Category: MLB

Atlanta Braves outfielder Lane Thomas was scratched from Thursday’s lineup and is headed to the injured list. Manager Walt Weiss called it an intercostal strain and noted that Thomas could be out for the remainder of the season. 

Thomas, who has averaged .171 for Atlanta in 21 games, makes the second Brave to hit the injured list this week. Thomas’ absence could lead to some playing time for Brewer Hicklen as the Braves navigate the final stretch of the regular season.

More Braves News:

The Braves avoided a sweep from the Tampa Bay Rays after Thursday afternoon’s 3-1 win.

Brett Sears recorded a 10-strikeout night for the Gwinnett Stripers on Wednesday. More in the minor league recap. 

The Braves reportedly discussed going after Jacob deGrom in exchange for Spencer Strider.

MLB News:

The Pittsburgh Pirates placed right-hander Braxton Ashcraft on the 15-day injured list due to arm discomfort. The move is retroactive to September 7.

Cleveland Guardians righty Andrew Walters underwent an internal brace procedure and may miss the entire 2027 season.

The New York Yankees have officially placed Jazz Chisholm Jr. on the injured list with a thumb sprain. The move is retroactive to September 9.

From the Feed:

How many games do you think the Braves will win over the Phillies in their final clash of the regular season?

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The first-place Atlanta Braves are priced as a massive 63% favorite tonight against their NL East rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies, in the series opener at Truist Park. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET. 

Chris Sale has already carved up Philly several times this season, so my Phillies vs. Braves predictions back the hosts to take the first game of this three-game set. 

Read more in my MLB picks for Friday, Sep. 11. 

Who will win Phillies vs Braves today: Braves (64%)

For help understanding probabilities, see our odds calculator.

Aaron Nola has been solid lately, posting a 3.10 FIP over the last month, but his road profile is more vulnerable with a 4.60 FIP this season.

The Atlanta Braves also have plenty of familiarity, hitting .285 across 410 at-bats against him, and tagged him for six earned runs earlier this year.

Chris Sale gives the Braves the stronger starting edge. He owns a 2.36 FIP at home and a 2.77 xERA over his previous four outings with minimal home-run damage.

Sale also has a 1.42 ERA against the Philadelphia Phillies in 2026 across three starts and has held current Phillies hitters to a .221 average over 154 career at-bats.

Take Atlanta. Play up to 65%, but look to the run line if it moves higher.

COVERS INTEL: Sale has allowed just 0.33 BB/9 over the last month. That's compared to his season average of 1.74 BB/9. The left-hander is consistently pounding the strike zone. 

Phillies vs Braves Over/Under pick: Over 7.5 (48%)

I expect both starters to hold their own, but the bullpen profiles are hard to ignore.

While the Phillies and Braves aren’t exactly flourishing at the plate — Atlanta’s wRC+ sits at 45 over the last week, while Philadelphia’s is at 82 — both bullpens are struggling.

The Braves’ bullpen has a 5.23 FIP over its last 24 frames with 2.22 HR/9 allowed. Philadelphia’s pen also owns an FIP above five over the last seven days with significant home-run damage.

It’s not a slam-dunk angle because of the offensive form of these two teams, but the late-game pitching vulnerabilities are difficult to overlook.

Play this pick up to 50%.

Phillies vs Braves home run prediction: Kyle Schwarber (24%)

Sale may be dominant, but Kyle Schwarber has four homers in his last seven games, and the slugger also has two career home runs off the left-hander.

Atlanta’s bullpen has been vulnerable lately as well, giving Schwarber another path once Sale exits.

Schwarber’s ISO sits at .444 over the last week, supported by a 50% hard-hit rate and 20% barrel rate. He may not be hitting for average right now, but the quality of contact remains elite.

Play this pick up to 25%.

Phillies vs Braves weather

Weather could be a factor tonight at Truist Park, with warm, humid conditions and possible thunderstorms around first pitch. Rain chances sit around 50% early on, before gradually easing later in the evening, so there is some delay risk. Winds look fairly light, limiting any major carry impact.

Phillies vs Braves odds

• Moneyline: Phillies 38% | Braves 63%
• Run line: Phillies +1.5 (57%) | Braves -1.5 (44%)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (49%) | Under 7.5 (52%)

Phillies vs Braves trend

The Philadelphia Phillies have hit the Game Total Under in 30 of their last 50 away games (+10.40 Units / 19% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Phillies vs. Braves.

How to watch Phillies vs Braves and game info

Phillies vs Braves latest injuries

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The Rays have to figure it out against left-handed pitching or with the bases loaded, ideally both, or it will be another quick exit in October.

With how well Tampa Bay right-hander Nick Martinez threw today, going 6.1 IP and only allowing two hits and no runs, the offense appeared to have had too much Waffle House before the matinee in Atlanta.

In the top of the first, the Rays offense had their chance at an All-Star Special early on Braves lefty Martin Perez. 

Bases loaded, one out, and Chandler Simpson grounds out into a rare 3-2-3 double play to end the inning.

From the bottom of the first through the bottom of the fifth, both the Rays and Braves traded off frames of five batters or less with nothing to show for it. Scoreless and steamy on an 83-degree, partly cloudy day in Cobb County, we fast forward to the eighth.

Good old-fashioned BABIP luck came to bite Kevin Kelly, as an Ozzie Albies triple and an Austin Riley backside single gave the Braves a 1-0 lead, and who other than Ha-Seong Kim to provide the insurance with a two-run RBI single.

Tampa Bay would threaten in the ninth with a Victor Mesa Jr. solo shot off Raisel Iglesias followed by a Chandler Simpson walk, but it went all for naught as the Rays drop the finale from Truist Park.

Tampa bay returns home to face the AL West-leading Astros with a magic number of 1 to clinch a playoff spot.

The Dodgers bullpen contains pitchers who’ve bounced back after a rough first season in Los Angeles— i.e. Tanner Scott— and those who have struggled since first donning the Dodger blue— i.e. Edwin Díaz.

For a closer signed to a three-year, $69 million over the offseason, Díaz has come nowhere near close to meeting expectations, as the right-hander has an ERA at 11.85 over just 13 2/3 innings when he’s been healthy. The majority of his season was lost after undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies elbow in April that kept him out for three months and being placed on the injured list in August due to neck inflammation.

Jared Greenspan of MLB.com notes that Díaz is starting to reach the finish line for his rehab assignment, as he appeared in back-to-back games for the Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets, but he will not return to the closer role once he rejoins the big league club.

When Díaz does eventually return to the big league club, he is not expected to slot right into the closer’s role. He will be eased back into lower leverage situations where he can continue to refine his mechanics, like raising his arm angle that has fallen significantly from last season. 

Shohei Ohtani’s goal of being a two-way player for a full season came crashing down on Wednesday with the news of him landing on the 15-day IL, as he continues to nurse injuries to his left knee and right biceps.

Although Ohtani was in the lineup on Monday against the Cincinnati Reds, it was the only game he played in the three-game set, and an awkward swing was a key culprit for the Dodgers’ decision to place him on the IL, notes Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times.

“It was more just really huddling up and saying, ‘Hey, how are you going to feel on Friday? How are you going to feel on Saturday, talking to the doctors and training staff?’” Roberts said. “There was not much certainty that he’d be in a much better place. With that, just taking it off the table seemed like the best course of action.”

In place of Ohtani on the active roster is the Dodgers’ no. 1 prospect, 21-year-old outfielder Josue De Paula, who will make his big league debut on Friday against the Miami Marlins. Jack Harris of the California Post gives an insight to what fans can see out of De Paula, who has received high praise from the Dodgers brass after a star-studded season with the Double-A Tulsa Drillers.

“We’ve seen him in camp for two or three years. He doesn’t run from velocity. He controls the strike zone,” Roberts said. “I think this is just a good opportunity for him to kind of cut his teeth in the big leagues … We can get him some major league at-bats and see how that looks.”

Entering this season, Adael Amador had played in 51 games for the Rockies since making his MLB debut on June 9, 2026. During that time, Amador yo-yoed from Triple-A Albuquerque and Colorado, putting up impressive numbers for the Isotopes, only to struggle with the Rockies.

In June, Purple Row’s Skyler Timmins even wrote about what the Rockies should do with their highly touted prospect who couldn’t seem to crack the MLB code. Skyler discussed the value of trying out Amador in the outfield in addition to second base, giving more versatility to the switch hitter. It seemed more likely than trading Amador, especially without a Rockie having locked down the starting spot at second base and the team valuing utility players.

Perhaps all Amador needed was more time to develop with the Isotopes. Still just 23 years old, Amador hit .264/.367/.428 with 21 doubles, three triples, 11 home runs, and 62 RBIs while drawing more walks than strikeouts — 61 to 48 — in 94 games. A seasoned second baseman who can also play shortstop, Amador also added some time in left field to his resume.

After just 12 games, in 40 plate appearances, Amador has posted 12 hits — including three homers and two doubles — with 10 runs scored, 10 RBI, seven strikeouts and four walks. He’s hitting .333/.400/.639 with a 1.039 OPS.

It’s a night-and-day difference from his previous stints with the Rockies.

After parts of two seasons in 2024 and 2025, in 164 plate appearances, Amador combined for 26 hits, including eight doubles and one homer, scored six runs, drove in 10 runs, struck out 33 times and walked 12 times. He hit .176/.242/.250 with an OPS of .492.

In nearly every metric, Amador’s 2026 numbers reflect a completely different player.

Obviously, 12 games isn’t very many in a season known for the grit required to grind out a 162-game marathon. But Amador has done better in this set of games than he has during any other time in his MLB career. After posting a strikeout rate of 21.1% in 2025, Amador has dropped it to 17.5% this season. He’s also increased his walk rate exponentially each season from 2.8% in 2024, to 8.6% last season to 10% in 2026.

Another big change is in the power. After hitting one homer in 148 at-bats in his first two seasons, Amador has connected for three in 32 at-bats this year. That includes a solo shot off New York Yankee Cam Schlittler on Tuesday.

Amador has provided much-needed depth as the Rockies have faced some infielder injuries in August and September. He was first called up on Aug. 12 when Kyle Karros went on the 7-day concussion list. Before being sent back to Albuquerque on Aug. 21, Amador went 3-for-10 with five runs scored, a double, a homer, six RBIs and three walks and five strikeouts in five games.

After a short stint back with the Isotopes, Amador was called up again thanks to MLB’s expanded September rosters. He then benefited from the opening created by Willi Castro’s left heel inflammation that put him on the 10-day IL on Sept. 2. In seven games in September, Amador has gone 9-for-26 with five runs scored, four RBIs, two homers, a double, three strikeouts and one walk. It started with a bang with a solo homer in his first game back.

The next day, Amador scored the winning run when Brett Sullivan hit a walk-off single against the Orioles.

Amador’s bat has been so effective that Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer slotted him in at DH on Thursday night in New York vs. the Yankees. He went 1-for-4 with a strikeout in the 10-3 loss.

Embodying a true “next man up” mentality, Amador has taken advantage of his opportunities. With 16 games remaining this season for the Rockies, Amador is trying to prove that 2026 represents the real Amador. In doing so, he may be auditioning for second base and utility for next season.

He’s battling Connor Norby, who’s had an impressive start with Colorado since being acquired in the Victor Vodnik trade with the Miami Marlins on Aug. 3. Norby was called up on Aug. 10 when Tyler Freeman went on the IL. As of now, they’ll be contending with Castro — who has one year remaining on his two-year, $12.8-million deal — for second base and utility jobs.

If Amador can keep up his impressive August and September, he’ll be one step closer to proving he was worth the hype when the Rockies signed him out of the Dominican Republic in 2019 when he was just 16.

On the Farm

Triple-A: Reno Aces 3, Albuquerque Isotopes 2

After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, the Isotopes struck back to tie the game in the second when Chad Stevens walked, Bryant Betancourt singled and Conner Capel hit a sacrifice fly to plate Stevens. Reno rallied back to score runs in the bottom of the third and fifth innings to go up 3-1. In the sixth, Roc Roggio hit a two-out single and moved to second when Stevens walked. Betancourt, who recorded two of Albuquerque’s five hits, followed with an RBI single to cut Reno’s lead to one. But that was the end of the would-be comeback. Eiberson Castellano suffered the loss, dropping to 4-4, after giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts in 3.1 relief innings.

Double-A: Somerset Patriots 3, Hartford Yard Goats 0

Little did the Yard Goats know that when Braylen Wimmer singled on a ground ball to right field to lead off the second inning, it would be their only hit for the night. The second frame seemed promising when Wimmer then stole second, but then Wimmer was picked off. Dyan Jorge then reached base on a fielding error and also stole second base, only to be stranded when Jack O’Dowd struck out. Matt Antico was hit by a pitch and stole second in the sixth, but was left there. O’Dowd drew a walk and Antico was hit by a pitch again to give Hartford two more base runners, but they were also stranded. Hartford was outhit 13-1 by the Patriots. Jackson Cox took the loss (2-4) after giving up two runs on four hits with three strikeouts in three innings.

Quintana, Freeland pitch scoreless ball in Double-A rehab outings | MLB.com

The lefties are coming back. Jose Quintana hasn’t pitched for the Rockies since May 24, while Kyle Freeland hasn’t been on the mound for Colorado since Aug. 19. Quintana has missed most of the season with a left elbow strain, while Freeland was sidelined with cervical radiculopathy. Both played for the Yard Goats with Quintana throwing two scoreless innings and Freeland adding three more on Wednesday night. Freeland is expected to rejoin the Rockies soon, while Quintana is expected to have at least one more rehab start.

Diamond Dawgs vendor retiring after 31 Rockies seasons | Denver Westword

As long as the Rockies have played at Coors Field, which started in 1995, Joyl Watkins has been serving up hot dogs at the corner of 19th and Wynkoop. But this season will be his last as the vendor has decided to call it a career.

MLB Power Rankings Week 24: AL contender rising in mid-September | ESPN.com

The Rockies aren’t last. Thanks to a better offense, especially on the road, the Rockies have finally crawled out of the basement to No. 29.

A Vibe of Their Own: With dynamic players, the WPBL is establishing its culture in inaugural season | Kick the Concrete

With the Women’s Pro Baseball League playoffs in full swing, I just wanted to share some articles I wrote after making the trip to Springfield, Ill. to see some games in August. This one is about the swagger of the league and comes with a playlist of walk-up songs. Here’s another one on some women’s baseball history.

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

The Rays are in the midst of one of their most successful seasons. As the road trip continues at “The Trop”, we sit down exclusively at The Crawfish Boxes with a familiar face and friend, the one and only Dewayne Staats. He’s  called over 7,000 games and has been with Tampa Bay since their inception back in 1998.

Q: How much have the Rays benefited this season being pushed in their divisional race by New York? 

A: I actually think the Yankees benefit from being pushed by the Rays. Regardless of how the race ends, I really think this club has been focused on its own performance: self critical, self pushed, self accountable.  It very well may come down to the final week in the Bronx.

Q: This upcoming weekend should feature some quality baseball from both sides who each are expected to reach and play significant games in October. What do you expect this weekend?

A: Astros are a test every series they play. The Rays play the schedule one series and one game at a time. There is plenty of respect for the Astros talent, which serves as a motivation for the Rays.

Q: Are there any weaknesses on this Rays club beyond starting shortstop? 

A: This roster has been really interesting as and perhaps a throwback a decade or two ago.  Not just home runs and strikeouts, but a roster depending on a variety of baseball talents.  The top three or four hitters in the lineup sport extra base hit power/production. Beyond that is a ‘manufacturing’ of runs utilizing a variety of skills including speed, moving runners, being smart and aggressive.  Like most teams, overcoming injuries is always present. Athleticism and versatility has helped this team.

Q:     Finally, what would say to Houstonians who grew up with you in their living rooms back in the 70’s & 80’s calling Astros Games?

A: My years in Houston were a dream come true.  I was a Colt45/ Astro fan growing up in the Midwest listening to Gene Elston. Gene answered my letters and was a major figure in me pursuing a Major League Baseball career.  He was a very special force in my life.  My daughters were born in Houston.  We own a place there as well as Florida, and still have great family and friends there including Todd Kalas.

Twenty five years ago today, the world irrevocably changed. There was “the world before 9/11” and “the world after 9/11”. On September 10, 2001, the Minnesota Twins played their last game in that old world.

Opening up what was to be a four-game series at Detroit’s year-old Comerica Park, the Twins sent Joe Mays to the mound to oppose the Tigers’ knuckleball-ing starter Steve Sparks.

The visitors got on the board first in the top of the second inning when a Corey Koskie triple was paid off via a David Ortiz sacrifice fly. 1-0 MIN.

A similar sac from Brandon Inge tied the contest in B3, plating Damion Easley. 1-1.

In a sequence that probably would have netted some early defensive work with manager Tom Kelly the next day were the world’s trajectory not about to wobble, errors from Koskie at 3B & Cristian Guzman at SS gave DET a 2-1 lead in B5.

Fortunately, a T8 leadoff single from Luis Rivas eventually came around to score on a Koskie RBI knock. 2-2.

After Mays finished eight strong frames (4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K), the Twins would complete the comeback in T9. This time it was Torii Hunter hammering a leadoff triple and trotting home on a Matthew LeCroy sac fly.

“Everyday” Eddie Guardado entered for the save and punched out both Tony Clark & Randall Simon before inducing a game-ending fly out from Shane Halter.

Your Final: Minnesota Twins 3, Detroit Tigers 2.

That night, 19,456 fans attended a baseball game. They ate hot dogs, peanuts, & Cracker Jack and guzzled soda & beer. They were treated to a tight back-and-forth sporting contest. The Twins moved to within 6 games of AL Central front-running Cleveland (spoiler alert: MN wouldn’t catch them).

The next time the Minnesota Twins baseball club assembled on a diamond was September 18, 2001—and it was a different world.

Twenty five years later, let’s remember that monumental moment in history, reflect on its significance, and hopefully learn the right lessons going forward so as not to let that particular strand of history ever repeat itself.

Good morning, baseball fans!

The San Francisco Giants are playing a home series this weekend, which means it’s time to take a look at what Oracle Park has on deck for fans.

Oddly enough, they have no events or giveaways posted for tonight’s game. That’s kind of unusual. If I missed something, please feel free to weigh in down in the comments.

However, Saturday will feature Dog Days Part 2 as the special event for the day. Fans with special event tickets will be able to bring their canine buddies to the park to partake in an on-field parade. Also, I don’t know if I’m interpreting this wrong or if this is how it’s always been done, but their website says, and I quote, “All dogs must have a ticket to enter the ballpark and sit in the designated Dog Days section.” I kind of always assumed that the dogs got in on their owners’ ticket. (Since, you know, they are dogs and completely unaware of the concept of tickets and money.)

Anyway, there will be a giveaway for Saturday’s game as well. The first 15,000 fans in attendance will receive a Willy Adames long sleeve jersey giveaway.

Sunday is a big one, as it is Pediatric Cancer Awareness day at the park. This requires a special event ticket as well, and those attending with said tickets will receive a beanie giveaway for both themselves and for a child who is going through cancer treatment.

Additionally, the first 15,000 fans in attendance will receive a Logan Webb football jersey giveaway.

If you’re headed to a game this weekend, have fun!

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants begin this weekend series against the San Diego Padres tonight at 7:15 p.m. PT.

I think the Brewers are now officially close enough to clinching a postseason berth — they can do so as soon as this weekend — that we can start talking about plans for the postseason without jinxing anything.

So, who is going to pitch? What is going to be the plan? I’m going to take a look first at the starting rotation, then the bullpen.

First: a quick reminder on postseason roster rules. Anyone who was either on the Brewers’ 40-man roster or their 60-day injured list as of September 1 (at 12 p.m. ET, technically) is eligible for the postseason roster. Players who were in the minor league system but not on the 40-man roster on August 31 need to be injury replacements, and they need approval from the league, but are likely also postseason eligible (for example: the Dodgers are calling up Josue De Paula from Double-A today, and presumably the league would approve him for postseason eligibility because he’s replacing Shohei Ohtani on the active roster). The Brewers haven’t added anyone since September 1 (aside from minor leaguer Ben Moore, who will not be eligible), so they don’t have to worry about this. Rosters in the postseason are 26 players, and teams can replace players who are injured within a round with approval from the commissioner’s office (though the injured player then cannot return during that round).

The Starters

The Brewers would need four starters (with caveats about bullpen games) in both the NLDS and the NLCS; the schedule is such that in both series, the first four games happen within five days. There are two guys who we will unquestionably see start games this postseason: Jacob Misiorowski and Logan Henderson. After that, things get murky.

If we’re assuming that Brandon Sproat’s adventure on Wednesday night eliminated him from any real consideration for the rest of the season (he was optioned on Thursday morning), that means that there are four healthy players currently on the Brewers who could conceivably pitch in a postseason starting rotation. Here are those players’ numbers since the trade deadline on August 3:

• Dustin May: 6 games (all starts), 23 1/3 innings, 6.17 ERA, 5.20 FIP, 21 strikeouts, 10 walks
• Robert Gasser: 6 games (all starts except one injury replacement outing when he pitched 5 1/3 innings), 29 innings, 4.34 ERA, 4.20 FIP, 29 strikeouts, 13 walks
• Shane Drohan: 6 games (five starts), 26 1/3 innings, 6.15 ERA, 5.53 FIP, 26 strikeouts, 15 walks
• Kyle Harrison: 6 games (all starts), 27 innings, 5.67 ERA, 6.91 FIP, 33 strikeouts, 13 walks

When three of the four options for your number three starter have an ERA above 5.60, that’s not ideal. Harrison in particular doesn’t look like an option right at this moment — after he returned from about a month on the injured list in early August, he allowed just four earned runs in his first four starts back. In his last two, he’s been crushed: nine earned runs in 3 2/3 innings against the Cubs on August 31 and six runs (four earned) in 3 2/3 innings against the Reds on September 6. Even in his good outings earlier in August, he was routinely struggling with velocity and command.

The Brewers might like Drohan more as a multi-inning bullpen guy. As a starter this season, Drohan has allowed a .777 opponent OPS. His command is better. His WHIP is way better — 1.414 as a starter versus 0.975 as a reliever. He has a 4.83 ERA in 87 2/3 innings as a starter and a 1.69 ERA in 26 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. Drohan has been valuable as an innings-eating starter this season, but he’s pretty clearly more effective as a reliever.

May has been an enigma as a Brewer. His first two starts were excellent: he combined for 13 innings and three runs allowed. Then he gave up seven runs in two innings against the Mariners, took a line drive off his back on the first pitch in his next outing and left early, then had two shaky outings in which he couldn’t complete five innings against the Rangers and Reds, combining for eight innings and six runs allowed between them.

At times this season, May has looked like a guy who could start in the postseason, but right now, it doesn’t look that way. He has very little experience out of the bullpen, though: he’s only got 14 appearances out of the bullpen in his entire career, and 12 of those came in 2019 and 2020, when he was a brand-new major leaguer.

The last guy here is Gasser. His overall numbers this season are mediocre; he owns a 92 ERA+ and a FIP and ERA that are exactly the same (a pedestrian 4.43). But while his numbers since the trade deadline are overall not great (even if they’re better than any of these other options), he’s trending in the right direction. Over his last three outings, Gasser has a 2.51 ERA and 3.38 FIP in 14 1/3 innings, and as we reach the end of the season, his velocity is actually going up.

Based on the data we have here, Gasser is the one who has looked the best lately. Of course, we could see some shifts in how we feel about any of these guys between now and the end of the regular season. Right now, I’d expect Misiorowski and Henderson to be the one and two guys and Gasser and May as three and four, though with extremely short leashes on the latter two.

The Relievers

A big part of the reason why the Brewers can afford to be aggressive with their somewhat shaky back end of the rotation in the postseason is that they’ve got a lot of options, particularly amongst pitchers who could go more than an inning. As we saw during last year’s postseason, this type of reliever is critical in the way the game is played these days.

If we assume that Miz, Henderson, Gasser, and May all make the postseason roster, that leaves nine more openings for pitchers. Here’s who we’ve got as options:

• Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe are obvious no-brainers at the back of the bullpen.
• Aaron Ashby is also a no-brainer, and DL Hall has pitched well enough lately that he’s also moved into the “no-brainer” category. Both players could pitch two innings if you needed them to.
• Antonio Senzatela’s numbers haven’t been great since he came to the Brewers, but he seems certain to have a role in this bullpen in the postseason; if nothing else, he’s an extreme groundball pitcher who could be used in a spot where you really need a double play.
• JoJo Romero has only pitched five times for the Brewers, but he’s a veteran, and he’s been fine. I wouldn’t categorize him as “high-leverage,” but I think he’s got a spot.
• Chad Patrick was excellent out of the bullpen last postseason. He hasn’t been great this season, but he’s been fine, and I think he’s certain to be included.

That’s seven, and then we have to address the two guys who were chopped from the rotation. Drohan is almost certainly going to be in the bullpen if he’s not in the rotation. That leaves a question mark for Harrison. He could probably play a role out of the bullpen, but I think we need to see what happens with him between now and the end of the season — I could see him pitching well in a couple more starts and getting him back into the rotation conversation, or I could see him ending up on the injured list. Those two things seem about equally likely to me.

If it’s not Harrison, then we’ll have some question marks. Bryse Wilson is on the injured list, but even if he were healthy, ideally you don’t want to have a mop-up guy on your postseason roster. Grant Anderson has been part of the squad all year, but he’s on the injured list currently and hasn’t looked good lately. We’re likely to see a few options from Triple-A Nashville get cycled through between now and the end of the season, particularly in the wake of Sproat’s demotion on Thursday. Potential options could be a starter type, like Coleman Crow, Garrett Stallings, or Colton Gordon, who are all already on the 40-man roster, or a reliever. Potential options there:

• Why not Jared Koenig? Koenig is also on the 40-man roster already, and he’s been good for the Sounds, to the tune of a 2.50 ERA in 18 innings. But his velocity is still way down — his fastball has averaged just 92.8 mph in the minors this season, compared to 95.9 mph last season. Not a lot of faith that this would go well.
• Blake Holub, who has a 2.13 ERA in 50 2/3 innings out of the Nashville bullpen this season. He throws in the mid-90s and has some Brewers-y traits.
• Cameron Wagoner started the season at Double-A Biloxi and earned a promotion after he had a 2.03 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings. He’s been good at Triple-A, too: just one run allowed in 10 outings that cover 11 1/3 innings, though his peripherals have taken a bit of a step back. Wagoner can reach the upper 90s, and he’s good at limiting walks, which is certainly a plus.
• There could be a surprise, like Rob Zastryzny, who has been hurt all year but is currently on a rehab assignment with the Sounds.

If Holub or Wagoner were to be the option, the Brewers would have to get permission from the league (at least as far as I understand the rule) to include them on the postseason roster, since they weren’t on the 40-man on September 1. Zastryzny would require a 40-man slot — and I believe they could just leave him on the 60-day IL until the end of the season if they choose not to activate him, because he didn’t start his rehab assignment until there were fewer than 30 days (the maximum allowed for a rehab assignment) remaining in the season.

Guesses

This will probably change before the end of the season, whether that’s because some pitcher who has been poor shows us something or because someone gets hurt. But here’s my best mid-September guess at what the postseason pitching staff will look like:

Starters (4): Jacob Misiorowski, Logan Henderson, Robert Gasser, Dustin May

High-Leverage Relievers (4): Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe, Aaron Ashby, DL Hall

Middle Relievers (2): Antonio Senzatela, JoJo Romero

Long Relievers (3): Shane Drohan, Chad Patrick, Kyle Harrison

I’d also expect the hooks to be exceptionally quick for Gasser and May, with those games looking almost like bullpen games, just with a starting pitcher at the beginning. I’m thinking three-ish innings for each.

I’m least confident about the Gasser/May/Harrison situation. Harrison and May in their last couple of outings have looked essentially unusable in a postseason situation, but it seems likely that at least one of them will need to make a start or two for the Brewers this postseason. That’s the biggest spot to keep an eye on for me.

If one or both looks unplayable, then my attention turns to the likely revolving door of relievers (in the Sproat roster spot) that we’re likely to see over the next couple of weeks. Might one of those guys be able to make a big postseason impact?

What do you think?

Ever wonder how a sportswriter can end up with 50 pairs of new underwear and two overstuffed suitcases on a short scheduled reporting trip?

I traveled to San Diego in September 2001 to interview and write about Tony Gwynn’s Hall of Fame career coming to an end weeks later.

It was early Tuesday morning, Sept., 11, when the phone rang in my hotel room at the Mission Valley Marriott near Qualcomm Stadium. I groggily reached for the phone, answered, and it was a friend from Atlanta.

“Did you hear what happened in New York?" she breathlessly said. “A plane just crashed into the World Trade Center."

OK, I figured someone accidentally crashed their private plane, thanked her for the call, and went back to sleep.

The phone rang 15 minutes later.

A second plane crashed, into the South Tower of the World Trade Center.

This time, I stayed awake, glued to the TV set like the rest of America.

Commissioner Bud Selig postponed all 15 games that day, extended the postponements until Friday, and then again for three more days until Sept. 17. It was the longest regular-season stoppage, outside of a players’ strike, since World War I shortened the final month of the 1918 season.

Sitting in my hotel room that morning, unable to take my eyes off the TV, I was contemplating what to do next when the phone rang.

It was Gwynn.

He knew I had traveled into town to do a cover story on him for “Baseball Weekly” and we were set to talk at the ballpark.

He asked how I was doing, if I needed anything, and whether I still wanted to do the story.

I assured him I still did, so he invited me to come by his house in suburban Poway, and we’d have lunch.

I pulled up in my rental car the next day, and Gwynn greeted me at the door with blue shorts, a gray shirt, and an orange cap. He plopped down on the recliner in his living room. And we talked.

And talked. And talked. And talked.

We talked for hours. There was no better interview in baseball than Gwynn. There may never have been a better person, either. He was an absolute joy to cover. If you wanted to talk about baseball, Gwynn was there to talk as long as you desired.

You could be a pimple-faced kid from a local high school, or a grizzled veteran from “60 Minutes,’’ and Gwynn would treat each reporter with identical respect. It didn’t matter how big your newspaper’s circulation was, or whether you were local or national, Gwynn would provide the same access.

He was everyone’s favorite.

This day, with the living room TV showing the heartbreaking devastation in New York, Gwynn had all the time in the world.

“It’s just unbelievable what happened,” Gwynn was saying. “You see it over and over, and still can’t believe it. Life as we knew it before, is over. Life is going to change. And now that it’s going to change, you want to be in a little more control in your life."

On this edition of the Pirates Prospect Update series, we take a look at catcher Axiel Plaz, who has been enjoying a nice season with the Greensboro Grasshoppers.

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed Plaz as an international free-agent in the winter of 2022, and since then the Dominican catcher has risen the ranks to being one of the best prospects in Pittsburgh’s system. In his first season of professional baseball he was named to the All-Star team for the Dominican Summer League after hitting .382 with a 1.206 OPS.

What has plagued Plaz has been inconsistent play due to injuries. 2024 saw the 21-year-old catcher limited to just 84 games after suffering numerous injuries. Then in 2025 Plaz was out of action with a broken finger and only appeared 66 games as a result.

The proof is in the pudding when Plaz is healthy however, as he continues to emerge as a strong player at the plate. During his time in Bradenton he ranked near the top in categories like exit velocity, barrel and hard hit percentages. His power continues to develop, but he is capable of hitting to all fields and has changed his approach at the plate which has resulted in far less swing and miss strikeouts.

Now in 2026, Plaz has played the most games to this point in his professional career, currently at 94 with Greensboro. At the plate this year Plaza has knocked in 18 home runs along with 74 RBIs. This season he’s slashing .305/.389/.513 with a .902 OPS. He was also just awardSouth Atlantic League Player of the Week honors.

Plaz has an overall prospect rating of 50, with his defense needing some work if he wants to be a big league catcher one day. His arm is plenty strong, and he’s proven that he’s capable of making hard throws from behind the plate. His defense is subpar though as his receiving has lacked consistency. That being said the Pirates are seemingly still looking for their catcher of the future so there’s ample opportunity for Plaz to move up the ranks and continue to improve in the minor leagues.

Axiel Plaz is the seventh ranked prospect in the Pirates’ system.

ESPN | Associated Press: The Yankees recalled Anthony Volpe Thursday in a corresponding move as Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit the IL. The promotion was anticipated after Chisholm left Tuesday’s game with what was later diagnosed as a sprained right thumb. After he was displaced from his starting job at shortstop, Volpe went on a heater at Triple-A and was recently named the International League’s Player of the Week after going 11-for-21 with three homers from September 1-6 while bouncing between shortstop, second, and third. He projects to split time with José Caballero at the keystone in the absence of Chisholm, who has said he expects to return on September 22. Volpe’s return couldn’t have gone better, the newly minted second baseman going 3-for-4 with a grand slam on his first day back.

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: ($) Will Warren’s start on Wednesday, in which he allowed one run across six innings of work, may strengthen his case for a playoff role. The right-hander, who has a 2.22 ERA over his last five outings, ranks behind some of his more experienced rotation mates but could end up a valuable bullpen piece in October. “He can serve a lot of roles potentially,” said his manager, Aaron Boone. “He’s been incredibly durable, but he’s got weapons, and I do like the tick up in his stuff, which seems to be there the last three, four times out.” As Boone alluded to, Wednesday’s start was Warren’s third straight in which his velocity increased.

NJ.com | Bob Klapisch: David Bednar got a ringing endorsement from an authoritative source on Tuesday. No less than Mariano Rivera praised the Yankees closer while watching him pitch, saying “David reminds me of myself. The thing I love about David is that he goes after hitters, which is what I always tried to do. He doesn’t mess around. And he has the ability to put things behind him – good or bad – and move forward.” When informed of the Hall of Famer’s compliment, Bednar was reportedly moved. “Wow, that’s really great to hear,” he said. “Coming from someone like Mariano, that’s amazing.”

Hudson Valley Renegades | Joe Vasile: Luis Serna just wrapped up an exemplary season for the High-A Hudson Valley Renegades. The 22-year-old, ranked as the Yankees’ 18th-best prospect by MLB Pipeline, led the South Atlantic League in several pitching categories, including ERA (4.32), strikeouts (140), opponent’s average (.224), and WHIP (1.19). (An important caveat — only four pitchers in the league threw enough innings to qualify for the rate stats.) The 140 punchouts also set a Renegades record, surpassing the 138 Drew Thorpe recorded in 2023. “He had a career season for himself without a question,” said Renegades pitching coach Ryan Mossman. “He was throwing more strikes with his fastball and improved his slider quite a bit. [Some changes to his arsenal] made him able to better gameplan for lineups and go out there and execute and dominate the way he did this year.”

The worst team in baseball made Max Fried work for almost every out. 

The Yankees star pitcher was effective — allowing one run and one hit with seven strikeouts in a 10-3 win over the Rockies on Thursday — but inefficient in his third start back from the injured list, lasting just 3 ⅓ innings after throwing just 48 of his 80 pitches for strikes. 

“They saw a lot of pitches, they were having some good at-bats and not chasing,” Fried said. “I felt like I was getting ahead, then throwing some non-competitive pitches. … It was just a weird outing where I was executing in certain counts, but I also had a lot of bad misses that caused a lot of deep counts. Going 80 pitches and not getting through four [innings] is not ideal. I didn’t want to put the bullpen in that position, but they did a great job picking me up.” 

Since returning from a bone bruise in his left elbow for the second time this season, Fried has given up one run in each of his three outings (12 ⅔ total innings). Thursday’s lone run allowed came on a 431-foot home run by Colorado’s Kyle Karros that hit the second deck in left field. 

Fried, who threw 63 pitches in his first start back and 72 in his previous outing, had moments when he looked like this season’s early Cy Young candidate, striking out four consecutive batters. He also displayed the rust of a starter who has thrown less than 38 innings since mid-July, walking the leadoff hitter in his final two innings. 

Fried (4-4, 2.73 ERA) has gone 11 straight starts without picking up a win — most recently earning one April 27 — after going 19-5 last season, though he has allowed fewer than two runs in five consecutive outings. 

“I’m feeling good, liking the progress so far, hitting my marks,” Fried said. “I felt like I could’ve definitely stayed in that game and kept going … I’m just gonna keep building.” 

Soon, the Yankees will need much more from the owner of the largest contract ever given to a left-handed pitcher. 

Fried has no doubt he will deliver. 

“We’re looking forward to having me being completely built up for the end of the season and the playoffs,” Fried said. “They’ve had a plan. As much as I would love to fast-forward the plan and just say, ‘Let’s throw it all out the window,’ they’ve got a lot of really smart people here who work really hard to try to make sure I’m gonna be healthy for when it matters most.”

Jazz Chisholm Jr. expects to be back on the field before the playoffs begin. 

Chisholm — who sprained his right thumb after diving into second base Tuesday — is sporting a brace on his hand and will be shut down from baseball activities for 7-10 days, but the Yankees second baseman doesn’t believe his absence will last much longer because he is “confident in [his] healing abilities.” 

“It’s not that bad, I don’t think,” Chisholm said before Thursday’s 10-3 win over the Rockies. “I think we should be good in 10 days or so.” 

Chisholm has reason for optimism. Last season, he missed less than five weeks with an oblique injury after being given a return timeline of 4-6 weeks. 

In 2024, the recently acquired Yankee returned from a sprained left elbow in less than two weeks. 

“He does have a history of being a fast healer,” manager Aaron Boone said. “There’s truth to that. If you look at his injury history, he’s kind of beaten the timeline every time. But we’ll listen to the thumb, listen to his body and see how he recovers.” 

After hurting his thumb this week, Chisholm said he was unaware of the severity of the injury. Only after he returned to the field and bounced a throw to first base did he realize he needed to be removed. 

“When it first happened, it just went completely numb,” said Chisholm, who was replaced by Anthony Volpe on the active roster. “I didn’t have any feeling in it. That’s how come I didn’t know how bad it was until I tried to throw the baseball and couldn’t feel the ball.” 

Before being placed on the 10-day injured list, Chisholm finally appeared to be breaking out of his season-long slump. 

The two-time All-Star — who opened the season by setting the goal of becoming the second 50-50 player in history — has posted a career-worst .232 batting average and .715 OPS this season, with 19 home runs and 40 stolen bases. But over his past 29 games, the 28-year-old is hitting .295 with an .832 OPS. 

Following this weekend’s Subway Series, the Yankees travel to Minnesota and Arizona, then return for a season-ending, seven-game homestand, beginning exactly two weeks after the injury occurred. 

Chisholm anticipates being back by then, giving himself the opportunity to shed any rust before the only month that matters. 

“It’s frustrating, but right now the goal is to win a World Series,” Chisholm said. “Right now, all I’m thinking about is getting healthy and being back ready for October, honestly.”

The Yankees' series finale against the Rockies offered plenty of buzz thanks to the return of Anthony Volpe.

Recalled to take over for the injured Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second base, the 25-year-old was in the Yankees' starting lineup, and he delivered. 

Volpe went 3-for-4 in his first game with the Yankees since Aug. 1, but drove in a career-high five RBI, punctuated by a grand slam that put the game away for good. 

"Great results but good at-bats," manager Aaron Boone said after the 10-3 win. "Excited for him, he hasn’t done anything but continue to work and grind and got his way back here. And obviously had an impact on this game."

Once the organization's top prospect and groomed to be the shortstop of the future, inconsistencies on both sides of the ball led to Volpe's demotion in early August. Volpe used his time in Triple-A to learn some new positions and to tweak his swing. 

And while Volpe's defense at second was competent enough for the Yankees to start him there at the big league level, the offensive improvements shown in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre were eye-opening. 

When Volpe was demoted, he was hitting .240 with one home run and 19 RBI across 56 games with the Yanks. In 28 games with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, his offensive production exploded. He started with a .205 average and by the time his time with Triple-A was up, he was batting .264 with 10 home runs.

Volpe credited the culture the most for his offensive improvements.

“[Coach Shelley Duncan] down there is amazing. He takes in everyone," Volpe explained after the game. "I wasn’t alone when I was there. It was me, [Jasson Dominguez], and [Max] Schuemann. And the guys there... [Oswaldo] Cabrera, I feel like I got so close to him, but to see his positivity and how he’s enjoying playing and having fun, if you don’t do that down there, you’ll stick out like a sore thumb."

ANTHONY VOLPE PUTS AN EXCLAMATION POINT ON HIS RETURN WITH A GRAND SLAM! pic.twitter.com/Dk67cQVALE

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 11, 2026

"You root for games like that, especially with how hard he’s been working and everything he’s been doing in Triple-A," Max Fried said of Volpe. "Coming up, new position for the first time up here and made an immediate impact…great teammate, works hard and really couldn’t be happier for him." 

Volpe called the last 24 hours an "unexpected whirlwind" and admitted that he wasn't sure that he'd even be back with the Yankees after two-plus seasons of sub-par play.

"Felt like I had an opportunity and it’s weird the way it happened. You don’t want someone to get hurt, but nothing’s guaranteed," Volpe said. "I thought I’d never be back up here, so trying to make the most of it.

"I wanted to be back up here, helping and contributing. When you’re down there, there’s no guarantees. You work really hard for yourself and for the player you feel can help the organization. Can’t control it, so I never thought I was going to be back here in this moment, but I wanted to be ready and prepared in case something happens."

What Volpe wasn't prepared for was the reaction from the Yankee Stadium crowd. From the moment he was introduced in the starting lineup, the Yankees fans -- who many booed and shunned him -- welcomed Volpe back. And when he hit the grand slam, the fans chanted his name and Volpe responded with a curtain call.

After the game, Volpe couldn't even describe the moment, saying he "blacked out" but appreciated the fans and said he'll remember it for a long time. But the young infielder understands that to re-establish himself, there's more that needs to be done.

"That’s why this is a special place, for sure," he said. "You wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world, but still a lot of work to do."

Anthony Volpe says he wouldn't trade having the Yankee Stadium crowd chant his name for the world pic.twitter.com/0oLB1uQlZh

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 11, 2026