BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 27: Mauricio Dubon #14 of the Atlanta Braves warms up before playing against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on May 27, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Paul Rutherford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Many good things have contributed to the amazing start to the season for the Braves. One of the biggest factors is how well many of the depth position player signings and acquisitions have worked out for Atlanta, such as Dominic Smith and Jorge Mateo. But the best of all was the trade for Mauricio Dubon, whose versatility has been extremely valuable for the Braves. Alex Anthopoulos has always made good moves on the margins, and this year is no different.
Blown bullpen loses are never fun for anyone involved, but they are never to the level of life or death, especially in the month of May. While fans have always let players hear their displeasure at the outcome of the game, gambling and social media have unfortunately taken things to a different level.
Saturday, Tanner Scott came in to protect a two-run lead against the Philadelphia Phillies, and allowed a three-run homer, which ultimately gave the Phillies the win. On Sunday, Tanner’s wife Maddie Scott shared the messages she got, per Christian Orozco of the New York Post:
“When did it stop being a game?” Maddie wrote on her Instagram Story in response to a message from a user who said “gun shot your family tonight.”
“I don’t speak out often. Ever actually,” she said. “I promise you, you don’t know what it’s like unless you’re living it.”
Some of the messages got even more disturbingly graphic, with threats made not only to Tanner and Maddie, but also to their newborn son.
Social media allows fans to connect to each other and to players, but the dark side is the worst of humanity also come out via that medium. Steve Henson of the L.A. Times adds some additional thoughts on the why, here.
Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic has some news and notes on all things Dodgers, including this fun quote from Ryan Ward after his first major league home run –
“I’m probably going to smell for a little bit,” Ward said. “It was all over the place.”
That is in reference to the celebration in the clubhouse after the game on Sunday, which included alcohol and condiments, apparently.
The win on Sunday also gave manager Dave Roberts a birthday win.
The article also highlights the changes Roki Sasaki has made that are helping him to improve as a pitcher, and regain his fastball.
“It feels like it’s all put together right now,” Sasaki said Saturday through interpreter Kensuke Okubo.
By working with strength coach Travis Smith, Sasaki has filled out his frame and the team is seeing a return to the pitcher that Sasaki was in Japan.
“I think early this season, after every throw, he was looking at the radar gun to see what the velocity was,” Roberts said. “Now, there’s just a confidence that the throw is good, the feel is good, and that’s his validation”
Ardaya also has some notes on how Kyle Tucker might finally be coming out of his funk at the plate.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 15, 2025: Jhonny Level #18 of the San Francisco Giants bats during the second inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Texas Rangers at Scottsdale Stadium on March 15, 2025 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
The biggest news in San Francisco Giants promotions this week came on Sunday, when center fielder Jonah Cox was stunningly promoted to the Majors straight from AA Richmond. But it seems that the Cox move has kickstarted promotion season for the rest of the Giants Minor League Baseball players. Because on Monday — the off-day for all the non-rookie ball teams — the Giants reportedly promoted a trio of exciting prospects.
Most notable is shortstop Jhonny Level, who has been promoted from Low-A San Jose to High-A Eugene. Level is the total package, and has been flying up prospect lists lately — ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel just ranked him as the No. 41 prospect in all of baseball. Despite having only turned 19 two months ago — making him more than two years younger than the average competition he’s been playing against in the California League — Level laid waste to Low-A pitchers. Among the 64 Cal League hitters with at least 100 plate appearances this year, the switch-hitter ranked sixth in batting average (.325), 18th in on-base percentage (.392), second in slugging percentage (.576), second in home runs (10), and eighth in wRC+ (134). He also has just a 16.6% strikeout rate, has stolen 11 bases in 13 attempts, and is playing very strong defense at shortstop. His 10 home runs are the most in the Giants Minor League system this year.
While Level’s promotion is very exciting, it brings up some roster logistics questions, as he’ll now be sharing a Eugene roster with last year’s first-round pick Gavin Kilen. My guess is the Giants will do what they did with Level and Kilen when they briefly shared time on San Jose’s roster at the end of last year: have each play a little bit of time at second base, with some designated hitter thrown in there as well.
The Giants made some space in Eugene for Level by promoting fellow infielder Jean Carlos Sio to AA Richmond. Sio, a 22-year old left-handed hitter, had mostly played second base for the Emeralds this year, but had also seen time at shortstop and left field (in recent years he’s also played third base, right field, and center field). Sio got a late start to the year due to injuries, and had only played 16 games for Eugene this year … but he was phenomenal in those 16 games (.936 OPS, 154 wRC+, four home runs in 65 plate appearances), and they came after 28 stellar games at the level to end the 2025 season. He’s really started to turn into an exciting prospect.
Sio isn’t displacing another infielder in Richmond, but he is still displacing a player: left-handed pitcher Matt Wilkinson. The 23-year old southpaw, aptly nicknamed “Tugboat,” came to the Giants last month in the shocking Patrick Bailey trade. In nine AA starts split between the San Francisco and Cleveland organizations, Tugboat had a 1.87 ERA and a 2.93 FIP, with 49 strikeouts against 13 walks in 43.1 innings. Now he’ll get a chance to see how his stuff plays with AAA Sacramento, which has been piecing together games lately without a full rotation, with Trevor McDonald currently in the Majors and Seth Lonsway injured.
The Giants may be playing horrible baseball, but these are some exciting moves in the Minors!
CINCINNATI, OHIO - JUNE 01: Michael Massey #19 of the Kansas City Royals celebrates after hitting a home run in the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on June 01, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Lucas and Vasquez have both said newly generated sales taxes from a taxing district around the proposed stadium would primarily pay for the bonds. Lucas told reporters that Kauffman Stadium’s sales taxes were used to help project how much that might be.
“Our projections are based off of revenues that are generated at Kauffman Stadium today, and it would be based off of ancillary development in the Crown Center/Washington Square Park area,” Lucas said in April, noting the funding to pay for bonds would not come from the general fund or the city’s earning tax.
“I’m proud of the city manager and his staff and what they’re building up, and I think that’s how we can deliver a good, fiscally responsible project that is based largely on people who are spending at a baseball stadium,” Lucas added.
“I think I’ve said a bunch of times, he’s the best starting pitcher teammate I’ve ever seen,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “I mean, he’s into every single pitch in the dugout when he is not pitching. He’s extremely intense and into his starts, obviously, and he prepares as well as possible. He’s the consummate pro.”
Wacha loves pitching for the Royals and is hopeful to continue making starts as his career continues to unfold.
“Just love this game,” Wacha said. “And I love competing out there on the mound. You know, I’m already looking forward to the next one.”
“I never say it can’t get worse,” Bell said after the Royals had lost to the White Sox 4-0 in April 2006. “This game is too hard to play. There’s always something lurking around the corner.”
It’s an oft-repeated phrase among Kansas City sports fans, and it unfortunately resonates today. Not only did the Royals lose that game Saturday, but third baseman Maikel Garcia, the WBC MVP, left with a hamstring injury.
And things just seem to be getting worse for the Royals.
One thing I would like to head off is spending the next four months pointing fingers and arguing over who is to blame. I am of the belief, and have actually lost subscribers over it (which is super fun), that Matt Quatraro isn’t the problem. As all managers do, he has done things I wouldn’t have, but my point has always been that managers, unless there’s clubhouse unrest or they’re making asinine decisions, are generally not THE problem. Ultimately, the game is played on the field. You don’t like the lineup? I’ve long been someone who gets beyond frustrated by lineup complaints. You don’t like a pitching decision? That’s fine, but I’ll say that your decision is all theoretical, while you know what happened in the decision was actually made, and if you’re upset, it was likely negative.
DENVER, COLORADO - MAY 30: Jake McCarthy #31 of the Colorado Rockies runs after hitting a seventh inning RBI single against the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field on May 30, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
First, he brought a left-handed bat to platoon with righty CF Brenton Doyle; second, he has outfield versatility that would allow him to play all three positions and give Doyle a day off; and third, he is fast (99th percentile in sprint speed) with a career K% of 19.2%, which means he can play the kind of fast baseball manager Warren Schaeffer was looking to develop at Coors Field.
(Plus, the Rockies would have him for an even-numbered year, a point illustrated by his FanGraphs page, since he has historically struggled in odd-numbered years.)
With the season, roughly, one-third over, it’s worth taking a moment to consider how McCarthy has adjusted to baseball at elevation.
All numbers are current as of Sunday, May 31, 2026.
What the offensive numbers show
So far, McCarthy has appeared in 49 games and has 158 plate appearances. He’s slashing .282/.323/.444 with a 99 wRC+. Those numbers include 10 stolen bases and three home runs. And while Statcast indicates he does not hit the ball hard, he does get on base consistently.
Currently he has a 5.7% walk rate and a 19.0% strikeout rate. While the BB% is unremarkable among Rockies hitters, only Tyler Freeman and TJ Rumfield have better scores. He leads the Rockies in stolen bases.
He’s also shown an ability to hit left-handed or right-handed pitching. Against righties, he has a 126 wRC+, and against lefties, that number falls to a respectable 93 wRC+. So in that way, he has given Schaeffer the kind of platoon ability that the Rockies are committed to this season.
“I think it’s an easy excuse to say, ‘You know, he was a tough lefty,’ and it’s hard to not swing at this pitch or whatever,” McCarthy said.
“But I’ve always wanted to get the opportunity to face (lefties), and I think all hitters feel that way. I just think it’s the same principles. It’s just getting good pitches to hit, putting a good swing on them, and maybe not giving them too much credit, where, ‘Oh, the ball is coming from behind my head,’ or ‘It’s a different type of angle.’ I think the fundamentals and the principles still apply, regardless of where (the pitch) is coming from.”
“He’s a guy who definitely knows what he’s talking about,” McCarthy said, “but also understands how hard this game can be. I think it’s good to be around people who have been through it, and understand that sometimes it doesn’t make sense, and what you’re feeling or what you’re going through is is normal.”
McCarthy has also improved over the course of the season. In March and April, McCarthy had a 91 wRC+; that number grew to 104 in May, probably due, at least in part, to seeing more playing time with Doyle on the IL with an oblique injury.
And what does he think of Coors Field now that it’s his home park?
”I think it’s a really fun place to hit,” he said.
What the defensive numbers show
On the defensive side, McCarthy’s is holding his own as well.
The Rockies original plan involved using McCarthy primarily in left with occasional stints in center, and having Jordan Beck become the primary right fielder. However, injuries derailed that strategy, so here’s how the 354.2 innings McCarthy have spent in the outfield break down:
One notable drawback is McCarthy’s arm, which ranks the worst among center fielders according to Statcast.
Still, he’s noticed the challenges of playing in Coors expansive outfield.
“Obviously, I think with the bigger field and the ball carries a little more, so maybe the outfield you could say is more challenging,” McCarthy said.
And he’s had to make adjustments.
“Maybe you’re in a place — like we went from New York in April — where it’s cold and windy, to here, so maybe the ball is probably going to carry more, especially when it’s warmer here,” he said. “So maybe you take that into your adjustment in the outfield, where your positioning, or maybe what your first step is.”
But becoming more familiar with his new ballpark helps.
“I think over time, too, we get used to it. We have the advantage of being here 81 games a year. So I think there’s acclimation.”
What the mullet shows
If there’s a thing Rockies fans appreciate, it a good mullet. After all, they had years of watching the respective flows of Charlie Blackmon, Connor Joe, and Troy Tulowitzki. (Read this for the definitive Rockies mullet analysis.)
And, as it turns out, McCarthy has a mullet of his own.
“I’ve had long hair for a while now,” he said, “but this past offseason, I was like, ‘Maybe I’ll just try to cut it into a mullet.’ My wife doesn’t mind, so I wear a hat for a living anyway, so even if it looks egregious, I just, you know…”
Combine McCarthy’s look with his “Stairway to Heaven” walkup song, and you’ve got a player with personality.
What McCarthy has contributed
Clearly, it’s too early in the season to draw too many conclusions. However, in trading for McCarthy, the Rockies needed a utility outfielder and a player who could get on base.
He has delivered on both fronts.
When Brenton Doyle, Jordan Beck, and Mickey Moniak went on the IL, McCarthy seamlessly slid into the centerfield job while making consistent contributions at the plate.
Now the question is whether he can continue at this level as the rest of the 2026 season unfolds.
Patrick Lyons caught up with Troy Johnston to get his thoughts on a variety of subjects, including podcasting, joining the Rockies, and his time in the minor leagues.
What a roller-coaster in St. Louis. Saturday night, it looked like things were returning to normal. Then the old/new bats of the 10-loss days returned, and Jordan Wicks doesn’t appear to be more than AAAA quality starter. Maybe the Athletics and Giants can bring six games of rebounding for the Cubs.
Jim Bowden speaks, stories get written, I normally roll my eyes. But I am here to provide the news for your pleasure, no matter what I think. 😉
Ben Brown has cemented himself as the Cubs’ No. 1 SP. By A LOT. Boyd’s return will be greatly welcomed. Busch, PCA, Bregman are starting to show life. Where have Hoerner and Suzuki gone, though? Will Swanson’s bat EVER show up? Will Palencia ever get more than one save opportunity a month?
*means autoplay on, (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled real sarcasm font in the comments.
Let’s enjoy the gushing from Saturday night’s game:
“We’ve seen it in LA where I didn’t back up any talk that I may have said, so learning from stuff like that and always making sure I’m doing the right things on the field first.”
Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation): Pete Crow-Alexander Has Been EXTREMELY Good for Well Over a Month Now. “Last night’s performance, complete with incredible timing on his homer and a truly incredible catch to end the game, may have been the best game of the season for Pete Crow-Armstrong, but it’s actually just a continuation of something he’s been doing for a LOT longer than I think most people realize.”
Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Ben Brown doubled his pitch arsenal, giving the Cubs’ staff a needed boost. “Brown entered this season with two pitches added to his arsenal — a changeup and sinker — and a new mindset. ….. Now, with injuries forcing him into the rotation, he’s making a case to stay there.”
Matt Sullivan (Sporting News): Cubs cost to trade for Tarik Skubal from Tigers revealed by ex-MLB GM. “But what would it cost to acquire Skubal in a trade? Former MLB general manager Jim Bowden of The Athletic revealed what it could cost for the Cubs to add Skubal in a deal this season.”
Michael Canter (Cubs Insider): The Rundown: Brown Continues Stellar Run, Farm System Breakdown, Harper Reacts to CBA Negotiations. “It’s an off day and the Cubs have been struggling, so I’m going to turn my attention to the future, namely three topics: Ben Brown, Chicago’s farm system, and the CBA negotiations.”
Sean Holland (Cubs Insider): Bats Go Quiet as Cardinals Take Series. “(The Cubs) were forced to go with a bullpen game, and the results were predictably disappointing.”
Mike McGraw (Daily Herald): Role reversal: Why the White Sox are suddenly so much more fun than Cubs. “If we tweak the criteria a bit, the Sox are clearly more fun than the Cubs right now ….. The White Sox have won some exciting games recently ….. When things so south for the Cubs offense, their hitters seem to get caught up in the frustration.”
Peter Gage (born 12 February 1946) is a British blues vocalist, harmonica player and pianist. The younger Gage started his musical career as vocalist and harmonica player in a London band “The Sloane Squares”, led by Gwyn Headley, in the mid-1960s. The Sloane Squares were well known for their tight music and live shows, and were supporting Jimi Hendrix when they were spotted by Jet Harris, the former Shadows bass player, who asked them to become his backing band.
Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - MAY 30: Ceddanne Rafaela #3, Wilyer Abreu #52 and Jarren Duran #16 of the Boston Red Sox celebrate the team's 9-1 win over the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on May 30, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Happy Tuesday, OTM! Our Red Sox start a three-game series with the Baltimore Orioles tonight, who are two games above last place in the American League East. This season hasn’t gone as expected for us, but we’re still just three games back in the Wild Card hunt (expanded playoffs are dumb). My question to you is, what would it take for you to buy in? Is it a trade for a bat? Is it a 10-game winning streak? Another manager firing? Theo Epstein himself taking the POBO role? I’m an optimist, so I’ll convince myself there’s a chance they make a run until at least August, but I’m also insane, so your mileage may vary.
Talk about what you want and be good to one another. Go Sox.
It took Joey Cora 886 at-bats, but he finally hit his first career home run on this day, 33 years ago today. | (OTTO GREULE/ALLSPORT)
1925 The White Sox scored 15 runs vs. Detroit — and lost.
Ty Cobb was a villain, lining a one-out, full-count pitch from Ted Blankenship out of Tiger Stadium in the bottom of the ninth for the walk-off win. It was the second straight walk-off win for the Tigers over the White Sox, losing on a one-out homer in the bottom of the ninth the previous day as well.
Bibb Falk and Willie Kamm both lined four hits in the game for the White Sox, who tallied 21 in the game. Kamm drove in five runs as well.
Chicago trailed 7-1 and 15-5 in the game before rallying to tie the game at 15 in the top of the ninth on a two-run Kamm double.
The game tied the franchise record for most runs in a loss, along with identical scores in 1911 and 1934.
1958 In a 3-0 win over the White Sox, Yankees pitcher Whitey Ford tied an AL record by punching out six in a row, including striking out the side in the fourth inning. Jim Wilson held New York to six hits in a shutout loss that saw the White Sox tally seven hits.
In the third inning, Luis Aparicio was gunned down at second base by Yogi Berra on a botched hit-and-run with Nellie Fox, ending Luis’ streak of 26 consecutive thefts.
1959 Down through the seasons, when the White Sox played the Orioles strange and bizarre things seemed to take place. For the most part those instances took place in Baltimore, but on this night Comiskey Park played host to one that fans attending never forgot.
Future Sox pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm was on the mound for the O’s in the first inning when a swarm of gnats descended on the pitching mound area. It was so bad he couldn’t see the plate, and the game was halted as trainers, the grounds crew, even umpires tried to get rid of the bugs.
After a 16-minute delay, Sox owner Bill Veeck ordered the fireworks crew in from the center field bullpen to set up a launch site. One explosion later, the gnats were gone and the game resumed.
Wilhelm and Baltimore won, 3-2.
1967 The White Sox traded infielder Jerry Adair to Boston for two players, one of whom was pitcher Don McMahon. McMahon would pitch spectacularly out of the bullpen for the 1967 White Sox, going 5-0, grabbing three saves and having an ERA of 1.67 in 51 games in a little more than 91 innings for the “near-miss” White Sox.
1993 It took 886 at-bats, but Joey Cora slugged his first career homer in a 10-1 rout at Detroit. After Tim Raines walked to open the game, Cora crushed a 1-0 pitch from Mike Moore deep to right field in the first inning, putting the White Sox up, 2-0.
The White Sox would hit four homers in the game, including two by Ron Karkovice.
1995 With the White Sox having blown four straight games to Cleveland and off to an 11-20 start, manager Gene Lamont was fired and replaced by abrasive, taciturn third-base coach Terry Bevington. Bevington would turn out to be a disaster on the field and in the clubhouse, and the long-term effects of the way Lamont was dismissed would cause his mentor and former Sox coach Jim Leyland to turn down overtures by owner Jerry Reinsdorf to take over after Bevingtonwas removed before the start of the 1998 season and replaced by first-time manager Jerry Manuel.
2024 A 6-3 loss at Milwaukee finished off a sweep, and marked a 11th straight loss and 15th in 16 games for the White Sox. But more than that, it dropped the club to 15-45, 30 games worse than .500, at the earliest date in franchise history. That record was tied for the seventh-worst start to a season in baseball history.
May 31, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Rico Garcia (50) hugs Baltimore Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo (29) after a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
Eleven days ago in this space, I wrote that the Orioles were beginning a season-defining homestand that, if it went well, would help them build some momentum and start to salvage their season — or, if it went poorly, could spell “stick a fork in ’em” time for the 2026 team. Truthfully, I was fully expecting the latter to happen, and that I’d be coming back in 11 days to write about which players the O’s should start putting on the trade market for the inevitable selloff.
Happily, the Orioles had other plans. They rattled off an excellent 7-3 homestand, with two series wins and a split, and they do indeed appear to have some momentum on their side for once. They’re not out of the woods yet, of course; the O’s are still four games under .500, so let’s hold off on printing the playoff tickets. But, as our Tyler Young pointed out, there was a lot to like about the Orioles’ performance of the last week and a half. The starting pitching has improved, their offense started scoring runs more consistently, and the O’s showed a lot of heart with some thrilling late-inning comebacks.
Now comes the tricky part: can the O’s bring their winning ways with them on the road? So far this year, the team has been utterly hopeless away from Camden Yards. The Orioles’ road record is just 9-17, and only one team in baseball (the Royals) has fewer road wins than the Birds. The majority of that damage happened in May, when the Orioles went a dreadful 3-10 on their two road trips, which included being swept by two AL East opponents, the Yankees and Rays.
This next road trip, too, will pit the Orioles against divisional foes, albeit two — the Red Sox and Blue Jays — who are having much worse seasons than New York and Tampa Bay. The Red Sox in particular have been awful at home, carrying a 9-19 record at Fenway Park, so theoretically these next three games should be ripe for the Orioles to take. That doesn’t mean they will. The Birds are going to need to continue the recent solid work from their starting staff and the improved plate approach from their hitters, and they’ll need to do it in hostile territory.
I’ll hold off on declaring this as a season-defining road trip, although obviously the worst-case scenario of six straight losses would leave the Orioles hopelessly buried in the standings. If the O’s can keep their wits about them and at least split the six games against two teams that they should be able to beat, then they’ll still be in position to gain some ground when they return to the friendly confines of Oriole Park next Monday.
If you’d told me before the season that the Orioles would lose Zach Eflin for the season, Dean Kremer for who knows how long, and have Trevor Rogers post a 6.84 ERA, I’d have expected their rotation to be even more in shambles than last year. The fact that they’re holding their own — and even thriving of late — is kind of remarkable.
Some of these guys are before my time, but Nick Markakis is the name that jumped immediately to my mind, as it did Rich Dubroff’s. Any other suggestions, Camden Chatters?
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Three former Orioles were born on this day: left-hander Jack O’Connor (68), infielder Bob Saverine (85), and the late outfielder Roger Freed (b. 1946, d. 1996).
On this date in 1958, Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson, then in his first full MLB season, grounded into a triple play against the Senators. It was the first of four triple plays he grounded into during his 23 seasons, setting a dubious major league record. His career turned out pretty okay anyway.
And in 2016, the O’s mashed seven home runs in one game, second most in team history, to defeat the Red Sox at Camden Yards, 12-7. The Orioles homered in every inning from the fourth through the eighth, with Mark Trumbo and Adam Jones each hitting two, while Manny Machado, Pedro Álvarez, and catcher Francisco Peña (in his O’s debut) bashed one apiece.
Random Orioles game of the day
On June 2, 2010, the Orioles suffered their seventh straight loss of what eventually became a 10-game skid, dropping a 9-1 blowout at Yankee Stadium. The O’s were out of the game almost immediately as starter Brad Bergesen coughed up six runs in just 2.1 innings, while the Yankees’ Phil Hughes dominated the Birds’ lineup for seven strong innings. The embarrassing contest featured Miguel Tejada getting thrown out trying to score on a double in the eighth when the Orioles were losing by seven runs. The loss dropped the Orioles to 15-38, by far the worst record in baseball, and they fired manager Dave Trembley two days later.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 25: Brandon Marsh #16 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates after hitting a two-run home run against the San Diego Padres during the seventh inning at Petco Park on May 25, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Detroit Tigers opened up June with a white-knuckle 10-9 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, as one of the worst teams in the majors took down the top squad in the American League. AJ Hinch’s squad went wire-to-wire in the victory, but the team nearly collapsed in characteristic fashion in the final innings.
The Tigers can string together two straight victories for the first time since the opening days of May on Tuesday, but they will have to do it with right-hander Jack Flaherty on the mound. To his credit, the 30-year-old has done an admirable job over the past starts, limiting his free passes to just one while keeping up his strikeout totals with 20 over the last 15 innings of work.
Still, Detroit is just 2-10 this season with Flaherty on the mound. The last time the Tigers won with him starting was back on April 15 against the Kansas City Royals in what was easily his best outing of the 2026 campaign — a six-inning effort that saw him cough up a run on two hits and three walks while striking out seven.
Up against him is left-hander Steven Matz, who had a string of three straight solid starts — two of them of the quality variety — snapped last time out against the Baltimore Orioles, who shelled him for six runs on seven hits (one home run) and two walks while striking out two over three innings.
The 35-year-old saw the Tigers thrice last season — once with the St. Louis Cardinals and the other two with the Boston Red Sox, all in relief — holding Detroit scoreless across four frames of work, surrendering just one hit and zero walks while striking out three. We will see if he can bring that same mojo to the mound on Tuesday night.
Detroit Tigers (23-38) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (36-21)
Time (ET): 6:40 p.m. Place: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida SB Nation Site:DRaysBay Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 62: RHP Jack Flaherty (0-7, 5.81 ERA) vs. LHP Steven Matz (4-2, 4.67 ERA)
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 30: Manager Aaron Boone #17 of the New York Yankees comes out to talk with pitcher Ryan Weathers #40 against the Athletics in the bottom of the seventh inning at Sutter Health Park on May 30, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Ask any fan, analyst, or evaluator about the Yankees’ weaknesses, and they’re almost certain to start in one place: the bullpen. The team’s disinterest in making moves to upgrade the unit over the winter, which struggled for much of 2025, drew ire as part of the club’s “Run it Back” strategy. If the bullpen wasn’t very good last year, and the Yankees did nothing over the winter to upgrade it, why should they expect it to excel this year?
Many are still asking that same question over two months into the season. With trade season approaching, though, I couldn’t help but wonder: will the Yankees’ bullpen problem solve itself?
Look ahead to the summer months, and the clearest way the Yankee bullpen could fix itself is through a series of internal upgrades, with the talent from the club’s stellar starting rotation trickling down. The rotation has been the talk of the town so far in 2026, and that’s with Max Fried now on the shelf and Clarke Schmidt still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. While Schmidt is still a ways off, Fried has resumed throwing and could be back sometime this month. His return would force Aaron Boone to answer a difficult, that of which quality starter would need to get bumped from his stellar rotation.
The most obvious candidate is Ryan Weathers, who through little fault of his own has probably been the weakest member of the rotation thus far. Weathers also has some experience pitching in relief, having shuttled between the rotation and the ‘pen for the first few years of his career. As a lefty who can touch 98+ mph on his heater, and who has the pedigree of a mid-rotation starter, Weathers alone could be a massive addition to the bullpen.
But that’s just the start of the potential reinforcements the Yankees could add internally. The aforementioned Schmidt, one of the Yankees’ best pitchers when healthy between 2024 and 2025, is targeting a late-summer return, and very well could be a bullpen addition when he returns. On top of that, the Yankees have a cavalcade of interesting arms in the minors. Carlos Lagrange is the most mouth-watering potential prospect addition, the big right-hander in possession of 103-mph gas that could surely get major-league hitters out right now. Though he’s the number-one option for a spot start at the moment, Elmer Rodriguez also figures to be a plausible bullpen by the end of the year if he’s needed there, while the likes of Yovanny Cruz and Yerry De Los Santos give the Yankees even more minor-league depth as members of the Scranton Shuttle.
Moreover, there’s the fact that even as shaky as the bullpen has felt at times, the unit even as currently constructed hasn’t been that bad. A number of high-profile blown saves have left a sour taste in fans mouths, but the Yankee bullpen currently ranks fourth in the AL in ERA, fifth in FIP, and first in expected ERA. It’s plausible that even just left to their own devices, the Yankee bullpen could solve itself just by continuing to pitch largely as they have thus far, but while avoiding a few key blow-ups that lead to tough losses in close games.
In any event, contending teams tend to make moves to add arms in the summer, and I don’t expect the Yankees to go through the trade deadline without making efforts to add external help. But given the club’s roster construction at the moment, is it possible they won’t even need to lift a finger to straighten out their bullpen?
We’re back in business today, the Yankees hosting the Guardians for a three-game set, which Peter will preview this morning. We’ll also get our weekly minor league rundown from Michael, and a profile of Stick Michael from Jeff. Later, Madison will recap a light Monday night of action, while Peter will review the last month in the NL East, and Matt goes over what happened in May in the NL Central.
Fans cheer as Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani bats against the Philadelphia Phillies at Dodger Stadium on Friday night. (Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)
These are Rob Manfred’s words, from four years ago: “If there is one thing I could wish for, more than anything else, it would be the ability to give our fans that frictionless experience of being able to watch what they want to watch, where they want to watch.”
This is what it means to be fan-friendly: enjoy your team on a cable, satellite or streaming service wherever you are, with no blackouts, and no need for subscriptions to as many as 10 outlets, most of which you do not want and some of which you may not be able to find.
Manfred, baseball’s commissioner, can solve this. The major league owners can solve this.
Yes, according to the initial collective bargaining proposal the owners presented to the players’ union last week.
The union also made their initial bargaining proposal last week, the start of a long process that could jeopardize the 2027 season. At this point, the two sides cannot even agree whether baseball has a major predicament on its hands, let alone whether a salary cap should be needed to defuse it.
This is what MLB spokesman Glen Caplin said in a statement last week: “Too many fans in too many markets have too little hope their team has a fair chance to win.”
This is what union executive director Bruce Meyer said on a call with reporters Monday: “We do not accept the premise that there is some existential crisis going on.”
The league says players as a whole would make more money with a cap; the union says players would lose hundreds of millions. The league picks its preferred statistics to show why competitive balance is broken; the union picks its preferred statistics to show why it is not.
This back and forth is going to go on for months. So let’s skip it for now and get back to the television problem. The league and its owners sign broadcast contracts with media outlets, so why do the players need to be involved here?
That is: If the owners’ proposed solution to the purported competitive balance problem is to pool all broadcast revenue and split it equally among teams, why not just do it?
The short answer: revenue sharing is included in the collective bargaining agreement, so any change to revenue sharing must be negotiated with the players.
The long answer: The Dodgers already are contributing about $100 million from their SportsNet LA deal toward revenue sharing. If they’re going to contribute all of it — roughly three times as much — what’s their incentive?
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks to reporters before Game 2 of the 2025 World Series in Toronto in October. (Cole Burston / Getty Images)
The owners could try to find one of their own revenue sources to compensate the Dodgers and other behemoths, including the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs. But, first, how about trying to make the Dodgers whole from cuts in player payroll?
Under the cap proposal, the required payroll cuts could save the Dodgers in salary about as much as they could lose in local television revenue.
And, Caplin told me, all that revenue sharing would give the 12 teams currently under the proposed $171 minimum payroll a way to get there.
“You have to give small market teams the resources to get to the floor,” Caplin said.
That is the kind of talk that annoys Meyer, who noted the San Diego Padres used to take from the revenue-sharing fund and now pay into it. Under the late Peter Seidler, the Padres played to win and paid to win, and the team now ranks second in attendance (behind the Dodgers) and just sold for a league-record $3.9 billion.
“We want to encourage more San Diegos,” Meyer said.
The way the league tells it, not every owner currently has the ability to compete.
“Every team does have that ability, whether they concede that or not,” Meyer said.
As we said, the back and forth is going to go on for months. The blackouts should not.
“We want fans to see as many games as possible,” Meyer said. “We want them to remove the blackouts and maximize revenue in any way they can.”
The MLB blackout policies are not negotiated with the union. They are negotiated with broadcast partners and were primarily designed to prop up the value of contracts with cable and satellite companies, many of which have since withered and died.
Caplin said the league is not interested in waiving blackout rules on a team-by-team basis, even for those teams whose rights no longer are held by a cable or satellite entity. In order to resolve the blackout problem, Caplin said the league hopes to sell a national media package that would eliminate the need to preserve local broadcast territories.
At this point, no one knows whether a salary cap might actually come to pass, or whether an all-the-teams, all-the-time media outlet might come to pass. But, after years of promising that the league could find a way to give its fans what they wanted, there has got to be a better way than setting up a scenario in which Manfred might essentially tell fans, “You’re stuck with blackouts because Mike Trout and Aaron Judge won’t go for a salary cap.”
May 17, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski (50) walks on the field before the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates have reinstated pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski from the restricted list as he rejoins the team as a relief pitcher on their road trip in Houston.
Following the return of Jared Jones from the 60-day injured list, Mlodzinski was informed that he would be removed from the starting pitching rotation. In a post-game locker room interview on Thursday last week, Mlodzinski was noticeably upset at the decision to bump him back to the bullpen.
“Obviously, just excited to have Jared back with us,” Mlodzinski said. “I can honestly say I’m just still communicating with the organization and the people in my corner, whether that’s my family or my agency, about what is next. I really don’t have any comments after that.”
Mlodzinski was then placed on the restricted list on Sunday, citing that he did not feel physically or mentally prepared after hearing the news of losing his spot in the rotation. The 27-year-old pitcher did not request a trade, but the move to sit out Sunday’s game was something that General Manager Ben Cherington anticipated.
“Carmen informed us this morning (Sunday) that he was not ready to pitch today,” Cherington said. “So, we made the decision to place him on the restricted list for today. Going into the weekend, we understood and communicated with Carmen that at some point this weekend we were going to need him to be ready or we’d have to replace him on the team in fairness to the team, so that’s what happened today.”
Carmen Mlodzinski appeared disheartened and didn’t go into much detail regarding his thoughts on moving to the Pirates bullpen. — From José Negron in Pittsburgh pic.twitter.com/PNK2ekDJEk
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPghSports) May 29, 2026
After a brief stint on the restricted list Mlodzinski appears ready and willing to embrace his new role on the Pirates as a strong reliever.
“I wanna do what’s best to help us win baseball games,” Mlodzinski said. “Being around these guys, this team, it’s a pretty cool group to be a part of. Of course I want to start and will always want that, but winning games takes precedence.”
Cherington also commented on the strength that Mlodzinski can bring to the team in relief appearances.
“I believe we’ve made a lot of progress with him around what his role was gonna be and how we can work with him in that role to help the team win,” Cherington said.
Given the way he started the season Mlodzinksi has every reason to be upset at the decision the organization made to boot him from the rotation. This has been by far his best start to a season as a starter as he has a 4-3 record with a 3.76 ERA in nine starts. He’s also only given up just three homers this year while striking out 46. Obviously it wasn’t a matter of performance, but the writing has been on the wall all season; as soon Jones was healthy enough to return Mlodzinski figured to be the odd man out.
Unfortunately for Mlodzinski his stats couldn’t sway the decision of management when it came to the final cut. If it were strictly about numbers, one would figure Bubba Chandler would be the one getting sent to the bullpen after a shaky start to the 2026 season. However, the experience that Mlodzinski has as a reliever and the struggles the bullpen has had makes him the clear best choice to help the team win.
Carmen Mlodzinski is back off the restricted list and says he’s ready to take on the bullpen role, even if his long-term goal is still to start.
We know Carmen can be a high-leverage bulk option who can cover multiple innings, protect the bullpen, and potentially close out games… pic.twitter.com/CoYR5YAjTl
Mlodzinski has spent the majority of his MLB career as a relief pitcher and the current bullpen needs plenty of help. With that being said it sounds like Mlodzinski will be used at extended periods in games, with Jason Mackey reporting that manager Don Kelly said he would serve as a “high-leverage bulk reliever”, likely pitching multiple innings behind the starters. The bullpen has struggled mightily in the middle innings of games this year, but Mlodzinski slides into that role as someone who could pitch multiple innings and even close out a game with his improved pitch mix.
The Pirates will take on the Houston Astros in Houston in a three-game series and Mlodzinski figures to be ready to rock if called upon.
“If they called on me Tuesday, if they need me to do that, I would be willing to do whatever they’re asking,” Mlodzinski said. “That kind of sums it up for me, honestly.”
May 29, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Charles McAdoo (26) celebrates after hitting his first career hit/home run during the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images
In this column, I normally focus on guys who, you know, haven’t actually taken wing yet. But I missed Charles McAdoo after saying I’d feature him, and he really has had an interesting season, so I figured that in spite of 8 PA and a home run with the big club he’d still be an appropriate topic.
McAdoo was a 13th round pick by the Pirates out of San Jose State in 2023. He smashed the low minors and looked good in a brief AA stint before being traded to the Jays at the 2024 deadline in exchange for Isiah Kiner-Falefa. He scuffled down the stretch last year, and had an ugly first couple of months repeating the level in 2025 before finding his footing and slashing .274/.343/.475 over the final 80 games of the season.
This season, he was bumped up to AAA. Although his 112 wRC+ isn’t really an improvement over last season’s overall result, he’s getting there a different way. McAdoo has sliced way down on his swing and miss, making contact 80.7% of the time compared to 71% at a lower level last year. It’s the best rate of his pro career, and a sharp reversal from his previous trend of increasing whiffs as he climbed the ladder. He’s also become more selective, swinging 42% of the time as a Bison compared to almost 48% as a Fisher Cat. As a result, he’s gone from walking 9% of the time and striking out nearly 28% to walking 14% of the time and striking out just 20%. Both are his best marks since A ball by a significant margin. That’s come with a lower BABIP and a bit less power production than he manage before being traded or after June 1st last year.
It’s not obvious what’s allowed him to make that improvement. His swing looks about the same, starting with a closed stance in a low crouch with the bat flat behind his head and using a small toe tap to shift him into a more neutral position before he unloads. If anything’s changed, it looks like he’s somewhat quieted the bat waggle that in past years has sometimes looked like it lead him to start his swing from a different hand angle than he’d like. He may have also reduced his bat wrap a bit, very slightly shortening his swing. It’s a minor tweak if it’s anything.
The results look like they come from a different swing, though. He doesn’t seem to be hitting the ball as hard. His hard hit rate in Buffalo was 37% over a large enough sample to mean something. That’s a touch below average. We don’t have that info publicly available for AA, but scouting reports note that he was putting up plus exit velocities. He also hasn’t cracked 110mph on a ball in play yet this year, unusual for a guy universally agreed to possess plus raw power. In a tiny sample, his bat speed at the MLB level has been right on average. He’s also putting the ball on the ground more and pulling it less than he has in his career, especially since he reached AA.
Maybe the changes are subtle and I’m just not picking them up, because statistically he really looks like a guy who’s cut down and flattened his swing to make more contact. If that is what’s happened, it’s not a bad trade. He’s catching up to high fastballs (his home run was on 94 at the top of the zone), and while his power production has dipped he still has nine home runs across 215 PA. If he can post near league average strikeout and walk totals with 20+ home runs, he’ll have plenty of offensive juice to support a big league role.
He’ll have to hit, because he won’t get into games for his glove or his wheels. He’s played mostly third base in the minors, but while he’s got an athletic build he’s stiff and not very rangy there. He spent more than half his time in Buffalo at first or as the DH. In the long term, he looks like a corner utility guy who can give you passable work at third on occasion, but I don’t think he should be an every day option there. He’s a below average runner, although good instincts and aggression allowed him to steal 34 bases in 40 tries in 2025 and 21 in 25 the season before. It’s not that he brings no value outside the bat, but he’s a guy who does enough elsewhere to allow the bat to get into games rather than someone who can deliver value in multiple facets of the game.
It’ll be interesting to see what McAdoo is able to do with his opportunity in Toronto. With Lenyn Sosa ‘injured’ and unplayable when healthy and Davis Schneider appearing to need a significant reset in AAA, he should get at least a couple of weeks’ run with the big league club. If he does continue to make a decent amount of contact and flash his power, he could add a little jolt to the bottom of a lineup that’s sorely needed it.
