Category: MLB

Go Rays!

The Mariners are shaking things up in their starting rotation. 

With a crowded stable of six starting pitchers — Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, George Kirby, Bryce Miller, Luis Castillo and Emerson Hancock — Seattle revealed Tuesday that they will use a “piggyback” pitching plan through the All-Star break. 

Instead of a traditional five-man or expanded six-man rotation, the Mariners will have each of their starters work in a piggyback setup, meaning they will either open the game or cover bulk innings behind another starter while skipping their usual start, helping the team manage workloads and keep all six starters involved. 

“Each of the six guys will either appear as the front end or the back end one time in the next 30 days,” Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said, per the Seattle Times. “Each guy will be a participant for one day, so roughly everyone will sacrifice an inning or two innings over the next 30 days.”

After some frustration from Miller and Castillo when the Mariners last tried the piggyback plan in May, it appears everyone is on board this time around, with Hollander saying this was a “unanimous” decision with the six starters. 

“Any way you did it, it wasn’t going to be ideal or perfect for everybody, but [they tried] to pick the options that made the most sense for everybody,” he said.

Despite some hesitancy with the plan last month, Miller and Castillo combined for a 1.67 ERA in three outings as the piggyback duo, covering 27 of 28 innings in those games, giving the Mariners’ bullpen a rest. 

Hollander described the plan as more of a short-term solution than some grand pitching experiment.

“I don’t think we’re going to revolutionize pitching in any way,” Hollander said. “But for this group that we have right now, I think it’s the right thing to do. And I think everybody landed on that unanimously for this group, and I think the starters began to understand and embrace it when we talked to them on Sunday.”

The Mariners’ rotation has been one of the best in baseball this season, posting a 3.82 ERA heading into Tuesday’s play, which is the seventh-best mark in the league. 

Seattle, entering Tuesday, is 37-36 and holds a 1/2-game lead in the American League West.

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers coveted Tommy Edman’s ability to play multiple positions, especially up the middle, before they traded for him in July 2024, and was a big reason they signed the utility man to a five-year contract extension that winer. Now that he’s back from surgery to repair an ankle he sprained during his St. Louis Cardinals days, Edman’s ankle should allow him to play all over the field again.

“Getting the surgery was a tough decision because I knew I was going to be out for a little bit. But after speaking with the doctor, we determined that it was going to have a high success, a high probability of getting back to 100 percent,” Edman said Tuesday at Dodger Stadium. “So I decided to go through with it. It’s feeling great now. It took maybe a little longer than expected, but I’m feeling back to normal again.”

Edman said he had one stretch early in the 2025 season when he felt pretty good, but then he sprained the ankle in May and missed two weeks, then it lingered for the rest of the season. The second time he sprained his ankle was in August while running the bases, which cost him five more weeks on the injured list.

That second IL trip was on his mind during his three full weeks of games on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City, as he got back into game shape.

“I was definitely a little tentative the first week, getting back to playing baseball again, going full speed around the bases. Then by the third week I definitely felt totally comfortable, especially rounding the bases,” Edman said. “Just getting back into game action was the big step, the unpredictability of what might happen during a game, whether it’s a weird play on defense or a weird play on the basepaths. Just getting really comfortable with that was really important these last few weeks.”

Getting that normalcy took some time, with Edman sidelined for the first 73 games of the season, a little longer than he expected.

“With surgery, a lot of times it’s not a super linear progression,” he said. “Just having some ups and downs, and just having the faith that it was going to get back to 100 percent eventually, and having the patience to let the whole process play out.”

Edman said he will wear an ankle brace, but no longer has to heavily tape his right ankle like he did for most of the 2025 season.

“I’m confident it’s strong enough,” he said.

The Dodgers will ease Edman back at first, maybe starting three or four games per week. Dave Roberts said he’ll likely play second base, third base, and left field.

“That’s kind of what I’ve come to expect over the course of my career, is just filling in wherever needed, and playing a bunch of different spots,” Edman said. “I love being able to be valuable wherever I play on defense. To be able to play outfield, be able to play infield, and feel confident in that first step and getting the burst, it’s gonna be nice, and hopefully I can have a good defensive season.”

That first step was evident on a few plays with Triple-A Oklahoma City while on rehab, first on this diving play at third base on June 5.

Tommy Edman with the SNAG 💫 pic.twitter.com/AAwgfvJpLJ

— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) June 6, 2026

Then again in center field last Friday.

Another Tommy Edman defensive highlight for your viewing pleasure😁 pic.twitter.com/deTrwMKR7Q

— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) June 13, 2026

Edman, who also played 49 regular season games in center field during his parts of two seasons with the Dodgers, said he’s starting at third base on Wednesday against Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan.

“He’s one of our best hitters versus left-handed pitching,” Roberts said of Edman, who has a career 118 wRC+ against southpaws. “If there’s an opportunity to get him in there to get three at-bats against a starter, I’m going to think very closely about that. Because the one silver bullet versus a lefty, like [Miguel Rojas] last night, is valuable, but also getting three certain at-bats is helpful, too.”

The injury hits just keep coming for the Mariners.

Randy Arozarena departed Friday’s game against the Nationals with a tweaked hamstring, sitting out the rest of the series. The hope was that with those days down, plus the off-day yesterday, the issue would resolve itself. But that wasn’t the case, as Arozarena’s hamstring was still bothering him on Tuesday and he was held out of the lineup and sent for more imaging.

That imaging revealed more inflammation than previously suspected, and so the team will place Arozarena on the 10-day IL, retroactive to June 13th.

Arozarena has been the team’s most productive hitter, leading the team in WAR as well as a host of other offensive categories. He’s also been a steadying force in the lineup while other players have slumped or been injured. In a season that’s been brutal for the Mariners with injuries, this hit lands the hardest – for the team and for Arozarena himself, who’s playing in a contract year.

The good news is Justin Hollander doesn’t think Arozarena will need more than the minimum stay on the IL, given that he was trending positively before the MRI.

In other good news, Curtis Washington Jr. is being summoned from Everett as an emergency call-up. CWJ has been in the organization since 2022, a 19th-round pick out of Purdue. The light-hitting speed-and-defense outfielder hasn’t been able to break out of the low minors, but has earned organizational acclaim for his positive outcome, contributions off the field, and overall good-guy-ness. Washington will likely only be here for the night, as Connor Joe was pulled from Tacoma’s lineup – the Rainiers are in Salt Lake tonight and he wouldn’t be able to get here in time for the game, hence Washington’s call from Everett – so we’re crossing our fingers he can maybe get in the game.

In a corresponding move to make room for Washington on the 40-man, Will Wilson, who is struggling with a fractured left thumb, has been moved to the 60-day IL.

The Mariners limp back home after a rough road trip but have to face the same team again as the Orioles come to town. Jake covered this well in his cleverly-titled series preview, which you can check out here.

Lineups:

The good news is J.P. and Cal are back. The bad news is the Mariners are dealing with other bumps and bruises, so this lineup still looks…pretty patched-together.

Injury updates/Roster moves:

There’s a whole separate article on the site about this because there are so many and I encourage you to read that, but in short: Naylor and Raley both day-to-day; Randy to 10-day IL; J.P. and Cal back; Wisdom and Pereda down.

The Orioes had a roster move of their own, reinstating pitcher Ryan Helsley from the IL; in a corresponding move, RHP Anthony Nunez has been optioned to Triple-A.

News:

In case you missed it, Dan Wilson said the Mariners will be returning to the piggyback pitching strategy, at least until the All-Star Break. Read more here.

Tonight’s game information:

Game time: 6:40 PT

TV: Mariners.TV, with Rich Waltz and Angie Mentink, with Ryan Rowland-Smith as sideline reporter

Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, with Rick Rizzs and Shannon Drayer on the call

Late night baseball, woo! Let’s do this thing.

I’ll be honest, I probably won’t make it to the third inning of this thing. But one thing that might keep me up is tonight’s starting pitcher, Brandon Young. It still hasn’t stopped feeling weird to say that he’s the best starting pitcher on the team, but here we are. I’m trying to get used to it.

The Mariners sent Logan Gilbert to the plate. Gilbert faced the Orioles in his last start and allowed just one run in six innings. Maybe do better this time around, ok guys?

There is no use pretending this won’t be a very tough road trip. They’re on the wrong coast, playing two first-place teams, and are seemingly incapable of putting together any kind of winning streak.

One thing that might help is the reinstatement of closer Ryan Helsley from the injured list. Anthony Nunez has been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk to make room. Nunez will be back, but in the meantime, the bullpen is now improved.

Tonight’s starting lineup is about as strong a lineup as the Orioles have right now. Although I have to wonder what it’s going to take to get Gunnar Henderson out of the second spot in the lineup.

Orioles lineup

Taylor Ward (R) LF
Gunnar Henderson (L) SS
Adley Rutschman (S) C
Pete Alonso (R) 1B
Samuel Basallo (L) DH
Leody Taveras (S) RF
Colton Cowser (L) CF
Blaze Alexander (R) 3B
Jackson Holliday (L) 2B

Mariners lineup

J.P. Crawford (L) 3B
Cal Raleigh (S) C
Julio Rodríguez (R) CF
Dominic Canzone (L) RF
Rob Refsnyder (R) DH
Cole Young (L) 2B
Victor Robles (R) LF
Colt Emerson (L) SS
Miles Mastrobuoni (L) 1B

Let’s go O’s!

Where have the strikeouts gone? The D-backs’ pitching staff have K’d only 18.8% of batters faced this year, ahead of just the Rockies. Now, strikeouts are down over the league as a whole – perhaps due to ABS – but nowhere near as much. Last year, the D-backs were at 20.8%, and 21.2% and 22.2% in the seasons before that. This year, it’s the rotation which is to blame. The bullpen are actually fanning slightly more batters than in 2025 – 21.0%, compared to 20.6%. But the starting pitchers have plummeted from 21.0% to 17.5%. Which is odd, considering the great bulk of the rotation are the same men as they were last season.

Indeed, things would be even worse, if not for the new arrival, Michael Soroka, whose 24% K-rate is the best among the rotation. But everyone else has seen a clear – and, in some cases, very sharp – decline. Here are the numbers for the five returners (starts only for Ryne Nelson):

• Brandon Pfaadt: 19.2% > 15.1%
• Eduardo Rodriguez: 20.6% > 17.9%
• Merrill Kelly: 23.5% > 13.5%
• Ryne Nelson: 20.5% > 17.5%
• Zac Gallen: 21.5% > 14.8%

Among the 114 pitchers to have thrown at least sixty innings this year, Gallen is ranked 109th and Kelly 113th for K-rate (the latter ahead only of Colorado’s Tomoyuki Sugano). Merrill has one start so far this year with more than 5 K’s – last year, he had sixteen such outings. He and Zac have seen a decrease in their rates for both called and swinging strikes. Conversely, they’ve seen an increase in contact when they get swings outside the zone. It’s a significant factor in why both men have struggled this year, but the fact it’s happening to various degrees across the entire rotation does make we wonder if there’s something team-wide which is a factor.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Athletics, June 16, 2026, 9:40 p.m. ET

The Pittsburgh Pirates are back in action tonight against the A’s for the second of a three-game set.

The A’s are giving Jackson Perkins the start tonight. It’s only his third start of the season after appearing as a relief pitcher for the first two months of the season.

Perkins made his first start on June 5 against the Houston Astros, pitching four innings and giving up five runs. He appeared again against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 10, pitching four innings and allowing three runs. His transition from reliever to starter has been dicey, but his improvement from his first to his second start suggests that he could be on an upward trajectory when facing the Pirates.

On the flip side, the Pirates are going with Mitch Keller, who is looking for his first win since May 24. Keller is 0-2 in his June starts and has not seen the end of the 5th inning in any of his last three starts. Keller’s struggles recently have been somewhat concerning, but he will have a chance to bounce back with a winnable game against the A’s.

The Pirates and A’s both find themselves in the heat of the wild card race, so this matchup could turn out to be an important one in the grand scheme of everything.

Location: Sutter Health Park, Sacramento, CA

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh

Pitching Matchup: Mitch Keller (5-4, 5.14 ERA) vs. Jack Perkins (2-3, 6.25 ERA)

BD community, chime off in the comments section below.

Another busy weekend of San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball! Let’s quickly cover the games from Friday through Monday.

Link to the 2026 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.

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News

The big news is that the Giants sent Reggie Crawford to the ACL on a rehab assignment … as a first baseman! More on that later.

AA Richmond RHP Brad Deppermann was activated off the 7-Day IL, while Low-A San Jose outfielder Jose Astudillo was named the Cal League Player of the Week.

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AAA Sacramento (39-27)

Friday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Sugar Land Space Cowboys 4-3 [box score]
Saturday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Sugar Land Space Cowboys 5-1 [box score]

A very quiet weekend for the River Cats, whose offense is mostly nonexistent these days, and who had their Monday game cancelled due to rain.

With trade season drawing ever closer, it seems likely that the Giants will soon be calling on some pitchers from AAA to fill out the rotation. And arguably the pair most likely to join San Francisco’s quintet took the mound for Sacramento this weekend: LHP Carson Whisenhunt (No. 8 CPL) and RHP Blade Tidwell (No. 9 CPL).

Neither pitcher was particularly poor, but neither provided a bunch of confidence, either, as they both struggled with walks. Whisenhunt pitched on Friday, and walked 4 batters in 5 innings, while throwing just 57 of 97 pitches for strikes. He did limit the damage though, as all 6 hits he allowed were singles, resulting in just 2 runs, and he struck out 5 batters.

As for Tidwell, he handled Saturday’s game and was a bit better, limiting the Space Cowboys to 4 hits and 1 run in 5 innings, with 7 strikeouts … but he walked 3 batters while, funnily enough, also throwing precisely 57 of 97 pitches for strikes. What are the odds of that?

I would assume that Whisenhunt is next in line should Robbie Ray or Adrian Houser be traded or land on the IL … and honestly, with Trevor McDonald (No. 12 CPL) struggling, Whisenhunt could replace him at some point (though Tyler Mahle is nearing a return, so that’s probably his role as the Giants try to rebuild his trade value).

Either way, it will be fun seeing Whisenhunt and Tidwell when the Giants finally punt on this god forsaken season, but these games are a reminder that there’s a bit to work on for each pitcher, especially from a strike-throwing standpoint. Whisenhunt, in particular, has struggled to get deep in games due to the lack of strikes, and I’d guess there’s a little hesitancy for the Giants with calling on a pitcher who will probably max out at 5 innings (I would assume that’s part of why McDonald was promoted over Whiz).

Still, I should contextualize how good Whisenhunt’s season has been: of the 36 pitchers in the Pacific Coast League with at least 40 innings thrown, he’s 2nd in ERA (3.65), 1st in FIP (3.59), and 3rd in strikeouts per 9 innings (10.0). It’s been a really strong season for him, even if there have been a few lumps along the way (and of course, AAA rankings always need the context that the best players usually don’t hit the innings thresholds because they’re called up to the Majors).

In good news for San Francisco’s ever-struggling bullpen, RHP Jason Foley restarted his rehab assignment after a little break, and pitched a perfect inning with 2 strikeouts. He still needs to get over the back-to-back pitching days hump before he’s activated, but hopefully his arm is responding better this time around.

Unfortunately, RHP Spencer Bivens has started struggling again since returning to a reliever role, and gave up 2 hits, 1 walk, 4 runs, and 3 earned runs in just an inning of work, with the unearned run coming on an error he committed. Even with the Giants bullpen being awful, Bivens, with his 4.83 ERA and 5.08 FIP in the PCL, might be feeling like his roster spot is in some jeopardy.

A really uninteresting hitting weekend. Center fielder Jared Oliva continued his rehab, and hit 2-9 with a double, a stolen base, and a strikeout. He’s just about hit the 60 days on his IL stint, making him eligible to return to the Majors. I’ll be curious to see if they call him up so that Jonah Cox can return to the Minors for some more seasoning, or if Cox is here to stay.

Third baseman Thomas Gavello hit 2-3 with a double and a walk, while second baseman Nate Furman (No. 39 CPL) went 2-7 with a walk, a sacrifice fly, and 0 strikeouts.

Catcher/left fielder Jesús Rodríguez (No. 16 CPL) is, unfortunately, still struggling, as he went 1-8 with a walk and 3 strikeouts. Despite hitting so well in AAA at the start of the season, the 24-year old has been unable to find a groove since getting optioned following his MLB debut. In 10 games with the River Cats since getting sent down, the righty is just 5-37 with 2 doubles, 2 walks, and 7 strikeouts. That’s brought him all the way down to a .712 OPS and a 90 wRC+ in AAA this year.

AA Richmond (41-21)

Friday: Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Harrisburg Senators 3-0 (5 innings) [box score]
Saturday: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Harrisburg Senators 7-6 [box score]
Sunday: Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Harrisburg Senators 5-4 (10 innings) [box score]

A bit of a funny weekend for Richmond. Weather limited them to just half a game on Friday, and then they walked it off in extra innings on Sunday following a true gift from Harrisburg: with 2 outs and the Manfred Man at second, the Senators intentionally walked Charlie Szykowny, hit Sabin Ceballos (No. 43 CPL) to load the bases, and then hit Maui Ahuna (No. 33 CPL) to end the game. Whatever works!

Friday’s short game cost RHP Trystan Vrieling a chance to go deep in his best game of the year. It hasn’t been the smoothest season for Vrieling, who was part of the Camilo Doval return a year ago, but Friday was a strong game. He pitched all 5 innings and gave up just 3 hits, 1 walk, and 0 runs, while striking out 5 batters. With only 62 pitches thrown (41 of which were strikes), it seems certain that Vrieling, whose season high this year is 5.1 innings, would come out for the 6th inning, and possibly even the 7th, had the game not been halted by the weather.

Still, no reason to bemoan the fact that a great performance wasn’t given the opportunity to be even greater. It was, indeed, a great performance by Vrieling, and a much-needed one given his recent performance — in his last 2 starts, he’d given up 9 earned runs, and 11 runs total, in just 5.1 innings, with only 1 strikeout. He must be feeling a bit better now! He’ll need a few more games like this to turn his season around, as he has a 4.50 ERA, a 5.54 FIP, and 35 walks in 50 innings.

On Sunday, LHP Cesar Perdomo was unable to build on his streak of spectacular starts, though he added to his stellar strikeout-to-walk ratio. Perdomo, who entered the game having allowed just 3 hits and 0 runs in 13 innings over his last 2 starts (with 22 strikeouts!), had a funny game: he only gave up 4 hits in 4 innings, but 3 of those hits were solo home runs. Bizarre! On the happier side, he struck out 5 and walked none … of the 41 Eastern League pitchers with at least 40 innings thrown this year, Perdomo is now 2nd in strikeouts per 9 (11.4), and 10th in walks per 9 (2.8). It’s been a fabulous season for him (3.59 ERA, 3.05 FIP), even with Sunday’s home runs … which were quite an anomaly given that he entered the game with just 1 big fly allowed.

In between, RHP Yunior Marte (No. 25 CPL) had a not very good outing, as he continues to try to adjust to the level. He gave up 8 hits (including a home run), 1 walk, and 4 runs in 4.2 innings, with 5 strikeouts. This was Marte’s 3rd start since getting promoted, and while his ERA is only 4.40, his FIP is 3.92, and he’s rocking 10.7 strikeouts per 9 innings, with just 2.5 walks. Add in the fact that he’s still a few months from his 23rd birthday, and it’s pretty clear that the future is bright for this kid, who came to the Giants in the Mike Yastrzemski trade last year. He’s definitely emerged as one of the better pitching prospects in the system.

Sunday’s game featured a trio of dynamic bullpen appearances: RHP Dylan Hecht, who has really been struggling lately, tossed a perfect inning with 2 strikeouts; LHP Dale Stanavich gave up a hit in 1.2 shutout innings with 3 strikeouts, and RHP Tyler Vogel worked around an error by catcher Ty Hanchey to toss 1.1 no-hit innings with 3 Ks. Hecht has a 10.08 ERA and an 8.00 FIP as he looks to turn his season around; Stanavich has a 3.60 ERA and a 4.04 FIP, but 11.4 strikeouts per 9; and Vogel has a 1.75 ERA but a 4.42 FIP, albeit with 11.6 strikeouts per 9.

A few good hitting performances. Right fielder/left fielder Jean Carlos Sio (No. 44 CPL) continues to fit in at his new level, as he hit 2-6 with a home run, a walk, and 3 strikeouts. In his first 5 games since getting promoted, Sio hit 4-19 with 0 extra-base hits and 0 walks; since then, he’s 5-14 with 3 home runs, 1 triple, and 2 walks. Fitting right in!

First baseman/third baseman Charlie Szykowny also had a strong weekend, hitting 3-10 with a home run, a double, a walk, a hit by pitch, and 3 strikeouts. It’s been impressive how strongly Szykowny has held stable in his numbers year-over-year, despite moving up a level. Despite those strong numbers, and despite his advanced age (he turns 26 at the end of the month), the Giants kept him in High-A for all of the 2025 season. With an .848 OPS, a 120 wRC+, and just a 17.4% strikeout rate this season, will he be handed the same fate in AA? Or will the Giants move him up to AAA Sacramento soon. They don’t have any top prospects blocking the corner infield positions, so hopefully Szykowny gets a chance to prove what he can do at the highest rank of the Minors. He has a sweet left-handed stroke that sure looks like it could play in the Majors.

Left fielder Jack Payton hit 3-4 with a home run, a walk, a sacrifice fly, and an outfield assist. What a weekend! A 24-year old utility player taken in the 11th round in 2023, Payton obliterated High-A for just over a week this year (after doing well there last year) before getting promoted to AA, but has been having a hard time adjusting to this level. He has just a .644 OPS and a 70 wRC+, but days like this show what he’s capable of!

As for the team’s top prospects, center fielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) had a decent weekend, hitting 3-10 with a double, 2 walks, and 4 strikeouts. Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL) hit just 1-10 with 2 walks, 5 strikeouts, an outfield assist, and a caught stealing. Funnily enough, with Richmond’s outfield sapped (Turner Hill and Scott Bandura are in AAA, while Jonah Cox is in the Majors), Harber moved from left field to center field for the first time in his career on Saturday, so that Davidson could DH.

High-A Eugene (41-22)

Friday: Eugene Emeralds beat Spokane 7-6 [box score]
Saturday: Eugene Emeralds lost to Spokane 11-2 [box score]
Sunday: Eugene Emeralds lost to Spokane 4-2 [box score]

A decent amount of dingers for the Emeralds, who had 5 across the weekend, despite losing 2 of their 3 games. That included a solo shot from center fielder/right fielder Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL), who had a dynamic weekend despite playing just 2 games, hitting 4-8 with a homer, a double, 2 walks, a stolen base, and 2 strikeouts.

Cohen, the organization’s 3rd-round pick last year, has really started to come into his own after taking some time to get started this season. After having a .707 OPS in April, the 22-year old lefty bumped that number up to .816 in May, and is sitting pretty with a 1.077 OPS in June. He’s currently riding a 14-game hitting streak, during which time the Rutgers product is 26-64 with 3 home runs (his first 3 home runs of the year), 7 doubles, 5 walks, and just 10 strikeouts. On the year, he has an .832 OPS, a 129 wRC+, and 22 stolen bases in 26 attempts … what once looked like a so-so year, now looks like a dynamic first full season of professional baseball.

Also starting the season slow but heating up in a big way is catcher Jancel Villarroel (No. 42 CPL), who hit 2-4 with a home run and a strikeout on Friday, though he went 0-4 with 2 strikeouts on Saturday, and rested on Sunday.

Villarroel, a 21-year old from Venezuela, missed the start of the season due to injury. Once healthy, he had a few so-so rehab games in the Complex League, and then struggled in his first week with Eugene. Since then he’s caught absolute fire, and has brought himself up to an .891 OPS and a 140 wRC+. When the Giants acquired Villarroel from the Houston Astros in the Kai-Wei Teng trade, he was touted as a contact-driven catcher, but he’s put some power on display with the Emeralds: he has a .216 isolated slugging percentage, and has hit 6 home runs through 28 games.

Right fielder/left fielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 32 CPL) had a tough weekend, hitting just 1-8 with 2 strikeouts, but he did hit his 9th home run of the year, as he continues to show off impressive power for his frame. Diaz, who only turns 21 next month, has never fully been able to put all the pieces together in the Minors, and usually hangs around league-average performance (this year he has a .715 OPS and an 84 wRC+). But there are always intriguing things in his profile, in addition to the quality corner outfield defense and the strong arm. For instance, he has a .213 isolated slugging percentage, and just a 17.5% strikeout rate. Hitting for power and limiting strikeouts, what more could you ask for? Well, despite that, he has just a .242 batting average and only a 5.2% walk rate. Things to work on, but a solid base.

And a pair of players having difficult seasons went deep: designated hitter Robert Hipwell went 1-7 with a solo home run, a walk, and 4 strikeouts, while third baseman Walker Martin hit 2-12 with a solo homer, a double, and 7 strikeouts. Both players are really struggling with contact this year: Hipwell, a 6th-round pick in 2023, has a terrifying 42.2% strikeout rate and just a .148 batting average, leading to a .621 OPS and an 86 wRC+ (numbers that are propped up by a hilarious 21.6% walk rate). Martin, a 2nd-round selection in 2023, has a 32.4% strikeout rate, leading to a .720 OPS and a 94 wRC+.

As for the players who didn’t homer, solid weekends from center fielder Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL) and first baseman/right fielder Jakob Christian (No. 40 CPL). Jordan went 3-8 with a double, a walk, 2 stolen bases, and a strikeout, bringing his OPS up to .787 and his wRC+ to 111, with 11 stolen bases in 13 attempts. Christian, who has had a funny season, hit 3-7 with a double and 5 (5!) walks. That brought him up to an .829 OPS and a 125 wRC+. Both players have so much ability and so much power, but need to cut down on the strikeouts as the season goes on (and nice weekends on that front for each).

Shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL) saw his hitting streak come to an end … he went 2-12 with a double, a walk, and a strikeout, but had a donut on Sunday, ending his streak of 10 straight games with a hit to begin his High-A career. Still and all, it’s an .843 OPS and a 132 wRC+ for the 19-year old since getting promoted, and it’s safe to say he’s adjusted to the Northwest League very, very well.

LHP Luis De La Torre (No. 14 CPL) took the mound on Friday, and while it wasn’t his best outing, it was once again a sign of how much electricity is in his arm, as he struck out 7 batters in just 5 innings. The rest of the outing wasn’t super smooth, with LDLT ceding 5 hits (including a home run), 2 walks, and 3 earned runs. Walks remain the main issue for De La Torre, as he’s allowing 6.5 per 9 innings … but he really is nearly unhittable when he’s in the zone, as he has 12.3 strikeouts per 9 innings, and has given up only 27 hits in 47 innings this year. In all, it’s a 3.83 ERA and a 4.19 FIP, and while those numbers won’t blow anyone away, they’re solid enough given how excellent the stuff under the hood is.

A so-so outing for LHP Jacob Bresnahan (No. 11 CPL) on Sunday, as he gave up just 3 hits and 1 walk in 5.1 innings, but 1 of the hits was a 2-run home run, and he only struck out 3. Bresnahan hasn’t really been able to find his footing at the new level, but he also got a late start due to injury, and is still a few days away from being able to legally drink.

Some good and some bad out of the bullpen. The worst of the worst came from RHP Austin Strickland who, after giving up 6 runs in 2 innings in his last outing, gave up 5 runs in 1 inning in this one. That’s how you bust an ERA, which is up to 9.13, with a 7.74 FIP.

But great relief appearances by RHPs Ryan Slater, Matt Dunaway, and Cole Hillier. Slater pitched a scoreless inning on Friday, with a hit and a strikeout, then a perfect frame on Sunday, with 2 Ks. The 18th-round pick in 2024, who just turned 24, has a delightful 18 strikeouts to 4 walks in 12.1 innings with Eugene this year.

Dunaway pitched a perfect inning with 2 strikeouts in his season debut for the Emeralds. He was signed as an undrafted free agent last year, and pitched briefly for Eugene, but started this year injured, and rehabbed in the ACL before returning to Eugene.

As for Hillier, he pounded the strike zone in his frame, throwing 15 of 20 pitches for strikes, while striking out the side. The only baserunner he allowed was a hit batter. It hasn’t been a very good season for the UDFA, so nice to see him have a dominant showing.

Low-A San Jose (37-26)

Friday: San Jose Giants beat the Stockton Ports 14-9 [box score]
Saturday: San Jose Giants beat the Stockton Ports 2-1 [box score]
Sunday: San Jose Giants lost to the Stockton Ports 7-1 [box score]

It wasn’t a great pitching weekend for the Baby Giants, but there was some important news for the Major League team, as LHP Matt Gage began his rehab assignment with San Jose. Gage started Saturday’s game and pitched well, allowing just a single in 1.2 shutout innings, with 2 strikeouts. He threw 23 pitches, 16 of which were strikes, and presumably won’t need too many more outings before he’s ready to return to San Francisco’s bullpen.

Other than that, there weren’t a lot of pitching performances to talk about. The rest of the Saturday pitching was nice, though. LHP Ricardo Estrada followed up Gage and was excellent, throwing 5.1 innings with just 4 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run allowed, while striking out 4. Estrada, a 2021 signing out of Mexico who is in his second stateside season, has slowly been turning his season around. His overall numbers aren’t very good (4.89 ERA, 5.83 FIP), but after giving up 13 earned runs in 10 innings in April, he’s allowed just 10 earned runs in 32.1 innings since.

Rounding out that game was RHP Cooper McGrath, who struck out 2 while pitching 2 perfect innings. Last year’s 18th-round pick has had a very difficult debut season, but it’s now back-to-back dominant showings for the Northeastern product.

The offense had a brilliant day on Friday, before falling back to earth for the rest of the weekend. The most surprising performance in that game belonged to left fielder Jose Astudillo, who stamped his Player of the Week case by hitting 2-5 with a home run. For Astudillo, a contact savant, it was his 3rd straight game with a home run … which came after just 1 home run in his 1st 131 career games. Go figure!

Astudillo, a 22-year old from Venezuela, hit 1-7 with a double, a hit by pitch, and 2 strikeouts in the other games this weekend, and now has an .847 OPS and a 110 wRC+. His strikeout rate in San Jose is a tiny 6.2%.

The best day on Friday, however, belonged to right fielder Cam Maldonado (No. 34 CPL). Last year’s 6th-round pick has had a few games this year where he plays like a superstar, and this was one of them, as the righty hit 4-5 with 2 home runs, a triple, a walk, and 4 runs batted in. My goodness what a day!

Maldonado didn’t hit a home run in his 1st 26 games with San Jose — 17 last year after draft day, and 9 to start this season. But in 38 games since, he has a whopping 11 big flies, which has given him an .882 OPS and a 111 wRC+. He’s hitting for average and for power, and while his strikeout rate isn’t great (24.3%), it’s not terrible, either. Add in some strong defense and 13 stolen bases, and his profile is looking quite delightful.

Second baseman Isaiah Barkett also got in on the fun, hitting 3-6 with a solo blast and a double on Friday, though he went 0-5 on Saturday and didn’t play on Sunday. Last year’s 10th-round pick has really had an under-the-radar season, as he’s been fantastic in his debut, posting an .886 OPS and a 123 wRC+. He doesn’t have a ton of power, but he certainly has some, and “some” is all you need when you have a .332 batting average and just an 8.0% strikeout rate. The righty also has some quality defense at second base, and plays third as well.

Also having nice weekends were first baseman Jeremiah Jenkins and corner outfielder Broedy Poppell. Jenkins went 4-12 with 4 doubles, 1 walk, and 4 strikeouts, while Poppell hit 3-7 with a home run, a double, and a strikeout. Jenkins, a 14th-round pick in 2014, has an .847 OPS and a 116 wRC+, albeit with a 32.9% strikeout rate; Poppell, last year’s 13th-rounder, has a .717 OPS and an 82 wRC+.

Arizona Complex League (16-15)

Friday: ACL Giants beat the ACL D-backs 7-2 (7 innings) [box score]
Saturday: ACL Giants beat the ACL Athletics 6-3 (7 innings) [box score]
Monday: ACL Giants beat the ACL Guardians 3-2 [box score]

The big news of the weekend came in Arizona, where Reggie Crawford made his surprise return. It seems no one knew that Crawford, the team’s 1st-round pick in 2022, was going to suit up anytime soon … and then he shocked everyone by showing up in the box score. And not just showing up, but showing up as a hitter.

It’s not entirely clear what the plan here is. Crawford, who was drafted as a two-way player but fairly quickly converted to just being a pitcher, is currently undergoing rehab from a second consecutive shoulder surgery, and hasn’t pitched in almost exactly 2 years. I assumed that the Giants were just giving Crawford some time hitting to keep his competitive juices flowing, and reward him for all the rehab work, which is thankless. And indeed, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic reported that the Giants are still hoping to get him on the mound sometime in the next few months.

But in an article published by the Mercury News, Justice delos Santos quoted farm director Kyle Haines as saying, “At some point, we said, ‘Hey, this is not good on him and it’s not good on us to keep having setback after setback pitching.’ We just couldn’t get over humps. He kind of stayed active (hitting), like all of us stay active with our golf swing. He was kind of just twirling around with the bat. Then, finally, we said a month ago or so, let’s just start to hit and focus on hitting.”

So it’s not quite clear whether Crawford is a hitter now, or if he’s a hitter while he waits to pitch again, or if he’s a hitter in case he can’t pitch again.

One thing that is clear, however, is that he still has his swing, as he made his years-in-the-making return to the batter’s box on Friday and smashed a mighty impressive home run. In total, Crawford went 1-5 over the weekend with 3 strikeouts, though he drew 2 walks.

For what it’s worth, while Haines said that Crawford hasn’t been able to get over the hump as a pitcher, he did note that the superb athlete is making strong throws from first base, he just can’t get to that next level of throwing. So I expect that we’ll see Crawford playing in the field at some point over the next few weeks.

As for the other hitters, shortstop Luis Hernández (No. 6 CPL) had a modest weekend, hitting 3-7 with a walk, a strikeout, and a caught stealing, and it speaks to how well the 17-year old has taken to professional baseball that a .500 on-base percentage for the weekend feels modest.

Jose Ramos had a nice weekend while showing off his versatility: he played second, third, and left field, and hit 5-11 with a double, 2 walks, a stolen base, and 3 strikeouts. Ramos, who has an .828 OPS and a 122 wRC+, has always shown some interesting things, but has struggled at higher levels. We’ll see how he does when he gets assigned to an A-ball team soon … he missed the start of the season due to injury, and is rehabbing in the ACL. He’ll likely be in High-A Eugene, though maybe he’ll be in Low-A San Jose instead.

On the pitching front, the highest profile player really struggled, as LHP Carlos De La Rosa (No. 30 CPL) only made it through 2 innings on Saturday, while allowing 5 hits, 1 walk, and 3 runs, and striking out just 1 batter. After really opening eyes in the DSL last year — both with the Yankees and when he came to the Giants in the Camilo Doval trade — De La Rosa has struggled to acclimate to the ACL. The 18-year old from the DR has just an 8.34 ERA and a 5.13 FIP, though he also has 9.9 strikeouts per 9 innings, and a 46.4% ground ball rate.

There were a few really good pitching performances, though, especially out of the bullpen. In particular, RHPs Jose T. Perez and Melvin Pineda really shined. Perez, a 22-year old from the DR, struck out 5 batter in 2.1 no-hit innings, while allowing just a walk. Pineda, a 22-year old from Venezuela, struck out 5 in 2 scoreless frames, with just a hit. Strikeouts have been huge for each player this year: Perez has really struggled between the ACL and Low-A, and is walking more than a batter per inning, but also has 33 strikeouts in just 20.2 innings. Pineda, similarly, has almost exactly a walk per inning between the ACL and Low-A, but has a staggering 43 strikeouts in 22.2 innings. There’s something in there with both players.

Dominican Summer League Black (6-5)

Saturday: DSL Giants Black lost to DSL Arizona Red 5-3 (7 innings) [box score]
Monday: DSL Giants Black lost to the DSL Angels 7-6 [box score]

There was a shining star for the DSL Giants in their pair of losses: shortstop Keiberg Camacaro. The 19-year old Venezuelan, who is in his 4th DSL season, was a star in both games: on Saturday, he hit 2-3 and smacked his 1st home run of the year. On Monday, he one-upped himself by hitting 4-5 with his 2nd home run of the year, while also stealing a base. What a string of games!

Camacaro, whose little brother Alexander is his teammate, has an 1.164 OPS and a 171 wRC+ through 11 games, and already has 8 stolen bases. Most impressively, after struggling with strikeouts in his 1st 3 seasons, he has just a 10.6% rate this year. If he keeps this up, the right-hander will almost surely get a taste of stateside ball in 2027.

RHP Randry De Leon had an interesting start on Monday. He gave up 4 hits, 2 home runs, 1 walk, and 4 runs in just 4 innings, but he also struck out 7 batters. This is the 4th DSL season for the 20-year old from the DR, and unfortunately it hasn’t been a particularly good year for him.

LHP Edwin Reynoso had a nice game on Saturday, striking out 2 batters in 2 shutout innings, with just 1 hit. In his debut last year, Reynoso had just 10 strikeouts in 13 innings … and 18 walks. So he’ll be hoping to rebound from that.

Dominican Summer League Orange (7-4)

Friday: DSL Giants Orange beat the DSL Cubs Blue 6-4 [box score]
Saturday: DSL Giants Orange lost to the DSL Tigers 2, 3-2 (7 innings) [box score]
Monday: DSL Giants Orange lost to the DSL Mariners 10-1 [box score]

A pair of players homered for the Giants Orange squad. On Friday it was center fielder Jose Valdez, a 17-year old from Venezuela who is in his debut season. The left-handed hitter only went 2-12 over the weekend, but smacked a solo home run and drew a walk, while striking out 4 times. He only has a .760 OPS and an 83 wRC+, but he also only turned 17 in March.

On Saturday it was third baseman Jeyson Moya, a 19-year old in his 3rd season. Moya only played once over the weekend but had a great game, hitting 2-2 with a solo shot, a double, and a walk. Moya is being slow-played this year, after really struggling in his 1st 2 seasons.

A pair of really nice pitching performances to highlight, from RHPs Jose Trevizo and Kendry Castro. Trevizo, an 18-year old from Mexico, pitched 2.1 shutout innings with 1 hit, 0 walks, and 3 strikeouts, while Castro, a 19-year old from the DR, threw 2 perfect innings with 3 strikeouts. Trevizo has a delightful 8 strikeouts to just 1 walk in 6.2 innings this year, his 2nd season. Castro, who is in his 3rd season and struggled in the 1st 2, has 4 strikeouts and 0 walks in 3 innings this season.

---

Home run tracker

11 — Cam Maldonado — [Low-A]
9 — Charlie Szykowny — [AA]
9 — Lisbel Diaz — [High-A]
8 — Jean Carlos Sio — [3 in AA; 4 in High-A; 1 in ACL]
8 — Walker Martin — [High-A]
6 — Jancel Villarroel — [High-A]
5 — Broedy Poppell — [Low-A]
4 — Jack Payton — [2 in AA; 2 in High-A]
4 — Isaiah Barkett — [Low-A]
3 — Trevor Cohen — [High-A]
3 — Jose Astudillo — [Low-A]
2 — Robert Hipwell — [High-A]
2 — Keiberg Camacaro — [DSL]
2 — Jose Valdez — [DSL]
1 — Reggie Crawford — [ACL]
1 — Jeyson Moya — [DSL]

Guess who’s back. After throwing a live BP session on Monday, Justin Verlander has been announced as the Detroit Tigers starting pitcher for Sunday’s game against the Chicago White Sox. Keider Montero will be moved to the bullpen to open a spot in the starting rotation.

Hopefully Verlander showed better stuff in his bullpen session than he has in starts at the Triple-A level. He was absolutely shelled in his last start against the St. Paul Saints. Still, once he started making rehab starts and recovering from them without any ill effects to his injured left hip, the clock was ticking to reinstate the longtime ace and future Hall of Famer.

The choice of Montero to the bullpen is a little strange, however. The most durable pitcher in the Tigers’ organization over the past four years, Montero has already made 13 starts this season, averaging six innings per start and producing a 3.61 ERA/4.00 FIP combination.

The more obvious choice would seem to be Troy Melton to the pen. Montero has a good changeup and a five pitch mix that he’s commanded very well. He does have a lot more trouble with left-handed hitters and should thrive in the bullpen, but the same is even more true in Melton’s case, and his splitter is still mostly a show-me pitch that he doesn’t command with consistent authority.

Ultimately, this may not matter that much as who knows what Verlander might have to offer at this point. It may be a fairly short-lived experiment. However, Melton throwing 99 mph out of the pen and leaning into his cutter and slider combination makes him a pretty lethal relief arm. Sitting mid-90’s as a starter his fourseamer is fairly vulnerable. In either case the two young right-handers don’t really get enough whiffs to really dominate as of yet. It’s just peculiar that Montero’s consistently solid track record in a starting role the past three season doesn’t earn him the nod. Still, he should be able to sit 96-98 mph in a relief role and will be a big help to a bullpen that has struggled to hold leads this season.

Things will get even more complicated when Jack Flaherty returns from his ankle injury, which sounds minor and likely to only keep him out until June 27, when he’s eligible to return from the 15-day IL. Flaherty shouldn’t be taking starts from Melton or Montero either, but they’ll cross that bridge when they get to it.

For now, the home crowd will finally get a look at Justin Verlander back in Comerica Park in a Tigers’ uniform. Let’s hope he’s up to the task. The Tigers are in no position to let nostalgia rule their decision-making, and if Verlander struggles and continues to get chances, things are going to get ugly. It’s hard not to hope where Justin Verlander is concerned. He’s been written off as washed up before and returned to surprise critics. We’ll see if he’s got another resurgence left in the tank.

Must-see JV. pic.twitter.com/mHZdao45KR

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) June 16, 2026

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers play their final home weekday day game of the regular season in Wednesday’s series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays, with a 12:10 p.m. start at Dodger Stadium.

Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to start on the mound, taking a sparkling 1.06 ERA — and 2.63 xERA, fourth in MLB among pitchers with at least 60 innings — through 11 starts into Wednesday’s game. But it’s all contingent on how his left knee feels after leaving last Thursday’s game in Pittsburgh with inflammation. Ohtani sat on Friday in Chicago, but played the next three games as designated hitter and starts Tuesday at DH as well.

Ohtani threw a bullpen session on Tuesday as a last checkup before his Wednesday start.

“We’re certainly mindful that he wants to make his start,” manager Dave Roberts said. “The catch play, how he feels, the swelling has completely dissipated, so those signs give us confidence that he’s going to be fine.”

Left-hander Shane McClanahan starts for the Rays, with a solod 3.23 ERA and 3.71 xERA through 13 starts after missing the previous two seasons after Tommy John surgery and a triceps nerve injury. Tommy Edman, who was activated off the injured list Tuesday, is expected to start at third base on Wednesday.

Wednesday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Rays
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Time: 12:10 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA, MLB Network (out of network)
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

I’m writing this right now as I watch the venerable and capable grounds crew for the Atlanta Braes try to get the field back in playing condition after starting the game on time in the midst of a steady downpour. With that being said, there’s a pretty serious question to ask when it comes to whether or not this game should’ve been pushed back or not.

Sure, we got to see Drake Baldwin crush one into Chattahoochee Falls out there in dead center field but at the same time, the Braves ended up losing Michael Harris II due to injury for at least the rest of the game and Grant Holmes had an absolute devil of a time trying to pitch two innings in those conditions. He already has more than his fair share of issues getting through the second time through the order, so having him pitch in these conditions for his first trip through the order was certainly a choice.

Now, we’re in the midst of a rain delay that isn’t officially a rain delay as the grounds crew attempts to dry out the infield. The obvious question now is whether or not they should’ve simply put the tarp on and started this game under a rain delay. They’ve done it before — I was at the ballpark as a fan for that series finale against the Nationals where they started the game half an hour late despite the fact that there was no rain coming down. So why didn’t that happen today?

My only guess is that they figured that the weather would’ve dried up by 8:00 p.m. ET so they figured it wouldn’t have hurt to get through the light rain. Well, you can’t predict the weather just like you can’t predict baseball, so the rain actually started coming down harder than it had at any point all day right as the game began.

So the decision to start the game in the midst of a downpour was a confusing one for sure considering what they’ve done in the past. I can understand why the Braves figured they could pull it off but in this case, a preemptive rain delay may have been the best idea both in hindsight and in practice.

Anyways, sit tight while we wait for this game to get back underway.

UPDATE [8:40 p.m. ET]: The bases aren’t on the field. The ump isn’t on the field. We don’t have any more updates for you, though.

UPDATE [9:40 p.m. ET]: Still no word from the Braves on a potential re-start time. The tarps are on the mound and the home plate. Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd the tarp has now gone onto the whole field. I think they’re going to bang this.

Last night, the Athletics returned to Sutter Health Park with a bang, bashing three home runs in an 11-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. A’s first baseman Nick Kurtz hit two more long balls as he continued his torrid month at the plate. Meanwhile, J.T. Ginn delivered a dominant outing on the mound.

Your daily reminder to vote 🗳️#VoteAthletics | https://t.co/SBezYOtGtGpic.twitter.com/8EBds4qQ27

— Athletics (@Athletics) June 16, 2026

If the A’s secure their second straight win, they will move above .500 and clinch a third straight series victory over a National League opponent.

Right-hander Jack Perkins will make his third start since joining the A’s rotation, but his first in West Sacramento. Through 19 appearances, Perkins is 2-3 with a 6.25 ERA, a 1.36 WHIP and 43 strikeouts over 36 innings pitched. The 26-year-0ld has labored through four innings in each of his first two starts. In his last outing against the Milwaukee Brewers, he received a no-decision after allowing three runs on five hits and three walks.

Tonight, in his first career start against the Pirates, the A’s will be looking for more efficiency from Perkins, who is now stretched out and will hopefully work at least five innings if all goes well. The right-hander has the arsenal and ability to succeed as a starter, yet has bounced between the rotation and the bullpen through his first 31 MLB games. A quality outing would go a long way toward Perkins proving he belongs in the rotation. A third consecutive shaky outing, however, could move him back to the bullpen, where he has recorded three saves this season.

Now onto the starting lineup. Here’s how manager Mark Kotsay decided to order things up today:

let's run it back 🔄 pic.twitter.com/x4cWMLz3fK

— Athletics (@Athletics) June 16, 2026

The Athletics are sticking with the same starting nine for the middle game of this interleague series. Shortstop Jacob Wilson remains in the cleanup spot, even if it may not be the ideal fit for his skillset. If he collects a hit, third baseman Zack Gelof will extend his MLB-best hitting streak to 20 games. Second baseman Jeff McNeil broke out yesterday with three hits and four RBIs. The A’s will be counting on him to stay productive as they look to build on that 11-run outburst.

Will right fielder Lawrence Butler finally get his batting average over .200 this evening? Should Kotsay have switched things up or is it the right call to roll with the same group that had success last night?

Those bats will be facing Pirates’ right-hander Mitch Keller, who enters his 15th start with a 5-4 record, a 5.14 ERA, a 1.31 WHIP and 58 strikeouts over 77 innings.

The 30-year-old has struggled over his last few starts, allowing 31 runs in his last 36 innings of work, good for a 7.75 ERA. He received the loss in his last outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers after surrendering five runs on seven hits across four innings. Keller enters tonight 0–3 with a 7.04 ERA and 12 strikeouts in three previous career appearances against the A’s.

Despite his recent struggles, Keller remains a talented pitcher, and the A’s offense will need to take advantage of any mistakes he makes. Hitters like Kurtz, Butler and left fielder Tyler Soderstrom cannot afford to be passive, especially with the Pirates’ offense likely to generate runs against Perkins and the Athletics’ bullpen.

The Pirates’ lineup looks like this:

74/162.

📺: @SNPittsburgh
📻: @937TheFanpic.twitter.com/uGVrnvMweC

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 16, 2026

Like the A’s, the Pirates are rolling with nearly the same lineup that took the field yesterday. The lone change is Jared Triolo at shortstop, which prompts a couple of his teammates to move to different positions.

The A’s did a good job of quieting Pittsburgh’s bats in the series opener game of the series, but the Pirates will be looking to flip the script and score more runs in an effort to force a rubber game tomorrow.

Time to wrap the series up and earn another win in Sactown. Let’s go A’s!

Follow the Game:
Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA

Listen:
Athletics – Talk 650 KSTE, A’s Cast

If you took a look at Tuesday’s Mariners lineup and did a double take, you can be forgiven. J.P. Crawford and Cal Raleigh have returned to the lineup, both activated off the IL today, but the Mariners are still down some players, with Randy Arozarena and Josh Naylor both battling some minor injuries. Luke Raley is also out of tonight’s lineup with back tightness.

UPDATE, 5:40 PT: Justin Hollander just stopped by the media workroom to announce that Randy Arozarena’s MRI showed more inflammation than they expected, and he’ll go to the 10-day IL. Connor Joe has been pulled from Tacoma’s lineup but as Tacoma is away (Salt Lake), the organization is summoning Curtis Washington Jr. from Everett, who are at home today, in order to cover the short bench. It’s a bummer to lose Arozarena, who has been one of the team’s most productive hitters, for any amount of time, but what a cool moment for Washington, who has been a long-term minor-league grinder for the Mariners and is one of the nicest guys in the organization, consistently winning community service awards from the team.

Arozarena is still sidelined with the hamstring injury he sustained while attempting to beat out a grounder to first base; Justin Hollander describes him as day-to-day, but says Arozarena will have an MRI today to make sure there’s nothing more serious at play. Naylor is dealing with a bruised shin, but according to Hollander what’s really keeping him out is a sore wrist. He is also day-to-day.

Meanwhile, the team is still without Brendan Donovan, who has returned to Seattle from the Mariners’ complex in Arizona to begin a running progression, as well as continuing to do baseball activities like hitting, throwing, taking ground balls, all things he was doing in Arizona. The running progression will begin linear, running in a straight line, and then progress to base running and lateral movement over the next week. Hollander says he expects the running progression to take 10 days to two weeks, maybe more towards the later end of that timeline as the running piece is the piece the team is most concerned about given the nature of Donovan’s injury. Hollander added that the expectation is for Donovan to be much more “multi-positional” than he was prior to the injury, playing all over the field including the outfield.

Donovan’s one-time replacement, Will Wilson, has also hit a snag in his rehab process and is being pulled from his rehab assignment. Wilson, who has been on the IL since May 2 with a fractured thumb, will visit with one of the team doctors over the next couple days and if the team doesn’t think his injury is progressing, he’ll have season-ending surgery.

Rob Refsnyder’s knee is still an issue, but is better enough that he’s come off the daily injury report. There will be no IL stint for him at this time.

The pitching isn’t as beaten-up as the position player side, but the Mariners suffered two significant losses to the bullpen on their road trip. Cooper Criswell has a pec strain that Hollander describes as a grade of “one, one-plus”; he will be down three to four weeks before getting another MRI and then build back up from there depending on what the MRI shows, putting him back after the All-Star Break at the earliest. Matt Brash’s lat strain isn’t in the same area it was last time – it’s higher up, which creates concerns about the strain impacting his shoulder, and also lengthens the timeline for his return. Per Hollander, “more showed up on the MRI this time,” but he still describes it as a grade one strain. Similar to Criswell, he’ll be down for a few weeks before being re-imaged. Hollander said to treat Brash’s return like a “trade deadline upgrade.”

In better bullpen news, Carlos Vargas, who had a similar injury to Brash, has begun a throwing program. Vargas’s rehab has been a complicated one; he’s currently on track to return around the same time as Brash and Criswell.

“I’ve really never seen anything like this on the position player side,” said Hollander. “Every day feels like a little bit of a juggling act.”

Today that juggling act will see the recently-activated J.P. Crawford make his first start at third base since September of 2018, when he played third base in a Mets-Phillies game but was pinch-hit for in the sixth inning. He’ll join Cal Raleigh, who gets the start behind the dish.

In order to make room for the returning veterans, Patrick Wisdom and Jhonny Pereda were both optioned to Triple-A. It’s a tough break for Pereda, who made a strong impression during the time he was with the club, but is squeezed out of a roster spot with the two other catchers. “The quality of his at-bat was unbelievable,” said Hollander. “He was fantastic. He’ll be back.”

Detroit Tigers (30-42) vs. Houston Astros (33-41)

Time/Place: 8:10 p.m., Daikin Park
SB Nation Site: The Crawfish Boxes
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: LHP Framber Valdez (3-5, 4.40 ERA) vs. RHP Hunter Brown (1-0, 0.84 ERA)

Player	G	IP	K%	BB%	GB%	FIP	fWAR
Valdez	14	77.2	17.9	8.5	49.6	4.47	0.6
Brown	2	10.2	39.5	14.0	50.0	1.60	0.5