Category: MLB

It’s another round of rotations through the injured list for the Seattle Mariners. Monday, they placed their righty-hitting platoon for right field and/or designated hitter on the 10-day IL, sidelining OF Rob Refsnyder with issues in both knees. In his place is the newly acquired 3B/1B/cOF Buddy Kennedy. The club has acknowledged Refsnyder having battled through injury to some degree, however, unfortunately, he has been notoriously, unable to muster productivity in any way. The issue for Refsnyder appears to be a lingering one more than something easily healed, which has been the club’s reasoning for attempting to manage and work through his health, however it’s clear only so many injuries could be managed at once. He received injections in both knees last week, however he has not progressed and will rehab in Arizona to try and find his way back that is less painful.

To that end, the club also provided updates on several dinged up and injured M’s. OF Luke Raley and OF Dominic Canzone will remain active, with Raley dealing with a strain in his left (non-throwing) arm that he has demonstrated the ability to swing through and perhaps even return to right field with in a few days. Similarly, Canzone is playing through tightness in his hamstring which will curtail his capacity to play in the field. Canzone’s situation seems a bit more similar to Jorge Polanco a season ago at times, where the lefty’s bat is too valuable to take out of the M’s lineup but requires management to avoid aggravation. Connor Joe is present but not activated, should Seattle need to make a change pregame or in this series.

Further out, General Manager Justin Hollander offered an impassioned defense of the caliber and efforts of Seattle’s training staff, while also providing updates on several sidelined M’s. Both RHPs Matt Brash and Cooper Criswell are likely to return in “August” per Hollander, with MRIs scheduled for July 6th to track if their healing process is on the expected track. UTIL Brendan Donovan “had a good week” which included running at near full effort and a full run through the batting cage, but it does not sound as though his return is coming until August or later.

Asked about the M’s tendency to keep injured players on the roster this year instead of giving guys full injured list stints, Hollander noted their calculation has ultimately been in a belief and assessment that players can, on a case-by-case basis, return or be effective in the shortened time provided relative to their options for longer time sidelined on the IL.

Other min0r-league injury updates of note:

• INF Leo Rivas has been out essentially since he was optioned back to Tacoma on May 18. He’s apparently dealing with vertigo, and although his symptoms have improved he still gets dizzy while tilting his head up quickly, such as looking up to catch fly balls.
• Promising lefty pitcher Mason Peters has been sidelined for the past two weeks with forearm soreness. He had an MRI and it didn’t show anything significant. The team will build him back slowly over the next couple weeks.
• Similarly, righty Jackson Steensma is also dealing with forearm soreness. He had a cortisone shot last week to try to calm some inflammation and swelling; Hollander says his progression has been “a little slower than we would have hoped.”
• There’s no update on OF Brennan Davis, who continues to deal with a left hamstring strain.

It feels like the Brewers just played the Reds because… well, they did.

Last week, Milwaukee swept a three-game series in Cincinnati while holding the Reds to just six total runs — five of which came in the series finale. Tonight, the two teams open a four-game series, this time within the friendly confines of American Family Field.

Tonight’s pitching matchup is a battle of the lefties, with Robert Gasser (1-3, 4.50 ERA) squaring off against Nick Lodolo (2-2, 5.59 ERA). Gasser struggled in his first couple of appearances this season but has been great in June, going at least five innings in each start and allowing two or less runs except for a blowup outing in Las Vegas (6 ER in 5 IP). Even factoring in that outing, Gasser has a 3.74 ERA this month.

Lodolo’s last start was last Tuesday against the Brewers. He was pitching as well as he had all season through three hitless innings, but got hit on his left wrist by a Jackson Chourio comebacker to start the fourth. Lodolo ended up leaving the game after the fourth due to what the Reds deemed a contusion of that wrist, but he should be all good to go.

Tonight’s lineup against is pretty similar to last week’s, with Jackson Chourio, William Contreras, Brice Turang, and Andrew Vaughn again occupying the first four spots in the lineup. Jake Bauers, who started last time around against Lodolo, is out of today’s lineup, but lefty masher Gary Sánchez (.977 OPS vs. LHP) will DH. Rounding out the lineup are center fielder Blake Perkins (.702 OPS vs. LHP), right fielder Sal Frelick (.453 OPS vs. LHP), shortstop Cooper Pratt, and third baseman Joey Ortiz.

Finally, one more piece of roster news from this morning; per Curt Hogg, pitcher Logan Henderson should be back before the All-Star break. Henderson struck out seven in three innings yesterday in a rehab start with Triple-A Nashville.

The Brewers expect Logan Henderson back before the All-Star break, Pat Murphy said this afternoon. Henderson struck out 7 in 3 innings yesterday and will make one more rehab start.

— Curt Hogg (@CyrtHogg) June 29, 2026

Tonight’s game, as usual, will be broadcast on Brewers.TV, WTMJ 620, and the Brewers Radio Network. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m.

New series on deck

📺: https://t.co/eycfmE2vgm
📻: WTMJ

→ https://t.co/mvGXoRMTFSpic.twitter.com/nAHHzAaDKj

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) June 29, 2026

4-game series starts tonight in Milwaukee.

Powered by @PNCBankpic.twitter.com/J89ZLZivXd

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 29, 2026

First Pitch (CT):7:10 PM
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN/830 WCCO/102.9 The Wolf /Audacy App
Know Yo’ Foe:Crawfish Boxes

After taking a series from the Colorado Rockies, the Twins are heading to Houston to face the Astros. An up-and-down season has Astros in a similar spot as the Twins: just below .500 and fighting to cement themselves in the playoff race. Also like the Twins, Houston has pretty much one good hitter who is among the best players in baseball (Byron Buxton/Yordan Alvarez) while the rest of the lineup is pretty suspect despite decent numbers as a team.

The Twins already took a series from the Astros in mid May but have been very good since then, going 22-12 while winning five straight series. The Twins, meanwhile, have gone 17-18 since their last matchup while winning four their past five series (and who counts the Dodgers anyway).

Tonight it’s Zebby Matthews vs Peter Lambert in a matchup of pitchers that makes you ask, “are either of these guys actually good?” We likely won’t get an answer but the parallels between these teams simply never end.

Roster Notes:

• Byron Buxton is out again with his recurring hip issue. The team is being optimistic but Buck is getting imagine done and more information will be known later. For now, he’s out and there’s hope he can avoid the IL.
• Should Buxton miss time, Alan Roden and top prospect Walker Jenkins just returned from their own IL stints. Kaelen Culpepper also returned, but all three are still having their workloads managed closely.
• Anthony Banda is expected to miss multiple months with a significant lat strain. It’s a disappointing development for an already bad bullpen. Yoendrys Gomez and Andrew Morris have been huge success stories, but there’s very little reliability behind those two.

Lineups

Twins	Opponent
SP: Zebby Matthews	SP: Peter Lambert
1. Trevor Larnach, LF	1. Jose Altuve, 2B
2. Brooks Lee, 3B	2. Yordan Alvarez, DH
3. Kody Clemens, 2B	3. Isaac Paredes, 3B
4. Josh Bell, DH	4. Christian Walker, 1B
5. Royce Lewis, 1B	5. Taylor Trammell, CF
6. Victor Caratini, C	6. Cam Smith, RF
7. Ryan Kreidler, CF	7. Joey Loperfido, LF
8. Tristan Gray, SS	8. Nick Allen, SS
9. Luke Keaschall, RF	9. Christian Vazquez, C

PHOENIX — With Heliot Ramos’ return, the Giants’ roster is more or less back to where it was when the season began. As in: More square pegs for circular holes.

Make no mistake: the homegrown 2024 All-Star is a welcome addition to a lineup that, despite showing signs of life, still averaged only three runs per game over its latest home stand.

“It’s just good to have him in the locker room and the dugout because he’s full of energy,” manager Tony Vitello said of Ramos’ return after missing 37 games with a quad strain.

And yet, his presence only makes the rookie manager’s job more complicated.

When Ramos landed on the injured list in the middle of May, there were already positional logjams being sorted through. In a way, it acted as a blessing in disguise of sorts.

Casey Schmitt took up left field, giving Vitello an easy way to get their most productive bat into the lineup everyday. Same deal with Bryce Eldridge, who hasn’t had to sit much while splitting duties between first base and designated hitter with Rafael Devers.

And consider Jung Hoo Lee and Luis Arraez, who not only keep hitting — both among the top three hitters in the NL by batting average — but also look increasingly comfortable in the field.

Inserting Ramos into the picture could amount to adding oil to water — it won’t mix.

Vitello said it himself while gaming out the likeliest scenario to incorporate the power-hitting but defensively challenged 26-year-old outfielder, whose 102 wRC+ and .731 OPS trailed only Schmitt and Arraez among San Francisco’s roster at the time of his injury.

“I don’t think that would be our first choice defensively,” the manager said. “But on any given day, I could see it being our first overall best choice.”

Vitello got one gimme in Ramos’ first game back Sunday, opting to sit Eldridge, a rookie left-handed hitter, against one of the game’s fiercest southpaws in Chris Sale.

That opened up the DH slot for Ramos, who didn’t play many nine inning games in the field on his rehab assignment. Because of that, Vitello said the Giants hope to “ease” him back in.

But once Ramos is fully ramped up, the positional alignment to which the manager alluded wouldn’t only not be anyone’s first choice. It should be a last resort.

The “most likely” option, according to Vitello, would keep Schmitt in left, a position he has played capably but still has only 30 games of experience. That would move Ramos, one of the worst defenders in the majors last season, to the other corner, despite the prowess Lee has shown prowling right.

Lee would be required to cover center, where he rated about as poorly as Ramos last season, prompting the move to right field, which has largely been a success.

In other words: Vitello’s proposed solution would stick an infielder in left field, a right fielder in center and, realistically, a designated hitter in right. Then again, despite Lee’s improvement, the Giants’ outfield already ranks as the second-worst defensive group in the majors.

In fairness, some within the team have suggested Ramos would fare better in right field anyway because of Oracle Park’s dimensions, which makes for less ground to cover than in left.

What if we told you there is an easier, almost inevitable solution?

Because the real sticking point isn’t in the outfield grass; it’s on the infield dirt.

And it will almost certainly sort itself out by Aug. 3, which so happens to be the MLB trade deadline and more likely than not the last day Arraez is on the Giants’ roster.

The signing of Arraez to a one-year, $12 million deal just before spring training may go down as one of president of baseball operations Buster Posey’s most successful moves to date.

But it was superfluous at the time and even more so now given the emergence of Schmitt, who is better suited to be the club’s second baseman of the future than a newcomer to the outfield.

The roster imbalances don’t stop there: As it stands, Arraez is one of just five infielders — counting Schmitt — on the 26-man roster, two of whom can only play first base.

They’ve instead decided to carry six outfielders — again, including Schmitt — leaving sparse playing time to go around between Jonah Cox, Drew Gilbert and Victor Bericoto.

If the Giants could trade Arraez now, rather than wait another month, they should. All the more so in regards to any of their other infielders on bloated, longer-term contracts, who are also standing in the way of Schmitt playing his natural position or Ramos taking over DH duties.

The problem is it takes two to tango and teams generally don’t make their best and final offers until closer to the deadline. The Giants, for their part, spent last week finalizing their big board for the amateur draft that predates the deadline by a few weeks. This week, they turn their focus to the deadline with a conference of all their pro scouts.

In the meantime, the task of constructing the lineup everyday only gets tougher for Vitello.

“It’s impossible to have too many good players,” the manager said. “Certain guys will get a little hot or a little cold at the plate, so there will always be puzzles to solve. But the more weapons we have the better off we are.”

San Diego Padres (43-39) at Chicago Cubs (46-38), June 29, 2026, 5:05 p.m. PST

Watch: Padres.TV

Location: Wrigley Field – Chicago, Ill.

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

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Monday at Wrigley. pic.twitter.com/TpcHOBRThP

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 29, 2026

Sho Time is back at Wrigley Field 👏 pic.twitter.com/lSt1hAI4tm

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) June 29, 2026

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Detroit Tigers (35-49) vs. New York Yankees (48-35)

Time/Place: 7:05 p.m., Yankee Stadium
SB Nation Site: Pinstripe Alley
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: RHP Casey Mize (2-5, 2.95 ERA) vs. LHP Ryan Weathers (3-5, 3.95 ERA)

Player	G	IP	K%	BB%	GB%	FIP	fWAR
Mize	11	58.0	25.1	6.1	34.4	2.78	1.8
Weathers	15	86.2	26.9	6.8	41.4	4.18	1.1

1/3 in New York

⚾️ 7:05 PM ET
📺 @WatchDSN
📻 @971theticketxyt
🏟️ Yankee Stadium pic.twitter.com/lg83OnSqxM

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) June 29, 2026

Here’s the Rangers’ lineup:

Lining up tonight on @espn. #AllForTXpic.twitter.com/EgV2hLTQxH

— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) June 29, 2026

Here’s the Guardians’ lineup:

Guardians 6/29

T. Bazzana 2B
B. Rocchio SS
C. DeLauter DH
R. Hoskins 1B
K. Watson RF
D. Fry LF
S. Kwan CF
G. Arias 3B
A. Hedges C

P. Messick SP

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) June 29, 2026

Let’s go, Guardians!

Bo returns to Rogers Centre.

It will be weird watching him wearing a different jersey. As much as I wish the best for him, I’d be ok with an 0 for 12 series for him.

There are a bunch of tweets about Bo tearing up before the game, I’m curious to see him when they play the video.

After getting back on track in Baltimore, the Nats continue their road trip against another AL East foe. They head up to Boston to face a Red Sox team who just completed a 4 game sweep over the Yankees. However, for most of this season, the Red Sox have been inconsistent at best.

With a lefty on the mound, Blake Butera elected to make a few changes. However, he decided to keep his hottest hitter Luis Garcia Jr. in the lineup. Garcia usually sits against lefties, but he is too hot for that right now. Andres Chaparro will be in there as the DH. Daylen Lile will get a day off, meaning James Wood is in left, Jacob Young is in center and Dylan Crews is in right. Miles Mikolas will be on the mound with no opener in front of him.

thinking about ben affleck and matt damon WHICH COULD MEAN NOTHING

→ https://t.co/iUBDqlACVspic.twitter.com/Inc0xwq401

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) June 29, 2026

This Red Sox lineup has underperformed for most of the season, but they have been better in June. Newcomer Willson Contreras has been their best hitter. Caleb Durbin has also been hot in June. The Nats very briefly rostered Tsung-Che Cheng, before DFA’ing him two days later. Now he is with the Red Sox, and starting at shortstop. Big money signing Ranger Suarez will be on the mound.

Monday with Mr. Rager! pic.twitter.com/CGkHaCqG9k

— Red Sox (@RedSox) June 29, 2026

Game Info:

Stadium: Fenway Park

Time: 7:10 PM EST

TV: Nationals.TV

Radio: 106.7 The Fan

This should be a fun week with Paul Toboni returning to Boston. There are plenty of storylines to chew on in this series. However, the Nats need to take care of business here. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!

Readers, I begin this humble game thread with a question: is it better to head right back to work after a four-game sweep at the hands of your archrivals, to get an opportunity to flush it and leave it in the past? Or would an off-day at this juncture give you a much-needed chance to reset in the grind of a long season?

It’s a false choice, of course. The Yankees have no alternative but to return to the Bronx tonight and welcome the Tigers to town, after that aforementioned four-game mop at the Red Sox’ hands. The Tigers, if you recall, were the Bombers’ previous opponent before that ill-fated weekend in the Molasses City; they beat New York in a dud of an opener before the Yanks squeaked out a pair of close victories to take the set. You can bone up on the familiar matchup if you haven’t already by checking out Estevão’s series preview here.

Ryan Weathers was victorious in one of those games at Comerica Park, logging his second straight quality start with six innings of one-run ball. He was aided in his quest by excellent Yankee defense, including a pair of nifty grabs in center field by Max Schuemann. (Schuemann, it should be noted, is not in the lineup.) Overall, Weathers has had a bumpy beginning in pinstripes but remains a solid back-rotation option for New York. His penchant for the home run ball (his 16 homers allowed is 4th in the AL so far) has been a major culprit for his uneven season.

Casey Mize took the loss in the other game the Tigers dropped to the Yankees last week. His start wasn’t unlike the last few Gerrit Cole starts: good stuff shown, but too many misses in bad spots and an opportunistic lineup which was ready to punish mistakes. Mize allowed four runs on eight hits, striking out six Bombers and surrendering a go-ahead home run to Jazz Chisholm Jr.; a bright spot in what has been a very bipolar month for Jazz.

Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger will start the lineup with a rare double-lefty setup. Four of the first five batters against Mize will be left-handed, with Jazz and Jasson Domínguez on the other side of Paul Goldschmidt, hitting third. Anthony Volpe takes short, Spencer Jones patrols center field, Austin Wells dons the tools of ignorance, and José Caballero mans the hot corner tonight in the Bronx.

How to watch

Location: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

First pitch: 7:05 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES, Detroit SportsNet

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | WXYT 97.1 FM (DET)

Streaming: Gotham Sports App, MLB.TV (out-of-market only)

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

Back in the BX. #RepBXpic.twitter.com/RRawSuntnS

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) June 29, 2026

1/3 in New York

⚾️ 7:05 PM ET
📺 @WatchDSN
📻 @971theticketxyt
🏟️ Yankee Stadium pic.twitter.com/lg83OnSqxM

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) June 29, 2026

There’s one more off day until the Atlanta Braves are back in action on this side of the country. Hopefully the change in scenery will result in a change in fortune for the Braves, who have been on a very dire run as of late. As I mentioned with the title of a series recap from awhile back, the only way out is through, so hopefully the Braves can break through against the Cardinals and Mets this week.

For now, there’s no Braves action tonight so it’s time to get into the “big” question:

What am I watching tonight?

You may be shocked to hear this but there’s a World Cup game starting at 9:00 p.m. ET tonight and I plan on watching it. All of the matches from here on out are of the single elimination variety so the tension and drama has ratcheted up another level. Tonight’s match will be between the Netherlands and Morocco and I’m hoping it’ll be exciting.

If that’s not your cup of tea then ESPN is running a national game tonight with the Guardians facing the Rangers. Is that a sexy matchup? Not particularly but it’s baseball and it’s (likely) hot outside so you may as well just plant yourself on the couch and put on the game.

I’m not going to suggest a hate-watch since those haven’t been going pretty well for us Braves fans lately (as far as the Phillies are concerned) but if you just can’t help yourself, Braxton Ashcraft is getting a shot at the Phillies as Pittsburgh goes to Citizens Bank Park. You can also watch the Mets and Blue Jays lock horns in the battle of teams who are performing well below expectations. The Braves are currently performing below expectations at the moment so the vibes should be pretty similar.

What will you be watching? Any baseball? The World Cup? Anything else to get your mind off of sports? Let’s hear it. The floor is now yours.

The Athletics have not played well over this past week or two, most recently dropping three-game series against the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Angels. This extended downturn, which has led to them falling from first to fourth place in their division, could partially be attributed to the team playing shorthanded. Several A’s position players and pitchers are on the team’s injured list with various maladies.

Tonight, the A’s begin a three-game home series against the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers, who are full steam ahead in pursuit of the three-peat. The A’s would have liked to match up against the champs on full-strength. However, that will not happen, as the team announced several roster moves this afternoon.

We have made the following roster moves. pic.twitter.com/mvqVSe4Jbm

— Athletics (@Athletics) June 29, 2026

Pitchers

The lone move involving the pitching staff concerns left-hander José Suarez, who was placed on the paternity list and will miss a few games as he welcomes a new addition to his family.

Right-hander Kade Morris, who made his first MLB start earlier this month before being optioned back to Triple-A soon after, takes Suarez’s place on the active roster. Morris will look to make a stronger impression and earn a longer stay during his second stint in the majors this season. Lastly, the A’s designated right-handed reliever Michael Kelly for assignment.

Hitters

Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson had not played since re-aggravating his left shoulder injury last week. Wilson was rehabbing in hopes of avoiding another stint on the injured list, but he did not make enough progress. The A’s ultimately placed him on the injured list with right thumb inflammation, retroactive to June 26. Left fielder Tyler Soderstrom joins him out of commission with left hip impingement, an injury he suffered Saturday night against the Angels.

The team recalled infielders Joshua Kuroda-Grauer and Darell Hernaiz to fill the roster spots. While Hernaiz has appeared in 47 games with the A’s this season, Kuroda-Grauer will make his MLB debut this evening.

The A’s drafted Kuroda-Grauer in the third round of the 2024 MLB draft out of Rutgers University. The versatile infielder, who can play third base, shortstop and second base, added muscle during the offseason in hopes of improving his offensive production.

The changes appear to have paid off, as he is slashing .323/.367/.478 this season, earning his first big-league promotion. Kuroda-Grauer’s profile is similar to Wilson’s, as both infielders are strong defenders who bring a contact-heavy approach to the plate, making them difficult to strike out.

What do you make of these transactions A’s fans? Will JKG make an instant impact or will the A’s struggle to overcome the loss of Wilson and Soderstrom against the Dodgers?

Texas Rangers @ Cleveland Guardians

Monday, June 29, 2026, 6:10 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / ESPN)

Progressive Field

LHP Tyler Alexander into RHP Chris Paddack? vs. LHP Parker Messick

Go Rangers!

It’s been almost four full years that I’ve been an Over The Monster staff writer, and true story: I’ve never written a pre-game thread. That is, until Bryan Joiner called to the bullpen late, and I “accepted the trade for a player to be named later” or “cash considerations.” Two different metaphors, I know. But, starting one metaphor after another may be something of a symbolic gesture with these Red Sox. But, to quote some Bostonians, “I never had to knock on wood, but I know someone who has.” That’s to say, this team isn’t good. I don’t subscribe to the “we’re four and a half games out of the wild card spot” or the success of this weekend being any sort of start to a rally catapulting this team into contending conversations. But I wouldn’t blame anyone who gets a bit hopeful after watching the last four games. Unless this series goes well.

Fortunately, they’ll have a guy who’s found his stride on the mound. Ranger Suarez (3-3, 2.83) . He has not had a decision win at home yet this season. He took a no-hit bid into the seventh in Seattle, and had a little more turbulent outing in hitter-friendly Colorado but still emerged from six innings having given up just three runs, and only one of those earned (sadly, the Sox would implode that game). His ERA in 4 starts (24.0 IP) in June is 1.50.

Monday with Mr. Rager! pic.twitter.com/CGkHaCqG9k

— Red Sox (@RedSox) June 29, 2026

As Mike Carlucci diplomatically put it in this series’ preview article, the Nationals also suck are having their own challenges keeping things balanced this year, having inverse problems that the Red Sox face. Their offense is awesome, the biggest of those worries being Luis Garcia, the reigning NL Player of the week who’s hit six home runs in as many games, including two just yesterday in Baltimore. They rank at the very top of the league in runs scored and are tied for fourth in home runs, which would usually find you at the top of many standings, unless your pitching is horrible having some trouble keeping runs off the board, to the tune of being the third-worst in baseball. Miles Nikolas (2-6, 5.24 ERA) is tonight’s starter for Washington. At one time he was a very serviceable pitcher. At 37, those days may be behind him, as he’s experienced some stark declines in the ability to strike guys out as well as to generate swings and misses in general, ranking in the lowest three percentile via Baseball Savant this season.

thinking about ben affleck and matt damon WHICH COULD MEAN NOTHING

→ https://t.co/iUBDqlACVspic.twitter.com/Inc0xwq401

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) June 29, 2026

See you back here after.