ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 7: Benches clear as pitcher Reynaldo López #40 of the Atlanta Braves and right fielder Jorge Soler #12 of the Los Angeles Angels fight on the field during the fifth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on April 7, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The verdict is out for Los Angeles Angels’ Jorge Soler and Atlanta Braves’ Reynald López. Per Jeff Passan, both players will be receiving a seven-game suspension following last night’s viral altercation.
Los Angeles Angels DH Jorge Soler and Atlanta pitcher Reynaldo López have been suspended seven games for the big brawl in Anaheim last night in which Soler charged the mound and López punched him while holding a baseball in his hand.. Both are appealing.
It was the bottom of the fifth inning, where everything took place. López threw a pitch high and tight off the backstop, which Soler didn’t appreciate after previously being hit by a pitch in his second at-bat. Once he charged the mound after what looked to be words exchanged between him and López, hands were thrown, and though punches from both sides didn’t connect, there was footage of López using the ball he kept in his hand as his weapon of choice. It ended with a tackle from Braves manager Walt Weiss to Soler…well, until the bullpen ran out to get the last of the action…
This punishment would also include an undisclosed fine following their actions, starting today.
Keep in mind, however, that this is the initial status before the appeals are reviewed.
Hey, on the bright side…at least Weiss got away scot-free.
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler and Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo López each received seven-game suspensions from Major League Baseball on Wednesday after they were ejected following their participation in a brawl Tuesday night.
Michael Hill, MLB’s senior vice president for on-field operations, also announced the players received undisclosed fines. The suspensions were scheduled to begin with Wednesday’s game but will be on hold as each player is appealing.
Soler homered off López in the first inning of Tuesday night’s game. In his next at-bat, Soler was hit by a 96 mph fastball from López. In the fifth, Soler charged the mound after López threw a high-and-inside wild pitch that tipped off catcher Jonah Heim’s mitt.
As Soler began walking toward the mound, López held up his hands as the two glared at each other before both started throwing punches.
The right-handed López held the baseball in his right hand as he used it to throw a punch at Soler.
Players and coaches stormed out of the dugouts and bullpens and Braves manager Walt Weiss tackled Soler, the 2021 World Series MVP with Atlanta.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 08: Cole Ragans #55 of the Kansas City Royals exits the game after being injured during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on April 08, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It was a rough start to the game today in Cleveland. Cole Ragans took the hill in the bottom of the first and started out by striking out Kwan and Martinez. It was looking like he might be dominant, which the Royals could have used going for the series win. Then Jose Ramirez singled off of Ragans, literally.
The come-backer hit Cole in his pitching hand, but he was determined to stay in. That lasted only two batters. David Fry walked on four pitched and then Chase DeLauter hit a 2-RBI double, at which point Ragans was pulled and in came Luinder Avila. Avila allowed DeLauter in, so Cole was charged with 3 runs in just 2/3 of an inning for the start. An already taxed Kansas City bullpen then had to piece together the rest of the game.
Avila did a reasonable job getting through 3 innings, but too many baserunners and too many pitches meant he only got through 3 innings and gave up another run, so the Royals ended up down four to nothing. It was not a good performance, though I am giving him bonus points for warming quickly and coming in well before he was expecting to on the day. The offense started to battle back in the 4th when Bobby Witt Jr. ended the longest stretch of his career without an extra base hit with an RBI double.
Alex Lange was next out of the pen and went 2 1/3 innings to get the team through the 6th. He gave up another run, but Starling Marte also added another run with a double that scored Lane Thomas in the 5th. The run was ruled unearned since the Kwan mishandled the ball off of the wall for an error. Joey Cantillo came one strike away from getting through 6 innings for Cleveland. He had quite a start at 5 2/3 innings, 3 hits, 2 walks, 1 ER, and 9 strike outs. For the second game in a row, the Royals had some issues with striking out. Yesterday, KC struck out 14 times and followed it up with 14 again today.
It seemed like the Royals had a chance to rally at that point as Steven Cruz came in and got through a clean 7th. Unfortunately, the 8th went about as poorly as could have for Cruz. It went single, single, RBI single, walk, grand slam, and strikeout. Five runs was enough that Tyler Tolbert came in and gave up a single then got a double play.
That was a tough end to a disappointing series that sees the Royals fall to 5-7 on the season. Up next is four games at home against a bad White Sox team. Hopefully they can use that to get back on track.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 22: Jesus Rodriguez #55 of the Sacramento River Cats bats against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning of an exhibition game at Sutter Health Park on March 22, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
I don’t know about you, but I sure am happy that Minor League Baseball is back. It’s probably easier to be excited about the Minors since the San Francisco Giants aren’t worth being excited about, but it’s also just great having so much baseball around, and optimism in the air.
All four of the Giants A-ball affiliates started a new series on Tuesday night, so let’s dive into the exciting action. Spoiler alert: they all won!
All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.
AAA Sacramento (5-3)
Sacramento River Cats beat the Las Vegas Aviators (A’s) 5-3 Box score
In case you missed the Major League news, catcher Daniel Susac (No. 20 CPL) is apparently the best hitter in baseball. He’s 6-7 with a triple and a walk to start his career!
That will probably calm down at some point, but if it doesn’t — and especially if San Francisco’s offense keeps struggling — then the Giants will look for ways to get his bat in the lineup more. But it’s hard to do that, because there are only a pair of ways to get Susac more at-bats: start him at catcher more often, or play him at DH. The former means regularly benching the best defensive baseball player on the planet, and the latter is a very risky move with a backup catcher.
One potential solution down the road? Add catcher Jesús Rodríguez (No. 16 CPL) to the Major League roster.
Rodríguez was the favorite to win the backup catcher position before the Giants acquired Susac in the Rule 5 Draft, and the dude can absolutely hit. After a slow start to the year, the righty has been turning it on lately, and had his best game of the season on Tuesday, when he hit 2-4 with a home run, 3 runs batted in, and a walk.
That’s a mighty impressive swing for someone who isn’t associated with a lot of power!
If Susac and Rodríguez play as well as the Giants expect them to, then the team will have a very good problem on their hands. It helps that Rodríguez can also competently play the non-shortstop infield positions, and can even fake it in the corners of the outfield. And it helps that he has 2 option years remaining, and that Susac will have 3 if he can make it through this year on the roster.
That’s putting the cart ahead of the horse, but the Giants are very high on Rodríguez, who is already on the 40-man roster and who still has a few weeks left of being a 23-year old. If he has more days like this, the team will start looking for ways to get him an MLB debut.
Speaking of contact hitters acquired in deadline deals whom the team is high on, second baseman Nate Furman (No. 39 CPL) also had himself a day, hitting 1-3 with a home run and a walk.
Get used to the hits and get used to the walks, as Furman will rack up both of them in huge quantities. The home runs? Probably don’t need to get used to those, but they’re fun when they arrive.
Furman impressed at his first Spring Training this year, and the 24-year old, who was a 4th-round pick by the Guardians in 2022, got an opening assignment in AAA despite just 22 career games in AA due to injuries. So far he’s making the Giants look very smart there, with a .989 OPS and a 191 wRC+ in 10 games with Sacramento. That’ll play!
In less happy news, it was a rough day at the office for first baseman Bryce Eldridge (No. 1 CPL), who went 0-4 with a strikeout hat trick. Fans have been clamoring for the Giants to call up Eldridge to save the offense and, well, that talk requires a few chill pills.
It’s pretty clear that the Giants optioned Eldridge with the intention of having him work on his swing-and-miss struggles, and it’s equally clear that there’s still work to be done. Eldridge is up to a 33.3% strikeout rate which, for context, is 9th-highest out of 78 qualified PCL hitters. And while some of that is coming from a slightly passive approach — which has also led to a sky-high 18.8% walk rate — much of it is due to having some exploitable zones.
I’m not sure whether this is the good news or the bad news, but Eldridge has been doing a good job staying in the zone this year, and just is missing hittable pitches (though that passivity is also showing, as he’s 25th percentile in zone swing rate). His chase rate is in the 75th percentile in AAA this year, which is great … but it makes his 9th-percentile whiff rate a little terrifying. His in-zone contact rate is just 19th percentile, while his swinging strike rate is 32nd percentile.
I would stop short of calling any of that concerning — it’s only 10 games — but it certainly paints a picture of a prospect who has a lot of development to do before making the Majors, which isn’t a knock for a 21-year old. Hopefully it all comes together for Eldridge, as the combination of passivity and lack of contact has also brought down his good underlying metrics: he’s just 33rd percentile in average exit velocity and 54th percentile in maximum exit velocity, while still searching for his 1st home run of the season.
The other 40-man hitters: left fielder Drew Gilbert hit 2-4 with a walk, raising his OPS to .824 and his wRC+ to 141; right fielder Will Brennan hit 1-4 with a double, putting his OPS at .861 and his wRC+ at 125; and center fielder Grant McCray went 0-3 with a walk, a strikeout, and his 1st stolen base of the year, and now has a .639 OPS and a 90 wRC+.
There was great news on the pitching front: RHP Joel Peguero (No. 27 CPL) made a rehab appearance. Peguero, who was a Minor League journeyman before making his MLB debut last season, figures to play a key role in the bullpen this year, though it may or may not be as soon as he’s back into game shape and in a rhythm. The Giants could certainly use his 100-mph heat out of the bullpen though, and on Tuesday he looked the part, pitching a perfect 6th inning with 2 strikeouts. A very welcome sight.
Speaking of people who will help the bullpen this year, RHP Spencer Bivens had a quality outing as well, tossing 2 scoreless innings while giving up 2 hits (both singles), and striking out 1. He’ll certainly be back in the bigs at some point; he perhaps doesn’t have the nastiness or the upside of the players currently in San Francisco, but he’s a very trustworthy bit of bullpen depth.
While the bullpen shined (that pair, plus RHPs Braxton Roxby and Michael Fulmer combined for 4.1 shutout innings), it was a tough start for LHP John Michael Bertrand, who struggled with command. Bertrand allowed 4 hits (including a home run) in 4.2 innings, but more concerning was the 4 walks he issued, against just 1 strikeout. All of that combined for a 3-run outing, which raised his ERA to 5.40 and his FIP to 6.34 through a pair of starts. The funky southpaw, who recently turned 28, will never be a big strikeout guy, but he gets enough ground balls that, if he can keep the walks in check, he could provide value at the next level in some capacity.
Richmond kept their strong start to the season going, though it was a fairly uninteresting game for the air-bound rodents. The offense only had 6 hits on the game, but half of them belonged to second baseman Dayson Croes, who hit 3-4 with a double and a strikeout. That was the only extra-base hit of the game for Richmond.
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) April 8, 2026
Croes, who has a 1.055 OPS and a 183 wRC+ through 4 games, was one of the more fun stories on the farm last year. The left-hander from Aruba was signed last year — as a 25-year old — out of indy ball, which is something the Giants have been doing a fair amount of lately. The Giants moved him quickly from the Complex League to High-A, to AA, and finally to AAA, and he hit very well at every stop. Despite an .882 OPS and a 137 wRC+ in 14 games with Sacramento, the Giants opted to have the now-26 year old begin the year back in Richmond.
The reasoning there is probably as simple as wanting to prioritize AAA at-bats for fellow second baseman Nate Furman (No. 39 CPL), and honestly, they’re very similar players. Both make a ton of contact (Croes had a .300 average last year, and just a 15.1% strikeout rate), but don’t have a lot of power (Croes had 3 home runs in 90 games), and have suspect defense at second base. Really, it’s a similar profile in AA, AAA, and the Majors for the Giants at second!
While Croes had the best game, the best news was that center fielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) made his season debut. Davidson missed the first series of the year while on paternity leave (congrats!) but returned on Tuesday, and fit right in, hitting 1-3 with a walk. He’s one of the most must-watch prospects in the farm this year … not just because he’s one of the organization’s top prospects, but because he held his own in a 42-game sample in Richmond last year … meaning he could be promoted to AAA fairly early if he plays well.
Right fielder Jonah Cox only hit 1-3 with a strikeout, but my goodness did he make an impact on the other side of the ball, with an A+ Jo Adell impression.
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) April 8, 2026
The pitching featured piggy-backing starters, and the player who actually started was the star on that front. LHP Cesar Perdomo, a recently-turned 24-year old from Venezuela, made his AA debut and it went quite well, as he gave up just 4 hits and 0 walks in 3.2 innings, while striking out 4 batters. Perdomo allowed just 1 run, and it was unearned following a passed ball by catcher Adrián Sugastey.
Perdomo has always had good control, and last year walked just 2.7 batters per 9 innings in High-A, so it’s great to see that carrying with him up a level. He threw 48 of his 66 pitches for strikes.
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) April 8, 2026
The other “starter” was RHP Darien Smith, who pitched innings 5-8. Smith, a 26-year old who signed as an undrafted free agent in 2024 and made his debut in 2025, wasn’t quite as clean as Perdomo in his introduction to AA. He only gave up 2 hits in 4 innings, but 1 of those hits was a home run, and he walked 3 batters with just 2 strikeouts. Still, he did a good job limiting damage, as that solo home run was the only run he allowed.
High-A Eugene (4-0)
Eugene Emeralds beat the Vancouver Canadians (Blue Jays) 4-3 Box score
Eugene’s perfect season continued. 4 games, 4 wins! They’re basically the Daniel Susac of Minor League Baseball teams.
The Emeralds are a sneaky-fun team this year, in part because their roster is full of so many players given exciting new challenges, and we’ll get to see how they do there. One such player is left fielder Carlos Gutierrez (No. 18 CPL).
Gutierrez’s opening assignment in High-A is not surprising, given the way that he thoroughly dominated Low-A pitchers en route to an .896 OPS and a 150 wRC+ last year. But injuries have slowed the lefty hitter’s career to this point, including ending his 2025 campaign early. In all, he played just 22 games in the Dominican Summer League, 3 games in the Arizona Complex League, and 60 games in the Cal League. He’s raked every stop along the way, but that still makes it quite a challenge to move up to a higher-level for the 21-year old from Mexico.
Challenge accepted, apparently. Gutierrez’s 3rd game at the level was his best, as he hit 1-3 with a home run, a walk, and a strikeout. Gutierrez, who is far from the largest player on the field, is never going to be a big power guy — that was just the 4th home run in his MiLB career — but he can do damage in a wide variety of ways. I’m excited to watch him this year.
FIRST High-A HR ✅
Carlos Gutierrez hit a solo shot sent a high fastball over the fence in LF to give the Ems a 3-0 lead last night.
Speaking of exciting players with exciting opening assignments, shortstop Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL) is in High-A this year, despite just 10 highly subpar games in Low-A after getting drafted in the 1st round a year ago. And if you’re wondering if he actually belongs at this level, let me give you 2 different things to think about:
Thing the first: He hit 2-5 in this game Thing the second: That was the worst of his 4 games
Yes, Kilen has been outrageous to start his Eugene tenure. The lefty, who also struck out, is now 8-16 with 2 home runs, 2 doubles, 3 walks, and just 2 strikeouts to start the year. He’s always had the feel of a player who could move quickly if things click and … well … perhaps things are clicking.
Kilen was the team’s 1st draft pick in 2025, and their 2nd, right fielder Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL) also has joined him in High-A. Cohen, a left-handed hitter taken in the 3rd round, has some outrageous contact skills, though we haven’t gotten to see those on display yet in the Northwest League. We have, however, seen how he can impact the game in other ways, such as on Tuesday when he was held hitless in 3 at-bats, but drew 2 walks and stole 2 bases. Through 32 career games, Cohen has now drawn 24 walks (with just 17 strikeouts) and stolen 11 bases. That’s a fun player, especially if he can provide above-average outfield defense and/or play center field, both of which seem possible.
There were some bad days to get to, unfortunately. Center fielder Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL) is struggling with the adjustment to High-A pitching, as he went 0-4 and struck out 3 times. Jordan has the best power/speed combo of any Giants prospect, but fell to the 4th round in 2024 due to a huge strikeout issue. He did an incredible job starting to get that in check in Low-A last year, but so far has struck out 11 times in 18 plate appearances in High-A. Hopefully it’s just an adjustment period.
Speaking of strikeouts, catcher Diego Cartaya went 0-3 with 3 strikeouts and a walk. The Giants are smartly moving Cartaya — who has a lot of experience in AAA — down to a low level as they attempt to reset the former prized jewel of the Dodgers’ system. But so far it’s been ugly, as he’s 0-11 with 8 strikeouts to start the season. And third baseman Walker Martin, who has put up some big numbers early in the year, went 0-3 with a walk and a strikeout, and committed his 3rd error in as many games.
On the mound, LHP Charlie McDaniel made his season debut, and it went well. An undrafted free agent, McDaniel did well in his inaugural season a year ago, with strong numbers in Low-A, but those numbers fell apart in High-A. He’s back in Eugene to attempt to conquer the level, and so far, so good. In 3 shutout innings, the southpaw gave up just 1 hit and 1 walk, while striking out 2 batters. He didn’t have the best command, as he threw 29 of 45 pitches for strikes, but still a very nice start to the season.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for RHP Cade Vernon, the team’s 10th-round pick in 2024. The Murray State product had a rough High-A debut over the weekend, and followed it up with a brutal outing on Tuesday, ceding 2 hits, 4 walks, and 2 earned runs in just 1.2 innings out of the bullpen. It’s been a rude introduction to the Northwest League for Vernon, who has now allowed 9 baserunners and 4 earned runs in 3.1 innings.
Low-A San Jose (3-1)
San Jose Giants beat the Visalia Rawhide (D-Backs) 11-9 Box score
There were a lot of great days for the Baby Giants, but the night belonged to center fielder Andy Polanco, who had a phenomenal game. Polanco was perfect in this outing, hitting 4-4 while smacking a triple and stealing a base. A day to remember!
Speedster Andy Polanco with his first big game of the season for the San Jose Giants, going 4-4 and stealing a base. He's done well in center field so far, and there could be strength gains as he gets older. pic.twitter.com/uAUq1JCG4T
— Giant Prospective (@giantprospectiv) April 8, 2026
Polanco has flown under the radar after being an 11th-round pick out of high school in 2024. But the right-handed hitter, who turns 21 in a few weeks, has some pretty exciting skills, especially with his legs. He spent his entire debut season in 2025 at the Complex League, where he showed a strong ability to handle center field, while also stealing 22 bags in 25 attempts in just 47 games.
So far he’s he followed that up well in Low-A, with 3 stolen bases in as many attempts and games, and strong defense as well. It doesn’t hurt that, after posting an 85 wRC+ in Arizona, he has a 240 wRC+ in San Jose … but, something something sample size.
There were 4 other hitters who shined, and if you’ve been reading these Minor League roundups, you’ll probably know exactly who those 4 are. The Nos. 1-4 hitters in San Jose’s Tuesday lineup were the 4 hitters who starred in their opening series, and all 4 starred in this series opener. They’re carrying the team!
At the top of the lineup was the shining gem of San Jose’s roster, shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL), who had his 3rd multi-hit game of the 4-game season, going 2-5 with a double, a stolen base, and 3 runs batted in. Level had a breakout 2025 and he is on his way to another breakout campaign, as he’s started the year hitting 9-18 with 3 extra-base hits, 2 walks, and 3 stolen bases, for a 245 wRC+.
It’s too early to wonder how long he stays in San Jose if he keeps hitting like this, but then again … the just-turned 19-year old switch-hitter sits near the very top of the prospect rankings for a good reason.
Hitting 2nd in the order was Level’s double play partner, second baseman Lorenzo Meola (No. 23 CPL), who hit 3-5 with a double. Meola, a right-handed hitter who was the team’s 4th-round pick in July, is known for his glove more than his bat, but he’s quickly trying to change that … and not by doing anything bad with his glove. After a solid 16-game debut last year, Meola has started his 1st full season by hitting a casual 7-17 with 4 doubles, 2 walks, and just 1 strikeout, which has resulted in a 171 wRC+.
Lorenzo Meola with a double off the wall, and the Giants take the lead back in the 6th! pic.twitter.com/LJPY67T9E7
Then came the beef of the order: batting 3rd was catcher Junior Barajas, who continued his stellar debut season by hitting 1-4 with a double, a hit by pitch, and a strikeout. The 11th-round pick last year got a lot of hype in his 1st offseason, and so far he’s making it look justified, by hitting 6-15 with 4 doubles, a 215 wRC+, and strong defense behind the dish.
And in the cleanup spot was someone hoping to become the next great undrafted success story in the organization, first baseman Hayden Jatczak, who hit 2-5 with a double and 2 strikeouts. Jatczak is on the older side for a Low-A hitter — he turns 25 in August — but it’s hard to argue with 6-13 with 4 extra-base hits, 7 walks, and a 284 wRC+ through 4 career games. Talk about an introduction!
It was not a good pitching game for San Jose. 3 of their 5 pitchers gave up not just runs, but multiple runs, while the other 2 were shaky in scoreless outings. It began with one of the most high-profile pitchers in the system, RHP Keyner Martinez (No. 10 CPL). Martinez was one of the breakout stars of 2025, and he has some truly nasty stuff. Some of it was on display Tuesday, as he struck out 4 batters in just 3 innings.
But he also gave up 4 hits, which included a home run and a triple, while walking 2 and ceding 3 runs. Martinez, a 21-year old who was signed out of Venezuela 3 years ago, really shined in his short time with San Jose last year, following a late-season promotion. In 6 games, he posted a 2.86 ERA and a 3.96 FIP, so it’s safe to assume that his season debut was something of an outlier.
LHP Ricardo Estrada and RHP Fernando Vasquez both got rocked fairly hard, while RHP Ubert Mejias pitched 2.1 no-hit innings with 2 strikeouts, but also walked 2 batters.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - APRIL 03: Michael McGreevy #36 of the St. Louis Cardinals throws a first inning pitch against the Detroit Tigers during the Tigers home opener at Comerica Park on April 03, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The St. Louis Cardinals will wrap up the first road trip of the 2026 season with a Wednesday afternoon contest against an old friend. While the Cardinals have Michael McGreevy scheduled to make the afternoon start, the Washington Nationals will send Ron BurgundyMiles Mikolas to the mound. Miles has had a rough start to the season with an 0-2 record and an ERA of 14.46. Let’s hope the Cardinals increase that number Wednesday afternoon.
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 7: Josh Lowe #3 of the Los Angeles Angels is tagged out at third by Austin Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves as he was trying to advance on a wild pitch in the sixth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on April 7, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s time to paste the Statcast graphic into the body of this post because it wasn’t available when I was doing the lineups post, and also, for the Braves to have a successful West Coast-ish road trip and continue to be unbeaten series-wise in 2026, right? Oy.
A general view of the Brooklyn Bridge is seen in New York City, on November 23, 2023. (Photo by Mairo Cinquetti/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images
Today’s Lineups
DIAMONDBACKS
METS
Ketel Marte – DH
Francisco Lindor – SS
Corbin Carroll – RF
Bo Bichette – 3B
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Jorge Polanco – DH
Gabriel Moreno – C
Luis Robert – CF
Nolan Arenado – 3B
Brett Baty – RF
Ildemaro Vargas – 2B
Mark Vientos – 1B
Jose Fernandez – 1B
Marcus Semien – 2B
Tim Tawa – LF
Carson Benge – LF
Jorge Barrosa – CF
Francisco Alvarez – C
Ryne Nelson – RHP
David Peterson – LHP
Another underwhelming day for the Diamondbacks offense yesterday. After eleven games, the team is hitting a collective .213, with an OPS of .632. That’s ranked 23rd in the majors, and 59 points below league average. Though it is worth noting that offense generally is down as a whole. The OPS across all of MLB is below .700 at a mere .691, 28 points below the overall figure last year. It’s not just the expected “slow start in cold weather” thing. Through April 7th last year, the MLB OPS was .705, so this season’s figure is below even that. Remember when an OPS starting with a six indicated a hitter was really struggling? So far in 2026, it has been the norm.
That said, the D-backs had posted a .768 OPS through the same date last season, so it’s definitely an issue. Corbin Carroll is continuing to do Corbin Carroll things. But Ketel Marte (OPS+ 70) and Geraldo Perdomo (51), who were expected to power the offense to an equal extent, have got off to a slow start. As we noted on Monday, Marte is hitting the ball hard, but into the ground. His GB/FB rate is 1.60, the highest on the team among regulars. For Perdomo, there is a concerning amount of blue on his Baseball Savant page. Of particular concern, the percentage of time when he’s hitting the ball at the right launch angle (8-32 degrees), which powered his surge last year, is significantly down. He has hit just one “barrel” so far.
All told, there is reason to suggest the offense has been more “responsible” for the issues so far this year than the pitching. By Win Probability on Fangraphs, Arizona’s hitting has been worth -96%, which ranks it 22nd in the majors. The pitching is at +46%, ranked 15th. And this might be a surprise: the D-backs’ bullpen is higher still, a +18% figure which comes in twelfth. Yes, our relievers have been better than average at keeping the team in games. I reckon, as mentioned in the comments on yesterday’s recaps, that they have simply had so little room for error. You might expect each reliever to put up a zero. But when you need five of them to do so in a row…
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 07: James Wood #29 of the Washington Nationals celebrates with Curtis Mead #45 after hitting a home run in the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Nationals Park on April 07, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After the bullpen blew it again, the Nats need to get off the mat. Last night was a really disheartening loss that showed just how bad this bullpen is. The offense continues to get the job done though, which is really exciting for the present and future of the club.
With a righty on the mound, the Nats made a few tweaks to the lineup. Luis Garcia Jr. will be back at first base, and hitting second. Jose Tena and Drew Millas are also back in the lineup. The red hot James Wood remains the leadoff man today and will play right field. Miles Mikolas is on the mound against his old team, and this feels like a crossroads moment for him. If he is not doing well early, Brad Lord is well rested and should be ready to roll.
The Cardinals only made a couple lineup changes. Ramos Urias will be back in the lineup, shifting Nolan Gorman to DH. Nathan Church will be in center field over Victor Scott. Otherwise, it is a familiar crew. Nats pitchers will have to watch out for the red hot Jordan Walker, who looks like a different player this year. Former first rounder Michael McGreevy will be on the mound for the Cards.
If you like runs, the Nats are a team you would love to watch. The offense has been electric and the pitching has been abysmal. With Miles Mikolas on the mound, hopes are not high for the pitching staff. Hopefully the offense can continue to slug. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
Time for Part 2 of this brief series on early season data points, I was hoping there might be more positives to take away from yesterdays game but alas the beat or baseball season goes on.
Today I will be taking a look at a group of lefty hitters where half of them are off to pretty good starts!! The other two however have been major letdowns.
Andres Gimenez 268/318/463 – 127 WRC+
Gimenez much like the start of last season has started this season hot and he currently leads the Jays in slugging which is good for him but anytime Gimenez leads the team in slugging is likely to bad for the Jays.
For Gimenez the big data point over this small sample is him absolutely crushing right handed pitching, against RHP he is hitting 346/393/654!!!!
Yes unfortunately there is some over performance based on balls in play and quality of contact and he is highly unlikely to maintain this kind of batting line against RHP for the whole season but if you break his splits against RHP by all months where he has seen at least 150 pitches so far this month would rank 2nd in expected batting average, 3rd in expected slugging, 2nd in xWOBA and 2nd in barrel rate.
This month still has lots of time left so not really a fair comparison but so far the first 11 games of the season has been one of the better 11 game hitting stretches against RHP of his career.
Daulton Varsho 171/275/229 47 WRC+
Varsho is clearly off to a rough start especially after being so hot during Spring Training, during the Spring Varsho was doing a great job pairing his new found hard contact from last season with much more contact.
Since the start of the regular season he has so far done a good job maintaining the contact and has raised his contact% all the way up to 82.7% from last seasons 71.7% which has cut his K rate from 28.4% to 15% and he has paired this with a much higher line drive rate of 31% compared to last seasons 16.9%.
Way less Ks and more line drives you would expect this to be a good thing but unfortunately the quality of contact has really fallen off with his hard hit rate dropping from 40.3% to 24.12% and his average exit velocity currently down 7.8 MPH.
It is early but if Varsho can find a happy medium between the all power high K hitter he was last season and the low K line drive guy he has been this season he should be able to help this Jays roster score some runs.
Jesus Sanchez 286/375/429 141 WRC+
I will keep this one pretty short because the Jays have to be happy with what they have received from Sanchez in the batting lineup this season and based on quality of contact he has actually underperformed his expected batted ball stats!!!
A 47.6% hard hit rate, 9.5% barrel rate to go with a 21.9% K rate is a pretty great start to his Blue Jays career.
Addison Barger 053/174/105 – Minus 11 WRC+
Ahhh yeah not a great start to the season for Barger and he is of course now on the IL with an injury.
Even Barger’s 1 hit on the season was a ball that should have been a HR but the RF brought it back and dropped the ball so he was able to get a double but Barger is one dropped HR robbery from still having a 000 batting average.
Digging thru Barger’s data and honestly I don’t have much positives to take away, he is making more contact on both in zone and out of zone pitches so if he gets back to last season’s chase rate he could make some real progress on his K rate
He has still been hitting the ball hard with a 50% hard hit rate so hopefully the IL stint allows him to reset and come back with a better approach and he can combine the new contact rates with his regular quality of contact and get on a roll.
Davey Lopes, one of the greatest basestealers in a go-go era of Major League Baseball and a member of the Los Angeles' Dodgers' iconic infield of the 1970s, died Wednesday, April 8, the Dodgers announced. He was 80.
Lopes, a native of Rhode Island who debuted in 1972, stole 558 bases in his career, ranking 26th all-time, and won National League stolen-base titles in 1975 (77) and 1976 (63). He was the second baseman on a Dodgers infield featuring first baseman Steve Garvey, shortstop Bill Russell and third baseman Ron Cey, a quartet that first played together June 23, 1973, when Garvey supplanted Bill Buckner at first.
Two weeks later, the alignment became permanent, and the quartet became a huge part of Dodgers NL pennants in 1977 and '78, before losing to the New York Yankees in both World Series.
Yet in 1981, the Dodgers finally broke through to vanquish the Yankees, and the quartet broke up shortly thereafter, with the Dodgers opting for rookie Steve Sax at second, leaving Lopes seeking a team.
He was far from done, stealing 50 bases over two seasons alongside Rickey Henderson in Oakland and then, as a 40-year-old, swiping 47 bags for the 1985 Chicago Cubs.
Lopes' mutton chops and long hair kept a '70s-era ethos in the game well into the next decade, and the hard-nosed and respected player went on to manage the Milwaukee Brewers from 2000-2002 and serve as a coach for the Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres, Washington Nationals, Philadelphia Phillies and Dodgers.
A four-time All-Star and Gold Glover, Lopes is survived by his brothers Patrick and John and sisters Jean, Judith, Mary and Nina.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 03: Tyler Mahle #54 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the New York Mets in the top of the first inning of a major league baseball game at Oracle Park on April 03, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants wrap up this series against the Philadelphia Phillies this afternoon from Oracle Park.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Tyler Mahle, who enters today’s game with a 7.00 ERA, 5.04 FIP, with nine strikeouts to three walks in nine innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 10-3 loss to the New York Mets on Friday, in which he allowed five runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and two walks in five innings.
He’ll be facing off against Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola, who enters today’s game with a 3.18 ERA, 3.42 FIP, with 16 strikeouts to three walks in 11.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Phillies’ 10-1 win over the Colorado Rockies on Friday, in which he allowed one run on five hits with nine strikeouts and a walk in six and a third innings. One run allowed at Coors Field is practically a no-hitter, so that’s pretty impressive.
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 1981: Davey Lopes of the Los Angeles Dodgers slides into third base during the 1981 NLCS playoffs1981 at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Davey Lopes, the best second baseman in Los Angeles Dodgers history, died on Wednesday at age 80, the team announced.
Lopes was the oldest member of the Dodgers’ famed infield — the quartet of Lopes, Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, and Bill Russell were regulars for 8 1/2 years, the longest-running infield in major league history — and the latest of the four to debut, but Lopes remained a force atop the Dodgers lineup and one of the best leadoff men in the sport during the 1970s.
“If we weren’t the best infield of all time, we were the most successful,” Cey wrote in his autobiography ‘Penguin Power,’ written with Ken Gurnick. “Every member was a multi-year All-Star, we appeared in more World Series than any infield, and we won a world championship.”
In Lopes’ first seven seasons, from 1973-79, he ranked sixth in the majors in runs scored (639, averaging 91 per season) and was second in stolen bases (371, only two behind Lou Brock; averaging 53 steals per year). He led the majors with 77 steals in 1975, and paced the National League with 63 steals in 1976.
Lopes even stole 47 bases in 1985 with the Astros in the year he turned 40, still the record for any major league player that old in one season, 10 more than Rickey Henderson. Lopes and Henderson are the only players to steal more than 26 bases in a season at age 40 or older. And when Lopes stole 47 bases in 1985, he was only caught four times.
Efficiency was the name of the game for Lopes, too, stealing bases at an 83-percent clip throughout his career, the 12th-best in MLB history for anyone with at least 200 attempts. His 418 stolen bases with the Dodgers are second only to Maury Wills, and Lopes’ 83.1-percent success rate in tops in franchise history.
“A guy that’s a base stealer, he disrupts the crowd, he disrupts the team that he’s playing against, and he can set the tone for the game,” Lopes said in an interview with MASN Sports in 2017 when he coached for the Nationals. “I studied it, from the standpoint of picking up on idiosyncrasies that the pitcher had when he threw to first compared to when he threw to home. The sooner you can pick that up, the quicker you can get out of the box.
“I always talk about quickness, and as soon as I say that most people think of a body movement, but it’s not. It’s what you can recognize with your eyes. The quicker you can recognize a key, the first key that a pitcher is telling you he’s coming over to first or going home, the bigger the jump you’re going to get.”
That wisdom served Lopes well in his three decades of coaching after his playing career ended in 1987. He managed the Brewers from 2000-02, but was otherwise a first base coach from 1988 through 2017 for the Rangers, Orioles, Padres, Nationals, Phillies, and Dodgers, including multiple stints in San Diego and Washington.
In addition to coaching first base, Lopes would often be in charge of coaching baserunning, as he did with the Dodgers from 2011-15, including tutoring a young Dee Gordon. In his first year back in Los Angeles in 2011, the Dodgers stole bases at a 75.9-percent clip, at the time the second-highest clip in franchise history. Three of Lopes’ five years on the Dodgers coaching staff (2011, 2013-14) produced top-14 stolen base success rates in club history.
Lopes was never shy about speaking his mind, both as a player and coach, sometimes in blunt fashion, and suffered no fools. He is the last Dodger to hold official captain status, doing so in 1978 and into 1979, when he resigned from the position midseason as the two-time-defending pennant winners were mired under .500.
“I felt [resigning as captain] was the best thing for myself and the team,” Lopes told Associated Press in June 1979. “This way, we’re all equal. I have no title. Nothing more will be expected of me than anyone else.”
Lopes in 1979 had his best season at the plate, hitting .265/.372/.464, setting career highs in runs scored (109), runs batted in (73), slugging percentage, OPS (.836), and wRC+ (133). His 28 home runs that season were 11 more than he hit in any other year, and coupled with his 44 stolen bases Lopes delivered the first season in Dodgers history with at least 22 home runs and 22 steals.
In 10 seasons with the Dodgers, Lopes was a part of four pennant-winning teams, and started at second base and batted leadoff in all 45 postseason games for Los Angeles during that stretch. He hit .242/.332/.393 and scored 28 runs in those 45 games, a 101-run pace over a full year. Lopes’ 19 stolen bases still stand as the Dodgers postseason record.
Lopes made four All-Star teams, the last coming in 1981, when the team finally broke through to beat the Yankees in the World Series. But that was his age-36 season, and with second baseman Steve Sax the most ready among the next crop of Dodgers prospects, Lopes was the first member of The Infield to depart. The Dodgers traded Lopes for 20-year-old minor league infielder Lance Hudson in February 1982.
“I think a lot of individuals would like to get through their whole career and stay with one team,” Lopes said after the trade, per the Los Angeles Times. “But there’ll be a time in their careers when everyone is rejected.”
Three quarters of The Infield started their careers at different positions, including Lopes and Russell in the outfield to start their professional careers. Lopes was part of the Dodgers’ legendary 1968 draft hall, long considered the best draft year by a team in major league history. Lopes was taken in the second round of the January draft, and spent the first three-plus seasons in the minors in the outfield before switching to second base.
Lopes after leaving the Dodgers found new life as a utility man, mixing in time at all three outfield positions in a addition to third base aside from his duties at second. That allowed him to play through his age-42 season for the A’s, Cubs, and Astros. He posted above-average years offensively in each of his last five seasons, and overall hit .265/.348/.410 with a 112 wRC+ after leaving Los Angeles.
In addition to his 30 years of coaching, Lopes played 16 years in the majors, the first 10 of which were with the Dodgers. He hit .263/.349/.388 with 155 home runs, a 111 wRC+, 557 stolen bases, and scored 1,023 runs.
The Dodgers say Lopes is survived by two brothers, Patrick and John, and four sisters, Jean, Judith, Mary and Nina.
The Dodgers are currently playing a series against the Toronto Blue Jays, the team they beat in last year's World Series. Rojas played a starring role in the decisive Game 7 by hitting a game-tying home run in the ninth inning.
After missing Tuesday's game, Rojas is back in the lineup for Wednesday's series finale in Toronto, playing shortstop and batting ninth.
“To feel like he can go out there and play in a big league ball game, whether it's a distraction, doing it in honor of his father, whatever reason, I heard that,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters before the game.
Roberts said Rojas would likely take a leave of absence, but he wanted to play today.
Rojas, 37, broke into the majors with the Dodgers in 2014, was traded to the Miami Marlins at the end of the season before returning to L.A. in another trade in 2023. He re-signed with the Dodgers as a free agent this offseason.
Rojas has a career slash line of .260/.313/.362 with 57 home runs and 67 stolen bases in 13 major league seasons.
Apr 2, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher David Peterson (23) throws a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images | Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
Mets lineup
Francisco Lindor – SS
Bo Bichette – 3B
Jorge Polanco – DH
Luis Robert – CF
Brett Baty – RF
Mark Vientos – 1B
Marcus Semien – 2B
Carson Benge – LF
Francisco Alvarez – C
SP: David Peterson – LHP
Diamondbacks lineup
Ketel Marte – DH
Corbin Carroll – RF
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Gabriel Moreno – C
Nolan Arenado – 3B
Ildemaro Vargas – 2B
Jose Fernandez – 1B
Tim Tawa – LF
Jorge Barrosa – CF
SP: Ryne Nelson – RHP
Broadcast info
First pitch: 4:10 PM ET TV: SNY Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
J.D. Martinez wrapped up his 14-year playing career in 2024 with the Mets.
The two sides have kept in close contact since then, though, and New York’s higher-ups began pitching the idea of him joining reuniting with them in a front office role as early as this winter.
Martinez had other offers, but after evaluating his options he decided that this was where he wanted to be.
The slugger signed on as a special advisor to baseball operations last week.
“I’ve always built a good relationship with everybody here,” he said Wednesday afternoon at Citi Field. “It was just one of those things where I was like, you know what, this could be fun.
“I like what they are doing here. I like the team they’ve built here. I had a great experience here with the front office, the ownership, the clubhouse, everything -- it was just a really fun place to come so I said why not, let’s do it.”
Martinez is only planning on attending home games here and there as he eases back into baseball, but plans on being in contact with players and the front office consistently.
With all of his knowledge and experience, he’s just looking to be a resource for this group.
“I had quite a roller coaster throughout my career," Martinez said. "From getting released, to being a top prospect, to my rise, then going and retiring -- I think there’s a lot of things I’ve experienced where I can relate to a lot of the guys.
“So it's just my knowledge and just helping in anyway I can -- anything I see whether it’s the offense, whether it’s the strategy, whether it’s the mentorship, I’m just here to help them out in anyway that I can.”
As far as this year’s Mets team, Martinez sees a really talented group.
He even went as far as saying this team is by far "more talented" than the 2024 squad that went on a miraculous run before falling to the Dodgers in six games in the NLCS.
“It’s a really good group,” Martinez said. “I’ve played with and against a lot of these guys, I have a ton of respect from them -- Bo [Bichette], Marcus [Semien], and Juan [Soto], bringing those guys over, those are big bats and difference-makers.
“At the beginning of the year they weren’t really scoring, they are starting to score more now. Adding Freddy [Peralta] too is huge with the pitching staff they’ve added -- they’re a threat, this is a really good baseball team.”
