ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 3: Mauricio Dubón #14 of the Atlanta Braves hits a three-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays in the third inning at Truist Park on June 3, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Brett Davis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Mauricio Dubón just continues to get the job done for the Atlanta Braves so far in 2026 in any way that they’ve asked of him. Whether it’s through his versatility in the field or increasingly more at the plate, Dubón’s been all over the place in a good way. Grant McAuley recently wrote an in-depth article covering Dubón’s great start to the season so far and so far, Dubón has been performing like he wants that story to continue rather than this being the peak for him in any way.
Dubón wrote yet another exciting page in what’s been a very fun chapter of his career that the Braves are benefiting from. His three-run homer off of Patrick Corbin in the third inning of Wednesday night’s eventual victory essentially turned the game around for the Braves at that point. While everybody has expected his defense to be what it has been so far (which is to say that there’s an expectation of quality defense no matter what position he plays in the field), the big hits have been something special to see. His numbers may not jump out as something fantastic as he’s hitting .249/.304/.380 with a .305 wOBA, 93 wRC+ and four homers but he’s getting it done in some big spots. He’s hitting .274/.354/.452 with two outs on the board, with an .806 OPS and an sOPS+ of 132 — indicating that he’s doing some of his best work when the Braves are down to their final out of any inning.
When did he crack that dinger last night? With two outs on the board. It’s impressive and a tiny bit shocking to witness Dubón coming up big in so many spots but one person who isn’t surprised by this development is Mauricio Dubón, himself. I asked him after Wednesday’s game about what’s changed at the plate for him with what he’s been doing now compared to what he had done in previous stops in his career. Dubón is a self-described “confident guy” and his answer to my question belied that confidence.
“I’m finally getting a chance to play, man,” replied Dubón. “In times past, I would get pinch-hit for and never get to finish the game. I’d go for 0-for-2…it’s funny because me and my Dad would always talk about ”You can hit righties,“ but I never got the opportunity to go out there [with the confidence of knowing] that I can hit anybody.”
Indeed, Dubón is hitting .258/.324/.411 against right-handers with a wRC+ of 107 and three of his four homers coming against right-handers so far this season. Those numbers are actually way up from his career numbers of .246/.285/.354 with a wRC of 76 against righties. Dubón has been given an opportunity with the Braves to play every day and he’s taking full advantage of showing what he can do in roles that he didn’t usually get to experience in the past.
“It’s just a matter of getting the opportunity and getting the chance to go another [day],” continued Dubón during the presser. “Nobody has given me anything. I’ve gone out there and earned every chance and opportunity that I get.”
Dubón’s glove is more-than-enough to keep him in the lineup on an every day basis at this particular point in time but he’s also shown that he can get it done with the bat whenever the Braves need him the most. It’s been a lot of fun to see him continue to prosper in the role that he’s been put into here in Atlanta and obviously everybody in Braves Country is looking forward to seeing Dubón continue to make good things happen in that role as this season progresses.
The Astros (28-35) and the Pirates (33-29) conclude their three-game series tonight in Houston after a wild 11–9 Astros’ win last night, a game that featured 26 total hits and multiple lead changes. Houston’s offense surged late, scoring six runs in the eighth inning. Yordan Alvarez led the assault on Bucs’ pitching with four hits and Isaac Paredes drove in three runs and scored a couple himself. AJ Blubaugh was the fifth of six Houston hurlers in the game and he picked up the win even though he gave up a run in the only inning he pitched. Gregory Soto took the loss for Pittsburgh. The righthander did not get an out in the eighth and allowed three runs on three hits. Spencer Horwitz collected three of the Pirates’ 12 hits and Henry Davis launched a grand slam in the fourth but neither effort was enough.
Pittsburgh’s hottest hitters over the last 10 games include Nick Gonzales, who homered and doubled last night and has been one of the team’s most consistent bats, and Oneil Cruz, who reached base four times Wednesday with two hits, two walks, and a stolen base. Bryan Reynolds has also been steady, contributing timely hits throughout the series. On the colder side, several depth bats—such as Jake Mangum and Endy Rodriguez—have struggled to produce consistently, contributing to the team’s uneven scoring despite recent high‑scoring games.
Houston’s lineup enters tonight with multiple red‑hot hitters. Yordan Alvarez is scorching, going 4‑for‑5 last night and continuing a stretch where he’s hitting for both average and power. Isaac Paredes has also been a major factor, driving in three runs Wednesday and homering in the seventh. Christian Walker is consistently driving in runs. Conversely, Brice Matthews and Jake Meyers have been less consistent, cooling off during the recent homestand despite the team’s overall offensive surge.
Tonight’s pitching matchup features two right-handers trending in opposite directions. The Pirates send out Jared Jones, who has struggled but is just back following an extended stay on the disabled list. He has thrown just 4.1 innings but has a 10.38 ERA. Houston counters with Kai‑Wei Teng, who has been one of their steadier arms, carrying a 2.57 ERA across 42 innings with 43 strikeouts and a 1.10 WHIP.
Lets dive into tonight’s matchup and find a sweat or two.
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Game Details and How to Watch: Pirates vs. Astros
Date: Thursday, June 4, 2026
Time: 8:10PM EST
Site: Daikin Park
City: Houston, TX
Network/Streaming: MLB.TV, Fox Sports 1, SCHN
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The Latest Odds: Pirates vs. Astros
The latest odds as of Thursday courtesy of DraftKings:
Probable Starting Pitchers: Pirates vs. Astros for June 4
Pirates: Jared Jones Season Totals: 4.1 IP, 0-0, 10.38 ERA, 2.08 WHIP, 6K, 2 BB
Astros: Kai-Wei Teng Season Totals: 42.0 IP, 3-3, 2.57 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 43K, 19 BB
Who’s Hot? Who’s Not! Pirates vs. Astros
Yordan Alvarez is 5th in the AL in average (.316), 2nd in home runs (21), and 6th in RBIs (44)
Christian Walker is 4-31 over his last 7 games
Brandon Lowe had his 3-game hitting streak snapped last night as he went 0-4
Bryan Reynolds is 15-37 over his last 11 games
Oneil Cruz is 4-8 this series
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Top Betting Trends & Insights: Pirates vs. Astros
The Pirates are 31-31 on the Run Line this season
The Astros are 29-34 on the Run Line this season
The OVER has cashed 35 times in Pittsburgh’s 62 games this season (35-25-2)
The OVER has cashed 35 times in Houston’s 63 games this season (35-25-3)
Expert picks & predictions: Pirates vs. Astros
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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - AUGUST 18: Starting pitcher Trevor Rogers #28 of the Baltimore Orioles throws a pitch in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on August 18, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Alas, for the Orioles, forward momentum has been hard to come by this season. After a tidy 4-2 Game 1 win on Tuesday behind seven strong innings from Shane Baz, on Wednesday night Chris Bassitt turned in another flawed outing, going three innings with three runs allowed before exiting with back tightness. It’s not clear whether he’ll have to miss any time with this. Meanwhile, the Birds couldn’t get much done against—yes, a lefty, in Peyton Tolle, who silenced them over six scoreless.
Bassitt himself, after the game, said he felt like it was just one of those things and he had “full confidence” that the team would bounce back tomorrow with Trevor Rogers on the mound. Let’s hope so, because last year’s ace hasn’t been very good this year. After starting the year with a seven-inning shutout, he’s thrown a duck in practically every outing since, with four runs-plus allowed in six of his last nine appearances, along with a 10.01 ERA over his last seven outings. I’m sure the Orioles are working hard to fix whatever this is. Hopefully Chris Bassitt’s confidence in Rogers is warranted.
The Sox are countering with fifth-year right hander Brayan Bello. After a strong 2025 season where he went 11-9 with a 3.35 ERA, the team expected Bello to be a rotation contributor this year. But the results have mixed, to say the least. For whatever reason, Bello has pitched poorly as a starter, but very well coming in late behind an opener: in the former role, he has a 9.68 ERA; behind an opener, he has a 0.71 ERA. It sounds like the Red Sox don’t really know why this is, and Bello is getting a shot as a proper starting pitcher today. He’s been allowing lots of hard contact and striking out few hitters. The Orioles need to take advantage.
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 21: Carlos Rodón #55 of the New York Yankees pitches during the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on May 21, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On paper, the Yankees had a real pitching advantage in this series, tossing Cam Schlittler and Gerrit Cole in the first two games of the series before drawing one of Cleveland’s worst performing starters on Thursday.
But the thing about paper is that… It’s paper. The Guardians have put together two impressive offensive performances against two aces and kept the Yankees at bay to win the series at Yankee Stadium, a rarity. From 2022-25 (including playoffs), Cleveland was just 4-13 in the Bronx, but now has a chance to sweep in a Thursday matinee.
Carlos Rodón will look to help salvage the final game of this series, making his fifth start. It’s been a mixed bag for the All-Star left-hander, as he’s gritted his way through back-to-back strong starts after two poor ones to start the year, pitching to a 3.32 ERA (127 ERA+) and 3.89 FIP in 19 innings. He’s struggled with command, often falling behind in counts and already issuing 13 free passes through four starts, but he’s also been able to get outs despite not having his best strikeout stuff or velocity over the last two weeks. Rodón, if you remember, had the best postseason outing of his career in Game 1 of the 2024 ALCS at Yankee Stadium against this team.
The Guardians will counter with 26-year-old Slade Cecconi, who’s in his third year of being a full-time MLB starter. He was solid, if unremarkable, for Cleveland last year, but has struggled to the tune of a 5.25 ERA (79 ERA+) and 4.96 FIP in 61.2 innings across 12 starts. 364 days ago was his only previous start against the Yankees, where he allowed two runs in five innings, taking the loss.
He doesn’t allow too much hard contact and keeps the ball on the ground, but is well below average in strikeout, whiff, and chase rates, while being mediocre in keeping the ball off the barrel. He’s gotten unlucky in terms of batted ball outcomes, but not by much. Cecconi has a six-pitch mix, but throws some variation of fastball 76 percent of the time, while mixing in a curveball, sweeper, and changeup.
Aaron Judge is still out of the lineup as he gets more imaging on his rib injury, so it’s a similar top of the order with Trent Grisham, Ben Rice, Paul Goldschmidt, and Cody Bellinger. The top seven is identical, with only JC Escarra replacing Austin Wells and Max Schuemann replacing Anthony Volpe, playing right field as Caballero takes over at shortstop.
2024 ALCS Game 3 hero David Fry is leading off for the Guardians in front of José Ramirez, Rhys Hoskins, Travis Bazzana, and Angel Martínez. Stuart Fairchild slides in at sixth in front of Steven Kwan, while Austin Hedges gets his first start of the season, batting eighth. Brayan Rocchio rounds it out.
How to watch
Location: Yankee Stadium — The Bronx, NY
First pitch: 1:35 pm ET
TV broadcast: YES, Guardians.TV
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY), WTAM 1100, Guardians Radio Network (CLE)
Apr 17, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Coleman Crow (57) celebrates with teammates after exiting the game against the Miami Marlins during the sixth inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
After falling victim to a Logan Webb gem last night, Milwaukee will try to keep the Giants from evening this four-game series at two apiece. Coleman Crow will go for the Brewers opposite Adrian Houser.
Some of you may not remember that Crow and Houser were actually traded for one another after the 2023 season. Milwaukee acquired Crow, at the time the Mets’ No. 29 prospect, in exchange for Houser (entering his last year of team control) and outfielder Tyrone Taylor.
Crow spent the whole 2024 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, then recorded a 2.51 ERA and 0.91 WHIP in 10 starts with Double-A Biloxi before earning a promotion to Triple-A Nashville. He made his big-league debut earlier this year and has a 3.14 ERA through three starts (14 1/3 IP).
Houser, meanwhile, has pitched for four different teams since leaving Milwaukee. He struggled in his lone season in New York and was eventually designated for assignment in late July. Houser then signed minor league contracts with the Cubs, Orioles, and Rangers before finally latching on with the White Sox in late May of 2025.
He pitched well enough (2.10 ERA) in 11 starts with Chicago that the Rays traded for him at the deadline, but Houser couldn’t replicate his early-season success down in Tampa. He signed with the Giants in the offseason and has struggled again, entering today’s game with a 5.59 ERA in 11 starts (56 1/3 IP).
Designated hitter Christian Yelich leads off again today, followed by Jackson Chourio. Brice Turang — who had the Brewers’ only hit against Webb last night — and William Contreras will hit third and fourth, respectively. Jake Bauers will bat fifth and play first base, with Andrew Vaughn starting the game on the bench. Rounding out the lineup are center fielder Garrett Mitchell, right fielder Sal Frelick, third baseman Luis Rengifo, and shortstop David Hamilton.
Finally, an injury update on Brandon Lockridge courtesy of our own Dave Gasper:
Brandon Lockridge is heading to the Brewers Arizona complex tonight to continue his rehab, he said.
If all goes to plan there, Lockridge is tentatively scheduled to start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Nashville on Wednesday
In a wild scene Wednesday, Boston Red Sox interim third base coach Chad Epperson went into the field of play to wave home Wilyer Abreu.
Epperson ran over the foul line, just feet from Baltimore Orioles third baseman Coby Mayo, to indicate to Abreu he should head home and actually wasn’t far from making contact with Mayo.
Red Sox interim 3B coach Chad Epperson went into the field of play while waving a runner home.
Abreu was rounding the bases after Willson Contreras smacked a double to left field in the first inning.
While he was initially deemed safe, Abreu was ruled out after a video review.
Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said the umpiring crew told both teams that if it happened again, Epperson would be ejected.
Chad Epperson wound up on the field while rounding a Boston player home. X
“Base coaches must remain within the coach’s box consistent with this Rule, except that a coach who has a play at his base may leave the coach’s box to signal the player to slide, advance or return to a base if the coach does not interfere with the play in any manner,” MLB Official Baseball Rule 5.03 states.
Epperson was hired as the interim third base coach after the Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora and four other staff members following a 10-17 start to the season.
Boston Red Sox interim third base coach Chad Epperson (81) looks on during the fourth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Fenway Park. Eric Canha-Imagn Images
He was formerly with the Portland Sea Dogs, the Red Sox’s AA minor league affiliate. Epperson is the winningest manager in Sea Dogs history.
Following the bizarre incident, the Red Sox went on to win 8-1.
Abreu led the way on offense, going 2-for-5, including a two-run home run.
Payton Tolle also pitched six scoreless innings before Ryan Watson came in to finish out the game.
Since moving on from Cora, the Red Sox are 16-17 but still in last place in the AL East.
Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Mets and Padres play a three-game series in San Diego starting on Friday at 9:40 p.m. on SNY.
5 things to watch
Help is on the way
The Mets have been without four regular members of their lineup for a long time, but they're about to get some reinforcements.
Jorge Polanco, who last played on April 14 and has been battling nagging Achilles and wrist issues, could rejoin the team for the start of this series.
When he is activated, the expectation is that Polanco will serve mainly as the DH in order to keep him off his feet. With the way Mark Vientos has struggled, Polanco's return could lead to a somewhat regular situation where he's at DH with Jared Young at first base.
Francisco Alvarez is also working his way back, playing for Triple-A Syracuse on a rehab assignment.
Alvarez's return isn't imminent, but he should be back sooner rather than later if all goes well.
The Mets' rotation is in flux, with Nolan McLean, Christian Scott, and Freddy Peralta the only ones with set roles as starters.
That has left the Mets to frequently use openers ahead of bulk starters, with them recently experimenting with David Peterson (who is back in the bullpen) and Jonah Tong (who is back in the minors) as the bulk guys.
With Manaea having excelled recently, he is the latest pitcher the Mets are trying out. He's set to pitch on Sunday, though it's unclear whether he'll start or pitch behind an opener.
Manaea came in after an opener on Monday against the Mariners and had his most impressive outing of the season, tossing five innings of one-hit ball while allowing one run, walking one, and striking out four.
During Monday's game, Manaea topped out at 93.8 mph. He averaged 91.8 mph on his four-seam fastball and 91.9 mph on his two-seamer -- notable increases from where he's been most of the season.
New York Mets shortstop Bo Bichette (19) hits a 2-RBI single against the Seattle Mariners during the fourth inning at T-Mobile Park. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
While Bichette scuffled a bit in a handful of games before erupting on Wednesday, he has been hitting relatively well for a few weeks, slashing .274/.333/.435 (.769 OPS) with three homers over his last 16 games.
Part of the crowded NL Wild Card race, the Padres entered play on Thursday having lost four straight games and eight of their last 10.
San Diego is also having trouble scoring, with their 231 runs scored being the fewest in the majors.
Part of the issue has been the struggling Fernando Tatis Jr., who had a 92 OPS+ and just one homer over his first 59 games.
Manny Machado is also scuffling, hitting .170 with a 70 OPS+ ahead of play on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Jackson Merrill is slashing just .206/.277/.327 (70 OPS+).
San Diego's pitching staff is a strength
While the Padres' offense has been a major issue, their pitching has been very good.
They entered play Thursday having allowed 239 runs -- the fifth-best mark in MLB.
A lot of that has had to do with Michael King and Randy Vasquez, who will both start against the Mets this weekend. Also getting a start will be former Met Griffin Canning, who was solid for New York last season before tearing his Achilles. Canning has been better lately after some poor showings, but has a 7.16 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in 27.2 innings over six starts this season.
Waiting in the bullpen if the games are tight late are Jeremiah Estrada, Adrian Morejon, and Mason Miller, who is having an otherworldly year. In 25.0 innings, Miller has a 0.72 ERA and 0.84 WHIP, and has struck out 49 batters -- an absurd rate of 17.6 per nine.
Predictions
Who will the MVP of the series be?
Bo Bichette
The turnaround sticks this time.
Which Mets pitcher will have the best start?
Nolan McLean
McLean took a step in the right direction in his last start after two uncharacteristic clunkers.
Which Padres player will be a thorn in the Mets' side?
CINCINNATI, OH - JUNE 01: JJ Bleday #22 of the Cincinnati Reds rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the first inning during the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on Monday, June 1, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Colten Strauss/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
As we enter the season’s third month, with the Royals all but technically eliminated from playoff contention but still a bit too early to speculate about the trade deadline, it seems like a good time to take stock of how they could have handled the offseason better. Matthew LaMar already looked at how some of the players the Royals targeted have done this year, with most of them not performing particularly well, but what about some of the lesser-known names the Royals could have targeted?
Now, obviously, I’ve argued that I think if they were serious about contending in 2026, they should have pursued the top names in the market. I’m a huge fan of the arguments that interim MLBPA director Bruce Meyer has been making about how the Padres increased their profits and franchise value by spending real money despite being in a similarly small MLB market.
But even if you allow that those guys were too expensive for the Royals, there were lots of other guys who were much less expensive that the Royals could have considered. Some of them are doing quite well for themselves. Why did the Royals miss on them?
JJ Bleday, Dane Myers, and Nathaniel Lowe
Coming off the Reds series, these are obvious guys to look at. Bleday was signed to a 1-year, $1.4 million MLB contract on December 27, while Lowe required only a minor league contract on February 13, right as spring training camps were opening. Myers was acquired in a trade with the Marlins for a minor league outfielder with no pedigree who hasn’t been hitting well. The biggest problem for the Royals with the first two was that both of them hit left-handed, and the Royals are already so lefty-heavy. Lowe is, additionally, a first baseman only. This is, of course, a position the Royals thought they had locked down with Vinnie Pasquantino.*
*Vinnie, by the way, has been slashing .289/.396/.422/.818 since his day off against Boston a couple of weeks ago. Good for a 124 wRC+. Perhaps he’s back?
Lowe has all of 16 at-bats versus lefties, but he has yet to record a hit and has only one walk. If you think Vinnie has struggled against lefties… eesh.
Bleday, on the other hand, has been hitting lefties just fine with a 134 wRC+ against them. He’s been better against righties, but should the Royals have known that Bleday had this in him? Actually, maybe! Bleday’s career splits are 90 wRC+ against lefties and 109 against righties. Obviously, 10% below average isn’t where you want to be, but it would still be better than any of Pasquantino, Starling Marte, Carter Jensen, Jac Caglianone, or Isaac Collins this year.
Bleday had a crummy year for the Athletics last year, but he is only playing in his age-28 season this year and barely making more than Marte. He also had a higher walk rate and ISO than Marte last year despite the down season. And he’s under the Reds’ control for each of the next two seasons without being guaranteed anything. You have to imagine he wasn’t on the Royals’ radar, or they would have been able to outbid $1.4 million. But it sure seems like he should have been.
The Reds got Myers from the Marlins for 24-year-old minor league outfielder Ethan O’Donnell. Myers is an interesting case. Despite the fact that he’s a righty, he’s hit righties much better this year than lefties. Though his career splits suggest that’s a fluke. He’s also walking much more this year than in the past. His swinging strike rates have come down every year since his debut, and he was reasonably good two years ago. He also went on the IL three separate times last year, so you have to wonder if injury played a part in his ineffectiveness. But that didn’t stop the Royals from pursuing Lane Thomas. (Though, admittedly, Thomas has been plenty good against left-handed pitching this season, the whole reason the Royals signed him.)
Still, Myers is playing his age-30 season, so perhaps the Royals simply didn’t think the swinging strike trend could continue. And honestly, it plummeted pretty far this year, so I’d be interested to revisit at the end of the season and see if he’s still doing all that well.
Tristan Peters
Peters is a 26-year-old outfielder the White Sox acquired from the Rays for cash or a player to be named later (PTBNL). He’s hitting well for the White Sox, but he’s a lefty who isn’t hitting lefties, so the Royals probably made the correct decision to stay away here.
Curtis Mead
Mead is a 25-year-old corner infielder acquired by the Nationals from the White Sox for a catcher with an excellent name – Boston Smith – who is hitting well in high A but is already 23 years old. So, basically, some guy we will probably never hear about again. Honestly, Mead came out of nowhere. This is his fourth season in MLB, and he’d never come close to the walk rates or power output he’s shown in Washington. He’s always had good bat speed and a decent eye at the plate. His youth means he is an excellent guy for a team that doesn’t expect to contend to take a shot on as the White Sox did last year when they acquired him from the Rays.
The Royals, of course, have a couple of corner infielders they feel pretty good about in Maikel Garcia and Pasquantino, and they expected to contend this year, so I think passing on Mead or at least not getting into a bidding war over him probably made sense even if he’d look a lot better as a right-handed bat on the bench than Marte has.
Dominic Smith
This name might bring shivers down your spine, and you might not remember why. He’s the one who hit the walk-off grand slam against Carlos Estévez in Atlanta at the start of the season. He’s a left-handed first baseman who hit well last year but signed a minor league deal with the Braves. He has a 97 wRC+ against lefties this year, but it’s only 14 ABs. And did I mention he’s a left-handed first baseman? Once again, I think we can see why the Royals passed here.
Troy Johnston
See: Dominic Smith
Technically, Johnston can play the outfield, but he’s also got a -7 wRC+ against lefties this year. So he still wouldn’t have made sense for the Royals. The Rockies got him off waivers from the Marlins and he has hit .320/.377/.437 with two home runs in 58 games. He is not completely a product of Coors, hitting .293/.358/.404 in road games. He has mashed righties, hitting .358 against them, while just .158 against lefties.
Vaughn Grissom
The Angels acquired the 25-year-old, right-handed second baseman from the Red Sox for a light-hitting, low minors outfielder. The Royals have a few of those. Now, KC had decided that they were going to quasi-platoon Jonathan India and Michael Massey at second base to begin the year, so maybe that could explain why he wasn’t on their radar. But in retrospect, it sure seems like they might have considered making a minor trade for this kid instead of giving India a guaranteed $8 million.
Grissom broke into the bigs with Atlanta in 2022 as a 21-year-old. He was their top prospect playing in AA, and Ozzie Albies was hurt. In retrospect, it seems like they rushed him a bit. He did well that year but struggled in 2023 and 2024 before spending all of 2025 with the Red Sox’s AAA affiliate. And he put up a lot of red in statcast metrics there.
He wasn’t walking, and he wasn’t pulling the ball in the air enough, but he did almost everything else at a high level. You have to especially like the Zone Contact rate combined with a lack of Ks. Now, suddenly, his strikeout rate is cut in half from 2024, combined with a modest improvement in walk rate. His ISO is back to where it was all throughout the minors in the .160-.170 range. A 104 wRC+ isn’t tearing the cover off the ball, and he’s not a tremendous defender, but he would have been quite a bit better than anything the Royals ever got out of India.
Since India went down with an injury, the Royals have been mostly platooning Massey and Nick Loftin at second base, and, at least lately, they haven’t been the problem in the Royals’ lineup. Massey, at least, has been tearing the cover off the ball for two weeks with a 171 wRC+. And Loftin is one of the few guys who has had some luck with runners in scoring position. But, really, we should be comparing Grissom more to the at-bats of Marte with the positions of Loftin. And he would be an improvement, there, too.
Even though there are quite a few cheap bats that seem like they could have been available to the Royals, most of them make sense for the Royals to have passed on because the vast majority are left-handed hitters. No team can be perfect at this sort of thing. It’s easy to argue that the Royals did make similar gambles with players like Kevin Newman and Josh Rojas – their moves just haven’t worked out so far.
But, really, when was the last time such a gamble did work for KC? It sure seems like these kinds of guys break out or come back around the league all the time, but never for the Royals. And you have to wonder if their scouting, development, or coaching departments couldn’t use some improvement to make it easier to generate some of this luck.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 03: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres turns a double play over Brandon Marsh #16 of the Philadelphia Phillies in the eighth inning during a game at Citizens Bank Park on June 03, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
San Diego Padres (32-28) at Philadelphia Phillies (32-29), June 4, 2026, 10:10 a.m. PST
Watch: Padres.TV
Location: Citizens Bank Park – Philadelphia, Penn.
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MILWAUKEE — San Francisco Giants left-handed reliever Matt Gage has gone on the injured list with right knee inflammation.
The Giants recalled right-hander Dylan Smith from Triple-A Sacramento while placing Gage on the 15-day injured list.
Gage has made 29 appearances to lead all Giants pitchers. He owns a 4-1 record with one save and a 2.63 ERA.
“Little bit of knee tenderness, I think specifically kind of stemming between his quad and the knee,” San Francisco manager Tony Vitello said before the Giants’ 1-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. “He’d been battling that for a while. If you know him, he’s kind of been through everything you can to get into the big leagues, and obviously doesn’t want any time down. He has fought through it, but good to come forward with that information because obviously when he’s at his best, he’s one of our best guys. But he’s got to get past that.”
Vitello didn’t have an estimate on how long it might take for Gage to return.
Smith made one appearance for San Francisco earlier this season and allowed no runs in two-thirds of an inning. He has gone 1-1 with a 3.98 ERA and one save in 15 games for Sacramento.
Last season, Smith went 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA in seven games with the Detroit Tigers.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 29: Paul Goldschmidt #48 of the New York Yankees hits a three-run home run against the Athletics in the first inning at Sutter Health Park on May 29, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Yankees recently returned home from a successful roadtrip during which they swept the Royals and took two out of three from the A’s. The offense awoke from its mid-May slumber, putting up 51 runs across the six games. One of the unlikely contributors at the heart of that scoring outburst was Paul Goldschmidt. Initially re-signed over the winter as cover at first base but more importantly to retain his veteran leadership, the 38-year-old former MVP has been one of the Yankees’ most productive bats, bringing much needed stability to a DH role impacted by the injuries to Giancarlo Stanton and Jasson Domínguez.
We join Goldschmidt in the top of the first inning last Friday in West Sacramento. The Yankees are looking to make a first inning statement facing old friend Luis Severino, and have already opened the scoring after Ben Rice reached on a throwing error and scored on an Aaron Judge single. Cody Bellinger followed with a single of his own, he and Judge advancing into scoring position on a Jazz Chisholm Jr. soft grounder. Goldschmidt is a base knock away from making it 3-0, but Severino is also an out away from limiting the damage to one.
Severino starts Goldschmidt with a first pitch sinker at 97 mph, he and catcher Shea Langeliers looking to bust Goldschmidt inside.
Severino executes just the pitch he was intending, the sinker starting over the plate before riding in on Goldschmidt. It requires an impressive take from Goldschmidt given the pitch lands just a few inches from the zone — he starts his swing before recognizing that the movement of the pitch will run it off the plate inside for ball one and stops his swing in time.
Perhaps Severino spots Goldschmidt’s initial temptation to offer at that sinker, because he looks to throw a sweeper down a similar tunnel hoping he can get the batter to chase a pitch that breaks in the opposite direction.
Instead, Severino releases this pitch early, and it sweeps across the inside edge for called strike one. It is clear this is not the location that Severino intended to throw to when you see the target low and away that Langeliers flashes, but he gets the desired result all the same.
Severino next looks to leverage the result of the previous pitch — a sweeper that starts aimed inside and breaks glove-side back into the zone — to try to get Goldschmidt to chase a sinker in off the plate. To Goldschmidt, it should look like a hanging sweeper, and the increased velocity of the sinker means that by the time the hitter realizes what pitch is coming, it should be too late to halt his swing.
Once again, Severino rips of perfect execution of a sinker up and in. He buries this slider in on Goldschmidt’s hands, but Goldschmidt is forced to fight it off given that this one is in the zone. The location and movement of this pitch makes it impossible for Goldschmidt to do anything but fight it off foul.
Now that he has pushed the count to two strikes, Severino goes for the kill with the sweeper, Langeliers again setting a target low and away as the pair attempt to induce a chase and whiff from Goldschmidt over the breaker.
This is such a piece of professional hitting from Goldschmidt. He must have diagnosed the pitch early out of Severino’s hand, because at first glance this sweeper looks like it is aimed at his front hip. He also must have cued in on a subtle deficiency in Severino’s release point with all four pitches sailing up and in. To the eye, it certainly appears that Goldschmidt is hunting a breaking pitch in exactly this location based on what he has seen already from Severino in this encounter as well as the scouting report that reveals Severino’s tendency to throw the sweeper immediately upon reaching two strikes. Look at the way he stays in their despite the pitch exiting Severino’s hand aimed at him before unloading on this hanging sweeper for a three-run homer to give the Yankees a 4-0 lead.
Goldschmidt’s re-signing was initially derided as representative of the Yankees’ broader run it back approach to the offseason. However, his retention has proven an inspired decision in the wake of the injuries to Stanton and Domínguez. At the time of writing, Goldschmidt boasts seven home runs, 23 RBIs, and a 151 wRC+ in 35 games, which makes him the Yankees’ third-most productive hitter in a limited sample. The fact this home run came off a righty when Goldschmidt was expected to bat exclusively against lefties is also encouraging. Ben Rice has credited him as a mentor in learning the intricacies of playing first base, Goldschmidt giving them a capable defender as a late game substitution or when they want to give Rice half a day off at DH. The Yankees would not be within touching distance of the Rays for first in the division if not for Goldschmidt filling the void at DH, removing a ton of pressure off Stanton and Domínguez as they recover from their injuries.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 5: Austin Wynns #29 of the Athletics looks on against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on May 5, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Athletics 9-1. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Due to injuries to both Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy, the Atlanta Braves are currently having to dip into their reserve tank for help at the catcher spot. Part of that help had been provided by Chadwick Tromp, who did deliver a walk-off knock not too long ago. With that being said, Sandy León has been getting most of the reps behind the dish since the both of them became the top catchers’ duo in Atlanta and as a result, Tromp is now the latest Braves player to take the uncertain ride on the DFA cycle.
The Braves announced that they’ve acquired catcher Austin Wynns from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for cash considerations. Wynns is clearly taking the place of Tromp on the roster because Tromp has now been designated for assignment.
To put this in the nicest terms possible, Wynns has been very underwhelming at the plate so far this season. He’s had 43 plate appearances with the SacramentoAthletics where he hit .077/.143/.077 with a .285 wOBA, a -40 wRC+ and three runs scored. Wynns had been released by the A’s in mid-May, picked up by the Angels a few days afterwards and stashed at their Triple-A affiliate from then until now, as he’s been acquired by the Braves and subsequently called up from Triple-A as well. With all of that being said, Wynns does play some solid defense and as evidenced by the fact that León is getting regularly playing time seemingly solely due to his defense, the Braves have made their decision as to what they value from the catcher’s spot while Baldwin and Murphy are gone.
There was also some shuffling going on elsewhere on the roster that corresponded with this move. Outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. reportedly had an opt-out in his contract where if he wasn’t added to Atlanta’s major league roster by a certain date, he could elect free agency. Well, apparently the Braves didn’t want to lose Keirsey to an opt-out because they called him up to the bigs and then immediately sent him back down to Triple-A. Congratulations on your return to the big leagues, DaShawn Keirsey Jr., we hope you enjoyed your time while it lasted.
Anyways, in order to make roster space for all of this to happen, Sean Murphy has now been transferred to the 60-day IL. This was always going to happen once the Braves needed a roster spot since Murphy’s going to be out for a significant period of time with that fractured finger. This doesn’t change anything with his recovery timeline but it does mean that the Braves can now maneuver with him being on the long-term IL instead of taking up a roster spot on the short-term IL.
So there you have it! There’s some more roster shuffling for you. What do y’all make of all these moves?
May 29, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Brayan Bello (66) throws a pitch during the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
TV: NESN
First Pitch: 1:35 p.m. ET
The Red Sox and Orioles will compete in the rubber match of their three-game series on Thursday at Fenway Park.
Brayan Bello, who has been absolutely phenomenal as a bulk reliever, will return to the starting rotation with the hope that he can keep that form without the help (or lack thereof) of an opener. Jovani Morán and Tyler Samaniego, the two men who have opened for the veteran right-hander, have combined to allow nine runs in four innings across their four starts, while the should-be starter has a 0.71 ERA in 25.1 innings of relief in 2026.
It’s just a matter of bringing that same mentality and execution to his original role…
Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, and Willson Contreras will remain as the first four in the order, with Andruw Monasterio, Carlos Narváez, and Connor Wong slotting back into the lineup after missing the 8-1 victory on Wednesday. Marcelo Mayer, Masataka Yoshida, and Mickey Gasper are out.
The O’s will essentially run things back, with Leody Taveras and Colton Cowser replacing Tyler O’Neill and Blaze Alexander. Trevor Rogers will get the start.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 03: J.T. Realmuto #10 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates a solo home run with Adolis García #53 in the seventh inning during a game against the San Diego Padres at Citizens Bank Park on June 03, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Here are the lineups for the series (and season) finale against the Padres. Let’s discuss!
FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - MARCH 12, 2026: Kristian Campbell #28 of the Boston Red Sox bats during the second inning of a spring training game against the Minnesota Twins at Lee Health Sports Complex on March 12, 2026 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Simply put: the WooSox got carved up by the Bison (Blue Jays AAA) pitching staff. Former Ray pitcher Josh Fleming pitched seven innings of two-hit ball and retired 16 consecutive batters en route to an easy win. To say Eduardo Rivera and Angel Bastardo out of relief couldn’t keep up with this lack of offensive firepower would be an understatement; the WooSox couldn’t find the strike zone all night, walking fourteen Bison throughout the day while allowing them seven hits with runners in scoring position. It got to the point where Nathan Hickey, a first baseman, pitched the ninth and gave up a tater.
No, Franklin Arias, did not hit a home run, though he did get a knock against Hartford (Rockies AA). Johanfran Garcia hoisted a ball into the seats, making a 7-6 game a 9-6 game in a shot that’d make all the difference. While the Sea Dogs pitching allowed three homers, the offense answered with three of their own and got them where it matters. And it wasn’t just home runs that made a difference in this game: the Sea Dogs had just a 12% chance of winning the game entering the fifth, but Abhram Liendo’s home run followed by a Nelly Taylor bases-clearing pop up just outside the infield certainly shifted matters.
While Jack Winnay’s ninth home run in High-A put a pebble in Rome (Braves High-A) pitcher Cedric DeGrandpre’s armor, the Drive hitting him around to start the sixth to the tune of five runs and boosting a tie game into a 7-2 lead. Despite committing three defensive errors, all it took was that one rally in which they hit around the lineup, and it completely changed the complexion of an otherwise close game.
Seen enough of the Red Sox’s offense wasting good pitching starts? Well, it happened in A-ball as the RidgeYaks hit 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position against the Warbirds (Brewers A). Jason Gilman, the 23-year-old from Staten Island and a former Division III player (certainly a rarity…) looked incredible, making it through six innings with 64 pitches, allowing just two hits and no walks, striking out ten, even retiring one runner who reached base via a double play. But Salem just couldn’t pull a winnable game in, stranding 11 and getting caught stealing three times, even one of which would have been crucial.
