He is flummoxing opposing lineups with chase and strikeout rates that rank in the 85th percentile, and he's finished at least five innings in all nine outings, consistently putting the Guardians in a position to win.
While Cleveland's bullpen has an inflated ERA, the relief corps also owns the best K% in the majors and ranks second in K-BB%. This is a dominant bullpen that will help shut things down once Messick leaves.
Guardians vs Tigers Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (+105)
I fully expect Messick to get the job done against the Tigers, as he's allowed fewer than three runs in seven of his nine outings, and Comerica Park isn't a hitter-friendly locale.
That should also benefit Tigers starter Keider Montero, who owns a 3.14 ERA at home, suppressing power more effectively in Detroit than on the road (.295 SLG at home, .508 away).
Montero is a pitch-to-contact hurler, which may bite him a bit against this Guardians offense that boasts baseball's third-lowest strikeout rate, but the lack of consistent power means Cleveland won't run up the score.
Guardians vs Tigers odds
Moneyline: Guardians -167 | Tigers +138
Run line: Guardians -1.5 (+102) | Tigers +1.5 (-123)
Over/Under: Over 8 (-107) | Under 8 (-112)
Guardians vs Tigers trend
The Guardians have hit the moneyline in 28 of their last 50 road games for +12.45 units and a 23% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Guardians vs. Tigers.
How to watch Guardians vs Tigers and game info
Location
Comerica Park, Detroit, MI
Date
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
First pitch
6:40 p.m. ET
TV
Guardians.TV, DSN
Guardians starting pitcher
Parker Messick (5-1, 2.35 ERA)
Tigers starting pitcher
Keider Montero (2-3, 3.65 ERA)
Guardians vs Tigers latest injuries
Guardians vs Tigers weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
SCOTTSDALE, AZ - MARCH 2: Benny Montgomery #62 of the Colorado Rockies slides during the game against the Seattle Mariners at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on March 2, 2025 in Scottsdale, AZ. (Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | Original photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images, 3/2/2025
Hartford Yard Goats outfielder Benny Montgomery may be just 23-years-old, but he’s already entering his sixth season in the Rockies system.
Selected eighth overall in the 2021 draft out of Red Land High School in Pennsylvania, the 6’5” Montgomery hit the ground running. He made a strong first impression by hitting .340/.404/.383 in 14 games with the Arizona Complex League after being drafted and continued to rise as a prospect as he thrived in the lower levels of the farm system.
In 2022 with the Low-A Fresno Grizzlies, he hit .313.394/.502 with 20 doubles, three triples, six home runs, and 42 RBIs over 56 games. Though he did miss time on the injured list with a groin injury, he ended the season as the September 2022 California League Player of the month.
Montgomery continued his progress with a solid campaign with the High-A Spokane Indians the following year. He appeared in 109 games, hitting .251/.336/.370 with 18 doubles, 2 triples, and ten home runs in a less hitter-friendly environment. He was named an organizational minor league All-Star and earned an invitation to the 2023 Arizona Fall League. As a member of the Salt River Rafters, Montgomery dazzled by hitting .333/.436/.500 with another three home runs and was named to the “Fall Stars” Arizona Fall League All-Star team.
Assigned to the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats to start the 2024 season, it looked like Montgomery would continue his ascent as one of the Rockies’ top prospects. Through 11 games he hit .283/.313/.500 with four doubles and two home runs and was even named an Eastern League Player of the Week.
Then an event happened that would derail his young professional career. While diving for a ball in the outfield, Montgomery dislocated his left shoulder. The injury ended up doing structural damage that required surgery and would cause him to miss the rest of the season.
Montgomery returned to the Yard Goats for the 2025 season and appeared in 86 games—the second-most in his professional career—but looked like a shell of his former self. The former top prospect hit just .201/.274/.263 with eight doubles and four home runs.
Now with the 2026 minor league season underway and a pending minor league free agent at the end of the year, Montgomery is again with the Hartford Yard Goats as he tries to regain form.
“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t an uphill battle from 2024 after the injury,” Montgomery said. “That and a lot of quirky injuries happened last year. So really it’s getting the confidence back trusting my stuff to where it was. It’s been been really good, and I don’t think I’m there yet, but I think I’m really close, and I’m really happy with how it’s going.”
Montgomery made no secret of his frustrations coming back from that uphill battle and his struggles in 2025.
“It was a grind. I don’t have many positive emotions about it,” he said.
However, he has also come away from the experience with new insight and lessons learned.
“I think the silver lining is sometimes you don’t need to go through things, but when you do, you can’t control some of the things that happen and then the only thing you do is make the most out of the situation,” Montgomery explained. “And I feel like I’ve learned a lot, gotten a lot better mentally, dealing with things, dealing with failure, and now I’m out there to have fun, enjoy playing, and that’s all you can do.”
Montgomery further ruminated on his experiences and how they have changed him.
“I’m completely different, I think, than I was,” he said. “I have much more perspective. I hadn’t really ever experienced failure before 2024 or injury, or anything like that. Now I have more perspective of what it’s like to be able to play every day, to really enjoy what you’re doing. I think that’s really important. And happy to be out here.”
Not only is Montgomery grateful to be back and playing ball, but he’s grateful to be doing to with his teammates in Hartford.
“We’re all really close. We’ve got a lot of close friends here,” he said. “We like to hang off the field. We like to do stuff with each other. It’s a really close knit group of guys, and it’s a lot of really good baseball players. When you’re having a bunch of good baseball players that enjoy playing together, it makes for a pretty good team.”
As the season rolls on, Montgomery—once focused on goals like most baseball players—is choosing to take things day-by-day and game-by-game.
“I used to be a goals guy. Not anymore,” Montgomery said. “I want to go play baseball. I want to feel good, play baseball, enjoy time with my buddies, and just feel blessed to be out there doing it every day. No goals. Whatever happens, happens. I’m just here to play.”
The Albuquerque Isotopes had a bit of a rough week, particularly on the pitching side of things, as they lost a six-game series for the first time since first full week of the season. Things started off on a high note with a pair of victories, including an extra-inning walk-off win, but the Isotopes then dropped four straight to the Oklahoma City Comets (Los Angeles Dodgers), tying their season-high losing streak. Over those final four contests, Albuquerque’s pitching staff surrendered 59 runs and 69 hits, capped by the 20 runs given up on Sunday.
⬆️ Stock Up:The Sean Sullivan Show
While the pitching staff ended up having a tough week, Sean Sullivan (No. 8 PuRP) delivered the best start. Taking the pill for the second game of the series, Sullivan cruised through six innings, allowing just two runs, one earned, on five hits with three strikeouts and a walk. He attacked the zone, throwing 65-of-97 pitches for strikes and induced seven ground balls. Sullivan improved to 4-2 on the season and owns a 5.08 ERA.
⬇️ Stock Down: Learning and Growing
Slumps are a pain in the posterior for any aspiring big leaguer and Charlie Condon (No. 1 PuRP) is still working through one in Albuquerque. He had a rough series against Oklahoma City, going 4-for-22 with 10 strikeouts and four walks. Condon’s power has disappeared over the last few weeks, but he did manage a triple during the week for just his second extra-base hit at home in Albuquerque. He is now slashing .232/.369/.735 on the season.
Upcoming:
The Isotopes head back out on the road to begin a six-game series against the Las Vegas Aviators (Athletics) on Tuesday.
The Yard Goats salvaged a series split against the Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox). After winning the series opener, Hartford lost three relatively close contests in a row before bouncing back to win the final two games. The Yard Goats are now 7-3 in their last ten games and sit just 3.5 games back of New Hampshire for their division.
⬆️ Stock Up:Dandy Andy
Shortstop Andy Perez stood out at the plate against the Sea Dogs. Despite having one hitless game in the six he played, Perez still went 12-for-25 with two doubles and two stolen bases while only striking out three times. Perez leads the Yard Goats in both batting average and on-base percentage, and has the second-most stolen bases so far this season.
Denver wasn’t the only place where the weather’s taken a turn for the worse over the last week. Left-handed reliever Sam Weatherly continues to struggle at the Double-A level. In his one outing against the Sea Dogs—acting as an opener—he gave up three earned runs on two hits—including a home run—and two walks over two innings of work. His ERA for the season sits at 10.91 with a 2.298 WHIP and opposing batters hitting .391 against him.
Upcoming:
The Yard Goats are heading to New Hampshire to play the division-leading Fisher Cats (Toronto Blue Jays) in a series that could help Hartford make a leap up in the standings.
High-A: Spokane Indians (2-4, 15-24 Overall)
The Indians sit at the bottom of the Northwest League after losing their series against the Hillsboro Hops (Arizona Diamondbacks). When the Indians could get their offense going they were able to come away with a win, but in three of their four losses they were able to score just two runs.
⬆️ Stock Up:Hammer Time
Left-handed 2023 12th round pick Bryson Hammer has been operating largely in a long relief role this season, but it appears the organization has decided to take the training wheels off by having him start his last two contests. In just his second career start, Hammer was outstanding. He pitched a career-high six innings of shutout baseball, allowing just one hit and striking out eight batters. He was named Northwest League Pitcher of the Week.
⬇️ Stock Down:Singing the Belyeus
Outfielder Max Belyeu (no. 15 PuRP) is having himself a difficult first full season of professional baseball, hitting just .191/.290/.383 in 31 games—though 11 of his 22 hits have been for extra bases. Belyeu appeared in just three games against the Hops. In his first game he managed his second multi-hit game of the season, but it was also the first since April 5th and he only had just one more hit the rest of the series.
Upcoming:
The Indians will host the Vancouver Canadians (Toronto Blue Jays) this week. Make sure to say “happy birthday” to DORIS the mascot on Wednesday.
Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies (4-2, 23-16 Overall)
The Grizzlies continued their strong season with a series win over the Visalia Rawhide (Arizona Diamondbacks). They now sit tied for the best record in the California League thanks to a strong offense and solid pitching.
⬆️ Stock Up:Jack Attack
Catcher and designated hitter Jack O’Dowd was named the California League Player of the Week. He had multiple hits in three of five games, going 9-for-20 at the plate with three doubles, a triple, two home runs—including a grand slam—and seven RBIs. O’Dowd, who just turned 25, was signed out of the Pioneer League this off-season and has been enjoying a breakout campaign in Fresno. He is currently hitting .342/.385/.709 with seven home runs.
— Fresno Grizzlies (@FresnoGrizzlies) May 17, 2026
⬆️ Stock Up:Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but Roldy Brito is good.
Roldy Brito (no. 11 PuRP) continues to dominate in Fresno. In another impressive week he went 13-for-28 with two doubles, a triple, a home run, six RBIs, and two stolen bases. The breakout prospect also played both second base and center field.
Upcoming:
A road series against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Los Angeles Angels) is up next for the Grizzlies.
The ACL Rockies kicked off the week with two wins against the ACL Angels and ACL Reds, but lost their remaining three games. They are tied for the second-best record in the ACL and are currently on top of their division.
⬆️ Stock Up:Can’t Arguelles with those results
18-year-old Venezuelan outfielder Cristian Arguelles (HM PuRP) had a solid week at the plate, going 7-for-17 with two triples and a home run with three RBIs.
Perdomo leads the D-backs in walks, with Carroll a close second (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The ABS Challenge System had indirect impacts beyond the challenges.
As you know, this season the ABS challenge system arrived in the Majors. What you may or may not know is that the initial ball-strike calls had a higher accuracy this season.
Let’s focus more specifically, on the overall accuracy of umpires calling pitches just outside the strike zone.
This season, when a batter does not swing at pitches just barely outside the strike zone, it is almost three times as likely for the umpire to call it a ball.
“…Balls just off those three edges [excluded top of zone] were called strikes 37% of the time in 2025; they’re being called strikes 13.5% of the time in 2026….” Ben Clemmens, 12 May 2026
This season through 8 May, walks as a percentage of PAs increased 1.11% (from last season’s 8.41% to 9.62%). This season’s rate is the highest shown in Baseball Savant (which included the 2008 season onward).
Recently, walk rates for Diamondbacks batters changed.
In the four previous seasons, the Diamondback batters had higher walk rates than the league averages.
This season in games through 8 May, something different happened. The Diamondbacks batters had a lower walk rate than the league average (7.53% vs 9.52). Perhaps batters were being too aggressive and not taking walks.
Then, in the recent five games (9-13 May), the Diamondbacks batters dramatically turned it around. In contrast to the league average (that dropped from 9.52% to 9.08%) the Diamondbacks increased their walk rate from 7.63% to 11.89%. Very impressive!
The following table compares the walk rates of the Diamondbacks batters and the league average. Data from Baseball Savant.
Did the increased walk rate directly result in more runs? Yes. The extra four walks resulted in two extra runs. Extrapolating those five games to an entire season would be an extra 64.6 runs! The following table shows the impact. Data from Baseball Reference.
One situation that can greatly impact the game is the 3-2 count. Whether the pitch is in the strike zone is the primary driver on the batters’ swing decision. A secondary driver is whether pitches just barely outside the strike zone will be called balls (which you may remember is three times more likely than last season).
The following table shows Diamondbacks batters in 3-2 counts. Excluding foul balls, 16.7% of their swings were successful (they got a hit). More remarkable was that when they did not swing their success rate (they got a walk) was much higher (88.9% to 100%).
The walk rates for Diamondbacks pitchers changed.
In the last four seasons, the Diamondbacks pitchers made a steady improvement in their walk rates compared to league averages.
This season through 8 May, their walk rate increased by about 10% over last season, which was barely better than the league average.
In the last five games, their walk rate dropped dramatically (from 8.87% to 6.43%). I’m not sure such a large improvement is sustainable.
The following table compares the walk rates of the Diamondbacks pitchers and the league average. Data from Baseball Savant.
The Diamondbacks Rockies Series at Coors Field.
What about walks at Coors Field? Will the ease of hitting at Coors field (and pitchers’ attempts to avoid the strike zone) make the changes in walk rate more pronounced, or less pronounced?
In the first two games of the Coors series, Diamondbacks batters walked 12.0% of their PAs. Which was the same rate as 9-13 May.
In the first two games of the Coors series, Diamondbacks pitchers walked only one batter, which was an astonishing 1.5% of batters faced (PAs).
Summary.
This season, when a batter does not swing at pitches just barely outside the strike zone, it is almost three times as likely for the umpire to call it a ball.
In the recent five games (9-13 May), the Diamondbacks batters dramatically turned their walk rate around. In contrast to the league average (that dropped from 9.52% to 9.08%) the Diamondbacks increased their walk rate from 7.63% to 11.89%.
The increased walk rate directly resulted in more runs. Extrapolating those five games to an entire season would be an extra 64.6 runs!
One situation that can greatly impact the game is the 3-2 count. When Diamondbacks batters did not swing their success rate (they got a walk) was very high (88.9% to 100%).
In the last five games, Diamondbacks pitchers dramatically reduced their walk rate (from 8.87% to 6.43%).
First place is at stake in the NL West as the Dodgers meet the Padres in San Diego. Game 1 of the series saw the lead switch hands, as the Padres are now in front by a half game.
The 1-0 loss by L.A. is the only blemish on either team’s record over the last five days.
A favorable starting pitching matchup has my Dodgers vs. Padres predictions and MLB picks looking for the Dodgers to take back the top spot with a road win on Tuesday, May 19.
Who will win Dodgers vs Padres today: Dodgers moneyline (-155)
The San Diego Padres have won four straight and five of their last six, while the Los Angeles Dodgers saw a five-game win streak snapped thanks to their NL West rival. L.A. also saw a temporary halt to its offensive rebirth.
Prior to the shutout loss, the Dodgers had scored 36 runs in four games. Shohei Ohtani appears to be shaking off an early season slump. He went 2-for-3 Monday and is 8 for his last 16. They’ll try to keep it going against Griffin Canning and his 10.64 ERA.
Dodgers pitching has allowed just six runs in the last six games and they'll go with Emmet Sheehan on the mound tonight who has won his last two starts.
COVERS INTEL:Canning has allowed more than 12 hits per nine, but some of that is hard luck. He’s allowing .452 BABIP, and his FIP (predictor of true ERA) is just 4.19. He’s walking 7.4 per nine, however, which is problematic.
Dodgers vs Padres Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (-115)
There will likely be more scoring than in the 1-0 series opener, but the Dodgers have been dominant on the mound recently.
Over the last week, opponents are hitting .194 with .567 OPS against L.A. and are collectively producing at 37% below league average at the plate. The pen is well-rested with just two relievers throwing a total of 19 pitches over the last two days.
The Padres have been almost as good, allowing .208 average and .575 OPS over the last two weeks, producing opposing offense 33% below league average. The San Diego bullpen is a little more fatigued than the Dodgers’, which could be an issue if Canning struggles early.
Shawn Krest's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 13-19 -5.33 units
Over/Under bets: 18-18 -1.51 units
Dodgers vs Padres odds
Moneyline: Los Angeles -155 | San Diego +140
Run line: Los Angeles -1.5 (+100) | San Diego +1.5 (-122)
Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+104) | Under 8.5 (-127)
Dodgers vs Padres trend
The Los Angeles Dodgers have only hit the Game Total Over in 19 of their last 45 games (-9.85 Units / -20% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Dodgers vs. Padres.
How to watch Dodgers vs Padres and game info
Location
Petco Park, San Diego, CA
Date
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
First pitch
9:40 p.m. ET
TV
SNLA, Padres.TV
Dodgers starting pitcher
Emmet Sheehan (3-1, 4.54 ERA)
Padres starting pitcher
Griffin Canning (0-2, 10.64 ERA)
Dodgers vs Padres latest injuries
Dodgers vs Padres weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
May 18, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor (12) and shortstop J.P. Crawford (3) poor water on Seattle Mariners third baseman Colt Emerson (4) after defeating the Chicago White Sox at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
The Mariners haven’t been very much fun to watch this year.
Sure, the run differential is positive. The fun differential, though? Stinky. Trash. Probably sitting about where the 19-30 Houston Astros run differential is, near the bottom of the league (the sentence is clunky, but please allow me this opportunity to bully the Astros).
Most of us have probably turned off games early in disgust this year. It’s likely many of us have forgotten that the game started already, checked the score, and decided not to turn it on after all. Injuries to crucial players, underperformance and, the worst and rarest of all, expectations, have made this sub-.500 season feel awfully joyless.
Well, how many unique moments of joy can you fit into about one minute?
Colt Emerson earned his first hit. He put together some real Professional At-Bats in the last couple days. He fell behind in counts, but he fought his way back in just the way you want to: spitting on balls, fouling off some pitches he didn’t like, and swinging hard at ones that he did.
You have to do just enough, and he did that.
So, take your pick of joyful moments. You’d be well within your right to choose his family, who flew to Seattle just in time to watch Colt send one out – you can read his dad’s lips pretty well here.
You might take his easy, cool, calm confidence as he points out to the bullpen (a decidedly veteran move), betrayed only by the emphatic “let’s fucking go!” as he crossed home plate.
For me, I’ll take the trio of veterans that were waiting for Colt on the front steps of the dugout.
J.P. Crawford, the captain, heart, soul, leader and Shortstop of this era of Mariners baseball, positively bouncing at the opportunity to hand off the trident to, hopefully, the next Mariners shortstop. Colt has a little bit of J.P. in him. The obvious leadership qualities aside, J.P. ranks near the top of the league in pitches per PA, and Colt’s approach at just 20 already feels like the savvy veteran’s.
“The Mariners preach, don’t be an easy out. All the guys on the team, they’re not easy outs. So me being in the eight hole, nine hole, seeing that ahead of me, you do what you see.”
Julio, who had the most Julio grin of Julio grins splitting his face as he greeted Colt at home, lived from ages 15-21 under a microscope before his debut, desperate to prove everyone else wrong about him. Now he’s 25, has proved everyone else wrong, wrong, wrong, and wrong. Will the bat develop? Is he too lumbering to even play in the corners? Will he be a liability on the basepaths? Is there enough pop to support his bat? Wrong, wrong, wrong, and wrong.
Colt has a little bit of Julio in him. Kate talked to him this spring training after being impressed by some of the power he displayed in batting practice. He smiled and said, “Scouting reports love to lie about me.”
Randy Arozarena was the first out of the dugout, the same energetic, smiling ball of human sunshine who lit the world on fire as a rookie in 2020 when he first transformed into Playoff Randy, stealing bags, hitting dingers and roaming the outfield with impunity.
Colt has a little bit of Randy in him, too. They both fit a surprising amount of power into compact frames. Colt’s play in the field in just two games has been smooth, confident and effortless, just like Randy’s. While Colt may not have the bombastic personality as Randy, he plans to take the league by storm in the same way.
What struck me most about this moment was how selfless the joy on their faces was. This wasn’t a go-ahead home run to win the game. It was insurance. Nice to have, but not ultimately necessary. They were happy for him, as a person, and most meaningfully to Emerson, a teammate.
“Getting drafted, you look at who’s in the big leagues, you idolize those guys, and you want to be a part of that. And finally, I’m a part of it. Seeing their faces, seeing Julio, Randy, J.P. out on the front step, waiting for me. Gosh, it means a lot. It really does,” Emerson said.
In it all, not lost on many of us, was the man who watched Emerson’s drive sail right over his head and into the stands. The last Mariner whose first hit was a home run, almost five years ago to the day. The last no-doubt, sure-thing lefty hitting prospect for the Mariners. The last cold weather, hyper-competitive kid with a chip on his shoulder who was meant to be The One.
Yes, Colt Emerson has a little bit of Jarred Kelenic in him.
They both are powered by an inner core of desire to win that radiates from them like a heat haze mirage. They both have chips on their shoulders, just like Julio, and so many great players. They both have dominated every level they’ve played at, and they both hit home runs in their second professional game, at home in T-Mobile Park.
But there are some obvious differences, too, even in their similarities.
Kelenic’s essential competitiveness, at least when he was with the Mariners, was best summarized as: “I want to win.” By contrast, Colt’s feels more “I want us to win.” A difference like this is obvious to those around them, especially in a team setting that relies so much on time spent together. It’s why Colt has been embraced with such open arms by those around him – his fellow players, coaches and support staff can’t stop raving about him.
Emerson had unadulterated joy from team leaders he admired waiting for him when he got back to the dugout and Naylor and Canzone waiting for him at the plate. But Kelenic? No one greeted him at home plate. No exuberant eye contact and big smiles awaited him. He lifted his hand to the sky and jogged back to the dugout, where he got a quick high-five from Mitch Haniger, a down-low from Sam Haggerty and a muted fist-bump from a tired Kyle Seager. No love, no joy.
Kelenic stewed, seethed, and raged when things didn’t go away, until he finally got a big hit and he could release, for just a moment, some of that anger and anxiety. But it would always come back, an ember of ire that was too strong to be doused. It defined him and his tenure in Seattle. You can hear it in his post-game interview from May 14, 2021, his first big-league hit.
“I want to bury our opponents, each and every night,” Kelenic said at the time. “And what really bugs me is when I give away at-bats, or if I don’t execute on what I’m trying to do, just because, like what I just said, I want to win.”
Emerson’s postgame conversation about his competitive drive and approach is different – lessons that Kelenic likely wishes he had learned earlier already engrained.
“Being a competitor means putting the ball in play when you need to put the ball in play, and if you’re up there super tight and trying to do too much, you’re not going to put the ball in play. So the only logical thing is to take a deep breath, and loosen up and go do it.”
This young, these mentalities are not ones that are fully developed and self-taught through experience. They’re what you are taught as you’ve grown up. You absorb how you view and interact with the world around you from those who you love and trust. Emerson had a true village, and 17 people flying in from Ohio to watch him is a testament to how loved he’s been.
“You can’t talk about Colt without talking about all the guys and all the people that have poured into him, all the people that taught him to play,” Dan Wilson said. “He’s a special kid. There’s something special inside of him as a player, but there’s also people who have really prepared him for this moment and those people deserve a lot of credit, because what we’ve seen from him so far has been really, really special.”
Kelenic had his parents, brother and girlfriend there to see his home run. I wonder what lessons he was taught growing up about competitiveness, performance and how it relates to your sense of self-worth.
It’s natural for humans to linger on what things could have, would have, should have been different. How things might have turned out with a laundry list of “if only’s”. Prospects, especially ones that are asked to bear the hope of a cursed franchise, find themselves doubly burdened by this weight, externally and internally. For the player, for a fandom, for everyone in so many aspects of our lives, letting things go and living in the present isn’t easy.
Kelenic, at least, seems to have finally found some inner peace – Ryan Divish published a great piece about his mental journey, and wrote about how much lighter he seems upon his return to Seattle.
This home run feels like a true clean break: the end of that chapter, and the start of a new one.
It’s time to let go of the disappointing, “what-if?” past, and live in the now.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 30: Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves smiles at second base in the seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers at Truist Park on April 30, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/IOS/Getty Images) | Getty Images
I don’t know about y’all, but the vibes are… not quite dire, but close to it. It’s just year after year of an IL spot barely getting cold after an activation before someone expeditiously takes its place. The baseball gods have seemingly decreed that the Braves will never be allowed to be 100% healthy.
Don’t know what I’m referring to specifically? I envy you, and am sorry to be the messenger.
The good news came yesterday with the activation of Ronald Acuña Jr. He was available off the bench for the series opener, but he returns to the lineup and his leadoff spot as the designated hitter. (José Azócar will play right field and bat seventh.)
Another spot of news that will cause some rejoicing: Aaron Bummer was released after his contributions to yesterday’s disasterclass.
The very bad news: Drake Baldwin’s oblique strain. As a result, Chadwick Tromp was recalled from Triple-A. More on the other moves (Bummer, Dylan Dodd, JR Ritchie, Víctor Mederos) here.
It’s big next-man-up hours, and we need it from everybody. We’re hoping the turnarounds we’ve started to see from Mike Yastrzemski and Austin Riley are legit. It’s getting hot and humid here in Atlanta, which has historically been helpful. But before they can return to Cobb County and take advantage of those conditions, there are three more games to play in Miami.
One thing at a time – the Braves must not let Braxton Garrett get right. As we mentioned in the preview, his return to the majors did not go amazingly (1.1 innings, 5 ER). The cleanup man Ozzie Albies is 4-for-5 with an OPS of 2.033 against him. Concerningly, our big boppers with the most ABs against him haven’t solved him yet: Matt Olson and Austin Riley have 10 and 8 ABs against Garrett, respectively, with no hits (although Riley has walked thrice).
The lineup for the Marlins looks a little different to counter a left-handed pitcher. Xavier Edwards and Connor Norby are in the same spots as yesterday, but new faces Heriberto Hernández, Christopher Morel, Esteury Ruiz, and Leo Jiménez will all get the start today. Morel and Ruiz have a hit apiece off Pérez.
NEW YORK - 1956: Thirdbaseman Gil McDougald #12 of the New York Yankees takes a practice swing prior to stepping into the batter's box during a game in 1956 at Yankee Stadium in New York, New York. (Photo by: Diamond Images/Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Yankees dynasties are usually remembered through their biggest stars. In the 1950s New York featured the likes of Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, and Joe DiMaggio. Lost underneath all those legends, however, are the players who quietly held everything together year after year, like Gilbert “Gil” McDougald.
The 1951 Rookie of the Year winner, six-time All-Star, and five-time World Series champion, McDougald spent his entire Major League career in pinstripes. He was versatile, dependable, universally respected, and seemingly always in the middle of winning baseball. In many ways, McDougald feels like the Bernie Williams of his generation. He may not have become the face of the dynasty, but he was an essential part of it.
Gilbert James McDougald Born: May 19, 1928 (San Francisco, CA) Died: November 28, 2010 (Monmouth County, NJ) Yankees Tenure: 1951-1960
McDougald’s path to the Bronx began down by the bay in California. After graduation from Commerce High School, McDougald attended City College of San Francisco and the University of San Francisco. While in school he played semipro baseball with a local Boston Braves feeder team called the Bayside Braves.
Many scouts immediately wrote McDougald off due to his unorthodox batting stance. To better hit breaking pitches, McDougald splayed his legs open to the pitcher and let his bat stay down by his waist. However, Yankee scout Joe Devine was not deterred from the batting stance and took note of McDougald’s instincts and spirit as a player.
Devine signed McDougald to a $200-per-month contract with a $1,000 bonus in the spring of 1948. The move would pay off for both as McDougald would play the 1948 season for the Twin Falls Cowboys of the Class C Pioneer League. After a stellar season he was promoted to the Victoria Athletics of the Class B Western International League. In his first two professional seasons McDougald was selected as an All-Star at second base.
The 1950 season would see McDougald jump to the Double-A level with the Texas League’s Beaumont Roughnecks. Rogers Hornsby, the Hall of Fame second baseman, was the manager of the club and really took a liking to McDougald. Under Hornsby’s guidance McDougald made yet another All-Star team and was even named league MVP for the season.
The Yankees at the time were coming off back-to-back championships and had their infield returning for another season. It would appear that McDougald would not have a spot on the roster. However, as the Korean War started the Yankees decided to bring McDougald to spring training in case the club lost the services of second baseman Jerry Coleman or third baseman Bobby Brown to the military.
Like all his managers before, Casey Stengel took a real liking to McDougald. Stengel played McDougald at both second base and third base that spring. Liking what he saw from the young player at both positions Stengel decided to bring the almost 23-year-old north.
McDougald played little at the start of the season. However, Stengel, now smitten with the young rookie, gave him a shot to play in late April. McDougald would make the most of the opportunity and earn a role on the team platooning at third base with the lefty Brown and filled in for Coleman who would be injured on and off over the season.
McDougald would play 131 games in his rookie season hitting .306 with 14 home runs and 63 RBI. He placed among the American League top ten in batting, on-base percentage, slugging, OPS, and stolen bases. His strong rookie campaign earned him the American League Rookie of the Year Award and helped the Yankees win the 1951 World Series championship besting the New York Giants in six games.
The 1952 season cemented McDougald as one of the Yankees’ most important players. He earned his first All-Star selection while primarily playing third base and once again helped New York win the World Series this time topping the Brooklyn Dodgers in seven games.
The Yankees and McDougald kept rolling in 1953. McDougald, playing third base would set his career high in RBIs that season and the Yankees would defeat Brooklyn again in six games to win yet another World Series.
Before the 1954 season the Yankees moved McDougald to his original primary position of second base to accommodate Andy Carey. The move led to a 103-win season, but the Yankees would not take the pennant as the Cleveland Indians would post a 111-win season to end the Yankees’ run and mark the first time McDougald would not play in a World Series to finish off a season.
The Yankees would retake the pennant in 1955. However, the Yankees would fall to the Brooklyn Dodgers in the World Series. The 1955 season also saw McDougald suffer a freak injury. During batting practice before a game in August, he was struck in the head by a Bob Cerv line drive. Diagnosed with a mild concussion, McDougald returned to game action within days. Unknown to all though, there was a small skull fracture and damage to the left inner ear. Over time, McDougald would suffer a loss of hearing in that ear, but it would not affect his playing career.
McDougald would again change positions in 1956. This time he would replace an aging Phil Rizzuto as the Yankees shortstop. McDougald’s mindset was simple, “I will play anywhere as long as I get to play.”
Much like his unorthodox batting stance McDougald was ungraceful to watch as a fielder, but very effective. He was able to use his knowledge of the game and strong all-around ability to fill the position. McDougald would earn another All-Star selection in 1956 this time as a shortstop.
The Yankees breezed to yet another AL pennant and beat Brooklyn in seven games to win another World Series. McDougald provided one of the fielding gems that preserved Don Larsen’s perfect game, snaring a hot shot deflected by Andy Carey deep in the hole and throwing out Jackie Robinson at first. After the season ended the Better Sports Club of Arlington, Virginia, honored McDougald as Baseball Sportsman of the Year for his off-the-field work with civic and charitable organizations.
While McDougald’s career was filled with winning, one moment forever changed the way he viewed baseball. On August 16, 1957, McDougald lined a pitch directly into the face of Cleveland pitcher Herb Score. The terrifying injury damaged Score’s eye and permanently altered the trajectory of one of baseball’s brightest young pitchers.
McDougald was devastated by the incident and reportedly blamed himself for years afterward despite understanding it was an accident. The moment deeply affected him personally and emotionally, showing the kind of compassion and humanity teammates and opponents consistently praised throughout his life. Many said McDougald continued playing hard after the incident, but some of the boyhood joy he once carried for the game never fully returned.
That story also feels especially relevant today watching Cam Schlittler deal with the frightening number of comeback shots hit back at him already this season and watching Spencer Jones break Clay Holmes leg. Modern pitchers continue throwing harder than ever while hitters produce increasingly violent contact. Every sharply hit comebacker serves as a reminder of how dangerous a baseball can become in an instant.
The 1957 Yankees claimed yet another pennant, but New York was an upset loser to the Milwaukee Braves in a seven-game World Series. Over the course of the 1957 season Tony Kubek would start to earn some playing time at shortstop. Kubek’s emergence would shift McDougald back to primarily second base for the 1958 season.
Accolades kept coming for McDougald in 1958 as he was voted “most popular Yankee” by the CYO of the Archdiocese of New York. McDougald was starting to see his stats decline but was still good enough to earn another All-Star nod and was also the recipient of the Lou Gehrig Award, the first Yankees player ever to receive the honor. The Yankees would go on to avenge the 1957 World Series loss and take down the Brewers in seven games, McDougald going yard in the 10th inning of Game 6 to force a seventh game.
When the 1959 season rolled around the Yankees decided to roll with Kubek at shortstop and Bobby Richardson at second base. This move pushed McDougald back to third base as his primary spot in the lineup. McDougald made yet another All-Star team that season, but the Yankees had yet another newcomer threatening to take playing time in Clete Boyer.
Seeing the writing on the wall McDougald informed the Yankees that the 1960 season might be his last. The famous 1960 season of Mantle and Roger Maris would be the last season for McDougald. The Yankees fell in the World Series at the end of that season in seven games to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Following the season and with Major League Baseball set to host an expansion draft McDougald informed the Yankees and the public that he would be retiring. New York general manager Roy Hamey was unhappy and stated that McDougald would not be replaced on the list of Yankee expendables, for fear of setting “a bad precedent, giving other veteran players the idea that they could threaten to quit rather than be sent to one of the fledgling franchises.” However, pretty much everyone else saw the move for what it was, a man of high character informing everyone he had no intention of uprooting his family.
In his ten years in pinstripes McDougald played in 1,336 games, got 1,291 hits, and had a final slash line of .276/.356/.410 good for an OPS of .766. Additionally, he was a six-time All-Star at three different positions and won five World Series. McDougald appeared in 596 games at second base, 512 at third base, and 284 at shortstop. McDougald was one of baseball’s ultimate utility infielders before the term was really invented.
Even after his playing days ended, McDougald remained beloved throughout the baseball world. He later worked as a coach for Fordham University and continued impacting younger generations of players through local youth sports. That was until the 1980s when McDougald almost completely withdrew from normal life due to hearing loss.
In 1994 McDougald was featured in a report by the New York Times covering the struggle of his hearing loss. His Yankees connection would come in handy as Dr. Noel Cohen, chief of otolaryngology at New York University Medical Center, would perform a cochlear implant. The surgery restored McDougald’s hearing and he went on to champion the treatment for children and others suffering from hearing loss.
Former teammates consistently described him as humble, intelligent, and selfless, traits that helped make him one of the most respected players of his era. McDougald will never be the first Yankee fans remember from that era, but he remains one of the most important. Dynasties are held together not just by superstars, but by the dependable players every superstar needs beside them. The glue guys who simply want to play ball.
Happy birthday Gil!
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 20, 2026: Mike Sirota #08 of the Los Angeles Dodgers bats during the sixth inning of a spring training game against the San Diego Padres at Camelback Ranch on March 20, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
The Tulsa Drillers outfield now has three top-100 prospects, with the Dodgers promoting Mike Sirota to Double-A after he romped through the Midwest League with High-A Great Lakes.
Sirota hit .325/.478/.602 with seven home runs, 11 doubles, and a triple, with 37 runs scored, 22 RBI, and eight steals in 35 games for the Loons. His 177 wRC+ ranks fourth among all minor leaguers with at least 150 plate appearances, and he won Midwest League player of the week for the week of April 27-May 3.
Acquired by the Dodgers from the Reds in the Gavin Lux trade in January 2024, Sirota reached base in his final 30 games for Great Lakes, the longest streak by a Loons player since Miguel Vargas in 2021.
— Great Lakes Loons (@greatlakesloons) May 1, 2026
Sirota in the offseason was ranked in five top-100 prospect lists. Among the various Dodgers highly-ranked outfield prospects — including his new teammates Josue De Paula and Zyhir Hope in Tulsa — Sirota is the oldest at age 23, but his rise last year was hampered by a knee injury that ended his season in July. Between 2025 and 2026, Sirota played a total of 70 games in High-A, and hit .321/.468/.579 with 19 doubles, 13 home runs, two triples, and 12 steals.
On May 1, Kiley McDaniel at ESPN updated his team top-10 prospects and had Sirota fifth in the system, noting “Sirota is still in A-ball for some reason.”
Feb 19, 2026; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets outfielder Nick Morabito (70) poses for a photo during media day at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
In what appears to be a corresponding move for designating Austin Slater for assignment, the Mets are reportedly calling up outfield prospect Nick Morabito. Morabito marks the third Mets’ outfield prospect to be called up since the start of the season, and the third to have limited time at the Triple-A level.
Morabito, who ranked #15 on the Amazin’ Avenue 2026 Prospect List, is a 23-year old outfielder who the Mets drafted in the second round of the 2022 draft. At the time, the Mets going over slot to draft Morabito seemed like a strange move, but he’s turned himself into a legitimate prospect after a somewhat mixed high school career.
Speed is Morabito’s best tool, and his ability to leg out ground balls has kept his minor league batting average and BABIP inflated. A true plus runner, he has posted 90th percentile outcomes in various speed-quantifying metrics since being drafted. He is pesky on the base paths, taking extra bases when possible, and has begun to come along as a base stealer, not just posting high volumes but better success-to-failure ratios as well.
A shortstop in high school, Morabito was drafted as an outfielder and has not played anywhere in the infield save a handful of games where he manned second base in 2023. While he has some experience in left and right fields, the overwhelming majority of his time in the outfield has come in center, where his plus speed is a major boon.
In 41 games at Triple-A, Morabito has hit .253/.364/.390 with seven extra base hits and 14 stolen bases. Morabito had a very good showing in the Arizona Fall League last autumn and had one plate appearance for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic.
With the number of injuries the Mets are currently contending with, it might make sense for Juan Soto to be relegated mostly to designated hitter and letting the three outfield prospects (Morabito, A.J. Ewing, and Carson Benge) man the outfield for the time being. Things may change if and when players like Luis Robert Jr. and Jorge Polanco come back and shake up the roster, but for now, we are getting a serious youth movement in Queens, especially with Zach Thorton joining the club tomorrow.
DENVER — Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager was placed on the 10-day injured list because of lower back inflammation, the team announced.
Seager, 32, did not play in a three-game series against Houston and his placement on the IL is retroactive to Friday. The two-time World Series MVP was mired in an 0-for-27 slump that included 11 strikeouts before the injury.
Seager — in the fifth season of a 10-year, $325 million deal — is batting .179 with seven homers, 20 RBIs and a team-high 22 runs over 42 games this season.
The Rangers promoted utility player Michael Helman from Triple-A to take Seager’s place on the roster. Helman, 29, is playing in the big leagues for the first time this season after hitting .232 with five homers and 20 RBIs for the Rangers last season.
Seager is eligible to return to the active roster when the Rangers begin a seven-game homestand.
ATLANTA, GA - MAY 15: Drake Baldwin #30 of the Atlanta Braves runs after hitting a solo home run in the first inning during the game against the Boston Red Sox at Truist Park on May 15, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jack Casey/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Despite the wonderful start that the Braves are off to here in 2026, the one lingering nuisance from the past two seasons has been the team’s absolutely horrible run of luck when it comes to injuries. The injury bug has now apparently come for Drake Baldwin, who will be heading to the 10-day IL with a strained right oblique muscle that he apparently sustained during Monday night’s debacle against the Marlins.
The #Braves today selected C Chadwick Tromp to the major league roster and placed C Drake Baldwin on the 10-day injured list with a strained right oblique muscle. Atlanta also returned LHP Dylan Dodd from his rehabilitation assignment and reinstated him from the injured list…
This is just one day after Ronald Acuña Jr. was activated from the IL after he strained his hamstring and this isn’t even the first time that we’ve seen one Braves player get activated either shortly before or after another one lands on the IL. It’s just one of those things that kind of elicits an “Are you kidding me” type of reaction every time it happens at this point.
Anyways, Baldwin will be heading to the IL with a .303/.389/.543 slash line with a .407 wOBA, 160 wRC+ and 13 home runs. He is going to be sorely missed for however long he’ll be gone and considering it’s an oblique injury, there’s no telling how long he’s going to be gone and how long it’ll take him to get back to full strength.
For now, the Braves will have to deal with an injury crisis at a position that seemed to be very well fortified at the end of last season. Sean Murphy has a fractured finger and likely won’t be back any time soon and now the Braves will be missing arguably the best-hitting catcher in the game for a very nebulous period of time. Frustration continues to abound when it comes to this team staying healthy.
Fortunately, the Braves are getting a player back from the IL, as Dylan Dodd will be returning to the fold after a rehab assignment. This is also apparently the end of the road for Aaron Bummer’s time with the Braves, as the corresponding move in activating Dodd was releasing Bummer.
Bummer has always been a controversial figure around here due to the fact that his steady numbers were seemingly outweighed by the fact that he had a knack for giving up hits at the most untimely moments. In 2026, however, Bummer just got hit left and right and ended up with a 7.63 ERA (187 ERA-) and an 8.65 FIP (216 FIP-) over just 15.1 innings of work — good for -0.8 fWAR on the season so far. Things were clearly trending in the wrong direction and Bummer will be leaving the team on a sour note after the Marlins absolutely tore him to pieces on Monday night.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - APRIL 17: Manager Skip Schumaker #55 of the Texas Rangers looks on against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at T-Mobile Park on April 17, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Rangers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Rangers Reacts returns this week, and we want to know, how have the 2026 Texas Rangers fared, compared to your expectations coming into the season?
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MAY 17: Colt Emerson #4 of the Seattle Mariners sits in the dug out before his MLB debut against the San Diego Padres at T-Mobile Park on May 17, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jack Compton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Now nearly two months into the minor league season, the Mariners have had plenty of young farmhands show off their immense talent across the minor leagues. With midseason reranks rapidly approaching, let’s check in on Lookout Landing’s top ten preseason prospects.
SS Colt Emerson – MLB – .255/.347/.469, 10.1% BB%, 27.2% K% in AAA
Colt will soon be graduating from these ranks and is currently manning the hot corner for the big league ballclub, but the 20 year old shortstop had really started to get things going in Tacoma after a tough start to the year. He’s displaying more pop, commanding the zone at a rate more in line to his career averages, and his stellar defense remained throughout despite his woes at the plate. It’s a fair critique to question if his whiff “problems” should have kept him down in the minors a hair longer, but with that decision already made, it will be trial by fire for Colt as he looks to establish his permanent foothold in the major leagues.
LHP Kade Anderson – AA – 34 IP, 1.85 ERA, 51K, 5BB
It’s tough to poke holes in Kade Anderson’s professional career thus far. He had his first clunker last week and got hit around quite a bit, but his numbers remain pristine due to his utter dominance prior. Still just 21 years old, Anderson’s polish is unmatched across minor league baseball and has already pushed him into a near-consensus top ten prospect in all of baseball. He’ll be ready to roll in the big leagues by the start of next season at the latest.
Kade Anderson awesome again. Final line: 5.2IP, 2H, 1R, BB, 9K, 22 whiffs, 75 pitches, 49 strikes.
RHP Ryan Sloan – AA – 27.1 IP, 4.94 ERA, 32K, 10BB
Sloan got off to a rough start at Double-A, losing feel for his arsenal and leaving pitches out where they could get damaged more often than usual. He’s since turned things around and cut his ERA by multiple runs, looking far closer to the version of Sloan we’ve grown accustomed to seeing over the past year and change. Sloan was aggressively sent to Double-A Arkansas as a 20 year old, and despite his numbers looking worse than they did last season, he’s looked like he belongs. Far from flawless, but encouraging nonetheless.
A second straight very good start for Ryan Sloan. Not a lot of hard contact off him today. Final line: 4.2IP, 5H, 0R, BB, 6K, 14 whiffs, 72-47.
2B/LF Michael Arroyo – AA – .254/.325/.401, 7.5% BB%, 21.9% K%
Arroyo’s numbers haven’t been up to the caliber we’ve come to expect from Arroyo, and interestingly enough, he’s been a rare exception to the usual “Dickey Stephens Park Rule”. Posting significantly better numbers in the “pitcher’s paradise” of DSP than away, Arroyo’s had a weird year thus far and feels like the product of some small sample size nonsense. He’s walking much less than usual, but his strikeouts are right in line with his career norms and the slug has only ticked down just a hair. If he’s able to get his walk rate back to where he usually sits, he’ll be a menace atop this lineup in no time.
Farmelo has had one of the more difficult seasons to pin down so far. With a walk rate north of 16%, Farmelo’s OBP is in a fantastic spot right now, pairing incredibly well with his game-breaking speed on the basepaths. That said, he’s struggled with bat-to-ball, marking a second straight season we’ve seen him with elevated whiff rates. His swing is unorthodox and can get stiff at times, and there is legitimate reason to be concerned about his contact rates moving forward, but we’re still early enough in the season where it’s hard to truly panic about a player posting more than reasonable numbers on the whole. He’s producing, but we’re still in wait-and-see mode for the time being.
RF Lazaro Montes – AA – .243/.362/.529, 14.7% BB%, 30.7% K%
One of the most impressive bats to start the season, Lazaro Montes has been locked in at the plate since returning to the Travs lineup in 2026. Having a solid if unspectacular year offensively at Double-A last season, Montes has left little doubt he’s figured out Texas League pitching, slugging his way to an OPS just south of .900. Better still, when removed from the confines of DSP, Montes’ line improves drastically, raising his season OPS over the 1.100 marker with an unbelievable amount of power. The whiff is still very much present, but with the level of slug he’s able to get to in-game, it truly has not mattered. He’s got a big up arrow next to his name.
C Luke Stevenson – A+ – .265/.447/.449, 24.2% BB%, 26.5% K%
Yet another bat that’s impressed this season, Luke Stevenson has picked up right where he left off in his brief stint of pro ball last season. Currently walking at a gaudy 24.2% clip, Stevenson has been an on-base machine early in his career and owns a career OBP over .450 through ~250 PA’s. His K rate has risen this season after a recent “slump”, but his outstanding eye and impeccable defense gives him an exceptionally high floor for someone with evident bat-to-ball issues. Tapping into more power is the next step for Stevenson; he’s shown he can lay off balls and poses a constant threat to reach base, but damaging mistakes more consistently will take him from an already elite hitter to a truly special offensive threat.
The biggest riser of the season so far, Felnin Celesten has revitalized his prospect stock after a disappointing 2025 season and looks like a blue chip prospect right now. On a torrid month-long streak offensively, Celesten is clobbering the ball all over the field and has brought an advanced approach to the plate, walking nearly as often as he’s striking out. With smooth defense on the diamond and some speed on the basepaths, Celesten should be a lock to stick at shortstop and could easily move to any infield spot should he need to. He’ll be ranked significantly higher in midseason prospect reranks.
SS Nick Becker – ACL – .265/.468/.353, 27.1% BB%, 35.4% K%
ACL statlines are weird. Becker is striking out a ton, but he’s getting on base nearly half the time and also has 10 stolen bases through eleven games. Becker was drafted for his raw tools and was always likely to be a slower mover through the system, but the whiff is certainly something to monitor as the sample size grows. Statline scouting in the ACL is immensely difficult due to the varied nature of the talent at the level, but with solid numbers through his first handful of games, Becker remains an exciting player that’s still several years away from debuting.
NOTE: #10 prospect Griffin Hugus is dealing with a major arm injury and has not pitched yet. It sounds as though he’ll make his debut in 2027.
DETROIT, MI - MAY 4: Roman Anthony #19 of the Boston Red Sox during an at-bat against the Detroit Tigers in the first inning at Comerica Park on May 4, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
This is going to be something we’ll be keeping an eye on all season, isn’t it? Yesterday, fourteen days after suffering what was hoped to be a minor wrist injury back on May 4, Roman Anthony once again swung a bat. It did not go well, and Anthony’s progression is going to be slowed down. “Obviously, you’re not going to have him swing through soreness and discomfort, so not as good news today,” said Chad Tracy. “But we’ll back off and see what happens after the off day with a few more days of rest.” A young phenom stymied by a wrist injury? If you lived through the Nomar Garciaparra era, you probably don’t want to see a sequel. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
As somnambulant as the Red Sox lineup has been, they can’t afford to lose Anthony for the long-term. As it is, the team’s underperformance is starting to weigh on a lot of the players, like Caleb Durbin. “It’s tougher honestly away from the field and pre-work. It’s all I think about. This is our life. For me, like I know what I’m capable of. And like coming into the year, I had really high expectations. Obviously as a team we did and still a lot of ball left, but obviously the games we’ve played up to this point matter a lot, too. Every game matters.” (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
There’s been a lot of fan debate about whether Durbin should be sent down to AAA while he tries to fight through his struggles. The team hasn’t spoken much about that, but he is going to get less playing time while Nick Sogard is up. “I don’t think it means it’s a permanent Sogie’s taking over at third,” Chad Tracy said. “I think you’ll still see Durbin. I just think that on given days, if we see a matchup we like and Sogie’s part of it, we’ll use him. But we’re searching for runs, trying to get runs.” (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
So the Caleb Durbin deal doesn’t look so hot right now. But Craig Breslow did nail two other offseason trades. As of now, the trades for Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray look like absolute steals. (Rob Bradford, WEEI)
And let’s give thanks for the trades not made, like any trade that would’ve sent Payton Tolle elsewhere. The Sox’s “cartoon character” is showing that he’s becoming a complete pitcher. (Ian Browne, MLB.com)
But a few nice offseason trades aren’t enough to shield Craig Breslow from the slings and arrows as this Red Sox team continues to flounder. And they’re not just coming from the fans, Jason Varitek’s wife is getting in on the action:
They have the “smartest man in baseball” running the show… they’ll be OK without Jason, that’s what they wanted. It’s what’s best for the team.🤗 https://t.co/NF5t06TaZx
— Catherine Varitek (@CatherinVaritek) May 18, 2026
When Jacob Reimer is on, he checks off a lot of offensive boxes: he hits for a solid average, walks a lot, keeps strikeouts to a minimum, and showcases a solid amount of power. When he is off, as he was for virtually all of April, he is a very diminished player. In 20 games in April, he hit .186/.329/.314.
I’m not sure what the correct term would be for it, but I am beginning to think that Reimer is a player who needs to always be optimized in order to be effective. When his upper body and lower body get out of sync, he has trouble with breaking balls and pitches thrown inside. When he is unable to effectively lift the ball, he is grounding into more than his fair share of groundballs. When he is unable to pull the ball, he is hitting for less power than you’d want a corner infielder to be hitting for. When he isn’t feeling confident, he is more passive at the plate.
If Reimer had standout secondary tools, like exceptional speed or sterling defense, it would be easy to look past the occasional prolonged offensive doldrums, because his floor would be higher. But because his speed is minimal and his defensive abilities are negligible, there is more pressure on his bat to come through. Thanks to his strong eye, even when he is struggling offensively at the plate, he isn’t necessarily a black hole and will still draw walks, but when Reimer’s hit tool starts struggling, he really isn’t going to be actively contributing.
Here’s hoping Steve Cohen starts financially supporting my plan to fuse Jacob Reimer and Ryan Clifford into Ryan Reimer sooner rather than later.
Zach Thornton
Week: 1 G (1 GS), 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K (Triple-A)
Calling it a magical season might be a bit hyperbolic, but Zach Thornton had a 2025 that really put him on the map as a player- and got him out of the shadow of the former Pirates/Mets reliever Zach Thornton on the search engine hits. Making 14 starts for the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones and the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies, the southpaw posted a combined 1.98 ERA in 72.2 innings, allowing 48 hits, walking 11, and striking out 78. Along with Jonah Tong and Jack Wenninger, he formed a fearsome threesome of pitchers that batters had to navigate past, a dangerous hydra that few hitters were capable of dealing with. Unfortunately for Thornton, an oblique injury in early July ended his season prematurely and suddenly- and just to highlight how strong the pitching was in the system that year, Jonathan Santucci and R.J. Gordon were promoted to Binghamton at roughly the same time, and the Rumble Ponies didn’t even feel the loss of the injury to the left-hander. When all was said and done, we ranked the left-hander the Mets’ 14 prospect coming into the 2026 season.
Thornton returned to the mound with Binghamton in early April, and while he did not pitch poorly at any point, he looked less crisp and more hittable as compared to 2025. In 25.0 innings over 5 starts, the southpaw posted a 3.60 ERA, allowing 10 earned runs, with 24 hits, 9 walks, and 27 strikeouts. Promoted to Triple-A Syracuse after almost exactly a month, Thornton has actually looked a bit better. Through a pair of starts now, the left-hander has allowed three runs over 12.0 innings, scattering 8 hits, walking 3, and striking out 13.
Thornton relies on a five-pitch mix, working with a four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, changeup, slider, and curveball. In his last start, he threw 33 sliders (41%), 20 two-seam fastballs (25%), 16 curveballs (20%), 7 four-seam fastballs (9%), and 5 changeups(6%); in his other Triple-A start, he threw 28 sliders (33%), 21 two-seam fastballs (25%), 16 curveballs (19%), 16 four-seam fastballs (19%), and 3 changeups (4%). This tracks with past data from the 2025 season, where he used his slider and his fastball almost as much as each other.
Thornton’s four-seam fastball has roughly average velocity for a left-hander, averaging 91 MPH and holding it throughout the ballgame. What stood out to me, looking at the data from his past two ballgames, is that he is getting more induced vertical break on the pitch now as compared to ever before. In his two starts with Syracuse, the pitch averaged 19 inches of IVB, an elite number; in the past, the highest IVB the left-hander had ever recorded was 16 inches, an above-average number to be sure but not elite like 19 is. While this is just a theory, the Triple-A ball may be enhancing the backspin that Thornton creates from his four-seam grip. The spin rate on his fastball is roughly average for a four-seam fastball, but the amount of activated spin that he is getting on the ball is enhancing it. Between his ability to locate the pitch and his ability to induce whiffs, Thornton’s four-seamer is currently sporting a 44% CStr+Whiff% in limited usage. His sinker, interestingly, has a higher spin rate than most sinkers. Most sinkers have spin rates between 2000 RPM and 2200 RPM, allowing the magnus effect to have less of an impact on the pitch, causing it to sink as gravity acts upon the ball. With a higher spin rate, Thornton’s fastball is able to resist the force of gravity longer, giving it late sink. Like his four-seam fastball, he currently has a 42% CStr+Whiff% with his sinker. Because of the lack of premium velocity, when batters make contact with the pitch, they are able to do damage.
His slider has always been his bread-and-butter, and the pitch is showing no ill effects from his return to the mound after a lengthy layup or his promotion to Triple-A. The mid-80s offering has so far averaged 35 inches of vertical drop and 5 inches of horizontal movement, resulting in a 34% CStr+Whiff% rate. When he wants to, he can throw it in the zone, and when he throws it outside of the zone, he can spot it there as well to entice batters. His curveball is much of the same, sitting in the high-70s, featuring 44 inches of vertical movement and 14 inches of horizontal break, with the ability to land in or outside of the zone depending on the situation.
Rounding out his arsenal, the left-hander’s changeup is little more than a change of pace offering at present. Its low spin rate gives the pitch a lot of downward drop, but most of its effectiveness comes from the randomness in terms of when it is thrown, not its nastiness.
There is risk in his profile because, as mentioned, his fastball does not have premium velocity and he is relying more on obstruction, sequencing, and finesse with it to prevent hitters from tattooing the pitch rather than pure brute velocity, but I am feeling bullish on Thornton at present and liking what I am seeing more than I did even last season.
Thornton’s transition to Triple-A so far has been seamless, and he has arguably better now than he was over the course of the last month in Binghamton. I wrote the following paragraph on Sunday afternoon, when I started looking up the data for this Player of the Week write-up: “If these trends continue, and Thornton continues putting up similar numbers over the rest of May, the southpaw might leapfrog Jonah Tong and Jack Wenninger on my preferred pitching prospect depth chart for the Mets to call-up; Tong has had issues acclimating to Triple-A, and while Wenninger has seen plenty of success like Thornton has, I am a bit unsure how his fastball-changeup combo will work at the MLB level as a right-hander with a decidedly middling fastball to set-up his change”. Prophetic words!
COVERS INTEL: Messick suppresses hard contact at an elite level, sitting in the 87th percentile in hard-hit rate and the 85th in average exit velocity.
