Category: MLB

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza spoke ahead of Friday's series opener against the Angels to give updates on certain players...

Latest on Jorge Polanco

Entering the season, Polanco was pegged as the one who would start at first base most games, but that hasn't been the case for some time and now the team is waiting for his return after he went on the IL with a right wrist contusion back in mid-April.

Mendoza offered up some positive news on Polanco as he prepares to return. 

"Going to take batting practice today," Mendoza said. "Going to take some groundballs at him. That’s a good step now that he can get on the field and start that progression."

Polanco has only appeared in 14 games this season and is slashing .179/.246/.286 with an OPS of .532 to go along with his one home run. 

In his stead, the Mets have started Mark Vientos and Brett Baty at first base, and Jared Young before he landed on the IL. 

Andy Ibáñez and AJ Minter

Mendoza was asked about Ibáñez's role on the team after the team called him up to the big league club ahead of Friday's game -- the Mets optioned Eric Wagaman in the corresponding move.

"[Going to use him] Against lefties," Mendoza said of Ibáñez. "He’s done that throughout his career. Can play third base, go to short, second base if I want to give Marcus [Semien] a day. Come off the bench against lefties. He’s going to help us."

The Mets claimed Ibáñez off waivers from the Athletics this week and the right-hander has only appeared in 11 games this season, going 2-for-17 (.118) with three RBI.

In his six-year career, Ibáñez has a career batting average of .252 and an OPS of .688 across 431 games.

As for Minter, the southpaw pitched an inning for Triple-A Syracuse on Friday night. He allowed an unearned run on one hit in an otherwise clean inning. It's Minter's third appearance in Syracuse and seventh minor league outing overall as he continues his rehab from left lat surgery.

Mendoza said it's good news that he hadn't heard anything from the trainers after Minter's night ended. Minter's next step is to pitch Sunday to test if he can pitch two out of three days and then the Mets will decide what's next from there.

Juan Soto back in the outfield

Soto is starting Friday's game in left field, the first time the slugger has played the outfield since returning from the IL on April 22. Soto has been strictly a DH and Mendoza mapped out what the initial plan for his star is on this road trip.

"We’re not going to go back-to-back in the outfield," Mendoza said. "Workload and things like that ... going to go to Colorado. So maybe a game here, DH the next two, there’s a day game on Sunday. Just day-to-day. But the fact that he’s good to go now from the throwing perspective, he’s in there and we’ll continue to manage that."

Soto went on the IL for a calf strain, but has not played the field because of forearm soreness. Mendoza said that Soto is "good to go" on that front, but the Mets are taking it easy with Soto.

One reason for that is to keep Soto's bat in the lineup. Since he's returned from the lineup, all Soto has done is mash.

He's 9-for-27 since returning to the team, but he's 7-for-14 with two home runs, two doubles and three RBI over his past four games.

"Pretty locked in," Mendoza said of Soto's at-bats. "Talking to someone, when you see him driving the baseball the other way, the way he's been doing it as of late. Keeping balls fair, left field, left center, pulling the ball, staying up the middle, taking his walks. Pretty impressive. Doesn’t matter if it’s a lefty or a righty, he’s just locked in and that's why he's one of the best hitters in the game."

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza spoke with president of baseball operations David Stearns on the morning of Friday's game at the Los Angeles Angels, he said before the 9:38 p.m. series opener in Anaheim, Calif. Mendoza was asked about a report earlier Friday from MLB.com's Anthony DiComo, who cited an interview with Stearns in which Stearns said that the Mets "don't intend to make a change" at manager.

Mendoza did not go into details of the conversation during Friday's pregame media availability but said that he "understands the situation." The Mets enter a nine-game road trip -- starting with a three-game set at the 12-20 Angels -- with an MLB-worst 10-21 record.

"We all understand the situation," Mendoza said. "It's good to have that conversation with him. But at the end of the day, we have a job and we have a responsibility. Since Day 1, since I've been in this job, I feel the support from (owner) Steven (Cohen), Alex (Cohen) and David. I love working for them. We have a really good working relationship here. But it's about the results on the field as well.

"Steve is not happy. Alex is not happy. David is not happy. I'm not happy. All of us are frustrated. Together, we've got to find a way to get these guys out of this funk. And that's what we'll continue to do. I'm pretty confident in our coaches, our players, that this will turn."

Mendoza added that he and Stearns "have conversations all the time."

"I think it was just organically and it happened today," Mendoza said.

The Mets hired Stearns and Mendoza before the 2024 season. New York went 89-73 and reached the NLCS in 2024 before going 83-79 and missing the playoffs in 2025.

"Me and my family understand what comes with this job -- from the very beginning," said Mendoza, who was the Yankees' bench coach from 2018-23. "I'm grateful for the support that I have from my family, but look -- we understand it's a business. We just got to continue to show up and I've got to do my job, and that's to get the best out of these guys."

Stearns told DiComo that the Mets "don't view this as a manager problem," and Mendoza did not point out that sentiment when asked about it in his pregame media availability.

"We are all in this together," he said. "This is not a one specific area. We lose together. We win together. And that's how we will continue to do this. But I'm not going to sit here and say, 'Well, this is the reason why.' No. We're all responsible, and it starts with me."

The Mets started 7-4. They have lost 17 of their past 20 games.

"It's a professional clubhouse, right?" Mendoza said. "A lot of guys are established in this league, and they know the situation. So, they know where we're at as a team and they know that, together, we've got to go out and do it.

"So, pressure's especially in New York. When there's high expectations and you're not playing the way you're capable of, or you're not meeting those expectations, situations like this will come up. But, again, that's a lot of superstars there in that locker room that they understand. But the messaging is the same from them as well -- we're in this together."

Manager Aaron Boone acknowledged the Yankees had been “holding our breath” on the status of Jasson Domínguez, but they can seemingly exhale. 

After Domínguez was drilled in the left elbow Wednesday and initial X-rays were inconclusive, further imaging came back clean, Boone said. 

Domínguez was not in Friday’s starting lineup but Boone hoped he would be available off the bench. 

“He was much improved [Thursday], much improved today,” Boone said before the Yankees beat the Orioles 7-2 in the first game of a three-game series in The Bronx. “He’ll go through pregame today, do all his baseball activities and see where we’re at.” 

Domínguez left the series finale in Arlington in the fourth inning in just his third game of the season after being called up to replace the sidelined Giancarlo Stanton. Domínguez, who had been performing with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, went 1-for-9 before the hit-by-pitch knocked him from the game. 

The 23-year-old was only briefly in the clubhouse before Friday’s game, grabbing a glove and running to the field to get some work without showing any issues with his elbow. 

Without Domínguez, the Yankees started their usual outfield while Paul Goldschmidt played first base and Ben Rice DH’d against lefty Cade Povich. 

Stanton (right calf strain) may be able to start hitting again this weekend, Boone said. 

But the slugger has not yet begun running, and “there’s nothing imminent there,” Boone added. 

It is possible Carlos Rodón requires just one more minor league start before returning to the majors, Boone said. 

Rodón made his second rehab start Thursday, when he threw 76 pitches with Double-A Somerset. The lefty allowed one run on five hits with no walks and eight strikeouts in 5 ¹/₃ innings. 

“I thought he looked really good,” Boone said. “It’s encouraging, certainly, what we’re seeing. Feel like he’s about ready.” 

Rodón is set to pitch with SWB on Tuesday, the same day Gerrit Cole is set to pitch for High-A Hudson Valley. 

Boone on his friend and former bench coach Carlos Mendoza, whose job as Mets manager hung in doubt before receiving a vote of confidence Friday: 

“[The Mets are] going through a tough time, but I think Mendy’s great at what he does. “As much as you can be equipped to handle everything that’s going on with them, he certainly is. I know he’ll be fine.” 

Randal Grichuk, who was designated for assignment earlier this week, elected free agency rather than accepting an outright assignment to SWB. 

Veteran infielder Paul DeJong, who posted an .877 OPS in 23 games with SWB, opted out of his minor league deal and became a free agent.

After a 4-2 homestand, the Atlanta Braves begin a nine-game road trip Friday night in Colorado at 8:40 p.m. EDT.

The Braves bring the best record in baseball (22-10) and a 6.5-game lead in the NL East into the road trip, which will conclude with series against the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Follow along as Grant Holmes kicks off the road trip and begins the series which will end Sunday with Spencer Strider’s return.

Game Notes

Preview

Lineups

After the off day, the Dodgers (20-11) start a six-game road trip Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals (18-13) at Busch Stadium.

Emmet Sheehan (2-0, 4.78 ERA, 40.3 GB%) is coming off one of the most dominant starts of his young career. It was a hard-luck loss for the Dodgers, but Sheehan struck out 10 over 6 ⅓ innings against the Cubs. 

Southpaw Matthew Liberatore (0-1, 4.75 ERA, 1.55 WHIP) takes the ball for the Cardinals. 

Lineups

Friday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Cardinals
• Ballpark: Busch Stadium
• Time: 5:15 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Just after Pete Alonso said that he found his start to the season to be “disappointing,” he let it rip in his first at-bat back in New York City on Friday night.

In the top of the second inning on a 1-1 pitch, Alonso launched a ball to 367 feet right field for a home run ito the second deck at Yankee Stadium.

As he rounded the bases, he faced a few boos from The Bronx crowd.

The run tied the game before the Yankees took a 5-1 lead in the bottom half.

It’s Alonso’s first time back in what used to be his home city since leaving Queens for a stable five-year, $155 million contract in Baltimore. 

It marks Alonso’s fifth home run in what has been a slow start to the season.

Heading into Friday, the ex-Met had 23 hits across 116 at-bats with four home runs and a .668 OPS through 31 games. 

A year ago, he had seven home runs with a 1.132 OPS in 31 games. 

“Every single day I feel dangerous in the box and every day I’m ready to do damage and compete,” Alonso added. “So, just need to keep preparing and putting myself in the best possible situation to succeed that night.”

Alonso likely hopes to build off of the first at-bat as he relishes a little homecoming.

The St. Louis Cardinals will play host to the allegedly formidable Los Angeles Dodgers, the best team money can buy. Matthew Liberatore will get the Friday night start for the Cardinals while Emmet Sheehan will start for the Dodgers. First pitch is set for 7:15pm central time at Busch Stadium.

Mariners GM Justin Hollander met with the media ahead of this week’s homestand to provide updates on injured Mariners. Obviously, the question at top of mind for most Mariners fans is what the latest is on reliever Matt Brash, who had to leave Wednesday’s game with an apparent injury to his side. Brash had an MRI which revealed inflammation in his lat, which is significantly more optimistic than the oblique injury many feared when he left the game. Hollander says there are no signs of anything serious or structurally damaged, just trace inflammation. The team has opted to put Brash on the 15-day IL, calling up lefty Josh Simpson to take Brash’s place.

Despite the disappointing injury designation, Hollander called the results of Brash’s MRI “very good news all around, probably the best news we could have possibly hoped for.”

One other note relevant to tonight’s game: despite the Royals putting a lefty on the hill, OF Rob Refsnyder is not in the starting lineup. Manager Dan Wilson said Ref is “nursing a couple of different little things” and that he’s fine, but day-to-day.

Other injury updates:

• INF Brendan Donovan (groin) – Donovan will travel to Arkansas on Monday to play with the Travelers when they start a home series this week. He’ll play Tuesday and Wednesday with Arkansas, and then if all goes well, will join the team in Chicago ahead of the series against the White Sox next Friday. Hollander said the team will look into doing some load management strategies – DH days or the occasional off-day – to help Donovan as he continues to work back from the sports hernia surgery he had last year.
• OF Victor Robles (shoulder) – Robles will head out on a rehab assignment on Sunday and the team will assess weekly how he’s doing. The soonest he would return would maybe be the start of the Houston series on this upcoming road trip, but the team will assess after he finishes his first week of rehab assignments. Hollander said the last hurdle Robles needs to clear is making the long throw home from the outfield, but overall the team is happy with how he’s progressing.
• INF Patrick Wisdom (oblique) – Wisdom will begin a short rehab assignment this weekend in Tacoma.
• RHP Carlos Vargas (lat) – Vargas has hit a “mild setback” in his rehab process, feeling some pain in his strained lat in the early stages of his ramp up back to throwing. He’ll take some time off and then will start the ramp-up progression from the beginning. Lat strains: almost as not-fun as oblique strains.
• RHP Bryce Miller (oblique) – Ending on a positive note. Miller continues to charge through the rehab process with no setbacks. His next outing will be in Everett on May 6th, narrowly missing the opportunity to see Miller in the Everett Star Wars jerseys, with a goal of 65-70 pitches and hopefully five innings, and the team will decide whether he needs another start after that or not.

Game two of the series with the Twins, where it is 12C today.

It has to be a better game than yesterday’s, right?

Ernie Clement gets his first day off of the season.

Lineups:

Go Jays Go.

If you’ve paid any attention to St. Louis Cardinals baseball for the past two decades, the announcement today was a foregone conclusion. The team has just confirmed that Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina have been elected into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame because of course they were. In addition, the veterans committee elected Bill Sherdel who had 153 wins as a Cardinals during his era from 1918 through 1929.

Earlier Friday, the Cardinals revealed they would be announcing the new Hall of Fame members during a live broadcast on Cardinals.tv. Brian Jordan, George Hendrick were also nominated alongside Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina.

That announcement was among the least surprising things ever as both Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina will be given their inevitable red jackets later this season. Brian Jordan and George Hendrick were both impactful players in their eras, but they’re simply not Albert and Yadi. When you look at their career statistics, it’s obvious why this announcement today was so obvious.

Albert Pujols

Games: 3,080 Batting average: .296 Hits: 3,384 Home runs: 703 RBIs: 2,218 Runs scored: 1,914 Doubles: 686 On-base %: .374 Slugging %: .544 OPS: .918 Stolen bases: 117

3× MVP 11× All-Star 2× World Series champion Rookie of the Year 2× Gold Glove, 6× Silver Slugger

Yadier Molina

Games: 2,224 Batting average: .277 Hits: 2,168 Home runs: 176 RBIs: 1,022 Runs scored: 817 Doubles: 408 On-base %: .327 Slugging %: .399 OPS: .726 Stolen bases: 70

10× All-Star 2× World Series champion (2006, 2011) 9× Gold Glove Award 4× Platinum Glove Award Silver Slugger (2013)

Bill Sherdel was a member of two National League pennant-winning Cardinals teams, in 1926 and 1928, winning the World Series in 1926.

Mark your calendars now for Saturday, September 12, 2026 and plan to beat the crowds into Busch Stadium as the ceremony will be held there instead of the typical Ballpark Village location. The Cardinals know the crowds will be massive, so this was the perfect decision.

The only question that remains is if Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina will enter the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2028 when they are both eligible. I’m not objective, but I think the answer to that question is almost as obvious as this one today. They are both legends that deserve to be enshrined in every hall they are eligible to enter. End of story.

According to Vince Mercogliano of The Athletic, Jed Ortmeyer is out as New York Rangers’ director of player development. 

Ortmeyer has served in this role with the Rangers since 2017, before Chris Drury became the Rangers’ president and general manager. 

During Drury’s exit interview, he vaguely answered whether or not he’s considering changes to their player development staff. 

“We are looking at every different department and areas as to what we can do better,” Drury said. 

Some of the players drafted by the Rangers under Ortmeyer who still remain on the roster today include Braden Schneider, Alexis Lafrenière, Noah Laba, and Gabe Perreault. 

Mercogliano reports that there’s no official word yet on a new director of player development, but Tanner Glass is a name to monitor if they decide to promote from within. 

Go Rays!

Entering May, believe it or not, the Yankees will be playing only their third series of the 2026 season against a divisional rival. The Baltimore Orioles roll into town fresh off a series win against the Houston Astros that felt more like a par than a birdie, given how the Houston season has trended—not to mention the beatdown Baltimore suffered in the finale of that series yesterday, allowing 11 runs in the second game of a doubleheader.

Will Warren will oppose the Orioles in the first game of this series, and the right-hander carries a very peculiar and incredibly beneficial streak into this game. In each of Warren’s last three starts, the Yankees have managed to score 10 or more runs, reserving their highest outputs for the former eighth-round pick. After a rough start to the year, it looks as though Warren turned a corner in his last two performances, both of which were quality starts with a combined 17 strikeouts.

The Yankees will face Cade Povich, whom they went up against twice last season and scored six runs in 9.2 innings. Here’s a little more on him from Jeff’s series preview:

Warren will go up against Cade Povich, the 26-year-old who is still trying to find his footing in the major leagues. His 2.19 ERA in 12.1 innings pitched is as good of a start as he could ask for, but he has only pitched in two games, with only one of them being a start. And his career against the Yankees hasn’t been stellar, with an ERA of 4.58, and the last three of his starts all finished with an ERA over 5.00.

Looking at the Yankees lineup, you’d only know they’re facing a lefty due to the spot Amed Rosario is in, but otherwise it’s about the regulars being able to show they can still perform against same-handed pitching—early in 2026, the Yankees have fared significantly better against righties.

How to watch

Location: Yankee Stadium — Bronx, NY

First pitch: 7:05 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES | MASN

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280, 98 Rock 97.9 FM, WBAL 1090 AM

Online stream: MLB.tv

For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

Where to watch: MASN/MASN+

Probable pitchers: LHP Cade Povich (1-0. 2.19 ERA, 7 K) vs. RHP Will Warren (3-0, 2.59 ERA, 37 K)

After hovering around .500 for much of the season’s first month, the Orioles travel to the Bronx looking to make a statement against the AL East leaders. Per Baltimore Sun beat reporter Jacob Calvin Meyer, the O’s have had an exactly .500 record nine times this season. If they want to make tonight the 10th time, they’ll need to best a Yankees team that is 8-2 in their last game and are a game and half up on the Rays for the best record in the AL.

Looking to get the O’s back in the win column is recently recalled left-hander Cade Povich. The southpaw has been sharp in his two previous MLB starts this season, limiting the Pirates to two runs over 5.2 innings in his season debut, before 6.2 innings of one-run ball on his 26th birthday against the Giants. In Povich’s only previous start in Yankee Stadium, he delivered a solid line of 4.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB and 5 K in a game the Orioles went on to win in extra innings.

Limiting the long ball will be the key to the Orioles’ lefty navigating this potent Yankees offense. New York is only 25th in all of baseball with .213 average against LHPs while also having the sixth-worst strikeout rate. However, when they do make contact off southpaws it tends to be loud. They lead MLB with 18 HRs off lefties, while also ranking eighth with a .420 slugging percentage. Povich’s career 1.4 HR/9 against the Bronx Bombers is on the high side, but its free passes that have often caused him the most trouble against New York. In 19.2 IP against the Yankees, Povich has issued 17 walks.

The Yankees counter Povich with a 26-year-old of their own, as right-hander Will Warren will toe the rubber first tonight in the Bronx. In four starts against the O’s last year, it was a mixed bag for Warren. He put up a worrying 4.95 ERA across 20 innings against Baltimore last year. However, the Yankees did win both of his starts in New York against the Orioles, including an 8-4 win in Warren’s final start of 2025.

The O’s went 4-9 last year against the Yankees after winning the season series in both 2023 and 2024. If Baltimore wants to return to the playoffs in 2026, they need to beat good teams like New York, and they get their first opportunity tonight in Yankee Stadium.

Orioles Lineup

1. Gunnar Henderson (L) SS
2. Taylor Ward (R) LF
3. Adley Rutschman (S) DH
4. Peter Alonso (R) 1B
5. Samuel Basallo (L) C
6. Dylan Beavers (L) RF
7. Leody Taveras (S) CF
8. Coby Mayo (R) 3B
9. Blaze Alexander (R) 2B

Yankees Lineup

1. Paul Goldschmidt (R) 1B
2. Ben Rice (L) DH
3. Aaron Judge (R) RF
4. Cody Bellinger (L) LF
5. Ahmed Rosario (R) 3B
6. Jazz Chisolm Jr. (L) 2B
7. José Caballero (R) SS
8. Austin Wells (L) C
9. Trent Grisham (L) CF

Detroit Tigers (16-16) vs. Texas Rangers (15-16)

Time/Place: 6:40 p.m., Comerica Park
SB Nation Site: Lone Star Ball
Media: Detroit Sportsnet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: RHP Jack Flaherty (0-2, 5.33 ERA) vs. LHP MacKenzie Gore (2-2, 4.35 ERA)