MLB News
I’m busy all day today, so getting a Game Thread together early in case I can’t get to it later.
Lineups haven’t been announce yet.
Spencer Miles (4-1, 2.85) and former Jay Anthony Kay (6-4, 4.23). I wonder if they can push Miles thru five innings? At least the pen is rested.
Hopefully some time off did the hitters some good too.
Go Jays Go
We’re back with Braves baseball. Let’s see if the Braves can take a dub and start off hot. First things first, the offense needs to step up. And consistency has to come through as well.
The Braves aren’t too far off from being great. They’re just missing pieces that need to be combined to get past slumps and find consistent success. Starting with tonight, we’ll see what version of the Braves we’re going to get.
Until 7:15 p.m. ET, happy race to October!
Two World Series contenders coming off sweeps before the All-Star break will meet at Yankee Stadium for a three-game weekend set to begin the second half. There’s just one thing: the Dodgers weren’t the ones doing the sweeping in their last series at home against the Diamondbacks, suffering their first dusting of the season. It’s not the same because of the down period in between these two, but this scenario brings forward the age-old question: Is it actually a good thing to play a strong team coming off a difficult period, or will they only be hungrier because of it? I guess we’ll find out.
Both teams took longer than we would’ve liked to announce their respective starters for this series, and the first of three matchups will pit Gerrit Cole and Roki Sasaki against each other. Acknowledging the differing levels of expectations for each of these starters, one might be right in affirming they’ve both been disappointing this season—Cole not as sharp coming off a lengthy absence as the Yankees would’ve liked and needed him to be, and Sasaki dealing with yet another choppy campaign trying to establish himself as a starter—taking one step forward, two steps back. Things may not always be this simple, but the fact that both of these starters have losing records playing for some of the winningest teams in each league is quite telling.
What has hurt both of these starters, in particular Sasaki, has been his inability to keep the ball in the yard. In his last two starts alone, Sasaki has given up five home runs—music to the ears of hitters for a lineup that leads baseball in home runs (142), the Yankees. Although lefties and righties have both taken him deep often enough, right-handers have given Sasaki far bigger problems overall, with an .886 OPS against him.
This will be the Dodgers’ first trip to the Bronx since embarrassing the Yankees in the Game 5 clincher of the 2024 World Series. Cole was obviously on the mound for that as well, his last start before undergoing Tommy John surgery, but the starting lineup behind him will be quite different than it was back then. Since Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are injured (they had an update on Judge today) and Anthony Volpe is on the bench (as Trent Grisham was back then), the only lineup overlaps are Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second and Austin Wells behind the plate. None of the relievers who follow him today are still on the team, either. So it’s quite a different group, but no doubt one still eager for the challenge of beating LA.
How to watch
Location: Yankee Stadium — Bronx, NY
First pitch: 7:05 pm ET
TV broadcast: YES, SportsNet LA, MLB Network (National)
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280, Dodgers Radio AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Online stream: MLB.tv
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Today, the Astros announced the following roster moves:
Teng had been sidelined with a right knee sprain, though he also admitted to some arm fatigue as well. He has been on IL retroactive to June 28. Teng will transition to a bullpen role going forward.
In 23 appearances including 10 starts, Teng is 4-6 this season with a 4.36 ERA and 1.36 WHIP.
Spence, 23, has moved through both Double-A and Triple-A this season. He will be making his major league debut tonight in centerfield. In 63 combined minor league games this season, Spence is batting .258 with a .353 OBP and .776 OPS. He has 6 HR and 44 RBI, with 13 doubles and 13 SB. The lefthanded-hitting Spence is the Astros #10 overall prospect according to MLB.com.
Matthews injured his knee July 12 crashing into the outfield wall in Arlington against the Rangers. Matthews has batted .197 this season with a .250 OBP and .582 OPS, with 7 HR and 22 RBI. Matthews numbers have been greatly impacted by his extreme home-road splits.
On the road this season, Matthews is batting .260 with a .328 OBP and .759 OPS in 123 AB. However, his numbers at Daikin Park are incomprehensively poor. At home, Matthews is batting .106 with a .126 OBP and .315 OPS in 85 AB.
Texas Rangers @ Atlanta Braves
Friday, July 17, 2026, 6:15 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / CW33)
Truist Park
RHP Cal Quantrill vs. LHP Chris Sale
Go Rangers!
Inductees into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by definition have plenty of marvelous memories when reflecting on the career accomplishments that led them to Cooperstown.
Bumps in the road were inevitable as well.
One big bump for Jeff Kent and Andruw Jones came with the Dodgers in 2008, Kent’s last of 17 MLB seasons and Jones’ first following 12 years with the Atlanta Braves.
Suffice to say neither will enter the Hall of Fame wearing a Dodgers cap.
Kent signed with the Dodgers ahead of the 2005 season fresh off a National League Championship Series Game 7 loss with the Houston Astros. Already recognized as perhaps the top power-hitting second baseman of all time, he yearned for a championship ring to make his career complete.
Jones, a center fielder from the Caribbean island of Curaçao, signed a two-year, $36-million contract with the Dodgers at age 31 only three years removed from leading the league with 51 home runs and 128 runs batted in. A winner of 10 Gold Gloves, he also was chasing a title after losing twice in the World Series.
Read more:Plaschke: Who says they don’t need him? Dodgers need to trade for Tarik Skubal
“It’s one of those things where we didn’t sign to make the Hall of Fame, we played this game because we love it and because we wanted to win championships,” Jones said Friday.
The Dodgers had high expectations in 2008. Joe Torre, with four championships as manager of the New York Yankees on his résumé, was in his first year in L.A. The roster was a blend of accomplished veterans (Nomar Garciaparra, Greg Maddux, Derek Lowe and midseason pickup Manny Ramirez) and budding stars (Matt Kemp, Russell Martin, Andre Ethier, James Loney and midseason call-up Clayton Kershaw).
Kent was the resident no-nonsense, old-school veteran whose bat remained potent at age 40. Near the end of the previous season he had gone public with his frustrations about the approach of some young players.
“A lot of kids in here, they don’t understand that ... you hate to waste an opportunity, even if it’s one and even if it’s your first time,” he said at the time. “It’s hard to get them to understand that because they haven’t been there.”
By spring training in what he acknowledged was his final season, Kent had gotten over it and was ready for a last try.
Read more:Most pressing question for Dodgers in the second half: Can Shohei Ohtani stay healthy?
“So much is made of the idea that we should be hugging, that we should all go out to dinner, but more important is the translation of talent and knowledge, with the older guys showing what they know and the younger ones asking for it,” he said.
Jones was expected to lock down center field and provide leadership. But a poor start and a midseason knee injury torpedoed his performance. He batted .158 with three home runs and 14 RBIs in 75 games and suffered torn cartilage in his right knee that required surgery and landed him on the disabled list for the first time in his career.
Kent, as always, was consistent at the plate, batting .280, but he also sustained a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery and sidelined him for almost all of September.
In what could have been a legit postseason opportunity, Jones did not play and Kent came off the bench to go 0 for 9 during a division series sweep of the Chicago Cubs and five-game loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Championship Series.
Kent will wear a San Francisco Giants cap into Cooperstown. His six seasons playing alongside Barry Bonds vaulted him into the conversation on as best-hitting second baseman of all time. Kent drove in more than 100 runs eight times, was NL most valuable player in 2000 and finished his career with 55.4 wins above replacement (WAR).
In a video call with reporters Wednesday, Kent made it clear that his heart belongs not to San Francisco or L.A., but to Austin, Texas, where he lives on a ranch.
Read more:Dodgers' Mookie Betts has six Gold Gloves. And now a baseball glove company
“I’m a boring guy,” he said. “I chase grandkids and chase cows and ride motorcycles. When I retired I kind of went into my hole in Austin and I like living in my hole.”
Jones will don a Braves cap. He made his debut at 19 in 1996 and hit 25 or more home runs in 10 consecutive seasons beginning in 1998, finishing his career with 434 homers and a 62.7 WAR.
“When I came [to Atlanta] at the young age of 19, they welcomed me in,” he said. “I never moved from here. I made Atlanta my home.”
The Hall of Fame induction ceremony takes place Sunday, July 26 at 10:30 a.m. PDT. Outfielder Carlos Beltrán also will be inducted.
“It’s a bigger emotional deal than I ever thought it would be, absolutely,” Kent said. “I still tear up talking about it.”
Added Jones: “Thinking that this kid from Curaçao who came here chasing a dream, gets a chance to play a sport he loves and ends up in Cooperstown, is wild.”
Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are back after the All-Star break with a series against the AL Central’s Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. It’s the first time the Pirates are in Cleveland since 2024, and they will need to use this weekend as a launching pad to keep them in the NL Wild Card race.
Pirates will hand the ball off to Jared Jones, who is 1-1 with a 4.37 ERA and eight starts so far this season. His last appearance came back on July 8 against the Atlanta Braves at home. It was his longest start of the season, pitching six innings with no hits and no runs, but the offense failed to support him in a 3-0 loss. Hopefully the bats will be turned on for tonight’s game.
The Guardians are countering with Gavin Williams, who has arguably been their best starter so far this season. Williams notched 10 victories during the first half of the season, including one in his last start on July 9 against the Minnesota Twins. He pitched seven innings, giving up three hits and two earned runs in a 5-2 victory at Target Field.
The Pirates find themselves two games back in the NL Wild Card standings, so every game from here on out is crucial.
Location: Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH
Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh
Pitching Matchup: Jared Jones (1-1, 4.37 ERA) vs. Gavin Williams (10-4, 3.81 ERA)
BD community, chime off in the comments section below.
Friday notes…
Cubs lineup:
Twins lineup:
After a rough stretch, Colin Rea has posted a 2.61 ERA and 1.403 WHIP in his last four starts. In general he’s done a decent job filling in for injured Cubs starters.
Last year against the Twins, July 10, 2025 at Target Field, Rea held them to three hits and one run in seven innings. That’d work tonight. For whatever it’s worth, Rea has been much better at Wrigley Field (2.72 ERA in 43 innings) than on the road (6.45 ERA in 51.2 innings).
Bailey Ober missed all of June due to right elbow inflammation, which is never good for a pitcher.
He returned to throw five innings against Cleveland July 9, allowing three hits and one run, with five strikeouts. So he’s had seven days’ rest.
This will be Ober’s first-ever start against the Cubs, thus he has faced only three current members of the Cubs roster. One of them, Michael Conforto, is 1-for-2 with a home run off Ober, for whatever that’s worth.
As you can see from the chart below, Ober doesn’t throw very hard, relying mostly on offspeed stuff.
Here is the weather forecast for the area around Wrigley Field.
Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network.
Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.
Baseball-reference.com game preview
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You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
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Right as the Yankees return to play following the All-Star break, there is news on the Aaron Judge front. The Yankees’ captain underwent a re-imaging procedure on his fractured rib on Wednesday, and the results could seemingly be described as cautiously optimistic. There has been some healing, but not enough for Judge to resume baseball activities.
While baseball activities are off the board until a new exam shows the healing process further along than it currently is, according to a Yankees spokesperson, there will be a consult with Dr. Gregory Pearl to see exactly what exercises and activities Judge can progress to at this time. Some healing feels like a natural result given the amount of time since he suffered the injury, but what’s really positive is that, according to Judge, he is feeling a lot better. Assessing the big picture, the Yankees are probably just restraining him to prevent any setback that may jeopardize his return this season. When he comes back, they want to ensure that he’s back for good in 2026, especially for any playoff run
We’re now nearing two months since Judge has last played a baseball game, sidelined since the end of May. What could be considered vastly underwhelming numbers for his standards until that injury for Judge still represented a staple piece any offense would be more than happy to have. When he went down, Judge had 17 homers in 59 games and a .907 OPS, enough to earn his eighth career All-Star appearance.
While it’s difficult to ever be certain with these things, not just Judge but all parties feel confident of a return in 2026. The Yankees have played 47 games without their star player this season and have only won 18 of them, sweeping a series over the Nationals to end the first half but still looking a little shaky on offense. We’ll have to see if this update changes their strategy at all in advance of the August 3rd Trade Deadline.
Given that Nick Lodolo excelled on such a high level last season, the spotlight has been aimed almost solely at the frustrating blister issues that he has dealt with all season. Most everyone will point to those as the reason why his numbers this year are pretty poor compared to what we know he can do, and that makes sense on the surface.
Right?
For whatever reason, it’s been buried a bit that Brady Singer dealt with blister issues at the tail end of spring training, too. And, if you look at how he started the 2026 season, you’ll notice that he was pretty, pretty awful for a time. Blisters don’t just happen and heal, they get into your head in terms of what types of pitches you feel comfortable throwing, and that can completely alter the way you approach batters of all ilks from both sides of the plate.
If you can’t throw the pitch you want in the big spot, well, things can go awry in a hurry.
Whether or not Singer would pin his poor early form on that blister (and the time he took off to let it heal) we may never know. What we do know, though, is that he turned things around in a major way once June rolled around, and across his last 7 starts (38.2 IP) he’s pitched to a 2.79 ERA, 3.93 FIP, and struck out more than a batter per IP (40 K). That’s the Brady Singer the Reds traded Jonathan India for, that’s the Brady Singer who showed up down the stretch in 2025.
For the last place 2026 Reds, though, that Brady Singer might end up getting traded away sooner than later. That’s just what happens when you’re 9 games under .500 and he’s a pitcher who’ll be a free agent at season’s end.
It’s with that context that we get to watch Singer pitch tonight in Coors Field as the Reds open the second half of their season on the road against the Colorado Rockies. It’s about 94 degrees with humidity at a higher level than usual out here in Denver as monsoon season swells up from the south, and that’s the perfect scenario for some serious offense to erupt. So, it’s interesting that the Reds, who’d obviously like to showcase Singer as much as possible in pitcher-friendly environs in the event they end up having to be sellers, chose to roll with Singer at Coors as they stack their rotation out of the gate.
Nothing like sending out a guy who’d turned the corner to get blasted for 8 ER in 3 IP in the land where balls fly (in the precise circumstances where that will likely happen).
Anyway, if he spins a gem, it may actually expedite his departure from the Reds barring them turning this 9-game road trip into a miracle success story. As teams gear up for the trade deadline in just two and a half weeks, each additional start they can get out of an acquired starting pitcher stacks that much value on their shoulders, and another brilliant one from Singer might just be the catalyst the Reds need to make that call.
We’ll see what Brady can do on the field, first. Obviously, the Reds are still crossing their fingers, toes, eyes, etc. that they can somehow make a run at this thing, and the first step towards that happening falls on the right shoulder of their soon-to-be free agent. Maybe, just maybe, that makes him their soon-to-be traded righty if things don’t go perfect in a hurry.
Here’s how the Reds will line up behind Singer on Friday, with first pitch set for 8:40 PM ET.
Baseball is back again. After a four-day reprieve with the All-Star break, the Milwaukee Brewers have a game to play. They begin a nine-game homestand with a three-game series against the Miami Marlins.
The Brewers made a couple of moves during the break to shuffle the roster a little. Lance McCullers Jr. was acquired from the Houston Astros, and he has been activated off the IL. McCullers will initially pitch out of the bullpen, according to manager Pat Murphy. Lefty Jared Koenig was optioned to the minors as the corresponding move. Murphy said Koenig will head to Arizona first to try to work on some things before he reports to Nashville.
Despite the poor air quality in Milwaukee due to Canadian and Minnesota wild fires, the Brewers will be playing this game and the roof is open.
On the mound, Logan Henderson will start the second half for the Crew. He was solid in his return from the IL earlier this month, going 5 1/3 IP with just three runs allowed in the Brewers 8-4 win over the Cardinals. Henderson has a 3.18 ERA on the season.
For the Marlins, they will have their ace, Sandy Alcantara on the bump. Alcantara has not quite been the same as he was prior to his Tommy John surgery but is turning in a solid season with a 3.99 ERA with 20 starts and 130 2/3 IP. He leads the league in innings pitched and has been a reliable option for the Fish. Alcantara has historically done well against the Brewers with a 3.14 ERA in eight games.
The Brewers lineup will have all the regulars in there. Yelich, Chourio, and Turang will make up the top of the order, followed by Contreras, Bauers, and Mitchell. Rounding out the bottom of the lineup will be Pratt, Frelick, and Ortiz.
The Marlins offense is led by Liam Hicks, Otto Lopez, and Xavier Edwards. Kyle Stowers, Heriberto Hernandez, and Griffin Conine make up the middle of their order. Then Jakob Marsee, Joe Mack, and Javier Sanoja round out the bottom of the starting nine. That makes five lefties and a switch hitter in the lineup against the right-handed Henderson.
It’s Cerveceros Night at the ballpark and the Brewers will be wearing their City Connect uniforms. The final push to the postseason begins as the second half gets underway at 6:40 p.m.
The Cleveland Guardians postponed their Friday, July 17 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates as dangerous air quality due to smoke from Canadian wildfires rendered conditions unhealthy for players and fans.
It marked the third time in seven seasons that a game was postponed due to extreme wildfire smoke. It delayed the start of the second half for the Pirates and Guardians coming off the four-day All-Star break. They will play a split doubleheader Saturday, with games at 1:10 and 7:10 ET.
In Cleveland, the air quality index remained in the "dangerous" zone as determined by the Environmental Protection Agency well into the midday hours Friday, registering 272 early in the day still at 242 90 minutes before the scheduled first pitch. Readings between 201 and 300 are deemed "very unhealthy," and a health alert is issued. Readings above 300 are classified as "hazardous."
It was a similar scenario in Chicago, where Major League Soccer's Fire postponed their game Thursday when the AQI reached 597. The late-morning AQI remained above 300 and was forecast to stay near 250 by 7 p.m. CT, when the Cubs were scheduled to play host to the Minnesota Twins. No announcement has been made regarding that game.
Milwaukee's American Family Field has a retractable roof, but outdoor conditions remained in the "dangerous" category most of Friday, creating an impediment for fans and workers aiming to get to the ballpark safely. The AQI was still forecast to remain above 200 by 6:40 CT, gametime for the Brewers and Miami Marlins.
In Toronto, the Blue Jays announced the roof to Rogers Centre would be closed - rare for a seasonably warm summer night - due to poor air quality.
The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies tipped off the symbolic start of the second half with a standalone game on Thursday night in Philadelphia. Game time was moved from 7:05 to 6:10 ET due to worsening conditions, and the teams played through a hazy smoke that grew worse as the game went on.
"Not gonna lie, toward the end of it, it was a little thick. I felt like I was breathing some metal in there," says Mets starting pitcher Christian Scott, who pitched 5 2/3 innings. "At the end of the day, a little spoonful of adversity never hurt anybody. Part of the game."
Other players likened the conditions to playing in front of a campfire. The teams are off Friday.
MLB has postponed or moved games on two occasions in recent years due to air quality. On June 7 and 8 2023, games were postponed in New York, Philadelphia and Washington due to poor air quality. In 2020, a Seattle Mariners game was postponed – and then relocated to San Francisco – after the Mariners and Athletics played through poor conditions.
The league does not exclusively rely on AQI in making such calls. Yet there are numerical thresholds where protocols and levels of scrutiny go into place, triggering deeper dives into current conditions and projected changes in air quality as MLB, in conjunction with the MLB Players' Association, consults with medical and weather experts.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cleveland Guardians game postponed due to wildfire smoke
NEW YORK — Aaron Judge’s broken rib has not completely healed, and the New York Yankees captain still hasn’t been cleared to resume baseball activities.
Judge hasn’t played since May 31 because of the stress fracture in his right ribs. He had a scan during the All-Star break that showed partial healing. Judge said he is waiting to hear from doctors on a plan moving forward.
“I feel good about the fact that he will be back. It’s just a matter of when,” manager Aaron Boone said Friday before the start of a weekend series against the two-time World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
Judge is hitting .248 with 17 homers and 38 RBIs but had just one homer in his last 18 games.
New York was 36-23 when he last played but was 18-19 since entering the second half.
In addition, designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (strained right calf) hasn’t played since April 24, and left-handers Max Fried (left elbow bone bruise) and Carlos Rodón (left elbow inflammation) are sidelined.
Fried was to make a rehab start Friday.
Clarke Schmidt, coming back from Tommy John surgery, is to throw an inning of batting practice Saturday.
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Astros will open the second half of play tonight at Daikin Park as they welcome in the Orioles for a three-game series.
RHP Peter Lambert (8-5), the Astros most consistent starter of the first half, will get the start for Houston opposite RHP Dean Kremer (1-2) and the Orioles.
RIDING THE LAMBO: RHP Peter Lambert, who was a minor league free agent signing this offseason, leads the club in wins and among AL pitchers ranks third in opponent average (.201) and eighth in ERA (min. 85IP).
Lambert pitched last year for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in the NPB, posting a 3.98 ERA (55ER/124.1IP) with 111 K’s in 23 starts.
THE SLOW TURNAROUND: After a slow start to the season, the Astros are 27-20 since May 21, which is the best record in the AL in that span.
On that date, the Astros were 20-31, 11 games under, which is their low water mark for the season.
JP’S NIGHT: SS Jeremy Peña will host little leaguers from East End Little League today for July’s Peña’s Pals, which is a program that celebrates kids and their development in academics, character building and making healthy choices.
Additionally, 10,000 fans in attendance will receive a Jeremy Peña Short Sleeve 90s Hoodie Jersey, presented by Sire Spirits, as tonight’s giveaway.
THIS WEEKEND’S TELECASTS: All three games of this series will be televised by Space City Home Network with Todd Kalas, Geoff Blum and Lauren Callender on the call.
Sideline reporter Julia Morales will rejoin the broadcast next week.
GET ‘EM EARLY: The Astros rank first in the AL and second in MLB in 1st-inning runs with 60.
Overall, the Astros rank fifth in the AL in runs (428) immediately behind tonight’s opponent, the Orioles (432).
ON THE DEFENSIVE: The Astros rank third in the AL in fielding pct. (.988) and their 42 errors are the second-fewest in the AL.
1B Christian Walker has led the way, as he has not committed an error in his 94 games played at 1B.
Dating back to last season, Walker has not made an error in his last 122 games at 1B (last error was Aug. 23, 2025 at BAL).
THE 2027 SCHEDULE: The 2027 regular season schedule was announced by Major League Baseball yesterday, which revealed Astros Opening Day as Thursday, March 25 vs. TEX.
The Astros schedule is also highlighted by weekend series against the Yankees (April 23-25), Cubs (May 14- 16), Mariners (June 25-27), Padres (July 30-Aug. 1), Phillies (Sept. 17-19), and others.
WEDNESDAY’S TRADE: Announced on Wednesday, the Astros traded RHP Lance McCullers Jr., LHP Colton Gordon, and cash considerations to the Brewers in exchange for prospect OF Jadyn Fielder.
McCullers leaves behind a legacy as one of the most-accomplished postseason pitchers in Astros history, making 19 postseason appearances (12 starts) and posting a 3.47 ERA (28ER/72.2IP) en route to two World Series championships.
TODAY’S ROSTER MOVES: The Astros have selected OF Lucas Spence (#28) to the Major League roster and have reinstated RHP Kai-Wei Teng from the 15-day IL.
Additionally, OF Brice Matthews has been placed on the 10-day IL with a left knee sprain.
ON THE MEND: The Astros have seven players on the Major League Injured List.
Updates on a few:
RHP Hayden Wesneski (rt. elbow surgery) is sheduled to pitch at Triple A tonight…he has made three rehab appearances so far, last pitching for Triple A Sugar Land on July 11 vs. ABQ (1ER/4.2IP)…he fanned seven in the outing on a season-high 61 pitches.
RHP Ronel Blanco (rt. elbow surgery) has made five rehab appearances, last starting on July 12 vs. ABQ (0ER/4.1IP), in which he tossed 68 pitches.
RHP Mike Burrows (rt. elbow neuritis) has reported to West Palm Beach to begin a throwing progression.
LHP Bennett Sousa (lt. elbow inflammation) made two rehab appearances for the FCL Astros over the All-Star break, tossing 1.0 scoreless inning in each outing. He last pitched on Wednesday (16 pitches).
OF Brice Matthews (lt. knee sprain) is currently participating in light baseball activities in Houston.
ALL-STAR ALVAREZ: DH Yordan Alvarez started and hit second for the AL in this week’s All-Star Game, going 1×2 with a single and a run scored.
This marked the fourth All-Star selection for Alvarez (2022-24, 2026) and the second time that he was voted as a starter (also in 2024).
MVP-CALIBER: DH Yordan Alvarez is a strong MVP candidate, currently leading all of baseball in OPS (1.059), OBP (.426), SLG (.633), and total bases (221).
Additionally, he ranks first in the AL in HR (31), first in RBI (70), first in XBH (48), tied for first in hits (111), second in batting average (.318), second in runs (65), and fourth in walks (63).
WHAT A HALF!: DH Yordan Alvarez hit 31 homers prior to the break, which are the most in a first half in club history, topping OF Lance Berkman, who hit 29 homers in the first half of the 2002 season.
Alvarez is on pace to hit 51 homers on the season, which would represent a new franchise record, topping the 47 homers hit by 1B Jeff Bagwell in 2000.
TAP FOR SUCCESS: Astros hitters have won an MLB-best 70 ABS challenges and lead the Majors in challenge success rate (61%).
2B Jose Altuve has been successful on 15-of-21 challenges (71%), ranking second in the Majors in challenges won.
3B Isaac Paredes (11-for-12) has been the most efficient regular challenger for the team and was successful in his first 11 challenges on the season.
WHAT A RELIEF: LHP Josh Hader is 3-1 with 10 saves (in 10 chances), has a 1.17 ERA (2ER/15.1IP), 25 strikeouts in 15.1 innings, a .115 (6×52) opponent average, and a 0.91 WHIP in 17 appearances.
He has not allowed a hit in 13 of his 17 appearances.
THE 2026 FUTURES GAME: The Astros top two prospects, OF Kevin Alvarez and IF Xavier Neyens, represented the club in the All-Star Futures Game, which was played last weekend in Philadelphia.
Both prospects, which played the first half of the season for Class A Fayetteville, are considered top 100 prospects per MiLB.com, with Alvarez ranking 69th and Neyens 87th overall.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Friday, July 17, 7:10 p.m. CT
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
TV: Space City Home Network
Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
The Yankees and Aaron Judgegot the results back from re-imaging over the All-Star break and the slugger's ribs have not healed enough for him to resume baseball activities.
"We're still waiting on one more doctor to take a look at it. Kind of see how we progress forward the next couple weeks, but it’s definitely a positive sign," Judge said before Friday's series opener with the Dodgers.
Judge had the re-imaging done Wednesday, but the organization is waiting for Dr. Gregory Pearl to give his opinion on the next steps. Judge is hopeful they'll learn more by the time Friday's game is over or on Saturday.
When asked whether the doctors need to see full healing before he can start baseball activities or whether it's about pain tolerance, the reigning MVP gave his take, but ultimately said he's going to follow what the doctors say.
"I think it's more of once we see it kind of healing all the way through, I think part of it's healing, the other part of it's still trying to bridge together," Judge said. "So I think that's what we're trying to wait and see if we can kind of get some confirmation of what we can start doing.
"I'm going to wait for the doctors to tell us what to do and what they see when they look at it, but I think it's some positive news."
Judge did say he has no reason to believe he won't play this season, saying "I don't see why not."
But he confirmed that he has not started any sort of activities. Everything he has done is just lower-body and conditioning.
Judge said he's feeling "10 times better" since injuring his ribs on a dive in the outfield back in April, and is itching to start doing baseball activities, but the organization is being cautious with their captain. He doesn't believe he'll need a spring training-style ramp-up -- he said he hates "wasting at-bats" in a rehab game -- but once they hear back, he'll discuss with the organization on next steps.
Prior to the injury, Judge was slashing .248/.375/.533 with 17 home runs and 38 RBI in 59 games.
The Yankees have been up and down since Judge landed on the IL. They enter play Friday with a 54-42 record, overcoming a 5-15 stretch, and are now riding a four-game winning streak.
It's a stark difference from the 2023 season when Judge broke his toe slamming into a wall at Dodger Stadium, which cost him 45 games and the Yankees their season.
Manager Aaron Boone believes this year's team is different despite Judge's absence.
“We weren't as good a team then," Boone said. "We weren't equipped to handle that and feel like we are much more equipped now with some of our depth and some of our young players that are now integral parts of the team.
"And I think outside of the 10-game stretch where we're terrible, for the most part, we have played well and better than when that happened in '23."
A big part of the Yankees' resilience has been Paul Goldschmidt's revival, Cody Bellinger's consistency and the emergence of Ben Rice. All of whom Judge credits as part of what's kept the team afloat.
"It's been tough, but we got a lot of great guys in this clubhouse have been holding their own and kind of carrying the weight of this team," Judge said of not playing. "Goldie, Belli, what they've been doing; Ben Rice has been... It's been fun to watch, but that's been tough sitting on the sidelines."