Category: MLB

The Yankees dropped their series opener against the Red Sox in a rather sloppy effort, with several errors culminating in Cam Schlittler allowing a four-run fifth inning capitalized by a big two-run home run off the bat of former Yankee prospect Caleb Durbin. That blew what was a 2-0 New York lead up until that point, but despite clawing one of those runs back the Sox added some big insurance with two runs in the eighth and then survived an Aroldis Chapman jam in the ninth. A rough one to be sure, but there’s still three more games to be played out in Fenway before heading back to the Bronx.

We’ve got a loaded schedule on deck before the Yankees take the field again later tonight. Nick starts us off with a look at the rotation depth as June comes to a close, and then Sam has the Rivalry Roundup featuring the Rays gaining a game back in the standings after a dominating win. Josh takes the opportunity to regard Derek Jeter’s illustrious career in relation to his baseball fandom on the captain’s birthday, Peter examines Ryan Weathers’ latest start in the Sequence of the Week, Michael takes the June Swoon narrative under the microscope, and finally I’ll be back to open up the mailbag and answer more of your questions.

Today’s Matchup:

New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox

Time: 7:10 p.m. EST

TV: YES, NESN

Venue: Fenway Park, Boston, MA

Questions/Prompts:

1. Tonight will be the Yankees’ 81st game played. Will their second-half record eclipse the 48-49 wins they’ll have from the first half?

2. Did you believe that the old Aroldis Chapman was going to emerge in that ninth inning and blow it last night?

The high school baseball landscape across the country has been elite, to say the least.

In a perfect world, one might ask: in a winner-take-all state title contest, who and how would we craft a lineup featuring players from across the country?

For this list, we've crafted a roster of 20 seniors. The breakdown of the roster is as follows:

• Pitchers (6)
• Catchers (3)
• Infielders (6)
• Outfielders (5)

Here's the USA TODAY Sports Starting 9, along with a coaching staff we'd build below in a hypothetical state title game.

Eric Booth Jr., Oak Grove (Miss.) OF

Booth is the top prep outfielder available in this year's MLB Draft, and will be a contributor right away in pro ball for whichever organization he's in. With Oak Grove this season, Booth hit .481 with 20 extra-base hits, 31 RBI and 55 runs scored. He walked 45 times and swiped 23 bases, making him the ideal leadoff hitter in this hypothetical state title game.

Carson Bolemon, Southside Christian (S.C.) LHP

Bolemon was nearly unhittable this season for the Sabres, pitching to a 0.17 ERA over 41 1/3 innings pitched, allowing just one earned run. Over that span, he allowed just 11 hits and 13 walks while striking out 91 batters. Expect Bolemon to be a likely first-round pick, considering the emphasis clubs place on prep left-handed pitchers on a yearly basis.

Coleman Borthwick, South Walton (Fla.) RHP

Borthwick is a big fella at 6-foot-6, 255 pounds, but he can sling it from the right side with a fastball that has been awfully close to hitting triple digits. With South Walton this spring, Borthwick pitched to a 0.21 ERA, allowing just 18 hits and 7 walks over 65 2/3 innings, striking out 121 in that stretch. Borthwick could see himself break into the first round, but picks 31-40 seem a lot more likely should he choose to forgo his Auburn commitment.

Blake Bowen, JSerra (Calif.) OF

Bowen's a prime DH candidate in this starting lineup at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, with a power grade of 60 by MLB.com. Bowen also played football for JSerra and has plenty of athleticism to make things happen in the outfield in his pro career. At the MLB Combine, he registered 15 hits that had an exit velo north of 100 MPH.

Will Brick, Christian Brothers (Tenn.) C

Brick gets the start at catcher on this roster, hitting .517 with 10 extra-base hits for Christian Brothers this season. Originally part of the 2027 class, Brick decided to reclassify after a highly successful stint with Team USA's 18U team, which competed in Japan in October, where he hit .333 while playing strong defense behind the dish. While the bat is a work in progress, many believe his defensive skills will translate to the next level.

Brody Bumila, Bishop Feehan (Mass.) LHP

While Bumila wouldn't start this game, he's an elite lefty who is poised to make the big leagues at some point in his career. His fastball has reached triple digits and features a lot of inverted vertical break, making life tough for hitters. At 6-foot-9, the arm slot is especially tough.

Trevor Condon, Etowah (Ga.) OF

The younger brother of former Georgia star and Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Condon, Condon had a stellar senior year for Etowah, hitting .504 with nine home runs, 42 RBI and 17 doubles in 36 games. His decision-making at the plate is strong despite being a teenager, making him a long-term player in many organizations that value that in their philosophies. With elite speed as well, expect Condon to make an impact on this squad.

Sean Dunlap, Crown Point (Ind.) C

Dunlap has largely been a consistent player behind the plate for Crown Point, and is very fast despite the toll catching takes on the knees. The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder hit .473 with nine home runs, three doubles, 11 doubles, and 45 runs batted in, adding 32 runs scored and with just six strikeouts over 112 plate appearances.

Grady Emerson, Fort Worth Christian (Texas) INF

Expected to be a top-three pick in this year's draft, Emerson's set to become the next big shortstop to come out of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Following the footsteps of Bobby Witt Jr., Emerson grades out near the top in hitting, power, running, arm and fielding, making him a franchise player for whoever drafts him.

Jared Grindlinger, Huntington Beach (Calif.) OF/LHP

Grindlinger's likely to go pro as a left-handed arm, but we're going to start him in left field. In a Huntington Beach uniform this year, Grindlinger hit .376 with a team-high 41 hits, adding 14 extra-base hits and 22 RBI, striking out twice in 125 plate appearances.

Jacob Lombard, Gulliver Prep (Fla.) INF

The younger brother of Yankees prospect George Lombard Jr., Jacob Lombard is primed to be even better than his big brother. With Gulliver this year, Lombard batted .477 with 10 home runs and 25 RBI, leading the way with 42 hits and 52 runs scored. His 1.471 OPS led the team, and he will be a likely top-five pick in this year's MLB Draft.

Bo Lowrance, Christ Church Episcopal (S.C.) INF

Lowrance's 6-foot-5 frame, at least on this team, makes him a likely first baseman despite primarily playing third. He has a solid left-handed bat at the plate and will be able to make an impact in pro ball. Whether or not he forgoes his Virginia commitment remains to be seen.

Taj Marchand, James Island (S.C.) INF

If you want all-around tools and defensive value, Marchand's your guy. His arm is elite, along with his bat, making him a second-round prospect with clear potential to make a splash. While he may not start on this squad with Emerson, Lombard, and others in the infield, it does not take away from the fact that he starts on virtually any other squad.

Cole Prosek, Magnolia Heights (Miss.) C/INF

Prosek simply couldn't be stopped this season for Magnolia Heights, hitting .585 (76-130) with 18 home runs, 19 doubles, a pair of triples and 79 RBI with 62 runs scored. He added 31 walks and had a 1.855 OPS against Mississippi competition. While he is currently a primary third baseman, Prosek could project as a catcher in pro ball and make this roster as one of three catchers.

Gio Rojas, Stoneman Douglas (Fla.) LHP

Rojas gets the nod as the starting pitcher in this theoretical state title game, and is the top left-handed arm on many draft boards. The Stoneman Douglas product transferred from the Denver area after his freshman year, helping the Eagles win three straight state titles. In a Stoneman uniform, Rojas was 28-1 with a 0.65 ERA with 285 strikeouts over 162 innings, allowing 73 hits and 36 walks against elite competition in South Florida.

Aiden Ruiz, The Stony Brook (N.Y.) INF

Ruiz is a fascinating prospect because he's a switch-hitter and an ambidextrous thrower, making him exclusive on this roster in that regard. His defense is the best on this team, grading out with a 70 in the field and a 60 arm. With Team USA's 18U team, his defense forced Grady Emerson over to third base, something we're replicating here. His speed and fielding are too good to keep on the bench.

Logan Schmidt, Ganesha (Calif.) LHP

Schmidt's young for his age here at 17 years old by the time the Draft rolls around, but that doesn't mean he isn't up there with Rojas and Bolemon in terms of quality. The California product can attack the zone but still has some room to grow, making him a secondary option out of the bullpen if need be.

Landon Thome, Nazereth Academy (Ill.) INF

The son of Hall of Famer Jim Thome, Landon Thome has an impressive bat from the left-hand side with exit velos in the high 90s and low 100s. With his power, much like his dad had with the Indians, Phillies, and White Sox, among others, Landon could see that it would come with maturity and a bigger build beyond the 6-foot, 177-pound frame he's currently in.

Kaden Waechter, Jesuit (Fla.) RHP

Kaden Waechter, another son of a former big leaguer (Doug Waechter), has starred for Jesuit since his sophomore year, making him a well-known product in the high school space. Waechter has delivered and then some for Jesuit over the years, pitching to a 13-5 record with a 1.01 ERA, striking out 135 over 104 1/3 innings. Over that stretch, his WHIP sits below 1.00, as he also generates ground ball and fly ball outs.

Noah Wilson, McCallie (Tenn.) OF

With McCallie, Wilson hit .385 as a senior with 45 hits, 17 extra-base hits, and 41 runs scored to go along with 23 stolen bases. Not many teams wanted to pitch to the prospect, as he walked 33 times as well. While he may not start on this team, he very well could come off the bench in a pinch-hit or pinch-running role, depending on the situation.

COACHES

Manager: Todd Fitz-Gerald, Stoneman Douglas (Fla.)

Fitz-Gerald's been around some elite prospects over the years, and joins this staff alongside his palyer Gio Rojas. The Stoneman Douglas coach has built a national dynasty in South Florida, winning six consecutive state titles in Florida's toughest classification. The Eagles defeated then-national No. 1 Venice 2-1 in the Class 7A title game behind a masterful effort from Rojas.

Assistant Coach: Rick Arnold, Trinity (Ky.)

Arnold's Trinity Shamrocks were deemed the MaxPreps and Perfect Game National Champions after a 41-3 season that concluded with a KHSAA Championship. Trinity scored 411 runs in 44 games and conceded just 85 runs.

Assistant Coach: Jared Halpert, Harvard-Westlake (Calif.)

One of two coaches from the Golden State on this staff, Halpert has been at the school for over a decade, churning out consistent results in the nation's largest state. The Wolverines went 26-6 this year and were the second best squad in California behind St. John Bosco.

Assistant Coach: Andy Rojo, St. John Bosco (Calif.)

Speaking of the Braves, Rojo's Bosco team was the best in California this year, going 27-6 with a CIF Southern Section Division I title over Norco. The Braves have eclipsed 20 wins in each of Rojo's first three seasons with the program.

Assistant Coach: Doug Rush, Tomball (Texas)

Rush and Tomball were virtually unstoppable all season long, going 44-1 with a UIL 6A DII State Championship, beating Houston Memorial 9-1. The Cougars conceded just 79 runs over 45 games, and scored 328 during that span.

Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X at @NP_AlexMartin or via email: amartin@usatodayco.com. For additional high school sports coverage, be sure to follow @usatodayhss on Instagram and X.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USA TODAY Sports unveils 2026 'Starting 9' high school baseball lineup

CBS Sports | Dayn Perry: I’m sure you’ve heard by now MLB’s latest offer in ongoing CBA talks. The league proposes caps on free agent contracts, “hometown” or a Bird Rule-esque advantage for teams to retain their own players by adding an additional year to those capped contracts, and setting a slightly higher MLB minimum salary for players with two years of service. In short, well…

Interim head of the MLBPA Bruce Meyer went on to say that he’s never seen the membership or their agents quite so united before. This is going to drag out a while.

New York Daily News | Mike Lupica: Yesterday was Cam Bump Day, and while as of writing I do not yet know how it turned out, if I were to bet I’d bet on it going well. (Editor’s note: mixed bag.) Cam Schlittler seemingly stands alone atop the AL Cy Young race at the halfway mark of the season, and perhaps the best part of it all is how good he has been against the Yankees’ storied rivals in Boston. In his two previous starts against the Red Sox this year he’s spun a 1.32 ERA and that’s not even counting his near-legendary Wild Card performance last October. That’s how you build yourself into a cornerstone of a franchise, which Cam seemingly is on his way to doing.

New York Post | Greg Joyce: Poor Ryan McMahon. For about two weeks the Yankee third baseman felt sicker and sicker, to the point where he had difficulty eating much of anything. He was finally able to see an ears, nose and throat specialist during the Yankees’ time in Detroit, finally diagnosed with a peritonsillar abscess that required immediate lancing and draining and boy pictures online of this thing look gross! I’m sure Mac’s feeling better already.

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: We return to the Daily News to examine the case for trading for Tigers lefty Tarik Skubal. You all know the resume, and you all know he’s a free agent at the end of the year. With Detroit struggling to assert itself in a bad division, there’s been more and more smoke that the club may trade their ace in July. I’m not necessarily on board with the idea, but that’s a phone call you take if nothing else.

And in the last news of the morning, the Yankees sent catcher J.C. Escarra back down to Triple-A following the loss to Boston. This would seem to indicate that Ali Sánchez will return from the paternity list in advance of tonight’s game.

Opportunity knocks again for one Mets infielder.

When Marcus Semien hit the 10-day IL with a left hip flexor strain Thursday, Ronny Mauricio was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse.

Mauricio, who went 1-for-5 in the Mets’ 4-3 loss to the Cubs in 10 innings at Citi Field, has been up and down with the big league club for his entire career.

He missed all of 2024 with a knee injury that required multiple surgeries to fix.

He fractured his thumb in May and is just now back with the Mets. In the times between those injuries, he’s struggled to remain consistent at the plate, posting a .662 OPS in 61 games since 2025.

Mauricio is hitting .216 for the Mets this season.

Mauricio’s thumb fracture prevented him from seizing an opportunity when Francisco Lindor was sidelined with a calf strain in late April.

Now, he’s got another chance, as the revolving door of healthy infielders continues. Semien’s trip to the IL comes just one day after Lindor returned. The team is still without Jorge Polanco for the foreseeable future due to Achilles bursitis.

“Overall, I thought the at-bats were OK, especially from the right side,” manager Carlos Mendoza said of Mauricio’s return. “First game back, after being out for quite a bit … as far as that, I thought it was OK.”

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND METS STATS

Mauricio recorded a double and a strikeout in the loss. He also committed an error on a throw to first in the sixth inning.

There was one big shot to leave a mark Thursday for Mauricio. He came up in the bottom of the ninth with two on and two outs. A walk-off could’ve given him a moment to remember.

But he grounded out, and the game went to extra innings. In the 10th, Pete Crow-Armstrong’s double sent automatic runner Matt Shaw home and gave the Cubs the lead.

The Mets couldn’t score in the bottom of the 10th and were swept away, dropping their sixth straight.

It’s likely not Mauricio’s only shot in the coming days, considering Mendoza called Semien “week to week” before Thursday’s loss.

Mauricio hopes this stint can be a turnaround to a big league career that has thus far been disappointing, despite some glimpses of promise.

Charlotte Knights 7, Rochester Red Wings 6 (11 innings)
Jonathan Cannon had a rough four-inning start that included three unearned runs of the six scored, but the Knights (44-34) were able to claw back and walk-off the Red Wings (46-30) in extras, 7-6. Cannon made his 10th start and ended up allowing eight hits, and the unearned runs were attributed to a fielding error from Andy Weber. The righty also struggled with control by hitting a batter, tossing a wild pitch, walking three, and striking out four in comparison, but it didn’t outweigh the damage.

Dominance out of the Knights bullpen helped pave the way for Charlotte batters to stage the comeback. Caden Connor was the sole Knight with more than one RBI, driving in the two tying runs with a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth. Korey Lee accounted for the the other two extra-base hits with a double and a homer, but Andy Weber ended up (mostly) redeeming himself from his previous error to walk it off and end the game … on an error from the second baseman, 7-6. Really, the second baseman probably should have made the play, but Lee was hoofing it the whole way and beat was still able to beat the throw.

Righthander Ben Peoples managed both of the extra frames, and was perfect while striking out two and earning his fifth win. Peoples has been excellent and has posted a 2.45 ERA in 28 appearances and 36 2/3 innings, but his walk rate could use a lot of work, hanging over 10% for this season which isn’t sustainable even with his increased 28.4% strikeout rate. Peoples could be another pitching prospect that we see rise to the bigs this season, but it’s unclear if that will be anytime soon.

Knoxville Smokies 5, Birmingham Barons 1
Lefthander Lucas Gordon tossed for six solid innings and allowed two runs on four hits, a home run, and struck out eight in the process, ultimately receiving his fourth loss of the season as the Barons (26-46) dropped their sixth straight today with the 5-1 loss to the Smokies (41-31). The Birmingham bats only had two fewer hits that Knoxville, 7-5, but they fumbled all of their chances to score runs by going 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and leaving six on base.

Overall, the defense as a whole was having a bad day. Caleb Bonemer committed three errors at short, and the two relievers out of the Barons bullpen – Jackson Kelley and Morris Austin – each gave up at least one run. To be fiar, the Barons weren’t capable of scoring runs anyways, it didn’t end up making a difference. For the sole Birmingham run, third baseman Alec Briley mashed a solo shot to avoid the shutout, but the offense was otherwise flat. On to the next one.

Winston-Salem Dash 14, Hub City Spartanburgers 9
Winston-Salem had actually blown a five-run lead after giving up four runs to the Spartanburgers (36-36) in the third and fourth innings, but a six-run offensive explosion in the ninth led the Dash (41-31) to victory, 14-9. Not only did Winston-Salem put up 10 hits as a team, six of them were for extra bases and they also walked 13 times. Somehow even with scoring 14, they went just 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position and ended up leaving 11 on base; not a great day for Hub City pitchers, but I’m not complaining.

Alex Ungar and George Wolkow combined to go 3-for-9, scoring three times and driving in nine: five from Ungar that included a grand slam in the ninth, and four from Wolkow, who mashed two homers on the night. Aside from these standouts, James Taussig and Ryan Burrowes also rounded up two hits with the latter scoring three times.

Righthander Max Banks gave up two earned (four total) in his 2 2/3 inning start, allowing the Spartanburgers to catch up and then take the lead in the fourth as Drew Conover ended up with a blown save before he was bailed out by the hot bats and the final three pitchers out of the Dash bullpen. Winston-Salem pushed through Jake Bockenstedt’s five walks, and righthander Madison Jeffrey wound up with his first win of the season.

Columbia Fireflies 7, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 3
The Cannon Ballers (35-37) are now riding a three-game losing streak after losing to the Fireflies (37-35), 7-3. Offensively, Kannapolis got rocked and were outhit, 11-3, but a pair of errors from Columbia helped the Ballers avoid the shutout. With ample chances, they went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position while leaving six on base. Jaden Fauske posted two of the three Kanny hits, and Matthew Boughton ripped a double for the third, both players scoring once.

Truman Pauley made his 14th start of the season, ultimately giving three (two earned) on six hits, two walks, and six strikeouts, but it’s been a rough year for him as this wound up being his seventh loss. The remainder of the bullpen wasn’t much to write home about, either. Anthony Patterson III acted as the long reliever, but immediately got into trouble in the sixth and gave up three, but was otherwise solid for his final two innings despite the lack of offense.

ACL White Sox 12, ACL D-backs 1 (7 innings)
It was great to see the ACL Sox (12-27) offense explode against the D-backs (21-19) Thursday, with a nine-run third frame as the main difference in the win for the Sox, 12-1. Jose Mendoza mashed a two-run shot in the second, and the bats popped off the next inning to give more than enough run support for the pitching staff to hang on and win the game. The third frame consisted of: four base hits, a double, four walks, two errors, a hit batter, and a wild pitch. Ouch, but thank you to the ACL D-backs for the morale booster. The Good Guys needed just two pitchers to get through the game, with righthander Justin Fuson earning his first win of the season while allowing just three hits and striking out five.

DSL Arizona Red 10, DSL White Sox 8 (7 innings)
Unfortunately the DSL White Sox (5-13) took another one on the chin, getting outhit, 8-4, by the DSL Arizona Red team (12-7) and losing, 10-8, despite going 3-for-5 with runners in scoring in scoring position. The Sox manufactured as many runs as the did by walking eight times, which was two more than they struck out (six), but the AZ Red squad went 4-for-12 with runners in scoring position. Both teams’ starters allowed six runs, but the Alexander De Los Santos surrendered four in his 2 2/3 frames and ended up with his second loss of the season.

The San Diego Padres welcomed Freddy Fermin back to the starting lineup after missing a little more than a week while recovering from concussion symptoms. He guided spot starter JP Sears to a victory and secured a series sweep over the Atlanta Braves. The lone negative is Fermin failing to make an impact from the bottom third of the lineup. 

He went 0-for-2 in his return, which dropped Fermin’s season batting average to .145 with a disappointing .505 OPS in 124 at-bats. The lack of offensive consistency has been a season-long issue. The Padres cannot go through another rough stretch of the bottom of the order struggling to score runs.

It is time for the front office to acquire a better hitting option at the catcher position. 

Padres reluctant to call-up Salas

At first when Fermin went out of the lineup, the Friars were reluctant to bring Ethan Salas to the majors. It seemed like a smart decision, as the organization wanted him to continue his development in Triple-A. But any thought of a promotion to the majors has been put on hold, as Salas has been put on the minor league injured list.

The organization seems to be at the crossroads, as acquiring another catcher seems inevitable. Fermin’s return should not deter the front office’s aggressiveness. It is time to find someone who can compete for playing time. Given the bleak state of the minor league system’s catching depth, it is wise for the Padres to look for answers on the trade market.

The lineup does not need a blockbuster move

Let’s forget the notion of a blockbuster move; the lineup does not need an impactful bat. But you want to deal for a catcher who can knock in runs from the bottom third of the order. 

You may see Colorado Rockies Hunter Goodman or Detroit Tigers Dillon Dingler become viable catching trade options as we get closer to the deadline. Both are good pitch framers who can provide a clutch hit late in close games.

The front office will need to do its due diligence on identifying the right addition to the roster. 

The Friars need an upgrade at the catching position. If they cannot secure the right fit for the lineup, it might limit their chances to clinch a postseason berth.

The Mets had at least something go right for them, as Juan Soto avoided the injured list and was back in the lineup for the series finale against the Cubs after exiting Tuesday’s game with back tightness.

Carlos Mendoza hoped pregame that Soto — who also missed time earlier this season with a calf injury — would be able to play, prompting the Mets to release their starting lineup later than expected until they received some clarity. He hit third and served as the designated hitter, with MJ Melendez in left field. Mendoza, who didn’t have any clarity on when Soto could return to the outfield, was satisfied that Soto even wanted to play — as opposed to just being available as a pinch hitter after missing both games Wednesday.

“That’s a good sign,” Mendoza said before Soto went 1-for-3 with two walks during their 4-3 loss in 10 innings.

A trip to the IL would’ve been another nightmare for the Mets in a season full of them. Soto, who entered Thursday’s game with a .299 average, .965 OPS and 17 homers, has been one of the only pieces of their lineup to produce.

Francisco Lindor just returned from his calf strain Wednesday and Luis Robert Jr. (lumbar spine disc herniation), Jorge Polanco (left Achilles bursitis, right wrist contusion) and Marcus Semien (left hip flexor strain) are all on the injured list.

The hope that Soto was only day to day turned out to be accurate.

He avoided another stint on the IL after missing 15 games in April. The Mets, for once, caught an injury break.

“He looked normal,” Mendoza said. “There was no hesitation. I mean, he was swinging as hard as possible. Normal at-bats.”

Mendoza opened his pregame press conference with a statement about his native country of Venezuela, which sustained a devastating pair of earthquakes with 7.2 and 7.5 magnitudes Wednesday. At least 188 people were killed, more than 200 people were trapped and more than 1,500 people were injured, according to the Associated Press.

Before the second game of the Mets doubleheader Wednesday, Mendoza said his phone “started blowing up,” and he was able to contact his parents after initially not knowing what was going on. His family and friends — as well as the family of Mets catchers Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens — are in a good place, Mendoza said, but the country was still navigating the aftermath of the tragedy.

“I want to send my thoughts and prayers to all the people back home in Venezuela after what we all saw [Wednesday],” Mendoza, who said he’s doing “all right” amid the earthquake. “Obviously there’s a lot of people, a baseball community that’s been affected by. Sending my thoughts and prayers there.”

Lefty Zach Thornton, who made his MLB debut last month, will pitch Friday against the Phillies with Christian Scott (right hip impingement) getting activated from the injured list to start Saturday. The decision comes after David Peterson was traded to the Cubs.

Thornton — the No. 12 Mets prospect, according to MLB Pipeline — allowed four runs on four hits while striking out three batters and walking two across 4 ¹/₃ innings against the Nationals in his lone MLB start. In 12 appearances and 11 starts for Triple-A Syracuse this season, Thornton, a fifth-round pick in 2023, has collected a 1-5 record with a 4.25 ERA.

Lindor was out of the lineup Thursday after making his injury return Wednesday, with Mendoza acknowledging Wednesday that he’ll need to have days off mixed in before becoming an everyday player again. … Soto advanced to the second phase of All-Star voting. … Reliever Dedniel Núñez, who underwent Tommy John surgery last season, joined Single-A St. Lucie to begin a rehab assignment.

BOSTON — Trent Grisham could be about a week away from returning to the Yankees.

The center fielder met the team at Fenway Park on Thursday and is set to go through a full slate of baseball activities during this series — he did some defensive work in the outfield and took batting practice before Thursday’s series opener — before likely going out on a rehab assignment.

Grisham, who has been on the injured list since June 13 with a moderate right hamstring strain, has a chance to return sooner than the Yankees initially expected if he can get through the final steps of his recovery without issue.

“He’s doing really well,” manager Aaron Boone said Thursday. “It’s been encouraging. He’ll probably hit the bases … a couple times this weekend while we’re here. But he’s getting close.”

Grisham will then “probably” play in at least a rehab game or two, Boone said, to make sure he is all good to cover center field before making his return.

Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Ben Rice advanced to the second phase of All-Star voting Thursday, giving them a chance to start for the American League in the Midsummer Classic next month in Philadelphia (though Judge would obviously not be ready to play in the game because of his rib injury).

In the first phase of fan voting, Judge received the most votes of any AL outfielder while Bellinger finished fourth (the top six outfielders advanced).

Rice, meanwhile, finished second among AL first basemen, receiving just over half as many votes as Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Rice and Guerrero will be pitted against each other (as will the six outfielders) for the starting honor in the next round of voting, which concludes July 2.

Paul Goldschmidt, who led off the game with a double against Red Sox lefty Connelly Early, is batting .418 with a 1.323 OPS in 79 at-bats against lefties.

After the game, the Yankees optioned J.C. Escarra to Triple-A, clearing the way for Ali Sánchez to be activated off the paternity list Friday.

This marks the second Yankees-Red Sox series since Alex Cora got fired, but Boone — who said he has spoken to his friend and former counterpart “a couple times” since he was let go — indicated it was still strange not to see him in the dugout across the field.

“Alex always had such a big presence to him that it definitely was a little bit different,” Boone said.

Fernando Cruz — who did not pitch Thursday — has stranded 28 of his 32 inherited runners this season, including 24 of his past 25 since April 25.

Rangers 6 Blue Jays 5

Well, they made it close.

A terrible night for Kevin Gausman, for the second start in a row. Tonight he gave up a run in the first and five more in the third, and that was pretty much the game. He did work his way through six innings.

And Simeon Woods Richardson pitched the last three innings, without giving up a run. Pretty soon he’s going to earn a change to be more than just a mop up guy. 10 innings and he still hasn’t given up a run as a Blue Jay.

Offensively? We didn’t score until the fifth inning, putting up three runs with back-to-back singled to start the inning by Kazuma Okamoto and Alejandro Kirk. A Nathan Lukes walk loaded the bases. Then a sac fly by Davis Schneider and a Myles Straw double brought in our runs.

And we got two more in the ninth. Ernie Clement singles and, after a Vladimir Guerrero strikeout, Okamoto hit his 18th home run of the season. But Kirk ground out and Brandon Valenzuela struck out and that was the game.

We only had six hits and one walk, so there weren’t many base runners. Clement and Okamoto had two hits each. Kirk and Straw had one each.

Just another one of those days where we didn’t hit enough. One for three with RISP but we didn’t have enough RISP. It seems to be the story of the season to this point.

Jay of the Day? Straw was the only one getting the number (0.10 WPA). Let’s give an honourable mention to Okamoto.

Other Award: Gausman (-0.29) and Vlad (-0.10).

Tomorrow we have Patrick Corbin (2-3, 4.73) against Nathan Eovaldi (7-7, 4.24). As I say too often, a win would be nice.

Good news! Apparently whatever ailment preventing the Red Sox from playing competent baseball at Fenway Park this year is contagious. The New York Yankees may have the best record in the American League, but tonight they put on a total clown shown and gifted away a rather amusing victory with a big, fat bow on it.

The Red Sox of course were still the Red Sox, going 1-12 with runners in scoring position and failing to score a single earned run, but for one night, their shortcomings were dwarfed by their opponent. If you go by official errors, the Yankees were charged with four, but it you watched the whole thing play out, it felt like they had twice that many.

It started early and often with two mistakes in the first inning: First Austin Wells got nailed on catcher’s interference, and then Cam Schlitter threw a ball into centerfield to set up a second and third situation for the Sox. Even though these two errors didn’t amount to anything, it was a major harbinger of things to come.

In the second inning, the Yankees started things off by letting this pop up drop (which was generously ruled a hit):

Then, later in the same frame, Cam Schlittler hit Carlos Narvaez on an 0-2 pitch.

Once again, the Red Sox didn’t score – And they even failed to score again in the third and fourth innings despite another pop up dropping in foul territory.

However, in the bottom of the fifth, the flood of mistakes finally caught up with New York and the game turned rather quickly. On another night, the ball below becomes an inning ending double play, but with the circus in town, it went right through Amed Rosario’s legs to get the Red Sox on the board.

Later in the inning, Jarren Duran recorded a sac fly on a shallow fly ball to left field thanks in part to a very unimpressive throw from Jose Caballero. (To be fair and give the Red Sox some credit, they fully expected a throw like this and challenged his arm.)

Then came the big blow. In an inning that should have been over, the Yankees proved the even against the 2026 Red Sox, if you keep making enormous blunder after enormous blunder, you’re eventually going to pay the piper in this league. Here, it happened in the form of a Caleb Durbin home run down the left field line. It was definitely a Fenway home run, but the Yankees fully earned this one with the way they played all night, and so did Durbin for that matter getting back in the lineup one day after dislocating his pinky.

That homer turned out to be all the runs the Red Sox needed, but the Yankees were not done handing out gifts. Here’s Yerry De los Santos trying to field a bunt in the eighth:

And here he is nearly gifting the Red Sox a run on a wild pitch:

Don’t worry, even though the Sox didn’t cash that check, they were handed the run on the next batter:

And just for good measure, the Sox got yet another insurance run on this failed double play attempt by Anthony Volpe:

On a day exactly on the opposite end of the calendar from Christmas, the Red Sox sure got quite the pile of presents.

Three Studs

Caleb Durbin: In addition to the home run and getting on base three times, Durbin also made this defensive play:

Connelly Early: This is the other main story from the game that kind of got buried in the Yankee calamity. Early survived a shaky first inning, showed steady improvement the deeper he worked into the outing, and his fastball was touching 95mph. Great night for him in both the micro and the macro.

Garrett Whitlock: Nice bounce back outing after some shakiness in Colorado. He put up an easy, stress free zero in the top of the eighth.

Three Duds

Marcelo Mayer: 0-4 with two strike outs that also included a pop up with the bases loaded and nobody out in the bottom of the eighth inning. If he had a halfway decent night with the bat, the Red Sox probably score ten runs given all the ducks he left on the pond.

Greg Weissert: Nearly set the game on fire in the seventh inning. Needed Danny Coulombe to get Ben Rice to clean up his jam.

Earthquakes: Normally, the third dud would go to either Wilyer Abreu or Willson Contreras, who went a combined 0-8 with three strikeouts from the three and four spots in the lineup. However, given what’s happening in their home country right now, they get a total pass for this one.

Play of the game:

Pick whatever Yankee error was your favorite. Their incompetency powered the Red Sox win with Boston failing to score a single earned run all night. Let’s just hope the Yankees saved some errors for the rest of the series.

For what felt like the millionth time this season, the Mets made some mistakes in Thursday’s loss to the Chicago Cubs that cost them the game.

Tied 0-0 entering the sixth inning, Freddy Peralta, who had been cruising over the first five innings, got Dansby Swanson to hit a routine grounder to shortstop Ronny Mauricio. The ball was hit right to Mauricio and all he had to do was make the throw to first base for the first out of the inning.

Instead, Mauricio made a low throw and the ball skipped to first baseman Mark Vientos, who couldn’t handle it for a throwing error charged to the shortstop.

The error paved the way for Chicago’s three-run inning, all of which were unearned, and forced Peralta to throw 30 pitches before getting pulled with two outs in the frame. 

Not only was manager Carlos Mendoza unhappy after the game with the error because of how routine the play was, the point in time at which it happened also bothered him, not to mention it came on the heels of a game where New York made six errors.

“Especially the leadoff one there – it’s a completely different inning, especially for Freddy’s outing there,” Mendoza said. “It’s just routine plays that are costing us. At this level, you expect to make plays like that, those are routine plays. You understand that they’re not gonna be perfect, but those are as routine as it gets and teams are making us pay for it, especially the past few nights.

Prior to the error, Peralta had kept the Cubs scoreless for five innings and pulled a complete 180 following his season-worst start against the Philadelphia Phillies the last time out. Of course, it’s impossible to say what would’ve happened had the error not happened, but at the very least, it forced Peralta to throw more pitches and ended his night prematurely.

Nevertheless, the right-hander knows mistakes are part of the game and felt he should’ve done more to pick up his defender.

“It happens. I was just trying to calm myself and make my pitches and try to get a ground ball for the double play,” he said.

The Mets, officially at the halfway point of the season, have now lost six straight games, are a season-low 13 games below .500 and their season is on life support.

So, what, if anything, can be done about it?

“I cannot speak for everybody, but what I can say and what I feel is just, losing is no fun,” Peralta said. “And at the end of the day, I know we need to win and that we have a team that is supposed to win. What I can say is we’ve been trying and we’ve been working really hard to get through this and trying to make adjustments. 

“Right now we just need to keep trying and play better, myself too. We all need to play better and just try to come back and remind ourselves that we are big leaguers and we are great at this game. We just need to put everything together and try to put up a W every day.”

Right-hander Grant Kipp was promoted from Double-A Knoxville to Triple-A Iowa.

Right-hander Kenten Egbert went back down to High-A South Bend after his one game in Iowa.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were trampled to death by the Buffalo Bison (Blue Jays), 15-1.

Corbin Martin started this game as a kind of hybrid opener/bullpen game and he got the loss after giving up two runs on one hit and one walk over 1.2 innings. Martin struck out two.

Iowa managed just six hits in this game and all of them were singles. Third baseman James Triantos singled home right fielder Kevin Alcántara with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Triantos was 2 for 4. Alcántara went o for 3 with a walk.

Here’s at least a defensive highlight, courtesy of center fielder Brett Bateman.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies defenestrated the Birmingham Barons (White Sox), 5-1.

Dawson Netz kept the Barons off the board for six innings, giving up just two hits. Netz struck out two and walked just one.

Catcher Owen Ayers connected for a solo home run in the top of the first inning. It was Ayers’ 20th home run this year and 14th with the Smokies. Ayers went 2 for 3 with a walk.

In the seventh inning, shortstop Ed Howard smacked his first home run of the year off the scoreboard with a man on. Howard went 1 for 4.

Second baseman Hayden Cantrelle doubled twice in a 3 for 4 night. He scored twice and had one run batted in.

Ayers’ home run.

Ed Howard’s home run.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs were hijacked by the Quad Cities River Bandits (Royals), 8-1.

Mason McGwire got the start and the loss after giving up four runs on seven hits over four innings. McGwire walked two and struck out four.

South Bend managed just four hits. Third baseman Matt Halbach and left fielder Jose Escobar hit back-to-back doubles in the fifth inning for the only Cubs run. Both players were 1 for 4.

Escobar’s RBI double.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans domesticated the Salem RidgeYaks (Red Sox), 5-4.

Kaleb Wing started this game, but only threw 18 pitches and one inning. Wing allowed no runs and no hits. He walked one and struck out two. I didn’t see any injury on the mound, but who knows if he mentioned something in the dugout between innings. I didn’t see any hugs either, although it was the away broadcast and they weren’t focusing on the Pelicans dugout.

David Bracho threw the next three innings and allowed three runs on seven hits. Bracho walked two and struck out two.

Next up was Edwardo Melendez, who allowed one run on two hits over three innings. Melendez walked two and struck out three.

Emilio Ramos pitched the eighth and ninth inning, did not give up a hit or a run and got the win. Ramos did walk one while striking out two.

Second baseman Alexis Hernández had a big day, going 3 for 5 with two doubles. The second double, in the top of the ninth, scored Alexey Lumpuy which broke a 4-4 tie and ended up being the winning run. Hernández had two total RBI and he scored once.

Center fielder Lumpuy went 1 for 4 and was hit by a pitch. He also stole one base.

Catcher Jairo Diaz was 2 for 4. He scored one run and drove one in.

RBI single for Hernández.

The RBI double in the ninth.

ACL Cubs

Losing to the Brewers, 7-5 in the seventh inning.

Just when it seemed like the Mets might quiet the noise — around their manager, around their president of baseball operations, around everyone in the clubhouse associated with this dismal season spiraling toward the trade deadline — for one night, they still found a way to lose. Just when the offense was actually able to fix the latest mess that the defense made to give them a chance in extras, it still wasn’t enough.

This time, less than 24 hours after the Mets and Cubs made a trade in what might be a summer full of them, the centerpiece of the two clubs’ last major deal issued a reminder of why it aged so poorly for his former team. Pete Crow-Armstrong — the former Mets prospect sent to Chicago in the 2021 Javier Báez deal — doubled home the winning run for the Cubs in the 10th off Brooks Raley. Eric Wagaman, Brett Baty and Carson Benge couldn’t find a way to get Ronny Mauricio home in the bottom of the frame. And it sent the Mets to a 4-3 loss as their losing streak extended to six and they inched closer to the seemingly inevitable decision to sell at the deadline.

That’s the reality,” Carlos Mendoza said when asked about that after the season hit its official midway point one night after David Peterson was traded to Chicago. “Especially if we don’t start playing better. Obviously, we gotta be honest here. But we can’t be thinking about what-if. Our job is to do what we need to do now.”

This time, the Mets (34-47) found a way to punch back after a pair of errors by Mauricio — or, if the fans at Citi Field had any say in the official scoring, Mark Vientos — and Benge gave the Cubs a three-run lead. Wagaman first stepped into a fastball on the first pitch from Ethan Roberts and sent it over the left field fence and then, Jared Young sent a curveball from ex-Met Phil Maton over the right field fence.

But until that point, Thursday had started to unfold as the worst type of encore for the Mets one night after they committed six errors in a game. Mauricio one-hopped a throw that Vientos couldn’t scoop, leading to one Cubs run. After Mauricio’s error, fans at Citi Field brought back the “Pete Alonso” chants from Wednesday. They blamed Vientos for allowing Dansby Swanson to reach base more than Mauricio, who was starting at shortstop and playing in his first game since May 2. Swanson then advanced to second on a groundout and came around to score when ex-Met Michael Conforto lined a single to right field.

One out later, the Mets defense cratered again. Alex Bregman lined a ball up the right field line, but Benge couldn’t time the bounce off the wall. Conforto scored on the play. Bregman ended up on third, making it easy to score when Ian Happ singled. When it all added up at the end of the frame, Freddy Peralta — cruising to that point — had allowed three unearned runs.

“It’s just routine plays that are just costing us,” Mendoza said. “At this level, you expect to make plays like that. Those are routine plays. You understand that they’re not gonna be perfect, but those are routine as it gets.”

The Mets had their chances, though. They loaded the bases in the third inning before Vientos fouled out. Had runners on first and second the next frame, too, with Mauricio’s double keying it all, before Baty grounded out. Loaded the bases again in the sixth after Wagaman’s blast, with Juan Soto grounding out, too.

Peralta recovered from his 10-run outing to cruise through five innings before the defense ruined his final two-thirds of a frame. He struck out five batters, walked another one and allowed five hits in an outing that, if nothing else, could boost the pending free agent’s trade value when the end of July arrives.

“Everybody in here’s frustrated,” Wagaman said. “I think we know what our record is. … We can’t get all those wins back in one day. We just have to start stacking them and take it day by day.”

But then Crow-Armstrong delivered some more misery for his former team. And as the Peterson trade showed, the Mets could be rapidly running out of time with the current group.

The Mets continue to set records that nobody wants as they left 14 runners on base, a season high, and allowed four more unearned runs in tonight’s loss, 4-3 to the Cubs.

After allowing a leadoff single to Pete Crow-Armstrong in the first inning, Freddy Peralta retired the next ten hitters and seemed on track to keep his pitch count lower in the early innings. The Mets’ offense struggled more. After Juan Soto walked in the first, Francisco Alvarez walked in the second, and Carson Benge and Soto walked again in the third, they were stranded every time. Bo Bichette was also stranded in the third inning after tapping a single past Nico Hoerner. In the fourth inning, Michael Busch smacked a single that got away from Mark Vientos, who had to crawl after it to recover. A wild pitch moved Busch to second base, but Peralta was able to come back to strand him there as well. Ronny Mauricio was also stranded on a double that he into right field. Juan Soto also tapped a single into left field at the bottom of the fifth inning and then went nowhere.

At the top of the sixth inning, the Mets defense struck again as Dansby Swanson reached first base on a throwing error from Mauricio to Vientos. Michael Conforto drove an RBI single into right field, and Alex Bregman started with a double that bounced off the wall in right field, but it went through Benge’s legs, and Bregman reached third on the error that also allowed Conforto to score. Ian Happ followed up with another RBI single, bringing the total to three unearned runs, and Hoerner worked a walk before Austin Warren came in to replace Peralta. Warren struck out Pedro Ramírez for the final out.

A. J. Ewing walked to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning, and after two outs, Eric Wagaman came in to pinch-hit for Melendez when the Cubs brought in left-handed reliever Hoby Milner. Wagaman, always here to surprise, drilled a two-run home run into left field. Baty was inspired, and hit a single, also into left field. Benge lined a single into center field to move Baty to third. The Cubs brought in Phil Maton next, who hit Bichette and loaded the bases for Soto. Soto grounded out, the first time he did not reach base in this outing, and the second time the Mets left the bases loaded. The inning ended with the score Cubs 3, Mets 2.

Mets’ pinch-hitting continued to come through in the bottom of the seventh, as Jared Young, hitting for Vientos, hit a home run into center field to tie the game. Ewing singled and stole second, but was once again stranded in scoring position. Luke Weaver came out for the top of the eighth and struck out the side. Devin Williams kept the game tied in the top of the ninth. Then, Jared Young walked, and Francisco Alvarez reached on an error by Swanson. Unfortunately, Ewing flied out for the second out to bring up Ronny Mauricio, who grounded out on the first pitch he saw to send the game to extra innings for the 13th time this year.

Miguel Amaya was the Cubs’ extra runner at the top of the tenth inning, and Brooks Raley was the Mets’ pitcher. Crow Armstrong ripped a double that bounced down to the right corner and drove in Amaya. Raley minimized the damage to just one run, and it was the Mets’ turn to try. Mauricio started the inning at second base, but even with the extra help, the Mets hitters could not get anywhere. The game ended there; the Mets endured their sixth loss as the Cubs swept the season series.

The Mets see the Phillies at home starting tomorrow at 7:10 PM ET. Zach Thornton is likely to face off against Zack Wheeler.

SB Nation GameThreads

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Box scores

MLB.com
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Win Probability Added

Fangraphs

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Jared Young, +29% WPA
Big Mets loser: Carson Benge/Ronny Mauricio, tied at -18% WPA
Mets pitchers: +14% WPA
Mets hitters: -64% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Jared Young’s home run, +23.7% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Pete Crow-Armstrong’s RBI double in the 10th, -29.0% WPA

The Yankees and Red Sox entered this four-game series at Fenway Park on opposite sides of the spectrum, as they had the best record in the American League at 48-31 while Boston entered dead last at 32-46. Nonetheless, the script was flipped on Thursday night with New York looking the part of a shakier team for at least one night. Led by a tough game from Amed Rosario at third, the Yanks committed a season-high four errors. All of the six Red Sox runs were unearned, but they count on the scoreboard all the same.

Final score in the series opener: 6-3, Boston. The loss dropped New York to 4-2 against its longtime rivals this season with three games over the weekend still remaining.

Wasting no time, leadoff hitter Paul Goldschmidt doubled off Boston starter Connelly Early. It looked like the lefty might work around the early trouble, but with two outs Jasson Domínguez, batting from the right side, singled up the middle to score Goldschmidt and give the Yankees an early 1-0 lead.

That score would hold for the next few innings as both starters sweated their way through a muggy summer night. Then, in the top of the fourth, José Caballero turned on a breaking ball and dropped it into the Green Monster seats in left field to double the Yankees’ lead to 2-0.

The Red Sox stranded four runners through the first three innings, but they made Cam Schlittler work. A catcher’s interference call on Wells, a pickoff error for Schlittler, and a missed popup between the batterymates all led to extra pitches.

In the bottom of the fourth, a ground-rule double off the bat of former Yankees first-round pick Anthony Seigler put runners on second and third with one out. Schlittler responded by striking out Carlos Narváez–another former Yankees prospect–and Marcelo Mayer, both swinging, to end the threat.

Boston again got the bases busy to start the bottom of the fifth when Masataka Yoshida walked and Ceddanne Rafaela singled up the middle. Wilyer Abreu popped one up on in foul territory that Rosario made a leaping attempt for, but it ticked off his glove (though it was not an error). Schlittler again responded, striking out Abreu looking for his eighth strikeout of the night. He then got the groundball he wanted, but it skipped through Rosario’s legs to score a run and put runners on second and third. This time, Rosario was charged with an E5.

A sacrifice fly off the bat of Jarren Duran tied the game at 2-2. Then, yet another erstwhile Yankees prospect, Caleb Durbin, lofted a two-run home run off the top of the Green Monster down the left-field line to give Boston a 4-2 lead at the end of the fifth.

The fifth was Schlittler’s last inning as Paul Blackburn came on in relief. Schlittler’s final line was five innings, four runs, none earned, and nine strikeouts. I suppose it was not a full defensive meltdown, but it sure felt like the ball found all the wrong guys as intentionally as possible.

Boston relieved Early in the seventh with another former Yankee, Greg Weissert. The Yankees put two runners aboard after Jazz Chisholm Jr. walked and Austin Wells singled. Jazz then stole third, and after a lengthy at-bat, Goldschmidt grounded out softly to score him and trim Boston’s lead to 4-3. The Red Sox then turned to Danny Coulombe with two outs in the seventh, clinging to a one-run lead. Coulombe got Ben Rice to ground out to end the inning.

Keeping with the evening trend, Boston handed the ball to yet another former Yankees prospect, Garrett Whitlock. Whitlock worked a clean eighth inning, and the Yankees’ chances were fading faster than tea tossed into Boston Harbor.

The bottom of the eighth saw the wheels begin to come off as the Yankees handed the ball to Yerry De los Santos, who walked the leadoff hitter, gave up a single, and then committed an error on a sacrifice bunt. After recording one out–and nearly scoring another run on a wild pitch, which took a friendly carom and forced the runners to freeze–the Yankees turned to Ryan Yarbrough hoping to escape with a chance.

Yarbrough ran a pitch inside that hit pinch=hitter Nate Eaton. After review, it was determined that one stitch on the ball had clipped the button on his jersey just enough to give him first base and force in a run. Then a botched double play by Anthony Volpe that resulted in only one out made it 6-3 Boston.

Somehow, Boston still had more former Yankees in reserve and turned to another one, Aroldis Chapman, for the save opportunity. The Yankees brought the tying run to the plate with one out. Aaron Boone called on the right-handed Max Schuemann, but Chapman got him to fly out to right.

Down to their final out, the Yankees’ hottest hitter, Goldschmidt, put the ball in play and was rewarded with an infield hit to load the bases. However, the threat was for naught as Chapman fielded Rice’s swinging bunt and threw him out to end the game.

The Yankees dropped a game without allowing an earned run. Ugly. The good thing about baseball, though, is there is almost always tomorrow. New York will look to even the series on Friday night at Fenway, where Will Warren is scheduled to face Payton Tolle at 7:10 p.m. ET.

Box Score