Category: Sports News

Meet the Mets

The Mets return to action tonight and will turn to young Nolan McLean to halt their slide.

Juan Soto should be back in uniform for the Mets soon, but Max Ralph pondered the question that’s on everybody’s mind: When exactly will Soto be back on the field?

Jared Greenspan explored the history of teams that have endured long losing streaks like the Mets, and what it means for their playoff hopes.

The team is backing Carlos Mendoza amid the losing streak, which isn’t sitting right with everybody. Still, it is clear that there’s enough blame to go around here.

On This Week In Mets, Tim Britton discussed the Mets having 10 days to save their season.

Jon Heyman examined the 11 possible miscalculations that have sent the Mets’ season awry.

Pat Ragazzo looked at three possible options to replace Carlos Mendoza should the Mets choose to fire their manager.

Writing for Defector, Lauren Theisen encouraged us to “Delete the Mets”.

Around the National League East

“Ain’t no rule that says a goose can’t play baseball!” or whatever they said in Air Bud.

Despite the help of their goose friend, the Phillies lost 5-1 to the Cubs.

The Marlins held off the Cardinals 5-3.

The Braves put up a five-spot in the sixth to beat the Nationals 9-4.

Around Major League Baseball

The Pirates surged into the Top 5 in the latest MLB Power Rankings.

Did you have the NL Central as baseball’s best division? Be honest. Of course you didn’t, but it is.

Ken Rosenthal analyzed the deep problems the Mets, Phillies, and Astros face beyond their managers, who are not safe despite this not being entirely their faults.

The Yankees’ rotation might be this generation’s Murderers’ Row, explains Mike Lupica.

Cam Schlittler, who grew up a Red Sox fan in Massachucetts, says he and his family have received threats ahead of his start against the Red Sox in Fenway, but is nevertheless excited to pitch in the series.

The Royals released former first round pick Asa Lacy after six injury-riddled seasons.

Old friend Edwin Díaz will miss three month as he is set to undergo surgery to remove loose bodies in his right elbow.

The Twins placed right-hander Mick Abel on the injured list with right elbow inflammation. Abel was slated to face the Mets tonight.

Sonny Gray exited his start on Patriots’ Day with right hamstring tightness.

The Red Sox used some late-game small ball to secure an 8-6 victory over the Tigers on Patriots’ Day.

Colin Rea and a plethora of defensive gems helped Chicago top Philadelphia yesterday for their sixth straight win.

The first-place Reds won again, defeating the Rays 6-1 for their fourth straight victory. After some friendly pre-game trash talk, Elly De La Cruz robbed Junior Caminero with an incredible catch.

The Blue Jays had to take three buses from Phoenix to Anaheim, but they shook off the rust and prevailed 5-2 over the Angels for a series-opening win.

The Astros beat up the Guardians 9-2.

The Orioles edged the lowly Royals 7-5 in 12 innings.

The Mariners fell 6-4 to the Athletics, but Julio Rodríguez made a catch that people are talking about in the loss.

The Dodgers trounced the Rockies 12-3. In the win, Dave Roberts went with his gut and flipped Max Muncy and Miguel Rojas in the lineup, resulting in three homers between the two. Shohei Ohtani also extended his on-base streak to 52.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

I wrote about the decision the Mets face with Carlos Mendoza

Linus Lawrence provided a Monday Stat Party.

This Date in Mets History

Happy 69th birthday Jesse Orosco! (Nice)

After a really unfortunate shoulder injury that short-circuited a hot start to his pro career, the Detroit Tigers third ranked prospect, shortstop Bryce Rainer, has had a sluggish return to action in 2026. However, it’s only been 11 games, and he’s returning after 10 months away from game action, so it’s no surprise that he needed some time to get his bearings. The Tigers are unconcerned, and the 20-year-old Rainer was promoted to the High-A West Michigan Whitecaps on Monday. In his place, the Tigers have activated their 2025 first round pick in the draft, prep shortstop Jordan Yost, assigning him to Single-A Lakeland Flying Tigers for his full season debut.

Rainer was the 11th round pick out of Harvard-Westlake HS in the 2024 MLB draft. He hit the ground running in 2025 in Lakeland, showing off 70 grade raw power and a big arm that had made him more of a pitching prospect in high school until he broke out with the bat during his senior season. He immediately turned heads by hammering fastballs and going the opposite way with authority, showing good zone judgement, and displaying good defensive chops and speed on the basepaths. The left-hander hitter showed some early weakness against breaking balls, but was well on his way to a great pro debut and a rapid promotion to West Michigan when he tore his right rotator cuff diving back to first base on a pickoff attempt. So he’s really picking up about where he left off last May.

Some struggles as he faces some more advanced pitching should be expected, as with only 46 games worth of experience against pro pitching out of high school, there is bound to be some catching up to do. There’s no rush, and as long as he’s handling the level well by year’s end that’s very good progress, setting him up to tackle Double-A in his age 21 season in 2027.

Rainer missed the rest of the 25 season after the injury, and the Tigers eased him back into action throughout minor league camp in March. Since the Florida State League got underway, the Tigers have played him at shortstop in 8 of his 11 games and worked out of the DH slot in the rest. Rainer hasn’t hit the ground running offensively, but he’s continued to post some eye-popping exit velocity numbers that surpass anything a current Detroit Tigers hitter has managed, Riley Greene included.

A 477 foot blast last week that left the bat at over 116 mph made a statement that Rainer was stronger and swinging the bat even faster than last year. On the other hand, he’s been taking an awful lot of called strikes so far, and seems a little tight in the batters box. This early on it’s hard to say if the passivity is an issue here or just Rainer reacclimating himself. I would bet the latter.

As for Yost, he’s so far followed a familiar pattern since draft day. Lauded for his elite bat to ball skills and strike zone judgement, as well as the potential for Gold Glove defense at the shortstop position, the shortcoming scouts pointed to around draft day was his slender frame and low level of present power. There was some thought that Yost might never even develop good gap power. The Tigers obviously begged to differ, and they’re developing a track record of being correct on these matters. The slender, six-foot tall left-handed hitter built 13 pounds of good muscle between draft day and spring training, and immediately debuted in major league camp with a grand slam this spring in his first place appearance outside of the back fields. It wasn’t a cheap home run either.

So, some concerns about Yost’s future power potential were immediately alleviated. The 19-year-old will probably never be a big time power threat, but he’s got all the tools to develop into a really good hitting shortstop who plays high end defense, steals bases, and gives the Tigers 15 home runs a year with plenty of extra base hits. At the same time, he’s just getting started, and there’s a very long way to go.

So far, the Harris/Greenberg strategy of favoring athletic prep players with high end contact ability and worrying about power potential later is paying off already in the form of Kevin McGonigle thanks to the work of scouting chiefs Rob Metzler and Mark Conner. The long-term future of the Tigers’ infield could be really exciting. The heavy emphasis on locking up good prep pitchers in the draft, on the other hand, is not working out well at all, but there’s time for that to turn around.

It’s a positive, if not surprising, sign that Ryan Garko and Shane Ferrell decided Yost didn’t need extended spring training or work in the Complex League, which opens on May 2, to help prepare him for Florida State League action. Rainer moving up made this the move, but the timing makes sense as well, as the Flying Tigers will start a homestand against the New York Yankees affiliate, the Tampa Bay Tarpons on Tuesday evening. Fellow 2025 first rounder Michael Oliveto will probably need a little more time to refine his work at the catcher position comign out of high school, but his bat is also advanced enough that the two should unite with the Flying Tigers before too long.

As for Rainer, the Tigers wanted to give him some time to get his feet under him before what is still a pretty rapid promotion. At the same time, he’ll be 21 in July and is ready to be pushed even if he struggles along the way. The psuedo rehab assignment in Lakeland allowed him to play in decent weather as he got up to speed. With a homestand starting on Tuesday night versus the Lake County Captains and the weather turning back to spring, it’s a good week to get out to LMCU Park and catch the Whitecaps if you’re in the area. Rainer will probably need some time to adapt to more consistent breaking stuff in the Midwest League, but his defense and the crazy raw power on display are comfortably worth the price of admission alone. He’s a riskier prospect than McGonigle or Max Clark, but the upside here is tremendous.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has a message for anyone who thinks his team is bending MLB's rules regarding two-way players: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

The Dodgers came under fire recently from Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell, who took issue with a recent game in which Shohei Ohtani served as a starting pitcher, but wasn't also in the lineup as designated hitter.

Under MLB rules, two-way players don't count against the 13-pitcher roster limit. So Ohtani effectively gives the Dodgers one more pitcher than any other team.

Before the Brewers' game on Monday, April 20, Counsell called the rule "bizarre" and suggested it gives the Dodgers an unfair advantage. "There’s not another player like that," Counsell said, "but one team gets different rules for that player."

Monday was another fun day for the Braves offense as they won their sixth straight game in a 9-4 victory over the Nationals. Drake Baldwin and Matt Olson had big games, while the offense as a whole once again delivered. However, the story of the game was a stretch of concern after Ronald Acuna Jr. left the game after being hit by a pitch two different times. Fortunately, x-rays were negative and he is day-to-day. Despite the brief scare, it was another highly successful night for the Braves.

Braves News

The week ahead provides plenty of opportunity for the Braves to increase their lead in the NL East.

The sweep of the Phillies provided real proof of how special this team can be.

Matt Powers dives deep in the Braves International Signings over the past decade, highlighted by some notable misses along the way.

One recent international signing who is starting to deliver on his promise is Luis Guanipa.

Mark Bowman looks at how some looming roster decisions are fast approaching for the Braves as players get healthy.

MLB News

The NL Central is proving to be the best division in baseball so far.

Another tough loss for the Phillies to start the week.

Dodgers closer Edwin Diaz will have surgery on his right elbow to remove loose bodies. He could be out three months.

Mariners added Brendan Donovan to the IL.

Sonny Gray of the Red Sox is headed to the IL with a hamstring issue.

The Feed

One development to watch this week is the potential for Didier Fuentes to start Thursday’s game vs. the Nats. Walt Weiss commented that Chris Sale could be a candidate to move back on the schedule due to having a pretty thorough previous outing. If the Braves take care of business over the next few days, Fuentes could be be an option to start Thursday it seems.

The 2025 American League Cy Young runner-up, Garrett Crochet, ranks 72nd of 73 qualified pitchers in ERA this season. Through five starts, he’s registered a 7.88 ERA in 24 innings. Over his last two starts, he’s allowed more earned runs than strikeouts, and more home runs than scoreless innings. After the worst start of his career against the Minnesota Twins, he came out and surrendered a first-inning run against the Detroit Tigers, making Red Sox Nation hold its collective breath. After cruising through the second, third, and fourth innings and allowing Red Sox fans to exhale, the Tigers jumped on him for four more runs in the fifth inning so fast that any breath would have been a gasp.

So, is it time to worry? I touched on this briefly in my game recap, but I say no. The velocity dipped in his start against Minnesota, and he paid the price for it, but it was following a 100+ pitch performance, and consistent with an early-season outing last season after a long outing, when he also temporarily lost some velo. It was back up on Sunday, and the stuff looked as sharp as it normally does. His sinkers on the armside earned strikes, while his fastballs above the zone flew by hitters in two-strike counts. He didn’t get as many strikes with his cutter, but it wasn’t so bad that he couldn’t use the pitch at all.

But there are two problems worth keeping an eye on.

The first is that he’s falling behind hitters. In 2025, Crochet threw 31.5% of his pitches ahead in the count. So far in 2026, that number is down to 25.2%. The league average is down to about 28% from 29%, potentially in part due to ABS, but Crochet went from above average to below. He’s also getting to two-strike counts against fewer hitters. In 2025, according to my janky Excel work, he got two strikes against 57% of the hitters he faced. In 2026, he’s getting to put away counts against 46% of opponents.

The second problem is his execution with two strikes, particularly with his sweeper. I’m going to focus on righties because Crochet isn’t going to see many lefties. Lefties are 4 for 13 against Crochet this season, but his sinker is still incredibly effective, and opponents will start as many righties as possible against him.

In two-strike counts against righties, his sweeper accounts for almost 35% of his offerings. That makes it his most used pitch in those counts, a year after his four-seam dominated in two-strike counts. While he’s throwing it more, it’s been less effective. The putaway rate is down from 30% to 19%, despite a nearly identical shape. When the shape is the same, and the way a pitch is deployed is the same, but the results are different, it typically comes down to location. That’s the case here.

Simply put, he’s not getting the ball to the glove side as frequently. A left-handed sweeper to a right-handed hitter will play best at the back foot, and Crochet hasn’t thrown to that spot as often this season. When it’s over the middle or up, righties can get around it and pull it to left field for hits. The good news is the stuff is still there. Maybe it’s feel, maybe it’s a mechanical issue. Let’s look at it in practice.

Here’s Spencer Torkelson in the fourth inning. His first time up, we walked on five pitches, three of them nowhere close to the strike zone.

The at-bat starts with a fastball for a called strike. It looks like he wanted it up and in, but misses on the arm side, but it’s a strike nonetheless. Good start.

At 0-1, Crochet goes to his sweeper and locates it low in the zone. It’s hard to say if Narvaez’s target is meant to be where the ball is supposed to start or finish, so he might have been looking to backdoor it for a called strike. If it is a miss, it’s not a bad one. It’s low in the zone, and Torkelson’s early swing fouls it off. Now at 0-2, Crochet can throw whatever he wants. I’d probably elevate a four-seam, or double up on the sweeper, and try to get it to the back foot.

He goes with a sinker that’s supposed to be away from Torkelson, but he spikes it for ball one. It’s a non-competitive pitch and a hard sequence off. At 1-2, I’d again look for an elevated four-seam or sweeper.

It’s the sweeper, and it’s a really good one. It doesn’t get a swing, but it’s located in an area where he will get swings if he throws it consistently. It’s maybe a little bit low, but that’s nitpicking. After spitting on a good breaking ball, hitters often look for a fastball because they feel as if they showed the pitcher they have the breaking ball covered. He also knows that Crochet doesn’t want to get to 3-2 with a runner on base and two outs. With that in mind, Crochet can double up on the sweeper in the same location to get a chase from Torkelson.

See what I mean? Torkelson is clearly looking for something hard, and he’s way out in front of this one. That’s basically it for Crochet. When he locates the sweeper, he’s going to carve up lineups. When he doesn’t, and hitters can look for one of his fastballs, things get more difficult. The ability to drop changeups in for called strikes to keep hitters honest would go a long way, but he’s never shown the willingness to commit to the pitch or the ability to throw it in the strike zone.

So that’s what it looks like when it’s going good, but what about when it’s going poorly? Here’s a look at some two-strike offerings against Matt Vierling in the first inning.

The first 0-2 pitch is a sweeper that’s fouled off. Notice the location? It’s in the zone, neither inside nor low enough to get a whiff.

He doubles up on it after the foul ball, this one misses on the arm side, where it’s never close to being a strike. Here are all the whiffs he got on the sweeper against righties last season.

There are a few away from righties, but the vast majority came down and in. Moving on.

At 1-2, Crochet goes to the cutter, and it again catches too much of the plate. Vierling fouls it down the line, and we do it again.

He tries to elevate a four-seam for his fourth two-strike pitch of the at-bat, but it’s down in the zone and fouled straight back. A straight-back foul ball typically means the hitter just missed it, so I’d avoid doubling up on that one.

He goes back to the sweeper, and it’s up in the zone. Vierling gets around it and pulls it into left field for a double. As an aside, sweepers typically benefit from velocity. This one was only 80 mph, a few ticks below his average. I know this is the forum where I’m supposed to dive into this stuff, but it’s late, and I have a deadline, so keep an eye on my Twitter for more on how his sweeper velocity could be impacting his performance.

That’s an example of Crochet not being able to put guys away, one of the issues I mentioned. The other is falling behind hitters. I won’t bore you with videos of Crochet missing with his fastball over and over again, only for the fastballs in the zone to get hit because hitters are ready for it. That’s what happened with Dillon Dingler, who blew the game wide open with his fifth-inning home run.

Long story short, I’d bet on a bounce-back from Crochet. The stuff is still there, and it’s just a matter of execution. Why he hasn’t been able to locate with two strikes, I can’t tell you. Fortunately, it likely isn’t a months-long fix. It could be as simple as throwing on the side between starts and making a tweak to get right. It’s not as if he was totally lost on Sunday, either. It’s easy to think about the run he allowed in the first inning and think that he struggled all day, but in reality, he dominated for the better part of 4.2 innings. His next start will likely come against the Orioles this weekend. I’m backing the pig to get back on track when that time comes.

The Dodgers are without closer Edwin Díaz for at least a few months, with arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow coming on Wednesday in Los Angeles that will sideline him until the second half of the season.

Sunday’s four-batter, no-out outing set off alarm bells for the Dodgers. From Mirjam Swanson in the Los Angeles Times:

“Obviously, we all saw the stuff [Sunday], and it sent up red flags,” Roberts said. “And so, after the game, he had a conversation with our training staff, and felt that he had some elbow discomfort. So we just wanted to be proactive, and felt that it was smart to get an MRI, get imaging, which we did do, and it showed loose bodies.”

Jack Harris at the California Post wrote about the various veteran options with closing experience the Dodgers have for the back end of games, including Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia, and Blake Treinen:

“I think we have a lot of guys capable of pitching in the ninth inning,” Gomes said. “It is a different three outs, but we also have multiple guys that have done it at a high level in the past.”

Not among those closing candidates is Roki Sasaki, which was to be expected. From Fabian Ardaya and Katie Woo at The Athletic:

Sasaki turned in sharp results, and his velocity played up in his short stint as a reliever during last year’s playoff run. But his role in the bullpen was strictly situational. The plan was always for him to return to the rotation. Gomes doubled down on that once more Monday afternoon. When he was asked if Sasaki was a candidate to move to the bullpen, the executive responded with a one-word answer: “No.”

Dodgers minor league shortstop Emil Morales, who was named to several top-100 prospect lists this offseason, is off to a solid start thus far, hitting .377/.443/.639 with a 172 wRC+ and 11 extra-base hits in 13 games for the Class-A Ontario Buzzers. The 19-year-old was among a group of prospects whose early performance stood out to Baseball America.

“He’s also making more contact this year, and his 20% strikeout rate is the lowest of his career. That’s encouraging, given the biggest question about Morales’ offensive profile is his hit tool,” wrote Ian Cundall at Baseball America. “The Dodgers have a stable of intriguing prospects on the Ontario team, but Morales might have the most upside of them all. He’s already showing present ability at the plate, and his bat could be ready for a new test soon.”

It is time for Parker Messick to pitch.

The Guardians lost a bad game, yesterday, 9-2, to the Astros. Slade Cecconi looked pretty lousy again, but at least he said the right things after the game:

Steven Kwan, Kyle Manzardo, David Fry, Bo Naylor and Juan Brito are providing next to nothing at the plate. Connor Brogdon, Shawn Armstrong and Matt Festa continue to get hit hard every time out. So, if we solve those eight issues, we’ll win a World Series. Nice to know.

AROUND MLB:

The Tigers and Royals both lost. The Mets lost their 11th straight, which is quite funny.

Good morning, baseball fans!

The San Francisco Giants return to Oracle Park today to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers for the first time this season.

I can’t lie, I’m kind of dreading this series. The wins over the weekend were great, and exactly what the team needed to build some momentum. Unfortunately, I’m concerned that said momentum is going to lead them straight into a brick wall when the Dodgers come to town. But I can maintain cautious optimism.

That’s the nice thing about rivalries, they can bring out the best in the players and cause unlikely things to happen. Like the Giants not getting swept. That would be wonderful. And I’m going to hope for it.

How are you all feeling about the Giants and Dodgers series this week?

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants and Dodgers play game one of this three-game series tonight at 6:45 p.m. PT.

The early weeks of the 2026 Orioles season are giving off vibes that maybe it is going to turn into an anxious look down to the farm for better times for the team in the future. Hopefully those vibes go away. Until they do, every prospect development story feels essential. It’s important even if things get better for the team. They’re going to need guys they can trade to supplement the MLB roster with players who are actually capable of coming here and performing well for the duration of the remaining time before they hit free agency.

These weekly updates focus on the team’s top prospects, particularly those on Camden Chat’s composite top 20 Orioles prospect list from before the season. They also include other guys who interest us who might develop into prospects over time. I do not tend to spend much time on non-prospect journeymen, though one never knows who might turn into the next Jeremiah Jackson.

Here’s how things went this week:

Triple-A Norfolk Tides

• Last week: 3-3 at Durham (Rays)
• Coming week: vs. Memphis (Cardinals)
• Season record: 8-13, t-last place (6.0 GB) in International League East

The Tides are home to this week’s International League Pitcher of the Week. The winner of that honor is a guy I had pretty much given up on going into this season, Brandon Young. He was on fire this past week, though, throwing 5.2 hitless innings where he struck out ten batters. Counting his MLB start, Young has given up just two earned runs across 21.2 innings. I don’t know if it means anything in the long run, but it’s interesting.

Young was not the only Norfolk starter to have a good week. His fellow erstwhile Oriole, Cade Povich, also struck out ten men, with one run allowed over five innings. Pitching prospect Nestor Germanalso struck out ten men, though in his case it was over 4.1 innings with one run surrendered. Trey Gibson didn’t manage to strike out ten guys, but two runs allowed in five innings isn’t bad.

Levi Wells could not complete the party, allowing nine runs in four innings. Rehabbing major leaguer Andrew Kittredge also had a tough one, like seven earned runs in 1.2 innings over two outings. Keegan Akin is also rehabbing here. He did better, allowing a run over 2.1 innings. Dietrich Enns was also part of the rehab squad, pitching one scoreless inning.

For Norfolk batters, the standout for the week was a guy who’s making an early bid to be this year’s version of Jeremiah Jackson. That’s shortstop José Barrero, who smashed three homers over these games to raise his early season OPS to .982. Jud Fabian hit two homers, drew four walks, and struck out eight times. Whatever that guy is, he continues to be very that. Enrique Bradfield Jr. also had a nice week at the plate, with five hits in four games, and two stolen bases in the field.

Others of interest

• C/1B Creed Willems – Was not part of the hitting party this week, going just 3-18. He did draw five walks though, so good for him.

Tides season-to-date stats.

Double-A Chesapeake Baysox

• Last week: 1-4 at New Hampshire (Blue Jays)
• Coming week: vs. Akron (Guardians)
• Season record: 7-7, fourth place (5.0 GB) in Eastern League Southwest

Since I’m doing the update this week, you will have to first endure an update on my prospect crush, Aron Estrada. Not much to say about him this week, though, as he batted 4-16 with one double. At 21, he remains young for this level, but it’d be more exciting if he was OPSing above .629.

Chesapeake’s top hitter over these games was Brandon Butterworth, one of the players from the big Padres trade last year. He had seven hits, including a homer, and stole a pair of bases over five games played. I dig that.

It was the pitching staff that sent the Baysox to a poor record over these games. They gave up at least six runs in all five games that were played and allowed 10+ in three games. Among the guys who absorbed bad numbers were lefty Luis De León, who allowed four runs over four innings in his lone start, and reliever Tyson Neighbors, another guy from the Padres trade, who surrendered six earned runs in a three-inning outing.

Others of interest

• C/1B Ethan Anderson – Hitless in 12 at-bats across three games
• IF Griff O’Ferrall – One hit in 12 at-bats. If you want to feel better, he walked five times
• OF Thomas Sosa – The power-hitting outfielder was 4-22 at the plate; three of the four hits were doubles

Baysox season-to-date stats.

High-A Frederick Keys

• Last week: 2-4 vs. Hudson Valley (Yankees)
• Coming week: vs. Wilmington (Nationals)
• Season record: 6-8, fifth place (4.5 GB) in South Atlantic League North

The tradition last season was to begin Aberdeen’s updates by asking, how many times did Vance Honeycutt strike out this week? It continues with Frederick, and this week’s answer is 11 times in 20 at-bats. It’s a lot of strikeouts. However, Honeycutt did also get five hits, including two dingers, and he stole three bases, so that’s not nothing.

Your favorite recent Orioles first round pick and mine, Ike Irish, had five hits, including a homer, and also stole three bases. Irish outpaced Honeycutt in OBP by walking four times. Two guys managed to top both of these OPS numbers: Victor Figueroa (yet another player from that Padres trade) and Braylin Tavera. Figueroa now has a 1.157 OPS through ten games.

Joseph Dzierwa proved to be human over these games, giving up three runs while walking four batters over five innings. Okay, so he’s not just going to pitch shutouts with double digit strikeouts all the way up to MLB. His teammate JT Quinn, another early round pitcher from last year, continued to rock, tossing five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts.

Others of interest

• 2B Jackson Holliday – Played two games of a new rehab assignment, notching two hits in eight at-bats
• SS Wehiwa Aloy – 3-19 at the plate over this week, with nine strikeouts
• OF Nate George – 5-22 over five games, including a double, and he stole three bases, but with no walks that’s still a rough OBP for the week
• RHP Juaron Watts-Brown – Rehabbing at this level after starting on the IL with a shoulder injury, allowing one run on three hits and three walks over five innings
• LHP Boston Bateman – Piggybacked a relief outing, three scoreless innings with two hits, a walk, and a hit batter while striking out five guys

Keys season-to-date stats.

Low-A Delmarva Shorebirds

• Last week: 1-5 at Fredericksburg (Nationals)
• Coming week: vs. Wilson (Brewers)
• Season record: 4-11, fifth place (6.0 GB) in Carolina League North

DJ Layton, I see you. After spending last year with the Florida Complex League squad, the 2024 sixth round pick is making his full-season affiliate debut this year. It’s off to an excellent start, which the shortstop added to over the last week by going 6-18 with a double and a homer, plus five walks, plus two stolen bases. (He was caught twice, too. Not the ideal percentage.) The 19-year-old Layton is still a young guy for this level. He’s OPSing 1.062 through his first 14 games. Love to see some more of that.

The pitcher most worth following on this roster, at least going into the season, is Esteban Mejia. I do not have good news to share about him this week. He failed to complete the third inning in his one start, walking a whopping eight guys. No, I’m not kidding. Eight walks! This time last year, the similarly-command-challenged Keeler Morfe got some attention. Hopefully Mejia does not follow down the same road. Three starts in, the results aren’t encouraging.

Others of interest

• OF Jordan Sanchez – One of my hoped-for sleeper picks for the system this season. 3-21 batting and a .445 OPS overall so far isn’t an early winner on that pick.
• RHP Kiefer Lord – Barely pitched since being drafted by the team in 2023, which is why he’s 23 and still in Low-A. Eight strikeouts in five innings this week, with only one run allowed.

Shorebirds season-to-date stats.

**

This is the only week all season where all four of these affiliates are at home. The Orioles will also be at home for the coming weekend. You have the opportunity to watch a lot of O’s-connected baseball in the mid-Atlantic from now through Sunday.

Past seasons have allowed us to present a poll where readers are able to choose their minor league player of the week. Unfortunately, technical changes outside of our control no longer allow us to embed polls the way we could before and we cannot track winners as the season goes along.

Rather than a poll, the comments are up for discussion. Who were the standout efforts for you over this past week? Whose early minor league performance has you concerned? Who are you excited to follow as the season goes along? Let us know in the comments below.

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• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): Brown takes on larger role as Cubs navigate injuries to ‘pen. “Given the recent rash of injuries, Brown’s role has been expanded. The circumstances have forced the Cubs to carry five lefties in the bullpen.”
• Michael Brauner (Chicago Cubs on SI): Cubs Flashy Young Prospect is Biggest Trade Deadline Candidate to be Moved. “Beyond just the difficult path to playing time, Jefferson Rojas is thought highly enough of in prospect circles that he could be the centerpiece of a big-time deal to bring another ace to Chicago. Slashing .294/.351/.618 over 10 Double-A games at the age of just 20 this season, his status could continue to climb.”
• Field Level Media (Deadspin): On 5-game win streak, Cubs aim to add to Phillies’ woes. “Both teams continued going in opposite directions while completing a home series Sunday. The Cubs closed out a three-game sweep of the New York Mets with a 2-1, 10-inning win, while the Phillies suffered their fifth consecutive loss as the Atlanta Braves finished a three-game sweep with a 4-2 victory.”
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Alex Bregman knows what he wants his swing to look like, but he’s not there yet. “A lot of what Bregman is currently doing at the plate normally leads to success. He’s not chasing or swinging and missing, both at an elite rate. He’s squaring the ball up frequently, and his hard-hit rate is the highest it’s ever been. Still, the results just aren’t coming. It’s not hard to find the culprit. Bregman’s groundball rate of 47.8 percent is nearly a dozen points higher than his career average.”
• Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib): Jordan Wicks returns to the mound and could be a critical piece of the Cubs’ puzzle, “Wicks spent the offseason tweaking some things and the hope is he can pitch meaningful innings for the Cubs this year. On Saturday, he took the first step toward achieving that goal, making his first start of the year. Wicks fired three scoreless frames for the Iowa Cubs, filling up the strike zone before calling it a day. It was a strong first step back after working his way back from nerve irritation that delayed his start to the season. Given the injuries that have ravaged the pitching staff, this team isn’t in a position to be overly picky.”
• Jared Wyllys (Allchgo.com): Craig Counsell juggling hitter development with winning. “In moments like the sixth inning of Saturday’s game, Counsell’s focus is on getting runs on the board and winning a ballgame. That is going to mean pinch-hitting for guys like Ballesteros later in games. A part of a team’s long-term success comes from every guy understanding his role and being willing to put the group above the self.”
• Joey Mistretta (ClutchPoints.com): Pete Crow-Armstrong’s favorite MLB player is his Cubs teammate. “”We got the best bat to ball guy in baseball and my favorite player in baseball as our leadoff hitter,” Crow-Armstrong said of Nico Hoerner. “So getting on third base with one out and having Nico up, you’re pretty confident that you’re gonna find home plate somehow.”“
• Billy Heyen (Sporting News): Mark McGwire’s son is climbing the ladder toward the Chicago Cubs.“Mason McGwire made his first start of the 2026 season on Sunday, and he threw two perfect innings before allowing a double and a hit batter in the third. A double play allowed him to escape there, and he went 1-2-3 in the fourth. He had five strikeouts in the outing, as well.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): Hey, a Cubs Pitching Prospect Won Weekly Honors for All of Minor League Baseball! “The system is heavier on the positional side right now in any case, and Jaxon Wiggins has been hurt (sigh), but we’re still hoping there will be some big pitching breakouts over the course of the season. The system really, really needs it. That’s why, even if only for one appearance, it was very good to see Mason McGwire nab a lot of positive attention today”
• Mike Sullivan (Sporting News): Pete Crow-Armstrong’s offense is a concerning problem for Cubs. “The struggles from mid-July on in 2025 have returned in 2026. His offense has become a major issue for the Cubs and is something to be worried about this season. If it weren’t for his stellar defense in the outfield, the $115 million outfielder would be someone the team would have a lot greater concerns over. Crow-Armstrong is hitting .222 this season with just one homer and a .585 OPS. Last season, he had a .768 OPS and 119 OPS+. He’s down to a 72 OPS+ this year. Another concerning part of his game that hopefully will get better is his base-stealing ability. He’s stolen four bases this year, but he’s been caught three times, the most in MLB so far.”
• Brian Sandalow (Chicago Sun-Times {$}): Injuries to Cubs’ bullpen forcing manager Craig Counsell to be flexible. ‘‘When the names are changing quickly, then your plans are a little more flexible and they’re going to change a little quicker,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘We’ve got enough new bodies down there that, day-to-day, roles can change a little bit.’’
• Steve Adams (MLB Trade Rumors): Cubs Re-Sign Dylan Carlson To Minor League Deal. “Back with the Cubs now, Carlson will provide some depth in the upper minors. Chicago’s roster has been decimated by injury, but nearly all of the health problems for the Cubs have been on the pitching side of things.”
• Daryl Van Schouwen (Chicago Sun-Times {$}): Jameson Taillon doesn’t discount struggling Mets, then holds them to one run in six innings. “It would have been easy to think silly thoughts and let the Mets’ losing streak get into his head. But Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon wouldn’t allow it on his drive Saturday to Wrigley Field. ‘‘I wasn’t going to fall into the trap of thinking this was a bad team or a struggling team,’’ Taillon said. ‘‘You look at the names up and down the lineup, I came in here not wanting to be the reason they got hot. I had that conversation with myself.’’”
• Jared Bloom (Sporting News): Strong pitching and high-scoring offense have the Cubs surging despite injuries. “Pitching was especially big for the club over the weekend. Jameson Taillon went six strong innings on Saturday, while Javier Assad went 5.2 innings, giving up just one run on three hits in the 2-1 extra-inning win on Sunday. On top of solid pitching, the Cubs have gotten good offensive production last week. Nico Hoerner has really stepped up lately, hitting two home runs and having 11 runs batted in over the last five games.”
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Cubs manager Craig Counsell makes point with Carson Kelly’s pinch-hit, game-winning homer. ““Sometimes it works,” Counsell said.“

Food For Thought

A highly accomplished guitarist and singer/songwriter with a strong musical point of view grounded in the very best blues traditions. Combine those talents with original blues-based material and you begin to understand Daniel Castro’s strengths as an artist. After cutting his teeth in South Central L.A. blues clubs with “Mighty Mouth” Delmar Evans, who worked with the Johnny Otis Show, Castro backed other great artists from Otis’ band, including Pee Wee Crayton and Little Ester Phillips. He also recorded and toured with many other artists including legendary Small Faces singer-bassist Ronnie Lane. A Daniel Castro Band performance is soulful, polished, and intense as the group shifts from one scintillating groove to the next. Daniel covers lead vocals and rhythm and lead guitar with amazing dexterity. Musical chemistry is obvious from the first note the band plays and it never lets up.

A group of students from a Kansas high school rode to prom in style when they were able to enlist the services of an Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.

“People take limos,” student Cooper Lietz said. “This is basically just a big hot dog limo.”

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