ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MARCH 31: Aaron Civale #45 of the Athletics pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at Truist Park on March 31, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
This past weekend, the Athletics won their first series of the season, taking two of three at home. The A’s and Houston Astros traded blowout wins in the first two games of the weekend series before the hosts clinched the series with a win on Easter Sunday. Designated hitter Brent Rooker’s three-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the tenth inning won a game in which his team twice gave up leads. The A’s offense had to consistently rise to the occasion to overcome their pitchers allowing an MLB-high 24 walks in those three games.
The A’s schedule does not get any easier. Following those three home games, the team heads to New York City for a weeklong trip. Tonight marks the first of three games against the New York Yankees followed by three at the New York Mets. Both of these teams are off to strong starts this season and carry payrolls double the A’s. It will be difficult, but the team has the chance to make some early noise should they win at least one of these series.
Right-hander Aaron Civale is set to make his second start of the season this evening. The veteran right-hander picked up the win in his A’s debut, only allowing two runs in five innings pitched in the A’s first victory of the season March 31 against the Atlanta Braves. Having successfully navigated the tough Braves lineup, he looks to win his second straight start. However, the Yankees lineup led by reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge presents a major challenge for Civale to overcome.
Here’s the Athletics lineup for the opener in the Bronx:
Today’s A’s lineup features all of the regular starters in their main spots in the batting order. Nick Kurtz, who is once again hitting leadoff, started to heat up in Sacramento, collecting two hits and three walks in Sunday’s game. It would be surprising if Kurtz does not hit his first home run this series as Yankee Stadium’s short porch in right field is incredibly appealing to left-handed power hitters.
The Athletics offense seeks to keep rolling tonight, yet runs may be harder to come by against Yankees starting pitcher Cam Schlittler. Last season, Schlittler recorded a 2.96 ERA in his first 14 MLB starts. He then threw eight shutout innings in game three of the Yankees wild card series against the Boston Red Sox. This season, Schlittler has raised his game to another level. The 25-year-old has won his first two starts, striking out 15 in 11 2/3 scoreless innings. The A’s will need to take advantage of the opportunities he gives them today. That means jumping on mistake pitches, not chasing pitches outside the strike zone and maybe playing some small ball rather than every batter swinging for the fences.
The Yankees starting lineup behind Schlittler shakes out like this:
Civale must be careful pitching to this lineup. Judge and first baseman Ben Rice already have three home runs off him in their careers. Those two plus Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton will be poised to take advantage of any mistakes Civale makes in his outing.
Can the A’s make it two wins in a row and capture the first game of this series between two historic American League franchises? Let’s go A’s!
CLEVELAND, OH - APRIL 07: Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams (32) delivers a pitch to the plate during the fourth inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Guardians on April 7, 2026, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Cleveland Guardians faced off in game 2 of the 3 game series against the Kansas City Royals. In what was meant to be a later game, the rescheduled day time affair saw great pitching and a walk off victory.
Gavin Williams continues to cement himself as the front runner for the role of Ace. Gavin threw 102 pitches, giving up the only Royals run and hit as a solo shot. In 5.2 innings of work, Williams allowed only one hit, five walks, and struck out eight.
Despite this all, the Guardians pitching staff did struggle with giving the Royals free bases. In total the Royals drew eight walks; 5 from Williams, 1 from Herrin, and 2 from Armstrong. Erik Sabrowski though, he continued to dominate with a clean 15 pitch seventh inning. He threw 10 strikes and faced 3 batters.
José had a nice defensive gem to nab the speedy Bobby Witt Jr. at first base.
Cleveland offense out hit the Royals 8-1 with the entire bench exhausted over the duration of the game. Steven Kwan went 1-for-4 with a two-out RBI single that scored a hustling Austin Hedges from second base.
Austin Hedges continued his version of a hot start, going 1-for-3 with a run and a single.
The two biggest hits of the game came in the second and the ninth innings. Juan Brito made his long awaited major league debut as Gabriel Arias was placed on the 10-day IL. Brito slapped a double in his first major league at bat.
In the bottom of the ninth, with the game tied, the Royals sent Nick Mears to the mound to face the 6-7-8 batters. CJ Kayfus started things with a one-out single to right field. Bo Naylor drew a walk, advancing Kayfus to scoring position. Brayan Rocchio, with an even count, knocked a low 80’s changeup to Lane Thomas in right field to walk it off for Cleveland.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 29: Oneil Cruz #15 of the Pittsburgh Pirates shakes hands after winning the game against the New York Mets at Citi Field on March 29, 2026 in the Queens borough of New York City. The Pittsburgh Pirates won 4-3. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images) | Getty Images
San Diego Padres vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, April 7, 2026, 6:40 p.m. ET
Location: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA
Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Pirates are at home hosting the San Diego Padres this evening at beautiful PNC Park for a three-game series in Pittsburgh.
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PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 6: Nick Castellanos #21 of the San Diego Padres celebrates after hitting an RBI double during the fourth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on April 6, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) | Getty Images
San Diego Padres (5-5) at Pittsburgh Pirates (6-4), April 7, 2026, 3:40 p.m. PST
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The Chicago Cubs, already off to an uneven start this season, will lose right-handed starter Cade Horton for the rest of the season due to elbow surgery, manager Craig Counsell announced on Tuesday, April 7.
Horton, 24, finished runner-up in 2025 Rookie of the Year voting after posting a 2.67 ERA over 22 starts, and likely has the most dominant repertoire of Cubs starters. He pitched into the seventh inning in defeating the Washington Nationals in his season debut March 31, but exited his second start against Cleveland after just one inning.
Now, a rotation that seemed plenty deep after the acquisition of Edward Cabrera from Miami in the off-season will be stretched to the limit.
Horton was preceded to the IL by lefty Matthew Boyd, a 2025 All-Star who suffered a biceps strain. Veteran right-hander Javier Assad was already recalled to take his roster spot.
Now, the club is counting significantly on the return of lefty Justin Steele from Tommy John surgery performed almost exactly a year ago. Steele eyed a May return, but the Cubs placed him on the 60-day IL to begin the year, making that goal a tad ambitious.
And it also puts a greater onus on lefty Shota Imanaga to return to his 2024 form. The Cubs acquired Cabrera in the hopes it would take some heat off Imanaga, who has faded badly each of the past two second halves.
Minus Horton, that margin for error has narrowed for the Cubs, who have lost six of their first 10 games this season.
As the remodeled Mets lineup coalesced during the first week and a half of the regular season, Juan Soto was the constant. He hit when others didn’t. He needed no adjustment or warm-up period. He provided identity for a lineup still discovering one. So being without him and his .355 average and .928 OPS for two to three weeks as he recovers from a calf strain will obviously test them.
It will test them, in part, because to the extent that there is ever a good time to be without Soto, this is not that time. After hosting the Diamondbacks and Athletics this week – neither of whom are built to be pushovers, whatever their early-season showings might suggest – the Mets will fly to Los Angeles to face the mighty Dodgers and Chicago to face the Cubs.
Plus, early in the season is one time of year when the Mets’ other superstar, Francisco Lindor, is often at his worst. He entered Tuesday’s game 2 for his last 20, swinging earlier and often than his manager would like in what Carlos Mendoza characterized as an attempt to swing out of his slump. Bo Bichette is not fully clicking yet, either.
Still, there are reasons to believe the Mets can tread water offensively while Soto heals.
Luis Robert Jr. has already shown flashes of his superstar potential with the Mets. He is hitting .333 with a .907 OPS and demonstrating improved patience, currently looking capable of realizing his potential as a lineup keystone.
Francisco Alvarez, too, looks more like the best version of himself early this year than he did early in 2025. He has a hit in each of his last three games, homered twice Friday in San Francisco, and looks confident at the plate. Production similar to what he sustained after returning from the minors last year (.276 average with a .921 OPS) would help offset the loss of Soto significantly – not to mention what it would do for the Mets when he returns.
More imminently, the Mets will also cross their fingers that Mark Vientos can extend his current torrid stretch into the next week or two. The man who seemed in danger of falling out of the Mets’ plans entirely when spring training ended has hit his way back into relevance. He has a hit in all but one game he has played this year, including seven in his last three games.
Vientos will not sustain a .476 average and 1.236 OPS all season, in part because when healthy, the Mets do not have an obvious position at which he could get regular at-bats. But with Soto injured and Jorge Polanco battling an Achilles issue, they have plenty of room for him now.
As a righty, Vientos also offers help replacing Soto when the Mets face left-handed starters, against whom Soto has a career .843 OPS. Vientos will be a natural fit for all Mendoza’s lineups against lefty starters, though he likely would have found his way into them even without Soto’s injury, too.
Tuesday, against right-hander Zac Gallen, rookie Carson Benge replaced Soto in left field defensively with Vientos at first base and Brett Baty starting in right. With Soto out, Baty will likely get more chances against left-handed starters than the three plate appearances he has taken against lefties this season. Baty is a career .202 hitter against lefties with a .553 OPS, but he took major steps forward against left-handed pitching last year when he hit .247 with a .678 OPS. He is 1 for 3 against lefties this season, and the one was an RBI double.
Against righties, Jared Young will likely continue to see more opportunities than the Mets anticipated when they named him to their Opening Day roster. Young, who went 3 for 3 playing in place of Soto in Sunday’s game in San Francisco, has a 1.005 OPS in 13 at-bats this year.
Even with reasons for optimism around hitters in the bottom of their lineup, the easiest way for the Mets to build sustainable offense without him is for Lindor and Bichette to carry them through it. And the Mets building sustainable offense without Soto is important so that neither he nor his team feels pressured to hurry and turn a small problem into a big one: After all, the best way to survive games without Soto is to avoid them as much as possible.
Apr 6, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Adolis Garcia (53) is hit by a pitch during the seventh inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images | Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images
We’re ten games into the 2026 season, which is not nearly enough to look for things that are concrete. A new approach by one player may only be just a blip on their season long radar. Drawing a conclusion from a ten game sample isn’t really going to give us a lot of information, but it’s worth a try.
Out of all of the things that are happening with the team so far, which one feels the most “real” when it comes to something that might hold all season long?
Much of this offseason centered around the team’s signing of Adolis Garcia to replace Nick Castellanos in right field, a lot of that discussion not really understanding the move. Early on, Garcia has at the very least hit the ball hard, putting himself in the top 25 in average exit velocity, in the top 50 in barrels per plate appearance. He’s started to run into a little more batted ball luck, so it’s nice to see results go with the work.
Several other players are having a decent start to the season, so let’s figure out which one is the most “real”?
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Phillies fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 07: Salvador Perez #13 of the Kansas City Royals reacts during the eighth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on April 07, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In the second inning, Rookie of the Year candidate Carter Jensen crushed a belt-high cutter to the empty right field bleachers for a line drive home run. The homer was Jensen’s third of the year, and put the Royals ahead 1-0 against their divisional rivals, the Guardians.
But that hit turned out to be the only Royals hit all afternoon. When you only get one hit, you’re gonna lose the game, and lose the game the Royals did in a 2-1 final score.
Granted, today’s game was a little odd. The Royals are speedrunning weird weather games, with their 13-run rainfest victory against the Twins last Wednesday an unusually wet and foggy contest as one example. Today’s contest was another example, and Nick Kappel—the Royals’ Director of Media Relations—pointed out that this was the third-coldest first pitch temperature at a balmy 33 degrees. Cleveland, baby!
Coldest 1st-pitch temperatures in @Royals history:
29° April 7, 2007 vs. DET 32° April 8, 2018 at CLE 33° April 7, 2026 (TODAY!) at CLE
Royals batters weren’t totally barred from the experience of running the bases. Kansas City actually drew eight walks, with seven different batters netting their free pass to first base. But no one could get a hit. A little of this was bad luck, as other than Jensen’s home run the Royals had four batted balls with an expected batting average of .570 or better and all of them turned into outs. Of course, the Guardians—miserable little luck merchant gremlins that they are—got hits on all six of their batted balls with an expected average of .570 or better.
Kansas City had their best chance in the eighth inning with one out, Bobby Witt Jr. walked and stole second base. Vinnie Pasquantino walked, and then Witt and pinch runner Lane Thomas executed a double steal. But Salvador Perez had popped up just before, and Jensen struck out immediately after.
And with Matt Strahm and Lucas Erceg unavailable today, and with Carlos Estevez on the injured list, manager Matt Quatraro was forced to turn to his fourth-best reliever in the ninth inning. Predictably, Cleveland was able to do damage against John Shcreiber, effortlessly sandwiching a walk between a pair of singles to squeeze a runner across and excite all 16 remaining fans in attendance.
Hey, Noah Cameron was really good! He threw 5.2 innings, striking out five against one walk and one run. Unfortunately, the Kansas City offense seems intent on forcing their starters to throw near-perfect games for a chance at winning; they came into today with a .653 OPS with runners in scoring position and a .589 OPS in high-leverage situations. Sooner or later, they’ll need to do some damage.
Also, whoever replaced Bobby Witt Jr. with Alcides Escobar, please put them back. It’s getting a little old.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - APRIL 1: Nathan Eovaldi #17 of the Texas Rangers gets set to throw a pitch in the fifth inning during a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 1, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Texas Rangers lineup for April 7, 2026 against the Seattle Mariners: starting pitchers are Nathan Eovaldi for the Rangers and George Kirby for the M’s.
Texas faces Seattle in game two of their series in Arlington. Ezequiel Duran is starting at third base in place of Josh Jung. Duran also pinch ran for Jung last night in the eighth inning after Jung singled to lead off the inning, and I’m guessing Jung is dealing with some sort of leg issue.
The lineup:
Nimmo — RF
Langford — LF
Seager — SS
Burger — 1B
Pederson — DH
Carter — CF
Higashioka — C
Josh Smith — 2B
Duran — 3B
7:05 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are +105 underdogs.
WHERE ARE THE RUNS?: The Cubs have scored more than one run in only two of their last 41 innings: a two-run inning Sunday and another yesterday. They have had only one other crooked-number inning in their last 54: five runs last Wednesday. That makes a total of three multi-run innings in their last six games. They had six in their first four games. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
IT HAPPENED THEN, TOO: The 2007 Cubs started 4-6 and wound up as NL Central champions. Three other times, the team began 4-6 and won 90+ games: 1937 (93), 1912 (91) and 1904 (93).
THE NICO FILES: Nico Hoerner continues to lead the NL in doubles with five, but the team’s total of 12 doubles ranks tied for 26th in MLB.
TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: Mark Grace’s bases-loaded ninth-inning single gave the Cubs a 5-4 walkoff win over the Dodgers at Wrigley Field. It happened 30 years ago today, Sunday, April 7, 1996.
Today was supposed to be Matthew Boyd’s rotation turn, but as you likely know, he went in the injured list yesterday with a bicep strain. Hopefully he won’t be out too long.
With Javier Assad, you know what you’re getting — five, maybe six innings, not too many runs, not too many walks, a lot of ground balls. The latter is fine considering the Cubs’ excellent infield defense.
Jake Fraley, a new member of the Rays this year, is 5-for-13 (.385) vs. Assad with a home run.
The pitch chart below for Assad is from 2025, as today will be his first 2026 MLB appearance.
Like the Cubs, the Rays had to pivot from their original starter for today, Drew Rasmussen. Rasmussen is with his wife, awaiting the birth of their first child.
Thus Mason Englert is going to start this game, and he’s likely a opener for a Rays bullpen day. Englert has never faced the Cubs; only a couple of Cubs have ever faced him, including Alex Bregman (2-for-2).
As you can see by the pitch chart below, Englert has a varied selection of pitches, though he doesn’t throw particularly hard. He has appeared three times this year, maxing out at 24 pitches.
Please visit our SB Nation Rays site Drays Bay. If you do go there to interact with Rays fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.
The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.
You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.
The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.
You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.
Oct 4, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Orion Kerkering (50) pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the eighth inning during game one of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
The Phillies’ bullpen, which has been quite strong of late, is about to get another reinforcement to help shorten up games.
Prior to tonight’s game against SF, the Phillies returned RHP Orion Kerkering from his rehab assignment with LHV (AAA) and reinstated him from the 15-day IL. To make room for him on the 26-man roster, LHP Kyle Backhus was optioned to LHV following last night’s game.
We know the last time that Orion Kerkering set foot on a major league mound, bad things happened for him and for the Phillies. However, the way the bullpen is currently constructed, he shouldn’t have to worry about high leverage situations any time soon. There are others ahead of him in the pecking order and that’s alright.
Kyle Backhus, after a rough Opening Day appearance, has been better with each subsequent appearance, yet with his option remaining, was the odd man out.
On The Mets Pod, Connor Rogers and Joe DeMayo break down this week in New York baseball, including the injury to Juan Soto and the offensive outburst from Bo Bichette and Mark Vientos.
The guys then take a look at the bullpen's success so far and put a spotlight on Clay Holmes' start to the season before going Down on the Farm to determine if it is too early to talk about Elian Peña.
Later, Connor and Joe update their scoreboard predictions and open the Mailbag to answer questions about Carson Benge and Nate Lavender.
Be sure to subscribe to The Mets Pod at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Boston, MA - April 6: Boston Red Sox right fielder Roman Anthony fields the ball in the eighth inning. The Red Sox played the Milwaukee Brewers at Fenway Park on April 6, 2026. (Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
Among all the disasters baked into the Red Sox’ cake of calamity that’s defined the early part of this season, there’s one reoccurring theme that has me shook. Granted, this level of concern should probably be reserved for things like the “give a damn about baseball” vs. “give a damn about what the private equity folks have to say” balance that runs from the top down in this organization. Or perhaps it should targeted towards the struggles of the starting rotation, which is supposed to be the strength of the team. Or maybe even the constant low IQ baseball plays we see from a seemingly new character on a daily basis.
But you know what horrifying development just won’t leave my mind after these first ten games? Roman Anthony’s anemic arm. Everything about this situation feels disquieting, and the somber reality is it has the potential to cut deep into both the present and future of the Red Sox if the issue isn’t fixable.
Simply put, Roman Anthony is the embodiment of where the Red Sox are going as a franchise. Fans already adore him, ownership hitched their wagon to the tantalizing upside and gave him an eight year extension, and he’s rapidly becoming a household name on a national level. Just last night, the Sox were giving out Roman Anthony bobbleheads, and they were gone almost two hours before first pitch.
The Red Sox game starts at 6:45PM and they ran out of Roman Anthony bobbleheads at 5PM.
So given who he is and what he already means to this organization, we need to take a closer look at what’s going on with Roman Anthony’s arm. To keep it bearable (because this is hard stuff to watch), we’ll look at one throw from each of the first four series of the year, starting with this one against the Reds when Cincinnati walked off game 2 of the season:
On one hand, this was a horrible throw. But at the same time, it didn’t raise any alarm bells. It would have taken an absolute cannon to get the speedy TJ Freidl, and Anthony probably had to rush it given the do-or-die nature of the situation. It was one bad throw in one bad game that wasn’t going to define the player or the season. Move on, right?
So this throw wasn’t nearly as bad as the weak, wobbly worm ball from the weekend, but something about it really bothered me. In the context of the game, it represented a missed opportunity to throw a guy out at the plate, and given the fact the Red Sox were on their way to losing their fourth straight, they really could have used a highlight reel play from their young superstar to change momentum. It would have been yet another version of “Wow! Roman Anthony saved Boston’s bacon again. This guy’s awesome!”
But in the grand scheme of things, it’s more than that. This throw still wasn’t even close, and it got me thinking “Roman Anthony just made two of the worst throws I’ve ever seen him make in the last four games. Something’s wrong here.” So since it’s Freak-Out season, I went to the most rationale place on Earth to share my thoughts: Twitter!
Roman Anthony's arm was way, way better last year compared to what we've seen on these first few plays of 2026. None of the possible reasons for this are good.
At first I thought the reason might be an injury. I spent A LOT of time watching Roman Anthony’s journey through the minors, and I can’t ever remember him making a pair of such poor defensive plays so close together. He never struck me as a gold glover, but he was always more than adequate regardless of where you put him in the outfield. Good Ol reliable Roman!
Hell, even now he has a +8 career Defensive Runs Saved number in just 58 big league games in the outfield. That’s great stuff!
Knowing that, something is clearly wrong here. And the Red Sox took notice, too, because in each of the next four games, Anthony didn’t start in the outfield. In the series finale against the Astros, he started the day on the bench, and despite a pinch hit homer in the late innings, he never took the field. Then against the Padres, he started all three days at DH, which is extremely noteworthy because, since being called up last June, this is the first time the Sox had ever done that with Anthony. In fact, they only even started him at DH in back to back games twice last season.
But of course, starting at DH doesn’t mean finishing at DH, and Anthony ended up in left field for one crucial frame during ninth inning after Andruw Monasterio pinch hit for Jarren Duran in the 8th. Right away, the baseball gods found his arm and inflicted more punishment:
If Anthony’s arm issues are a mental and mechanical thing, this could not have gone any worse! The Sox tried to work him out of the role for a few days to steady the ship behind the scenes, and instead he gets shuffled right back into the deck for one critical inning and immediately gets a throwing error attached to his name. Yikes!
To take this one step further, it doesn’t appear to be an injury thing. As Red Sox Stats pointed out on Monday, Anthony’s strongest throw of the season is right up there with Wilyer Abreu’s.
2026 max throw speed from the outfielders
91 mph – Wilyer Abreu 91 mph – Roman Anthony 87 mph – Ceddanne Rafaela 83 mph – Masataka Yoshida 81 mph – Jarren Duran
Instead, this appears to be a bug that’s crawled right inside Anthony’s head, and now, he can’t shake it. Even worse, other teams have noticed and are picking on him like a wounded animal, ready to drown the distressed star his own nightmare. All of this culminated in last night’s game against the Brewers when Anthony unleashed whatever this hideous thing was during a tied game in the eighth inning:
This is what a complete meltdown looks like. Anthony started fielding this ball when the runner was three steps from third, and the Brewers said we don’t think you can make that throw with whatever it is you’ve got going on right now — and boy were they right! This challenge rattled Roman Anthony to his core in a way I just can’t remember him ever getting rattled since he put on a Red Sox uniform. He just completely locked up and couldn’t make a remotely competitive thrown. His footwork fell apart, his body was pointed the wrong direction, and I’m sure his head was filled with demons.
If you’re able to take your eyes off the wayward ball on that reply in the second shot above, you can vaguely see Anthony put his hand in front of his mouth as the ball heads to the backstop as if to say “Huh? I can’t believe I just did that.”
So now the question is where do we go from here, and unfortunately, there’s no easy answers. If it’s the yips, and that’s clearly what this looks like given the wide variety of velocity on all of his throws, we just have to hope Roman can fight through it and beat this thing. If he can’t, it severely damages what he can become as a player, instantly sabotaging the above average jumps he gets and routes he takes on fly balls. You go from Anthony’s ceiling being an above average outfield defender as a top notch bat to a really, really good DH, and I don’t even want to think about all the ramifications that could have right now.
In fact, I’m still just trying to digest how sad he looked in the dugout after the game last night:
But man, sometimes these gremlins get guys. Remember how Jon Lester completely lost the ability to throw accurately to first base despite displaying pinpoint control when firing the ball 60 feet, six inches? He was at least able to battle through that by getting enough guys out at the plate, but for an outfielder, there’s really no way to deal with this thing besides facing it head on and beating it.
Worse yet, it’s something that’s incredibly difficult to prepare for. You can’t build up a routine leading into a high pressure moment like you would for a plate appearance when you’re 0-20 or something. You just need to be ready to fix it all of the time despite potentially going days without getting a chance to show off how you worked on the skill. When the monster is mental, it’s not easy!
And if this thing does get our golden boy, I’m going to be furious at this organization, even though there’s no way to definitely prove how the yips start. The Red Sox have anointed Roman Anthony the savior and put everything on him! They put him at the top of the lineup, they locked him up long-term on a team friendly deal, they gave him no real right handed protection to bat behind him, they’ve marketed him as “The guy!” and they just keep stacking more and more stuff on his plate like he’s this universal get out of jail free card for the way they’ve behaved as a franchise for the last handful of years.
So I can’t help but wonder, what if these throws are how all of the pressure is manifesting itself? What if Roman Anthony in working his tail off to balance his role as leadoff hitter at the plate and new leader in the clubhouse as a 21-year-old managed to hold it all together for that, but then cracked in this manner because they want him to be Mr. Everything? Could this just be the ridiculous load they’ve put on him finally being too much to bear?
Ideally, this Roman will find a way to fight off the soul sucking barbarian coming for his defensive career. He’ll even learn from the experience — like he does everything else, come back stronger, and put it so far in the past we’ll just laugh when we look back in the future. But at this point, I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t concerned. The Red Sox need Roman Anthony to be the best version of himself, and for the first time, there’s a legitimate and obvious obstacle in his way he’s struggling to negotiate.
So how concerned should we be about Roman Anthony’s throws? I honestly don’t know, and that’s kind of the scariest thing of all.
JERSEY CITY, NJ - MARCH 30: The sun rises behind the skyline of midtown Manhattan and the Empire State Building in New York City on March 30, 2026, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today’s Lineups
DIAMONDBACKS
METS
Ketel Marte – 2B
Francisco Lindor – SS
Corbin Carroll – RF
Bo Bichette – 3B
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Jorge Polanco – DH
Gabriel Moreno – C
Luis Robert – CF
Adrian Del Castillo – DH
Brett Baty – RF
Nolan Arenado – 3B
Mark Vientos – 1B
Ildemaro Vargas – 1B
Marcus Semien – 2B
Alek Thomas – CF
Carson Benge – LF
Jorge Barrosa – LF
Francisco Alvarez – C
Zac Gallen – RHP
Freddy Peralta – RHP
Roster moves
The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves. The D-backs’ 40-man roster is at 40.
Selected from Triple-A Reno: INF Luken Baker (No. 21)
Placed on 10-day injured list: INF Carlos Santana (strained right adductor; retro to April 6)
Transferred to the 60-day injured list: INF/OF Jordan Lawlar (fractured right wrist)
As expected, Santana goes onto the IL, with Lawlar going to the 60-day IL due to his broken wrist. That now gives Arizona seven players on that. Baker was signed as a minor-league free-agent in January. He was originally a Cardinals draft pick, and appeared 73 times for them over the past three seasons. Baker was picked off waivers by the Dodgers in August, but didn’t play in Los Angeles and was released in November. With Tyler Locklear, Pavin Smith and Santana now all on the injured list, Baker gets his chance. He hasn’t impressed in the bigs to date, with a line of .206/.317/.338 for a .655 OPS (83 OPS+). The right-handed hitter turned 29 last month. Needs must.
According to the weather forecast, the temperature at first pitch this afternoon in New York is going to be 48F, although it will feel like 40F. Quite glad for the team that they moved this one up, because at 7 pm, the “feels like” temperature would be a disturbing 30F – and you can take a few degrees off that over the course of the evening. Definitely a shock to the system to fly from Phoenix, where the high on Sunday was a balmy 96F. I hope none of the Diamondbacks shatter when they get off the plane. Maybe they’ll end up setting fire to the dugout at Citi Field to keep warm.
Caleb Durbin (3B Red Sox): Rostered in 20 percent of Yahoo leagues
Durbin was a surprising trade target for the Red Sox after they failed to re-sign Alex Bregman and struck out on acquiring Isaac Paredes from the Astros. Coming off a surprisingly successful rookie season in Milwaukee, he figured to be a keeper for the thrifty Brewers. Probably the fact that they made him available in the first place should have been a red flag. Just two weeks in, getting Kyle Harrison and David Hamilton for him already looks like a bit of a heist.
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Admittedly, this isn’t reading as much of a recommendation so far. But while Durbin’s future as a major league regular should be in some doubt, the Red Sox are going to give him an extended opportunity here. Durbin’s big issue this year is that he’s been hitting too many grounders, something that hasn’t been a problem previously. Once he solves that, he and the Green Monster should become fast friends. Durbin can’t hit 400-foot flies with any regularity, but 340-360 foot shots to left should be pretty common. He was in the 68th percentile in pulled fly ball rate last year, and as rarely as he strikes out, getting back to that make for a bunch of doubles.
The Red Sox offense has been dreadful so far, but this still projects to be an above average group. While Durbin was dropped from sixth to seventh in the lineup on Monday, he might just wind up batting second once he heats up some; the Red Sox need a right-handed hitter there and he's certainly better suited than Trevor Story for the spot. He’ll have a decent enough average in the end and probably swipe 15-20 bases. He’s not someone who should be sitting on the waiver wire in standard leagues.
Garrett Mitchell (OF Brewers): Rostered in 15 percent of Yahoo leagues
The strikeout-prone Mitchell remains a flawed player, and it sounds like he might have been sent down this spring if it had been manager Pat Murphy’s choice (though he might have gotten his spot back anyway with Jackson Chourio hurt).
Pat Murphy with an honest take on Garrett Mitchell: "I was the first one to believe that Garrett wasn't ready. He had really poor results in spring training, but the front office was really adamant that this guy can be our best player and in a lot of ways I was skeptical."
Since the season started, however, Mitchell has been a beast, hitting .333 with a homer and three steals in nine games. He’s currently tied for first in the majors with 13 RBI. Mitchell has struck out 41 percent of the time, but eight of his 15 balls in play have been hard hit, with six of those topping 106 mph off the bat.
In the long run, Mitchell is going to strike out too often to hit for quality average. However, the power is certainly legit, as is his basestealing ability. He’s struggled mightily to stay healthy since first arriving in Milwaukee in 2022, but he has a career 116 OPS+ and is 26-for-32 stealing bases in 150 games. Even though he’ll probably need to be dropped at some point, there’s no way he should be unrostered in 85 percent of leagues right now. Pick him up and enjoy it while it lasts.
Caleb Kilian (RP Giants): Rostered in one percent of Yahoo leagues
Very little was made of Kilian returning to the Giants organization in December, 4 ½ years after he and Alexander Canario were traded to the Cubs for Kris Bryant in a deadline deal. Kilian was a fine rotation prospect at the time, but he never mastered Triple-A and then missed much of the last two seasons before showing some ability in a stint in the Iowa down the stretch. He was averaging 96 mph with his fastball then, up about one mph from his peak as a starter and 2.5 mph from his couple of appearances with the Cubs in 2024. When he arrived this spring, he was up to 97.5 mph, and he’s maintained that velocity in throwing 4 2/3 scoreless innings to start the season.
With his fastball working so well, Kilian’s cutter has at least temporarily vanished from his arsenal. It was his most used pitch this year, and he was still throwing it regularly this spring. However, he’s taken to featuring his curve as his No. 2 pitch, and it’s easy to see why.
Kilian is probably a big injury risk, given his recent shoulder problems and the velocity spike. He also hasn’t actually pitched with a lead yet in his five appearances, though he got into his biggest situation yet in Monday’s loss and fared well. Still, he has the best stuff in a lousy Giants bullpen. Manager Tony Vitello has already showed he’s not married to Ryan Walker in the closer’s role, and that’s probably for the best, especially with Walker’s velocity down one mph from last year; he’s thus far gotten one whiff on 30 swings. If Kilian doesn't have to be snatched up in mixed leagues just yet, he’s well worth keeping an eye on. If he gets a chance and turns in a couple of scoreless eighth innings and Walker remains shaky, he might quickly become the man for the Giants.
Waiver Wire Quick Hits
- The White Sox didn't call up prospect Sam Antonacci to replace the injured Austin Hays on Tuesday, but maybe they would have had Hays waited another couple of weeks to strain his hammy. Antonacci is still learning left field after playing exclusively in the infield prior to this year, but he's opened up 9-for-26 with two homers and a 3/8 K/BB in seven games for Triple-A Charlotte. He's also 4-for-4 stealing bases after going 48-for-58 last year. The power probably isn't going to be there in the majors, but if he gets a chance to start regularly for the White Sox, he might steal enough bases to be pretty useful.
- Off to the hotter start in Triple-A, Juan Brito (.314/.405/.457) got the nod over Travis Bazzana (.212/.316/.394) to serve as Gabriel Arias's replacement in Cleveland. Neither are options at shortstop while Arias is out, so that wasn't a factor. With Bazzana locked in at second base for Columbus, Brito had started six games at third and two at first to begin the year. Brito, a switch-hitter, looked like he might be the Guardians' long-term second baseman before Bazzana was drafted first overall two years ago. He's an iffier prospect now after missing most of last year, but his great approach helps make up for his lack of power potential. He's probably not going to be much of a factor in fantasy leagues this time around.
