Category: MLB

Roc Riggio (No. 13 PuRP) joined the Rockies organization as part of the Jake Bird trade with the New York Yankees at the 2025 deadline. The 24-year-old infielder was drafted in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB draft out of Oklahoma State and moved his way up the Yankees’ system, maxing out in Double-A before being traded.

Riggio spent the second half of 2025 with the Hartford Yard Goats, where he slashed. 256/.346/.389, including six doubles, two home runs, 14 RBI, 13 runs scored, 14 walks and eight stolen bases in 12 attempts.

Making adjustments

At the beginning of 2026, Riggio repeated in Hartford where he spent April getting acclimated but took off in May.

“I started off really slow – I started off two for the my first 33 on the season, and I was struggling with the bat – and the hardest part of that was that I felt good,” Riggio recalled. “I felt good mentally and I felt good physically, so just being able to make my day-to-day adjustments has been a blessing but also the hardest part of my season.”

He also noted that this has been his first full year of professional baseball, as he’s dealt with injuries for the last three seasons.

He’s also made some adjustments that helped him perform well in Hartford as well as in Albuquerque after he was promoted on August 12th. In 23 games with the Isotopes, Riggio is slashing .297/.359/.527 with three doubles, six home runs, 18 RBI, 13 runs scored, nine walks, and one stolen base.

And he credits that to the coaches he’s worked with this year.

“I’ve worked with a handful of people this year – (Yard Goats hitting coach) Zach Osborne, (ACL hitting coach) MJ Rookard, (Rockies hitting coordinator) Nic Wilson, (Isotopes hitting coach) Matt Snyder, my former teammate Mike Antico – and there’s been a lot of adjustments that had to be made, but they’re very minor adjustments,” he said.

“We’ve just been trying to be a little more patient in the box, a little more picky with what I’m doing, and then mechanically just trying to stay consistent every day. And we’ve been tinkering the whole year to get to that consistency.”

And all of that consistency led to Riggio being named Rockies Organizational Player of the Month for July.

“It was cool,” he said of the win. “I just show up every day, and I try to be present, and I try to be here through my teammates. I try to push everyone by doing my best every day and working my hardest every day. I look every year to the year, and I got an awesome award that I wasn’t expecting, anticipating or waiting for. And that’s just another blessing from God.”

Another adjustment Riggio has had to make since 2025 is getting used to playing at altitude — something the Tarzana, California, native hadn’t dealt with much with before.

“I’ll tell you what – my first time I had to go first to third on a base hit, I got to third base, and I could hardly breathe. The altitude’s no joke,” he chuckled.

“You’ve definitely got to be in good shape. You’ve got to get used to the dry air, and I think that surprised me a little bit. I was a little bit out of gas on my first full sprint, but the ball does move a little bit differently up here. It travels a little bit differently up here, so those are minor adjustments that are still being made right now.”

Season highlights

Riggio has had a lot of highlights this season, including Hartford winning the first half and playing in the WBC exhibition game as part of Team USA during spring training.

“It was great. I mean, that team was like playing for the modern-day Avengers,” he laughed. “And to see how those guys go about their business – how they handle their success, how they handle their failure – it’s just another blessing.

“I got to play with a couple of those guys – I got to spend some (time) training with Aaron Judge and Paul Goldschmidt. I played on Team USA with Pete Crow-Armsgrong. I know Roman Anthony very well,” he continued. “So I knew a handful of those guys, which was cool. So I went in there and I felt comfortable. I didn’t feel like a foreigner. And it’s amazing because those (guys) are the best of the best, and they all treat everyone with the same utmost respect.”

And with Hartford, he said they knew early that they had a good crew capable of doing great things.

“I think the highlight of my season probably is when we clinched the playoffs in Hartford,” Riggio said.

“That was such a fun moment. We had a really great group of guys down there, and we set out at the beginning of the year. We were like, ‘Hey, we’re going to do something special this year. We’re going to go win something.’ And we clinched in the first half, and obviously I’m not there anymore, but I wish them the best of luck. But that was the funnest moment of my season for sure.”

Full-circle moments and looking ahead

At Oklahoma State University, he was able to learn from Rockies legend Matt Holliday.

“When I went on my visit (during) my sophomore year of high school, I went on a visit to Oklahoma State, and Matt Holliday was there on my visit,” Riggio recalled. “He ended up basically doing the whole visit with me, and then I got to spend two years there. And Matt put on a Bible study every Sunday night at his house that we had a lot of baseball players go to. And now leading to (the) current day, his wife, Leslie – who’s been a big part of my journey as well – is going to officiate (my) wedding coming up. So we have a really good relationship with the Holliday family.”

Riggio was also able to share the field with Ethan Holliday during the WBC exhibition, which was a fun moment for him.

Looking ahead, Riggio will be getting married in the offseason. But he’s also already looking forward to hitting the ground running for the 2027 season.

“I love this game,” he said. “I’ve played this game the whole entire year now, so come September 22nd, I’m hitting the ground running. I’m not stopping. I’m excited to get home. I’m excited to hit the cage. I’m excited to take ground balls. I’m excited to field. I’m excited to do everything. I’m excited to get stronger, get better, and come back a better version of me next year.”

Weekly Pebble Report: September 8th-13th

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes (4-2, 32-37 overall)

⬆️ Stock Up: Jake Brooks

After coming to the Rockies in the Bradley Blalock trade, Jake Brooks has been making a name for himself. This week was no different, as Brooks pitched twice and allowed just two runs (one earned) across 12 innings against the Reno Aces (Diamondbacks). He started the game on September 8th, pitching six scoreless innings with just two hits, two walks and a strikeout in the 3-2 victory. On September 13th, he came out of the bullpen behind José Quintana and Patrick Weigel, but once against pitched six innings while allowing only two runs (one earned) on three hits with four strikeouts in the 10-5 rout.

Brooks had a bit of a rough stretch from July 23rd-August 9th, but since August 15th, he has not allowed more than three runs and has gone 6+ innings in five of his six appearances since then (he went 5.2 on August 27th).

⬆️ Stock Up: Sterlin Thompson

Sterlin Thompson (No. 16 PuRP) went 10-for-28 (.357) in six games against the Reno Aces. He also recorded two doubles, three home runs, eight runs scored, six RBI, three walks and only struck out three times (and also no more than once in a singular game). He had two three-hit games this week, which also both featured a home run. On Sunday, he went 3-for-4 with a double, a homer, one run scored and three RBI in the 10-5 victory.

He is slashing .429/.520/.762 in September and .331/.476/.528 overall in Albuquerque in 2026. In 27 games at the big league level, Thompson hit .232/.312/.377 with four doubles, two home runs, 10 RBI, seven runs scored, five walks and 21 strikeouts.

Upcoming

The Isotopes play their final week of games at home against the Salt Lake Bees (Angels).

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats (1-2)

⬆️ Stock Up: Jack O’Dowd

Jack O’Dowd had an excellent final homestand of the regular season against the Somerset Patriots (Yankees). The catcher played in five games and went 5-f0r-15 (.333) with two RBI, three walks and five strikeouts. He also stole a base. After a meteoric rise through the Rockies’ system, O’Dowd was also recently named to the Arizona Fall League.

Across all three levels, he hit .307/.383/.564 with 30 doubles, two triples, 23 home runs, 61 runs scored, 91 RBI, 49 walks, 107 strikeouts and four stolen bases in 107 total games.

In Hartford specifically, O’Dowd played 51 games and hit .254/.333/.434 with 13 doubles, seven home runs, 18 runs scored, 28 RBI, 20 walks, 63 strikeouts and three stolen bases.

⬆️ Stock Up: Cade Denton

Cade Denton made one final appearance in bulk relief this weekend, throwing 4.1 innings against the Patriots and only allowing one run on two hits with a walk and five strikeouts. This comes on the heels of his outing against the Reading Fightin’ Phils (Phillies) where he threw 5.1 scoreless innings with just three hits, a hit batter, a walk and three strikeouts.

Denton has worked primarily as a bulk reliever in the second half of the season, only pitching a single inning one time since June 20th. Eight of his last 10 outings have featured three or more innings of work. Overall in Hartford, Denton made 40 appearances (3 starts) and posted a 4-8 record with a 4.74 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP.

Upcoming

The Yard Goats will face the Reading Fightin’ Phils for the Northeast Division Championship starting tonight in hopes of playing the Eastern League Championship Series next week.

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Inspiration.

This season, many Diamondbacks were injured.  Some of them performed very well.  Next season, assuming they avoid injury, these high performers will play in more games.  By playing more games, they will make the team better, perhaps pushing the team into solid playoff contention.  Which of these players will make the most impact fromincreased playing time?

Before continuing, honorable mention to Zac Gallen (ERA+ of 67), who will be a free agent and next season he will improve the team by playing zero games for the Diamondbacks. 

Also, honorable mention to Geraldo Perdomo whose batting breakout in August shows potential for increased performance next season.

Two Mighty Outfielders.

The Diamondbacks have lost two outfielders (Jake McCarthy and Alek Thomas). 

Outfielder Jake McCarthy was traded away before the 2026 season.  This season, the Diamondbacks miss his .822 OPS. 

Alek Thomas was traded to the Dodgers.  Although this season his OPS was .563 with the Diamondbacks and .513 with the Dodgers, there were high expectations for his batting to improve dramatically.

Ryan Waldschmidt. Ryan Waldschmidt is young (23 years old).  This season was his MLB debut.  He is a “5 tool player, 25/25 threat, good CF,…” per Diamondbacks Prospects.

His defense is very good in left field and center field.  Details are in the following table (Data from The Fielding Bible and Baseball Savant):

In August & September (games thru 12 September) his OPS was .724 when he played left field (league average for left fielders was .716).  His OPS when he played center field was .478, so perhaps left field should be his everyday position.

He hit walk-off homers on 7 and 25 August.  That was record breaking.

• First Diamondback rookie to pinch hit a walk off homer.
• First MLB rookie to hit two walk-off homers while training in the same calendar month.

“Everyone wants to get the opportunity to be the hero and have a chance to win it for their team, and I think just being able to go in with a pretty relaxed mentality about it, not trying to put too much pressure on myself to obviously come up in those big moments. I think that’s just how the game falls sometimes, and the game’s going to find you, especially as a young guy, and you’re going to get those opportunities.” — Ryan Waldschmidt on his mindset.

Next season, Waldschmidt’s playing time will likely go up by at least 45%, contributing to a better Diamondbacks team next season.

Nootbaar. While not as young as Waldschmidt, Nootbaar is relatively young at 29 years old.   The Diamondbacks acquired him at the trade deadline.  Next season will be his last in arbitration before he becomes a free agent. 

His defense is slightly above average, but falls short of Waldschmidt.  For example, Fielding run value is 2 (Range 1, and Arm 1) instead of Waldschmidt’s 4.

This season, his OPS was .688 with the Cardinals and .765 with the Diamondbacks.  Nootbaar bats left-handed, which adds value to the Diamondbacks. 

Three Mighty Starting Pitchers.

Burnes.  He won the Cy Young award in 2021.  He is under contract through 2030.

He missed most of 2026 while recovering from Tommy John surgery.  Then a teres major shoulder strain delayed his return. 

Next season, I’m confident he will anchor the rotation.

Pfaadt.  He is under contract through 2030.  This season he has started and been a reliever.  His high potential is shown by his 1.15 ERA for his nine starts between 30 June and 14 August.  For the entire season, his ERA+ was 111.

Ryne Nelson.  His arbitration with the Diamondbacks lasts two more seasons.  Last season his ERA+ was 125.  Fans expressed the opinion that he will be the most valuable pitcher this season.  With an 85 ERA+ this season, it is not much of a stretch to say he that next season he will bounce back to last season’s performance.

Two Mighty Relievers.

The bullpen was better this season than it has been for years.  The Diamondbacks have finally figured it out!  Beyond that, there are two relievers who performed well this season, and are expected to pitch in more games next season.

Dennis Santana.  He was acquired on a minor league contract.  Reasons that he might be called up were considered in an AZ SnakePit article.  Five days after that article, he was called up.

His performance as a Diamondbacks was incredible!  Pre-trade with the Pirates, his 74 ERA+ was poor.  Post-trade with the Diamondbacks, his 482 ERA+ showed a remarkable performance breakout!

Justin Martinez.  His fastball frequently tops 102 MPH.  this season his average four-seam fastball was 101.5 MPH and his average sinker was 101.6 MPH. He missed most of this season recovering from Tommy John Surgery. 

Top Level View.

The following table shows the increased games and a subjective level of performance next season (Data from Baseball Reference):

Summary.

Seven players could have great performances next season, and will likely play more games next season compared to this season.  That would have a positive impact on next season. The players follow:

Waldschmidt

Nootbaar

Burnes

Pfaadt

Nelson

Dennis Santana

Justin Martinez

Eight Mets prospects will be participating in the Arizona Fall League, including a few players who were acquired in trade deadline deals last month.

The AFL, which starts play in October, features some of the best prospects in baseball and serves as a way for young players to get additional development following the conclusion of the minor league season. 

Here are the Mets who will be participating, along with their ranking on SNY's top 30 list:

1B Cole Mathis (No. 17)
INF Bruin Agbayani (No. 25)
INF Boston Baro
RHP Irving Cota
RHP Brendan Girton
RHP Ryan Lambert
RHP Peyton Prescott
RHP Calvin Ziegler

Mathis was acquired from the Cubs in the deal that sent David Peterson to Chicago, while Agbayani was acquired from the Twins in the A.J. Minter trade.

Lambert, 24, opened eyes this past spring training as he showcased his high-octane fastball-slider combination, but he hasn't had much success in Triple-A Syracuse this season.

The 23-year-old Ziegler was once a heralded prospect, and recently returned after missing most of the last three seasons due to Tommy John surgery (which he had in 2024) and other injury issues. 

The San Francisco Giants season is, mercifully, almost over. But baseball never sleeps, and for you sickos who will miss this horrific season as soon as it ends, worry not: there’s more baseball on the horizon.

On October 3 — just six days after the MLB regular season ends — the Arizona Fall League will kick off their six-week season. And on Tuesday morning, the Giants announced the players that they will be sending to the desert to play for the Scottsdale Scorpions, a team comprised of players from the Giants, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Tampa Bay Rays.

As is the norm, the Giants are sending eight players to Arizona for the festivities, and unlike in some years, there are some pretty big names on the list.

Highlighting the octet is right-handed reliever Randy Rodríguez, and my goodness is that nice to see. It’s not often that teams send Major Leaguers to the AFL, but it makes perfect sense for Rodríguez. The flame-thrower, who likely will be San Francisco’s closer in 2027, hasn’t pitched since last August, when he underwent Tommy John surgery. Not only will it be good for Rodríguez to get into some games before next year, but it will be critical time for both the Giants’ coaching and medical staffs, since Rodríguez will not be able to have contact with either once the labor stoppage inevitably begins in early December.

There’s never any telling how a pitcher will recover from Tommy John, and Rodríguez still has a lot of hurdles to clear before he’s staring down batters in the ninth inning of a meaningful game. But the fact that his rehab has progressed well enough for him to head to the AFL is highly encouraging, and should give everyone optimism that he can hit the ground running next season.

The other big name who will don a Scorpions jersey is outfield prospect Dakota Jordan. A 23-year old who was taken overslot in the fourth round of the 2024 draft out of Mississippi State, Jordan has astounding raw physical talents, as he’s one of the fastest players in the system and arguably the most powerful. He spent most of the season with High-A Eugene, where he compiled phenomenal numbers, slashing .290/.346/.533 with 18 home runs in 81 games, good for an .879 OPS and a 125 wRC+.

He ended the year with a stint in AA Richmond, which was interrupted by an injury, and his numbers there were not so hot: he slashed .253/.330/.367 with one home run in 21 games, for a .697 OPS and an 87 wRC+. Jordan’s AFL assignment is likely about two things: working on contact issues, and making up for lost time. The slugger has had a hole in his swing his entire career (and in college), and struck out in 28% of his plate appearances this season. And injuries have interrupted all three of his years since getting drafted, as he’s played in just 192 career games.

In addition to Rodríguez and Jordan, the Giants are sending a pair of prospects that they acquired at this year’s trade deadline: right-handed pitcher Miguel Mendez, and infielder Kaeden Kent. Mendez, a 24-year old from the Dominican Republic, came over from the San Diego Padres in the Robbie Ray trade. He’s made just four appearances since joining the organization, all for AA Richmond. Across three levels and two organizations this year, Mendez — who is on the 40-man roster but has yet to make his MLB debut — posted a 5.62 ERA and a 3.74 FIP, with 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings. Like so many AFL players, he’s in the desert partially just to get reps that he lost during the season, as injuries limited him to just 49.2 innings this year, despite working as a starter.

As for Kent, he’s a just-turned 23-year old left-handed hitter who was drafted in the third round of the 2025 draft by the New York Yankees, and sent to the Giants in the Heliot Ramos deal. The son of the Giants’ newest Hall of Famer, Jeff, he’s a well-rounded, toolsy infielder who does everything well, but doesn’t particularly have a standout trait. He has also lost time this year due to injury, as he only played in 86 games. In those 86, which were all in High-A, the Texas A&M product hit .298/.350/.440 with eight home runs and 24 stolen bases, for a .790 OPS and a 107 wRC+. He plays quality defense at both shortstop and second base, and struck out just 16% of the time this year.

On the topic of recently-drafted infielders, the Giants are doing something that isn’t all that common: sending a player from this year’s draft class. Infielder Dalton Wentz, a switch-hitter who just turned 21, will rock a Scorpions jersey after making a brief pro debut. Wentz, who was drafted in the 16th round out of Wake Forest but given a bonus commensurate with a fourth-round pick, got into 13 games with High-A Eugene this year, and hit the ground running, posting a slash line of .265/.368/.429 with one home run and three stolen bases, for a .797 OPS and a 114 wRC+. Wentz was primarily a third baseman in college, and played a few games there for Eugene, but spend most of his time at second base.

Another intriguing name is right-hander Drake George, who turns 25 at the end of the month. George was a 13th-round pick in 2024 out of a small NAIA school, Lewis-Clark State. He posted very intriguing numbers in his debut season a year ago, with a 3.20 ERA, a 2.88 FIP, and 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings in 13 games for Low-A San Jose. But, like Rodríguez, George underwent Tommy John surgery, and hasn’t pitched since June 2025. It will be great seeing him work off the rust and prepare for the 2027 season, as he has a ton of potential.

Rounding out the cohort is a pair of right-handed pitchers who lost much of the year to injury: Alexander Fuentes and Darien Smith. Fuentes is a 21-year old from Venezuela who has really jumped onto the national radar, and started to appear on prospect lists (he’s one of four players in this group who made MLB Pipeline’s list of the top 30 prospects in the system: Jordan is No. 7, Mendez is No. 16, Kent is No. 20, and Fuentes is No. 26). Fuentes had a breakout season in the Arizona Complex League last year, when he posted a 2.62 ERA and a 3.97 FIP. He returned to the Complex League this year, but injuries limited him to 18 innings (plus 2.2 more with Low-A San Jose). In those 18 innings, Fuentes had just a 4.00 ERA and a 6.29 FIP, with a ton of walks, but he struck out 31 batters, showing the electrity in his arm.

Smith is a 26-year old who signed as an undrafted free agent in 2024 out of Southeastern. He dominated in his debut season last year, posting a 1.91 ERA and a 3.68 FIP across 20 appearances for Low-A San Jose and High-A Eugene. He began this season with AA Richmond before losing a few months to an injury, and now he’s closing the year with AAA Sacramento. Across 14 games (four with Sacramento, seven with Richmond, and three rehabbing in the Complex League), Smith has a 3.42 ERA and a 4.90 FIP, with 7.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

Notably, after sending Spencer Miles to the AFL last year, where he wowed scouts across the league, the Giants have opted against sending any players who will be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this year. That might be coincidental, but it might not be.

For those curious, here’s last year’s contingency: right-handers Miles, Jose T. Perez, and Ryan Murphy; left-handers Juan Sánchez and Ricardo Estrada; and infielders Parks Harber, Maui Ahuna, and Walker Martin.

In addition to the eight players, the Giants are sending High-A Eugene pitching coach Luis Pino to Scottsdale. He will be one of two pitching coaches for the Scorpions.

It took the Nationals until the 11th day in September to get their 2nd win of the month, but they proceeded to sweep the Los Angeles Angels in a 3-game series to boost morale going into the last 2 weeks of the 2026 season. All 3 games were decided by just 1 run, but a healthy mix of starting pitching and well-timed offense pushed them over the top in each contest. With 4.5 games separating the Phillies and Atlanta Braves for the top spot in the National League East, Philadelphia is much more concerned with maintaining a spot in the playoff race, sitting just 1.0 game ahead of the San Diego Padres for the 2nd Wild Card spot.

It’s been a rocky month of September for the Phillies, but they were able to salvage their most recent series against Atlanta with a Game 3 victory. It’s crunch time for them as the NL Wild Card race continues to heat up, with the next 2 weeks deciding who makes the playoffs, as well as which team will host a series in October. The Nats will have to face 2 elite arms this week and are taking on a team with everything to lose over their upcoming 12 games.

Game One – Tuesday, 6:45 PM ET

WSH: LHP Jackson Kent (1-4, 6.59 ERA)
PHI: LHP Cristopher Sanchez (17-5, 2.79 ERA)

Sanchez was finally able to earn his elusive 17th win in his last start, and the southpaw is set to finish in the Top 5 of National League Cy Young voting this year. The Nats might have an advantage, however, as not one of the Phillies’ hitters has faced Kent before, and the Philadelphia lineup notoriously struggles against new matchups.

Game Two – Wednesday, 6:45 PM ET

WSH: RHP Cade Cavalli (12-5, 3.12 ERA)
PHI: RHP Zack Wheeler (12-5, 3.14 ERA)

These pitchers are about as close as it gets statistically, and Cavalli’s young career mirrors much of what Wheeler went through back when he was a top prospect in the New York Mets’ system. Cavalli will be looking to put finishing touches on his phenomenal 2026 campaign, and outdueling a top veteran arm in Wheeler would be a perfect way to do so.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto takes the mound on Tuesday night against the Reds in what figures to be his penultimate start of the regular season. It’s been another fantastic year, once again the anchor of the Dodgers rotation, the only member to stay healthy and make every start this season.

Yamamoto enters Tuesday with 172 innings, only five outs shy of his MLB career high set last year. With two starts left, this year figures to settle into his third-most innings in a season, counting his time pitching for Orix in Japan, with 193 2/3 innings in 2021 and 193 innings in 2022, winning the first two of his three consecutive Eiji Swamura Awards as the best pitcher in Japan.

Unless Justin Wrobleski finds a way to cram 28 2/3 innings into these final 12 games, Yamamoto will once again be the only Dodgers pitcher to qualify for leaderboards, with at least one inning per team game played. Prior to Yamamoto this year and last, no other Dodgers starting pitcher qualified since 2022, when both Julio Urías and Tyler Anderson did so.

Yamamoto this year has the 10th qualifying season by a Dodgers pitcher dating back to 2017, an average of one qualifier per year though going four seasons without (2018, 2020, 2023, 2024) over the last decade. But here’s a fun little quirk: eight of the previous nine Dodgers pitchers to have enough innings to qualify all got Cy Young Award votes in that season.

If we extend this back to 2013, 14 of the last 19 Dodgers pitchers to qualify received Cy Young Award votes, thanks to Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke each faring well in each of their three seasons as teammates (2013-15).

This season, Jacob Milwaukee Brewers ace Misiorowski is a lock for the National League Cy Young Award, and there is stiff competition with Chris Sale, Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, and others all likely to receive votes as well. But there are five spots on each ballot, and 30 ballots for each league, so “receiving votes” shouldn’t be too high of a bar to clear for Yamamoto this year.

In the list above, Kershaw and Walker Buehler each received a lone vote in 2019, for third and fourth place, respectively, for instance.

Yamamoto entering Tuesday leads the majors in averaging 6.62 innings per start, with his 23 starts lasting at least six inning second-most in the majors, as are his 11 starts of at least seven innings. Yamamoto’s four starts of at least eight innings are tied for most in MLB.

Yamamoto is third in the National League in ERA (2.62) and xERA (3.05), sixth in innings (172), 10th in strikeouts (171), and ninth in strikeout-minus-walk rate (20.1 percent). Yamamoto is also tied for fourth in Baseball Reference WAR (5.4) with Sale, and is tied for fifth in the NL in FanGraphs WAR (4.3) with Reds right-hander Chase Burns.

Tuesday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Reds
• Ballpark: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati
• Start time: 3:40 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

The Royals will get a good look at how 2026 first-round pick Zion Rose fares against top competition this fall when he participates in the Arizona Fall League. Rose is one of nine Royals players who will suit up for the Surprise Saguaros this fall.

Rose was selected sixth overall out of Louisville last July. He played 19 games for High-A Quad Cities, hitting .268 with one home run, 14 walks and 14 steals. The right-handed-hitting outfielder is known for his speed and athleticism coming out of college, and the Royals will get a chance to see how his tools play against some of the better prospects in baseball.

The Royals announced seven other players headed to the AFL, with one more participant to be named later.

Brooks Bryan is a catcher for the Low-A Columbia Fireflies who hit .319/.406/.496 with three home runs in 33 games before he landed on the Injured List on June 1. A left-handed hitter, he was an eighth-round pick in 2025 out of Troy University.

Austin Charles is a toolsy shortstop who has suffered from a spate of injuries in his career. He has been limited to 45 games this year at Quad Cities, hitting .285/.353/.491 with seven home runs. Still just 22 years old, Charles has an enticing power/speed combo if he can stay healthy.

Josh Hansell was a 16th-round pick out of Arizona State in 2023. He has battled injuries the last two seasons, but posted a 4.87 ERA for Quad Cities with 41 strikeouts and 25 walks in 40.2 innings.

Justin Lamkin is ranked the eighth-best Royals prospect by MLB Pipeline. The former Texas A&M pitcher was a second-round pick for the Royals in 2025. He was dominating High-A and Double-A with a 2.04 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 39.2 innings over eight starts before he was shut down in mid-May with an apparent injury.

Frank Mozzicato was the Royals’ first-round pick in 2021, when he was selected seventh overall out of high school in Connecticut. Known for a big curveball, Mozzicato has struggled in the upper minors with his control, posting an 8.04 ERA with 72 walks in 71.2 innings at Double-A. He has pitched much better in the last month, striking out 30 in 18 innings since August 8, with opponents hitting just .121 against him in that time.

Hiro Wyatt was a third-round pick by the Royals in 2023 out of a Connecticut high school. In his second stint at Low-A Columbia, he has a 3.21 ERA in seven starts, with 24 strikeouts in 28 innings, but has been out since May with an injury.

Steven Zobac seemed on the verge of making the big leagues until injuries derailed his career. He suffered injuries and ineffectiveness in 2025, but was still added to the 40-man roster that November. The 25-year-old made 13 starts at Double-A this year with a 4.85 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 42.2 innings, and is ranked #14 in the organization by MLB Pipeline.

The Arizona Fall League is for higher-level prospects close to the big leagues, as well as prospects who missed time due to injury and need more playing time. Royals prospects will play for the Surprise Saguaros, along with prospects from the Guardians, Mets, Phillies and Rangers. Teams begin play on October 3 with a “Fall Stars Game” on November 11. The regular season concludes on November 14, followed by the postseason.

The AFL will feature top prospects from around baseball, including Dodgers outfielder Eduardo Quintero, Tigers outfielder Zyhir Hope, White Sox infielder Caleb Bonemer, Angels shortstop Arjun Nimmala, and Tigers shortstop Bryce Rainer. The Saguaros will be managed by Guardians coach Daniel Robertson.

Before I begin, I want to make it clear that I’m kidding about all of this.

Mostly.

Let me set the scene as to why I feel the Cubs ought to do a grand ceremony if Pete Crow-Armstrong happens to steal his 40th base of the season in the next two days, while the Atlanta Braves are in town. PCA stole his 37th Monday night, so he needs three more. And the Braves are the second-worst team in throwing out baserunners this year, nabbing just 15 percent (19 of 128 attempts; by comparison, the Cubs catchers are at 27 percent, 30 caught of 113 attempts).

For the reason I feel this way, let’s go back three years to September 2023. The Cubs are in Atlanta, desperately trying to hold on to a wild card spot that they ultimately missed by one game. They had lost the first game of the series 7-6 in excruciating fashion, in part because Seiya Suzuki dropped an easy fly ball that would have ended the eighth inning with the Cubs leading.

In the second game of the series, the Cubs led 3-1 going to the bottom of the seventh, but single runs by the Braves in that inning and the eighth tied the game. The Cubs took a 4-3 lead in the ninth on an RBI single by Yan Gomes, but Marcell Ozuna homered off Mark Leiter Jr. with one out in the bottom of the ninth to tie it 4-4.

The Cubs scored a run on a sacrifice fly in the top of the 10th and led 5-4.

Daniel Palencia, then a 23-year-old rookie, pitched the bottom of the 10th. Ronald Acuña Jr. singled in the placed runner to tie the game at 5-5.

Then Acuña stole second, his 70th steal of the 2023 season [VIDEO].

That clip, obviously, is from the Atlanta broadcast, and they made it sound like the most unbelievable, best thing in baseball history.

So let’s be honest here. Yes, 40/70 is an achievement, but it’s not really a “thing” in the way 30/30, 40/40 or even the 50/50 season Shohei Ohtani had in 2024. It’s a made-up milestone that… right at that moment, in a tense tie game in extra innings, the Braves decided to hold the game up for a ceremony, playing a scoreboard montage, giving Acuña the base, and…

On the Marquee Sports Network broadcast, Jon Sciambi and Jim Deshaies were less than thrilled:

And, know what? They were absolutely, positively correct. This was not the time for that sort of thing! Tie game, one team desperately trying to hold on to a postseason spot, AND a rookie pitcher on the mound. I mean… come on, Braves. Have your ceremony before the next day’s game! Go all out! Just don’t do what you did, don’t do THAT.

But they did THAT. And, sure enough, Palencia might have been a bit rattled as two pitches later, Ozzie Albies singled in Acuña and the Braves won 6-5.

Now, would the Cubs have won that game if not for the little Acuña ceremony? Probably not; after the steal Acuña thus represented the winning run in scoring position with nobody out and the Braves had Austin Riley and Matt Olson (in Olson’s 54-homer season) coming up after Albies. The game’s likely lost anyway.

But again, I think the Cubs broadcasters had it right. Don’t stop a game like this in that way. Period.

And so the Cubs have a chance for payback if PCA can steal three bases in the next two games. They ought to do it.

Petty? Oh heck yes, it would be incredibly petty.

But it would also be fun, wouldn’t it? Like I said, I’m kidding about all of this.

Mostly.

Every day, Pinstripe Alley offers updates on what the Yankees’ top American League opponents are up to through the Rivalry Roundup. The AL East is well-trodden ground there, but with the season’s final month halfway over, we’re going to take a peek around MLB as a whole and check in with each of the other five divisions. Who’s surprising? Who’s underwhelming? Who’s simply mediocre at the moment? Read on and find out.

(Note: Records and standings are up to date through games played on Sunday, September 13th.)

First Place: Atlanta Braves (88-62)

Top Position Player: Michael Harris II (4.0 fWAR)

Top Pitcher: Chris Sale (5.7 fWAR)

Believe it or not, the Atlanta Braves have had a below-average offense statistically so far in 2026, despite boasting elite names like Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson, Michael Harris II, and Drake Baldwin. They rank 19th in wRC+ with a 98 mark.

The pitching has done the heavy lifting despite dealing with lots of injuries from the start. Right now, talented hurlers like Spencer Schwellenbach, Spencer Strider, Bryce Elder, and Robert Suárez are on the injured list, yet the team is fourth in MLB with a 3.59 ERA.

With a 3.41 ERA, the Braves’ bullpen is the best in the National League. It’s led by closer Raisel Iglesias (2.78 ERA), Didier Fuentes (2.27 ERA, 31.5 K%), Dylan Lee (3.09 ERA), and other unheralded heroes like Dylan Dodd, Víctor Mederos, Ray Kerr, and Brent Suter. The addition of Tyler Mahle (1.25 ERA in seven starts as a Brave) at the deadline was just what the doctor ordered, and Chris Sale (2.18 ERA) has been as good as ever.

Harris’ all-around game sets the tone, and Acuña’s power-speed prowess (17 HR, 20 SB in 97 G) elevates the team’s ceiling. Having Matt Olson picking up the power pace with 39 homers after two straight campaigns with 29 also helps, of course. The Braves, as their record indicates, are very hard to beat. Suárez returning from injury soon could make them even tougher.

Second Place: Philadelphia Phillies (83-67)

Top Position Player: Bryce Harper (3.5 fWAR)

Top Pitcher: Christopher Sánchez (5.8 fWAR)

Bryce Harper refuses to decline and is sporting a cool 140 wRC+ with 28 home runs this year. He and Kyle Schwarber, who has 44 homers and owns a 132 wRC+, are virtually the Phillies’ offense, though: the unit has put up the fourth-worst wRC+ in baseball with a 92 mark. Trea Turner (83 wRC+) has had a rough season, and the same can be said about JT Realmuto (78 wRC+), Alec Bohm (89 wRC+), Luis Arraez (80 wRC+), and Justin Crawford (82 wRC+). Runs are hard to come by in Philadelphia.

Christopher Sánchez (2.79 ERA), Jesús Luzardo (2.87 ERA), and Zack Wheeler (3.14 ERA) are a formidable rotation trio, but Aaron Nola has been inconsistent, and there are now questions about the health of Luzardo’s shoulder.

Despite solid seasons from Jhoan Durán, Tim Mayza, and Jonathan Bowlan, the bullpen is more ‘meh’ than ‘great’. This team will go as far as the rotation takes it, although a rebound from some of their struggling hitters would certainly help matters. The Phillies are fighting with the Chicago Cubs for the top Wild Card spot in the senior circuit. Unless the offense improves, however, it’s hard to see them making much noise in October.

Third Place: Miami Marlins (74-76)

Top Position Player: Otto López (5.4 fWAR)

Top Pitcher: Sandy Alcántara (3.1 fWAR)

The Marlins are 7.5 games behind the final Wild Card spot, so they aren’t really contending. After their disastrous 2024 and decent 2025, however, 2026 has been about finding potentially useful long-term pieces. And they have had some success.

As expected, Otto López’s stats have considerably diminished in the second half (79 wRC+, 1 HR, 13 SB) after a really strong performance before the break (137 wRC+, 9 HR, 17 SB). Still, a 10-homer, 30-steal season with a 116 wRC+ and 5.4 fWAR is nothing to sneeze at.

The Marlins’ offense, a perfectly average unit that ranks 14th in baseball, has some interesting hitters. With the exception of Joe Mack and Jakob Marsee, every starter boasts an above-average wRC+: Javier Sanoja, Xavier Edwards, Heriberto Hernández, Griffin Conine, Kyle Stowers, Esteury Ruiz, and López.

Before going down with a neck strain in July, Max Meyer (2.68 ERA in 20 starts) showed enough to be considered a frontline guy and a building block. Alcántara has been steady, and Eury Pérez had a huge summer before hitting a wall in September.

Overall, the Marlins have a solid core and a top-ten farm that includes injured pitching prospects Thomas White and Robby Snelling. If they play their cards right, they might make some noise next year.

Fourth Place: Washington Nationals (70-81)

Top Position Player: James Wood (4.1 fWAR)

Top Pitcher: Cade Cavalli (3.6 fWAR)

Speaking of making noise, the Nationals’ offense can certainly score some runs. The group is fifth in MLB and fourth in the National League with a 104 wRC+, and ranks fourth in homers with 198. Of course, having James Wood (30 HR, 21 SB, 147 wRC+) and CJ Abrams (30 HR, 29 SB, 125 wRC+) certainly helps matters. These two will be a problem for MLB pitching staffs for a long time.

Dylan Crews’ development has stalled, and they don’t have Curtis Mead and Luis García Jr. anymore, but there’s a lot of talent in Washington’s offense besides the two aforementioned stars. Daylen Lile (20 HR, 15 SB) and Keibert Ruiz (113 wRC+) have had solid offensive seasons, and Brady House has potential. Former Yankees prospect Andrés Chaparro has been excellent against both lefties and righties.

Pitching, however, is a problem. Washington has the worst staff in the National League and the second-worst in the majors with a 5.14 ERA. Cade Cavalli (3.12 ERA) has had a breakout campaign, and Andrew Álvarez has been solid. There’s not much else beyond that, although adding the injured Connelly Early was a nice coup. The Nationals, with a solid core and a top-ten farm, are at the very least interesting again.

Fifth Place: New York Mets (69-80)

Top Position Player: Carson Benge (3.3 fWAR)

Top Pitcher: Nolan McLean (3.1 fWAR)

The season in Queens has been a disaster, but it at least gave them a strong platform to develop Carson Benge and he’s looking like a budding star. The rookie outfielder is slashing a cool .271/.334/.411 with a 109 wRC+, 17 home runs and 22 steals after a brutal start. Juan Soto has survived two injured list stints to post a 147 wRC+ and 25 round-trippers, and Francisco Lindor reached 20 dingers with a solid 111 after having to deal with hamate bone surgery.

A.J. Ewing emerged as another potential building block in the outfield, although it remains to be seen if he’s a starter or more of a fourth outfielder. Brett Baty, who was brutal for most of the first half, is closing the season strong with a 125 wRC+ after the break and a 236 mark in September so far.

Despite trading away Clay Holmes, Freddy Peralta, and lots of relievers at the deadline, the Mets have a top-ten ERA in the second half, at 3.38. Zach Thornton and Nate Lavender have been amazing stories in the rotation and bullpen, respectively, and Nolan McLean and Christian Scott are excellent building blocks.

With a few interesting young pieces, two superstars, and lots of money to spend, the Mets could be dangerous in 2027, if there’s baseball. The 2026 campaign, however, was a huge disappointment.

This Mariners season is all but mathematically dead and no one is happy. High expectations carry a hefty fallout. Rick Rizzs, the man who has called more Mariners games than anyone else not named Dave Niehaus, is hanging up his headphones and microphone in about 13 days. I wanted more for him out of this season than for any other reason. But, such is the life of a fan of a cosmically cursed and deeply silly baseball team. They even managed to ruin Bill Simmons’s fantasy baseball team, which almost certainly means he lost money (If you’re unaware, he’s been crashing out about how bad the team has been all season via social media and his podcast. Why anyone would ever bet money on the literal Seattle Mariners is beyond my comprehension). So, there’s that, at least.

After the rage dissipates and the tears dry, there is one thing to look forward to: INSUFFERABLE OFFSEASON DISCOURSE.

Did I say look forward to? Well, your mileage may vary. How about offseason projections and planning? That sounds nicer, right? For this exercise, let’s go ahead and pretend that a strike isn’t looming. La la la, everything is fiiiiiiine in Labor Agreement Land, la la laaaa.

The first step in planning is choosing a direction to go and here are four options you can choose:

Option 1: Full tear down

“Nuke the site from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.”

While rebuilding T-Mobile Park to get rid of swirling winds, brutal mid-day shadows, and fix whatever the hell is wrong with the batter’s eye isn’t an option any time soon, tearing down and rebuilding the Mariners roster is one possible option. If you choose this option, please specify whether Jerry Dipoto and Justin Hollander stay or go. Also, you can choose up to three (3) players to remain on the roster to anchor the rebuild. Everyone else must go.

Option 2: Soft rebuild

This option would involve moving two to three of the team’s top players (either in WAR or by payroll) and then using the returns to augment the soft rebuild or “reshuffling.”

Option 3: Keep the core and soldier on (AKA the 54% approach)

This has been the offseason approach since 2022 and

Option 4: Dealer’s choice

Don’t like any of the first three options? Let’s hear your own plan, boss!

Post your preferred option in the comments and detail your plans, either realistic or as pie-in-the-sky as you want. Let’s get innovative in the hopes that the Mariners will, too.

REMINDER!

Even though the Mariners are ass in a can, that doesn’t mean you should skip the annuaLL tradition like no other: The Fifth Annual TIM CANTU MemoriaLL SoftbaLL game this Sunday, Sept 20. We’ll start at 10 AM at Green Lake Ballfield 1 and then go “watch” the Mariners play the Rockies at 12:10 PM at Growler Guys on Lake City Way. Let’s have some actual fun playing some ball and then commiserate over this cursed season and also watch the Seahawks at 1:25 PM, I guess. You know Tim wouldn’t have it any other way. Well, the getting together part, that is. Not the Mariners being bad part.

See you then!

In our last Lone Star Ball Reacts survey, we asked y’all which of the Rangers’ pending free agents you would most like to see the Rangers bring back.

Cal Quantrill, who has exceeded expectations, first in a long relief role, then while filling in in the rotation, was the clear pick, getting a majority of the vote.

I will note that bringing Quantrill back could be a challenge, as the Rangers currently have six starting pitchers — Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, MacKenzie Gore, Jack Leiter, Kumar Rocker and Cody Bradford — under team control for next season. That makes it hard for the Rangers to offer Quantrill a viable path to a rotation spot for 2027, barring injuries or trades.

On the national questions, the Tampa Bay Rays got a plurality — and almost a majority — of the vote in regards to what team will advance from the American League to the World Series.

In the National League, the Brewers narrowly edged out the Dodgers as the team that will advance.

This has been brought to you by FanDuel.

It’s clear what the Phillies’ strength is: The starting rotation. They get a good outing from their starter about 80% of the time. They also have a good closer in Jhoan Duran, provided that the game is not tied when he enters. It’s those innings in between that have proven difficult for the Phillies to maneuver through. I’m not overwhelmed by manager Don Mattingly’s ability to adeptly deploy his relievers, but I also have to admit that the relievers on hand haven’t given him many easy answers.

Orion Kerkering and Brooks Raley have likely pitched themselves out of consideration, and at the moment, it appears that Mattingly has the most trust in Jonathan Bowlan, Jose Alvarado, and Alex McFarlane. However, Bowlan has shown signs of wearing down, Alvarado – while overall better lately – is still allergic to clean innings, and McFarlane is an untested rookie. It’s hard to feel too confident in any of them.

In the playoffs, the Phillies will likely have Andrew Painter available to pitch out of the bullpen, but counting on a rookie starter to come in and get key outs in relief is no sure thing either. Over the next two weeks, they really need at least a couple of players to assert themselves as a real late-inning option.

Opposition research: Jack Sinclair

The Phillies’ bullpen has been bad, but we can at least say it hasn’t been as bad as the Nationals’. Remember the last time the Phillies visited Washington, and they kept making those late-inning comebacks? That was pretty representative of how the season has gone for the Nationals’ relief corps.

The Nationals have almost completely turned over their bullpen throughout the season and lately have tried out rookie Jack Sinclair in a late-inning role.

Sinclair was a 2021 draft pick who slowly made his way through the Nats’ minor league system. He’s never put up great numbers in the minor leagues, mostly due to a high walk total. But considering that everyone else they’ve used in relief has failed, the Nationals figured why not give him a shot.

Early returns have been strong as he had scoreless outings his first four appearances, and then against the Angels, he was givn his first save opportunity which he converted despite allowing a run.

Will Sinclair allow the Nationals to avoid the late-inning meltdowns against the Phillies this time around? It’s worth remembering that he’s a 27 year old rookie with a mid-90s fastball who had problems with walks in the minors.

In other words, if the Phillies are trailing late, I wouldn’t necessarily turn the game off.

Hating on the Nationals

Are the Nationals going to be an actual threat in the National League East in the coming seasons? It looks like they have a couple of good building blocks in James Wood and C.J. Abrams, but would it shock anyone if those two found their names in trade rumors once again this offseason?

Wood has had a strong season but has spent a large chunk of the second half on the IL, so there are worries about him holding up for a full season after his performance trailed after the break in 2025. And the team has already gotten fed up with Abrams’ defense and is trying to move him to second base.

Considering they already traded emerging players in their mid-20’s in Luis Garcia, Jr. (who has been great for the Yankees) and Curtis Mead (who has been injured), you wonder how attached the Nationals are to any of their players.

If the Nationals want to carry out a perpetual rebuild, it’s fine by me.

Remembering a guy who played for both the Phillies and Nationals

Matt Stairs certainly got around in his career. He began his major league career in 1992 with the Montreal Expos, and by the time he was done, played for 12 (or 13 if you want to consider the Expos and Nationals as separate entities) teams.

It isn’t clear why he couldn’t find a long-term home. Maybe teams were disappointed because it seemed like he should have hit for more power, since he only topped 30 home runs once in his career. He might have started his career a little too early before on-base percentage became more valued, which is especially ironic since he spent five seasons on the A’s.

In August 2008, the Phillies traded for him, hoping to bolster their bench for the stretch run and playoffs. He hit two home runs in the regular season and then hit another in the playoffs which you might remember.

After 2009, the Phillies chose to move on from the 42-year-old Stairs. He moved to San Diego for a season, and then to Washington for 2011. Unfortunately, at 44 years old, Stairs couldn’t hit anymore. After 74 plate appaearances in which he batted .174, the Nationals released him, and his career was done.

Additional thought about the series

There’s a debate whether you’d rather face a team that’s out of contention, or a team that’s already clinched a playoff spot. For the stretch run, the Phillies are going to get a taste of both. Their next six are against the Mets and Nationals, while they have to finish up against the Brewers or Rays.

Obviously the Brewers and Rays are far better teams, but they might be coasting along or trying to conserve some innings for their top players by the team the Phillies face them. On the other hand, I’m sure the Mets and Nationals would love to salvage some pride by hurting their division rival’s playoff chances.

Regardless of how much the Nationals want to play spoiler; when it comes down to it, the Phillies have Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler scheduled to start against a team that’s eleven games under .500. They need to win these games.

I know it isn’t an off-day, but I have stuff going on today, so I thought I’d put up an open thread.

As always, use it to talk about what you’d like. I’m going to do a couple of hours of pitcher fielding practice. Actually, I’m pretty sure I don’t have the ability to beat out a runner to first, while trying to catch a ball and hit the bag (inside of the bag) all at the same time. But if anyone wants to come to Calgary to try it with me. I guess we need three people. Maybe a fourth to do first aid.

After a 17 and 11 August the Jays are 7-6 in September. The really hot streak seems to be over. Thankfully the Guardians aren’t tearing things up either.

11 games left. I was going to say that I want every one of them to mean something, but I’d be ok if the Jays clinch with a couple of games left.

Alberts Šmits will have a chance to make the New York Rangers’ opening-night roster out of training camp, but it certainly won’t be easy.

One left-handed defenseman role is up for grabs going into training camp this week, with Matthew Robertson holding the edge over Šmits and Urho Vaakanainen.

During rookie camp, Šmits was asked about what he thinks his chances are of making the opening-night roster. 

“I’m just going one day at a time,” Šmits said in response. 

Given the shortened training camp, it will likely be hard for Šmits to work his way up the depth chart and surpass Robertson, who earned a full-time role with the Rangers last season. 

Chris Drury already made clear that the Rangers are going to be patient regarding Šmits’ development, which likely means they aren’t in a rush to bring him up to the NHL if he isn’t prepared for it. 

“We're gonna do right by him and the long-term health and well-being of him as a Ranger,” Drury said of Šmits. “This is not a sprint for him. We hope he's a rock-solid defenseman for the Rangers for the next 15 years. We're not going to put him in positions or situations that he can't handle. So excited to add him, but again, not going to do anything that's not in the best interest long-term for him.”

The 18-year-old defenseman was highly touted as one of the more pro-ready players in the 2026 draft class, leading him to be selected with the fifth overall pick by the Rangers. 

Even if Šmits doesn't make the Rangers’ roster out of training camp, he’ll begin the 2026-27 season playing in the American Hockey league for the Hartford Wolf Pack.