TORONTO, ON - AUGUST 13: Payton Tolle #70 of the Boston Red Sox pitches during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on August 13, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As Payton Tolle prepares to take the mound tonight against the Marlins, it’s worth noting this will be his fourth consecutive start on five days rest. When opponents face Tolle on a “normal,” four days of rest, they hit .250 with a .753 OPS. While not horrible, it’s a rather pedestrian line for a guy who is known for lighting up his surroundings both on and off the mound.
When Tolle faces opponents on that “extra” fifth day of rest though, opponents only hit .196 against him with a .539 OPS. This is one of the big reasons why the Sox used a pseudo six man rotation through their long stretch earlier in August without an off day (bringing Brayan Bello in as a “bulk guy” behind an opener every sixth day). The other was of course to keep Tolle’s general workload down as he’s blowing by his career high in innings pitched, and they’re of course hoping to continue to pile up his 2026 innings total deep into October.
With all those hard facts swirling in the background, here’s something a little lighter — Payton Tolle walking around the field barefoot before his start:
The lineup tonight is also worth noting. Adley Rutschman takes a seat after apparently feeling something in his right elbow during last night’s game, and Caleb Durbin gets a scheduled day off with the versatile Nick Sogard starting at third and leading off. The Sox don’t seem too concerned about Rutschman, but I’ll certainly be keeping a close eye on if he’s available off the bench in the late innings and / or if he starts tomorrow. With the way this club has turned underestimating the severity of injuries into an art form, let’s hope this doesn’t get added to the collection.
Today’s Lineups
RED SOX
MARLINS
Nick Sogard – 3B
Otto Lopez – SS
Ceddanne Rafaela – CF
Heriberto Hernandez – LF
Wilyer Abreu – RF
Agustin Ramirez – DH
Willson Contreras – 1B
Javier Sanoja – 3B
Mickey Gasper – DH
Xavier Edwards – 2B
Andruw Monasterio – SS
Leo Jimenez – 1B
Jarren Duran – LF
Griffin Conine – RF
Anthony Seigler – 2B
Esteury Ruiz – CF
Connor Wong – C
Brian Navarreto – C
Payton Tolle – LHP
Tyler Phillips – RHP
⚾️ First Pitch: 6:40pm — LoanDepot Park, Miami, FL
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 24: CJ Abrams #5 of the Washington Nationals bats against the Colorado Rockies during the first inning at Nationals Park on August 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Nats quiet bats exploded last night and they put up 13 runs to win the first game of a 4 game set against the Rockies. Now the Nats need to string together some victories. Winning when Cade Cavalli is not on the mound has been a major challenge lately.
Blake Butera is only making one change to his lineup and that is behind the plate. Harry Ford will be filling in for Keibert Ruiz behind the plate. CJ Abrams is back at the top of the lineup, but he is still only able to DH. That means Nasim Nunez and Jorbit Vivas will be the middle infield. Andrew Alvarez has been the Nats second best starter lately and is on the mound today.
The Rockies are making a few changes for this contest. Most notably, their star catcher Hunter Goodman is back in the lineup after an IL stint. Cole Carrigg is also in the lineup as the center fielder. At the bottom of the order, Jordan Beck and Ryan Ritter will be making their first starts of the series. Mason Adams was acquired by the Rockies at the deadline and he will be making his MLB debut tonight on the mound.
Yesterday was a good win to stop the bleeding. Now it is time for the Nats to start stacking wins in order to finish the season strong. They need a win without their ace on the mound because it has been a while. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
New York Mets pitcher Zach Thornton (49) pitches during a game against the Boston Red Sox at CitiField, Jul 12, 2026, Flushing, NY, USA. | Yannick Peterhans / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Mets lineup
Francisco Lindor – SS Bo Bichette – 3B Carson Benge – RF Luis Robert – CF Eric Wagaman – DH Jared Young – 1B Marcus Semien – 2B Luis Torrens – C A.J. Ewing – LF
SP: Zac Thornton – LHP
Brewers lineup
Jackson Chourio – LF Brice Turang – 2B William Contreras – C Andrew Vaughn – 1B Gary Sanchez – DH Luis Lara – RF Garrett Mitchell – CF Joey Ortiz – 3B Cooper Pratt – SS
SP: Kyle Harrison – LHP
Broadcast info
First pitch: 7:10 PM ET TV: SNY Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
The Mets are back in action at Citi Field on Tuesday night to take on the Milwaukee Brewers for a three-game series and interim manager Andy Green spoke about a few topics in his pregame news conference.
Latest on Juan Soto and outfield alignment once he returns
On the injured list for the second time this season with a calf injury, Soto hasn't played for New York since July 24 but is still fighting to return to the team before the end of the season.
Green told reporters that he still doesn't have a specific return date for the slugger, but that Soto continues to progress well and remains doing baseball activities.
"We all expect him to be back," the skipper said.
When Soto does eventually re-join the team, he will be met by a crowded outfield mix that includes rookies A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge and veteran Luis Robert Jr., whose absence with an injury for most of the summer opened the door for Ewing to get his opportunity and allowed Ewing and Benge to shine alongside Soto.
When Robert returned from his injury, the plan was to reintroduce him to the outfield slowly to try and keep him healthy and to keep the rest of the outfielders in the lineup. On days that Robert played the outfield and Soto wasn't the designated hitter, one of the rookies would have to sit.
That's not an ideal plan, considering that the development of Benge and Ewing should be paramount to the team, especially in a lost season. And it quickly went out the window when Soto re-injured his calf, which made Benge and Ewing full-time players once again. So, what will happen to the outfield when Soto returns this time around?
"I think it just adds the best player in baseball to our outfield/DH mix," Green said. "I think Luis would get some DH at-bats in that set of circumstances, as would Juan, which is what he was getting before. So whenever we get to that, we will welcome him with open arms and be excited to get him into the lineup."
Until then, the Mets will continue to flip-flop reps to Ewing and Robert in center field and in left field after Robert, who had never played left field in his career, started all three games there against his former team, the Chicago White Sox, over the weekend.
Green spoke about how Robert handled the new position and how to manage Ewing's development at his long-term position in center field while also putting out the best defensive alignment in the outfield, which has Robert in his natural center and Ewing in left where he's also comfortable.
"I thought [Robert was solid out [in left field]… outside of the ball that he lost in the sun where we still got [Miguel] Vargas on the relay throw he made every play that he could possibly make," Green said. "… I think [we're] encouraged by that and I think we’re gonna continue to stick with what we talked about, which is getting A.J. consistent center field reps – he had them every game last series – and he’ll continue to get more than he gets in the corner.
"It does not hurt A.J., his future development, his value to the team to move to the corners. He has said to me how comfortable he is in left field, and I know that to be true because I’ve been watching him since he was in Port St. Lucie playing left field, and seeing him make some outrageous plays there. So we’ll still get him the lion’s share of reps in center, but we’ll continue to do what we told Luis we were gonna do, which is give him some consistent reps [in center] as well."
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Ewing dealing with first prolonged offensive slump
While all the talk surrounding the defensive alignment in the outfield takes place, Ewing has been having a rough go of it at the plate. Over his last 30 games, the youngster is slashing .186/.269/.237 and is currently 6-for-his-last-53. He hasn't had a multi-hit game since Aug. 7 and has seen his OPS fall from a season-high .813 on July 8 to .681 entering play on Tuesday.
The Mets are hoping Ewing is showing signs of getting back on track after recording a hit in the final two games in Chicago, but right now it is not coming easy for the 22-year-old who burst onto the scene since his MLB debut.
"I don’t know that anything new has been learned," Green said when asked what he's learned from Ewing as he fights through this tough stretch. "I do think he is walking through a stretch where he doesn’t have the greatest slash line – he’s walking through it well from a work perspective, from an attitude perspective, from a confidence perspective. He’s handling these things really, really well, which gives you a lot of confidence as he moves forward into the future.
"Slumps are a part of baseball for guys that have 15 years in the big leagues and guys who have 15 minutes in the big leagues. I think he’s had some really quality at-bats along the way. It’s not the consistency of the quality that I know he wants, and we believe he will have, but I think he has reaffirmed what we already knew about him, and we trust the resiliency and resolve."
To his credit, Ewing has been in the lineup every day while he tries to figure things out on the fly, but he is no longer batting leadoff, at least for now, as he's hitting ninth in the order on Tuesday for just the third time in his young career.
Perhaps a return to Citi Field will help Ewing get back on track. In 46 games at home, Ewing is slashing .253/.333/.416 with six home runs, compared to on the road where he's slashing .235/.302/.309 with one home run in 44 games.
Mark Vientos injury update
Asked about any news on Vientos, who has been out with a fractured hand since July 10 but began a rehab assignment recently, Green gave an update.
"He’s heading to Lehigh Valley now with the Triple-A club," Green said. "We’ll let his play, how he feels, and kind of the progression in general be determined by what happens on the field a little bit. Right now we’re not particularly close to declaring him ready. When you hurt your hand, you need to get some at-bats and get going."
In two games with Double-A Binghamton, Vientos is 0-for-5 with three strikeouts and a walk.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 22: Jake Cronenworth #9 of the San Diego Padres hits a two-RBI double during the seventh inning against the Minnesota Twins at Petco Park on August 22, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Last night was a tough loss for the San Diego Padres. It was a game that they would have won any other night. The Friars had all the momentum after tying the game late against the Pittsburgh Pirates. They forced extra innings and threw up zeroes in the 10th and 11th innings. But the Friars failed to score the winning run in the bottom of each frame due to bad bunts.
In both extra innings, the Padres bunted too high, making it an easy catch for the Pirates defense. That allowed Pittsburgh to keep San Diego at bay, despite the Friars loading the bases with one out in the 11th. It was a tough game for the potent offense, scoring just two runs against the Pirates’ pitching staff, and only one against starter Braxton Ashcraft. If the Padres can turn that around in Game 2, they’ll have no problems forcing the rubber match.
Taking the mound
Paul Skenes (PIT) v. Michael King (SD)
Petco Park should be the stage for yet another pitcher’s duel tonight. That said, Skenes has struggled lately. After putting up consecutive seasons with a sub-2.00 ERA, Skenes owns a 3.95 ERA this season. It’s been a rough year for the superstar pitcher, as many have speculated that he might be pitching through an injury given his regression.
That said, Skenes still has the ability to dominate any team. It will be his first time pitching in Petco Park in his career, with most of the Friars never having faced the Pittsburgh ace. In their limited opportunities against Skenes, the Padres are batting a combined .125 against him (3-for-24). Hopefully, that can change tonight.
It’s nearly impossible to overstate just how imperative King has been for the Padres this season. San Diego has been without Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta for the majority of this season. King has anchored an injury-plagued rotation that has underperformed at times. His solid 3.38 ERA doesn’t quite do his performance justice.
King has pitched just as good lately, having just pitched into the seventh inning against the New York Mets last week. He’s given up just six runs across his last 18 2/3 innings pitched. If he can limit the Pirates in a similar fashion tonight, it should allow San Diego to scratch a few runs off of Skenes and the Pittsburgh pitching staff.
Batter up!
The potent lineup went dark against starter Braxton Ashcraft in the series opener on Monday night, scoring just one run on a called balk. That comes after the Padres scored a ridiculous 21 runs against the Minnesota Twins (seven runs per game on average). Hopefully, that production can return against Skenes in Game 2 tonight.
Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
Jake Cronenworth, 2B
Manny Machado, 3B
Ty France, 1B
Jackson Merrill, CF
Luis Campusano, C
Gavin Sheets, DH
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Dustin Harris, LF
Cronenworth played the hero on Monday night, tying the game for the Padres late to force extra innings. He made several key defensive plays that salvaged the game for the Friars as well. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to win the Friars the game, but if Cronenworth’s bat starts to wake up, it would be a massive addition to the San Diego lineup.
Relief corps
With the game going into the 12th inning, the Padres used plenty of relievers on Monday night. That means they’ll be relying on a solid start from King to salvage the ‘pen. After starter Robbie Ray departed, the Friars turned to Bradgley Rodriguez, Yuki Matsui, Kyle Hart, Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon and Jeremiah Estrada to complete the game.
That leaves very few options for tonight’s game. It’s incredibly likely that Griffin Canning will cover multiple innings once King departs the game. After Canning, Wandy Peralta is the first available to pitch in relief.
Spring training baseball game between Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners at Phoenix Municipal Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona. Beer vendor at baseball game between Oakland A's & Seattle Mariners cards each patron to check their age on their driver's license before selling the beer and collecting money and giving change. (Photo by Jim Sugar/Corbis via Getty Images) | Corbis via Getty Images
There have been probably five instances — at the very least — this season that have made you think, it can’t get any worse. But the San Francisco Giants, to their credit, just keep getting worse. So shame on you for underestimating their abilities. They were always going to find new ways to make you reconsider your fandom.
The latest such strapping on of the scuba gear in search of previously unexplored rocks bottom came on Tuesday morning, when the Orwellian tech startup Kalshi announced a partnership with “five of the most iconic teams in baseball.” The humorous element is that one of the five teams is the San Diego Padres. The humorless element is that one of the five teams is the Giants.
Kalshi, for those unfamiliar, is perhaps the largest of the laughably-labeled “prediction markets.” Most people don’t know this (industry secret incoming), but “prediction market” is actually an acronym. The “P” stands for “per the laws and regulations of this country, you’re not legally allowed to gamble on your phone, but what is gambling but betting money on the possibility of future events, which, if worded differently, is really just investing in the possibility that future things might happen, which sounds totally legal and isn’t yet regulated.” I’m not sure what the “ediction market” part of the acronym stands for, but I’ve put in a call to some sources. I’ll update the article as needed.
There are a host of issues with Kalshi that, hopefully, will one day meet their match in court. Setting aside the comically blatant skirting of what constitutes “gambling,” Kalshi is positively dripping in moral bankruptcy. There was, for instance, February’s incident, in which rumors swirled that NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo was forcing his way off of the Milwaukee Bucks, with millions of dollars in bets being placed on his next destination; a few days later, he announced both that he had not wanted a trade, and that he owned a significant stake in Kalshi.
Far more dystopian was the July incident in which it was revealed that President Trump’s teleprompter assistant had allegedly made six figures off of betting — sorry, predicting — what Trump would say in his speeches. An honest way to make a living, really. As honest as anything his boss has done, at the very least.
While Kalshi and its competitors primarily are used for sports betting, there’s no shortage of alternate “predictions” that you can make and mostly lose money on. You can bet on the weather. You can bet on elections. You can bet on political coups, though Kalshi and similar companies have found themselves at the heart of multiple lawsuits regarding whether or not they are obligated to pay betters who predicted an ousting and were instead granted a death. Here’s a real headline from Forbes: Kalshi ‘Death Bet’ Lawsuit Sparks Push To Ban Assassination Markets.
And now they’re coming to your San Francisco Giants! In a press release, the Giants announced that the partnership is “bringing together two iconic brands to create new fan experiences at Oracle Park and across Giants platforms.” According to the San Francisco Chronicle, there will be signs, radio advertisements, and even “experiential activations,” to use the utterly preposterous phrase that senior vice president of partnerships Steve Tseng thought deserving of air time.
Before I continue ranting, I do want to acknowledge the Vegas-sized elephant in the room. Sports betting is intensely intertwined with the athletics we all love, and I am at some level complicit. At the top of this website you’ll find a drop down menu titled “Betting,” and in that drop-down menu you’ll find multiple links to FanDuel. I don’t receive checks directly from that company (which, it should be noted, deals only in sports betting, and not, you know … death and stuff), but it is part of what keeps my employer employed, and thus, me employed. So I’m not an entirely innocent model of angelic perfection, as much as I know you all like to tell me that I am.
But FanDuel is not Kalshi, and I am not a multi-billion dollar sports organization seeking predatory ways to eke every last penny out of a fanbase that has to take out a loan to buy a beer at the game.
And more importantly, I’m not playing both sides, which Major League Baseball — and the sporting world at large — continues to do.
Last year, All-Star reliever Emmanuel Clase was placed on leave, following allegations that he had purposely thrown balls to influence betting results; it seems overwhelmingly likely that he’ll never play in the Majors again. The year prior, Shohei Ohtani’s translator, Ippei Mizuhara, was imprisoned for stealing millions of dollars from Ohtani to repay sports gambling debts; while stealing eight figures is a defensible reason for arrest, the narrative around the story focused not on the money changing accounts, but on whether it was actually a cover for Ohtani betting. Which at least gifted us one final perfect tweet before the hellscape that is Twitter finally collapsed in on itself.
“Welcome back to SportsCenter Presented by ESPN Bet, for more on the Ohtani situation we go to our FanDuel MLB Insider Jeff Passan at our DraftKings Studio in Los Angeles brought to you by Caesar’s Sportsbook. Jeff, how could something like this happen?”
And in October, multiple people connected to the NBA — including Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups — were arrested for various roles in illegal gambling schemes. For a few people, including active player Terry Rozier, the allegations included faking an injury to avoid accruing a certain number of stats, allowing someone to earn boku bucks for betting the under.
There are plenty more instances. I could go on and on. But why revisit history when the future is going to provide us so many better examples?
The Giants, Major League Baseball, and sports as a whole, continue to play both sides against each other. They want you to be so obsessed with betting that you can’t settle for just living and dying with the end result; you need to be betting on each pitch. They want you to see baseball through the lens of predictions and stock market cash flow, and if they need to shorten games to deal with the waning attention span of a now, now, now gambling-needy society, so be it.
Just don’t let the players get in on it, or suddenly gambling is the devil incarnate.
And yes, before the tech bro apologists come for me, I do understand that there is a vital difference between a bystander and a player betting on an outcome. I have no defense for Clase or Rozier or anyone else getting caught up in these shenanigans.
But you reap what you sow. And even if you prescribe to the old notion that guns don’t kill people, but rather people kill people, you lose the right to make that argument when you glorify and glamorize the guns, and tell everyone exactly where to find them.
Now you’ll see Kalshi ads at the ballpark. Maybe on the mound. Maybe behind home plate, like we’ve all grown so accustomed to at other parks, with Kalshi’s biggest competitor, Polymarket.
Somewhere in Oracle Park, a fan or a thousand will bet on the next pitch, the next at-bat, the next injury, and the next score. And when the game ends they’ll funnel into BART, still high on the adrenaline of their gambling endeavors, chasing the dragon (and their newfound debts as well).
They’ll open Kalshi because that itch ain’t gonna scratch itself. They’ll bet on who wins Best Actor at the Academy Awards and if it will rain tomorrow and how much gas will cost next week and how many people will die in the latest food recall. They’ll drain their bank account and, in the process, the Giants will replenish theirs.
If you need hobbies that aren’t gambling or Giants baseball, let me know. I’ve got a long list of them.
With Aaron Judge and Juan Soto ailing, Yordan Alvarez is making a case that, right now, he is the greatest hitter on the planet.
And the Houston Astros slugger is flirting with an accomplishment neither of those future Hall of Famers have pulled off: A Triple Crown.
Entering Tuesday, Aug. 25, Alvarez led the American League in batting average (.320), home runs (36) and RBIs (90), needing to hold on one more month to become the first Triple Crown winner since Detroit's Miguel Cabrera in 2012.
Cabrera remains the only major leaguer to win the Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967.
And Alvarez will face stiff competition in all three categories. He's just one home run ahead of Tampa Bay's Junior Caminero, who's also third in RBIs with 84, one behind Pete Alonso's 85. And Tampa Bay speedster Chandler Simpson is within shouting distance in batting average, his .310 mark just 10 points behind Alvarez.
A look at the 29-year-old Alvarez's Triple Crown chances:
TORONTO, ON - AUGUST 14: Shane Bieber #57 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches in the first inning during a game against the New York Yankees at Rogers Centre on August 14, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There are a whole mess of injury updates:
Shane Bieber will be shutdown for two weeks and then they will they will see where they are. ‘Hopeful he’ll be back this year’. He ‘felt’ the injury when he did a bullpen on Sunday.
Jameson Taillon is pitching a rehab start Friday for Buffalo. All going well, he’ll make his next start for the Jays.
Trey Yesavage is throwing again, but it will be a bit before he pitches.
Yimi Garcia had thoracic outlet surgery of some sort.
Josh Smith will likely play rehab games for Buffalo Thursday and Friday.
Andrés Giménez is in the lineup tonight.
And they are saying that tomorrow will be a bullpen day. Spencer Arrighetti will start Thursday (my mom would do Alphagetti for us on Thurdays, if my dad wasn’t going to be home for supper)(no one cares Tom), and they are going to need some innings out of him.
Today’s lineups, please Max, pitch deep into the game. As if there wasn’t enough for the coaches to think about during a game, now they know they have to push their starters as deep into games as they can.
Today’s Lineups
ROYALS
BLUE JAYS
Carter Jensen – C
Brett Bateman – CF
Bobby Witt – SS
Nathan Lukes – RF
Vinnie Pasquantino – 1B
Vladimir Guerrero – 1B
Salvador Perez – DH
Kazuma Okamoto – 3B
Michael Massey – 2B
Jesus Sanchez – DH
Nick Loftin – 3B
Ernie Clement – 2B
Isaac Collins – LF
Andres Gimenez – SS
John Rave – RF
Brandon Valenzuela – C
Kyle Isbel – CF
Myles Straw – LF
Seth Lugo – RHP
Max Scherzer – RHP
And, for those of us old enough to remember the Expo broadcasts, Dave Van Horne turns 87 today. I owe a portion of my baseball fandom to him. He was great.
Ahead of Tuesday's series opener with the Astros, Yankees manager Aaron Boone gave a few injury updates on a duo of players...
Judge continues batting progression
Aaron Judge was on the field at Yankee Stadium ahead of Tuesday's game and according to Boone, Judge is expected to do batting practice in addition to running.
So far, Judge has just been doing tee-and-toss, but the former MVP is expected to advance to overhand batting practice when he enters the cage before Tuesday's game.
Judge has also thrown at over 100 feet as the slugger continues his progression toward returning to the club and the outfield.
Fried's potential return revealed?
The Yankees will play seven games this week, including a doubleheader with the Red Sox on Saturday, and that could also mark the return of Max Fried.
Fried threw four innings, about 60 pitches, of live batting practice Monday and Boone did not rule out the possibility that the southpaw could be in play for one of Saturday's doubleheader games.
"We’ll see where we are as the next couple of days unfold," Boone said.
Aug 1, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried (54) walks on the field Chicago Cubs before the game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. / Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
Fried landed on the IL on Aug. 17 -- retroactive to Aug. 14 -- and is eligible to come off on Saturday.
The Yankees admitted to taking a cautious approach to placing Fried on the IL, and they were optimistic the veteran left-hander would be healthy enough to return after an MRI confirmed "low-level" inflammation in his elbow.
Schmidt to return out of bullpen
Clarke Schmidt has a side session on Tuesday and Boone was happy to report that the right-hander looked good and that he's looking forward to ramping him up. "I thought Clarke looked great, I really did," the skipper said. "It was encouraging to see that. I thought the stuff looked really good, but really crisp and sharp. Looking forward to getting him going."
That ramp-up will include rehab games, which Boone said the organization has yet to figure out a roadmap for, but the Yankees skipper revealed Schmidt will be a bullpen piece when he eventually returns to the team.
"He can really help us," Boone said. "Obviously, he’s been a really good starter in this league. He's not gonna get back to that point this year, but when he’s on his game, he has a lot of weapons that can really land him a role down there [in the bullpen]. Whether it's an inning, a couple innings, whatever it may be.
TORONTO, ON- JULY 21 - Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 of the Toronto Blue Jays shouts in frustration after striking out in the first inning as the Toronto Blue Jays play the Tampa Bay Rays at Rogers Centre in Toronto. July 21, 2026. Steve Russell/Toronto Star (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images) | Toronto Star via Getty Images
The Blue Jays had a deep post-season run, coming so close to winning a championship. But they stumbled out of the gate in their attempt to run it back, losing 12 of 15 in April, a hole that they struggled to emerge from. They have suffered some injuries, but most of their decline has come from a lackluster offense. They are second-from-last in baseball in home runs, third-from last in on-base percentage, and dead last in runs scored. Only eight qualified hitters have fewer home runs than Vladimir Guerrero. Kazuma Okamoto is third among all rookies in home runs with 26.
Kansas City Royals (58-74) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (64-68) at Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON
Blue Jays: 3.95 runs scored/game (30th), 4.36 runs allowed/game (13th)
Who’s hot:
Alejandro Kirk got off to an awful start, but is hitting .366/.440/.548 with five home runs in his last 26 games.
Vinnie Pasquantino is hitting .385/.448/.769 in his seven games since returning from the Injured List.
Who’s not:
Nathan Lukes is hitting just .184/.234/.287 in his last 26 games.
Carter Jensen is batting .122/.280/.220 in his last 12 games.
Notable matchups:
Salvador Perez is a career .371/.389/.771 hitter against Max Scherzer with four home runs in 36 plate appearances.
Andrés Giménez is just 1-for-7 (.143) in his career against Seth Lugo.
Shane Bieber was supposed to pitch on Wednesday, but he was placed on the Injured List and the Jays currently do not list a starter for Wednesday or Thursday. They could start Simeon Woods Richardson, who has been pitching in relief since the Jays acquired him. He has a 1.04 ERA in 17.1 innings with them, but with 10 walks. Royals hitters are batting .366/.422/.439 against Spencer Arrighetti in his two career starts.
The Jays have a 3.78 bullpen ERA, and they have two pitchers – Louis Varland and Tyler Rogers – who are among the eight lowest reliever ERAs in baseball. Spencer Miles has a 1.76 ERA in 36 relief appearances. The Jays picked up Paul Sewald, who was let go by the Diamondbacks last week.
The Jays won’t be back in the World Series, but they are far from a bad team. The Royals have been hot, but the reigning AL champs could be a good test whether this run is fluky or the sign of a team that has figured things out in the second half.
CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 24: Brandon Nimmo #24 and Ezequiel Duran #20 of the Texas Rangers celebrate after the Rangers defeated the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on Monday, August 24, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Lawrence Brown/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Texas Rangers lineup for August 25, 2026 against the Chicago White Sox: starting pitchers are Jacob deGrom for the Rangers and Anthony Kay for the White Sox.
Texas looks to keep things rolling in Chicago. Skip Schumaker is going with the righty-swinging crew.
The lineup:
Foscue — 2B
Seager — SS
Langford — LF
Nimmo — RF
Duran — CF
Burger — 1B
O’Hoppe — C
Freeman — 3B
Jansen — C
6:40 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are -117 favorites.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 25: José Caballero #72 of the New York Yankees embraces Austin Wells #28 and Jazz Chisholm Jr. #13 after scoring against the San Francisco Giants during the second inning on Opening Day at Oracle Park on March 25, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year, we ask questions of the most plugged-in Yankees fans and fans across the country.
The race is tight.
The New York Yankees are only 3.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the lead in the American League East. However, they’re also working to stave off the Boston Red Sox, who broke down the door and entered the conversation over the past couple months. Every swing decision, every pitch, and every fielding choice matters more with every game played, and for some players this season, those have come easier than to others.
The Yankees need all hands on deck and a return to form from one or multiple players to make their case for an AL East title and World Series championship all the more believable, and there are cases for each one. Jazz Chisholm Jr., while he does sit in third place on the Yankees in fWAR, didn’t get there because of his ability to get on base this season. Rather, he’s there because of what he can do both in the field and when he does get on base. He’s 11th in MLB in strikeout rate, his OBP is below .300, and his wRC+ is 93 across the 121 games he has played this season. However, he’s fourth in MLB in stolen bases, and despite his offensive issues, he’s still been very effective on the basepaths. The same goes for Jose Caballero, whose entire profile is similar to that of Jazz’s this season — although Caballero didn’t come out before the season and say he wanted to go for a 50/50 campaign.
Austin Wells is another roster mainstay who has failed to live up to snuff this season. His last 20 games have been better than what his numbers might suggest (.255/.340/.404 slashline instead of .179/.274/.297), but he has been the worst hitter on the team for the majority, if not the entire season. He has been decent behind the plate, and the two seasons before this saw Wells showcase his offensive potential. However, he hasn’t been the same this year. But compared to new addition Heliot Ramos, who came over from the San Francisco Giants, Wells looks like a superstar.
In 16 games in pinstripes, Ramos is slashing .113/.230/.189, which is good for a 19 wRC+. His -0.7 fWAR is the worst on the Yankees and in such a short period of time. But a redeeming factor could be an acclimation period. Moving from one side of the country to the other isn’t easy for anyone, let alone a professional baseball player. And in 74 games with the Giants, Ramos was a slightly above-average hitter (105 OPS+) who had the kind of opposite-field power that could really be handy at Yankee Stadium. So, while it may be taking longer for him to get his bearings in a Yankee uniform than some fans may like, the sample size is still small, and he has a chance to prove himself down the stretch.
If you had to pick one player who could return to form and help lead the charge, which one do you think is most likely? Let us know in the Feed poll below, and we’ll analyze the results later in the week.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - AUGUST 24: Cal Raleigh #29 of the Seattle Mariners celebrates with J.P. Crawford #3 after their 9-2 win against the Philadelphia Phillies at T-Mobile Park on August 24, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Captain’s back.
As expected, the Mariners have reinstated shortstop J.P. Crawford from the IL, where he landed on July 30 with right wrist inflammation. And emphasis on the “shortstop” part of that sentence, as Colt Emerson, who was playing short in J.P.’s absence earlier in the year and then even when he returned, is done for the year with a similar wrist issue that he’s scheduled to have surgery on today. (If you’re curious about why one player might opt for season-ending surgery and another might come back after an IL stint for the same injury, read yesterday’s report on Colt Emerson, where I dove into the specifics of this injury and how it affects players differently (standard Not A Doctor caveat applies).)
Crawford completed a rehab stint with the Rainiers, playing three games with Tacoma over this past week. After going hitless in his first game, he went on to have a three-hit game with a homer the next day, and collected another hit in his final appearance. His last hurdle was returning to T-Mobile Park to go through a standard daily pregame workout with the team, which he cleared yesterday, leading to his activation today. Crawford was out for early batting practice again today, lasering hits all over the field, including a solid power round where he cleared the right field fence multiple times and even banged one off the ribbon board there.
“Great getting J.P. back,” said manager Dan Wilson pregame. “Obviously, we talk a lot about what he brings to the clubhouse in terms of his leadership and just what he means to this organization…It feels a little bit more like the family’s getting back together.”
With J.P. back, the Mariners lineup recovers some of the on-base ability lost when Brendan Donovan went on the concussion IL, and a veteran presence known to work a lengthy at-bat at the top or bottom of the lineup, offering manager Dan Wilson some flexibility in writing his lineup. That flexibility extends to the left side of the infield, where Crawford can play either short or third while Donovan is out, although from pregame activities yesterday he was taking reps exclusively at short.
Wilson says Crawford will bounce between short and third, likely settling in at short when Brendan Donovan returns. As a corresponding move, the Mariners opted to send infielder Leo Rivas back to Tacoma, leaving rookie Brock Rodden with the big-league club for a little more seasoning before he’s likely optioned back to Tacoma as well to make room for Donovan, who is on the concussion IL but eligible to come off of it on Saturday, assuming he doesn’t suffer any lingering effects from being hit in the head with a batting practice pitch on Saturday. Donovan was out on the field playing catch pregame but needed to take a few minutes to recover afterwards with his hands on his knees, still obviously feeling the nausea from his concussion. Wilson called sending Rivas to Tacoma a “tough decision”, but highlighted that the team feels Rodden has done a “really nice job” at short as well as putting up some good at-bats.
“Felt like Brock brought a little bit of a spark, and that’s a big reason why he’s here,” said Wilson.
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 23: Mauricio Dubón #14 of the Atlanta Braves hits a double during the second inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Bowman Field on August 23, 2026 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Boy, this is a really different lineup than we’re used to… sorta.
Mauricio Dubon has hit cleanup twice this season (both against right-handers, like Tyler Glasnow), but not since the first few days of July. Michael Harris II has hit fifth here or there, but hit leadoff on Sunday and has largely hit fourth. The big thing is the Braves alternating handedness with no left-handed batter back-to-backs.
As for the Dodgers, well, you know most of these guys:
With Andy Pages now injured, the Dodgers have largely moved up their usual 3-4-5 into 2-3-4 behind Shohei Ohtani.
Batter versus pitcher for tonight is silly. Everyone in the Los Angeles lineup but their catcher has faced Bryce Elder before, with double-digit PAs for the top four in the lineup. Most guys in their lineup have crushed Elder; the aggregate line is 75 PAs with a .389 xwOBA… but just a .314 wOBA. That won’t necessarily keep up, but if Elder and the defense can hold the Dodgers to a .314 wOBA, that might be pretty welcome.
Every Brave but Dubon has faced Glasnow; Matt Olson, Austin Riley, and Ozzie Albies have double-digit PAs against him. The aggregate line: 58 PAs, a .282 xwOBA, and a .204 wOBA. Almost nowhere to go but up for the Braves against Glasnow, at this point. Amusingly, Sean Murphy has seen five pitches from Glasnow in two PAs (both in 2023). He struck out looking on four pitches, and then hit a first-pitch down-the-pipe fastball for a homer.
After dropping the first two games against the Mariners in soul-crushing fashion, the Cubs put an exclamation mark on the series with a 19-2 rout on Sunday. Rookie Pedro Ramírez was right in the middle of it all, going three for six with three runs scored and five RBI, four of which came on his first career grand slam [VIDEO].
But the game of baseball moves fast, and just as Ramírez is getting his shot at everyday playing time, Matt Shaw started a rehab assignment in Iowa. That means the Cubs will soon have a decision to make: Should Shaw or Ramírez man the keystone while Nico Hoerner covers for Swanson at shortstop? It’s admittedly a good problem to have, so let’s dive into the numbers and see if there’s a clear answer.
Ramírez has been excellent this season. The 22-year old was called up at the end of May after posting a .312/.395/.547 slash line with nine home runs and a wRC+ of 136 through his first 196 plate appearances for Triple-A Iowa. He paired that production with an excellent 16.3 percent strikeout rate and a 10.7 percent walk rate. It would be totally reasonable to expect a player who was young for Triple-A to struggle at the big league level, but Ramírez didn’t get that memo. In his first 171 MLB plate appearances he’s hit .290/.347/.439 with three home runs and a wRC+ of 117. The strikeout rate is up slightly at 18.7 percent, but that’s still ahead of the league average of 22.1 percent. His 8.2 percent walk rate is ever so slightly below the league average of 8.9 percent.
Since Dansby Swanson hit the injured list with an oblique issue, Ramírez has been the everyday second baseman for the Cubs. It’s been an adjustment for the last week, although his .292 BABIP during that time is low relative to his history in the minors. Back-to-back big games against the Mariners and Diamondbacks have already improved his numbers since taking over the full-time role considerably, and he looks like he’s settling into the everyday job. He does have two fielding errors so far this season, one at second base and one at third base, but honestly it’s such a small sample size he doesn’t qualify for the Statcast leaderboard unless you adjust the qualifier. He does have two Outs Above Average so far as a fielder this year. While the scouting report sees Ramírez as an average or slightly above average fielder, he does have some webgems so far this year, like this excellent play to rob Andy Pages of extra bases in August:
Matt Shaw was a Gold Glove finalist at third base for the Cubs last year as a rookie, but by comparison he had -1 OAA last season. Despite that gap, most evaluators would say Shaw is the superior defender despite the initial results show them as reasonably close to each other defensively. Shaw also offers a bit more defensive flexibility than Ramírez. He’s already played a decent amount of outfield and while there have been some hiccups there at time, he’s also flashed some promise as a corner outfielder:
Shaw has shown improvements at the plate so far in 2026. His wRC+ of 106 through his first 147 plate appearances is 22 points higher than the 94 he posted through 437 plate appearances last season. Those improvements are visible across multiple stats, including his slashline which has improved from .226/.295/.394 to .246/.322/.415. His walk rates are relatively similar, he posted an 8.7 percent BB rate in 2025 and an 8.2 percent BB rate in 2026, but the real improvement is in his strikeout rate. During his rookie campaign Shaw struck out 21.5 percent of the time. So far in 2026 he’s struck out 18.4 percent of the time.
Where Shaw does have an advantage over Ramírez is raw power. He has four home runs in 24 fewer plate appearances than Ramírez this season, and hit 13 in 437 plate appearances last year:
One complication is that both Shaw and Ramírez are better against lefties. Shaw has posted a .279/.353/.492 slashline with a wRC+ of 135 and two of his four homeruns in 68 plate appearances against southpaws this year compared to a .217/.295/.348 slashline with a wRC+ of 81 in 79 plate appearances against righties in 2026. He had similar splits in a larger sample last season. Ramírez is a switch-hitter, but hits better from the right side of the plate where he’s slashing .370/.414/.556 with a wRC+ of 171 in (an admittedly tiny sample size of) 29 plate appearances against lefties compared to a .262/.324/.381 slashline with a wRC+ of 94 in 140 plate appearances as a lefty against right-handed pitchers. That gap was similar in a larger sample size of his minor league plate appearances this season.
Which all leads to the big question: Who should be the primary second baseman when Shaw is ready to return from his rehab in Iowa? At the beginning of the season, it would have undoubtedly been Shaw’s job, but Ramírez is in the midst of an outstanding rookie debut and manager Craig Counsell has been known to ride the hot hand. Who would you play at second base while Dansby is out?
