Category: MLB

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Houston Astros (66-66) and New York Yankees (74-57) play the 2nd game of this 3-game series tonight.

RHP Peter Lambert (8-7, 3.68 ERA) starts for the Astros vs. Yankees RHP Elmer Rodríguez (0-2, 4.76 ERA).

ASTROS-YANKEES: The Astros are 2-2 vs. NYY this season, with the Yankees taking 2 of 3 at Daikin Park, April 24-26. In their last visit to the Bronx, the Astros took 2 of 3 from the Yankees, Aug. 8-10 of 2025.

All-Time: In the regular season, the Astros are 38-54 vs. NYY.

Postseason: The Astros have won all 4 postseason series that they have played vs. the Yankees (2015, ‘17, ‘19, ‘22) and have a combined record of 13-5 (.722) in those games.

NY STATE OF MIND: Tonight is the 2nd game of a 6-game road trip for the Astros, with all 6 games being scheduled in the Big Apple. After this 3-game series vs. the Yankees in the Bronx (Tues.-Thur.), the Astros will take on the Mets for a 3-game series at Citi Field in Queens over the weekend (Fri.-Sun).

Last Time It Happened: The Astros had a similar road series in NYC, June 2329 of 2022, during which they played 4 games at Yankee Stadium (2-2) and 2 games at Citi Field (2-0), respectively.

LAMBO: RHP Peter Lambert, who will make his 1st career start/app. vs. the Yankees tonight, has been the Astros most consistent starter in 2026. He leads the club in wins (8), starts (22), innings (122.1) and strikeouts (120). Lambert is looking to rebound from his last start on Aug. 20 vs. LAA (3.2 IP, 9 ER). Prior to that start, he had allowed 2 ER or less in 8 consecutive starts. He posted a 1.88 ERA (6ER/28.2IP) in his 5 starts in July with 32 K’s in 28.2 IP.

Road Success: Lambert has pitched well on the road, going 3-2 in 8 road starts with a 2.98 ERA (14ER/42.1IP). A minor league signing by Houston this offseason, Lambert pitched last year for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in the NPB, posting a 3.98 ERA (55ER/124.1IP) with 111 strikeouts in 23 starts.

Note: The Yankees, Rockies and Royals are the only clubs Lambert has not faced in his career.

RECENT STROS: The Astros are 3-3 in their last 6 games and 5-6 in their last 11 games.

ON THE OFFENSIVE: Among AL teams, the Astros rank 1st in SLG (.412), T-2nd in HR and 3rd in runs scored (605) and OPS (.730).

MEASURING UP: The Astros are 24-13 (.649) vs. teams currently at .500 or above. Some clubs that they have winning records against include BOS (5-1), CHC (3-0), CWS (2-1), CLE (4-2), MIA (3-0), TB (2-1), TEX (9-4).

TRIPLE THREAT: Yordan Alvarez, who is a solid candidate for the AL MVP Award, currently leads the AL in several categories, including all three Triple Crown categories. He enters tonight leading the AL in batting avg. (.323), HR (36) and RBI (91). Additionally, Alvarez also leads the Majors in OPS (1.055), SLG (.618), OBP (.438) and TB (289).

Rare Feat: Since Carl Yastrzemski won the AL Triple Crown in 1967, there has been just one Triple Crown winner in the Majors, Miguel Cabrera in 2012 (AL).

SLOW AND STEADY RECOVERY: Since starting the season with a 20-31 record after 51 games, the Astros are 46-35 (.568) in their last 81 games (since May 22). That is the 2nd-best record in the AL in that span, behind only the Red Sox (51-32)

ROAD WARRIORS: Since posting a 1-9 record on the 1st road trip of the 2026 season, the Astros have been one of the best road teams in the Majors. They are 32-22 (.593) on the road since April 14, which is 3rd-best in the AL in that span. More recently, they are 16-10 (.615) on their last 5 road trips combined (includes current trip). Overall for the season, HOU is 33-31 on the road.

THE HIT MAN: Jose Altuve enters tonight’s game needing just 11 hits to reach 2,500 for his career. Among active players, his 2,489 hits rank 2nd to Freddie Freeman’s 2,576.

IN GOOD COMPANY: In MLB history, Altuve is one of just 3 players with a .300 career batting avg. to reach both 250 HR and 300 SB. The other 2 are HOFers Willie Mays and Derek Jeter.

WALK OF FAME: Yordan Alvarez’s ML-high 28 intentional walks this season are a franchise record. Jeff Bagwell had held the club record with 27 IBB in 1997. Alvarez was intentionally walked 3 times on Sunday vs. ATH (has drawn no walks vs. the Yankees in 4 games this season).

ONE OF THE BEST: LHP Josh Hader reached his 500th career app. recently, making him one of 12 active pitchers to reach that milestone. Hader has been stellar since returning from injury in June, going 4-1 with a 0.81 ERA (3ER/33.1IP), 44 strikeouts, a .115 opponent average (13×113) and a 0.72 WHIP, while converting all 19 of his save chances in 34 appearances.

REHAB START: RHP Mike Burrows is scheduled to make his 3rd rehab start for Triple A Sugar Land tonight…in his 2 previous starts: 9.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 SO.

TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY:2007 – In a pregame ceremony, the Astros retire Jeff Bagwell’s #5 jersey in recognition of his stellar career, all spent in Houston. Bagwell would later be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017 and into the Astros Hall of Fame when it was established in 2019.

Game Info

Game Date/Time:  Wednesday, August 26, 6:05 p.m. CT

Location:  Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

TV: Space City Home Network

Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; KTRH 740 AM; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

Let's run it back 🤘

⚾️: 6:05 PM CT
📺: @SpaceCityHN
🎙️: @SportsTalk790 & 740 AM | Spanish: 102.9 HD2#ChaseTheFight x @reliantenergypic.twitter.com/kGZUOML6d0

— Houston Astros (@astros) August 26, 2026

Midweek Matchup. #RepBXpic.twitter.com/Kcu63LrFZM

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 26, 2026

The Cubs outscored the Diamondbacks 11-7 in this three-game series.

Unfortunately, they don’t grant series wins that way. Arizona simply spread their runs out better than the Cubs did. and in Wednesday’s game, Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandyn Garcia and Juan Morillo held the Cubs scoreless on just two hits, and the Cubs dropped the series finale 2-0, losing the series and finishing their road trip at 2-4.

It’s even more frustrating because the Cubs got excellent work out of all three of their starting pitchers in this series. Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes and Matthew Boyd held the Diamondbacks to eight hits and one run in 20 total innings of work. That’s just outstanding. Unfortunately, one blown save and one excellent pitching performance by Rodriguez made this a Cubs series loss.

The Cubs were held hitless by Rodriguez for the first four innings until Tyrone Taylor singled leading off the fifth. Taylor eventually stole second, but was stranded.

More on that from BCB’s JohnW53:

The Cubs went four innings before Tyrone Taylor made their first hit leading off the fifth. They had gone longer without a hit just once this season: 4.1 innings, on Aug. 14 at home vs. the Cardinals. Nico Hoerner delivered a single.

They had gone 4.0 innings twice before, both vs. the Brewers: May 18, at home (Carson Kelly singled), and June 26, at Milwaukee (Seiya Suzuki homered).

In the sixth, Pete Crow-Armstrong led off with a double [VIDEO].

PCA advanced to third on a ground out and one out later, an odd play happened.

Bit of confusion in the 6th w/ #PCA on 3rd and 2 outs. All #Cubs involved thought a balk was incurred as Pete started towards home. Looked like Eduardo Rodriguez stepped off the rubber, however briefly, before the pitch.@Cubs#GoCubsGo#Dbackspic.twitter.com/EtdpVzf30m

— Billy Krumb (@ClubhouseCancer) August 26, 2026

That’s what the Cubs argued to the umpires, and as the social media post says, it does look like Rodriguez took a step off before he made the pitch, which would have been a run-scoring balk. The umpires conferred and basically said, “Well, we didn’t see it,” and that’s not reviewable. PCA was livid, and third base coach Quintin Berry had to physically restrain him from going at one of the umpires — good thing, contact would have resulted in an ejection and possible suspension.

Anyway, PCA was stranded, and in the bottom of the inning Jordan Lawlar homered off Boyd, the only run Boyd allowed. Homers have been a bit of an issue for Boyd; that makes 13 in 73 innings since his return from his knee injury. But overall this was a very good outing. More from John:

Today’s start was the fifth by a Cub this season of at least 6.0 innings with one run allowed on a homer and no more than three total hits. All have been exactly three hits.

Shōta Imanaga went 6.0 on April 15 at Philadelphia and 7.0 on April 21 at home vs. the Phillies. Ben Brown went 7.0 at St. Louis on May 30 and Matthew Boyd went 6.0 at home vs. the Twins on July 18.

The Cubs won all four of those games by scores, respectively, of 11-, 7-4, 6-1 and 6-2.

Imanaga lost in 6.1 with three hits at home vs. the Reds on Aug. 5 of last year. That was the Cubs’ only loss in their previous 24 games.

And here’s more on Boyd’s afternoon [VIDEO].

PCA’s double was the Cubs’ last hit of the game. The only baserunner they had after that was with two out in the eighth, when Seiya Suzuki walked.

Ryan Zeferjahn gave up a run in the eighth after allowing two singles. That run scored as the Cubs completed this neat double play [VIDEO].

So I suppose it would have been better if Zeferjahn hadn’t allowed that run, but in the end it didn’t matter because the Cubs offense got completely shut down by Diamondbacks pitching.

A couple more game notes from John:

This was the Cubs’ 13th shutout loss of the season. They had 10 all of last year, after having had 16 in 2024. Their record is 22, set in 1915 and matched in 1968.
…
The Cubs finished two previous games this year with two or fewer hits and at least three walks, as they did today: a 5-2 loss at Atlanta on May 12 and their 3-0 loss at home to the White Sox last Wednesday.

This was their 56th consecutive loss with those totals, spanning more than half a century. since they beat the Mets at New York, 3-1, on May 8, 1966.

They had two hits and four walks in that game, the same as today. They won two other games with two and four, in 1909 at home vs. the Dodgers and 1964 at home vs. the Mets. They have lost 20.

At this writing it looks like the Phillies are going to defeat the Mariners in Seattle, so that would reduce the Cubs’ lead for the first wild card spot to two games. The Brewers, currently six games ahead of the Cubs, will face the Mets in New York again this evening. The only good news from this series in Arizona is that by winning Monday, the Cubs took the season series from the D-backs. Thus they own the tiebreaker against all three of the teams immediately behind them in the wild card race.

The Cubs have Thursday off and will hope to regroup after what has to have been a frustrating road trip. They will open a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field. David Peterson will start for the Cubs and Rhett Lowder goes for the Reds. Game time Friday is 1:20 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.

After the Nats scored 13 runs on Monday, there was hope that the offense was getting back on track. However, they came thudding back down to earth yesterday with Daylen Lile’s solo homer being the only offense. Now they will look to bounce back and start scoring more frequently again.

This lineup is interesting to say the least. CJ Abrams was supposed to be back at shortstop but after pre-game warmups, it was determined he could only DH. That means the struggling Nasim Nunez is at shortstop. Andres Chaparro will make his first start of the season at third base, which I will be watching closely. Jose Tena will be at second. Knuckleballer Matt Waldron will be making his Nats debut on the mound.

it's lineup time

→ https://t.co/HyMhWpLQbBpic.twitter.com/4aywS7QIJH

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 26, 2026

The Rockies have a similar lineup to last night. Ezequiel Tovar is back at shortstop and is in the 9 hole. Troy Johnston is also in at DH which means Mickey Moniak is back in right field. Besides that it is the same personnel. Tanner Gordon gets the start for the Rockies.

It’s a good day to have a good day! pic.twitter.com/USnd826Mx3

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) August 26, 2026

Game Info:

Stadium: Nationals Park

Time: 6:45 PM EST

TV: Nationals.TV

Radio: 106.7 The Fan

Hopefully the Nats look more like the team we saw Monday because they need to take care of business at home against the Rockies. They have not been playing great baseball this month, but a strong last month can help bring back some optimism. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!

29 games to go. I was thinking that going 18-11 would, likely, get the Jays into the playoffs. That’s a pretty high bar to clear. It does mean there can be more losses than we’d like.

The Jays say that Spencer Miles will open tonight’s game. They also say he won’t throw more than 30 pitches. I was surprised that they would go with Miles, since he’s thrown a lot of innings this year. He’s at 80.1 innings now. I didn’t figure they would let him go much past 90. But we are short of pitchers. My mother-in-law used to say ‘needs must’.

SWR is likely to be the bulk guy. He, Miles and Louis Varland are the only relievers who didn’t pitch yesterday. I guess there is Chad Dallas too (unless there is a last minute roster move). It really isn’t a grouping (other than Varland) that warms the cockles of my heart.

Then, no one has thrown two days in a row, since Monday was an off-day.

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The team is giving Sean Keys some playing time in the outfield. He’s hitting .375/.475/.679 in August for the Bisons. We could use someone hitting like that.

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Tonight’s lineup. We haven’t seen Charles McAdoo for a few days. Well, I guess since the 23rd, not all that long ago.

I’d be ok with a win. Let’s play a, more or less, mistake free game.

Mets lineup

A.J. Ewing – CF
Francisco Lindor – SS
Bo Bichette – 3B
Carson Benge – RF
Jared Young – 1B
Luis Robert – DH
Brett Baty – LF
Marcus Semien – 2B
Francisco Alvarez – C

SP: Robert Stock (RHP)

Brewers lineup

Sal Frelick – LF
Garrett Mitchell – CF
Brice Turang – 2B
Christian Yelich – DH
William Contreras – C
Luis Lara – RF
Andrew Vaughn – 1B
David Hamilton – 3B
Cooper Pratt – SS

SP: Dustin May (RHP)

Broadcast info

First pitch: 7:10 PM EDT
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

Game two in Toronto has the lineups set. The Royals will be going for their 10th win in a row while the Blue Jays continue clinging to hope of sneaking into the wildcard. It will be Randy Dobnak on the mound for the Royals. He has thus far put up a sparkling ERA despite mediocre underlying numbers. Can he continue to defy the math? For Toronto, Spencer Miles will open the game. He has gone as many as 4 innings at times this year, but has worked mostly as a bullpen arm.

The lineup has Jac Caglianone back in it after getting scratched on Tuesday. Matthew Lugo is still not in the lineup as he continues to be in the majors without ever debuting.

Last night the Rockies ended their longest losing streak of the season at seven with their 3-1 win over the Washington Nationals. A short but effective Major League debut from starter Mason Adams (No. 17 PuRP), a Hunter Goodman home run in his return from the injured list, and a string of effective relief appearances were enough to stop the Rockies week-long streak.

Tonight they will look to fully put that losing streak to bed by starting a winning streak with a second consecutive win against the Nationals.

On the mound for the Nationals will be knuckleballer Matt Waldron. In time split between the Nationals and the San Diego Padres this year, Waldron has thrown only 37 innings at the Major League level. His ugly 7.54 ERA in that limited sample is possibly due for some regression as his .361 BABIP is much higher than league average and his expected ERA is only 3.75.

His best season came as a member of the Padres in 2024 when he accrued 1.8 fWAR over 146.2 innings pitched. He’ll look to get back to those sorts of results at home against the Rockies tonight.

Taking the ball for the Rockies will be Tanner Gordon in his second start since earning a spot in the rotation when Michael Lorenzen was designated for assignment last week.

In his previous start Gordon pitched through five and a third innings against the Cleveland Guardians and allowed five runs on nine hits and two walks. On the season the 28 year-old sports a 5.75 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP despite a stellar 1.76 BB/9. Gordon will be asked to give the team as much length as possible as they are in the middle of a 13-day stretch with no off days and needed to use five bullpen arms last night.

First Pitch: 4:45 pm MDT

TV: Rockies.TV

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)

SB Nation site:Federal Baseball

Lineups:

It’s a good day to have a good day! pic.twitter.com/USnd826Mx3

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) August 26, 2026

it's lineup time

→ https://t.co/HyMhWpLQbBpic.twitter.com/4aywS7QIJH

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 26, 2026

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Texas Rangers lineup for August 26, 2026 against the Chicago White Sox: starting pitchers are MacKenzie Gore for the Rangers and Sean Burke for the White Sox.

It is Game 3 between the White Sox and the Rangers, and Texas needs to win this game in order to 1) win this series, 2) get back to .500, and 3) split the season series against the White Sox, and thus not immediately lose the first tiebreaker if the teams are tied for a Wild Card spot.

The lineup:

Pederson — 1B

Seager — DH

Langford — LF

Nimmo — RF

Duran — SS

Carter — CF

Foscue — 2B

Diaz — C

Freeman — 3B

6:40 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are +107 underdogs.

TV: NESN

First Pitch: 6:40 p.m. ET

While it would probably be better to have Sonny Gray facing the Yankees in a pivotal series for playoff implications this weekend, Boston’s Cy Young candidate takes the ball in Miami in hopes of completing a second sweep in a row for the Red Sox. The veteran right-hander is a remarkable 16-3 on the year in a resurgent season in the rotation. 

Here’s who the Red Sox will send to the plate behind him Wednesday evening at loanDepot Park. 

Tune in for the finale. pic.twitter.com/i8MgGizOcz

— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 26, 2026

The Marlins will counter with Ryan Gusto, holding a 4.32 ERA in 17 appearances. Miami is clinging on for dear life in the National League Wild Card race, sitting four games back of the final spot and one game over .500. 

Wednesday’s starters.

🤝: @PNCBank
📺: https://t.co/CoO4Nlpkc8
👂: @MarlinsRadio, @radiomambi710, @1043wqam
⏰: 6:40 PM ET
🏟️: Roof status: CLOSED#FightinFish // https://t.co/HLOUFjItKkpic.twitter.com/T7BFCFVyo9

— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) August 26, 2026

As Mark Vientos nears a return from his rehab assignment, the question of how the slugging right-hander fits into this version of the Mets was raised to interim manager Andy Green, and the skipper did not mince words.

"I don't know," Green said prior to Wednesday's game with the Brewers. "I was very forthright with him when he started the rehab assignment that a lot of that will be dictated by how others perform and also by how he performs. Still think there’s a very bright future for him out there if he wants to grab a hold of it. That’s on him."

The current construction of the Mets roster doesn't lend itself to a lot of at-bats for Vientos to start with. Even with the added roster spot on Sept. 1, the team has to use the DH spot to give time to other players, including Brett Baty, Francisco Alvarez and Luis Robert Jr., as well as the eventual return of Juan Soto, who could see time as DH.

Vientos, who was placed on the IL back on July 10 with a fractured hand, has played three minor league games between Double-A and Triple-A. In that span, he's 0-for-9 with a walk and five strikeouts. 

With no remaining options, Vientos will rejoin the team, but as Green put it Wednesday, it'll be a proving ground for the young slugger.

"When he gets back in the box, take advantage of the at-bats you do get. Prove you deserve more at-bats," Green continued. "I think people get into different phases in their career at different points in time. He has all the talent that he possessed in ‘24 when he was hitting close to 30 home runs and didn’t start the season with the big league club. It’s all right there. It’s on him for that to come out.

"We certainly want to see it come out. It’s not going to be a perfectly laid path for him, though, when he does come back."

Vientos had a breakout season in 2024, smashing 27 homers and driving in 71 runs across 111 games. The following season, Vientos played 121  games but only hit 17 homers and 61 RBI.

In 73 games this year, Vientos is slashing .211/.256/.388 with an OPS of .644 to go along with his 11 home runs and 35 RBI. 

Andy Green was asked what role he foresees Mark Vientos having on the Mets when he returns from injury:

"I don't know. I was very forthright with him when he started the rehab assignment that a lot of that will be dictated by how others perform and also by how he performs.

I… pic.twitter.com/L6z94bpOMa

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) August 26, 2026

The Pirates bullpen is one of the main reasons why a once promising season turned on a dime and became the most disappointing in a decade.

It’s improved since the All-Star break and especially the trade deadline, but a combination of relievers sank the Pirates’ ship.

Dennis Santana opened the season as the Pirates’ primary closer, but struggled mightily. 

The baton has been passed to lefty Mason Montgomery. He took it and ran. 

Montgomery owns six saves in eight opportunities and a 3.19 ERA over 53.2 innings this season.

His .187 opponent batting average is the best of his career and has limited hitters to 22 walks.

Montgomery has become a significantly different pitcher in July and August, depleting a 4.68 ERA down by a run and a half since being entrusted with a more high-leverage role.

In 13 games spanning 12.1 innings in July, the hard-throwing lefty earned a 1.46 ERA. Montgomery struck out 23 and limited opposing hitters to a .073 average. 

Montgomery owns a 100-101 mph fastball that has played well at the top of the zone. It’s enhanced his slider (16%), sinker (16%), and curveball (14%) usage and his ability to keep hitters off balance. 

"Our Mason was better tonight"

MASON MONTGOMERY. NAILS.

RAISE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/dHDdFQAf3F

— Platinum Key (@PlatinumKey13) August 26, 2026

Despite being a background character in the Brandon Lowe trade, Montgomery may become the most important addition.

With Lowe set to be a free agent and Jake Mangum profiling best as a fourth outfielder, Montgomery has emerged as the Bucs’ best relief pitcher.

August has been nearly perfect. Through nine games (8.2 innings), Montgomery hasn’t allowed a run and has dominated opponents. 

The results speak for themselves with 18 strikeouts compared to four hits and one walk, a 0.58 WHIP.

Montgomery has converted all four saves he’s attempted. 

While the bullpen has let the Pirates down on numerous occasions and derailed the season, the brightest star shining on the mound could provide the team with a closer for years to come.

Montgomery is under team control for four more years and has sorted out his control issues that plagued him in Tampa.

In 53.2 innings, Montgomery has struck out a career-high 87 batters compared to 22 walks. 

Fans pleaded for the Pirates to acquire Aroldis Chapman leading up to the deadline, but they’ve developed their own flamethrowing left-hander to anchor the bullpen and finally lock down the ninth.

The series finale between the Dodgers and Atlanta Braves features a wonderful pitching matchup, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Chris Sale on the mound on Thursday night at Truist Park.

Sale (2.20) and Yamamoto (2.61) are second and third in the National League in ERA, with Yamamoto (3.03) third and Sale (3.06) fourth in xERA.

Yamamoto leads the majors averaging 6.59 innings per start and has allowed nine total runs in his last six starts. Sale since the All-Star break has allowed nine runs in six starts, with 49 strikeouts and only three walks.

The Dodgers scratched together three runs against Sale on May 8 at Dodger Stadium, during which the left-hander struck out seven with no walks in seven innings of a tough-luck loss.

Thursday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Braves
• Ballpark: Truist Park, Atlanta
• Start time: 4:15 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA, FS1
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Another busy roster week for the San Diego Padres’ minor league affiliates as two of the four stateside teams had a miserable week and the Dominican Summer League regular season comes to a close.

El Paso outfielder Dustin Harris, who was released and then re-signed just a couple of weeks ago, had a blistering week at the plate and was promoted to San Diego.

Outfielder Samad Taylor began his rehab with Triple-A El Paso and should be ready soon.

Two more recently signed players, second-round draft pick Elliot Lascelles and undrafted free agent LHP Andrew Wright, were both assigned to Low-A Lake Elsinore to begin their professional careers. 

Lascelles, 18, is a Canadian shortstop with advanced plate discipline and bats left-handed. His draft evaluation suggested he is better suited to second base.

LHP Luis Gutierrez finished his rehab and will be with the Double-A San Antonio Missions to finish the season.

Shortstop Bradley Frye, an undrafted free agent from last season, was promoted to Single-A Fort Wayne on Aug. 5 and was named Midwest League Player of the Week at the end of this past series. Frye went 10-for-24 with a 1.189 OPS in five games. He had two doubles, a triple, and a home run with seven RBI and three stolen bases. That puts him tops on the team, but he has only 48 at-bats in his 15 games overall.

The Dominican Summer League regular season finished with the Padres Gold team ending with a 40-16 record, advancing to the playoffs. The Brown team finished 11-44 for the season, last in their division.

The Gold team began their playoff schedule against the Giants Black team and won the first game 5-3. 

The starter for the Gold team, RHP Yoandres Valdiviezo, was roughed up in the first inning, allowing two earned runs on two hits and five walks. He was replaced after 0.2 innings by RHP Wilfred Paca, who threw five innings of one-hit ball with a walk and three strikeouts.

The rest of the bullpen finished out, allowing one more run over 3.1 innings. Closer Alvieris Polanca picked up his first playoff save. 

The offense plated five runs on nine hits with singles and one double. Left fielder Cristian Benavides was 2-for-2 with two runs scored, and third baseman Dawry Guerrero was 2-for-4 with a double and five RBI.

The second game of the series was yesterday.

El Paso Chihuahuas (50-75 record, last in PCL East)

The Chihuahuas went 1-5 for the week, wasting the breakout performance by outfielder Dustin Harris. Harris hit .500 with a .556 OBP. He had two home runs in his five extra-base hits with nine RBI in four games.

LHP Jagger Haynes had a two-start week with one good showing and one not as good. Over his two starts, he pitched 10 innings with six runs allowed on nine hits. Since his promotion to El Paso, Haynes has been up and down in his six games started and has a 7.13 ERA.

RHP Jhonny Brito has nine starts and 37.1 innings pitched with a 2.89 ERA. With RHP Joe Musgrove scheduled for a start with the Chihuahuas this week, Brito probably won’t be the first pitcher used to supplement the rotation. If Musgrove completes his rehab soon, Brito should be a safety valve for the Padres, if needed.

Reliever Hunter Stratton, acquired at the trade deadline, has been outstanding for El Paso. In seven games and 9.1 innings pitched, Stratton has allowed five hits and no runs with five walks and 10 strikeouts. He could also provide depth for the pitching staff in San Diego.

Catcher Ethan Salas cooled off significantly over the past series. Salas was 3-for-19 with a walk and one strikeout. Overall, in 19 games, Salas is hitting .317 with a .949 OPS, hitting three homers with 20 RBI.

Roster changes

Catcher Victor Duarte was sent to the development list in Arizona and RHP Ty Adcock was placed on the injured list.

RHP Jose Leclerc was assigned to El Paso from San Antonio.

San Antonio Missions (54-66 record, last in Texas League South)

The Missions went 3-3 for the week Fabian is third in home runs with 10 and second in RBI with 48. He has 68 strikeouts. corner outfielder and first baseman Albert Fabian having a good month. Fabian, 24, has been in the system since 2019 and will be a free agent at the end of the year. For the week, he went 10-for-25 with four doubles and a home run. Fabian is third in home runs with 10 and second in RBI with 48. He has 68 strikeouts.

Outfielder Alex McCoy has played in nine games since his promotion. In 42 at-bats, he is hitting .333 and has a .896 OPS with three doubles, two home runs and nine RBI. 

Outfielder Braedon Karpathios leads the team with 14 home runs and 58 RBI but has 148 strikeouts in 463 plate appearances (almost 32% K rate). 

RHP Eric Yost turned in  6.1 innings pitched this past week with four hits, no walks and six strikeouts as a piggyback to LHP Luis Gutierrez. He has a 3.22 ERA in 89.1 innings for the year.

Gutierrez is building up after missing most of the season due to a shoulder injury in April.

Roster changes

RHP Victor Lizarraga was promoted to San Antonio from Fort Wayne.

Outfielder Carson Tucker was placed on the injured list, and outfielder Justin DeCriscio was promoted to the Missions from Fort Wayne.

Outfielder Kai Murphy was assigned to the Arizona development list. 

Reliever Bernard Jose was moved from Fort Wayne to San Antonio.

RHP Johan Moreno was moved from El Paso to San Antonio.

Fort Wayne TinCaps (50-68 record, last in Midwest League East)

The TinCaps went 3-3 for the week with shortstop Bradley Fry distinguishing himself in his five games played. The other players promoted to Fort Wayne from Lake Elsinore are continuing to have difficult adjustment periods with their new team. 

RHP Kannon Kemp, over his past two games started and nine innings pitched, has allowed no runs with ten strikeouts while featuring a 98 mph four-seam fastball. Overall, Kemp has a 4.66 ERA in 29 innings with the TinCaps after starting with the ACL team. The righty began the season on the injured list after suffering a right oblique injury during the spring.

Starting pitchers Carson Montgomery, Bryan Balzer, and Abraham Parra have had up-and-down seasons with Fort Wayne. All have high upsides, with Montgomery having his first season back from Tommy John surgery and Balzer relatively new to pitching but drawing attention as an intriguing prospect.

Parra, 20, is not a top 30 prospect per MLB Pipeline (the others are No. 30 and No. 5, respectively) but is an intriguing arm to follow going forward. Signed as an international prospect out of Venezuela, Parra started with the DSL in 2023 and 2024. He played his first season stateside in 2025 for both the ACL team and Lake Elsinore. 

In 2026, he has 16 starts in 21 games and 89 innings pitched with a 5.76 ERA, 82 strikeouts to 56 walks. He currently features a 97 mph four-seam fastball but needs to improve his command and walk rate.

Roster changes

Infielder Yimy Tovar was promoted from Lake Elsinore to Fort Wayne.

RHP Maikel Miralles was sent to Arizona, and RHP Matt Watson was sent from San Antonio to Fort Wayne to replace him.

Lake Elsinore Storm (61-59 record, 2nd in California League South)

The Storm has lost seven straight, going 0-6 for the week. Struggling on both sides of the ball, Lake Elsinore will go into the playoffs after finishing their season with two more series. They won the first half but aren’t playing well to end the year.

Left-handed hitting shortstop Lascelles has infused some energy with his arrival, but the team is overall not scoring. After losing many of their best players at promotion time, the new infusion of talent started well but has tapered off significantly. 

RHP Luis Maracara, 19, joined the Storm after pitching with the ACL team and has started seven games in his nine appearances. He has 27.2 innings pitched with a 6.51 ERA. In his last three games started, Maracara has 11 innings pitched and 20 strikeouts to three walks. 

RHP Lan-Hong Su, 19, was signed by the Padres out of Taiwan last year. He started this year with the ACL Padres and was moved to Lake Elsinore. Listed at 6-foot-1 and 150 pounds, Su needs time for maturation and development before a real assessment can be made. He is currently the Padres’ No. 7-ranked prospect with MLB Pipeline.

In August, Su has three starts and 9.2 innings pitched with 13 strikeouts and two walks. His control and command fluctuate wildly, but he is an arm to watch going forward.

LHP Kruz Schoolcraft has had a largely disappointing first professional season. Never able to get into any kind of consistent groove, Schoolcraft has stayed healthy with 20 games started and 71.1 innings pitched. He has a 5.80 ERA with 75 strikeouts and 53 walks. Both command and control have been issues with his arsenal. 

In his start this past week, Schoolcraft went 0.2 innings and was removed after he walked three and allowed four runs.

2026 regular season coming to a close

Both A-level affiliates finish their season on Sept. 6.

Double-A affiliates finish on Sept. 18.

Triple-A affiliates complete their season on Sept. 20.

If you look up pictures of Aiden Robbins, one of the first things you will notice is this is a man with baseball hair. At one point during his 2026 season at the University of Texas, head coach Jim Schlossnagle coined him the nickname “Baseball Jesus."

The hair, however, is not just a fashion statement. Since the age of five, Robbins has shaved his head every March, then growing it out until the following March, raising money for children’s cancer research through the St. Baldrick’s foundation. His close friend Lauren Maziarz passed away due to cancer at just 5 years old. 

“The hair is just an extremity to the whole meaning of it,” Robbins told SNY in an exclusive interview on the latest episode of The Mets Pod.

He has maintained a close relationship with Lauren’s family, as her grandparents and other family members have continued to support Robbins throughout his life and journey that has led him to professional baseball.

That journey really took shape after a breakout 2026 at Texas, where Robbins hit .333 with a 1.122 OPS and 24 home runs in 60 games. He was talked about throughout the draft process as a player that should get his name called in the first round of the 2026 MLB Draft. He was even quite frequently mocked to the Mets with the No. 27 pick at various public outlets.

Whenever I interview Mets prospects, the first question I ask is always about the player’s draft day story. Everyone has their own story for the joyous occasion, whether they attended the draft itself, had a big party or just watched it with their parents. The answer often is a version of the overall excitement of achieving a life-long dream.

Robbins had a unique answer about his draft day: “It was crazy, the day itself wasn’t the most fun until the moment happened (when he was picked),” Robbins said. “It was stressful, but it was a great moment with my family and friends, I probably had over 75 people in my backyard. I was really glad my grandparents were able to make it.”

In the days leading up to the draft, Robbins’ father purchased gray t-shirts that said “PROVE. THEM. WRONG.” After the first round came and went and Robbins went unselected, he admitted he was frustrated.

During the 30-minute break after the first round, he went inside, changed and turned that t-shirt into a cut-off that you can see in the video that Texas posted of his moment getting draftedby the Mets, when he surprisingly fell to the No. 92 pick in the draft.

“Everyone started cheering for me and I am glad I got pictures in it because that’s what I am here to do,” Robbins said before cutting himself off. “I am actually here to prove the Mets right. That’s what I go into every day doing.”

Robbins' college career, both statistically and approach-wise, was a tale of two different players. The Pennsylvania native and No. 12 ranked prospect in the Mets' system, spent his first two collegiate seasons at Seton Hall where he was a hit-over-power player, hitting .422 as a sophomore with six home runs. 

Over his two years at Seton Hall, he hit 12 total home runs, a number he doubled in one year at Texas in the toughest conference in college baseball, the SEC. The approach change at Texas was something he worked hard on with former big leaguer Troy Tulowitzki.

“The approach at Seton Hall was just to get some knocks and put the ball in play, focusing on hitting the ball to the right side,” Robbins said. “At Texas, the plan going in was to get more pull-side juice, just juice in general. The hit tool was already there, you’ve seen that at the Cape and at Seton Hall. It was just a flip of a switch where I’m going to go get the ball, I am going to lift it and hit it as hard as I can.”

As Robbins transitions to pro ball, the objective is to blend the Seton Hall approach and the Texas approach. The Mets don’t want to take away the aggressiveness and ability to lift the ball with authority, but if there can be a mix of an A and a B swing, that would be an optimal outcome.

There are things to work on, of course, and Robbins is not a finished product. While there is no doubt he punishes fastballs, there are some questions among scouts about his ability to consistently hit high-end breaking balls as he progresses through the minors. 

Defensively, the Mets have played him in all three outfield spots in his short stint thus far with Low-A St. Lucie, though most of those reps have come in center field. Most people I have spoken to project he is likely more of a left fielder long-term.

Now, Robbins is off on his professional journey and is getting ready to head into his first offseason with a couple of goals in mind: “Speed. Getting a better top speed and better reaction times defensive-wise and swing-wise, honestly trying to merge the Seton Hall and Texas version and try to create this superhuman.”

Off the field, you may run into him playing Diamond Dynasty online in "MLB The Show," where he uses his “Real 99” card to, in his words, put a beat down on people and make them quit in the first couple of innings.

Robbins will report to his first professional spring training in 2027 with a shaved head and will look to, as he said, prove the Mets right for investing in him.