Category: MLB

Once upon a time, sports fans wanted freedom of choice. Why pay for dozens — or perhaps hundreds — of television channels when all you wanted to do was to see your favorite teams play?

The cable era is in its sunset. Streaming is all the rage. No longer need you pay for channels that feature news, movies, cooking and gardening in order to watch the home team.

For sports fans, this has become an expensive mess, too.

The Dodgers require one subscription. The Lakers require another. The Angels, Kings and Clippers require another. The Galaxy and LAFC require another. The Ducks require another — although theirs is free for now.

Read more:Shaikin: Why is Dodger Stadium SO LOUD?

Truth be told, the Dodgers and Lakers run L.A. The most valuable sports broadcasting property in town could be one that carries the Dodgers and Lakers.

For many fans in Los Angeles, that might represent freedom of choice: the one and only must-have sports subscription.

Could that future — one broadcast channel and one streaming app for the Dodgers and Lakers — become reality now that Mark Walter, the controlling owner of the Dodgers, is the new controlling owner of the Lakers? Walter hasn’t yet talked publicly about the Lakers deal, so we floated the idea by sports business insiders.

The Lakers are on Spectrum SportsNet. The Dodgers are on SportsNet LA. Who owns those channels?

Charter Communications, the parent company of Spectrum, owns SportsNet. The Dodgers, through an affiliated company, own SportsNet LA, although Charter operates it and pays the team a rights fee every year, just as it does with the Lakers.

Can Charter walk away from the Lakers deal because of the ownership change?

No.

Could Walter buy out Charter and put the Dodgers and Lakers on the same channel?

In theory, yes. Charter probably would give him the Lakers’ channel for free.

In reality? That appears unlikely any time soon. Walter didn’t get to be a billionaire by turning down half a billion dollars every year.

Read more:Shaikin: Why Wayne Randazzo and Mark Gubicza might be best Angels broadcast duo in 50 years

Go on.

When Charter’s predecessor, Time Warner Cable, launched the channels for the Lakers in 2012 and the Dodgers in 2014, cable and satellite channels were the way most fans watched their home teams. And, because cable and satellite packages required subscribers to pay for 100 channels even if they only watched five, those cooking and gardening enthusiasts helped enrich all those teams.

Fast forward to today: Nielsen reported that in May — for the first time — more Americans watched television via streaming than via broadcast and cable combined. This so-called “cord cutting” has turned the ownership of most sports channels from an asset to a liability, and many operators have either gone out of business or forced teams to take nine-figure hits to their rights fees.

What does this have to do with whether I can watch the Dodgers and Lakers on one channel?

The Dodgers’ channel and the Lakers’ channel each lose money. Walter would choose between acquiring a money-losing Lakers channel or keeping intact the two Charter deals that pay the Dodgers and Lakers more than $500 million combined each year. No team in baseball makes as much money from local television as the Dodgers, and no team in basketball makes as much money from local television as the Lakers.

The Lakers’ deal runs through 2032. The Dodgers’ deal runs through 2038.

Why are those dates important?

While other teams are experimenting with various combinations of cable, satellite, streaming and even free TV, the Lakers and Dodgers can cash in on guaranteed income and let those other teams be the guinea pigs for learning what works and what does not work in the new media world.

Major League Baseball would like to sell a national streaming package in 2028 — one spot to watch your team from wherever you are, with no blackouts — and the NBA figures to explore that option, too. That gives the Dodgers and Lakers a fairly long runway to see what might be best for them, including whether to retain their streaming rights or contribute them to a league package — and what they would require in order to do so.

Might a joint Dodgers-Lakers channel be a long-term solution?

It could be. With the NBA joining MLB in making postseason broadcasts entirely national, the calendar would align nicely: April to September for the Dodgers, October to April for the Lakers. Behind the scenes, one staff could largely replace two.

Read more:Shaikin: How the NFL Sunday Ticket trial could impact baseball's streaming future

The time for the single-team sports channel has come and largely gone. The economics are poor, and the enthusiasm for 24-7, all-access coverage of one team has dissipated into the reality that most fans just want to watch the game.

How about Walter adding teams?

Nothing is impossible. Ted Leonsis, who owns the NHL’s Washington Capitals, NBA’s Washington Wizards and WNBA’s Washington Mystics, says the key to sports success could be an ownership bundle: own multiple teams, own the venues in which they play and own the platforms on which fans view their games.

Walter’s investments now include the Dodgers, Lakers and Sparks. SportsNet also airs the Sparks.

In 2012, Walter and his partners looked into buying AEG, which owns the Kings, the Galaxy and Crypto.comArena. AEG owner Philip Anschutz opted not to sell then, but Walter could renew that pursuit and, if successful, would control the two venues and four teams that call downtown L.A. home.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

ESPN tabs Giants as one of ‘best fits' for sluggers potentially on trade market originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Giants already made the biggest blockbuster trade of the 2025 MLB season, but do they have another sizable move up their sleeve?

After acquiring slugger Rafael Devers in a stunning deal with the Boston Red Sox on June 15, well before the league’s July 31 trade deadline, it’s safe to assume Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey is not done making calls to teams around the league about potential upgrades to the roster.

While it’s highly unlikely that San Francisco pulls off another move as big as the Devers trade, there are some players who could make sense for the Giants in a trade before next month’s deadline.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel ranked MLB’s top-50 trade deadline candidates in their latest column and listed the Giants among the “best fits” for numerous hitters that could become available.

2. Jarren Duran, OF, Boston Red Sox

ESPN’s chance of trade: 25 percent

Season stats: .257/.309/.406/.715 with five home runs, 38 RBI, 15 stolen bases and a 98 OPS+

ESPN’s best fits: San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Guardians, Kansas City Royals, San Francisco, Philadelphia Phillies

5. Eugenio Suarez, 3B, Arizona Diamondbacks

ESPN’s chance of trade: 50 percent

Season stats: .251/.323/.569/.892 with 25 home runs, 67 RBI and a 142 OPS+

ESPN’s best fits: Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Kansas City, Seattle, San Francisco

9. Josh Naylor, 1B, Arizona Diamondbacks

ESPN’s chance of trade: 30 percent

Season stats: .303/.358/.467/.824 with nine home runs, 51 RBI, 10 stolen bases and a 128 OPS+

ESPN’s best fits: Seattle, Boston, San Francisco, Texas Rangers

10. Ryan O’Hearn, 1B, Baltimore Orioles

ESPN’s chance of trade: 85 percent

Season stats: .305/.387/.480/.867 with 10 home runs, 29 RBI and a 148 OPS+

ESPN’s best fits: Seattle, Boston, San Francisco, Texas

11. Marcell Ozuna, DH, Atlanta Braves

ESPN’s chance of trade: 25 percent

Season stats: .250/.378/.413/.791 with 11 home runs, 40 RBI and a 121 OPS+

ESPN’s best fits: San Diego, Seattle, Detroit, Kansas City, San Francisco, Cleveland, Boston

19. Luis Robert Jr., OF, Chicago White Sox

ESPN’s chance of trade: 90 percent

Season stats: .184/.271/.302/.573 with seven home runs, 31 RBI, 22 stolen bases and a 62 OPS+

ESPN’s best fits: San Diego, Philadelphia, Cleveland, New York Mets, San Francisco

20. Taylor Ward, OF, Los Angeles Angels

ESPN’s chance of trade: 45 percent

Season stats: .210/.279/.464/.743 with 19 home runs, 53 RBI and a 104 OPS+

ESPN’s best fits: San Diego, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Seattle, San Francisco, Kansas City

26. Adolis Garcia, OF, Texas Rangers

ESPN’s chance of trade: 80 percent

Season stats: .233/.285/.401/.685 with nine home runs, 37 RBI, seven stolen bases and a 97 OPS+

ESPN’s best fits: Philadelphia, Seattle, Cleveland, San Diego, San Francisco

Giants fans, would you like to see any of these players in orange and black?

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Looking at the Mets’ recent offensive struggles, it’s hard not pointing directly at the bottom of the order.

When this group was clicking, they were arguably one of the deepest lineups in all of baseball. 

Of late, though, they’ve become too reliant on the big boppers at the top coming through with the big knocks. 

That was again the case on Monday night against Atlanta’s Spencer Schwellenbach. 

Juan Soto accounted for New York’s lone runs -- crushing a two-run homer the other way with two outs in the bottom of the sixth to break up the young right-hander’s shutout bid and make it a one-run ballgame. 

Other than that, the Mets managed just five hits on the night. 

Two of them came from Francisco Lindor, one from Brandon Nimmo, and the other two from Brett Baty as he lifted his average to an impressive .538 in five games out of the nine spot in the order this season.

Other than that, the four through eight spots in the Mets’ lineup went a combined 0-for-18 with five strikeouts on the night as they dropped their ninth in their last 10 games. 

They’ve averaged just three runs over that stretch, even with the 11-run outburst on Saturday in Philadelphia. 

“We have a lot of guys on the bottom going through it,” Carlos Mendoza said. “We’re relying pretty much on the top four or five guys and then those guys on the bottom are not able to get on base, that’s why we’re having a hard time scoring runs right now.

“We were talking about when we were playing well how good our lineup was -- right now we have a few guys that are struggling.”

The youngsters have’t been as consistent as hoped. Jeff McNeil has slowed down mightily after his hot start. Tyrone Taylor continues to play stellar defense, but his bat has cooled off as well, and the same can be said for newly appointed starting catcher Luis Torrens.

Jared Young also has just six knocks since being called-up from Syracuse, but he continues to see regular at-bats as the DH. 

Something needs to change in a hurry -- luckily a big reinforcement in on the way, as Mark Vientos will play two more rehab games with Syracuse this week and he could be back in the lineup as soon as Thursday. 

That’s just one addition, though, the rest of this group has to get things turned around quickly.

“We need to continue to support the guys and continue to work,” the skipper said. “But you know this game is all about results, so we continue to have all the confidence in these guys, but we have to be better.”

It’s been a bit of a struggle of late for the Mets’ bullpen.

With the starters failing to work deep into games, they’ve been very overworked. 

That was again the case on Monday night, but this time they were able to deliver. 

Paul Blackburn was knocked around by the Braves for the second straight outing and was pulled with two outs in the top of the fifth -- that marked the fifth straight game a Mets starter failed to finish five innings. 

But José Buttó entered into a first-and-third jam and needed just four pitches to clean up the mess, getting Michael Harris II to roll over to end the inning. 

He followed that up with a perfect top of the sixth. 

Ryne Stanek was handed the seventh and he fell into some trouble after issuing a walk and allowing a two-out single to Ozzie Albies, but he let out one of his signature roars after punching out Murphy with a nasty slider. 

Reed Garrett was called upon in the eighth, coming off back-to-back rough outings, and he rebounded nicely with a pair of strikeouts in a scoreless frame of his own. 

Edwin Diaz then entered for the ninth, pitching for the first time in five days, and he worked around a pair of hits, striking out Ozzie Albies on three pitches to keep the deficit at just one run. 

Unfortunately, the effort was wasted as the Mets’ offense failed to come through. 

“Those are tough games to lose,” Carlos Mendoza said. “When you use your high-leverage and aren’t able to close the deal -- we just have to turn the page, but I thought they did a hell of a job keeping us in the game.

“We only get 4.2 out of Blackburn and then everyone else kind of kept the game right there for us. Everybody that came out of that bullpen gave us a chance, we just couldn’t push those runs across.”

The common thread in most losing streaks is a collective slump at the plate, and the Mets can certainly attest to this notion in the midst of their unsettling mid-June swoon.

After falling to the division-rival Braves on Monday night at Citi Field, the Mets have now hit a measly .215 over a brutal 10-game stretch that's resulted in nine losses and pushed them out of first place in the NL East race.

To make matters worse, their season average with runners in scoring position is down to .219, which ranks second-worst in baseball.

While the Mets' lack of production during their 10-game downturn clearly speaks for itself -- they've scored 30 total runs despite hitting 15 home runs -- the woes have been contagious, from top to bottom in the lineup.

Francisco Lindor (.230) and Pete Alonso (.205) have been ice cold, and on Monday against the Braves, the Mets' bottom half of the order went a combined 2-for-17.

The Mets have allowed their opponent to draw first blood in seven of the last 10 games, and the challenge of trailing early has influenced approaches in the batter's box.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza isn't willing to say the players are pressing, but he too has noticed the recent change in at-bat quality that's caused frustrations and yet to level.

"I don't think it's pressing, I think it's just the situations of the games during this stretch, where we've been playing from behind," Mendoza said. "We need to continue support the guys and continue to work, but it's about results, right? We continue to have all the confidence in these guys, but we've got to be better."

This past weekend against the rival Phillies showed some feast-or-famine offense, as the Mets scored 11 runs in a refreshing Saturday win that was sandwiched between Friday and Sunday losses that only produced a combined three runs.

The barrage on Saturday snapped an ugly seven-game slide, but they're now facing another three-game skid. And chances are they dip there again on Tuesday night, as the Braves are sending Spencer Strider to the mound and the Mets are relying on Frankie Montas, who looked anything but effective during his lengthy rehab assignment.

"We're relying so much on our top guys, and we have a lot of guys in the bottom of the lineup that are going through it right now," Mendoza said. "When that happens, once you get past the fourth or fifth batter, we're having a hard time creating opportunities. It's hard to score like that... We've got a few guys that are struggling."

Paul Blackburn continues to struggle since moving back into the Mets’ rotation.  

The veteran right-hander was knocked around by the Braves for the second straight outing on Monday night. 

As was the case during their meeting last week, Atlanta jumped on Blackburn early as they pushed a man into scoring position just three pitches into the game, but he was helped out by a heads-up play from Jeff McNeil. 

He wasn’t as lucky in the second, as the leadoff man reached and quickly advanced to second again, but he was able to limit the damage to just one run on a sacrifice fly thanks to a Juan Soto sliding catch. 

Ronald Acuña Jr. then led off the third with a solo shot, and after a double and two walks that loaded the bases with no outs, Blackburn settled down and was able to escape with just one more tally on the board.  

He finally put together a clean inning his next time out, but was unable to finish the fifth. 

Austin Riley crushed a triple high off the center field fence and Sean Murphy drew a two-out walk to chase him from the contest, but José Buttó entered and was able to close his line without further damage. 

Overall, Blackburn allowed three runs on six hits while walking three three over 4.2 innings of work. 

“I feel like I made some adjustments from the last time facing them,” he said. “I hung the curveball to Acuña and he hit it out, but other than that I felt like I made some pretty good pitches and really battled out there.”

Buttó and the rest of the Mets’ bullpen did a tremendous job keeping this one close behind Blackburn, but this was another game during this tough stretch where they were forced to take on a heavy workload. 

It marked the fifth straight contest the Mets’ starter was unable to finish five innings.

“Everything is magnified when you’re struggling,” Blackburn said. “Every night everyone is going out there giving their best shot -- obviously guys don’t want to go four innings, five innings. Guys would love to do what [David] Peterson’s been doing for us.

“It’s just come in, day-by-day, continue to work and sooner or later the tide is going to turn.”

You couldn’t have scripted it any better for the Mets. 

After trailing the Braves for the first seven innings on Monday night, they found themselves finally piecing together a two-out rally against struggling right-hander Raisel Iglesias in the bottom of the eighth. 

Citi Field was absolutely rocking as Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo lined back-to-back singles to bring the scorching-hot Juan Soto to the plate with the tying run just 90 feet away.

Braves manager Brian Snitker elected to go with the lefty-lefty matchup, turning to Dylan Lee. 

It was a matchup the Mets certainly liked, with Soto having two hits in his career against Lee. But the reliever got the best of him this time around, as he chased on a 3-2 slider down and out of the zone. 

“For me, I just have a plan up there and try to execute it,” Soto said after Monday's loss. “I try my best to get on base and try to get Pete [Alonso] up with the bases loaded or first and second or whatever the situation. But it didn’t happen -- he made a really good pitch and I just couldn’t come through, he got me there.” 

That ended up being the turning point, as the Mets went down quietly in the ninth and suffered their fourth consecutive loss to their division rival.

While Soto wasn’t able to come through in that spot, he did deliver earlier in the game. 

The Mets were shut down by right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach over the first 5.2 innings until the star outfielder stepped to the plate and crushed an opposite-field, two-run shot to get them on the board. 

It was Soto’s 17th of the season and his eighth this month. 

While the Mets have been struggling mightily offensively, he’s certainly found his footing, hitting .324 with 11 extra base-hits, 16 RBI, and a 1.188 OPS in June. 

“I’m trusting in what I have and what I’ve been doing since Day 1,” Soto said. “I’ve just been trusting it and now it’s finally starting to come through.”

The Yankees couldn't make the most of a few mid-inning rallies on Monday night, as they fell to the Cincinnati Reds, 6-1, in their series opener at Great American Ball Park.

Here are the takeaways...

-- The Yankees didn't waste much time drawing first blood against Reds starter Nick Lodolo. With two outs in the first inning, Aaron Judge crushed a fastball deep to left that landed in the second deck for a solo home run. The 398-foot moonshot was No. 28 on the season for Judge, who remains on pace for a second straight 58-homer campaign. He nearly connected on No. 29 in the third, but his flyout fell a couple feet shy of the wall in center.

-- With a rotation spot open due to Ryan Yarbrough's oblique injury, the Yankees called up Allan Winans from Triple-A to make his 2025 debut, and he provided mixed results. The 29-year-old right-hander worked effectively early on, facing the minimum through the first three innings on just 24 pitches. But he fell into trouble in the fourth, giving up a game-tying triple to Elly De La Cruz, an RBI sac fly to Spencer Steer, and a solo homer to Gavin Lux.

-- The Yankees had opportunities to inflict further damage on Lodolo -- who was pulled with one out in the fifth at 94 pitches -- but couldn't capitalize with traffic on the basepaths. They left six on base through five innings, going 0-for-8 with RISP. Winans returned for a fifth inning of work but didn't complete it, as another jam produced a fourth Reds run and forced him at 62 pitches with one out. Ian Hamilton was then tasked with cleaning up a bases-loaded mess, and he did just that by inducing a double-play grounder. Winans gave up those four runs on five hits and only struck out one.

-- Hamilton kept the Reds off the board in the sixth and seventh innings, registering a pair of strikeouts, but Tim Hill replaced him with one out in the latter frame and worked around a single by inducing an inning-ending double play. In the eighth, the Yankees had yet another prime chance to score following a leadoff double by Cody Bellinger -- his second of the game -- and a walk to Judge. But the threat didn't faze Reds reliever Tony Santillan, who proceeded to strike out Giancarlo Stanton and Jazz Chisholm Jr. and force Anthony Volpe into a groundout.

-- The Reds bumped their lead to 5-1 in the eighth, when De La Cruz smacked a sinker from Hill to the right-field seats for his 17th homer this season. Mark Leiter Jr. then entered in relief after the longball, and saw an inning-ending grounder plate a sixth Reds run due to an errant throw to first by Volpe. While the Yankees made Lodolo labor all night, they didn't make the Reds' bullpen sweat too much. They logged just two hits over the final 4.2 frames, striking out seven times. Overall, they fanned 13 times and went 0-for-12 with RISP.

Game MVP: Elly De La Cruz

The Reds' shortstop showcased his elite pop and speed, finishing 3-for-4 with a solo homer, game-tying triple, RBI single, and two runs scored. He's now hitting .272 this season with an .861 OPS -- currently career-high marks.

Highlights

Aaron Judge CRUSHES this one to the second deck for a solo homer! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/3W18l8Btbx

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 23, 2025

What's next

The Yankees (45-33) will play the middle game of their series on Tuesday night, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m.

Carlos Rodón (9-5, 3.10 ERA) is slated to take the mound, opposite Reds top prospect Chase Burns, making his MLB debut.

The Mets were defeated by the Atlanta Braves, 3-2, in the series opener on Monday night at Citi Field.

Here are some takeaways...

- As was the case in their meeting last week, the Braves were able to jump on Paul Blackburn, putting baserunners on in each inning against him. The righty was helped by a heads-up play from Jeff McNeil to escape without damage in the first, but a sacrifice fly brought home the first run of the game in the second.

Ronald Acuña Jr. led off the third with a solo shot to center, then a double and two walks loaded the bases with nobody out. Blackburn did a nice job of bearing down from there and was able to escape with just one more tally on the board via a sacrifice fly.

He finally put together a clean inning his next time out, but was pulled in the fifth after allowing an Austin Riley triple and a two-out walk. José Buttó entered and retired the first batter he faced to close Blackburn's line at three runs on six hits and three walks with five strikeouts over 4.2 innings.

It marked the fifth straight game the Mets received five innings or fewer from their starter.

- After they struck for four runs and two homers against him last week in Atlanta, the Mets weren't able to get much of anything going against Spencer Schwellenbach. They managed just two singles over the first five innings, but finally broke through in the sixth.

Juan Soto made the young right-hander pay for a two-out walk to Brandon Nimmo, demolishing an opposite-field, two-run homer to make it a one-run ballgame. It was Soto's 17th long ball of the season and the third of his career against Schwellenbach.

The star outfielder would step to the plate in a golden opportunity a few innings later -- Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo lined back-to-back two-out singles to push the tying run to third -- but Soto struck out on a nasty 3-2 slider out of the zone from left-hander Dylan Lee.

- Lee set down Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, and Tyrone Taylor to close this one out in the ninth.

- While it was for naught, the Mets' bullpen did a good job of keeping them in the game. Ryne Stanek let out a big roar after pitching his way out of a jam in the seventh, Reed Garrett struck out a pair in the eighth, and then Edwin Diaz worked around two hits in the ninth.

- Brett Baty has gotten off to a bit of a slow start since returning from the IL, but he put together a much-needed strong showing at the plate, picking up two of the four knocks against Schwellenbach.

- The Mets have now lost nine of their last 10 games and four straight against the Braves.

Game MVP: Dylan Lee

The southpaw set down the scorching Soto in the biggest spot of the game.

Highlights

Jeff McNeil traps Ronald Acuña Jr. in a rundown and he gets tagged out! pic.twitter.com/NbHSl3hxBV

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 23, 2025

José Buttó got some cheers from the Citi Field crowd after throwing up-and-in on Ronald Acuña Jr.

Buttó later struck Acuña out. pic.twitter.com/5VwmmKnVTt

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 24, 2025

JUAN SOTO GETS THE METS BACK IN IT WITH A TWO-RUN HOMER! pic.twitter.com/MP5N8s9Z6e

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 24, 2025

STRUCK HIM OUT!

Ryne Stanek lets out a roar as he strikes out Sean Murphy! pic.twitter.com/Q1s5jnM3Ct

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 24, 2025

Two strikeouts in a 1-2-3 inning for Reed Garrett 💪 pic.twitter.com/9u61bMx48M

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 24, 2025

What's next

The Mets and Braves continue their four-game set on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m.

Frankie Montas makes his Mets debut against Spencer Strider (2-5, 3.89 ERA) on SNY.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza provided some updates prior to Monday’s series opener against the Braves…

---

On Acuña being sent down 

The Mets made a flurry of moves ahead of Monday’s contest, the most notable of which was infielder Luisangel Acuña being sent back down to Triple-A. 

Mendoza stated that decision simply came down to the youngster's playing time. 

Acuña served a significant role for this club earlier this season, but with his production dipping off and others getting healthy, he ultimately saw his time decrease significantly. 

Prior to his demotion, Acuña logged just 18 plate appearance this month. 

“He had a good April, he was getting consistent time and helped us win a lot of games,” the skipper said. “Then it was a combination of other guys producing and he became that role guy that helped us win a lot of games with his versatility, his base-running -- he was still impacting games.

“But it got to a point now where it’s getting difficult to find him playing time, and for his development and where we’re at in the regular season, what we want to see is for him to get regular at-bats and play everyday because it’s hard for us to judge him right now.”

Welcome to Queens, Mr. Lovelady 

One of the other moves made was adding Dicky Lovelady to the active roster. 

The veteran left-hander joined the club on a major league deal earlier in the day. 

Lovelady hit the open market last week after opting out of his minor league deal with the Twins, upon finding out he wasn’t going to receive an opportunity on their big-league roster. 

While he hasn’t found much success in the majors of late, he did pitch well for Minnesota’s Triple-A affiliate, posting a 2.61 ERA and 1.06 WHIP across 19 appearances. 

Mendoza says the hope is he’ll give them a much-needed boost from the left-side. 

“I’ve seen him pitch before while with Kansas City,” he said. “He's a lefty from the low-slot with the sinker, the slider, and he’s got a sweeper too. He's very tough left-on-left -- you just add another weapon out of the bullpen there so we can mix and match.”

Lovelady's held lefties to a .239 average over the course of his big-league career.

Expectations for Montas

Frankie Montas is officially set to make his Mets debut on Tuesday night. 

The veteran right-hander has been sidelined since early in spring training due to a lat injury.

Things didn't quite go well for him during his minor league rehab assignment. He allowed eight homers and pitched to a 12.05 ERA and 2.14 WHIP over six appearances between High-A and Triple-A. 

Still, Mendoza is confident that Montas can find his form and help this team. 

“He’s someone when we signed him, we thought he’s going to be a big part of this rotation,” he said. “I remember when we faced him in the Wild Card series last year, he was pretty nasty, the way the ball was coming out and the way he was using all of his pitches.

“I’ve seen him pitch for a lot of years at this level and have a lot of success. So the expectation is for him to go out there and to compete and to give us a chance to win a baseball game each and every time he takes the ball, starting tomorrow.” 

It’s been an up-and-down season for Travis Jankowski. 

The veteran is coming off back-to-back campaigns in which he played a significant role for the Rangers. 

Still, Jankowski found himself looking for a permanent home this month.  

He signed with the Cubs this offseason, but was released before the season began. He then joined the White Sox for a brief stint before being traded to the Rays, who gave him just 17 appearances before removing him from their 40-man roster. 

Jankowski elected to hit free agency again, and quickly landed with the Mets on a minor league pact.

After spending eight games down in Triple-A Syracuse, he finally received the call he's been waiting for, back up to the big-league level prior to Monday night’s series opener against the Braves.

“It’s good to be back for a second stint,” he said. “I’m getting up there as far as age so it’s just about doing anything possible to get to the big-leagues. Being with the Mets who are a contender definitely sparked my interest, they made it really hard to say no to.”

Jankowski, of course, appeared in 43 games with the club back in 2022. 

He served as the fourth outfielder but quickly became a beloved figure by Buck Showalter, his teammates, and fans with his high-energy play throughout spring training and the early part of the season. 

Now, under a new skipper, he’s expecting to take on a similar role. 

“It’s one of those things where I’ve done everything,” he said. “I’ve played every day, I’ve come off the bench, I’ve pinch hit and pinch ran, defensive replacement -- everything but pitch. And if Carlos [Mendoza] asks me to pitch I’ll go out there and eat an inning up.

“And to the fans, thanks for everything. I’m not sure why you guys love me but I’ll take it, hopefully I can keep up the support.”

It sounds like the Mets could have Mark Vientos back in the lineup at some point this week.

According to manager Carlos Mendoza, Vientos will play two more rehab games with Triple-A Syracuse over the next couple of days, and if all goes to plan, the Mets will have a decision to make with the slugging infielder as early as Thursday.

“He’s going to play nine innings at third base (Tuesday) in Syracuse, and then they’ve got a day game the following day (Wednesday). Most likely, he’ll DH and then we’ll see where we are,” Mendoza said on Monday ahead of the series opener against the Braves at Citi Field. “But he’s feeling better, it’s just more like getting the volume up now.”

Vientos, who was placed on the IL on June 3 with a right hamstring strain, has played in four rehab games with Syracuse, going 2-for-17 at the plate with a double and three RBI.

Prior to suffering his injury, Vientos was slashing .230/.298/.380 with six home runs and 21 RBI in 53 games for the Mets.

If and when Vientos is activated on Thursday, the most likely corresponding move is Ronny Mauricio being optioned back to Triple-A ball.

Mauricio, who was tearing the cover off the ball with Syracuse prior to getting called up, has struggled to hit major league pitching, slashing .180/.241/.320 with two home runs, three RBI, and 18 strikeouts in 15 games.

On Sunday, the Mets sent catcher Francisco Alvarez to Triple-A to give him more playing time, and then did the same with Luisangel Acuña on Monday.

The Mets shared an encouraging update on Kodai Senga's hamstring injury prior to Sunday's series finale with the Phillies, and the star right-hander validated those feelings of optimism less than 24 hours later with his own progress report.

Before their home series opener with the Braves, the Mets' starter told reporters that his strained right hamstring is feeling "great," and that he would be throwing off the mound on Monday with "decent intensity" if cleared by the training staff.

Senga also said he believes a rehab assignment is "on the horizon."

"Daily conversations are very important," Senga said, via a translator. "I know everybody wants to know, 'Hey, when are you going to get off the mound, when are you going to throw a bullpen, when are you going to throw in a game?' That's kind of in the future. I want to take it day by day. Maybe some days I can push it a little bit further, while some days I need to take a step back and take it easy. Those are the conversations I'm having every day."

Senga, who landed on the 15-day injured list with a low-grade hamstring strain on June 13, wasn't instructed to completely shut down from throwing. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said as much just over a week ago, and this past weekend, he said Senga was keeping his arm fresh by playing catch.

It's still unclear when Senga will return to the mound in uniform -- the Mets initially projected to re-evaluate him in two weeks -- but it's possible his recovery timetable is ahead of schedule.

"The good thing is, he kept throwing, even right after the injury," Mendoza said Monday. "The fact he's already getting on the mound and letting the ball go with some intensity, that's a really good sign. We'll see what the next step will be. But not even two weeks, and he's already getting on the mound and playing catch with intensity. That's good."

Senga has produced a stellar 2025 campaign thus far. In 13 starts, he owns a pristine 1.47 ERA -- the league's best mark for pitchers with 70-plus innings logged -- and has struck out 70 batters while holding opposing hitters to a .195 average.

Kodai Senga says he feels "great" and that he's recovering really well from his injury

He hopes to throw off a mound soon if he is cleared by trainers pic.twitter.com/9F9G84Eqoy

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 23, 2025

The 2025 NHL Draft is coming up in just a few days and the New York Rangers still have a significant decision to make regarding their 12th overall pick. 

As part of the J.T. Miller trade with the Vancouver Canucks, the Rangers either have to give up their first-round pick this year or in 2026. 

Speculation has been rising on what route Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury may take. 

One idea that hasn’t been discussed much, but is very well a possibility is the Rangers keeping their first-round pick and using it to move up in the draft. 

“I wonder if the Rangers try to move up,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said. “That’s another one I’m kind of wondering there.”

There are rumors floating around that a couple of teams could be willing to move down and there could be a lot of action in terms of trades before and during the draft.

“I really think this one (draft) has a chance to be crazy,” Friedman said. “I think there are some teams that could really set tones… There are some teams here that could really set the draft on its ears.”

It’s unclear if the Rangers are leaning toward keeping their first-round selection or giving it away. 

If they decide to keep it, they'll have the option to either sit at their current selection and pick the best prospect on the board, trade the pick to move up in the draft, or for an already established player to help give the roster a boost. 

Flyers Trade For Trevor Zegras, Taking A Rangers Target Off Of The MarketTrevor Zegras has been traded from the Anaheim Ducks to the Philadelphia Flyers for Ryan Poehling, the 2025 45th overall pick, and a 2026 fourth-round pick. 

On the other side of things, if Drury gives it up and keeps the team’s 2026 first-round pick, the Rangers will have a security blanket if their season goes off the rails and they regress or if the Blueshirts are in playoff contention, he can use that pick at the trade deadline to acquire a win-now player. 

It’s a dilemma with pros and cons on both sides, so Drury has a very difficult yet crucial choice to make that could impact the franchise in a major way.