunior Marte, who had a 6.92 ERA last year and is now pitching in Japan. 

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Yankees’ Aaron Judge to be U.S. captain at 2026 World Baseball Classic

NEW YORK — Aaron Judge will be the U.S. captain at next year’s World Baseball Classic, the same role the two-time American League Most Valuable Player fills with the New York Yankees.

Mark DeRosa made the announcement after he was appointed U.S. manager for the second straight WBC.

Judge takes over from the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout, who was captain at the 2023 tournament. The U.S. lost the 2023 championship game to Japan 3-2 as Shohei Ohtani struck out Trout, his then-Angels teammate, to end the game.

Judge, who turns 33 on April 26, is the first player announced for the U.S. roster. The outfielder is hitting .357 with a major league-leading 20 RBIs and six home runs, tied for the big league high.

Marsh ‘putting a lot of pressure on himself,' sits in series opener against Giants

Marsh ‘putting a lot of pressure on himself,' sits in series opener against Giants originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

If you hear 162 games and think it’s a long season — you’d be right, because it is.

It’s still very early in the Phillies’ 2025 campaign but Rob Thomson isn’t wasting time tinkering with the lineup to find something that works.

We’ve seen three different leadoff hitters for various reasons: Trea Turner against a left-handed pitcher, Kyle Schwarber against a righty and Bryson Stott to protect Bryce Harper.

He’s flipped Nick Castellanos and Alec Bohm in the order — a way to acknowledge Castellanos’ early success while allowing Bohm to work through his current struggles.

And now, after the club’s 2-4 road trip and going 0-for-14 during that stretch, Thomson made the call to sit Brandon Marsh in Monday’s series-opener against the Giants — for reasons outside of the opposing starting pitcher. Here’s what Monday’s lineup looks like:

Bryson Stott (L), 2B
Trea Turner, SS
Bryce Harper (L), 1B
Kyle Schwarber (L), DH
Nick Castellanos, RF
J.T. Realmuto, C
Max Kepler (L), LF
Alec Bohm, 3B
Johan Rojas, CF

Marsh hasn’t hit since the season-opening series in Washington and his average is down to a team-low .108.

“He’s thinking about it quite a bit right now and everybody goes through it at some point,” Thomson said Monday. “I just thought maybe give him a day or two off and just let him watch for a minute. …

“I think he’s really thinking about (his lack of offense). He really feels like he’s letting his teammates down. He’s putting a lot of pressure on himself to do well. When you get to that point I think it’s time just to relax for a minute.”

The two days may turn to three, given the Giants’ rotation for the series. They’ll face lefty Robbie Ray Wednesday, who is currently 3-0 with a 2.93 ERA. More notably, he’s only allowed two hits to left-handed hitters.

Marsh is available off the bench for this next stretch but it seems highly unlikely he’ll be used outside of an emergency situation.

“The game is very, very tough,” Marsh said Monday. “It’ll bring you down, break you down and bring you up when you least expect it. Just got to keep a positive mindset and really just keep your head in the work.

When reporters began filtering into the dugout for Thomson’s pregame availability, Marsh was already in the cage taking an early batting practice.

“I’m usually not out here this early for hitting,” Marsh said. “Not being in the lineup today, I wanted to take advantage of my time and get the body right. … Just clearing the mind and going out there and playing ball.”

The current slump certainly isn’t for lack of effort.

Marsh isn’t the only concern offensively for the Phillies, though. The club was shutout twice in the weekend series against the Cardinals and they haven’t hit a home run since Thursday’s series finale against the Braves.

“I think they’re just trying to do too much,” Thomson said. “If you look at our ground ball rate as of late, it’s probably gone way up, especially on the pull side. They have to get back to doing what we were doing earlier in the year and getting good pitches to hit and controlling the strike zone and using the entire field.”

They’ll look to get back on track during their seven-game homestand.

MLB Team Power Rankings: Red-hot Padres leapfrog Dodgers for top spot

Another week, another major shakeup in our MLB Team Power Rankings. That's the beauty of the early part of the baseball season.

From what we've seen so far, most of MLB's best teams reside in the National League. That was somewhat expected, but we figured that the Braves would be one of those teams. That's not the case so far.

These power rankings are a combination of current performance and long-term projected outlook. The Dodgers should be fine and figure to find their way back to the top spot before long, but the Padres can't be denied right now.

Let’s get started!

MLB: Boston Red Sox at Chicago White Sox
Eric Samulski breaks down some of the top waiver wire adds for the upcoming week of fantasy baseball.

1. San Diego Padres ⬆️

Last week: 8

We’ve got a new No. 1! And the Padres have certainly earned it in the early going, not just with the best record in baseball (and a 10-0 record at home!), but also a historic showing against the Rockies over the weekend. They’ll begin a series against the NL Central-leading Cubs on Monday, which should be a good one.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers ⬇️

Last week: 1

The Dodgers have dropped three series in a row since starting the season 8-0. Baseball gonna baseball. They should have a chance to get healthy with a home series against the Rockies to begin the week.

3. New York Mets ⬆️

Last week: 7

Pete Alonso is loving life hitting behind Juan Soto. After an admittedly disappointing 2024, Alonso already has four homers and 18 RBI to go along with a .321/.431/.660 batting line. He’s only struck out nine times in 65 plate appearances, so he’s seeing the ball extremely well right now.

4. Philadelphia Phillies ⬇️

Last week: 2

The Phillies’ offense has hit the skids, including a pair of shutout losses this weekend against the Cardinals. Nobody exemplifies the struggles more than Brandon Marsh, who hasn’t had a hit since the third game of the season on March 30.

5. San Francisco Giants ⬇️

Last week: 3

Jung Hoo Lee certainly enjoyed his first visit to Yankee Stadium over the weekend, slugging three homers in the three-game set, including a two-homer game on Sunday. His first season stateside was cut short due to injury, but he’s looking like a key piece for this lineup.

6. Chicago Cubs ⬆️

Last week: 9

We’ll start with the good news. After dropping both games of their season-opening series in Japan, the Cubs got back at the Dodgers by taking two out of three over the weekend, including a 16-0 shellacking on Saturday. The bad news? Justin Steele needs elbow surgery and will miss the remainder of the season.

7. Texas Rangers ⬇️

Last week: 4

The Rangers went 1-5 on their roadtrip and lost phenom outfielder Wyatt Langford along the way. They have a series against the AL West-leading Angels to begin the week.

8. New York Yankees ⬇️

Last week: 5

Yankees starters have combined for a major-league worst 5.40 ERA so far this season. The hope is that Clarke Schmidt can help provide a boost. He’s slated for his season debut on Wednesday.

9. Detroit Tigers ⬆️

Last week: 14

Remember when Spencer Torkelson’s name surfaced in some trade rumors this offseason? The Tigers are surely happy they didn’t follow through on those talks, as the 2020 No. 1 overall pick slugged his fifth homer on Sunday and now owns an impressive .309/.409/.673 batting line through 15 games.

10. Toronto Blue Jays ⬆️

Last week: 16

Sunday’s extra-inning victory over the Orioles carried some extra meaning for Jeff Hoffman, who had a potential free agent deal with Baltimore wiped out due to an issue with his physical. He struck out four batters over two scoreless innings for the win. Nothing like a little spite as a motivator.

11. Boston Red Sox ⬇️

Last week: 6

Garrett Crochet almost made history against his former team on Sunday, carrying a no-hitter into the eighth inning before it was broken up by recent call-up Chase Meidroth. In an interesting twist, Meidroth was part of the return package for Crochet.

12. Arizona Diamondbacks ⬇️

Last week: 10

Corbin Carroll was right in the middle of back-to-back comeback victories over the Brewers this weekend as his monster start to the season continues. He already has five homers after not hitting his fifth homer until July 13 last year.

13. Atlanta Braves ⬇️

Last week: 11

The Braves have rebounded somewhat since their 0-7 start to the season, but the best news of all is that Spencer Strider is set to make his return from Tommy John surgery on Wednesday.

Strider's final rehab start was enough to make you salivate.

14. Houston Astros ⬇️

Last week: 12

Isaac Paredes’ pull-happy approach is tailor-made for the Crawford Boxes and we saw it in action this weekend against the Angels, as he went deep in all three games.

15. Kansas City Royals ⬆️

Last week: 17

Cole Ragans has struck out 10 or more batters in three straight starts. He’s the second pitcher in franchise history to do it, joining former All-Star Kevin Appier, who accomplished the feat in 1996.

16. Los Angeles Angels ⬆️

Last week: 19

I’ll take “Things Nobody Expected” for $200, Alex. The Angels lead all MLB teams with 30 homers so far this season. It’s great to see Mike Trout mashing baseballs again, but Kyren Paris has been one of the biggest surprises of the young season. Trying to emulate Aaron Judge isn’t the worst idea ever.

17. Cleveland Guardians ⬆️

Last week: 21

What’s going on with Emmanuel Clase? He’s already allowed six earned runs in seven innings this year after allowing just five earned runs in 74 1/3 innings all of last season.

18. Seattle Mariners

Last week: 18

Cal Raleigh homered in all three games this past weekend as the Mariners completed a three-game sweep of the Rangers. While the Mariners’ spot in these rankings is unchanged from last week, they’ve now won four straight.

19. Baltimore Orioles ⬇️

Last week: 13

It’s been a shaky start to the year for the Orioles, but there was a nice moment on Saturday, as Felíx Bautista notched his first save since returning from Tommy John surgery. The 29-year-old isn’t quite back to normal just yet, as he’s walked five batters in four innings of work and isn’t pitching on back-to-back days.

20. Tampa Bay Rays

Last week: 20

When the Rays picked up Joe Boyle in the Jeffrey Springs deal with the Athletics this offseason, many predicted that the club would do their magic and turn him into a frontline starter. For one day at least, that came true. Adding a “splinker” to his high octane fastball and nasty slider, Boyle dominated the Braves over five-plus hitless innings on Sunday. The big question is his control — he lost the strike zone before being pulled in the sixth — but the Rays have to be thrilled with the early results.

21. Milwaukee Brewers ⬇️

Last week: 15

After playing a part in the Brewers’ epic ninth inning collapse against the Diamondbacks on Saturday, it was acknowledged that closer Trevor Megill has been dealing with a knee issue. It was apparently troublesome enough that the Brewers sent him for an MRI. No structural damage was found, but he’s now seeking a second opinion.

22. Cincinnati Reds ⬆️

Last week: 25

What a start the season for Hunter Greene. With seven scoreless frames on Sunday to finish off a three-game sweep of the Pirates, the 25-year-old fireballer now owns a 0.98 ERA and 31/4 K/BB ratio through his first four starts. Cy Young Award favorite?

23. Washington Nationals ⬆️

Last week: 26

Dylan Crews has had a brutal start to the season and CJ Abrams hit the injured list this weekend with a right hip flexor strain, but at least James Wood appears to be on a rocketship to superstardom.

24. St. Louis Cardinals ⬇️

Last week: 23

The "torpedo bat" commentary has died down somewhat since the Yankees’ tortured the Brewers two weekends ago, but count Willson Contreras among the converted. He went 2-for-4 in his first game with the bat on Saturday against the Phillies before adding two more hits — including his first homer of the season — on Sunday. Safe to say he’ll be sticking with it.

25. Athletics ⬇️

Last week: 24

A’s rookie shortstop Jacob Wilson went 0-for-4 on Sunday after hitting safely in 15 straight games to begin the season. He’s a fun mix of styles. Despite one of the most aggressive approaches in the game — he’s yet to draw a walk through 61 plate appearances — he has the third-lowest strikeout rate among qualified hitters. Hey, it’s working for him.

26. Minnesota Twins ⬇️

Last week: 22

You don’t have to remind Twins fans about this, but we’re now talking about a prolonged stretch of futility. After letting a playoff spot slip through their fingers last September, the Twins currently own the second-worst record in the AL.

27. Miami Marlins ⬆️

Last week: 28

I said two weeks ago that the Marlins were probably going to peak at No. 28 this year, so I’ll give them credit for being a pesky bunch. It’s rare that you’ll see a game-ending catch as good as the one Dane Myers had against the Mets last week.

28. Pittsburgh Pirates ⬇️

Last week: 27

Paul Skenes is coming off his worst start as a professional, as he allowed five runs over six innings against the Cardinals last Tuesday. With the way this offense is hitting (they are hitting .198 as a team), Skenes almost has to be perfect.

29. Colorado Rockies

Last week: 29

Didn’t score a single skinny run over the weekend, but hey, these new City Connects look pretty smooth.

30. Chicago White Sox

Last week: 30

The White Sox took the first two games of their series against the Red Sox over the weekend before they were completely befuddled by some guy named Garrett Crochet on Sunday. He might have a future in this game.

Yankees' Aaron Judge named Team USA captain for 2026 World Baseball Classic

Aaron Judge is adding another captaincy to his already illustrious resume, as it was announced on Monday morning that the Yankees' superstar will be the captain of Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

USA manager Mark DeRosa made the announcement on MLB Network, with Judge joining MLB Central to share his thoughts. The skipper-slugger tandem also spoke during a press conference at Yankee Stadium on Monday afternoon.

"I've always wanted to play for Team USA. Watching the last couple of WBCs, what a great experience," Judge said. "I've been telling everybody here, I told everybody a couple years ago that I want to be a part of it... We're going to have an exciting group. They had a great group last time, and I'm just excited to be a piece of that."

The most recent World Baseball Classic took place in March 2023, when USA lost to Japan in a memorable championship final.

Judge didn’t play in the 2023 WBC, as he was just coming off an intense free agency period that secured him a nine-year, $360 million contract with the Yankees. But the slugger is now ready to proudly wear “USA” and lead what is sure to be a star-studded roster.

"It was tough [watching in 2023], especially looking at the group they had," Judge admitted. "But I felt my first responsibilty was to the Yankees. I just signed a new deal, just got named team captain. I wanted to be a big part of getting the Yankees back to where they needed to be. Now after we have another deep run this year and finish the job, it'll be fun to go out there and represent our country."

Judge also revealed that he didn't seek permission from the Yankees to participate in the World Baseball Classic. While there's an obvious risk of injury in the highly competitive games that deliver playoff atmospheres, he didn't express any concern with the ramp-up period and adjustments to his spring training routine.

The 2026 World Baseball Classic is scheduled to take place March 5-17, 2026, with games taking place in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Japan.

Cubs at Padres Prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, betting trends and stats for April 14

Its Monday, April 14 and the Cubs (11-7) are in San Diego to take on the Padres (13-3).

Jameson Taillon is slated to take the mound for Chicago against Dylan Cease for San Diego.

Both these teams come into the series playing well. Just up the 405, the Cubs won two of three against the Dodgers outscoring them by a combined 20-2 Saturday and Sunday. The Padres swept the Rockies and shut them out in each of the three games.

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 Cubs at Padres

  • Date: Monday, April 14, 2025
  • Time: 9:40PM EST
  • Site: Petco Park
  • City: San Diego, CA
  • Network/Streaming: MARQ, SDPA

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 Cubs at the Padres

The latest odds as of Monday:

  • Moneyline: Cubs (+140), Padres (-167)
  • Spread:  Padres -1.5
  • Total: 7.0 runs

Probable starting pitchers for Cubs at Padres

  • Pitching matchup for April 14, 2025: Jameson Taillon vs. Dylan Cease
    • Cubs: Jameson Taillon (1-1, 6.06 ERA)
      Last outing: 4/8 vs. Texas - 6IP, 3ER, 5H, 1BB, 6Ks
    • Padres: Dylan Cease (1-1, 7.98 ERA)
      Last outing: 4/8 at Athletics - 4IP, 9ER, 9H, 3BB, 4Ks

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 Cubs at Padres

  • The Cubs are 7-3 in their last 10 games
  • Kyle Tucker is hitting .324 with 5 HRs and 18 RBIs this season
  • Kyle Tucker was 4-12 (.333) against the Dodgers this past weekend
  • The Padres have won 4 in a row
  • The Padres have allowed just 1 run in their last 4 games
  • The Padres lost 2 of 3 at Wrigley earlier this month to the Cubs
  • The Padres have covered in 4 of their last 5 games showing a profit of 2.67 units

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 Cubs and the Padres

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 Monday's game between the Cubs and the Padres:

  • Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the San Diego Padres on the Moneyline.
  • Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Chicago Cubs at +1.5.
  • Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 7.0.

Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

  • Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
  • Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
  • Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
  • Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)