SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 05: Christian Scott #45 of the New York Mets prepares to pitch against the San Diego Padres during the first inning at Petco Park on June 05, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Meet the Mets
The Mets shut out the Padres 5-0 behind a strong performance from Christian Scott, who earned his second major league victory. Jared Young and Luis Torrens both homered for the Mets and Bo Bichette contributed a key RBI triple in the third. The Mets’ bullpen was solid yet again with Huascar Brazobán helping Scott navigate out of trouble in the sixth and Luke Weaver and A.J. Minter logging a scoreless inning apiece.
A four-hit night from Kyle Schwarber powered the Phillies to an 8-6 victory over the White Sox, as the Phillies find themselves in playoff position for the first time since April 7.
Despite the Phillies’ incredible turnaround since Don Mattingly took over as manager, Mattingly still has mixed feelings due to the reason he is in his current position to begin with.
Over at The Good Phight, they opined that the Phillies may need to change up their lineup again to kickstart the struggling offense.
Mauricio Dubón drove in three of the Braves’ six runs in their 6-3 win over the Pirates at Truist Park.
Braves pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach is throwing on flat ground but still has “a long way to go” in his recovery timeline.
The Nationals’ high-octane offense was at it again as they walloped the Diamondbacks 14-1.
Nationals lefty DJ Herz, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, made his first rehab appearance yesterday in the Florida Complex League.
The Marlins were blanked by Drew Rasmussen and the Rays 5-0 in Miami.
Marlins top pitching prospect Thomas White has been diagnosed with a capsular sprain in his throwing shoulder and may miss the rest of the 2026 season.
MLB owners are framing the salary cap as a way to end local TV blackouts, as their proposal to the union involves eliminating the territory system that defines the current media landscape in baseball.
Ginny Searle of Baseball Prospectus took a look at the current playoff odds picture and how it has changed from Opening Day. Not surprisingly, the Mets’ playoff odds have dropped the most of any team.
Michael Baumann of Fangraphs wrote about the Gerrit Cole contract now that there are just two and a half years remaining on his pact with the Yankees.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - MAY 13: The Baltimore Orioles mascot performs before the game against the New York Yankees at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 13, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Tides gave up three runs in the first inning and it was basically over from there. At least starter Trace Bright nearly threw a quality start despite that first-inning run outburst, holding the Stripers scoreless for the rest of his 5.2-inning performance. But two runs apiece off Cameron Weston and Josh Walker put the game out of reach.
Norfolk’s offense was a no-show. They managed only four hits, though two of them were solo homers by Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Luis Vázquez. Tides hitters struck out nine times and walked only once, and they had only a single at-bat all game with a runner in scoring position. Heston Kjerstad and Creed Willems each went 1-for-4.
Um…ouch. You didn’t misread that score. The Baysox really did lose 19-3. They were down 10-1 by the third inning, then gave up eight runs in the ninth inning. Before delving into the box score, I assumed that all those ninth-inning runs came against a position player on the mound, but sadly, no. It was an actual pitcher, Daniel Lloyd, who gave them all up, including a grand slam and a two-run homer. His ERA rose from 4.63 to 7.23 in a single outing. He’ll have better nights.
Starting pitcher Luis De León, one of the Orioles’ top pitching prospects, had the worst performance of his professional career. In 2.1 innings, he was torched for 10 (ten!) runs, on nine hits and four walks. Like Lloyd, the outing blew up his season ERA, from 4.89 to 6.80. Meanwhile, Chesapeake’s offense was held in check besides Ethan Anderson’s solo homer and Carter Young’s two-run single, which did little to change the final result.
High-A: Hudson Valley Renegades (Yankees) 14, Frederick Keys 13
What a humdinger this one was. The Keys, one night after getting held hitless through six innings, certainly found their bats again with a 13-run explosion. They scored seven runs in the fifth inning alone and at one point led this game 10-3. But the Renegades responded with a seven-run frame of their own in the eighth to steal the game away.
Let’s start with the positive stuff. Nearly every Keys hitter did something good, sparked by rehabbing leadoff man Enrique Bradfield Jr., who reached base three times, scored three runs, drove in two, and stole a base. Unheralded hitters like Douglas Hodo (4-for-5 with a homer) and Colin Yeaman (3-for-5, two RBIs) had big days. Top prospects Wehiwa Aloy and Ike Irish went just 1-for-9 combined, but Aloy drove in three runs and Irish one. The Keys went 7-for-22 with runners in scoring position.
Now for the bad news, which was, obviously, the pitching. Four of Frederick’s five pitchers gave up at least three runs, including starter Caden Hunter. The quintet issued nine walks in the game. Reliever Raimon Gomez particularly struggled, giving up five runs in less than an inning, while Jacob Cravey took the loss by allowing the last three.
Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 6, Augusta GreenJackets (Braves) 0
Thank goodness for the Shorebirds, who kept the O’s affiliates from being swept on this day. It was a whale of a performance from Delmarva’s pitching staff, led by left-hander Stephen Still, a recent free agent signing out of independent ball. Still worked 5.2 scoreless innings and struck out nine. Relievers Brendan Parks, Eccel Correa, and Zac Lampton combined to complete the shutout.
This was a 0-0 game into the late innings before the Shorebirds erupted for three runs in the seventh and three more in the ninth. First baseman Miguel Rodríguez broke the scoreless tie with a two-run single, and later Braylon Whitaker contributed a two-run knock of his own. Jaiden Lo Re, a fifth-round pick last year, hit his first Low-A home run, off of a guy named Landon Beidelschies. I can’t decide which of those names is more fun.
May 22, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Mets shortstop Bo Bichette (19) reacts after the game against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Last week, when I was reading Sam’s piece about the messy state of much of the American League, I was struck by how many teams now mired in a rut were considered by many prognosticators to be contenders coming into the season. The AL East was supposed to be a four-horse race between New York, Boston, Baltimore and Toronto, with Tampa Bay bringing up the rear; instead, it’s been the Rays and Yankees vying for the lead, with the Orioles, Blue Jays and Red Sox still on a long march to .500 ball.
If we look over to the AL Central, the Tigers offer a harrowing picture of how fast baseball can come at you. Although they did fritter away a huge division lead to the Guardians last year, they exacted revenge on them in the Wild Card Series, and took the Mariners to Game 5 in a tightly contested ALDS. In the offseason, they declared their intent to claim the division title by signing Framber Valdez on February 4th. Four months later, they now find themselves nearly sharing the cellar with the Royals — themselves a preseason dark horse candidate — with a 26-38 record, 9.5 games out of first place.
The National League offers even more examples of unmet expectations. The Mets had a weird offseason resulting in many awkward fits on the roster, but the collection of talent was undeniable. No one would have batted an eye if they had brute-forced their way to a 90-win campaign this year. Instead, they’re last in the division, 14.5 games back of the first-place Braves, and 5.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot, trailing everyone in the Senior Circuit except for the Giants and Rockies. The Cubs haven’t collapsed to that extent, but compared to their preseason hype—FanGraphs gave them the highest playoff odds in their division—their 33-31 record is certainly underwhelming; they’ve been extremely streaky at best. And while the Phillies have done well to scrape their way back up the standings after a horrific start and the ousting of their manager, they’re still barely hanging on to a Wild Card spot under interim skipper Don Mattingly with a -20 run differential.
What does this all mean? The most obvious, and nonetheless true, answer, is that baseball is unpredictable. However, although it certainly has its fair share of random variance, that isn’t to say that teams have absolutely no control over how their seasons will play out. If that were the case, why even spend so much time and money trying? Even in a topsy-turvy season like this one, certain teams are making good on their preseason promise – think of the Dodgers, Braves, Brewers, and (perhaps to a lesser extent) the Guardians and Mariners.
Turning our focus to the Yankees specifically, why have they fared relatively well in a season where so many other would-be contenders have not? My view is that design and luck are equally involved; and cleanly separating the two is harder than you’d think.
First things first: I think the Yankees are, on the whole, a well-run organization. Shocking, I know. But with the sheer amount of criticism directed towards the front office, manager, and coaching staff every day, it’s easy to lose sight of this. By and large, the Yankees do things right. They’ve developed core talent (Schlittler, Rice) and solid role players (Warren, Schmidt, Volpe, Wells). They’ve shelled out for top-of-the-market talent when the opportunity arises (Judge, Cole, Fried, Rodón, Bellinger). They’ve made savvy trades for impact players (Chisholm, Bednar, Cruz) while retaining their most coveted prospects (Lombard Jr., Rodríguez, Kilby, Lagrange). They haven’t remained contenders for the better part of a decade now out of sheer luck; their success is deserved in many ways.
But while the Yankees have done a lot of things right, they’ve also had a lot of things go right for them (at least until Judge’s stress fracture). This becomes apparent when you consider the various pitfalls that befell other teams this year. Say, for example, you’re trying to build a contender on the backs of highly regarded young talent – that’s great! But consider the Orioles. Adley Rustchman, Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, and Samuel Basallo are definitely a fearsome foursome. But for a team with postseason aspirations, the trick is to have them all be good at the same time, and that hasn’t happened yet.
That isn’t a comment on the talent of the four youngsters; I fully expect all four to have productive careers. It’s a comment on the unpredictability and non-linear-ness of player development. Even the most highly regarded prospects can struggle at the MLB level, and even young stars can take a step back after a breakout year. The fact that both Ben Rice and Cam Schlittler have built on their strong showings last year and are posting elite numbers this year does suggest that the Yankees’ player dev is working well. But the fact that both young stars’ upward trajectories are so closely aligned, I think, is close to a miracle — at least, it’s not something that you can engineer, or count on.
Likewise, there is an element of luck with any aspect of roster-building. Marquee free agents or trade acquisitions can bomb (Bo Bichette) or get injured (Dylan Cease, Garrett Crochet); you can try to gauge which players are at risk, but you can’t predict them with 100% accuracy, and that’s where chance gets involved. And when you trade prospects for big-league pieces, there’s always the risk of the player you got underperforming while the prospects you traded away flourish (Caleb Durbin for Kyle Harrison; Dustin May for James Tibbs III). It’s easy to criticize these moves with the benefit of hindsight, but the reality is that there’s always risk involved, and the Yankees are not impervious to that.
So, when you consider the fact that the Yankees have managed to stay competitive for as long and as consistently as they have, it’s important to acknowledge the things they did right — and the things that went right for them. Hopefully, the Yankees’ brass themselves do so too. If they focus only on the former while paying no mind to the latter, that would lead to complacency and a false sense of security — something that they might already be guilty of.
Jun 5, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves shortstop Mauricio Dubon (14) hits a two-run home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the third inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Mauricio Dubón and the Atlanta Braves had a successful night after Friday’s 6-3 defeat of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Braves improved to 43-21 and are 20-11 at Truist Park. Dubón continued his hot streak, and in four at-bats, he recorded two hits, three RBI, and two runs.
He’s homered in three straight games and is hitting well over .300 with runners in scoring position. Dubón and the Braves aim to ride the momentum as the series continues this afternoon at 4:10 ET.
More Braves News:
Walt Weiss provided an update on the injured Spencer Schwellenbach, who “has a long way to go” in his recovery timeline.
Cade Kuehler struck out eight on Thursday down on the farm. More in the minor league recap.
In MLB Pipeline’s latest mock draft, the Braves are projected to take a LHP and an outfielder.
The New York Yankees have officially placed Aaron Judge on the 10-day injured list with a stress fracture in his rib. The move is retroactive to June 2.
From the Feed:
Cast your vote here for Braves Player of the Game.
Chris Sale spoke with 680 The Fan to discuss Didier Fuentes.
Jun 5, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) pitches during the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Roki Sasaki did not figure in the decision on Friday night, through no fault of his own as he struck out his MLB-high 10 Angels in seven scoreless frames. The right-hander has allowed five total runs (four earned) over 24 1/3 innings in his last four starts, with 29 strikeouts against only five walks.
You might have seen after Sasaki’s seventh inning on Friday, he was seen in the dugout smiling and laughing in a long conversation with Dodgers strength and conditioning coach Travis Smith. Maddie Lee at the Los Angeles Times wrote about Sasaki’s maturity in his second major league season, as well as his relationship with Smith and the coaching staff:
“This year, especially, I feel like we’re focusing on talking about game plan and sequencing, because I feel healthy right now,” Sasaki said. “Last year I got hurt, so I’m thinking about my mechanics, all that stuff. So this is a big difference right now.”
Jay Jaffe earlier in the week at FanGraphs looked at Sasaki’s strong May performance, and dug into the details. “Sasaki’s better command and reconfigured repertoire have made for a most welcome development.” Jaffe wrote.
After Wednesday’s win in Arizona, during which Ohtani allowed two hits and a walk in six scoreless innings and also reached base five times while batting, catcher Will Smith said, “He’s the best player that’s ever walked this earth,” per Katie Woo at The Athletic.
(Original Caption) Reds-Braves. Cincinnati: Braves owner Ted Turner gives some over the dugout advice to his field general, Eddie Haas, before his Atlanta team took the field against Cincinnati, April 30. Atlanta won the game, 8-4.
Yesterday, it was reported that Eddie Haas, former Atlanta Braves manager – and long-time member of the organization – passed away on June 4 at 91.
Eddie has had a brief MLB career, debuting with the Chicago Cubs in 1957 and then playing in 41 games with the Milwaukee Braves across the 1958 and 1960 seasons. The outfielder hit his only career home run with the Braves in 1960. He twice played with the organization in the minors, including the last three seasons of his playing career, ending in 1964 at age 29 playing for the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate in Denver.
Haas transitioned to coaching after his playing career ended and debuted as manager with the Braves organization in 1966 in Yakima Valley. He’d managed each season in the Braves organization until 1973 when he transition to minor league hitting instructor. He joined Atlanta’s major league staff in 1974 and spent four seasons with the big league club before returning the minor league managerial ranks in 1978.
Haas would take over as manager at Triple-A Richmond in 1981 where he would manage until midway through the 1984 season when he returned to the big leagues, joining manager Joe Torre’s staff. After Torre was dismissed following the ‘84 season, the organization named the then 50-year-old Haas as Torre’s replacement.
Haas would spend only 121 games at the helm of Atlanta, going 50-71, before being relieved of his duties by Bobby Wine.
Haas would remain in the game as a scout, joining the Montreal Expos organization in 1986 where he’s stay through 1994 before joining the Boston Red Sox in 1995 where he’d work until retiring after the 2003 season.
Bill Shanks was the first to report the news of Haas’ passing, which was first covered on The Feed.
TORONTO, CANADA - JUNE 5: Adley Rutschman #35 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrates his two-RBI double against the Toronto Blue Jays during the ninth inning of an MLB game at the Rogers Centre on June 5, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning Birdland,
There was a whole lot of goodness in the Orioles 13-3 beatdown of the Blue Jays on Friday night, and perhaps just one small (for now) thing to worry about.
First, the good news. The Orioles looked amazing, even if it took a little while for the offense to get it going.
Adley Rutschman’s solo homer in the first inning is all they could muster against Blue Jays starter Trey Yesavage through the game’s first five innings. But they caught fire in the sixth, plating five runs and putting the game out of reach for a Blue Jays lineup that got shut down in the second half of the evening.
Rutschman was the star, going a perfect 4-for-4 with the homer, two doubles, and five runs driven in. His season totals are looking mighty fine after that performance. But he didn’t do it all alone. Coby Mayo hit a two-run dong. Jeremiah Jackson entered as a pinch hitter and had two hits and two RBI. Colton Cowser had two more hits and made a nice throw from right field. Gunnar Henderson reached base twice, scored two runs, and put pressure on the defense with his speed. It was just a really impressive group effort up and down the lineup.
The pitching was also good! Brandon Young got the win, tossing 6.1 innings and allowing three runs on seven hits, no walks, and four strikeouts. Then, the trio of Grant Wolfram, Yennier Cano, and Anthony Nunez combined for 2.2 shutout innings to close out the win.
The only thing we really need to be worried about is Samuel Basallo. He was the DH in this one, but exited early due to “right abdominal discomfort.” O’s manager Craig Albernaz described the decision to remove Basallo as “precautionary,” and that they will know more on Saturday. Sam Huff is already with the team as a member of the taxi squad, though he would need to be added to the 40-man roster if he is needed.
Losing Basallo for any amount of time would hurt. The rookie has been such an impactful part of their offense. He has also allowed Rutschman to get out from behind the plate more frequently, either as the DH or on the bench. Upending that balance could have some negative downstream effects. Fingers crossed this ends up being a day-to-day thing.
Links
Orioles injury updates and some mailbag questions | Roch Kubatko We got some positive injury updates this week. Chris Bassitt should be OK to make his next start. Ryan Helsley is set for a rehab stint next week. Dylan Beavers is hitting in the cage. And Dean Kremer is running and throwing live batting practice. Getting the team healthier would be a big boost!
The Draft is just over 5 weeks away! Here’s the latest mock | MLB.com The Orioles have the seventh overall pick in this year’s draft, which makes things a bit more interesting. Clearly, you can get good players deeper than that. Look no further than Henderson. But the draft is most exciting in the top half of the first round. Here are a bunch of names to get familiar with.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
The late Merv Rettenmund (b. 1943, d., 2024) was born on this day. The outfielder spent six seasons in Baltimore during the club’s Golden Age from 1968-73. He put together three different seasons with bWARs of 4.2 or better, with his standout campaign coming in 1971. That got him some down ballot MVP votes, finishing in 19th place for the award.
This day in O’s history
1993 – Cal Ripken Jr’s consecutive games played streak nearly comes to an end when his spikes get stuck in the grass and twist his knee. Although his knee will be badly swollen the next day, he plays anyway.
2010 – The Orioles beat the Red Sox 4-3 in 11 innings, ending a ten-game losing stream and giving interim manager Juan Samuel his first victory at the helm.
2012 – The Orioles beat the Red Sox 2-1 to retake sole possession of first place in the AL East.
JUPITER, FLORIDA - MARCH 19, 2026: Tanner Franklin #43 of the St. Louis Cardinals throws a pitch during the fourth inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Washington Nationals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on March 19, 2026 in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Chaim Bloom and the Cardinals front office have spent the last year feverishly adding as much pitching talent to the farm system as possible. As ORSTLcardsfan noted in his article yesterday, this has been a “re-stock the pitching pipeline” year.
I think most of us were happy with the pitchers and types of pitchers brought into the organization, but have the results followed the supposed increase in talented arms?
There are a couple of ways I want to do this. First, by looking at the team level statistics for each of the full-season clubs and how they are trending year over year relative to their respective leagues. The second is by looking at which individual prospects have taken major steps forward or back this season. I will keep the individual pitcher updates to a minimum since Gabe has covered that recently here for the upper minors and here for the lower minors.
Put simply: is the pitching pipeline actually getting better?
Team Statistics Overview
For the team level statistics, I am focusing on age, K%, BB%, and HR%. The average age is weighted by the number of plate appearances against. Yhoiker Fajardo’s 183 batters faced in High-A as a 19-year-old have a greater impact on the team’s average age than former teammate Aaron Holiday’s 56 batters faced as a 26-year-old.
There has been an explosion of home runs at the three lowest levels of the minor leagues, so I also looked at leaguewide statistics. I think this is helpful because it gives some context on the performances of the Cardinals pitchers (and hitters, for that matter), but also gives us a more consistent baseline to evaluate against.
Changes in Prospect Grades
I am highlighting players that, in my opinion, have significantly changed their prospect grade based on their performance this year. My intent was to be very conservative about moving players since we are still relatively early on in the year. For example, Leonel Sequera has a 9.07 ERA and has given up 12 home runs through his first 43.2 innings pitched. Obviously this is a horrible stat line, but he also showed improved velocity in spring training, moved up a level, and is running a 16.4% K-BB% as a 20-year-old in High-A. I consider him to be holding steady with his preseason expectations/grade.
For injured players, I am delineating between players who were injured entering the year and those who have had injuries since the start of spring training. So, Cooper Hjerpe’s prospect grade has not changed since the start of the year, but Ixan Henderson and Frank Elissalt are trending down.
I am not saying this is the right or only methodology, but I am trying to measure progress relative to our offseason expectations and that is the best I could come up with.
Finally, I am including the FanGraphs preseason ranking for each prospect for reference. I don’t agree with their list completely, but it is a solid reference point. Now, on to Memphis!
Memphis Redbirds
The first section in the table shows the year-over-year changes to the age, K%, BB%, and HR% for the International League as a whole. The second section of the table shows the Cardinals-specific performance in 2025 and 2026. Finally, the Cardinals vs. League section shows the Cardinals staff performance relative to the league year-over-year. The scores are scaled so that 100 is average and higher is better. So, the Cardinals Age score of 104 indicates that their average pitcher is 4% younger than the International League as a whole.
Overall, the Redbirds have improved in every metric. The average age of the pitching staff has decreased from 27 to 26.3, which is fourth youngest in the 20-team league. Strikeouts, walks, and home runs have all gone from just below league average to above.
Prospects holding steady
Quinn Matthews (10), Brycen Mautz (17), Hancel Rincon (18), Pete Hansen (19), Luis Gastelum (31), Skylar Hales (38)
Prospect injured list
Tekoah Roby (12), Sem Robberse (22)
Prospects trending up
Max Rajcic (NR) has transitioned from starting to relieving quite nicely. As a relief-only arm, he is probably not a top-30 prospect in their system, but he now looks like an actual major leaguer. Cade Winquest (NR) counts as trending up simply by virtue of being returned from the Yankees after being made their first Rule 5 selection since 2011. Winquest was ranked as the Yankees 12th-best prospect by FanGraphs, and based on his 40 FV grade, would have ranked between 23-33 on the Cardinals offseason list. Anyway, getting an arm like Winquest back in the system was a great break. He is pitching in relief now, but still throwing five or six pitches, so if everything breaks right, he could follow the Kyle Leahy path to the rotation.
Prospects trending down
Tink Hence (11) has moved to a relief role and suffered a big drop in velocity and results out of the Memphis bullpen. After a stint on the development list, Hence at least showed better stuff in his return to Memphis.
Good to see Tink Hence's velocity back up in his return from the FCL.
Still, Hence may fall out of updated top-30 Cardinals lists and is still taking up a spot on the 40-man roster. Never count a pitcher with Hence’s talent out, but he is running out of time.
Ixan Henderson (16) is still working his way back from an arm injury that surfaced in spring training. He is apparently still on track to pitch in July or August, but the injury timing was quite unfortunate following his breakout 2025. The Matt Pushard (43) era ended after seven magical innings in St. Louis. The Rule 5 draftee was returned to Miami.
Springfield Cardinals
Home runs in the Texas League are up almost 40%! This is encouraging context for a star-studded rotation. The Springfield staff as a whole is not quite matching up to the historically effective 2025 team, but it is still above average and is significantly younger.
Prospects holding steady
Liam Doyle (2), Jurrangelo Cijntje (5), Chen-Wei Lin (15), Austin Love (32), Braden Davis (36)
Prospect injured list
Brandon Clarke (6), Cooper Hjerpe (21)
Prospects trending up
Mason Molina (41) was the least heralded member of the Springfield rotation to start the year, but has been the best starter in terms of ERA and FIP. He came into the year as a lottery ticket (acquired in the Phil Maton trade) that likely profiled as a bullpen arm. Molina showed off a devastating fastball in spring training and now looks like he might profile as a backend starter. He is easily a top-30 prospect in the organization for me.
Prospects trending Down
FanGraphs always includes relief pitchers with great arms like Randel Clemente (45) on their prospect lists. Clemente was not a real prospect coming into the season, in my opinion. He is still walking almost a batter per inning. He is striking out 40% of hitters, so he will probably keep getting chances, but the control is just not clicking.
Peoria Chiefs
To one-up the Texas League, Midwest League home runs are up more than 50% with around a 2% increase in both K% and BB%. Peoria’s staff has the highest home run per batter faced in the league, but has improved strikeout and walk rates. It will be worth following to see if the bloated home run totals are still partially a small sample-size issue, or if the trend continues.
Prospects holding steady
Leonel Sequera (28), Blake Aita (35)
Prospects trending up
Tanner Franklin (24) is probably the biggest up arrow guy in the Cardinals system. Keith Law ranked him as the 25th-best prospect in baseball at the Athletic. While this feels a little aggressive, he is poised to start joining other top 100 lists if he keeps up his current pace a bit longer. Yhoiker Fajardo (33) is one of six 19-year-olds to pitch in High-A this year.He has the 11th-best K-BB% (minimum 40 IP) of any pitcher in the minor leagues at 25%. Fajardo has struggled with the home run ball, like everyone in Peoria, but he could be making a run at top 100 prospect lists by year’s end as well. Jacob Odle (NR) is the biggest arrow up pitching prospect in the system that was unranked entering the season. He has just one High-A start but terrorized the Florida State League with a wicked fastball averaging 97.1 MPH and 17.5 inches of induced vertical break (IVB). For reference, Chase Burns is the only qualified starting pitcher in MLB to throw harder (98 MPH) with more IVB (18.7). Odle has less than 100 professional innings pitched and is already 22, but he is officially on the prospect watchlist.
Prospects trending down
Nate Dohm (34) was acquired in the Ryan Helsley trade and was one of the more popular picks to break out this year. As a former reliever with great stuff, he was in a similar category as Tanner Franklin entering the year. Unfortunately, he has battled command and only been able to get through 24 innings in nine appearances. I am not ready to write him off, but he is trending in the wrong direction. Jose Davila (37) has barely pitched this year and Frank Elissalt (42) has not appeared at all. Despite the low ranking, Elissalt has a lot of fans in the prospect-watching community thanks to a nasty fastball, but he is still working his way back from a hip injury suffered in spring training.
Palm Beach Cardinals
Florida State League home runs are up 37%, right in line with the Palm Beach team’s year-over-year increase. Strikeout rates in the league have jumped almost 3%, which makes the Cardinals increase look a bit less impressive. The Palm Beach roster is light on prospects relative to the other teams in the system, but Brian Holiday is a non-ranked name to watch that has just joined the club after returning from his Tommy John rehab.
Prospects holding steady
Cade Crossland (23), Jack Martinez (39), Ethan Young (40)
Prospects trending down
Yordy Herrera (44) is in the same category for me as Clemente, but I am including him for completeness of the FanGraphs list. He is still in Low-A and not getting results.
Conclusion
So, where does that leave us? At the team level, every level except Palm Beach has gotten younger. All four teams are striking out between 3%-11% more than the league average. Three of the four teams have improved their walk rate relative to the league, with Springfield being the exception. Peoria’s staff has been a weird outlier on the home run front, but the other staffs are above average in that department as well. To me, the younger staffs and improved strikeout rates are encouraging signs that the talent level within the system is rising.
When looking at individual players trending up vs. trending down, I think the signs are encouraging as well. Franklin and Fajardo are both taking major steps forward. Odle is one of the most exciting out-of-nowhere arms I can remember in quite some time. Mason Molina could be a back-end starter and getting Cade Winquest back in the system was a nice bonus. These developments more than offset the continued struggles of Hence, the injuries to Ixan Henderson and Frank Elissalt, and the poor start by Nate Dohm.
Cooper Hjerpe made his first rehab appearance on Friday night in the complex league. How Hjerpe, Henderson, and Clarke pitch in the second half will have a huge impact on the pitching picture going into 2027, but based on what we’ve seen so far, Bloom’s plan is trending in the right direction.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JUNE 04: Jung Hoo Lee #51 of the San Francisco Giants up to bat against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on June 04, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
Another week of San Francisco Giants baseball comes to a close this weekend, which means it’s time to make our picks for Player of the Week!
It should come as absolutely no surprise that my pick for this week is Jung Hoo Lee! As of the time I am writing this, Lee has a 12-game hit streak going, and he’s racked up 20 in the last seven games alone. I’m always a huge fan of Lee, but this last couple of weeks have made me even more of one. I’m still kicking myself for not buying his jersey while I was at the park this year.
Who is your pick for Player of the Week?
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants continue their series against the Chicago Cubs this morning at 11:20 a.m. PT.
SCOTTSDALE, AZ - FEBRUARY 20: Colorado Rockies outfielder, Zac Veen walks back to the dugout after striking out during the first 2026 spring training game at Salt River Field at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Arizona on February 20, 2026. The Arizona Diamondbacks went onto beat the Colorado Rockies 3-2. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images) | Denver Post via Getty Images
Zac Veen (No. 9 PuRP) was the player I hoped would be my favorite Rockie by now.
Hope can be an unfair thing to put on a prospect. Prospects are projections, not guarantees. Their timelines are rarely clean, and prospects should not become stand-ins for what we wish our baseball team was.
But fans do this anyway.
I did it with Veen.
And it was easy. The Rockies drafted him ninth overall in the 2020 MLB Draft as a first-round talent out of high school, and the tools flashed enough during his early minor-league days to make the hype feel reasonable.
There were warning signs, too: High-velocity fastballs, chase, and injuries all complicated the path. But for a franchise desperate for anything resembling a future, Veen became an easy place to put that hope.
Spring training 2025 put the hype on full display, bat flips and all. The disappointment when Veen did not break camp with the Rockies was real, but he went to Triple-A, kept hitting, and quickly got the call.
Veen hit .118/.189/.235 with a .424 OPS and a 37.8% strikeout rate across 37 plate appearances, and the pitch-level shape was not much kinder. Fastballs beat him, breaking stuff neutralized him, and pitchers had a clear path through the zone. Veen was soon optioned back, and while he finished the year with a measured rebound in Albuquerque, the timeline had split from the dream.
By the end of 2025, Veen was no longer the same prospect.
Spring 2026 showed he was not the same person either.
Physically, Veen looked almost unrecognizable. This was not the same wiry kid. He showed up built out. The energy was still there, but the body was different: thicker, stronger, and more physically mature.
If spring 2025 was about hype, spring 2026 was about transformation. And the unseen transformation mattered more.
“Definitely one of the bigger, main things was sobering up,” said Veen. “I had a pretty big substance abuse problem for a few years. But I’m completely clean and sober.
“There were times last year where it was out of hand. Coming home in the offseason, I had to look in the mirror and make some adjustments. And I definitely got closer to God, and it made me want to be the best version of myself in every aspect.”
Scouting reports describe the machine. Stats show the output. But they cannot show what it means to look in the mirror and decide something has to change.
For a little while, the baseball gave that change some joy.
Then the momentum was stopped by another injury. Veen landed on the 10-day IL on March 25 with a right knee contusion, went on a rehab assignment on March 31, and was activated and optioned to Triple-A on April 4.
The Rockies have not handed him anything. The new body, the honesty, the spring moment — all of it has to become baseball evidence.
And now, Veen is giving us reason to pay attention to the baseball again.
The present-tense case
Across 192 at-bats in Triple-A this year, Veen is hitting .318/.416/.489 with an .927 OPS, seven home runs, and 37 RBI. If the season ended today, his .505 slugging percentage would be his highest since 2021 with Fresno. Veen also has 13 stolen bases, second on the team.
The PCL and Albuquerque always demand some skepticism, but his overall line still grades out at a 122 wRC+, and he is hitting .360/.452/.562 with a 1.014 OPS away from Isotopes Park.
Against lefties, Veen is hitting .318/.396/.529 with a .925 OPS. Against righties, the slugging is lighter, but the on-base skill is carrying the profile at .318/.440/.486 with a .926 OPS.
For a left-handed corner outfielder, handling lefties creates a cleaner path to starts instead of protected usage.
But the surface line is not the most interesting part.
The real case is in the underlying shape: improved approach, more walks, and evidence that the fastball question is becoming less glaring.
Profile repair, not power breakout
Veen is not simply bigger now and therefore hitting the ball harder. His average exit velocity is roughly the same, and his 2025 Triple-A contact quality was stronger in several places: a .393 xSLG last year compared to .368 this year, and a 47.9% hard-hit rate compared to 43.4%.
The difference is the offensive shape. The walk rate has nearly doubled from 8.4% to 15.5%, the OBP has jumped from .359 to .422, and the strikeout and whiff rates have stayed in the same range. He is getting to a better line without needing every improvement to come from raw contact quality.
May showed the adjustment
May was the eye-opener outside the strike zone.
Veen saw more pitches outside the zone in May than he did in April and swung at far fewer of them. That was the adjustment: stop helping pitchers, force more pitches into the zone, and let the strength and athleticism play from better counts.
The results moved with it. As the strikeout rate dropped and the walk rate climbed, the production followed: Veen went from a .353 OBP and .393 slugging percentage in April to a .495 OBP and .617 slugging percentage in May.
Over the past two weeks, Veen has swung at 55% of the pitches he has seen, and there has been regression in the approach. He is still producing, hitting .444 with a .714 slugging percentage to start June, but a hot streak is not the same thing as development fully holding.
The approach gains need to show up more consistently because big-league pitchers already know how to beat him — even if there is progress there, too.
The fastball question
Veen’s first major-league look gave pitchers a clear plan, which makes the Triple-A fastball data meaningful.
The fastball data is encouraging because the worst version of the problem has started to recede. In 2024, Veen was underwater against four-seamers across the board, with a .274 xwOBA, .158 xBA, and 25.5% whiff rate. The contact quality started to recover in 2025, but the approach remained aggressive: he swung at four-seamers 51.2% of the time.
This year looks more like a hitter choosing better fastballs to attack. That swing rate has dropped to 43.9%, while the .354 xwOBA and .279 xBA are both his best marks of the three-year sample. The whiff rate has also fallen to 19.7%. The .371 xSLG is not as loud as last year’s .437, so seeing that slugging return toward 2025 levels would be a logical next step if the improved discipline holds.
If the fastball progress is the green light, the slider remains the warning label. Veen is still swinging at sliders 60.6% of the time, with a .200 xBA and 36.0% whiff rate against the pitch in 2026. That gives big-league pitchers a clear place to test him.
Veen’s 21.8% Triple-A strikeout rate is playable, but Triple-A strikeout rates usually climb in the majors. Based on the typical FanGraphs translation, his rough major-league expectation is closer to 26–27%.
Still workable, but the margin gets thinner. The walks have to come with it, the power has to show up, and the chase cannot balloon.
That is the line between progress and arrival.
The development is showing up in the right places: better decisions, better fastball results, more walks, and usable production. Veen is doing enough damage to start making another major-league look feel realistic.
The old version did not arrive on schedule. This one might.
Different timeline, different hope
The baseball case is stronger than it has been in a while, but this is where I keep coming back to Veen’s words.
He talked about looking in the mirror, making adjustments, getting closer to God, and wanting to become the best version of himself. None of that fixes chase rate. None of it guarantees another big-league role.
But the person matters.
Getting sober is hard. Not being sober is harder.
I know.
And maybe that is why the hope feels different now. The old hope was mine. It was about the player I wanted Veen to become for the Rockies.
Now the hope feels different. It is less something I am putting on him and more something I want for him.
I want Veen to feel hopeful about himself — not just about another call-up or a role with the Rockies, but about the life he is building.
The baseball still matters, and it is interesting again. But maybe the best part is that baseball no longer has to carry the whole story.
The Albuquerque Isotopes (33-28) got strong pitching performances but lost 1-0 to the Salt Lake Bees (31-29).
Blake Adams was excellent despite taking the loss. The right-hander allowed one run on three hits over five innings, walking one and striking out nine on 86 pitches. His only walk came in the first inning, and that runner scored on Josh Lowe’s RBI double for the game’s only run. Mason Green followed with 2 1/3 scoreless innings and three strikeouts, keeping Albuquerque within one.
Zac Veen (No. 9 PuRP) was the standout on offense, going 3-for-4 with two singles and his second triple of the season. The triple came off a 95.6 mph fastball and left the bat at 109.8 mph. Drew Avans added two singles and Vimael Machín had the other hit, but the Isotopes could not turn the traffic into runs, going 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position and leaving nine on base.
Albuquerque had more hits, more stolen bases, fewer errors, and one fewer strikeout than Salt Lake, but the one run was enough. Isotopes pitchers also walked four batters, one more than the Bees, and the first of those walks came around to score.
The Hartford Yard Goats (29-24) scored six runs in the ninth inning to beat the Portland Sea Dogs (28-26), 8-7.
GJ Hill carried the offense. He went 2-for-4 with two home runs, four RBI, and two runs scored. His solo shot in the second gave Hartford a 2-0 lead, and his three-run homer in the ninth cut Portland’s lead to 7-5. Hill is now hitting .220 with a .738 OPS, seven home runs, and 24 RBI.
Bryant Betancourt finished the comeback with a two-out, bases-clearing double in the ninth to put Hartford in front. It was his 12th double of the season, and he is now hitting .257 with an .810 OPS and 33 RBI. The Yard Goats had only five hits but drew 11 walks and turned their biggest chance into the deciding inning.
The game nearly got away from Hartford in the sixth, when Griffin Herring (No. 10 PuRP) allowed all seven Portland runs while recording just two outs. His ERA jumped to 14.85 after the outing. The bullpen recovered from there, with Cade Denton throwing 2 1/3 scoreless innings with three strikeouts and Andrew Baker striking out the side in the ninth for his fourth save. Baker now owns a 2.57 ERA.
The Spokane Indians (23-32) piled up 13 hits and went 6-for-14 with runners in scoring position in a 12-5 win over the Hillsboro Hops (24-31).
Robert Calaz (No. 6 PuRP) led the offense, going 3-for-4 with a double, three RBI, two runs, a walk, and his eighth stolen base of the season. He is now hitting .262 with a .729 OPS. Jack O’Dowd also had a big night, going 2-for-5 with his fourth home run, two RBI, and two runs scored. O’Dowd is hitting .412 with a 1.245 OPS.
Max Belyeu (No. 15 PuRP) added the biggest swing of the sixth inning with a two-run homer, his fifth of the season, and finished with three RBI. Roynier Hernandez went 2-for-5 with his fourth homer and is now hitting .306 with a .827 OPS. Alan Espinal also reached four times, going 2-for-2 with two walks, two RBI, and a stolen base.
Jackson Cox (No. 16 PuRP) got the win after striking out 11 over five innings. He allowed four runs, three earned, on seven hits, did not walk a batter, and has a 4.23 ERA on the season. Austin Emener handled the final four innings for his first save, allowing one run with two strikeouts. Spokane pitchers struck out 13 and did not issue a walk.
The Fresno Grizzlies (29-26) gave up seven runs in the fifth inning and lost 9-4 to the Lake Elsinore Storm (32-23).
Marcos Herrera took the loss after allowing nine runs on 11 hits over 4.2 innings. He walked four, struck out four, gave up two home runs, and his ERA rose to 9.28. Bryson Van Sickle kept the game from getting further out of hand, throwing 4.1 scoreless innings with one walk and one strikeout. He lowered his ERA to 2.84.
Carlos Renzullo had the biggest swing for Fresno, going 2-for-3 with his fourth double of the season and three RBI. He is now hitting .280 with a .725 OPS. Roldy Brito (No. 11 PuRP) went 2-for-4 with his 15th double and two runs scored, pushing his average to .332 with an .883 OPS. Tanner Thach added a hit and is hitting .357 with a 1.008 OPS.
Fresno had eight hits and went 2-for-5 with runners in scoring position, but Lake Elsinore had 14 hits, two homers, and 26 total bases. The fifth inning decided it.
On MLB.com, Thomas Harding explains the scoring change that took a home run away from Rockies rookie TJ Rumfield and turned it into a four-base error on Jo Adell. It is a tough break for Rumfield, who now has seven homers instead of eight, but the play gives him a pretty strange story about the homer he had for three days before MLB took it off the board.
In a Rockies On SI piece, Laura Lambert looks at the state of Colorado’s pitching staff as Ryan Feltner returns from the IL and Jimmy Herget and Victor Vodnik move closer to rehab outings. The article does not frame the Rockies as suddenly fixed, but it does point to a little more stability with Feltner returning to a decimated rotation and bullpen reinforcements on the way.
On Arizona Diamondbacks On SI, Alex D’Agostino looks at five possible left-handed bats Arizona could consider if it buys at the deadline, including Rockies first basemen TJ Rumfield and Troy Johnston. The piece notes both would fit the Diamondbacks’ need for a first base/DH bat, while also acknowledging the complication of trying to make an intra-division trade with Colorado.
I could post more PCA stories (and I probably did too many), but after I went through and posted the supportive and the mixed stories about his play, I came across a couple of closed-minded, well, fellows, who were looking for a new target for the shooting range. One guy’s title was “The rollercoaster Pete Crow-Armstrong experience is becoming far too much for Cubs.” He was below the “mixed” line, but only because his title was harsher than what he wrote. I do think that he either didn’t absorb what was happening or totally missed it with this short paragraph: “Even with the heroics on Thursday, PCA needs to reminded that he can’t give up on the play the way that he did once he realized the fly ball landed behind him. There’s no excuse, that was a bad look for Crow-Armstrong. Not the first he has had this season.”
Yes, PCA stood there in one spot, but he didn’t give up on the play. Running the video back few times, Happ and Suzuki were even with PCA at full speed, and as fast as he is, I don’t think he could have run them down in the next 60-70 feet. Plus, you don’t want three hands reaching for the ball. So, I think this author was “reaching’” in an attempt to match his tough-guy title.
“Athletics slugger Shea Langeliers hit one deep to center, and PCA could track the ball. Instead, he stood with open arms in the field trying to locate it. To make things worse, the ball landed way behind him.“ 1) Hopefully the first phrase was a typo because he couldn’t track the ball, or he would have made the catch. 2) I’m not an authority or a coach, but I was under the impression the main thing to do (other than scream ”I lost it!!!“ in front of 40,000 fans) is to hold your arms out in a non-waving position to signal to the other outfielders that he’s in trouble — that’s how Happ and Suzuki got the jump on getting to the ball. I mean, he could have dropped to the ground in a fetal position and waited out the play.
Here’s more: “MLB fans never hesitated to troll the slugger for his mistake.”
“How do Cubs fans still defend this bum?” one fan asked.
“Bro completely lost the ball in the lights and just stood there like it was someone else’s problem. Brutal,” wrote another fan.
“Then he just stares at it like a kid in t-ball,” another fan commented.
That’s only part of the comments IN the story. It doesn’t seem professional to use several comments by trolls to support your weak story. So it is a rather empty article without clear or original thought.
I’m sorry — I don’t think I’m here to critique other writers’ stories in detail, but I couldn’t let these two go as regular links below.
In much better news, I went to the Dodgers-Diamondbacks game Thursday night. Folks, you know how bad Dansby Swanson has looked at the plate? That is nothing compared to what I saw from Kyle Tucker — off-balance swings, weak contact on bad pitches, taking strikes. Beyond clueless. Dave Roberts seems to be one the nicest guys in baseball, but for him to say this about Tucker, “I think that it speaks to his toughness and fight to still try to perform,” Roberts said. “But it still wasn’t right, as far as not even close to being locked in.” That was almost a public flogging compared to his usual upbeat comments. TUCKER. LOOKS. BAD. That simple.
And I got a walk-off, too — Ketel Marte HR inside the foul pole. And that collision between little Vargas and the brick wall of Muncy? THAT was brutal. And no, I’m not becoming a D-Backs fan — I’m just passing the time until the Cubs come to town.
*means autoplay on, (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled real sarcasm font in the comments.
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) June 5, 2026
Kevin Druley (Deadspin): Pete Crow-Armstrong’s Redemption Could Be Exactly What Chicago Cubs Needed. ““In the past I might have dwelt on that, and that always ends up affecting how you go about the rest of your day,” Crow-Armstrong said. “People having my back, me not hiding from the next at-bat, yeah, I’m growing up a little bit and I’m proud of that, but I’ve got to keep it going for the rest of the year.”“
Shaan Donahue (Just Baseball): Who Is Pete Crow-Armstrong as a Hitter? “It’s time to dive into the ever-fascinating Pete Crow-Armstrong and figure out exactly who he is as a hitter.”
Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): Jed Hoyer Reminds Us of the Other Major Consideration for Major Trades at the Deadline. “The World Series odds are such a driving force when it comes to doing harm to the future of your organization (which is, by definition, what these trades are: some level of long-term damage in exchange for near-term help).”
Jed Hoyer on trade deadline aggressiveness: “Your World Series odds are probably going to be correlated to your odds of getting a bye and getting a bye is such a big deal…A lot of that aggressiveness is based on that ability to get the bye.” 1/2
Even though a wild card-ish team could desperately need him more than a 1st place team, it's the one in first that might land him. In other words, the Cubs need to get moving up the standings if they want to add in a big way! 3/3
Matt Sullivan (Sporting News): Cubs urged to pay whatever price it takes to acquire Tarik Skubal. “ESPN’s Jeff Passan is urging the Cubs to acquire Skubal for whatever price the Detroit Tigers ask for. It would be a bold move, but for the Cubs, with a struggling rotation, Skubal is just what they need to become a legitimate World Series contender.”
Joey Mistretta (Clutch Points): Cubs’ perfect trade offer for Red Sox’s Aroldis Chapman. “Breaking down the perfect trade proposal the Chicago Cubs could offer the Boston Red Sox for star reliever Aroldis Chapman.” (**Uh-no.**)
Jared Wyllys (Allchgo.com): Cubs’ skid won’t end until offense comes back to life. “Though the pitching staff has suffered myriad injuries, none of that matters all that much when the team isn’t scoring runs. In May, the Cubs ranked 27th in OPS, with or without runners in scoring position.”
Alex Bregman pushed back on the idea that seeing more breaking balls has led to his slow start to 2026, via @sahadevsharma.
“I really don’t think bat speed has anything to do with it. I think mechanics are everything, to be honest… I don’t really think the pitch type matters… pic.twitter.com/9WRQgoqnxX
— Baseball Is Dead (@baseballisdead_) June 2, 2026
Tyler Courtney (LastWordOnSports.com): How Two Returning Starters Could Strengthen the Cubs Rotation. “This has linked Chicago to potential trades for starters, but if these veterans could return at a strong level, then they may be able to keep some of their top prospects.”
Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): A Certain Power-Hitting Cubs Prospect is Up to Number 67 in Baseball. “Josiah Hartshorn’s breakout this year has been so impressive – so complete – that I think it’s useful to highlight the REALLY WILD stuff when it happens, even if it keeps happening.”
Food For Thought:
Samuel McClain (April 15, 1943 – June 15, 2015), better known as Mighty Sam early in his career, and later billed as Mighty Sam McClain, was an American soul blues singer and songwriter. He was born in Monroe, Louisiana.[2] As a five-year-old, he began singing in his mother’s Gospel Church. McClain left home when he was thirteen and followed local R&B guitarist, Little Melvin Underwood through the Chitlin’ Circuit, first as his valet and then as lead vocalist himself at 15.
While singing at the 506 Club in Pensacola, Florida, he was introduced to the record producer and DJ, Papa Don Schroeder and in 1966, McClain recorded a cover version of Patsy Cline’s “Sweet Dreams”. Several recording sessions at Muscle Shoals produced the further singles. For 15 years, first in Nashville, Tennessee, then in New Orleans, McClain worked at menial jobs. McClain toured and recorded in Japan in 1989.
That’s at least three hours south of me. A friend saw one two hours to the northeast. Maybe they are closing in!
Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JUNE 01: Nolan Arenado #28 of the Arizona Diamondbacks rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the seventh inning at Chase Field on June 01, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Red Sox probably shouldn’t be buying with this roster, but if they choose to, there’s a mystery for us to pick apart.
ESPN’s Buster Olney reported on the “Just Baseball” podcast that the Red Sox were actively seeking a right-handed bat to upgrade the offense, even at the expense of taking on a bad contract to do so.
Should that really be the case when Boston probably has a few bad contracts to offload on its own end (i.e. Masataka Yoshida, etc.)? No, especially since this team still wouldn’t have enough to magically craft a postseason path.
Nonetheless, for whatever motives the front office has, should the group pursue a bat that fits that description, here are five names to consider.
NOLAN ARENADO – Diamondbacks
Arizona just acquired Arenado in the offseason, but never say never to another transaction months later.
The Red Sox were constantly linked to the third baseman two offseasons ago before they signed Alex Bregman early in spring training. The 35-year-old is under contract through the end of the 2027 season and he’s been fairly serviceable with an OPS just under .800 with his new team.
MATT CHAPMAN – Giants
The Red Sox traded a hefty contract to San Francisco with Rafael Devers last summer. Will the Giants celebrate the anniversary by returning the favor?
Chapman makes $25 million annually through the 2030 season, giving Boston a new staple at third base if the team moves on from the concept of Caleb Durbin filling that stop. Unlike Arenado, Chapman has been brutal this season with a .652 in his age-33 season with regression over the last two years in San Francisco.
MIKE TROUT – Angels
Rumors from 98.5 The Sports Hub went crazy about this last month. It WILL NOT happen, but we’ll throw it in here to be fun.
ISAAC PAREDES – Astros
Paredes swirled through the rumor mill in connection to Boston all offseason before the Durbin trade that sent Kyle Harrison to the Milwaukee Brewers. The Astros are terrible and could revisit the idea.
KETEL MARTE – Diamondbacks
Easily the most dynamic bat discussed in the Red Sox realm last winter, he’s a switch-hitter that instantly elevates the unit. This move would clearly be for beyond 2026 and require young pitching going back to Arizona.
Worth it now to start building a functioning offense for 2027?
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 4: Adolis García #53 of the Philadelphia Phillies smiles after the game against the San Diego Padres at Citizens Bank Park on June 4, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Padres 6-4. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
What is the bare minimum you are expecting from Adolis Garcia the rest of this season? My hopes of his breaking out at any point have effectively been dashed by his poor play on the field, but I still reserve hope that he can at least be a threat in the box at any given time.
When Shohei Ohtani pitches, the chances are that his opponents won’t score.
Ohtani hasn’t allowed a run in five of his 10 starts this season. In another, he limited the damage to a solitary unearned run.
Only one run has been charged to him in the 25 innings he’s pitched over his last four starts.
Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani has been close to perfect this season, and he will need to continue to be if he hopes to stay in the NL Cy Young Award conversation. Getty Images
Ohtani has been close to perfect.
He will have to remain that way until the end of the season if he is to have any chance to win the National League’s Cy Young Award.
The season isn’t even 40% complete and Ohtani is already 25 ⅓ innings behind the Phillies’ Cristopher Sanchez, who has started three more games than he has.
In starts and innings, Ohtani is also behind other Cy Young Award contenders such as Jacob Misiorowski (12 starts, 71 innings), Chris Sale (12 starts, 72 ⅔ innings) and Paul Skenes (13 starts, 70 innings).
The Phillies’ Cristopher Sanchez already has pitched 25 innings more than Shohei Ohtani this season. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Overcoming such a deficit in quantity will require Ohtani to maintain a sizable advantage in quality.
Even the greatest pitchers are due for an occasional stinker, but Ohtani can’t afford to have one.
Sanchez was pounded by the Cubs for six runs in 5 ⅓ innings on April 23.
Misiorowski’s ERA in April was 3.58.
A game like Sanchez’s or a stretch like Misiorowski’s will likely end Ohtani’s Cy Young Award candidacy.
Ohtani is pitching as if he knows that’s the case.
“I think a lot of starting pitchers, you feel your way into the game, give up a couple (of runs) early and you bear down,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “But I’ve noticed with Shohei, every run is a premium. He’s literally trying to throw a shutout every time out there where I don’t know that every starter has that mindset.”
In Roberts’ view, Ohtani doesn’t just bear down with runners on base.
“He’s not trying to sit back and let the stress be created,” Roberts said. “He’s doing a good job of minimizing it from the onset.”
To Roberts’ point: Ohtani allows an average of 0.79 walks plus hits per inning pitched.
Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski is among the front-runners for the NL Cy Young Award. AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith
Now, it should be pointed out here that in the one year in which Ohtani was a qualified pitcher, in 2022, he pitched better and better as the season progressed.
He made a career-high 28 starts that season, pitching 166 innings for the Angels to finish fourth in AL Cy Young Award voting.
By season’s end, he was arguably the best pitcher in baseball. In his last 12 starts of the year, Ohtani’s ERA was 1.73. In his last seven, it was 1.00.
Ohtani thinks he’s trending upward, saying he felt better in his win over the Diamondbacks on Wednesday than he did in his previous start when he pitched six no-hit innings against the Rockies.
“Well, I think it was better than last time,” Ohtani said in Japanese. “I don’t know if it was really good, but I think it was definitely better than last time.”
Ohtani has completed seven innings in two of his starts this season, but performances like that should become increasingly common for him. He should be a qualified pitcher.
Even then, Sanchez will have him beat in innings pitched by a substantial margin. Ohtani’s challenge is to make his ERA look equally small by comparison.
May 31, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) smiles back at his teammates after his bloop hit fell between two Athletics fielders during the third inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
ESPN | Jorge Castillo and David Schoenfield: In light of Aaron Judge’s rib fracture, the whole baseball world is now wondering what the captain’s absence will mean for the Yankees. Most immediately, it presses Spencer Jones into duty, but it will also open up ample opportunity for Jasson Domínguez and Giancarlo Stanton once healthy. It places the spotlight on Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Trent Grisham, two talented players who have had uneven seasons thus far. And it also influences their trade deadline plans, though don’t expect the team to rush out and try to find an outfield replacement, especially considering Judge is likely to return at some time in the second half.
MLB Trade Rumors | Anthony Franco: The Yankees made a surprising move after last night’s loss to the Red Sox, optioning backup catcher J.C. Escarra and calling up Ali Sánchez from Triple-A. Signed to a minor-league deal prior to the start of 2026, Sánchez has a .702 OPS for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2026, and has struggled in limited time in the majors, posting a .454 OPS in 50 games for five different teams this decade. That being said, the Yankees have been interested in getting a righty-hitting option at catcher, and the lefty/lefty tandem of Escarra and Austin Wells has been downright anemic in 2026. So even though Sánchez doesn’t have much of a track record either … well, why not roll the dice in the short term? They’ll be browsing the trade options regardless. Sánchez could be in the lineup tonight with the lefty Ranger Suarez ready to go for Boston.
MLB.com | Max Ralph: Judge’s injury primarily affects the Yankees, obviously, but it also sends shockwaves throughout the league. Ralph looks at some of the ways Judge’s absence will affect the whole baseball landscape, from the ways it could affect the trade deadline, to how the AL MVP race is now wide open, and will presumably have a winner that isn’t Judge or Shohei Ohtani for the first time since 2020.
The Athletic | Chris Kirschner*: After days of speculation, Judge’s prolong absence is a reality. The question now is: do the Yankees have what it takes to withstand it? As devastating as Judge’s injury is, there is reason to believe the club is better equipped to weather the storm than they were, say, in 2023, when Judge missed a total of 56, with the Yankees putting up a 25-31 record in those games. Now, they have two other MVP candidates in Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger, not to mention bats like Stanton and Domínguez on the mend. That said, the Yankees will need some of the hitters towards the bottom of the order to step up; Jazz Chisholm Jr., Austin Wells, and Ryan McMahon can’t be zeroes all at once if the Yankees want to stay towards the top of the AL.
*We shared this article yesterday as well, but it’s a good assessment and worth a re-up in case you missed it yesterday.
FanGraphs | Michael Baumann: The Yankees signed Gerrit Cole to a nine-year, $324-million contract in December of 2019, likely committing him to the Yankees until he turned 38-years-old. When a contract like that gets inked, the end of the term feels infinitely far in the future; at the moment Cole and the Yankees put pen to paper, a contract running through 2028 seemed like it might as well run until the end of time. But Baumann notes that for Cole, and a whole lot of other stars who signed mega deals, we are closer to the end than it may seem. Cole is tethered to the Yankees for just 2.5 more seasons, Giancarlo Stanton’s 13-year contract expires next year, and even Bryce Harper’s 13-year deal, which runs from 2019 through 2031, is on the back nine.
