Category: MLB

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Mostly reserved and soft-spoken publicly in his three-plus seasons as a big leaguer, Anthony Volpe saved his most passionate defense for Wednesday, when he felt like his character had come under attack.

Following a report (since retracted) that the polarizing Yankees shortstop refused to play second base while he was at Triple-A earlier this season, Volpe called “BS” and insisted he has been willing to do whatever the team needed of him.

“It couldn’t be further from the truth,” Volpe said in front of his locker at Tropicana Field. “From my end, from my perspective, that’s been very clearly communicated to [manager Aaron Boone] and the team. I think it’s just kind of BS, honestly, because I’d hope my teammates in here — I’ve played with them for three-plus years — I hope they know my character and that I’d literally do anything to help the team win. Literally anything. So I think just the narrative and what it tries to say about me, I feel like I’m defending myself over something that literally didn’t happen.”

The 25-year-old Volpe, who underwent offseason shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum, said the organization did not broach the subject of playing different positions with him until José Caballero was coming back from the injured list in late May.

That came after Volpe had spent all of his rehab process working at shortstop, including on his rehab assignment, after which the club decided to option him to Triple-A on May 4 because Caballero had been playing shortstop at a high level.

According to Volpe, he had checked in with the organization weekly during the offseason to ask what was expected of him at a time when all he could do was take ground balls, and the message was consistently to be ready to play shortstop. GM Brian Cashman had reiterated that at Tampa Bay on April 10 — at which point Caballero had gotten off to a slow start — when he said that Volpe returning as the starting shortstop had “always been the plan.” Of course, Caballero’s play eventually changed that plan.

For the week he spent at Triple-A after being optioned, Volpe only played shortstop. It is possible that the organization would have started to mix in second base if he had stayed there longer, but then Caballero got injured and Volpe got called up to play shortstop in the big leagues.

“I mean, when I was getting optioned, I told Booney I’d play catcher, I’d do literally whatever the team needed,” he said. “And that’s the truth behind the story. That’s why the fact that what was said was said is catching me so off guard, because there was literally zero of that.

“Even after the new message [about introducing other positions] was received, I had no — I still have no problem. I want to be here and I want to help the team win the World Series. That’s literally all I want. So for anything opposite to be put out there is just confusing.”

Asked Wednesday if there was any resistance from Volpe about trying second base when he was at Triple-A, general manager Brian Cashman wrote in a text message, “No.” Boone also defended Volpe, saying they did not bring up playing other positions until “pretty late in the game.”

“I know he would do anything,” Boone said. “Volpe’s character and team-first [mindset] is beyond reproach. He’s as good as it gets. He’s been through a lot and he’s handled everything with toughness, with grace, with work ethic and with team first in mind. He’s always been that way.

“He’s a gamer, and he’s a tough, tough kid that loves the game and plays his butt off every single day. I wish that was celebrated a little bit more.”

After Caballero came back from the IL, Volpe began taking occasional ground balls at second base on days when he was not in the lineup, but that slowed down because the Yankees were then ravaged by injuries to Aaron Judge, Jasson Domínguez, Trent Grisham and Ryan McMahon, and leaned on Caballero’s defensive versatility to help them get through it.

They are now closer to whole, and Tuesday Volpe did not start against a lefty for only the second time this season, though he was back at shortstop Wednesday against another lefty, Shane McClanahan, with Caballero spelling Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second base.

Volpe, who won the Gold Glove at shortstop as a rookie in 2023 but went through a brutal defensive stretch last summer while playing through the shoulder injury, has been up and down there this season. He has made some terrific plays while botching some more routine ones, with his decreased arm strength a concern. Caballero has graded out better in Defensive Runs Saved (six to one), but has also had some bumps defensively at shortstop.

Offensively, Volpe has been getting on base at a higher clip (.338) than he has the rest of his career, but only had a .663 OPS in 41 games compared to Caballero’s .701 mark in 78 games.

“We really haven’t had, until Cabby walked in the door last year, a real competition-based thing here,” Boone said. “And by the way, [Volpe] has been a damn good shortstop. I hate to break it to everyone, that still is real. Has he had his struggles? Sure. But he’s also played really well out there in some long stretches defensively.”

I do not know if the Cincinnati Reds have a season that is capable of salvage. What I do know, though, is that if it is to be salvaged, it will come on the backs of their select few superstars, of which Chase Burns leads the pack.

The electric 23 year old has already compiled 4.3 bWAR through the team’s first 90 games of the 2026 season, doing so with an absurd mix of 99 mph heat and a slider that bends minds more than Timothy Leary. The All Star has somehow managed to go 10 and 1, too, despite Cincinnati’s otherwise dismal 41-49 record, an indication that he’s been the stopper the team needs (even though nobody else has been able to pick up their slack).

Burns will start for the Reds on Wednesday night in Great American Ball Park in the second game of the series against the Philadelphia Phillies. The series has already seen an ace go to work as Zack Wheeler wiped the floor with Cincinnati hitters during Tuesday night’s 4-1 Phillies win, and the hope on Cincinnati’s side is that Burns can return the favor in his start.

First pitch is set for 7:00 PM ET on ESPN. It will be the final scheduled appearance for Burns before the All Star break.

All seven of the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates were in action on Tuesday, as a new series kicked off for the A-ball teams. Let’s jump into the action from the day, and also the rookie ball games on Monday.

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

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

News

Some movement on the farm. Most notably, LHP Cesar Perdomo was promoted from AA to AAA, which is exciting (and while some of it is merit, it appears to be setting up Carson Whisenhunt for a return to the Majors). Replacing Perhdomo in Richmond’s rotation is LHP Tyler Switalski, who has been promoted from High-A Eugene.

RHPs Chen-Hsun Lee and Samir Chires, and outfielder Angel Guzman were promoted from the ACL to Low-A San Jose, while RHPs Mauricio Estrella and Ubert Mejias were promoted from San Jose to Eugene. Low-A outfielder Jose Ortiz, AA RHP Darien Smith, and AAA outfielder Grant McCray were given rehab assignments.

AAA Sacramento (46-39)

Sacramento River Cats beat the Salt Lake Bees (Angels) 7-6 (10 innings)
Box score

Funny game for the River Cats, who were getting no-hit in the 7th inning before rattling off 5 runs in the frame, tying it in the 8th, and walking it off in the 10th. Whatever works! They didn’t have a lot of good performances on either side of the ball, so it’s fairly fitting that it took an error for them to walk it off.

Their lone bright spot on offense was second baseman Nate Furman (No. 39 CPL), who hit 2-5 (their only multi-hit game) with a double (their only extra-base hit) and a strikeout, while knocking in 2 of the 5 runs in the 7th-inning rally.

Furman has had a very steady debut season in AAA, as the soon-to-turn 25-year old has hit decently, but not spectacularly, pretty much all year long. He has a .765 OPS and a 107 wRC+ on the year, and has been hanging around those numbers for much of the season. The Giants surely love his 13.5% strikeout rate.

Shortstop Osleivis Basabe had a nice game, hitting 1-3 with 2 walks and a strikeout. Basabe, a 25-year old who was outrighted last year, remains a great player to have as depth in AAA: he’s hitting near league average (.739 OPS, 95 wRC+), barely striking out (12.0% rate), and has strong defense across the infield dirt.

The pitching started with a trio of bummer performances. RHP Tristan Beck, pitching for the 3rd time since getting optioned, struggled as the opener, ceding 3 hits, 2 walks, and 3 runs in just 2.1 innings, though he did strike out 5 batters. This is Beck’s final option year, and he’s got a lot of work to do to earn a spot on next year’s roster given his performance in both the Majors (6.75 ERA, 3.96 FIP) and AAA (4.34 ERA, 4.15 FIP) this season.

Then it was RHP Trent Harris (No. 29 CPL) who had his first bad outing in a very long time, giving up 3 hits, a walk, a hit batter, and 2 runs in 1.2 innings, though he struck out 3 batters. Harris has been awesome lately, as this broke a streak of 8 straight appearances without a run … and in 5 of those 8 appearances, he didn’t allow a hit!

And then it was rehabbing RHP Jason Foley, who continues to not look like someone who can help the MLB team, as he gave up a hit, a walk, and a run in an inning, with a strikeout. Foley’s rehab has been an absolute disaster, and I’m not sure what the Giants are going to do with him.

But RHPs Braxton Roxby and Michael Fulmer pitched well, as each allowed a hit and a walk with 2 strikeouts and 0 runs, the former in 2 innings and the latter in 2.1. Fulmer has quietly lowered his ERA to 3.57 and his FIP to 3.29, with 12.2 strikeouts per 9 innings, despite living in the very low 90s. Could the Giants get anything for the veteran in a deadline trade?

AA Richmond (51-29)

Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Altoona Curve (Pirates) 3-2
Box score

It was a mostly mild-mannered day for Richmond’s offense, with all 3 of their runs coming on a single swing: a towering 3-run home run by third baseman Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL), who finished the day 1-4 with a strikeout.

For Harber, it was his 4th home run in the last 3 games, as he is officially catching fire following a short slump. Over his last 9 games, the 24-year old UDFA is hitting 14-36 with 4 homers, 3 doubles, 3 walks, and 7 strikeouts. The .904 OPS and the 137 wRC+ — especially when paired with the invitation to Spring Training earlier this year — certainly suggest that we’ll see Harber in AAA before too terribly long. And I don’t think I’m alone in wondering what Harber’s powerful swing (which has resulted in a .237 isolated slugging and 12 homers in 275 plate appearances this year) can do in the homer-happy Pacific Coast League.

That was it on offense. Harber’s teammates combined to hit just 5-29 with no extra-base hits and no walks.

RHP Trystan Vrieling had a solid start, pitching 5 innings while allowing 6 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run, with 3 strikeouts. It’s not been a very good year for the 25-year old who, along with Harber, came over in last year’s Camilo Doval trade. But things have been a bit better lately, as this was his 2nd straight outing going at least 5 innings with only 1 run allowed, and he’s given up 0 or 1 runs in 4 of his last 5 starts (unfortunately the outlier in those 5 was quite a rough game). Unfortunately, Vrieling just can’t get his strikeouts or his walks to a good place … he has 8.3 and 6.3, respectively, per 9 innings, which has led to a 4.26 ERA and a 5.62 FIP in his 2nd season in AA.

RHP Christian Alvarado continues to dominate out of the bullpen, as he earned the save while striking out all 3 batters that he faced. Alvarado, a 31-year old who recently signed out of a Mexican League and who hadn’t pitched in affiliated ball since 2019, has made 5 appearances for the Squirrels and has yet to allow a run. In 5 innings, he’s given up just 2 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 11. Impressive stuff!

High-A Eugene (49-33)

Eugene Emeralds lost to Spokane (Rockies) 12-4
Box score

This game was all about the long ball for the Emeralds hitters, as their 4 runs came on a trio of homers. The most exciting one came off the bat of shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL), who went deep for the 2nd time since getting promoted, as part of a 1-4 day that featured 2 strikeouts.

Level has adjusted quite well to life in High-A. The power is down significantly (his isolated slugging has dipped from .251 in Low-A this year to .156 in High-A), and the walk rate has plummeted (from 7.8% to 3.0%). Those can both be explained by Level being a little overly aggressive as he faces better pitchers … he’s chasing more, and waiting for his pitch less. On the one hand, that’s not great … on the other hand, he’s on the young end of 19 and, despite those issues, more than holding his own, with a .289 average, an 18.5% strikeout rate, a .771 OPS, and a 105 wRC+. Some adjustments and struggles are to be expected when moving up a level, especially when a player is so much younger than the competition. That Level is experiencing that while still keeping his head well above water is impressive.

The best day, however, belonged to catcher Jancel Villarroel (No. 42 CPL), who continues to impress. The 21-year old went 2-4 with a home run, and has now started July with 4 consecutive multi-hit games. Villarroel, who has an .879 OPS and a 136 wRC+, has just gotten better and better as the year goes on. The home run swing has been highly encouraging: when the Giants acquired Villarroel before Spring Training in the Kai-Wei Teng trade, we knew they were getting a player with good contact skills, and that’s been on display, as he has a .308 average and a 19.4% strikeout rate. The power is a bit more surprising — Villarroel’s .192 isolated slugging ranks 24th out of 80 Northwest League hitters with at least 100 plate appearances this year.

Rounding out the homer party was left fielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 32 CPL), who hit 1-4 with a solo blast. For Diaz, it was the continuation of a theme we’ve seen from him throughout his career: loud tools, but the total package still not quite working. It was his 14th home run of the year, good for 3rd in the entire farm system, and just 1 behind his teammate Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL), a power monster who is more than 2 years older and has more than 7extra plate appearances (though 3 of Diaz’s dingers came while moonlighting in Low-A due to visa issues).

Yet despite all those home runs, and despite a very tidy 17.2% strikeout rate, Diaz has just a .736 OPS and an 88 wRC+. That’s kind of the story for Diaz, a right-hander who will turn 21 later this month. I remain quite high on him, but his tools — good power, good contact, and arguably the best arm of any outfielder in the system — have, to this point in his career, been just that: tools, not a cohesive, productive package.

It was a bad day for the pitchers, pretty much from top to bottom. Another bad game with signs of life from LHP Luis De La Torre (No. 14 CPL), who gave up just 3 hits in 4 innings with 5 strikeouts, but also walked 4 batters and allowed a home run, though he limited the damage to just 2 runs and 1 earned run.

De La Torre remains very hard to hit: he’s striking out 11.8 batters per 9 innings, and has ceded only 45 hits in 64.1 innings. That’s the good … the bad is that 6 of those hits have cleared the fence, and he’s issued a staggering 51 walks (plus 5 hit batters). He still has some of the nastiest stuff in the organization — you could make a fairly compelling argument that he’s behind only Keyner Martinez (No. 10 CPL) in that department — but the dramatic declines in suppressing walks and home runs, and inducing ground balls, have given the 22-year old a 5.04 ERA and a 4.86 FIP on the season.

At least there were silver linings, which is sadly more than can be said for RHPs Matt Dunaway and Cole Hillier, who each gave up 4 runs (the former in 0.2 innings, and the latter in 1).

RHP Mauricio Estrella allowed 2 hits, a hit batter, and a run in 2 innings, but struck out 4 batters in his High-A debut. A 22-year old from the Dominican Republic, Estrella had a lovely 56-to-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 45.2 innings with Low-A San Jose, leading to a 3.74 ERA and a 3.92 FIP.

Low-A San Jose (50-32)

San Jose Giants beat the Visalia Rawhide (D-Backs) 7-6 (11 innings)
Box score

Just as was the case in Eugene, San Jose used an electric starting pitcher who has had struggles this year, and he displayed both ends of the spectrum. It was RHP Keyner Martinez (No. 10 CPL) on the mound for the Baby Giants, and he limited Visalia to just 3 hits over 5 innings, with 5 strikeouts. That, unfortunately, is where the good news ends, as 2 of those 3 hits left the park, and were accompanied by 2 walks and 2 hit batters, though Martinez limited the damage to “just” 3 runs.

Like De La Torre with the Emeralds, Martinez — the top pitching prospect in the organization, in my eyes — has seen his walks, home runs, and ground balls all move firmly in the wrong direction this year. But isn’t it a little easy to overlook that when a guy has given up just 44 hits in 60 innings with 96 strikeouts? The 4.50 ERA and 4.90 FIP point to some issues Martinez is having, but you’re doing something right when you have far more strikeouts than baserunners allowed. Martinez’s 14.4 strikeouts per 9 innings now ranks 5th out of the 507 Minor Leaguers who have thrown at least 50 innings this year.

RHP Alix Hernandez showed off his electricity, striking out all 3 batters he faced and coming 1 pitch away from an immaculate inning. After giving up 3 earned runs in 3 straight outings spanning late April and early May, Hernandez has been utterly dynamic: in 14 games since, he’s allowed just 3 earned runs (albeit with 5 unearned runs), and struck out 35 batters in 27 innings. He’s down to a 2.72 ERA on the year, though he has a 4.64 FIP due to a few too many long balls.

In the batter’s box it was a dynamic day for shortstop Lorenzo Meola (No. 23 CPL), who went 4-5 with a pair of doubles, though he also struck out and was caught stealing. Last year’s 4th-round pick is still sporting some pretty discouraging numbers — he has a .751 OPS, an 87 wRC+, and a 27.0% strikeout rate — but he’s 11-23 with 4 extra-base hits, 2 walks, and just 4 strikeouts to start July, all while playing outstanding defense at short.

Decent games for second baseman Isaiah Barkett and third baseman Dario Reynoso. Barkett, last year’s 10th-round selection, hit 1-3 with a double, a walk, and a hit by pitch, pushing his OPS to .858 and his wRC+ to 118. Reynoso, a recently-turned 21-year old from the DR, went 2-5 with a double, but also had a strikeout, a caught stealing, and an error. He has a .939 OPS and a 133 wRC+, but a 31.0% strikeout rate.

Arizona Complex League (28-20)

Monday: ACL Giants beat the ACL Royals 17-6 [box score]
Tuesday: ACL Giants beat the ACL Padres 7-2 [box score]

As is usually the case this time of year, the biggest news for the ACL team was the players who were rehabbing. There were a lot of them! And most exciting was a name that probably hasn’t been on most people’s radar for a while: left fielder Jose Ortiz.

Ortiz, who turned 21 in February, was the Giants 13th-round pick in 2023, out of the same Puerto Rican high school that Heliot Ramos came from. He’s played fantastically when he’s been on the field, but staying on the field has been an issue. In 2024 he appeared in just 28 games (27 in the Complex League and 1 in Low-A), but had a 128 wRC+; and last year, he played in just 23 games (8 in the Complex League and 15 in Low-A), but had a 134 wRC+ with San Jose after some rough rehab time an the ACL.

And now he’s thankfully healthy again. Ortiz made his season debut on Tuesday, and what a debut it was: he hit 2-3, with both of his hits leaving the yard. Welcome back Jose!!

Ortiz wasn’t the only rehabbing player to hit a home run, as AAA center fielder Grant McCray began a rehab assignment on Monday. He played in both games, and hit 3-7 with a home run, a double, a walk, a stolen base, and a strikeout. McCray, who’s been having a difficult season in Sacramento, had been sidelined for about 6 weeks. The River Cats aren’t currently hurting for outfielders, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the Giants keep McCray on his rehab assignment through the weekend, and he can rejoin Sacramento after the All-Star break.

McCray’s big fly occurred on Monday, when the ACL Giants bopped a quintet of homers. That featured a pair off the bat of catcher Broedy Poppell, who went 2-4 with a walk and 6 runs batted in. Poppell, last year’s 13th-round pick, opened the year in Low-A as an outfielder, but moved down to the ACL to do some catching. It’s not entirely clear whether the Giants wanted him to work on his catching and he was blocked there in San Jose, or if they just needed extra catchers in the Complex League and opted for Poppell, who primarily caught in college. Either way, he has a .902 OPS and an 86 wRC+ in the ACL.

The other homers belonged to right fielder Evan Estevez, who hit 5-8 with a solo shot, a double, a walk, and 2 strikeouts, and first baseman Carlos Concepcion, who went 2-9 with a 2-run blast and 5 strikeouts. Estevez, an 18-year old from the DR, has a .779 OPS and an 88 wRC+; Concepcion, a 20-year old from the DR, has a .626 OPS and a 52 wRC+. Both players are in their stateside debuts, and have massive strikeout rates.

As for the top prospects, shortstop Josuar González (No. 2 CPL) went 2-6 with a double, a strikeout, and an error, while shortstop/third baseman Luis Hernández (No. 6 CPL) hit 2-8 with a double, a walk, a strikeout, and a caught stealing. Both players are having magical years.

The rehab also took place on the mound, with a pair of AA RHPs. On Monday it was Logan Martin, who allowed a hit in 2 scoreless innings with 2 strikeouts, and on Tuesday it was Darien Smith, who gave up 3 hits and 2 runs in an inning of work, with a strikeout. For Smith, who last pitched in mid-May, it was the start of his rehab assignment. For Martin, it was his 4th rehab appearance, and he’s been phenomenal, giving up just 2 baserunners and 0 runs in 7 innings.

As far as non-rehabbing prospects go, LHPs Carlos De La Rosa (No. 30 CPL) and Leandro Rodriguez had really nice outings. De La Rosa, who came over in the Camilo Doval trade and was one of the hardest-throwing pitchers in the Dominican Summer League last year, tossed 4 scoreless innings with just 3 hits (all singles), 2 walks, and 4 strikeouts. The 18-year old hasn’t had a particularly good year (he has a 5.54 ERA and a 5.14 FIP), but has been starting to find a groove. This was the 3rd time in his last 4 outings that he didn’t allow any runs.

As for Rodriguez, a 20-year old who is also in his stateside debut, he gave up just 3 singles, 1 walk, 1 hit batter, and 1 run in 4 innings, while striking out 3. He only has a 4.62 ERA and a 4.73 FIP, but he’s struck out 48 batters in 39 innings, with just 11 walks. There’s something there!

Speaking of which, RHP Melvin Pineda struck out 5 batters in 2 scoreless innings, allowing just a walk. Pineda is now up to a truly laughable 44 strikeouts in 21.1 innings in the ACL (more than 2 per inning!), but, even with this great showing, has walked 18 batters. That comes after 15 strikeouts and 10 walks in 8.2 innings with San Jose.

Dominican Summer League Black (15-12)

Monday: DSL Giants Black beat DSL Arizona Red 3-1 (7 innings) [box score]
Tuesday: DSL Giants Black lost to the DSL Tigers 2, 9-7 (7 innings) [box score]

Monday’s game featured a tremendous pitching performance from RHP Randry De Leon. The soon-to-turn 21-year old from the DR pitched 5 shutout innings, giving up just 3 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 5. You don’t see many DSL pitchers going 5 innings deep, and you certainly don’t see many do so with scoreless outings.

It’s been a tough year for De Leon, who entered the game having allowed multiple runs in all 5 of his prior outings. After having a 3.66 ERA with 12.9 strikeouts per 9 innings last year, the 4th-year pro has a 7.06 ERA (and a 6.62 FIP) with 9.6 strikeouts per 9.

A very nice pair of games for a trio of hitters: left fielder Franco Willias, center fielder Djean Macares, and shortstop Keiberg Camacaro. Willias, a 21-year old in his 3rd season, hit 4-7 with a home run and a strikeout, bringing his OPS to .955 and his wRC+ to 128; Macares, a recently-turned 18-year old in his 2nd season, went 4-7 with a stolen base and a caught stealing, boosting his OPS to .746 and his wRC+ to 100, with 12 stolen bases in 15 attempts; and Camacaro, a 19-year old in his 4th season, hit 3-7 with a triple, a double, and 2 strikeouts, bumping his OPS to .984 and his wRC+ to 140.

Designated hitter Luis Padron, a 16-year old from Venezuela, made his professional debut on Tuesday, and went 1-3.

Dominican Summer League Orange (16-11)

Monday: DSL Giants Orange beat DSL Arizona Black 3-0 (7 innings) [box score]
Tuesday: DSL Giants Orange beat DSL Pirates Black 11-5 (7 innings) [box score]

There was also a really nice starting pitching performance for the DSL Orange team, as RHP Jose Trevizo pitched 4 scoreless innings in Monday’s start, giving up just 1 hit, 1 walk, and 1 hit batter, while striking out 3. An 18-year old from Mexico in his 2nd season, Trevizo got rocked in his season debut, but has been fairly excellent since. He has really nice numbers on the year: a 4.05 ERA, a 3.45 FIP, and 23 strikeouts to 4 walks in 20 innings.

RHP Jhon Leon threw 2 perfect innings with 2 strikeouts for his best outing of the year. The 22-year old is having a tough 3rd pass through the DSL, though.

The offensive standouts: first baseman Albert Jimenez went 1-5 with a solo home run, 2 walks, and a strikeout, as the 19-year old has a 1.039 OPS and a 139 wRC+ in his 3rd season; center fielder Jose Valdez hit 2-5 with a home run and 2 walks, boosting the 17-year old’s OPS to .865 and his wRC+ to 105 in his debut season; third baseman/shortstop Yeison Oviedo went 3-7 with a triple, as the 18-year old has an .826 OPS and a 112 wRC+ in his 2nd season; and left fielder Angelo Ugueto hit 4-6, though he was caught stealing twice, with the 17-year old pushing his debut-season OPS to .748 and his wRC+ to 98.

Home run tracker

14 — Lisbel Diaz — [11 in High-A; 3 in Low-A]
12 — Parks Harber — [AA]
12 — Jhonny Level — [2 in High-A; 10 in Low-A]
8 — Broedy Poppell x2 — [5 in Low-A; 3 in ACL]
7 — Jancel Villarroel — [High-A]
7 — Albert Jimenez — [DSL]
6 — Evan Estevez — [ACL]
5 — Grant McCray — [4 in AAA; 1 in ACL]
5 — Jose Valdez — [DSL]
4 — Franco Willias — [DSL]
3 — Carlos Concepcion — [ACL]
2 — Jose Ortiz x2 — [ACL]

Wednesday schedule

Sacramento: 6:45 p.m. PT vs. Salt Lake (SP: TBD)
Richmond: 3:00 p.m. PT at Altoona (SP: Yunior Marte)
Eugene: 6:35 p.m. PT vs. Spokane (SP: Hunter Dryden)
San Jose: 6:35 p.m. PT at Visalia (SP: TBD)

Reminder that almost all MiLB games can be viewed on MLB TV

TV: NESN
First Pitch: 7:40 p.m. ET
Location: Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago

The Red Sox will look to push their winning streak to five against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Boston has been superb throughout its most recent stretch, averaging seven runs per game across the four-game winning streak and allowing more than two earned runs in just one of those games — though there are questions about just how long this thing is going to last…

Jake Bennett will toe the rubber once again, with the expectation that he’ll blow past his previous career-high in innings pitched in one season after surpassing the total in his last start. Bennett carries a 3.10 ERA into his eighth start, having struck out 31 batters in 40.2 innings pitched Red Sox manager Chad Tracy is rocking with a similar lineup to that of the series opener, with Masataka Yoshida, Carlos Narváez, and Tsung-Che Cheng entering for Romy Gonzalez, Connor Wong, and Andruw Monasterio.

Davis Martin will look to push things in the right direction for Chicago.

Braden Montgomery, who was the centerpiece of the trade that brought aboard Garrett Crochet, will make his debut against the team that drafted him after being inserted alongside Junior Perez.

The Red Sox have just five games remaining before everyone takes a break for the 2026 MLB All-Star Game. If they’re going to position themselves for a run, things need to continue moving in the right direction.

Wednesday notes…

• WEDNESDAY FACTS: The Cubs are 11-4 in all games on Wednesday this season and 6-2 on the road. They finished last year 13-12 overall and 7-6 on the road. They are 15-14 in the second games of series and 8-6 on the road. They finished last season 34-19 overall and 17-9 on the road. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• BACK TO BACK: In their 17-6 surge since June 11, the Cubs have lost back-to-back games only once, Friday and Saturday at home vs. the Cardinals. They had won three, two, four and five games in a row before their back-to-back wins Sunday and yesterday. Forty of the Cubs’ 51 wins have come in winning streaks and 29 of their 40 losses have come in losing streaks. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• HOME RUN FACTS: The Cubs’ eight home runs in their 23-3 pummeling of the Padres last Wednesday made it just the 37th game since 1901 in which a team homered at least eight times. The Cubs have not hit any homers in their four games since then. Twenty of the previous 36 teams with eight or more homers hit at least one in their next game. All of the 16 others homered again in their second game. Only two of the previous 10 teams with at least eight homers did not hit one in their next game: the Phillies, who had been the last team to hit eight before the Cubs, on Sept. 24, 2025, and the Blue Jays, who hit eight on June 13, 2021. After the Cubs broke their team record by slugging eight homers vs. the Cardinals on July 4, 2025, they hit two, one, one and no homers in their next four games. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• TODAY IN WRIGLEY FIELD HISTORY: The home of the Cubs hosts its first All-Star Game. The AL defeats the NL 2-1 in front of 41,123 at Wrigley Field. Cubs representatives are Phil Cavarretta and Andy Pafko. Pafko has one of the NL’s five hits. It happened 79 years ago today, Tuesday, July 8, 1947.

Cubs lineup:

Orioles lineup:

Colin Rea, RHP vs. Dean Kremer, RHP

Over his last three starts, Colin Rea has a 1.76 ERA and 1.304 WHIP, a good turnaround from a rough patch he had in late May and early June.

Rea last faced the Orioles in 2024. Current O’s are a small sample size 9-for-35 (.257) against him with one home run (Tyler O’Neill), and 12 strikeouts.

Dean Kremer missed two months this year with a right quad strain and has made just one start since his return, July 1 vs. the White Sox, who he held to four hits and one run in six innings. He threw 79 pitches in that game so likely isn’t on any pitch limit in this one.

Kremer last pitched against the Cubs July 9, 2024 in Baltimore and they hit him hard, including home runs by Michael Busch and Ian Happ. Michael Conforto (3-for-4) has also homered off Kremer.

Here is the weather forecast for the area around Camden Yards.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network.

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

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The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.

You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.

The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.

You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

With the 2026 MLB amateur draft only days away, and Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris going into his fourth draft as head of the club, it’s a good time to look back at his first three efforts. The 2023 edition was, of course, quite a good one. Harris and amateur scouting director Mark Conner, along with assistant GM and VP of the scouting department, Rob Metzler, crushed this draft comfortably. That we can say that only three years later is entirely a credit to Mr. Kevin McGonigle, who is already paying huge dividends and could prove their best position player pick of all-time. Of course, the Tigers found quite a lot of other talented players in that draft, and even beyond McGonigle it may go down as one of the club’s best since the draft was initiated in 1965.

The Tigers selected 21 players in the 2023 draft, ultimately signing 19 of them total. This was the first we saw of the club’s draft strategy under the new leadership group. As we’ve come to expect, they favored left-handed hitting prep players who play up the middle, a strategy that has continued to SS Bryce Rainer in 2024, and SS Jordan Yost and catcher Michael Oliveto in 2025 with their first round picks. They allocated quite a bit of money to lure a couple of promising, well regarded arms away from their college commitments, and added a sprinkling of athletic, small school players with good contact ability, as well as a selection of overlooked college arms and a JUCO pick to round out their first draft.

1- CF Max Clark (Franklin Community HS) $7,700,000

The talented young center fielder signed as the third overall pick in the draft and took an underslot bonus $641,700 under the recommended amount. He’s moved as quickly as hoped, and at age 21 is having a solid season at the Triple-A level while polishing his game for the big jump. Clark can really hit, rarely strikes out, takes his walks, and is developing into a force defensively and on the basepaths. The big question is how much power he’ll grow into, but he’s comfortably among the top outfield prospects in the game and seems likely to make his major league debut sometime before the end of the season. Yes, Wyatt Langford was probably the better pick based on speed to the major leagues, but when all is said and done, Clark may yet prove the more valuable player.

CB-A- SS Kevin McGonigle (Monsignor Bonner HS) $2,847,500

The Tigers locked up their new star infielder with a bonus that was about $540,000 over slot, using the savings from Clark’s bonus to double up on an elite pair of high school talents. Little more needs be said as McGonigle rocketed through the minor leagues despite a few injuries and is well on his way to an AL Rookie of the Year title, and may make a push into MVP conversation if the power starts showing up a little more as he’s settled into the league. This may turn out to be the best pick in Detroit Tigers’ history. It feels great for Tigers’ fans knowing he’s already locked up on a long-term deal.

2- 2B Max Anderson (Nebraska) $1,429,650

Anderson also signed for about $750,000 under slot, helping the Tigers spread their bonus pool around. The stout infielder has power and good contact ability, and just hasn’t yet developed a selective enough eye to get to that power at the major league level consistently. A solid infielder who is a bit light in the range department, most of Anderson’s value is going to have to come from the bat, but he’s handling Triple-A much better in his second look and doing plenty of damage. He’ll have to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason, so at least a look at the show later this season is pretty likely for the 24-year-old infielder.

3- LHP Paul Wilson (Lakeridge High School) $1,697,500

Wilson signed for about $750,000 overslot, passing on his commitment to Oregon State. He is the son of a former major league pitcher in Trevor Wilson, and was regarded as a very polished lefty on draft day. Like most of the Tigers prep pitchers drafted under Harris, Wilson spent most of his time on the injured list in 2024-2025, and was pretty wild on the few occasions when he did pitch. However, in recent weeks he’s completed some rehab work at the Complex League level and returned to Single-A Lakeland to hopefully, finally embark on his pro career at age 21. So far, Wilson has shown mid-90’s velocity with quality breaking and offspeed stuff that still needs a lot of refinement. He’s finally on his way, so we’ll just cross our fingers and hope he’s finally put the injuries behind him and gotten himself physically built up to handle the pro workload. This could still turn out to be a great pick, but for now those grades are entirely incomplete.

4- 3B Carson Rucker (Goodpasture Christian School) $772.500

This prep third baseman received an extra $145,000 over slot to pass on a University of Tennessee commitment. He had a strong arm and good defensive chops for his age, with some quality power potential as well. However, Rucker dislocated his left shoulder and tore the labrum in 2024 as well just four games into his pro career. That cost him that whole season, and he dealt with some injuries in 2025 as well. Now 21 years old, Rucker has power and can play a pretty good third base, but while he’s walked a lot more and been a pretty productive hitter for Single-A Lakeland, his strikeout rate has been sky high. Rucker is really just healthy and getting steady reps for the first time this season, so I wouldn’t jump ship just yet, but things certainly aren’t going according to plan in his case.

5- RHP Jaden Hamm (Middle Tennessee State) $397,500

Things started off smashingly for Hamm. His overhand delivery produced a pretty spectacular riding fastball that sat 94-95 mph and touched 97. The Tigers encouraged him to pitch up in the zone, and helped him refine the heater along with his wipeout curveball. He was also making progress on a slider by spring 2025. Hamm got some mention at the ends of various top 100 prospect lists heading into the 2025 season. Unfortunately, he struggled through a difficult campaign at the Double-A level that saw him deal with the dreaded dead arm syndrome.

His velocity started dipping down to 90-91 mph and sometimes worse, and while the Tigers shut him down eventually, he hasn’t pitched yet this season and there are no details about his status. All we can say is that he hasn’t had Tommy John surgery, and so shoulder trouble seems the likely culprit. He’ll be 24 in September, but he had looked good at Double-A before the troubles began, so there’s time for him to get back on track.

6- C Bennett Lee (Wake Forest) $297,500

Lee has developed into a decent catching prospect, with good defensive skills and plenty of leadership ability, but not a whole lot to write home about at the plate. The 24-year-old just isn’t going to hit at the major league level, although with a little improvement, it’s possible he could end up a Triple-A depth catcher who sees time in the major leagues as an injury replacement down the road.

7- SS John Peck (Pepperdine) $247,500

The 23-year-old John Peck was an early example of the Tigers hunting athletic, contact oriented up-the-middle defenders from smaller schools or with lesser college pedigrees, and getting them at bargain prices to help balance out the bigger bonuses given elsewhere to the prep picks. Peck has developed nicely, filling out his six-foot frame and developing above average raw power to go with pretty good skills on the infield. A right-handed hitter, Peck still needs to be more selective in his swing decisions, but he’s hit his way rapidly through the minor leagues considering his draft stock, and is tracking as a future utility infielder with some pop who can play just about anywhere on the diamond. Heck of a good value pick.

8- RHP Jatnk Diaz (Hazleton Area HS) $247,500

Diaz was a fun story on draft day, as the young right-hander’s senior season was washed out by ineligibility due to his travels to the Dominican during the COVID pandemic. He basically took it upon himself to coach himself up as a pitcher and was popping 95+ in short bursts after getting in outstanding shape on his own. Diaz got help from others in the local baseball community to get the word out and the Tigers caught wind of him and picked him up as another good value pick with the physical potential to develop into a pretty good pitcher. It’s been slow going, as Diaz has dealt with several injuries as well. He’s back in the Complex League after struggling at the Single-A level, and that mid-90’s velocity has been only occasionally in evidence. He’ll turn 22 in the next month, so next year may be his last chance to show he can stay on the mound and start making some real progress.

9- RHP Hayden Minton (Missouri State) $162,500

Minton recently got promoted to Double-A Erie. He’s a decent minor league starter with a pretty good breaking ball. Something else is going to have to pop in terms of stuff to make him a really viable prospect, as the hoped for 2026 breakout isn’t panning out for him. Now 25 years of age, he’s running out of time but should remain a quality org arm for a little while longer while he tries to take the next step.

10- LHP Andrew Sears (Connecticut) $167,800

Another excellent value pick on the path to making good is this intense left-hander, currently dealing for the Double-A SeaWolves after an injury to start the season. Sears profiles more like a swingman type than an obvious, future major league starting pitcher, but ongoing development of his changeup could change that assessment. He works quickly and aggressively, attacking hitters from a low three-quarters slot with a good fastball-slider combination. Sears should be up to Triple-A by year’s end, and will provide starting and middle relief depth to the Tigers in 2027 and beyond, and possibly more.

11- SS Jim Jarvis (Alabama) $175,000

Jarvis was yet another excellent value pick as a light-hitting, plus defensive shortstop with enough tools to make him a viable bench player. The Tigers flipped him from the Double-A level to the Atlanta Braves at last year’s deadline for reliever Rafael Montero. That’s probably not going to end up hurting them, but Jarvis was recently called up by the Braves to work off the bench, making him the second player from the Tigers 2023 class to reach the major leagues.

12- RHP Andrew Dunford (Houston County HS) $367,500

Dunford was another injury plagued prep pick from this class who was eventually released. The Astros picked up the 21-year-old and currently have him rehabbing with their Complex League club.

13- OF Brett Callahan (Saint Joseph’s) $197,500

Of all the high quality value selections the Tigers made with unheralded, small school players, Callahan is tracking to be the best of the bunch. The left-handed hitting outfielder is capable of playing all three positions and features a strong, accurate throwing arm that argues for a long-term corner outfield gig. He’s always pulled a lot of balls in the air and is now showing occasional bursts of plus raw power as well. Those batted ball tendencies got him on our radar from the start, and after battling injuries in 2024-2025, Callahan tore up the Double-A level this spring and is now working at the Triple-A level. His power and zone discipline gives him quite a lot of upside, but it’s his defense and base stealing ability that makes him a complete package and a viable major league platoon outfielder. The final step is to tone down his aggressive approach just enough to put more balls in play deep in counts. Those refinements will get him to the show, and there’s still a fair chance that Callahan breaks out into a well above average major league regular.

14- 2B David Smith (Connecticut) $150,000

Smith had himself a decent enough full season debut, but struggled in 2025 and was released. He’s currently a free agent.

15- C Brady Cerkownyk (Connors State) $397,500

Cerkownyk was an intriguing JUCO pick with a quality hit tool and the possibility of developing into a major league catcher with a lot of work. He got off to a decent start, but injuries and struggles at the plate led the Tigers to release him last year. Now 23, he’s in the Washington Nationals system and still trying to get established at the Single-A level.

16- RHP Donye Evans (UNC Charlotte) $150,000

Evans is still a reliever in the Tigers system but hasn’t really flashed enough stuff or command to get on the radar.

17- LHP Bradley Stewart (Cooper City HS) Unsigned

18- 3B Ethan Farris (Cypress Woods HS) Unsigned

Farris elected to go to school, as he wasn’t going to get a big bonus and was probably more of a backup plan in case one of the other prep picks declined to sign. He’s had a decent career at Texas State but is still just a mid to late round pick. He’s started to flash a little power and is still a strong-armed infielder, so it wouldn’t be too shocking to see the Tigers circle back on him after the first seven or eight rounds this time around.

19- RHP Blake Pivaroff (Arizona State) $150,000

Pivaroff pitched briefly in the Tigers’ system, but was released in 2025 and hasn’t caught on anywhere else.

20- RHP Johnathan Rogers (Tupelo High School) $150,000

Rogers showed some early promise, then dealt with injuries as well. He and the Tigers briefly parted ways, but Rogers got himself into better shape and found his velocity again. He re-signed with the Tigers and is currently just trying to build up some volume pitching in the Complex League. He still won’t turn 22 until September.

Overall one of the better drafts in Tigers’ history

It’s hard not to conclude already that 2023 was one of the best drafts in team history, and it may very well go down as the best ever. McGonigle is the cream of the crop, but between Clark looking like the center fielder of the future, and players like Callahan, Anderson, Peck, and Sears closing in on the major leagues, the first draft for Scott Harris went very well.

This draft did establish a template that the Tigers have largely continued to follow. Their success in adding athletes from smaller programs or without huge college pedigrees has proven very fruitful and a credit to the Tigers’ improvements in developing hitters overall. The base strategy of taking up the middle, left-handed hitting prep talents at the top of the draft is already proving a winner, and they’ve continued that tendency with picks of Bryce Rainer, Jordan Yost, and catcher Michael Oliveto in the 2024-2025 drafts.

The heavy bonus pool allotment toward prep pitchers, on the other hand, has been a minor disaster, leaving the Tigers with most of their top pitching talent still in A-ball, and with many bigger names still on the injury list. There is still plenty of time for Wilson to get it going, and possibly Jaden Hamm can get beyond his own injury woes and become a contributing factor again, but the system is currently heavily lop-sided toward position players, and that trend started with this draft.

The Harris struggles to acquire pitching at all levels remains the crucial organization weakness to worry about in the years ahead. However, the skill with which they’ve targeted a whole slew of talented, athletic young players at all points in the draft and developed them bodes very well for the system’s continued strength overall. They’ve just got to do a better job balancing things out, and figure out how to better to avoid the plague of injuries that have beset the pitching side of all three of Harris’ draft classes. Pivoting more to JUCO and undervalued Division I and II arms has been their approach the past two drafts, but those classes have still been riddled with injuries on the pitching side early on.

There was no hiding it.

"I mean, it's definitely a 10. It's the elbow, that's my bread and butter," Mets relief pitcher Austin Warren said Wednesday about his level of concern regarding his most recent injury. 

After struggling and not "feeling great" in his last two outings, Warren was placed on the 15-day injured list with right forearm tightness as he now waits for MRI results to come back.

He's allowed nine runs on eight hits across two-plus innings of work in those last two games, including letting up five runs without recording an out in Tuesday's wild loss to the Kansas City Royals. The right-hander said he began to feel the forearm tightness during and after the game.

"Forearm tightness, yes. Haven't felt great the past couple," Warren said. "Obviously, that's part of the game these days. I've had outings earlier in the year that I haven't felt great that went better than last night. But yeah, last night, I threw a pitch, I don't know what pitch number it was, but it just didn't feel great. I came right in and told them right away. Yeah, got some MRIs this morning and we're waiting to hear back."

The 30-year-old knows the implications at hand having already undergone Tommy John surgery back in 2023. He was asked how this injury feels to his previous, saying it's never an easy thing for a pitcher to deal with and is hoping it's just inflammation.

"It's hard to explain. The elbow is a crucial part to a pitcher's body. It's not fun, but hopefully it's not bad," Warren said.

He added: "It's hard to say. I've had Tommy John before, obviously I don't want to have it again. I hope it's not serious, hopefully it's just some inflammation from throwing a lot lately. We'll hopefully know in the next couple of hours or tomorrow."

Losing Warren for an extended amount of time would be yet another blow to the Mets bullpen. He's gone 1-3 with a 4.63 ERA over 26 games this season, but flashed his peak ability with a 1.15 ERA over 11 appearances in May.

The Mets have made another set of roster moves, as the team has called up right-handed pitchers Xzavion Curry and Tobias Myers, placed fellow right-handed pitcher Austin Warren on the 15-day injured list with a right forearm strain, and designated right-handed pitcher Matt Seelinger for assignment. And Dedniel Núñez, yet another right-handed pitcher, is having his rehab assignment transferred from Double-A Binghamton to Triple-A Syracuse.

Seelinger was the 61st pitcher the Mets have used since the beginning of the 2025 season, the highest total in all of baseball, and his addition to and removal from the active roster might’ve been the cruelest of the team’s never-ending churn. A 31-year-old journeyman, Seelinger was put into a 9-9 game and proceeded to give up seven earned runs in two innings of work in his major league debut.

Curry, who is 27 years old, signed a minor league deal with the Mets earlier this season, and he’s made ten appearances in Syracuse, where he’s thrown 49.1 innings with a 4.74 ERA and a 5.68 FIP working as a starting pitcher.

Myers was thought to be a great addition when he came to the team alongside Freddy Peralta in the trade that sent Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat to Milwaukee during the offseason. He’s been bouncing back and forth between Syracuse, though, since the Mets got him, and he has a 6.21 ERA and a 4.93 FIP in 42.0 innings at the major league level this year.

Warren had been looking very good this season, but a disastrous outing last night against the Royals left him with a 4.63 ERA and a 4.66 FIP in 35.0 innings. His second-to-last outing before hitting the IL went poorly, too, and before that, he had a 2.45 ERA and a 4.06 FIP.

Núñez is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, prior to which he had been one of the Mets’ best relief pitching breakouts of the past several years. He will presumably get a look at the major league level at some point this year, but he has an option remaining and could end up pitching in Syracuse beyond his rehab assignment, at least until the Mets start trading away other relievers from their active roster.

We knew this day was eventually coming, but man, it still hurts.

We wanted him to pitch forever.

We wanted him to join that illustrious 300-victory club, selfishly knowing we will never see it again.

The news stung Wednesday that Justin Verlander was calling it career at the conclusion of the Detroit Tigers’ season.

"This season has challenged me in ways I haven't experienced before, both physically and mentally," Verlander said in his social media post. "I've always believed that as long as I could compete at the level I expect of myself, I'd keep playing. I never wanted to retire because of a milestone, a number, or a date on the calendar. I wanted the game to tell me when it was time.

"Over the last several months, I've realized that time has come."

Justin Verlander’s right arm was a gift to the game. And most notably to the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros.

The former drafted him and threw him into Major League Baseball’s deep end shortly thereafter, while the latter became his second home after a late-career trade that saw him refine his craft, ratchet up his dominance and become a World Series champion.

The 266 wins, 3,554 strikeouts and three Cy Young Awards are more than enough evidence his Cooperstown case is airtight. Yet Verlander, who announced Wednesday, July 8 that he will retire after this season, was so much more than just the numbers.

Sure, he had his share of big-game failings — 556 career starts and 10 trips to the postseason will bring its share of rainfall — but Verlander also stood tall when it mattered most countless times.

Here’s five moments that defined Verlander’s nearly peerless career:

More: Justin Verlander's season debut was ugly but Tigers believe in return at 43

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There are a lot of fun opportunities to fade and back a handful of arms this evening. Here are my three favorite MLB player props and MLB picks from Wednesday’s slate.

Let’s dig in!

Best MLB strikeout props and starting pitcher picks today

Player	Pick	Odds
Slade Cecconi	Under 4.5 strikeouts	-170
MacKenzie Gore	Over 6.5 strikeouts	-133
Roki Sasaki	Over 2.5 earned runs	+114

Strikeout prop: Slade Cecconi Under 4.5 strikeouts (-170)

My grandparents would be furious that I am fading a fellow Italian, but it has to be done.

Cleveland Guardians starter Slade Cecconi owns the worst matchup strikeout rate on Batters-Box current season dataset this evening as he takes on a red hot Minnesota Twins offense. The Cleveland right-hander has faced a poorly-rated strikeout matchup 22 times over the last three seasons, and during that span, he has gone under this number 54.55% of the time.

Over Cecconi’s last five outings, his strikeout rate has stayed below 16%. Meanwhile, the Twins have been absolutely humming offensively, posting an 18% strikeout rate over their last 21 games. During that stretch, Minnesota owns a 137 wRC+, .366 wOBA, and .842 OPS.

Batters-Box also has the Twins without a single hitter above league average in strikeout rate against Cecconi this evening.

I would alt this down to Under 3.5 for plus money. Do not take this any higher than it is.

• Time: 7:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MNNT, CLEG

Strikeout prop: MacKenzie Gore Over 6.5 strikeouts (-133)

A team that has been nothing short of puke-worthy over its last 12 games is the Los Angeles Angels. Sure, they are a team we all love to take a few punches at from time to time, but during that stretch, their offense is posting just a 69 wRC+, 26.4% strikeout rate, and a brutal 4.6% barrel rate.

I think Texas Rangers southpaw MacKenzie Gore is in an all-time shove spot against this struggling Angels lineup. Six Angels hitters in their last 30 plate appearances own a strikeout rate of at least 23%. Over their last 60 plate appearances against lefties, five hitters are above 25%, with four sitting above 28%.

Gore owns an elite strikeout rating on Batters-Box. In a small sample size of seven elite-rated matchups, he has surpassed this prop in six of them, including two games with 10+ strikeouts. Home is where Gore has really shined, posting a 29.2% strikeout rate while generating a 29.9% chase rate out of the zone.

Over their last 12 games against left-handed pitching, the Angels rank dead-last in chase rate out of the zone at 40.3%. They also own the third-worst strikeout rate and contact rate against lefties during that stretch.

I might have to dabble on Gore to hit 10+ strikeouts this evening. I would not pay much extra juice for this number, so if the price climbs, I would rather look at 8+ strikeouts at plus money.

• Time: 8:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: RSN, ABTV

Earned runs prop: Roki Sasaki Over 2.5 earned runs (+114)

I think the Rockies are in a boom spot against Dodgers struggling right hander, Roki Sasaki. According to Batters-Box’s current season dataset, the Rockies own the highest-rated offense on the slate, featuring five strongly rated bats and four with elite ratings. Yes, the entire lineup is in a great spot against the Dodgers right-hander.

On top of that, Colorado has been absolutely humming over the last week, posting a 155 wRC+ over its last six games.

Sakaki in his last three outings he has an 8.53 ERA, 5.61 xERA and 1.74 WHIP. He is allowing hitters to produce nearly 54% hard hit and over 20.5% barrel rate during that stretch as well. 

• Time: 10:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SNLA, COLR

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The San Francisco Giants made a roster move on Wednesday, ahead of their series finale matinee against the Toronto Blue Jays. Shortly before first pitch, the team announced that center fielder Jonah Cox had been placed on the 10-Day Injured List, retroactive to July 6, with a left oblique strain. Taking his place on the roster is utility player Jesús Rodríguez.

It’s a tough break for Cox, who wasn’t on many people’s radar to be injured given that he’s hardly playing. The Giants made the shocking move to call him up straight from AA Richmond on May 31, but he’s received just 29 plate appearances in that time, though he’s gotten into 24 games to provide defensive value in center field (and even at second base a touch).

Given that the Giants called him up from AA, there’s a chance that Cox will make his AAA debut while on a rehab assignment, which is a little bit funny.

While Cox’s injury gives the Giants fewer star defensive options, it does improve versatility, as Rodríguez has spent ample time this year at catcher, second base, and left field, and was initially developed as a third baseman. He can play all over, though it’s clear the Giants are currently not high on his ability to catch, as evidenced by the recent promotion of Drew Cavanaugh.

Rodríguez made his MLB debut earlier this year and hit 9-39 with two home runs, three walks, and just five strikeouts, though he’s been scuffling quite a bit in AAA since getting optioned on June 1. There will likely be more moves incoming, as the beat reporters have reported that left-hander Carson Whisenhunt has a locker at Oracle Park, and is likely to start on Thursday.

Well, let’s see if the magic of the toy dragon will work two days in a row. Please Jays score some runs.

Feeling bad for Braydon Fisher and family losing his father. 65 is too young to die.

Go Jays Go

The Mets are making a flurry of bullpen moves ahead of Wednesday night's game. 

Austin Warren has officially been placed on the 15-day IL with a right forearm strain.

SNY MLB Insider Chelsea Janes confirmed reports earlier in the day that indicated this would be the case, as Warren underwent testing following back-to-back rough outings. 

Warren allowed a combined nine runs on eight hits in his last 2.0 innings of work. 

"Haven't felt great the past couple," he said. "That's part of the game these days, I had outings earlier in the year that I hadn't felt great but went better, I just threw a pitch last night and it didn't feel great so I told them right away."

Warren and the Mets are still awaiting results from the MRI. 

In a corresponding move, righty Tobias Myers has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse. 

Myers was an extremely valuable piece for New York's staff over the first few months of the season, but like Warren, he was roughed up over his last few big-league appearances. 

He's put together just two clean outings since May 14th, racking up a 10.38 ERA over that span. 

When at his best, though, the 27-year-old has proven to be a versatile weapon in long relief or the late innings. 

Additionally, the Mets DFA'd Matt Seelinger after his rough debut and recalled Xzavion Curry from Triple-A.  

Much as been made by fans following popular baseball prospect site, baseballamerica.com, posting their organizational rankings among all MLB teams. The hometown Phillies ranked as the 29th worst farm system in the league based on prospect talent. This seems bad, huh? For a team with aging stars and up against the luxury tax threshold, an injection of young talent could be the only way to prolong this current run of regular seasons success for the Phillies. You are now thinking, how could they have fallen from 20th (in the preseason ranking) to near dead-last? What might have caused this? Well, two things. The graduation of prospects and the lack of development elsewhere. In regards to the former, it always seems to go over the casual fan’s head that could be a driving factor in these nonsensical rankings (nothing against rankings, I love them…but they are really arbitrary and objective). The Phillies graduated two Top100 MLB prospects in Andrew Painter and Justin Crawford. That is a legit major factor! This doesn’t even factor in struggles by Jean Cabrera, Aroon Escobar, Dante Nori, and Carson DeMartini. Not to mention their best prospect has yet to take the field (a consensus Top20 prospect in the game) in shortstop Aidan Miller.

I’m NOT saying this isn’t time to hit the panic button. Development has stagnated among prospects, especially on the hitting side. It feels any promising prospect hits that AA/AAA wall and nothing ever materializes. Its frustrating! The Phillies need to do a lot better in both drafting and international scouting. It is largely why the last few years the Phillies have needed to sign and trade for talent rather than find it within the organization. It isn’t a sustainable model if you aren’t blowing past the luxury tax.

You may ask, has it always been like this? Haven’t the Phillies had touted prospects and a system not that long ago? Lets look back at 2016, using a similar list from baseballamerica.com (its their preseason ranking, they didn’t do a full 30 for midseason). In 2016, the Phillies ranking 8th in the league. Led by promising names like JP Crawford, Nick Williams, Jake Thompson, and Jorge Alfaro.

Now these are some great names. The Phillies most impactful player wound up being 23rd ranked 1B-only prospect Rhys Hoskins. Who if memory serves me correctly, wasn’t nearly as fawned over as the monstrous OF Dylan Cozens. A lot of the names on here were also acquired via trade including: Nick Williams, Jake Thompson, Jorge Alfaro, Zach Eflin, Nick Pivetta, Darnell Sweeney, Ben Lively, Jimmy Cordero, and Tom Windle. 10 years later, only Hoskins, Crawford, Eflin, and Nick Pivetta remain major leaguers or had significant impacts.

If you were to tell me that there will be less than four impactful players from this year’s midseason Top30 Phillies list, I wouldn’t argue with you. I’m not sure the same amount of pedigree is there as there was in 2016. However, there is still some optimism. Gage Wood looks at a MINIMUM a major league reliever, Aidan Miller will be a major league player once healthy, Francisco Renteria, Alirio Ferrebus and Ramon Marquez are three of the best international signings/prospects the Phillies have ever had in the system. The Phillies should get another good player at 36 in the draft this weekend.

I think its important to put into perspective that 29th in a vacuum doesn’t mean a whole lot and while you can be down on the system overall, to not put much stock in lists and rankings. Read up on these players, watch these players, or at the very least follow people that do and LISTEN.