Category: MLB

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

Friday's MLB card is loaded with star power, and a few of baseball's biggest bats find themselves in favorable matchups.

Before locking in your MLB player props, here are my MLB picks I'm targeting to leave their mark tonight.

Best MLB home run props today

Player to hit a HR	Odds
Yordan Alvarez	+238
Kody Clemens	+339
Rafael Devers	+380

Home run pick: Yordan Alvarez (+238)

My mouth waters when I see the name Cal Quantrill, because he is simply a gift to us home run-loving sons of guns.

So far this season against left-handed bats, the Rangers starter is allowing a 76.6% elevation rate, 15.6% barrel rate, and 40% hard-hit rate. Those hitters are generating a .460 xSLG and .377 xwOBA against him.

Yordan Alvarez enters Friday with an elite rating on Batters-Box while covering all of Quantrill’s pitches. In 22 games this season when Alvarez has received an elite rating, he has left the yard 31.82% of the time. Over the last 3 seasons, he has hit a home run in 21% of his games with an elite rating across 233 appearances.

Over his last 60 at-bats against right-handed pitching, Alvarez has maintained a .286 BA, .551 SLG, .968 OPS, and .265 ISO while generating a 55.6% hard-hit rate and 19.4% barrel rate.

Leave the yard and make our Friday great, Yordan.

• Time: 8:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: CW33, SCHN

Home run pick: Kody Clemens (+339)

The Rocket's son finds himself in another boom spot, as he draws Angels right-hander Grayson Rodriguez on Friday. Kody Clemens enters the matchup with an elite rating while covering over 91% of Rodriguez’s subpar pitch mix. In 27 elite-rated matchups this season, the Twins slugger has left the yard 22.22% of the time.

Over his last 60 plate appearances against right-handed pitching, Clemens has been crushing the baseball, posting a .561 SLG, .844 OPS, and .298 ISO while generating a 58.7% hard-hit rate and 13% barrel rate.

Rodriguez has struggled against left-handed bats this season, allowing a 52.2% hard-hit rate and a 67.4% elevation rate. Lefties have also posted a .361 batting average, .651 SLG, and .469 wOBA against him.

With both sides generating plenty of hard contact, this feels like another spot for the Twins slugger to leave the yard.

• Time: 8:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MNNT, ABTV

Home run pick: Rafael Devers (+380)

It is hard to pass up a near 4-to-1 home run price on someone who has been absolutely crushing right-handed pitching. Over his last 60 plate appearances against righties, Giants slugger Rafael Devers  owns a .388 BA, .980 SLG, 1.480 OPS and .592 ISO, while generating a 55% hard hit rate and 20% barrel rate.

Devers draws Tanner Gordon, whom he holds a 64.8% arsenal coverage rating against across his entire pitch mix. Gordon’s arsenal grades below league average on FanGraphs, and he has been getting hit hard by left-handed bats, allowing a 62.7% elevation rate and 50.7% hard hit rate, while surrendering a .716 SLG and .454 wOBA.

On Batters-Box, Devers owns the highest matchup rating on the slate using the default ratings dating back the last 3 seasons. In 247 elite ratings, Devers has gone deep 22% of the time.

This is one of my favorite long ball matchups of the day. Let Devers MASH!

• Time: 10:15 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NBCSBA, COLR

Today’s HR parlay

Yordan Alvarez	Bet Now +6700
Kody Clemens
Rafael Devers

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year, we ask questions of the most plugged-in Kansas City Royals fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Earlier this week, we asked how many players the Royals need to trade away before the deadline

92% of you thought the Royals needed to trade at least three players at this deadline. That’s not surprising at all, but what is at least a little surprising is that the number of five or more voters isn’t that large. When I originally wrote the poll question, I didn’t realize how many tradeable players the Royals had. The list I added to the original poll post came after the fact and was as much to help me figure out how I was ultimately going to vote.

For those of you who don’t remember and don’t want to click that link, here is the list of potentially tradeable Royals:

Players on expiring contracts:

• Lane Thomas
• Starling Marte
• Matt Strahm
• Kris Bubic
• Jonathan India
• John Schreiber
• Carlos Estévez

Players who might be considered valuable (but replaceable) veterans with contracts that do not expire at the end of the season

• Michael Wacha
• Seth Lugo
• Lucas Erceg
• Alex Lange
• Daniel Lynch IV
• Kyle Isbel
• Vinnie Pasquantino
• Nick Mears
• Michael Massey
• Salvador Perez

There are at least four healthy players in the expiring contracts category, five if Bubic can get his act together. So basically, almost as many of you are happy keeping every single guy the Royals might have back next year as think they should trade at least one of them. For what it’s worth, I stand with the 43% who voted five or more. As I mentioned on the most recent Royals Rundown podcast, I think the Royals need to empty out their bullpen. No one in there has been good enough that I feel excited about bringing them back next year, and if they can bring back any kind of value (including young pitchers who might turn into relief studs next year), then the Royals should get rid of them. Steven Cruz and Beck Way are the only relievers I’m even remotely interested in seeing on next year’s roster. Unless you include Luinder Avila as a reliever (which, honestly, I do.)

Additionally, while Lugo probably doesn’t have much in the way of trade value anymore, I really think they should try to get someone else to take Wacha while he’s still at what is almost certainly the peak of his value and try to replace Wacha with a similarly savvy free agent signing this offseason. It’s not that I don’t like Wacha, it’s just that I think the Royals have shown an ability to find starting pitching just about everywhere, and if they could use him to patch multiple holes or one hole with a really good prospect, I think it makes the most sense for them to do so.

The rumor is that the Royals feel like they’ll have to be blown away by an offer for Wacha in order to deal him, and in recent history, they’ve not ever been blown away by any trade offer. So he’ll probably stay put. Maybe that isn’t the worst outcome in the world, but if they pair it with keeping all of their “controllable” relievers, I might scream.

These survey results are sponsored by FanDuel.

As is tradition at Amazin’ Avenue (2025, 2024, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019), we take a look back at the high school players players who declined to sign with the Mets out of high school in order to attend college and see how their careers have gone now that they’re draft eligible once again. In 2023, the Mets drafted six high school players. Of those six, five signed with the club- Colin Houck, A.J. Ewing, Boston Baro, John Valle, and Jake Zitella- while one- Gavyn Jones- elected not to. Jones is a junior and now eligible for the 2026 MLB Draft, so let’s check in and see what he’s been up to and how he’s been doing.

Gavyn Jones, LHP (18th Round, 546 Overall)

With their 18th round selection in the 2023 MLB Draft, the Mets selected Gavyn Jones, a left-handed pitcher from White Oak High School in White Oak Texas. The southpaw won Texas District 15-3A Most Valuable Player honors that spring, hitting .490 with 12 doubles, 2 triples, 11 home runs, and 16 stolen bases in 18 attempts and posting a 0.97 ERA in 79 innings on the mound, walking 47 and striking out 144. The 6’2”, 205-pound left-hander had a fastball that sat in the low-to-mid-90s at the time and complemented it with a raw but projectable slider and a raw but projectable changeup.

Jones initially had a commitment to Texas Tech, but that fell through and he ended up attending McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas. Jones appeared in 8 games for the Highlanders, starting 4, and posted a 14.54 ERA in 13.0 innings, allowing 21 earned runs on 20 hits and 18 walks while striking out 13. Additionally, he had 48 at-bats and hit .271/.352/.458 with 3 doubles, 2 home runs, 1 stolen base in 2 attempts, and drew 5 walks to 13 strikeouts.

Draft eligible once again due to his status as a junior college student, Jones went unselected in the 2024 MLB Draft. He entered the transfer portal and was accepted into the University of Oklahoma baseball program. In his sophomore season, he appeared in 22 games, starting 1, and posted a 6.37 ERA in 29.2 innings, allowing 33 hits, walking 7, and striking out 28. Jones also appeared in two additional games as a hitter and went 3-3, giving him a 1.000/1.000/2.000 batting line for the year and comically putting him on the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year watch list.

That summer, the left-hander pitched in the Cape Cod Baseball League, pitching for the Chatham Anglers. He appeared in 7 games, starting 4, and posted a 5.33 ERA in 25.1 innings, allowing 32 hits, walking 9, and striking out 14. When he returned to Oklahoma in the fall, coach Skip Johnson had Jones officially transition to becoming a full-time pitcher.

The southpaw appeared in 22 games for the Sooners in 2026 and pitched 26.2 innings for the eventual College World Series champions. He posted a career-best 4.73 ERA and allowed 24 hits, walked 17, and struck out 28. In the NCAA regionals, he made 1 appearance and threw 2.0 scoreless innings against Georgia Tech Yellowjackets, allowing 1 hit, walking 1, and striking out 3. In the College World Series Championship Series, he made 1 appearance and threw 2.1 scoreless innings against the North Carolina Tar Heels, allowing 2 hits, walking 2, and striking out 4.

We are one day away from Christmas in July as the MLB Draft, along with all the other festivities, is set to begin this weekend. There have been some changes, including the date and timings of the event so let’s review everything you need to know about the draft.

How To Watch

The draft will be held across two days with rounds 1-4 coming on Saturday, July 11th and rounds 5-20 on Sunday, July 20th.

Day 1

• Coverage begins at 1:00 PM ET on NBC/Peacock for picks 1-10 of the first round..
• Coverage will then shift to MLB Network for picks 11-40 (end of the 1st, PPI, competitive balance round A).
• Coverage shifts again to MLB.com, MLB.tv for picks 41-135.

Day 2

• Coverage begins at 11:30 AM ET for rounds 5-20 and will be found on MLB.com/MLB.tv

Where will the Braves pick in the draft order?

If you’re on this website in particular you’re here for Braves coverage so let’s focus on those picks in particular. The Braves received a PPI (Prospect Promotion Incentive) pick because Drake Baldwin started the season on the roster, and won Rookie of the Year, giving them an additional pick before the second round.

Round 1, pick 9 | PPI, pick 26 | Round 2, pick 84 | Round 3, pick 84 | Round 4, pick 112 | Round 5, pick 144 | Round 6, pick 173 | Round 7, pick 202 | Round 8, pick 232 | Round 9, pick 262 | Round 10, pick 292 | Round 11, pick 322 | Round 12, pick 353 | Round 13, pick 382 | Round 14, pick 412 | Round 15, pick 442 | Round 16, pick 472 | Round 17, pick 502 | Round 18, pick 532 | Round 19, pick 562 | Round 20, pick 592

How much Draft Bonus Pool money do the Braves have?

Another result of the Drake Baldwin Rookie of the Year award is that the PPI pick comes with additional value, so the overall draft pool the Braves may draw from totals $15,870,800. The value is of importance because if a team exceeds that allotment by up to 5%, they pay an additional 75% tax on the that overage. These penalties increase the more you go over that threshold, but that is extremely rare.

Did the Mariners have a tiny bit of momentum coming out of that homestand last week? You bet. Did they squander it all away immediately? Of course. After being swept in Miami, Seattle finds itself back at .500 and a half game behind the Rangers in the AL West. Just a year ago, the M’s were coming off a rough sweep on the road heading into the final series before the All-Star break against the best team in the American League. In one of the big turning points in their season, they swept the Tigers to head into the midseason break on a high note. Now, they’ve got that same opportunity in Tampa Bay.

The Rays have been one of the biggest surprises in the AL this year. After back-to-back fourth place finishes in the AL East in 2024 and ‘25, it seemed like the competitive window Tampa Bay had been building since ‘19 was slamming closed. Instead, they’re leading their division with the best record in the AL. They’re definitely a bit out over their skis — they’ve outperformed their Pythagorean record by five games and their Base Runs record by six games — but the wins they’ve banked already mean they’re almost guaranteed a postseason berth thanks to the mediocre playoff field behind them.

The top three players in the Rays lineup carry most of the load. Junior Caminero has gone nuclear recently, blasting 12 home runs over his last 16 games. He’s one of the most dangerous young power hitters in the game and this hot streak has pushed him into the middle of the AL MVP race. Yandy Díaz is one of the few familiar names anchoring this lineup. He’s the longest tenured Ray at this point and is in the midst of his best offensive season since 2023. Jonathan Aranda is cut from the same mold as Díaz: a compact swing geared for hard, line drive contact and a solid approach at the plate. The rest of the lineup is filled with flexible role players and platoons which force opponents into uncomfortable matchups throughout the game.

Probable Pitchers 

Updated Stuff+ Explainer 

• Stuff+ scores for Mariners starters

It feels like Nick Martinez is the most spiritually Rays player who hasn’t actually played for Tampa Bay until this year. Over the past four years, he’s admirably served as a part-time starter, part-time swingman, and even saw some high-leverage work at times. He’s been solid no matter which role he’s playing. That’s the sort of flexibility the Rays covet, though they’ve deployed him as a full-time starter out of their rotation this year. He’s made the odd tradeoff to try and generate a lot more weak contact rather than swings and misses this year; he’s emphasized his sinker over his four-seamer and increased the usage of his fantastic changeup. The topline results are there — his 2.61 ERA is third best in the AL — but all of his peripherals scream regression.

Griffin Jax was an odd trade deadline acquisition last July. The Rays weren’t in a position to buy, but they traded Taj Bradley straight up for Jax, who was one of the best setup men in baseball at the time. Jax struggled as a reliever with the Rays and the team decided to convert him to a starter on the fly in May. It’s not the worst idea in the world; Jax has a deep repertoire that didn’t fit a traditional high-leverage reliever. Things have worked out pretty well despite the odd timing of it all. Across 13 starts and 56 IP, he has a 2.89 ERA, 3.99 FIP, and 3.87 K/BB out of the rotation.

The Rays have been able to use Nick Martinez in their starting rotation because they already have a pitcher fulfilling Martinez’s traditional role of part-time starter, part-time swingman, part-time high-leverage arm already. Ian Seymour started off last year in the bullpen but had a brief but successful stint as a starter to finish the season. Tampa Bay stuck him back in the bullpen to start this year and he eventually worked his way into a high-leverage role for a while. He’s been working as a starter for the past month and that might be his most successful role to date. Over his last six appearances, he’s allowed just 10 runs in 30.1 innings with an elite 6.5 strikeout-to-walk ratio. 

The Big Picture:

Despite getting crushed 13-1 on Wednesday, the Rangers pulled off a series win against the Angels with a walk-off win yesterday. That pushed them back into first place in the division. The Astros lost their series against the Nationals earlier this week, though they’re still a game and half out in the Wild Card race. The two Texas teams meet this weekend in Arlington. The Athletics continue to tumble down the standings; they were swept by the Tigers this week, have lost six straight, and 14 of their last 17. They head to Chicago to face the White Sox ahead of the All-Star break.

2026 MLB Draft Preview: Connor Comeau scouting report.

The 2026 draft is just days away — the first round kicks off on July 11, 2026 — so its time to start offering capsule looks at players the Texas Rangers could select with their top picks. The Rangers’ first round pick is at #16, their second round pick is at #54, and their third round pick is at #89.

Leading up to draft day, we will be doing writeups of some of the players who could end up getting selected by the Rangers with one of their first three picks. Today we are looking at prep infielder Connor Comeau.

Connor Comeau is a 6’4”, 180 lb. lefthanded hitting, righty throwing shortstop out of Anderson High School in Austin, Texas. Comeau doesn’t turn 18 until August, and is committed to Texas A&M.

Comeau offers a quality hit tool with power projection. Baseball America says he “stands out for his present hitting ability.” He has a nice, easy swing and showed strong contact ability on the showcase circuit last summer. He has shown the ability to hit the ball hard to all fields. He has shown the ability to hit for power — MLB Pipeline notes he finished second in the Home Run Derby at the Canadian Futures Showcase this past summer — but is still extremely lean currently, so there’s a belief that he should add more power as he develops and his body fills out.

Comeau has a good arm, but otherwise, the defensive package doesn’t offer a whole lot. While he plays shortstop currently, he’s not expected to stick there going forward, due to his size and lack speed. He’s likely destined for a corner spot, with third base seen as the best fit. He is a below-average runner currently, and generally guys get slower, not faster, as they fill out, which makes playing a corner outfield spot potentially problematic.

Baseball America has Comeau at #55 on their board. MLB Pipeline has Comeau at #55 on their board. Kiley McDaniel puts puts Comeau at #66 on his top 150 list. Keith Law has Comeau at #59 on his board. Fangraphs has Comeau at #32 on their board. Baseball Prospectus does not have Comeau on their top 30 draft board.

Like Daniel Jackson yesterday, I’m doing a write-up on Comeau because he was mentioned by Evan Grant as one of five potential candidates for the Rangers to select with their first pick in his article earlier this week. While I am skeptical of Jackson being picked by Texas, though, Comeau seems like someone who would be a potential fit.

Comeau has some similarities to Gavin Fien, the Rangers’ first round pick last year. Both are tall, bat-first first prep shortstops who were expected to move off of shortstop fairly quickly (Fein has moved off the dirt altogether, having played outfield exclusively this season for the Nationals). Both were relatively young for a their draft class — Fien turned 18 just a few months before draft day, and Comeau is still just 17. Both are relatively advanced with their hit tool and show future power potential. Fien is more filled out — Comeau appears to have the Evan Carter build currently — and an overall better prospect, which is why Fien was projected to go mid-first round and Comeau is looked at as a late first or second round guy.

Grant mentions that the Rangers really liked Comeau when they had him in for a workout, and if he’s a priority, there’s a couple of paths Texas could take. They could take him at 16 with a well-under-slot deal, then make a deal with one of the college pitchers with injury issues (such as Logan Reddemann) for an over-slot deal in the second round. Or they could do it the other way around, offering Comeau that they’ll give him enough over slot if he gets to them at #54 that he can scare other teams off before then with his asking price.

Previously:

Liam Peterson

Tyler Bell

Aiden Robbins

Jared Grindlinger

Logan Reddemann

Cooper Harris

Justin Lebron

Cameron Flukey

Derek Curiel

Hunter Dietz

Logan Hughes

Carson Wiggins

Peyton Bonds

Ace Reese

Sawyer Strosnider

Gio Rojas

Chris Rembert

Jack Natili

Andrew Williamson

Trevor Condon

AJ Gracia

Brett Renfrow

Wes Mendes

Daniel Jackson

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The Los Angeles Dodgers welcome the Arizona Diamondbacks for a three-game weekend series in Chavez Ravine. 

L.A. has opened up a 14.5-game lead in the NL West and is rightfully a sizable favorite (-233) with Shohei Ohtani starting the opener, while the total is set at 8.5.

See my plays for the side and total with my Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers predictions and MLB picks for Friday, July 10.

Who will win Diamondbacks vs Dodgers today: Dodgers -1.5 (-112)

Eduardo Rodriguez's 2.25 ERA is a product of smoke and mirrors. His 5.00 xERA indicates immediate regression against a potent Los Angeles Dodgers lineup (128 wRC+ against southpaws over the last 20 days) in hitter-friendly weather. 

Shohei Ohtani's 1.79 ERA, on the other hand, is a product of an elite 114 Stuff+. He should mow down an Arizona Diamondbacks lineup that has been utterly helpless against right-handed pitching (67 wRC+ over the last 14 days).

One of these NL All-Stars is overvalued, while the other is so dominant it's difficult to accurately price. Play L.A. -1.5 up to -120.

COVERS INTEL: Rodriguez rarely makes batters miss (10th percentile whiff rate, 13th percentile K-rate) and won't now against a Dodgers lineup with the second-lowest Swing% (29.5%).

Diamondbacks vs Dodgers Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (-112)

Ohtani has dominated Arizona's lineup in the past (.170 AVG and .484 OPS across 47 at-bats), and there's no reason to expect any difference on Friday.

He suppresses loud contact (92nd percentile barrel rate, 89th percentile xBA), and Arizona doesn't hit for much power, holding the second-lowest ISO (.137) against RHP. 

L.A. has routinely played in low-scoring games with Ohtani on the bump (3-11 O/U). The bullpen behind him is well-rested after Thursday's day off, and Arizona's pen has a Top-5 FIP (3.35) and SIERA (3.28) in the last 14 days.

Diamondbacks vs Dodgers weather

Wind blowing out to center at 8 mph will give the offenses a slight bump on an 81F day in Los Angeles.

Diamondbacks vs Dodgers odds

• Moneyline: Diamondbacks +223 | Dodgers -233
• Run line: Diamondbacks +1.5 (+104) | Dodgers -1.5 (-108)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+100) | Under 8.5 (-104)

Diamondbacks vs Dodgers trend

The Diamondbacks have played to the Over just once in Eduardo Rodriguez's last 12 starts. Find more MLB betting trends for Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers.

How to watch Diamondbacks vs Dodgers and game info

Diamondbacks vs Dodgers latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

Folks, after sweeping Tuesday with three YRFIs, we’re looking to run it back this evening and kickstart the weekend the right way!

Tonight, I have at least one NRFI on my radar, along with two other YRFIs to sweat out. Let’s see if we can keep the good vibes rolling!

Check out my full MLB picks below.

Best NRFI/YRFI predictions today

Pick	Odds
/ - Astros vs. Rangers YRFI	-107
/ - Athletics vs. White Sox YRFI	-121
/ - Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers NRFI	-112

Astros at Rangers: YRFI (-107)

Cal Quantrill is set to take the mound this evening for the Texas Rangers, and that automatically triggers me to lean toward the YRFI. Especially with Yordan Alvarez owning 100% arsenal coverage against him while grading out as an elite hitter on Batters-Box. He might be the only bat we need to rely on in the first inning.

However, on the other side, Hunter Brown is taking the mound for the Astros and has been struggling recently. Over his last 3 outings, Brown owns a 6.23 ERA and a 1.77 WHIP.

Overall, both offenses have been swinging the bat well over their last 6 games, each posting at least a 107 wRC+, a .199 ISO, and a .323 wOBA.

With Houston ranking second in first-inning runs scored and fifth in YRFI percentage, this sets up as a prime spot to root for some early offense.

• Time: 8:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: CW33, SCHN

Athletics at White Sox: YRFI (-121)

This may be one of the biggest vibes plays I've made in quite some time, as White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami is set to return from the IL. The White Sox offense has gone cold this week, but I think getting their star first baseman back is exactly the spark this lineup needs to get back on track.

They draw struggling Athletics right-hander Aaron Civale, who owns one of the worst pitcher ratings on the slate. He also grades poorly in matchup ISO, wOBA, hard contact, strikeout rate, and ground ball rate.

Through 15 starts, Civale has allowed 8 first-inning runs, with opposing hitters slashing .339/.382/.548 with a .931 OPS.

Sean Burke gets the ball for the White Sox, and he hasn't exactly been sharp early either. Through 14 starts, he has surrendered 9 first-inning runs, with opponents hitting .309 with a .473 SLG and .800 OPS.

I think this is a great spot for early runs, but I'm leaning toward the White Sox being the team that gets us to the window.

• Time: 7:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: CHSN, NBCSCA

Diamondbacks at Dodgers: NRFI (-112)

This could get sweaty, but that's the beauty of the NRFI. Both the Diamondbacks and Dodgers have gone cold offensively over their last 6 games, with each posting a wRC+ below 85, a wOBA under .295, and an OPS below .660. I think the NRFI is in play here.

Shohei Ohtani takes the ball for the Dodgers against a Diamondbacks lineup that doesn't feature a single elite or strongly rated hitter in Batters-Box's current season ratings. On the other side, Eduardo Rodriguez only has to navigate one elite and three strong-rated bats.

I'm willing to sweat out what will likely be a tense bottom of the first.

• Time: 10:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: ARID, SNLA

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

It wouldn’t be a day ending in “y” without a Braves roster move:

Hurston Waldrep’s ongoing recovery has had quite a few twists and turns. Following a pseudo-breakout late last year, after the Braves were out of it and had little to play for other than trying to garner the kind of major league development that Waldrep largely showed (a 68 ERA-, 79 FIP-, and 89 xFIP- in 56 1/3 innings, good for 1.2 fWAR), the right-hander hit the shelf with recovery from an elbow cleanup, and made just a handful of rehab-ish outings in the minors before the Braves promoted him.

His first outing of 2026 was rough with a 3/4 K/BB ratio in two innings of relief, but he and the defense somehow kept the runs off the board. Waldrep then had his first start back, which had a fine enough 4/1 K/BB ratio in five innings… except that it involved a hit-by-pitch and a three-run homer, putting the Braves in a 3-0 hole early. And then, there was his disaster in Pittsburgh, where he hung multiple breaking pitches to Ryan O’Hearn in a blowout loss.

So, the Braves will welcome back Tyler Kinley from his time actively playing papa and go with a somewhat bulkier bullpen for a while.

Mark Bowman reports that the Braves plan to have JR Ritchie start on Sunday. Ritchie’s rookie season is not going particularly well (108/130/116) and he’s been used as a multi-inning-ish reliever fill-in so far in July, but he’ll get another shot to improve this weekend. Personally, I’m not really sure that “Waldrep being really bad on balance after three outings” is markedly worse for the team’s immediate-term outlook than “Ritchie being sub-replacement on balance after ten outings,” but my hope is that the Braves can go Johnny Wholestaff in that game anyway and not have to worry about which of their young arms potentially implodes either way.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated with Kyle Schwarber's official announcement that he's participating in the 2026 MLB Home Run Derby

Will Kyle Schwarber be joining Bryce Harper for the 2026 MLB Home Run Derby in front of a home crowd at Citizens Bank Park on July 13? Yes.

Less than 24 hours after Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly accidentally leaked the MLB home run leader's plans to participate in the event, Schwarber announced on Friday, July 10 through the Phillies' social media pages that he will compete in the event for the third time in his career.

"I'm glad he's doing it, especially in Philly. Him and Kyle both, right?" Mattingly said when asked by a reporter about his thoughts on Harper participating in the Home Run Derby following the Phillies' 1-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds on July 9.

Will Kyle Schwarber be in the Home Run Derby? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/JKDb3yBvXo

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) July 10, 2026

2026 MLB Home Run Derby field: Who is competing in Philly? Who isn't?

With Schwarber participating in the Home Run Derby, it not only gives the event another marquee name in the field, but it also marks his first time in the event since 2022. He first competed in the Home Run Derby in 2018 as a member of the Chicago Cubs, where he proceeded to lose to Harper in the finals at Nationals Park.

In addition to Harper, the field also includes Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero, New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice, Kansas City Royals first baseman Jac Caglianone, Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras and St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker.

Schwarber expressed interest in competing in the event over the last week, but only if his back was feeling OK. He continues to deal with a sore lower back that kept him out for two games in June. The Philadelphia Inquirer's Scott Lauber reported on July 10 that, should Schwarber take one of the final two spots in the field, a Phillies coach or staffer will throw to him.

"I just want to make sure I’m not putting myself in a risky position," Schwarber said, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Phillies' designated hitter enters the final weekend of the first half of the season with 32 home runs and 58 RBIs, becoming the fastest Phillies hitter to reach 30 home runs on the season — in just 80 games — on Sunday, June 28. He reached the milestone with a go-ahead, two-run home run against the New York Mets at Citi Field.

"It's just been fun to watch," Mattingly said of Schwarber in June when asked by USA TODAY Sports about his power hitter's season during a media availability. "There's been a lot of big ones that either get us early leads or get us back in the game.

"What I really like is that Schwabs is really all about the team and us winning and I think when you stay in that mode of doing something to help your team win. From a leadership position, that's huge because then everybody's in that mode."

The MLB Home Run Derby is set for 8 p.m. ET on Monday, July 13 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.