Category: MLB

Back at .500, once again. Is this our new barometer for now? Is this the thing the Phillies need to keep accomplishing to make this season feel better?

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• A third of the season is officially over. Here are five numbers that have defined what the Phillies have been ($).
• Yesterday was the first day the Phillies got to see Nick Castellanos. He spoke about all that has happened since then, both with himself and with the Phillies ($).
• In these next few days, the Phillies play the NL West contenders. A lot. Here are ten storylines to follow during those games.

MLB news:

• Jacob Misiorowski threw 100 or higher 57 times on Monday. This guy is on a different plane right now.
• Wander Franco was found criminally responsible for his crimes, but will not face any jail time.
• Dylan Cease and Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. had to leave their game early, but only Cease will need to go on the injured list.
• Take this for what it is worth, but Salt Lake City looks like a favorite to land a team if/when expansion finally happens.

Happy Tuesday, Camden Chatters! And what a happy Tuesday it is after yesterday’s wild extra-innings win. The back-and-forth game went on for over four hours, but when the dust settled, Colton Cowser was the hero once again. He tied the game with a fantastic slide in the 12th inning, then sent the Orioles fans home happy with another walk-off home run in the 13th.

You can read all of the details of yesterday’s win over the Rays in Paul Folkemer’s game recap.

It’s been an incredible few days for Cowser, who has been disappointing since his ROY runner-up season in 2024. It’s hard to look back at the excitement we felt at his future back then, now that we know what was coming next. He missed time last year and we later learned he played through broken ribs. When he was on the field, he underperformed. And it seemed like all he did was strike out. Just strike outs, as far as the eye can see.

This year, Cowser has continued to struggle at the plate and has lost his place as a primary starter. He went from up-and-coming young player to fourth outfielder faster than we could process.

And don’t get me wrong, he deserves to have lost his spot. But when you look around at the other outfielders on the team, is he really the guy who should be sitting on the bench? Taylor Ward and Leody Taveras have earned their spots in this underwhelming outfield, but Cowser should have that third spot regularly. Maybe things would be different if Dylan Beavers wasn’t injured, but I don’t know when we’ll see him again.

Tyler O’Neill is a righty batter who was signed to hit lefties. Cowser is a lefty batter. But for me, at this point, why is O’Neill starting over anyone regardless of what side of the plate they hit from? As Tyler Young wrote yesterday, something has got to give with him. His OPS is .498. That’s horrendous. Against lefties, it’s .191. His OPS, not his batting average!

This is a small sample size alert, but Cowser has shown life at the plate over the last week when he actually gets the chance to play. I’m not suggesting he’s going to turn some corner and great, but surely he can be better than O’Neill. If the Orioles are trying to win games, it seems like he’s a better option than O’Neill in every situation.

I am sure that I am just wearing my Cowser-tinted glasses after he hit two walk-off home runs in two days. But I remember 2024 Colton Cowser. If he is healthy, he should be the regular right fielder. Maybe he’ll continue to strike out and remind us all that he doesn’t deserve it. But it’s not like there are any better options at the moment, and maybe he’ll surprise us.

Tonight the Orioles will try to win their series against the Rays with former Ray Shane Baz on the mound. Baz was pretty good his last go round, also against the Rays. If he can go six innings with just one run allowed again, maybe the Orioles can win a second game in a row.

Links

Updating Mayo, Holliday in today’s lineup, O’Neill tumbles to ninth in order – MASN Sports
Remember Coby Mayo? We haven’t seen him in a few days. He’s still day-to-day with lower back pain. The way this season is going, he’ll be on the IL in no time.

Again! Colton Cowser’s walk-off ends 13-inning thriller – The Baltimore Banner
Andy Kostka’s game story from yesterday’s triumph, along with team quotes.

Birthdays and History

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have three Orioles birthday buddies, all pitchers. Gabriel Ynoa (33) pitched for the Orioles in 2017 and 2019; John O’Donoghue (57) appeared in 11 games with the 1993 team; and Stacy Jones (59) had four appearances in 1991. But his name is Stacy! That’s really cool. Would be cooler with an E.

Not much Orioles history on this day, but here are some other fun baseball facts, courtesy of Baseball Reference:

• In 1959, Harvey Haddix pitched 12 perfect innings for the Pirates. 36 up, 36 down. It was broken up in the 13th inning on an error, of all things. The Pirates lost to the Braves, 1-0.
• In 1969, Hank Aaron hit his 500th double, becoming just the third player at that time to have 500 doubles and 500 home runs.
• In 1995, Ken Griffey Jr. made one of the finest catches you’ll ever see to rob Kevin Bass of the Orioles. Unfortunately, it resulted in a broken wrist and Griffey missed three months.
• In 1997, Sammy Sosa of the Cubs and Tony Womack of the Pirates hit inside-the-park home runs in the same inning!

And on this day last year, the Orioles defeated the Cardinals 5-2. Charlie Morton pitched six innings and allowed both runs. Félix Bautista pitched a perfect ninth for his eighth save. Ryan O’Hearn had three hits, and Dylan Carlson hit his second home run. Remember Dylan Carlson?

The Detroit Tigers got a much-needed breather on Memorial Day after playing 13 straight games, winning just twice in that span. The good news is that they finished the stretch with a 4-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday behind Troy Melton’s first start of the 2026 campaign.

AJ Hinch and Co. will look to build on that victory back at home in the comfortable confines of Comerica Park starting on Tuesday against one of the few MLB teams that has been worse than them this season: the Los Angeles Angels. The Halos are one game worse in the standings than the Olde English D but have been much better of late, coming off a three-game home sweep of the Texas Rangers last weekend.

The Tigers turn to right-hander Keider Montero to try and string a couple of wins together for the first time since taking the final two games of the Rangers series at home at the beginning of the month. The 25-year-old was perfectly mid, allowing three runs on two hits (one home run) and four walks while striking out one in five frames of work in a no-decision loss to the Cleveland Guardians.

Montero has faced the American League Los Angeles team just once before back on Aug. 29, 2024, putting up almost a mirror image stat line of his last outing — three runs on five hits (one home run) and three walks while striking out five over five innings for a loss in Detroit.

The Angels will send fellow righty Jack Kochanowicz to the bump to do battle coming off his fifth quality start of the season against the Athletics in Anaheim. Also 25 years old, the third-year hurler threw six innings of three-run, three-hit ball while walking four, intentionally walking one and striking out seven in a game his team lost in extra innings.

Kochanowicz faced Detroit twice last year, getting bombed both times by the Motor City Kitties. Particularly in his second outing on Aug. 10, when he surrendered seven runs (six earned) on nine hits (one home run) and two walks while striking out one in just three innings of work; he took the loss in the 9-5 final that day.

Take a look below at how the two match up on Tuesday night.

Detroit Tigers (21-33) vs. Los Angeles Angels (20-34)

Time (ET): 6:40 p.m.
Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
SB Nation Site: N/A
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 55: RHP Keider Montero (2-3, 3.83 ERA) vs. RHP Jack Kochanowicz (2-3, 4.55 ERA)

MONTERO

KOCKANOWICZ

Welcome back to the Minor League Roundup!

As a reminder, you can find this roundup — covering everything you need to know about each of the Brewers’ minor league affiliates — every Tuesday morning right here on Brew Crew Ball. For consistency, all organizational prospect rankings will reference MLB Pipeline unless otherwise noted.

Triple-A Nashville Sounds (30-20)

Opponent this week: Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Rays)

Record this week: 4-1

Standout performances:

Luis Lara (No. 5): 7-for-18, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 5 BB, 3 K
Luis Matos: 5-for-13, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Akil Baddoo: 4-for-16, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 6 K
Tyson Hardin (No. 17): 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K
Thomas Pannone: 8 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
Coleman Crow (No. 25): 4 1/3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

Tyson Hardin, who was promoted to Triple-A Nashville last Sunday, had another great start in his second appearance with Biloxi. Hardin has now pitched 12 2/3 innings with the Shuckers, allowing just two earned runs and 13 strikeouts while walking six. If you want to nitpick, he’s given out too many walks thus far, but he only walked 1.59 batters per nine innings in 21 starts last season. Given the rest of his numbers, it’s hard to ask for anything better from the 24-year-old righty as he adjusts to Triple-A.

Coleman Crow made another start for Nashville, allowing six hits and three earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. Not a perfect line by any means, but Crow has impressed in his two appearances with Milwaukee. His performance next time he makes a spot start in Milwaukee will say more about his long-term potential than his Triple-A outings.

Thomas Pannone, who made one appearance for the Brewers back in 2023, pitched eight innings this week. He allowed four runs, so his ERA doesn’t look great, but he didn’t walk a batter while striking out eight.

The Sounds’ lineup this week was led by the Luises. Matos is now slashing .367/.457/.500 since clearing waivers and being outrighted to Nashville. Lara has continued to rake in Triple-A, and at this point, there might be no keeping him down. Brewers manager Pat Murphy has said that Lara won’t be up until there’s regular playing time, but if there’s any room for him in the lineup, he should be the first outfielder called up.

The other consideration with Lara is the “Super Two” deadline, which is quickly approaching. Normally, players need three years of service time before becoming eligible for salary arbitration. However, players who rank in the top 22% of service time among those with between two and three years of service qualify for “Super Two” status, allowing them to become arbitration-eligible a year early. Because of this, the Brewers are somewhat incentivized to keep Lara in Triple-A until they’re confident he won’t qualify.

Cooper Pratt (No. 4) only went 4-for-20, but hit a no-doubt home run. Jett Williams (No. 3) went 5-for-26 and struck out 10 times. Despite the off weeks, both prospects still have OPSes over .900 for the last month. Luis Rengifo currently has the fourth-worst OPS among qualifying batters, while Joey Ortiz would rank fifth if he qualified, so I’d keep an eye on these two (and Eddys Leonard: see video below). Pratt has already signed an extension, so Super Two status isn’t a factor for him. Williams, meanwhile, feels like a strong candidate to arrive shortly after the deadline passes.

Jeferson Quero went 4-for-14 with a pair of RBIs, although none of his four hits went for extra bases. Brock Wilken went 3-for-17 with a double and nine strikeouts. Akil Baddoo, who was activated yesterday from the IL after starting a rehab assignment on May 15, hit two home runs in 16 at-bats.

Next week’s opponent: Gwinnett Stripers (Atlanta Braves)

Double-A Biloxi Shuckers (23-21)

Opponent this week: Birmingham Barons (Chicago White Sox)

Record this week: 6-0

Standout performances:

Dylan O’Rae: 11-for-22, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 7 BB, 3 K
Jesús Made (No. 1): 10-for-28, 1 HR, 13 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K
Blake Burke (No. 16): 7-for-23, 2 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 4 BB, 7 K
Jaron DeBerry: 7 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 9 K
Manuel Rodriguez: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

After a few relatively lackluster weeks, No. 1 overall prospect Jesús Made produced eye-popping numbers once again with a 13-RBI week. For context, Dylan O’Rae — who leads the Shuckers in hits and batting average — has 13 RBIs all season. Made now leads the entire Southern League in RBIs, with 35, and is slashing .277/.353/.452. Guess who ranks second in the Southern League? Blake Burke, with 33.

Burke has found another level since being promoted to Double-A at the end of last year. He’s tied for the Southern League lead with 12 home runs and has an OPS of .866. He profiles as a 1B/DH in the majors, so with Andrew Vaughn, Jake Bauers, and Gary Sánchez all healthy, there’s no reason to rush him through the farm system. Still, if he keeps this up, he’ll end up in Nashville sometime soon.

Jaron DeBerry continues to do nothing but rack up strikeouts. He’s now punched out 49 batters in 41 1/3 innings, but the rest of his profile remains uneven. DeBerry owns a 5.66 ERA and 1.45 WHIP, largely because he’s been extremely volatile: four very rough blow-up outings have inflated his numbers, but he’s held opponents to two runs or fewer in his other five appearances. The right-hander could very well become a useful major league pitcher, but he’ll need to find more consistency to do so.

Finally, Manuel Rodriguez had another good outing this week. His ERA is still near 5.00, but he’s only allowed two earned runs in each of his last three outings.

Next week’s opponent: Columbus Clingstones (Atlanta Braves)

High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (20-16)

Opponent this week: Great Lakes Loons (Los Angeles Dodgers)

Record this week: 3-2

Standout performances:

Josiah Ragsdale: 9-for-20, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 4 BB, 7 K
Andrew Fischer (No. 6): 7-for-19, 1 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 6 BB, 6 K
Josh Adamczewski (No. 10): 4-for-15, 3 2B, 3 RBI, 8 BB, 4 K
Marco Dinges (No. 9): 4-for-16, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K
Wande Torres: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Braylon Owens: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K

A 2025 seventh-round pick, Josiah Ragsdale spent his first weeks as a member of the Brewers organization in Low-A, but started this season in Wisconsin and has quietly been one of the Timber Rattlers’ best players. After this week’s 9-for-20 showing, Ragsdale is now slashing .292/.423/.442 with three home runs and 17 stolen bases, good for fifth in the Midwest League.

Braylon Payne now ranks second in the Midwest League with 10 home runs, behind only Andrew Fischer. As a reminder, Payne hit eight home runs in nearly 300 at-bats last season in Single-A. His batting average is up 20 points, to .260, while his OPS (.569) is also up in a major way (nearly 200 points). These are clear signs of development, which is exactly what you want to see from a 19-year-old prospect who has all of the athletic tools to succeed at the big-league level someday.

With Fischer, Payne, Josh Adamczewski, and Luis Peña on the roster, some of the Timber Rattlers’ other players have flown a bit under the radar. One of those guys is catcher Marco Dinges. Even after a breakout 2025 season, Dinges — the Brewers’ No. 9 prospect — doesn’t get quite as much coverage as some of the other prospects on the roster.

This may be because, unlike Fischer, Adamczewski, Peña, and even Ragsdale, he rarely puts together huge statistical weeks. However, Dinges has been remarkably consistent all season, putting together a .261/.397/.468 slash line with six home runs.

Speaking of Peña, he started his rehab assignment in rookie ball over the weekend. In five at-bats over two games, he’s recorded a single, double, and RBI.

Pitchers Wande Torres and Braylon Owens, both of whom have made multiple appearances in this column, had the two best outings among Wisconsin pitchers. Ethan Dorchies (No. 18) has had a rough start to his season, but bounced back this week, pitching three innings and allowing two hits and a lone earned run.

Next week’s opponent: Peoria Chiefs (St. Louis Cardinals)

Single-A Wilson Warbirds (23-21)

Opponent this week: Delmarva Shorebirds (Baltimore Orioles)

Record this week: 4-2

Standout performances:

Brady Ebel (No. 13): 9-for-22, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K
Juan Ortuno: 6-for-19, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 6 BB, 3 K
Pedro Ibarguen: 4-for-13, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 5 BB, 3 K
Jarrette Bonet: 6 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Carlos Carra: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K

Brady Ebel, a 2025 first-round compensatory pick, has now had 16 hits over his last two weeks, including nine this week. Ebel had a scholarship offer from LSU, but instead chose to sign with Milwaukee. The 18-year-old shortstop got off to a bit of a slow start, but after a strong two-week stretch, his slash line is up to .242/.388/.362 — a mark that looks even more impressive when you remember he could still be in his first college season.

In last week’s column, I mentioned Pedro Ibarguen had been hitting .353/.433/.510 over the last month in his first full season in Single-A. He didn’t slow down much this week, adding a pair of doubles and walking more than he struck out. Juan Ortuno has also been steadily producing for the Warbirds, and this week wasn’t an exception.

Jarrette Bonet, who was named the Brewers organization’s Pitcher of the Month back in April, had allowed at least four earned runs in each of his three starts in May. He bounced back in a big way with his best start of the year, going 6 1/3 one-hit innings while striking out six and walking one. Carlos Carra (6.63 ERA) also had a quality start.

Next week’s opponent: Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Chicago Cubs)

Player of the Week

My heart wanted to give this week’s award to Ragsdale, but Andrew Fischer just continues to produce. By “produce,” I mean on the stat sheet, but he also produces more than his fair share of highlights.

Fischer had more hits than strikeouts this week and added three more home runs — the most in the Brewers’ organization — to bring him to a Midwest League-leading 13 for the year. The strikeouts are concerning, and will be until he manages to string together a few weeks with lower whiff totals, but at some point, you have to trust that the guy with a .266 batting average and 1.012 OPS in his first professional season can figure it out eventually.

Play of the Week

Blake Burke is a better defender than he gets credit for, but I didn’t know he had this in his bag.

Since you’re still reading, here’s a Tyler Black outfield highlight as a thank you:

The Cardinals are doing their best to keep their heads above water in May, going 11-9 in their 20 games played thus far. As we approach the 1/3 point of the season, once you cross that threshold, it’s no longer early anymore. At that point, they’re in it, and the “it’s early” qualifiers begin to drop off, and this group just keeps their heads down and tries to do the right thing at the right moment, and then looks up at the end of 9 innings to see where they stand. For what it’s worth, projection models are still hesitant to buy into the team. Fangraphs still has the Cardinals at only a 30% chance of making the playoffs, and they only outpace the Cincinnati Reds at this point in the division in that regard.

It would be natural, at this point, to start identifying areas of the roster that could use some additional help if the Cardinals hope to sustain into the later stages of the season. In 2025, Kyle Leahy emerged as the multi-inning bridge to Romero-Maton-Helsley, and he was highly effective in that spot. Pitching in 62 games, he posted a 3.07 ERA in 88 IP. His 3.04 FIP also speaks highly to his performance, combining to accrue 1.4 fWAR as a reliever. Among 23 primary right-handed relievers who pitched a minimum of 70 innings in 2025, Kyle Leahy ranked 9th in baseball in WPA+ (Win Probability Added). So, he was one of the 10 most positively influential relievers in baseball.

This season, since Leahy transitioned to the rotation, the Cardinals have been searching for a replacement for the vacancy he left once moving up. Matt Svanson was supposed to fill that role, and it’s been an ugly go of it for him so far. Gordon Graceffo has done an admirable job of coming into games, throwing strikes, getting quick outs, and preserving the game where it is, for the most part, but he hasn’t generated the type of swing and miss a modern relief pitcher is expected to generate. When he spoke to us on the podcast earlier this month, he referenced that and mentioned they were looking into how to get more of that out of his game. There is, however, a multi inning reliever tearing it up at AAA Memphis currently that could be an immediate solution…

Max Rajcic.

A former starter-turned reliever has been money for the Memphis Redbirds in 2026, and in almost 30 IP this season, the sample size is getting harder and harder to ignore the more season that passes. Just like Leahy, in shorter stints, the stuff is playing up, Rajcic has 5+ pitches to turn to, and his sweeper is his true out pitch. All of those things you can say about Kyle Leahy are also applicable to Rajcic. The other interesting part to this is that Rajcic is still only 24 years old, even after being drafted 4 seasons ago in the 6th round out of UCLA.

The Cardinals have already swapped out their most glaring hole in the bullpen by optioning Matt Svanson on Sunday, opting for Ryan Fernandez, who appears back to 2024 form. They also dropped Chris Roycroft back to Memphis at the beginning of April, and that has not gone any better for Roycroft since his demotion. I continue to wonder how transferable Roycroft’s 40-man spot is and if the Cardinals would swap Rajcic for Roycroft, given that Rajcic is performing at the upper minors, is younger, has more actionable pitches, and would have the full flexibility to continue to option up and down for seasons to come, whereas Roycroft is closing in on an expiration of optionablity without waivers.

The Cardinals over the last 2-3 seasons have really made hay by featuring an effective bullpen, with multiple unique weapons, at Manager Oli Marmol’s disposal. If the Cardinals can manage to continue what they have started in the early portion of the season, they will likely start to act with a little more urgency and aggression when it comes to addressing weak points on the roster that aren’t performing. It isn’t a secret that the Cardinals’ low-leverage relievers are gettable, and eliminating those areas in favor of other young ascending pieces with more upside would seem to make too much sense. Hopefully, Rajcic can get his chance soon and contribute to a Cardinals roster in need of a couple of new elements in the bullpen.

-Thanks for reading

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: Offday

Double-A Somerset Patriots: Offday

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades: Offday

Low-A Tampa Tarpons: Offday

Florida Complex League Yankees:L, 3-8 (7) at FCL Blue Jays

1B Richard Matic 2-2, 2B, 2 BB — perfect day at the plate
RF Wilberson De Pena 0-3, HBP
C Queni Pineda 1-2, 2 BB, K, SB, picked off
3B Leni Done 0-3, BB, 2 K
SS Dexters Peralta 1-4, 2 RBI, 3 K — since the first run scored on a wild pitch, his two-run single in the third marked FCL Yanks’ only ribbies on the afternoon
LF Estivenzon Montero 2-3, K, picked off
DH Austin Green 1-3
2B Christofer Reyes 0-3, K, SB
CF Isael Arias 0-3

Stanly Alcantara 3.2 IP, 1 H, 3 R (3 ER), 4 BB, 3 K, HR, WP, 2 balks — difficult to hit but primarily because he had no idea where the ball was going
Sunayro Martina 1 IP, 4 H, 5 R (5 ER), 0 BB, 0 K, HR, HBP (loss) — the flip side is that this is just, uh, bad despite zero walks; turned a 3-3 ballgame in the fifth into a comfortable 8-3 lead for FCL Jays, capped by Brock Tibbitts’ three-run bomb
Marco Manzano 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, HBP — pitching savior of the day

Toledo Mud Hens 3, Columbus Clippers 2 (b0x)

Ty Madden and Sawyer Gipson-Long split this Memorial Day start and the Hens rallied late to walk off the Clippers.

Madden started things off firing three clean innings before giving up a double and an RBI single in the fourth. Drew Sommers took over to finish the fifth and then it was Gipson-Long’s turn. Eduardo Valencia launched a solo shot in the bottom of the fourth to tie things up 1-1. It was Valencia’s ninth homer of the season.

Gipson-Long struck out CJ Kayfus and Stuart Fairchild to start the sixth, and got a good young Guardians infield prospect in Angel Genao to ground out. He cruised through the seventh before giving up a one-out double in the eighth and then walking Kayfus. Gipson-Long bore down and got Fairchild to fly out and Genao to slap a routine grounder to second base to escape.

In the ninth, the Clippers got a leadoff single from Kody Huff, who stole second base. A ground out from Milan Tolentino moved Huff to third where he scored on a sac fly for a 2-1 lead.

However, Max Clark drew a leadoff walk from Tanner Burns in the bottom half and took second on a wild pitch. Valencia and Jace Jung both drew walks as well, with Max Burt pinch-running for Valencia. Corey Julks struck out but Burns then hit Tyler Gentry to score Clark. Cal Stevenson stepped in and drilled a ball to right field that was dropped as the right fielder leapt against the wall to pull it in. That scored Burt and sent the Hens home crowd home happy.

Valencia: 1-3, R, RBI, HR, BB

Stevenson: 1-3, RBI, BB, K, SB

Madden: 4.1 IP, ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 3 K

Gipson-Long: 4.0 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, K

Coming Up Next: The usual Monday off day is moved to Tuesday to play on Memorial Day. The series will resume on Wednesday at 11:05 a.m. ET.

FCL Tigers 8, FCL Phillies 1 (F/7)(box)

20-year-old lefty Carlos Rodriguez led the way with a solid outing for the Tigers in this one. Along with right-hander Jhonan Coba, Rodriguez is the other young international free agent pitcher most likely to join Kelvis Salcedo with the Lakeland Flying Tigers, although it may wait until Salcedo, Malachi Witherspoon move up to West Michigan. Rodriguez allowed a run on two hits and two walks, punching out three over 4 1/3 innings of work.

Rodriguez allowed his lone run in the top of the second. In the bottom of the third, Tigers’ first baseman Martin Tamara led off with a walk and took second on a wild pickoff throw. Angel de los Santos, another key name to watch down here, struck out, as did Jack Penney who began a rehab assignment on Monday. Another wild pitch advanced Tamara, and Cris Rodriguez walked and stole second base. A rehabbing Woody Hadeen singled in both runs and Cristian Perez doubled in Hadeen to make it 3-1.

In the bottom of the fifth, Rodriguez and Hadeen singled and advanced to second and third. Catching prospect Enderson Delgado singled them both in to make it 5-1.

Johnathan Rogers took over from Carlos Rodriguez with one out in the fifth. Rogers was the Tigers’ 20th rounder back in 2023. He actually showed potential before an injury shut him down and he eventually left the organization before re-signing last week. Rogers is just stretching out so he cleaned up the fifth before turning things over to the bullpen.

The bullpen had a pretty easy time of it as the Tigers tacked on three more runs in the sixth. Cris Rodriguez and Hadeen both doubled with two outs, and Cristian Perez, playing right field in this one, jumped on the first pitch he saw and smashed a three-run shot to left field. That 8-1 lead held up.

Rodriguez and Perez continue to lead the FCL Tigers with an .873 and 1.129 OPS respectively. Hadeen should be back to West Michigan pretty soon.

Hadeen: 3-4, 3 R, 3 RBI

Perez: 2-4, R, 3 RBI, 2B, HR

C. Rodriguez: 2-3, 3 R, 2B, BB, K, SB

Carlos Rodriguez: 4.1 IP, ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 3 K

The Yankees may be the most decorated franchise in professional sports, but they don’t exist in a vacuum. New York is the hub for an extensive history of sports teams across the four major sports, with storied franchises left right and center. One such team is the New York Knicks, who have wandered through the desert for much of the 21st century but have managed to put all the pieces together in 2026, culminating in a run to the NBA Finals that has energized the city in a way no one else has quite managed to.

The question at the heart of this ramble is less analytical, and more based on emotions and feeling, but considering the rush that most New Yorkers are feeling having witnessed this run it feels appropriate. How impactful is a team making a run to a championship round on the other teams that play in the same city as them? Can the Knicks’ push for an NBA Finals appearance have any influence on the Yankees (or Mets) as they get into the summer months?

We don’t have to look too far back to recall the last championship run the city has seen, as it came from the Yankees themselves. Their 2024 run to the World Series was a thrill to watch after years of coming just short in ALCS after ALCS, and while they ultimately got beat by the Dodgers in that postseason it was still a welcome sight after years of the big four sports leagues falling well short. At the same time as the Yankees’ push, the New York Liberty were closing out a title run that saw them take the WNBA championship over the Minnesota Lynx, and the Mets were entertaining hopes of a Subway Series rematch as they went to the NLCS that same year. There was an undeniable energy in the city, and you could argue that that time was also the start of the Knicks’ core assembling that would lead them to their first consistent deep playoff appearances before this year’s big push.

As annoying as it is to admit, Boston’s had this effect on display more than any other city over the last couple of decades. The combination of the Patriots’ dynasty, the Red Sox breaking the Curse of the Bambino and pushing for three other titles, and the Celtics and Bruins tacking on additional rings has kept New Englanders’ spirits high year-round. Each franchise has had their share of superstars to lean on, but having the confidence of a winning culture constantly around them can’t hurt.

What do you think? Is there something to a team in a different sport finding success that can carry over energy to neighboring stadiums? And can the Yankees capitalize on the good vibes coming from the Garden in any way?

We’ve got a super busy day lined up for your perusal today, so let’s get into the schedule. Andrés starts us off with a discussion on why Trent Grisham deserves to stick to leading off the lineup, and then Andrew has the Rivalry Roundup featuring a wacky extra-inning Rays-Orioles match. I’ll be back to talk about which struggling Yankees drew your concern, Jeremy celebrates the birthday of one-time Yankee Travis Lee, and Michael has the weekly recap of action down on the Yankee farm. Finally, Peter delivers the latest At-Bat of the Week with Grisham’s big walk to set up Aaron Judge’s walkoff from Sunday before Josh wraps things up with a look at how Ryan Weathers has delivered surprising consistency for the rotation after entering as the biggest question mark for the staff.

Today’s Matchup

New York Yankees at Kansas City Royals

Time: 7:40 p.m. EST

Video: YES Network, Royals.TV

Venue: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO

BALTIMORE – The script is similar, even if many of the characters have changed. The explanation is still very simple yet also complex beyond the layperson’s imagination.

The Tampa Bay Rays are once again the best team in the American League. And this particular brand of Rays ball looks sustainable.

At 34-17, Tampa Bay has built a 3 ½-game lead over a very good New York Yankees team in the AL East. They went five weeks without losing consecutive games. They are both hard to strike out but also incredibly stingy issuing free passes.

In short, they’re the sort of low-revenue, efficient nightmare their Major League Baseball rivals have grown accustomed to emerging out of Central Florida.

And though it’s been three years since they last threatened the game’s hierarchy, their current blend – most notably an offense that’s a punishing combo of speed, power and contact – is undeniably potent.

“There’s a place for everything in the game – a place for homers, a place for guys that get on base,” left fielder Chandler Simpson, the Rays’ speed merchant with 14 steals yet zero career home runs, tells USA TODAY Sports. “If you have nine Mes, it might not work out. If  you have nine home run hitters, it might not work out.

“If you combine them together, it’s a recipe for success. I feel like both ways are winning baseball.”

Just how can the Rays beat you? Let us count the ways – five of them, anyway:

Speed kills

When the Rays drafted Simpson in the second round of the 2022 draft out of Georgia Tech, nurtured him through the minor league system and anointed him their left fielder in 2025, it seemed more curiosity than anything.

After all, Simpson had never hit a ball over the fence on his own until doing so in a spring training game in March. His lone homer at Georgia Tech? It was aided by a deflection off an opponent’s glove.

Yet the Rays rolled with Simpson anyway, even if modern baseball orthodoxy decreed that his lack of slug would not justify his derring-do on the basepaths. Metrics, though, can’t entirely measure Simpson.

“Chandler’s as motivated, as driven a player that I’ve been around,” says Rays manager Kevin Cash.

Simpson stole 44 bases last season, and many of his offensive numbers are trending in almost identical fashion, with 14 steals, a .285 average after batting .295 last season and an adjusted OPS of 85 – it was 88 in 2025.

So why, then, has Simpson already doubled his WAR from 0.4 all last season to 0.8 through just one-third of 2026?

He has thoroughly flipped his defensive performance.

Simpson was worth minus-5 outs above average last season, as measured by Statcast. The Rays didn’t need to see the metrics to know what he had to do: Work on his first step. Shadow shortstop Taylor Walls’ movements from his perch in left field.

And leverage that speed to chase down balls all over the outfield.

The result? Simpson’s already worth six outs above average, tied for third in the majors and trailing only defensively elite center fielders Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs and Washington’s Jacob Young.

Simpson boils his turnaround down to three words: “Anticipate every pitch.”

For Cash and his staff, it was a simple objective: Get Simpson’s speed and defensive acumen to match up. Long hours spent with outfield coach Corey Dickerson, a former Ray, paid off.

“With the amount of ground he’s covering this year,” says Cash, “it’s a huge credit to him and the work he’s put in.”

Simpson, meanwhile, doesn’t have to worry about swinging for the fences, not when the Rays love him just the way he is – sticking to their word since the day they drafted him.

“Very thankful that they just allow me to play freely, to play my game,” he says. “They don’t expect me to be anything else and I’m very much appreciative of that fact.”

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips ($): Ace southpaw Max Fried has taken a small step forward in his return from the elbow injury that felled him. Monday, Fried played catch for the first time since hitting the Injured List. Despite that, there are no plans for Fried to quickly ramp up for a return. Fried has previously called his timeline “ambiguous,” and he’s trying to manage expectations. Honestly, given the way the rest of the rotation is pitching, the Yankees are best served being careful with the star lefty. It’s not like he can hit and play third base or catcher, anyway.

MLB | Robert Falkoff: If it seems like it’s been a hot minute since the Yankees lost a baseball game to the Kansas City Royals, it’s because it has been. Monday marked the 12th consecutive Yanks’ victory over the Royals, including the postseason. Monday, Anthony Volpe was the unlikely hero. His two-run single off Royals closer Lucas Erceg in the ninth inning turned a one-out deficit into a one-run lead and set the stage for the comeback win. The Yanks’ dominance over KC is their longest such streak since they won a dozen in a row against Boston during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. With Cam Schlitter going Tuesday, they have a decent chance to get to a baker’s dozen.

TJ Stats | Thomas Nestico: Another Yankee prospect is making some noise in the early going. Jackson Lovich, a 6-foot-4 shortstop playing at Low-A, has been absolutely raking the past couple of weeks. The Yanks drafted him in the 16th round in 2025. FanGraphs noted prior to this season (leaving him off their Top 30 Yankees prospects list) that the question would be whether he could overcome a penchant for striking out and maximize his power. But over the past two weeks, he’s hit eight long balls while displaying elite exit velocities, and while he’s still striking out a lot, it’s less than before. If he keeps this up, he’ll likely get a chance to see if he can hit High-A pitching sooner rather than later.

The piggyback situation remains an uncomfortable – and I would argue, untenable – situation for Luis Castillo and Bryce Miller, but both of them pitched through that tonight and did their jobs, pitching all nine innings without touching the bullpen, giving up two runs (both Miller’s) with a combined 10 strikeouts to just two walks (both Castillo’s). Meanwhile, the offense jumped on A’s starter Aaron Civale, lighting him up for six runs in one inning alone en route to a 9-2 series-opening win.

The box score for today’s game says “Wind, 18 mph” and where it would normally say a direction instead just says “varies.” Seems rude to ask Luis Castillo to both step into a new role and be all four of the Anemoi, but this is just another thing The Rock must absorb with dignity and grace. The wind early in this game was enough to shake the center field camera significantly and provide a uniquely unpleasant viewing experience that had me reaching for Dramamine (or at least hum the Modest Mouse song). Initially it seemed like it might be affecting Castillo, who walked his leadoff hitter on some fairly significant misses, but was able to lock things down after that, as he did for the rest of his outing.

Meanwhile, the Mariners were able to finally stack up some runs using their (almost) fully-operational lefty lineup. Lefties are hitting almost .300 off Aaron Civale this year, and after getting some traffic on early, the Mariners were able to finally break through in the third during the lefty-heavy portion of their programming. Colt Emerson, continuing to show maturity at the plate, led off with a five-pitch walk and then moved to third on a Julio Rodríguez single. Civale leaned heavily on his cutter, as he did last year, but the Mariners hitters seemed ready for it – Civale had struck out Julio on the cutter in the first inning, and tried to go to it again on the single, but Julio was able to adjust. Josh Naylor knocked Emerson home on a would-be double play that was luckily mishandled by the A’s infield to give the Mariners their first run of the game, and Randy Arozarena pounced on a first-pitch curveball for a double – also mishandled by Carlos Cortes in the outfield, allowing Naylor to score. How fun when it’s not the Mariners making defensive miscues and instead punishing other teams for theirs.

Civale then tried to get a first-pitch cutter past Luke Raley, who intercepted the pitch at the bottom of the zone and squeaked it over the right field fence to double up the Mariners lead – “squeaking” not being a way we’re used to referring to Raley homers, but we’ll take it. Cole Young followed that up by doubling on a splitter, poking it down the right field line, and then Dom Canzone saw a first-pitch fastball to his liking for a decisive homer to right-center, opening up a 6-0 advantage.

It’s a good thing the Mariners built Castillo that cushion because the bottom of the third started with some patented Sutter Home Park Silliness as nine-hole hitter Darell Hernaiz got a leadoff “double” on a ball that first got grabbed by the wind and then bounced in the outfield like an eight year old at a trampoline park birthday party. Castillo, to his credit, cleaned things up and didn’t let that runner score. Carlos Cortes, who is Annoying, hit a ball hard but not home run distance, enough to move Hernaiz to third. Castillo then pitched carefully to Nick Kurtz, walking him, but was able to attack the other head of the monster in Shea Langeliers, getting him to expand off the plate for a swinging strike three on a fastball. He then got Brent Rooker on three pitches, none of which were on the plate, as Rooker continues on a rough start to the season.

In the fourth, J.P. Crawford accidentally made himself the story of the inning, hitting a solo shot to make it 7-0 but throwing the ball away on what should have been an easy groundout to open the bottom of the inning. Once again, Castillo was forced into cleanup duty, striking out rookie centerfielder Henry Bolte looking, getting my personal enemy Jeff McNeil to pop out, and then striking out Zack Gelof looking on a pitch that was probably outside a hair but since the A’s were already down to one challenge, went unchallenged.

The Mariners’ early onslaught of runs forced the A’s into their own piggyback situation, bringing out Jack Perkins as their own second starter, but the real storyline here wasn’t on the field but in the Mariners dugout, as Dan Wilson was seen deep in conversation with Luis Castillo, who looked visibly displeased to be told he would be departing the game in order for Bryce Miller to come in. Considering Luis defeated the A’s hitters, the haunted tuna can of Sutter Health Park, the wind, and his own infield defense, it seems only fair he’d be given a win for that outing. But with the lineup turning over, Wilson opted to go to Miller.

Miller, presenting a completely different set of looks to the A’s hitters, was able to work the back five of the game, allowing Dan Wilson to keep his bullpen in bubble wrap for another day. A brief moment here to also appreciate catcher Jhonny Pereda, who had to prepare for two different starters in this game with two vastly different arsenals.- during Miller’s first hitter Pereda had to burn a mound visit after Miller shook him three times in succession – but guided his two starters through the game. Miller came out throwing hard although slightly less hard than his last outing, touching 98.2 in his first inning of work before settling in at 96.5. The standout for Miller today was his splitter, which looked sharper than his last outing; three of his four strikeouts were on the pitch. Miller was also mostly successful throwing his slider, although he did hang one to Langeliers for a homer for the A’s first run of the day in the eighth.

But Randy Arozarena got that run back plus one, finally getting to Perkins in the ninth with two outs, scoring Naylor, on base with a Naylor Special (a base hit to left off a pitch up and away).

The A’s would claw one more back off Miller off a couple of objectively stupid hits as the A’s were in swing mode down big in the ninth. Tyler Soderstrom led off with a double on a curve that he didn’t hit so much as vaudeville hook into left, then advanced to third on an infield hit. A run did score when Jeff McNeil grounded into a double play – niftily handled by Naylor, who managed to both tag speedy rookie Henry Bolte and touch first before McNeil creaked his way down there, setting up a game-ending strikeout of Zach Gelof. Since Miller didn’t get the glamor of being the opener this time, we’ll give him the honor of closing out the recap – just don’t look too carefully at the win dance, which is a little messy; appropriate, given the situation.

The A’s had no answers for the Mariners tonight as the team came up helpless on their Holiday evening, dropping the first game of the series. Time to get back to winning.

More to come…

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Max Fried was feeling good enough to start playing catch Monday, the first time he has done so since being shut down with a left elbow bone bruise 10 days ago.

But Aaron Boone pumped the brakes on it being anything more than that, as recent imaging of the left-hander’s elbow evidently did not show enough healing to allow him to begin building back up yet.

“There’s nothing really that would say he can start the ramp-up process yet,” Boone said before the Yankees beat the Royals 4-3 in the series opener at Kauffman Stadium.

Essentially, Fried is able to keep his arm moving by playing some light catch but is not yet ready to throw with the kind of intensity that would test the injury he is dealing with.

“Don’t read too far into that,” Boone said. “He’s been doing plyos and stuff. He’s had a pretty good week overall as far as symptoms and feeling pretty good and responding to everything pretty well. But he’s not at a point to where we can start ramping him up yet.”

When Fried was originally diagnosed with the injury May 15, the Yankees said he would get more imaging “in a few weeks [or when asymptomatic] to further determine when Fried can resume throwing.”

Carlos Rodón is expected to start Friday’s series opener against the Athletics after he was pushed back a few days — after Saturday’s rainout — to allow Gerrit Cole to start on his regular fifth day Wednesday. The Yankees have an off-day Thursday and another Monday, so they wanted Cole to pitch on his fifth day this turn before going on his seventh the next time through. Rodón, who threw a bullpen session Monday, will be starting on his eighth day Friday before going on his sixth day the next time.

Giancarlo Stanton is set to undergo another round of imaging on his right calf Tuesday to determine whether his strain has healed enough to start a running progression.

“I think he was actually going outside to do some of his agility stuff today,” Boone said. “Hopefully, with the next round of imaging, we’re in a position to start ramping up the running.”

Clarke Schmidt will move his rehab from Tommy John surgery up to New York next week after spending the first two months of the season doing so in Tampa. The right-hander, who could become a factor in the second half, has been throwing bullpen sessions but has not yet faced hitters.

The Colorado Rockies had a 3-1 when the fans at Dodger Stadium sang “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” but the two-run cushion didn’t turn out to be enough on Monday night.

The bullpen surrendered four runs in the bottom of the seventh, erasing a solid start from Tanner Gordon, who reduced his ERA to 5.85 after only giving up one run in five innings of work.

While Ezequiel Tovar hit his second homer of the season, the Rockies biggest offensive stat was their 12 strikeouts. Colorado dropped its third straight to fall to 20-35, while the NL West-best Los Angeles Dodgers improved to 34-20.

Gordon gets back on track

Even though the Dodgers had a lot of traffic against Gordon, the 28-year-old found ways out of jams with routine flyballs and other easy outs. Los Angeles saw the leadoff hitter reach base in four of five innings — and two of those were doubles — but Gordon held the Dodgers to a 1-for-9 RISP and stranded five runners.

Despite giving up a double to Shohei Ohtani in his first at-bat, Gordon settled in, striking out three in the first two innings. The Dodgers then struck first in the third when Hyeseong Kim led off with a single and scored when Kiké Hernández doubled in his first at-bat of 2026 after returning from elbow surgery. It looked like it might be a long inning when Gordon walked Ohtani, but Gordon prevented the worst. He got Mookie Betts to fly out, and then Freddie Freeman hit into a double play to keep it at 1-0 L.A.

That was all the Dodgers could get out of Gordon. After five innings, he kept L.A. to one run on six hits with three strikeouts and no walks to give the Rockies a chance. His strikeouts came against Kyle Tucker, Teoscar Hernandez and Freeman.

“I thought TG was fantastic tonight — just attacking the strike zone, getting out of jams a couple times, he didn’t waiver,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said after the game. “He was fantastic in his start tonight.”

Bullpen falters with debut exception

Juan Mejia entered the game in relief for the Rockies in the sixth inning and sent the Dodgers down in order.

But it all fell apart in the seventh. Mejia walked the first two batters to get the hook from Schaeffer.

Brennan Bernardino then came in and — immediately — it got worse when he hit Miguel Rojas to load the bases. It seemed like the Rockies might avoid a big inning when Ohtani grounded into a fielder’s choice and Betts added a sac fly to tie the game. But then Freeman hit a double to score Ohtani and put the Dodgers up 4-3.

“Just a couple of hiccups in the bullpen tonight,” Schaeffer said. “Juan was really good in the sixth. Then the walk-walk to lead off the inning is just — late in the game against a good team in their yard, that’s just not going to work.”

Jaden Hill then entered the game and didn’t fare much better. He surrendered a single to Andy Pages, and L.A. increased its lead to 5-3. The inning finally ended when Hill got Kyle Tucker to line out to Johnston in left field.

Schaeffer said the best way to respond is to just send Hill and Bernardino back out again because that’s how baseball goes.

“Sometimes that happens. We are learning not to do that and turn those 1-to-2-run games into victories,” Schaeffer said. “We know what it takes, and it’s just a matter of time. Tomorrow, we look to flip the script on them.”

In the eighth, Welinton Herrera made a perfect MLB debut. Called up just earlier in the day, the 22-year-old from the Dominican Republic got Teoscar Hernandez to ground out on his first MLB pitch. He then retired Will Smith on a fly ball and Kim on a ground out.

“That’s pretty much the biggest stage you can make your debut on, Dodger Stadium,” Schaeffer said. “I am extremely happy for him that he got in there and got the first one out of the way. He attacked the strike zone and didn’t look nervous a bit. I am sure he was, but he didn’t look it.”

Rockies strike in 4th, Tovar breaks HR drought

The Rockies responded to a 1-0 deficit in the third by taking the lead in the fourth. Tyler Freeman started off the inning with a double and moved to third when Troy Johnston hit a comebacker off Emmet Sheehan’s arm that bounced into foul territory over the first baseline.

Willi Castro capitalized with a single to tie the game.

Ezequiel Tovar followed with a sac fly to give Colorado a 2-1 lead.

Tovar struck again in the seventh with his second homer of the year. The 431-foot shot to left-center field was more than just an insurance run. It helped Tovar snap a streak of 187 plate appearances without a homer, the longest slump of his career.

“Tovi was good. He keeps progressing,” Schaeffer said. “People who watch every day, I hope they see how hard he is trying to make adjustments, and it’s paying off.”

The dinger off Kyle Hurt was also the first run given up by the Dodgers bullpen in 11 games (37 innings), which was the Dodgers longest streak in franchise history.

Outside of the fourth and the seventh, the Rockies offense couldn’t do much against L.A. They were held to seven hits. Hunter Goodman struck out three times and was part of the Rockies No. 1, 2 and 3 hitters who went 0-for-10 in the game. Castro and Tovar each recorded two hits.

In more bad news on the injury front, TJ Rumfield was hit by a pitch in the right hand in the first inning. He was forced to leave the game and was replaced by Edouard Julien, who went 0-for-2 with a strikeout and walk. After the game, Schaeffer delivered good news that the X-rays came back negative.

Up Next

The Rockies and Dodgers will face off again on Tuesday at 8:10 p.m. MDT. Colorado’s Kyle Freeland (1-5, 7.04 ERA) will match up against Eric Lauer (1-5, 6.69 ERA).

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