Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani will miss next week’s All-Star Game in Philadelphia because of continued irritation in his left knee.
The Dodgers added that Ohtani would not make his scheduled start on the mound against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night, but would continue his role as the team’s designated hitter throughout the weekend.
The team says that after the series against the D-backs ends on Sunday, Ohtani will have some “interventions” done on his knee to get his ready for the second half of the season, which will cause him to miss the All-Star Game.
The four-time Most Valuable Player has once again been one of the best players in the big leagues this season and stands alone as the game’s premier two-way player.
Ohtani is batting .290 with 20 homers and 56 RBIs and is 8-2 on the mound with a 1.79 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 85 2/3 innings.
Ohtani’s absence will be a blow for baseball’s midsummer showcase at Citizens Bank Park. The Japanese star — who turned 32 years old earlier this week — is among the game’s most popular players and led MLB in jersey sales last year.
He hit his 300th career homer on Tuesday night, a leadoff shot against Colorado Rockies pitcher Michael Lorenzen that made him the first Japanese-born player in the majors to reach the milestone.
Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani throws a mock pitch on the mound after the Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies Wednesday. Ohtani was scratched from his scheduled start on Friday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani is done with pitching for the unofficial first half of the season.
He will neither take the mound Friday against the Diamondbacks nor participate in the All-Star Game next week, the Dodgers announced.
Ohtani will still serve as the designated hitter through the weekend series, the team said. But the irritation in his left knee, which is aggravated by pitching, has not resolved. So, over the All-Star Break, he will undergo “some interventions,” preventing him from traveling to Philadelphia for the All-Star Game.
Those interventions will include draining his left knee, and likely an injection, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who was not authorized to speak publicly. Because the issue lingered, the All-Star break presented an opportunity to address it before the second half. This knee injury is not believed to necessarily be connected to the bipartite patella condition that Ohtani addressed with surgery in 2019.
The Athletic was the first to report the details of the planned interventions.
Ohtani, who entered Friday with a .939 OPS, the third-best mark among qualified NL hitters, and a 1.79 ERA, the second-best mark among NL pitchers with 50-plus innings pitched, has been dealing with irritation in his knee for roughly a month.
He exited the June 11 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates with inflammation in his left knee and sat out the next day. But he’s played through the issue since. Friday will mark the first time Ohtani has missed a pitching start this season for the knee injury.
Ohtani said then that he suspected issues with his pitching mechanics were to blame for the discomfort in his knee. He did not say whether he believed his previous kneecap condition was a factor.
Though this is the first time Ohtani has skipped a pitching start, the Dodgers did push back his last start on the mound by two days. Originally scheduled to pitch in Sacramento on July 1, the Dodgers cited rest for the two-way player in the midst of 13 straight days on the team’s schedule without an off day.
Ohtani then held the Padres to three runs in six innings on July 3, throwing 110 pitches. In his next at-bat, he felt tightness in his right biceps, throwing his next start into question.
His biceps ailment, however, quickly resolved with a day off. Manager Dave Roberts said it didn’t bother Ohtani throwing over the next week.
Still, with the change in rotation schedule, and Ohtani back to full-time two-way duties for the first time since 2023, he wasn’t expected to pitch in the All-Star Game or participate in the home run derby even before Friday’s news.
His new plans to address the irritation in his knee wiped out the couple All-Star at-bats he was penciled in for as the starting designated hitter for the National League squad. Ohtani claimed his sixth consecutive All-Star selection with the most Phase 1 fan votes of any player.
Jun 30, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; San Francisco Giants shortstop Casey Schmitt against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
We may never find out what Casey Schmitt thinks about his aversion to walks. Is it a philosophical thing? Instinct? Last night, he finally drew a walk for the first time since May 24th. In his post-game interview with NBC Sports Bay Area, there was an opportunity for a question about his approach to hitting that could’ve addressed the walk situation in a positive way, but instead, the broadcast went in a different direction:
KYLEN HILLS: Casey, gotta ask about a unique stat that you probably haven’t heard yet, but, you’ve hit seven first inning home runs, which is the most of any Giant in the last 50 years through this point in the season not named Barry Bonds. What is it about the first inning? Can you give us any insight?
CASEY SCHMITT: You know, honestly, I thought this was gonna go a different way. I thought you were gonna say the at bats until I got a walk again [laughs]
KYLEN HILLS: [laughs] Come on. We wouldn’t do that to you. We’ve got your back.
CASEY SCHMITT: Yeah, I didn’t know that. That’s pretty cool. That’s a cool thing to know. But, uh, yeah, I mean, I’m just trying to get on base. I’m not trying to swing for the fences or anything. I’m trying to stay within myself every single at bat.
A wonderful moment that tells us everything and nothing at the same time. What does Casey Schmitt think about drawing a walk? Or, at the very least, why does he try to avoid them? I have some theories:
His favorite TV show is Hacks
Sure, the title could be a reference to hacking at pitches, but the spirit of the show is being your unapologetic self no matter what the world throws your way. A comedy about two women from different generations trying to understand each other just enough to get what they want. Maybe Schmitt really likes Jean Smart or her chemistry with co-lead Hannah Einbinder. But the message of getting what you want by going after it, well, yeah, that would certainly diminish the value of a walk in the eyes of a hitter.
Threats
At the beginning of Spring Training, Buster Posey brought into the clubhouse those items or people most important to the players. Casey was all, “Wait, what’s my dad doing here?” before Buster calmly explained that he was only going to allot a certain number of walks this season and that players who go over their allotments would be forced to watch something terrible happen to someone they love.
Instinct
When Casey Schmitt sees a baseball coming right at him, his internal monologue sounds like comedian Tim Robinson’s screaming voice and all he can think is “F**K, F**K, F**K — A BASEBALL’S COMING AT ME!“ And later he explains, ”It was coming right at me — like, RIGHT at me — 110, 120 miles per hour. It could’ve taken my head clean off.“
Hunter Mense
Okay, seriously, it’s got to be the approach the team imported from Canada’s Toronto Blue Jays in the form of the World Series team’s assistant hitting coach. Mense has brought a swing-first approach to the roster, it seems and it’s clear that it’s working. Since May 1st, the Giants are fourth in wRC+ (110) and fifth in batting average (.259). What’s interesting to note about him is that he’s a huge advocate of swing decisions, an obsession over which got the last President of Baseball Operations fired from the Giants. So, has he instilled something in Schmitt or given him a permission structure for giving into his baser swing instincts?
I guess we’ll never know! The team-owned media has his back! Walks are taboo? We can’t talk about them? Yeah, I guess that home run stat is pretty cool because being mentioned in the same breath as Barry Bonds is extraordinarily notable…
But, bro. Bros…
As Steven mentioned in his recap, “Schmitt worked a walk for the first time since May 24th — the longest span by a Giants player since Hal Lanier in 1964.” And, if you tweak that search to be any Giant of the Oracle Park era, you find that in the Oracle Park era, Schmitt’s 169 PA walk-less streak is second only to pinch hitter extraordinaire Shawon Dunston’s 246 PA streak (105 games!) that stretched from May 2001 to July 2002.
So, on the one hand, Schmitt can hang with a Barry Bonds stat. On the other hand, he’s in the same group as career .529 OPS Hal Lanier and career .712 OPS Shawon Dunston. And these players of recent vintage:
But then you see Jung Hoo Lee on this list with Pablo Sandoval, Hunter Pence and even Marquis Grissom, and suddenly the lack of walks doesn’t feel quite so dire. Even Donovan Solano. I would not deprive a Giants fan of their Donnie Barrels love.
The career walk rates of everybody I just mentioned: 6.4%, 7.1%, 7.4%, 6.2%, 6.2%, and all of them with sub-20% strikeout rates (some greatly under that). Schmitt’s career rate of 4.7% and 22.1% strikeout rate check in as higher than this group, but this season, he’s at 2.2 BB% and 19.3 K%.
The reason why it’s worth pointing out is that this simply isn’t sustainable. The reason why walks matter is because it increases the rate by which a batter does not make an out. The lower the “out” rate, the higher the rate of runs scored. Yes, hits are more valuable, but treating on base as zero sum is foolish. The value of not making an out is greater than making an out, after all.
Schmitt has drawn 8 walks in 357 plate appearances. Let’s just say he gets to 600 plate appearances and ups the walk rate a bit to 2.5%; so, 15 walks to end the season. According to Baseball Reference, that’s only happened 27 times in the history of Major League Baseball (unless I’m entering the filtering options wrong).
The most interesting part is that the most recent 10 range from 1966-2017, but between the most recent 10 and the remaining 17, there’s a 31-year gap. Anyway, if Schmitt is able to pull this off, he’ll join these players:
It’s an interesting group. Alcides Escobar was 30 and would play just 3 more seasons. Tim Anderson was at the beginning of his career, and would have a great run after his 606 PA & 13-walk season from 2018-2022 without drawing many walks (.297/.329/.455 — 4.0 BB%, 21.5 K%), but he’d play just 3 more seasons after this run (.232/.269/.270 in 855 PA). Ben Revere played just 3 more seasons, too. Deivi Cruz played five more, but this was his last good season (.264/.293/.384, 3.5 BB%, 9.7 K%). So, let’s hope that this is more Tim Anderson than any other player worth comparing him to on this list.
It’s really tough to compare eras, too, but except for 2013-2015, the league walk rate since 2000 has been consistently around 8.5%. This season, it’s 9%. If you step back to last century and look at 1966-1990, it’s still around 8.5%, with the exception of a 3-year run when it was about 7.7%. So, historically, Schmitt is an outlier, and not in a way that typically signals long-term success.
But we have other measures, too. He’s making contact as frequently as Mike Trout and Junior Caminero (79.7%), for instance. It helps that he’s swinging more than average (54.6% — 12th-most in MLB), but he’s also swinging out of the strike zone more than average (39.9% — 13th-worst in MLB, 11th percentile), which isn’t great and evidence that he’s still probably guessing or still trying to do something at the plate rather than “stay within himself.” Still, he’s not swinging and missing a lot (11.1% — between James Wood at 11% and Ohtani at 11.2%) and he’s seen the fourth-most rate of pitches (44.4%) in the strike zone compared to any other hitter in the sport.
The batted ball results are undeniable…
So, I’d say he’s confident that he can get to a lot of pitches right now and confident he can do damage — because he is — but maybe over time he’ll start recognizing which pitches are actually worth the swing.
In his minor league and college careers, he walked around 8.5% of the time, which would be the league average if he could bring that sort of discipline to the major leagues. It’s entirely possible this season is motivated by some tricky psychologically: he knew he needed to hit to stick and he’s done exactly that. Once he settles into a position, will that consistency allow him to give himself the power to lay off some pitches?
On the other hand… if it’s working, why not keep doing it? The theory of why I’m engaging in any concern here is simply that plate discipline and swing decisions have been historical drivers of future success and if Schmitt will be sticking around for a while, I think I’d like to have some sense that he might be one of the players who makes the team better in the future. But for now, all of this is working for him, so, I guess I need to sit back and appreciate this breakout season.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 29: Aaron Boone #17 of the New York Yankees walks back to the dugout during the fourth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium on June 29, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good afternoon everyone, it’s time to dive back into the mailbag and answer some of your questions. Remember to send in your questions for our weekly call by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.
Long Time, First Time asks: As his first extended stint in the show comes to a close, what are your impressions of Spencer Jones?
That there’s a lot of work left to be done before he’s a regular in the starting lineup. The obvious worry with Jones was that he carries a high strikeout rate with him from the minors and that was certainly exacerbated in the majors, striking out a whopping 41.5 percent of the time, but despite that he managed to find some moments to contribute. A .687 OPS isn’t going to wow anybody but it was far from the worst production the Yankees were getting during his stay with the team, and his playing time was rather inconsistent as the team did not give him starts against lefties which took him out of nearly the entire Boston series among other stretches. His defense in the outfield was mostly fine, definitely better than his counterpart in Domínguez and significantly better than running José Caballero out there, but between the two options the team sees a better chance for improvement down the line with Jones getting regular reps in Triple-A and will ride with Domínguez in right field for now. Jones didn’t do enough in his time up for me to argue passionately against that assessment, but we’ll see whether Jones can muster up a couple hot weeks mashing at Scranton to push the issue.
Cisforcookie asks:Let’s say that the Snakes are six games out of the WC at the break (3.5 or so right now and a bunch of teams right ahead of them). What would it take to get them to part with Moreno and his 2.3 years left? Given that Judge is not getting any younger, whatever the ask (apart from Cam) shouldn’t NY pay it?
I don’t know if I’m on board with going all-in for Gabriel Moreno, at least not yet. The team should certainly make a swing for an upgrade at catcher, as despite his homer yesterday I have little faith in Austin Wells’ bat the rest of this season and the options below him are even less appealing. But the future of the position doesn’t have to get solved here and now so much as the position needs to be covered going into the stretch run and the postseason. So if it’s more feasible for the Yankees to trade for the short-term rental in Minnesota’s Ryan Jeffers and swing other deals to improve the roster overall rather than put their eggs in the Moreno basket, I would prefer to do that. Jeffers in just 37 games this season has produced 1.7 fWAR on the back of a tremendous 165 wRC+, and while he doesn’t have a season that’s reached the peak of his offensive prowess like this one he has enough of a history that I can believe he’ll hold up. Moreno has garnered 2.1 fWAR in 66 games and has been consistently an above-average hitter while also playing his best ball this year with a 124 wRC+.
If the market develops and there’s no other significant move the Yankees can make alongside getting a catcher, then I think Moreno makes sense. He would be costly to acquire, and I won’t speculate on a specific package as there’s no current news about Arizona even considering moving him even if they fall out of the race in the NL Wild Card, but if he’s the big piece they can get then you go for it. I’ve argued in the past that Brian Cashman’s playing for longevity has cost him opportunities to strike for more ideal acquisitions, and now that the core is pushing towards the latter stages of their careers with no ring in hand yet the pressure is on to do something a bit more desperate. We’ll have to see if he’s really feeling that pressure, or if Hal Steinbrenner is content with more of the status quo.
Hankflorida asks:Since Boone has to dance with who he brought, he is limited to what he can do, and Cashman may not have the cards to greatly improve this team; my question is what do you think that Boone can do with shaking up this lineup while he waits for Judge to come back and what are his choices with his starting and relief pitchers? Is Boone just limited to whatever will be will be and has to just continue to follow his analytics and wait and see with hope that things turn around?
There are moments you could argue that Aaron Boone has let things play out with a lack of urgency, or that his team’s general lazy defensive over the years (this one included) is a reflection on him and his staff, but by and large I don’t have a ton of criticism to levy on Boone right now. The injuries that piled onto the lineup were significant, and without their biggest boppers in the mix the rest of the team suffered as a result. As Bradford Willaim Davis put it the other day, at a certain point the Yankees simply have to play better. A full third of the offense can’t be playing like they’re overwhelmed minor leaguers on a regular basis and expect to compete, and thankfully they broke out of their reverie for a bit with this recent Rays series dropping five runs in the opener for just the second time in nearly three weeks and then ending it on a 12-run blowout. Will that carry on? They have one more series before the All-Star break to prove it and then get some much-needed rest, but with Trent Grisham back in the fold and Ben Rice heating back up the floor at least raises to a more competent team than we’ve seen during their week-long losing streak.
The Mets have once again made a bunch of roster moves, as the team has called up Tobias Myers and Zack Short, placed Mark Vientos on the injured list with a right hand fracture, and designated Dan Hammer for assignment.
Myers was just optioned to the minors following his latest appearance with the Mets, but thanks to the injury that Vientos suffered, the Mets can call him back up much sooner than they would’ve been able to without someone hitting the injured list. After starting the season pretty well, Myers has struggled mightily since the Mets started sending him to Syracuse and bringing him back, and he now has a 6.14 ERA and a 4.86 FIP at the major league level this season.
Short, an infielder who had a very brief stint with the Mets in 2024 and and even briefer one earlier this season, gives the team a capable defender at shortstop. He’s hit just .200/.287/.275 in Triple-A this season across time with the affiliates of multiple organizations.
Vientos has been one of the worst regular players in baseball this year, as he’s been worth -1.1 fWAR, the third-worst mark in baseball among players who’ve made at least 100 plate appearances this year. On top of his shoddy defense, he’s hit just .211/.256/.388 with 11 home runs and a 77 wRC+.
Hammer was just the latest in an ever-rotating group of pitchers to get churned by the Mets’ front office. He was called up yesterday, having spent his season up to that point with Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse. Should he clear waivers, he figures to return to Syracuse.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JULY 04: Tommy Nance #45 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on July 04, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Blue Jays have traded right handed reliever Tommy Nance to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for A+ catcher Ryan Sprock:
Nance has been with the organization for two years, after being acquired from the Padres in the middle of the 2024 season. He filled innings capably down the stretch in that lost season, and was a key part of the bullpen last year when he pitched 31.2 innings with a 1.99 ERA. This season he’s been more solid, posting a 3.82 ERA and striking out 34 against 13 walks in 33.0 innings.
Sprock was an 8th round pick out of Elon University last season. He was a two way player in college, splitting his junior season between third base and the bullpen. Naturally the Twins drafted him as a catcher, a position he hadn’t played in college. He seems to have taken to it, though, with some positive reviews on his early glove work. Fangraphs believes he could get to average there. Offensively, he’s shown a strong eye and excellent contact rate so far as a pro, with 64 walks to 52 strikeouts over 374 PA. He’s only managed 7 home runs in that time, but 21 total extra base hits shows that there’s a little pop there.
In terms of what this means for the Blue Jays, I wouldn’t take it to be all that much. Nance is 35 and missed time with a forearm issue this season. He’s a decent reliever, but not one any team is likely to have long term plans for. He’s also already been DFA’d and brought back onto the roster once this year, and Louis Varland, Tyler Rogers, Jeff Hoffman and Braydon Fisher are ahead of him on the right handed relief depth chart, with Spencer Miles possibly entering that mix if/when the rotation gets healthy. Sprock, meanwhile, is extremely the Jays’ kind of guy, a plus contact hitter with a plan at the plate who hit with wood bats in the Northwoods League as an amateur. My interpretation is that they were offered a guy they like for a pitcher who was somewhat on the roster bubble anyway and took it. I don’t see this as any meaningful move towards being sellers at the deadline. With three weeks to go and (with respect to the Rays recent hot streak) a soft schedule for the rest of July, 2.5 games out of a wildcard, I can’t seem them having made a buy/sell decision yet.
On the Twins’ side, Nance is probably instantly the third or fourth best guy in an awful bullpen with a league-worst 5.28 ERA. They have some offence and a Cy Young candidate in Joe Ryan, and they’re two games out of a very bad AL Central. Nance fills a need and could be a small but meaningful part of trying to win a very tight division.
Best of luck to Tommy in that endeavour, and welcome to the organization Ryan.
Update:
MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson confirms that international bonus pool space is going to Minnesota in the deal, although how much does not seem to have been publicly confirmed yet.
Update 2:
Ben Nicholson-Smith reporting it’s $250,000 in bonus pool money. That’s a meaningful amount, which as Ben says shows that the Jays were motivated to acquire Sprock, but doesn’t hugely change the shape of the overall deal.
PHILADELPHIA – Shohei Ohtani, baseball’s biggest star, will not participate in the All-Star Game after being scratched Friday, July 10, from his scheduled start on the mound with an inflamed knee.
Ohtani will still be the Los Angeles Dodgers’ designated hitter against the Arizona Diamondbacks this weekend, but will not travel to Philadelphia to participate in the All-Star Game or festivities. He was scheduled to be the National League’s starting DH.
It leaves the game without the defending MVPs and leading vote-getters in New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge and Ohtani. The St. Louis Cardinals' Iván Herrera will replace Ohtani on the NL roster.
Ohtani, the four-time MVP, was scheduled to pitch Friday night against the Diamondbacks but was scratched in the afternoon with an inflamed left knee. The news comes just three days after Ohtani hit his 300th career homer in the fewest games in baseball history.
Shohei Ohtani will not make his scheduled start on the mound this evening against the D-backs due to continued irritation in his left knee. He will serve as the designated hitter the rest of the weekend, but following the series against the D-backs he will have some interventions…
It’s a huge blow to the All-Star Game, and a setback for Ohtani’s Cy Young hopes. It’s unknown how long he will be sidelined as a pitcher.
Ohtani, who turned 32 last week, is certainly in the running for his first Cy Young award. He is 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA this season with 95 strikeouts in 85.2 innings. And he’s still considered the finest hitter in the National League, hitting .290 with 20 homers, 56 RBI and a .939 OPS.
Ohtani was not expected to pitch in the All-Star Game, with the starting nod expected to go to Philadelphia Phillies ace Cristopher Sanchez, but he was scheduled to be the starting DH. That now will fall to Phillies DH Kyle Schwarber, who leads baseball with 32 homers.
Ohtani also rejected an invitation to be in the Home Run Derby, but MLB officials are hopeful that Chicago White Sox star Muneteka Murakami, who hit 20 homers before missing the last 35 games on the injured list, will be the final participant in the derby. He was activated on Friday.
The St. Louis Cardinals and JJ Wetherholt have agreed to an eight-year, $112.5 million extension that buys out the rookie second baseman’s first several years of free agency, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the club had not announced the extension.
The Cardinals picked Wetherholt seventh overall out of West Virginia two years ago in the first-year player draft, and he rocketed through their farm system. The 23-year-old made his major league debut on opening day and is hitting .267 with 13 homers and 36 RBIs and nine stolen bases.
The advanced metrics also have graded Wetherholt as one of the best defensive second basemen in baseball this season.
The emergence of Wetherholt in the middle of the St. Louis infield is a big reason the club has been one of the surprises of the first half of the season. The Cardinals are 48-44 and three games out of an NL wild-card spot heading into the weekend.
The deal is one of the first big signings for St. Louis since significant changes were made to the top of the organizational ladder.
Last September, Chaim Bloom took over as the Cardinals’ president of baseball operations, replacing longtime general manager John Mozeliak. Then, Bill DeWitt III took over as chief executive officer, though Bill DeWitt Jr. has continued as its chairman and principal owner with a hand in baseball and business matters.
Mets first baseman Mark Vientos is set to miss 6-8 weeks with a fracture in his right hand, but will not undergo surgery, per SNY MLB Insider Chelsea Janes.
Vientos was hit by a pitch on his throwing hand in the second inning of Thursday night's 7-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals at Citi Field.
Mark Vientos has been removed from the game after being hit in the hand
Talking to reporters prior to Friday night's series opener with the Boston Red Sox, Vientos expressed his disappointment on being sidelined long-term.
"I definitely want to be with the team, definitely want to play with the guys and I love playing baseball at the same time," said the first baseman. "It sucks, for sure."
With Vientos being moved to the IL, the Mets have called up infielder Zack Short. The 31-year-old has appeared in three games for the Mets this season, all at shortstop.
Players on the Mets active roster who could fill the void left at first base include Jared Young, Eric Wagaman, Brett Baty, and Jorge Polanco.
Vientos has hit 11 home runs and tallied 35 RBI in 73 games for the Mets this season, but has also recorded a dismal .644 OPS and 61:12 K:BB in that time.
PHILADELPHIA — St. Louis Cardinals rookie second baseman JJ Wetherholt may have been snubbed by not being selected to the All-Star game, but certainly no one is having a greater weekend.
Wetherholt agreed Friday, July 10 to an eight-year, $112.5 million contract extension, a person familiar with the deal told USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity since the Cardinals have yet to announce the contract.
It’s the largest contract extension given to a Cardinals’ player since first baseman Paul Goldschmidt’s five-year, $130 million deal in 2019.
Wetherholt, the Cardinals’ first-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, is hitting .267 with 13 homers and 36 RBI with a .773 OPS this season. The 23-year-old is ranked as the top defensive second baseman in baseball this season, leading the majors with 249 assists and ranking second with 16 outs above average.
Wetherholt also leads all rookies in WAR (3.8), runs (56), and times on base (140). The only National League players with a higher WAR are Crow-Armstrong (5.6), Miami Marlins shortstop Otto Lopez (4.6) and Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages (4.2).
He has 39 hits leading off an inning, including four homers, the second-most behind James Wood of the Washngton Nationals (54) this season, and the most by a Cardinals rookie since Vince Coleman in 1985. He is bidding to become the first Cardinals rookie to hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases in a season.
Wetherholt is the first player signed to a multi-year contract extension since Chaim Bloom became president of baseball operations in October, 2025.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 18: Ke'Bryan Hayes #3 of the Cincinnati Reds looks on prior to the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Monday, May 18, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Denis Kennedy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Ke’Bryan Hayes looked just 5 games at the minor league level during his rehab stint due to a lower back injury, but in that time he managed to produce with aplomb. At AAA Louisville, in particular, Hayes went 7 for 12 with a homer and 5 runs scored in just a trio of games, and that was apparently enough to warrant a recall to the active roster by the Cincinnati Reds.
The #Reds today activated IF Ke'Bryan Hayes from the 10-day injured list and placed IF/OF Matt McLain (left calf strain) on the 10-day injured list, retro to 7/8. pic.twitter.com/ifZwHA9KDD
Hayes was activated on Friday afternoon with infielder Matt McLain heading the other direction with a calf strain, and the Reds will now begin the process of figuring out if the woeful struggles Hayes had at the outset of the 2026 were at all pinnable on the lingering back issues he has dealt with for years.
Those struggles, you may recall, were pronounced. Across 44 games and 128 PA, Hayes hit just .142/.195/.225 (.420 OPS) with only 2 homers and a lone triple. Even with his vaunted glovework factoring in, that meant he was worth -0.2 bWAR and a brutal -0.9 fWAR so far this season, numbers that are simply unsustainable for the Reds at the big league level regardless of cost.
Friday will begin Hayes’ quest to prove he can still cut it as a big leaguer, something that’s vital for this Reds club to know, too, seeing as they’ve got over $30 million still owed to him over the course of the contract they fully acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates just last July. Hayes is in the starting lineup for Friday’s series opener against the Chicago Cubs, playing 3B and batting in his customary #9 spot in the order.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - JULY 9: Andre Pallante #53 of the St. Louis Cardinals walks to the dugout after being pulled against the Milwaukee Brewers in the sixth inning at Busch Stadium on July 9, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cardinals host the Braves this weekend at Busch Stadium leading up to the All Star Break. If you haven’t heard, Jordan Walker will be in the Home Run Derby on Monday night on Netflix, AND be at the All-Star Game, as the Cardinals lone position player representative. Riley O’Brien was also added to the All-Star roster because certain pitchers were scheduled to play in games this weekend and would not have enough rest time for the exhibition game. Old news, I know, but the All-Star Break is just right around the corner after this series hosting Atlanta.
(Personally, I am going to watch the HR Derby for the first time in years, because I currently have Netflix… and probably ignore the All-Star Game as usual, unless I am bored and can find it on streaming TV somehow).
the 2026 Atlanta Braves
Over the last 10 games, the Braves are 5-5, two of those losses and one of those wins due to the Cardinals. Since the Cardinals went to Atlanta, the Braves split a 4 game series vs the Mets, and won a three game series in Pittsburgh. Before we won that series against them in Atlanta, the Braves had been bailing the water out of their boat, going 9-14 in June. So, I cannot tell if their going 5-5 in the last 10 games is them turning it around or, just treading water. Regardless of recency bias, they are one of the best teams in baseball and first place in the ultra tough NL East division, where 4 out of 5 teams possess winning records.
What must be really frustrating for Braves fans during their hapless June: losing series to teams like the Mets, Giants, and Padres, and being swept in two games by the White Sox, while doing well vs the Brewers. Go figure.
The Braves have one of the best bullpens in baseball, and they fare well at home, on the road, and vs over .500 teams. How can a team that has been floundering so much lately be that on top of things? They stacked up 22 wins in March and April, and 18 wins in May.
How is Atlanta so good?
It’s not so much the hitting, it’s the pitching. Their lineup can certainly hit home runs well beyond the midrange, tied for 6th in MLB with 3 other teams. Overall, their lineup is good not great, most similar to the Houston Astros. And similar to the Cardinals, the Braves don’t like to take many walks. They take even less walks than St Louis, and perhaps the biggest weakness to their lineup is on-base percentage. But hey, if you’re hitting the long ball, whatever about walks, amirite.
Braves pitching is what makes their team win a lot. Their best trait is most similar to the Giants, but all the Brewers: they don’t let you barrel the ball. As a team they are really doing well, but there’s a caveat…
Braves pitching has an airtight, lockdown bullpen. So it’s their relievers! Believe it or not, the Braves bullpen is worth nearly as much WAR as their starting rotation. The Braves are either proof that an elite bullpen can elevate your above average team to elite, without having anything more than an above-average lineup and above-average starting pitching by ERA/xERA (below average by FIP stats!).
Braves Defense
The Braves defense is good, especially because of center fielder Michael Harris II, left fielder Mauricio Dubon, rangey first baseman Matt Olson, and part time shorstop Jorge Mateo, if we are going by Fielding Run Value on Baseball Savant. They can certainly prevent some runs on defense, so maybe their starting rotation isn’t as important a factor in their winning ways.
Home runs, prime outfield defense, and a bullpen just as good as the Brewers, only bettered by the Dodgers and Padres by fWAR.
It Ain’t braggin’ if you go out and do it.
Dizzy dean
The Cardinals defense throws all their eggs in one basket, with arguably the best middle infield defense in MLB. Overall St Louis ranks higher than the Braves defense, but it’s not by a lot. Hopefully this can be a good series.
Cardinals 4-6 in their last 10 games
The 2026 Cardinals as they stand today are road warriors. At home they are a game under .500. Earlier in the season the team was over .500 vs teams over .500, but now will need to take two of three from the Braves to go back over .500 vs good teams. That’s a lot of .500! Which is also their expected win/loss record, currently.
No matter how you critique Atlanta, the Cardinals are the underdog here. The Cardinals have a slightly better position-player group overall, with that elite middle infield and a slightly better lineup because of the years Jordan Walker, Alec Burleson, and Ivan Herrera are having, with the added on-base power of table setters JJ Wetherholt and Lars Nootbaar and the 134 wRC+ bat of Nelson Velazquez.
While the Braves don’t have stellar run producers like Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson, they score more runs because of a deeper lineup. So as much as statcast and sabermetric stats like the Cardinals a little bit more, the Braves are winning more games because of scoring more runs… and having much better pitching.
You might be surprised that the Cardinals rotation is about the same as the Braves in ERA, and actually a fair deal better in total fWAR. That is where the similarities end, the Cardinals bullpen ERA is 4.28 and the Braves is 3.13! And the difference by xERA is even more devastating. If you prefer the lens of fWAR, the Braves bullpen is 3.5 wins better than the Cardinals!
This will strike home but the Braves bullpen probably will not walk you. No free passes. Whereas the Cardinals bullpen corps is practically inviting you onto first base in comparison. When Riley O’Brien is your most stingy walks guy, there is a problem. Ryne Stanek, Ryan Fernandez, Matt Svanson, and Gordon Graceffo are the prime offenders, but George Soriano needs some work too. The usually reliable JoJo Romero isn’t having his best year, but his ERA is good at least.
Series Schedule and Matchups
7:15 PM Friday July 10, 2026: Chris Sale vs Kyle Leahy
Fangraphs odds: Braves favored 58.1% to Cardinals 41.9% chance of winning
-Watch on: AppleTV (sorry guys)
Aging Ace Chris Sale is a lefty, so we should expect to see Nelson Velazquez in left field and batting cleanup. Blaze Jordan will probably play first base. Pedro Pages will likely catch Kyly Leahy.
Keys to the game: our outfield is like the inverse of Atlanta’s, defensively. Not good! Jordan Walker and Nelson Velazquez are having a race to the bottom in OAA numbers. At least Nathan Church is playing, it would seem! The Cardinals need to rely on pitch-to-contact, ground out style pitching. They must somehow get to and/or catch Chris Sale on a bad day. Because you don’t want to have to win vs Atlanta’s bullpen. Burleson needs a big hit in a big pinch hit opportunity, if the Cardinals pitching can even tame the Braves lineup.
Should we win this? No. But it sure would be nice.
6:15 PM Saturday July 11, 2026: Reynaldo Lopez vs Matthew Liberatore
Fangraphs odds: Braves favored 53.6% to Cardinals 46.4%
-Watch on: CardinalsTV
Reynaldo Lopez looks really good by old school stats ERA and W/L record. Everything else looks prime for regression, whether it’s his xERA or FIP stats. He probably just isn’t that good. He will probably issue some walks. But on the flipside, he is still better than the Cardinals worst starting pitcher in 2026, Matthew Liberatore.
Liberatore is worse than Lopez across the board except he actually issues less walks. It could be argued that Reynaldo is having a lucky season while Matthew is having a .325 BABIP against disaster. Whatever the case, Liberatore is having a bad season and is getting hit harder. Lopez also has less miles on the tires, at only 50 some innings pitched. This game is winnable, but we are going to have to see a decent Liberatore outing.
Lopez is a right-handed pitcher, so look to see Burly man first base, with Herrera catching Liberatore and Nootbaar in left field. I am using roster resource projected lineups for the purposes of this preview.
Keys to the game: Let’s make Reynaldo Lopez regress quickly, shall we? Score as many runs as possible early on.
Should we win this: I’m going to call it a draw, flip a coin, whatever.
1:15 PM Sunday July 12, 2026: Hurston Waldrep vs Dustin May
Fangraphs odds: Braves favored 45.3% to Cardinals 54.7%
-Watch on: CardinalsTV
Hurston Waldrep sounds like a name in a sci-fi or fantasy novel, or maybe a steampunk character, but he doesn’t seem to be a very good pitcher. This would be like if it was Liberatore vs Sale, because our guy Dustin May is pitching vs their worst pitcher. Who knows what could happen since he doesn’t seem to be a regular starting pitcher and we are dealing with small sample size, somewhat… but this guy has a major, major walk issue.
Dustin May may have a babip against problem in 2026 (he usually doesn’t), but his underlying numbers and non-ERA rate stats look real good. He is on pace for a 4 fWAR season powered by a 3.21 FIP. His xERA is 3.78, making him the Cardinals ace by that measure. It is looking like the standard Burleson lineup Sunday as Waldrep is a righty. Look for Herrera to catch again Sunday, maybe.
Keys to the game: see if Waldrep will walk you first and foremost, and if not, do some damage. May will need to have a decent game, if the Cardinals lineup is mystified by the newbie starting pitcher. Or maybe it’s a bullpen game for them that day, great.
Should we win this: why the heck not! Winning the last game before the All Star Break seems key, somehow. Maybe this is the game where we prove we can outhit the Braves.
See you Wednesday on the other side of the All Star Game! Go Cardinals.
And of course, tomorrow afternoon starting at noon is the MLB Draft! Full coverage here on VEB for each pick! don’t miss it… google tells me that it is on both NBC and MLB Network, or on streaming through Peacock, Fubo, and MLB.com.
Cardinals baseball will resume next Friday night in Arizona, after this Braves series
The Toronto Blue Jays open a weekend series looking to keep their bats warm against the San Diego Padres and left-hander JP Sears.
Ernie Clement has become a near-automatic source of offense and headlines a card built around Toronto's edge against southpaws, with Shane Bieber taking the ball for the Blue Jays.
Read on for my Blue Jays vs. Padres predictions and MLB picks for Friday, July 10.
Blue Jays vs Padres predictions
Blue Jays vs Padres best bet: Ernie Clement Over 1.5 total bases (+115)
We're starting to talk about Ernie Clement as a hit-per-day guy. He's gone under this prop in three of his last four games, but he has recorded a hit in four straight and carries strong career numbers against Padres starter JP Sears.
The Toronto Blue Jays infielder is 3-for-8 lifetime against Sears without striking out. Clement is a contact machine who has cemented his place atop Toronto's order, and I'm backing him to spark the offense as the Jays carry their San Francisco momentum into San Diego.
I'd play this bet down to even money.
COVERS INTEL: Clement is batting .287 with a team-leading 27 hits against left-handed pitchers this year, with nine going for extra bases. That's exactly the matchup he draws against Sears.
Blue Jays vs Padres same-game parlay (SGP)
Neither Shane Bieber nor JP Sears has been sharp lately, so I'm riding Over 8 total runs in what should be a hittable pitching matchup.
I'll pair that with the Toronto Blue Jays moneyline at plus money. The Jays are 7-2 on the road against left-handed starters this year, while the market appears overly concerned by Bieber's tiny sample.
Kazuma Okamoto Over 1.5 total bases rounds out the parlay, as Toronto's top power bat draws a favorable matchup against a homer-prone southpaw.
Blue Jays vs Padres SGP (+475)
Toronto Blue Jays moneyline
Over 8
Kazuma Okamoto Over 1.5 total bases
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Get the best Jays ML odds at BET99 — every game.
Blue Jays vs Padres home run pick: Kazuma Okamoto (+240)
I won't go so far as to say you should always bet Kazuma Okamoto's home run prop, but the Blue Jays rookie has been a power beast lately. He's homered in two of his last three games, including a grand slam in Wednesday's finale against the Giants, and leads Toronto with a .474 slugging percentage against left-handers.
That makes Okamoto a strong bet to go yard against Sears, who carries an inflated 6.05 FIP and has allowed 2.3 home runs per nine innings. I like the prop at +240, but I wouldn't play it below +230 and would keep the wager to a quarter unit.
2026 Transparency record
Best bets: 6-1, +4.48 units
SGPs: 2-6, +0.19 units
HR picks: 1-7, -0.63 units
Blue Jays vs Padres odds
Moneyline: Toronto +105 | San Diego -125
Run line: Toronto -1.5 (+160) | San Diego +1.5 (-190)
Over/Under: 8 (Over -120 | Under +100)
Blue Jays vs Padres trend
The Toronto Blue Jays are 7-2 on the road against left-handed starters this season, a strong backdrop with JP Sears on the mound. Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. Padres.
How to watch Blue Jays vs Padres and game info
Location
Petco Park, San Diego, CA
Date
Friday, July 10, 2026
First pitch
9:40 p.m. ET
TV
Sportsnet, Padres.TV, TVA Sports
Blue Jays starting pitcher
Shane Bieber (0-1, 9.00 ERA)
Padres starting pitcher
JP Sears (2-1, 4.70 ERA)
Blue Jays vs Padres latest injuries
Blue Jays vs Padres weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
AKRON, OHIO - MAY 26, 2026: Sabin Ceballos #2 of the Richmond Flying Squirrels warms up prior to a game against the Akron RubberDucks at 7 17 Credit Union Park on May 26, 2026 in Akron, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
I had yesterday off, so didn’t have a roundup of Wednesday’s Minor League Baseball games … so today, we get Wednesday and Thursday from the San Francisco Giants system! Let’s jump in!
All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.
AAA Sacramento (48-39)
Wednesday: Sacramento River Cats beat the Salt Lake Bees 6-1 [box score] Thursday: Sacramento River Cats beat the Salt Lake Bees 5-3 [box score]
It’s a 3-game winning streak for the River Cats, and while there weren’t many standout performances in these games, there’s a lot to talk about.
Let’s start with the rehab, as there was some exciting news on that front. Daniel Susac (No. 20 CPL) made his Sacramento debut on Thursday, as he kicked off a rehab assignment by being the designated hitter for most of the game. He went 0-3 with a strikeout. Given Susac’s recent slump, and the fact that he had a mediocre offensive year in AAA last year, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Giants wanted to drag out his rehab a little bit so that he can get some additional AAA seasoning, which he otherwise can’t get due to Rule 5 restrictions. Then again, they (justifiably) don’t really seem to trust the trio of catchers in the Majors right now, so they might rush Susac back to San Francisco as soon as he can handle it.
On the pitching front, RHP Keaton Winn made a rehab appearance on Wednesday and pitched a scoreless inning, with a walk and a strikeout. It was Winn’s 3rd rehab appearance, with 1 each in rookie ball, Low-A, and AAA. He can’t single-handedly fix San Francisco’s wretched bullpen, but he sure can help!
And rounding out the rehabs was RHP Jason Foley, who had far and away his best performance thus far, striking out the side in a perfect Thursday inning, while throwing 10 of 12 pitches for strikes. Foley’s rehab has been fairly unsightly, so this was good to see.
There was some excitement in Wednesday’s game, as LHP Cesar Perdomo made his AAA debut and pitched quite well. Perdomo had a high class season with AA Richmond — “breakout” might be a slightly exaggerative word, but he certainly cemented himself as an exciting prospect, with a 3.98 ERA, a 3.56 FIP, 11.1 strikeouts per 9, and 2.7 walks per 9 … stats that ranked 11th, 6th, 9th, and 10th, respectively, out of the 43 Eastern League pitchers who have thrown at least 50 innings this year.
With LHP Carson Whisenhunt (No. 8 CPL) heading back to the Majors, the Giants called on the 24-year old Perdomo to try his hand at AAA and he delivered on Wednesday, throwing 5 innings while allowing just 3 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run, and striking out 6. The only stain on his resume was a home run allowed to former Major Leaguer Kyren Paris. That’s quite a performance!
What followed, however, was odd: after Winn pitched (and before LHP Reiver Sanmartin struck out 3 in 2 scoreless frames), there was a relief inning from LHP Joe Whitman (No. 26 CPL). Whitman pitched in relief on Sunday, and it seemed like that was primarily due to it being his regular pitching day coinciding with LHP Matt Wilkinson’s return. But now he pitched an honest to goodness relief inning (0 hits, 1 walk, and 2 strikeouts), and I’m a bit at a loss for explanation. Whitman certainly hasn’t been forced out of the rotation due to depth — he’s a higher-rated prospect than Perdomo, and certainly higher-rated than tonight’s starter, LHP Seth Lonsway — and there’s really no reason to start converting him into a reliever. Perhaps the Giants are just using some relief outings, mixed with the upcoming All-Star break (it coincides with Major League’s), to get Whitman a little midseason breather, given that he’s already at 80.1 innings, which leads all Giants prospects (though Whisenhunt has more if you include his MLB time). Either way, something to keep an eye on.
Thursday’s starter was RHP Blade Tidwell (No. 9 CPL) and he was decent, as he needed just 80 pitches to go 6 innings deep, while giving up 6 hits, 1 walk, and 3 runs, with 6 strikeouts. 3 of the 6 hits went for extra bases, though, including — like Perdomo — a homer ceded to Paris. Tidwell has been fairly sharp lately, and in his last 3 games has a 19-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio, with 14 hits and 4 runs in 17 innings. It seems likely that the Giants will have 2 holes in their rotation after the trade deadline, and Whisenhunt and Tidwell seem the pitchers to fill them.
Also pitching on Thursday was RHP Eric Cerantola, whom the Giants recently claimed. He made his organizational debut and pitched a scoreless frame with 1 hit and 1 strikeout.
It was a quiet pair of games on offense, save for great performances from 2 outfielders: center fielder/right fielder Scott Bandura hit 4-6 with a 2-run home run, a walk, a sacrifice fly, a stolen base, and 2 strikeouts, while left fielder/center fielder Turner Hill went 4-7 with a solo home run, a triple, a walk, and a stolen base.
king of the Hill 👑
Turner knocks one out to get the Cats on the board!
Bandura, a soon-to-turn 25-year old who was taken in the 7th round in 2023, is starting to make his adjustments in AAA, and is up to a .726 OPS and a 90 wRC+ through 43 games, with 6 stolen bases in 7 attempts. Over his last 13 games, he’s gone 15-44 with 6 extra-base hits, 9 walks, and just 8 strikeouts.
Hill just keeps on raking, as the 27-year old UDFA has an .871 OPS and a 131 wRC+, with 16 stolen bases in 18 attempts. With Jonah Cox and Harrison Bader injured, Grant McCray rehabbing, and Victor Bericoto leaving last night’s game with an apparent injury, Hill could potentially be looking at an MLB debut. The slap hitter has certainly taken advantage of the Pacific Coast League environment: he has 6 home runs in 64 AAA games this year — at the time of his promotion earlier this season, he had 5 home runs in 281 career games across all levels.
Wednesday: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Altoona Curve 8-5 [box score] Thursday: Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Altoona Curve 5-3 [box score]
A few days ago, it was third baseman Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL) who hit a flurry of home runs in a short stretch. This time, it was another player who plays third (though he was a first baseman and designated hitter in these games): Sabin Ceballos (No. 43 CPL).
Ceballos made it clear that his power is emphatically back, as he went 3-7 with a walk … and with all 3 of his hits clearing the fences. Ceballos, a 23-year old who was taken in the 3rd round in 2023, has seen his power come in waves after needing some adjustment time. When the Giants traded Jorge Soler for him in 2024, he was sitting on just 3 home runs in 377 plate appearances with Atlanta’s High-A affiliate … and then, for the rest of the season, bashed 7 dingers in just 140 plate appearances with San Francisco’s High-A squad.
Last year he spent the full season with Richmond, and hit 6 home runs in 420 plate appearances. This year? 13, in just 299 plate appearances. You love to see that!
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) July 8, 2026
Ceballos, who has a .788 OPS and a 111 wRC+ on the year, with quality defense at third when Harber vacates the position, continues to have one strange quirk in AA: he has a hard time getting hits. He draws a lot of walks (11.2% rate last year; 12.7% this year) and does a strong job limiting strikeouts (17.4% last year; 20.1% this year). And yet, despite that, he had just a .273 BABIP in 2025, and a lowly .256 mark this year, leading to batting overages of .232 and .234, respectively. Given that he’s got the power, the plate discipline, the swing-and-miss avoidance, and the defense … he could really become something special if he can figure out how to turn that contact into hits!
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) July 9, 2026
Speaking of power surges, they continue for right fielder Jean Carlos Sio (No. 44 CPL), who only hit 1-7 over these pair of games (with a walk, a strikeout, and an outfield assist), but the hit was a big fly. Despite his small frame, the 22-year old lefty — who had very limited power early in his career — is up to 12 home runs on the season, despite getting a late start with an injury. He’s tied for 5th in the system in home runs, and just 38th in plate appearances.
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) July 9, 2026
The overall package is still in need of some adjustments — Sio has a .768 OPS and a 95 wRC+ in 29 games since getting promoted — but considering that he plays all over the infield and outfield, and is nearly 2 years younger than his average peer in the Eastern League, it’s certainly time to be excited about Sio.
The best pitching performance came from Thursday’s starter, LHP Greg Farone. It’s been a very difficult 2nd season for the 2024 7th rounder, but this was his 2nd fantastic start in a row, as he dealt 5 innings of 1-run ball, while allowing just 1 baserunner per inning (3 singles, 1 walk, and 1 hit batter), and striking out 6. He was efficient and lived in the zone, throwing 53 of 82 pitches for strikes.
After finishing June with 17 earned runs, and just 16 strikeouts to 15 walks in 21 innings, Farone has opened July with an 11-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 11 innings, with only 1 run allowed. Perhaps he’s starting to figure it out!
RHP Yunior Marte (No. 25 CPL), unfortunately, had a rough go of it, giving up 9 hits (5 of which went for extra bases) in just 3.2 innings, tagging him for 8 runs and 6 earned runs. The future is quite bright for the soon-to-turn 23-year old, who had 2 strikeouts, but his AA adjustment has been difficult, as he has a 5.74 ERA and a 4.73 FIP through 7 starts. He is doing fairly well with strikeouts and walks, though, as he has 10.3 and 2.9 per 9, respectively.
LHP Dale Stanavich struck out all 3 batters he faced, as he has started to find a groove. The 27-year old, signed in April as a Minor League free agent, has given up just 11 hits and 3 runs in 12 innings since the start of June, with 20 strikeouts against just 4 walks. LHP Jack Choate (No. 37 CPL) also had a nice relief outing, allowing just 1 hit in 2.2 innings, with 3 strikeouts. He has a 3.06 ERA and a 3.92 FIP on the season, and has been excellent at pretty much everything except limiting walks. So it was nice to see him not issue any in this game.
High-A Eugene (50-34)
Wednesday: Eugene Emeralds beat Spokane 10-2 [box score] Thursday: Eugene Emeralds lost to Spokane 4-1 [box score]
The Emeralds might have lost on Thursday, but it featured the best performance of the 2 days, for any Giants affiliate, thanks to one player who is putting his season together in a hurry: LHP Jacob Bresnahan (No. 11 CPL). Bresnahan started the season injured, then moved into rust, then moved into good pitching, and on Thursday, graduated to greatness. The just-turned 21-year old pitched 6 innings and allowed just 2 hits (though admittedly 1 left the park) and 1 run, while striking out a whopping 11 Spokane hitters. 11!
He did walk 3 batters, which has been his weakness this year and in prior years, as his 4.2 walks per 9 allowed is right in line with what he’s done at previous levels. But other than that, it was a truly exceptional day for half of the Alex Cobb return.
For Bresnahan, who lowered his ERA to 3.02 (though his FIP is just 4.42, due to 1.1 home runs allowed per 9 innings), it was his 4th consecutive dominant outing and his 4th consecutive start in which he went at least 6 innings. That’s largely missing in the system, so fabulous to see.
Over those last 4 starts, Bresnahan has pitched 24.1 innings and allowed just 9 hits, 7 walks, and 2 runs, with 28 strikeouts. The home run and walk suppression may need work, but 10.4 strikeouts per 9 innings and just 37 hits allowed in 59.2 innings is very exciting. Among the 42 Northwest League pitchers with at least 40 innings this year, Bresnahan is 5th in ERA, 13th in strikeouts per 9, and 2nd in batting average against (.174). All while being more than 2 years younger than the average pitcher in the league. What a year he’s suddenly having!
Jacob Bresnahan was dealing. 🔥
The lefty tossed 6.0 innings, allowed just 1 run on 2 hits, and struck out a career-high 11 while throwing a career-high 93 pitches.
It was a decent start for RHP Hunter Dryden as well, as the 2024 17th rounder handled 5.1 innings of 1-run ball on Wednesday, giving up 5 hits (including a home run), 2 walks, and 1 hit batter, while striking out 4. Dryden had really been struggling lately — he’d allowed 20 earned runs in 26 innings since the start of June coming into this start — so great to see him have a good outing. He has a 4.78 ERA and a 5.42 FIP and, like Bresnahan, is struggling with both walks (5.2 per 9) and home runs (1.4 per 9).
But a great relief outing from RHP Gerelmi Maldonado (No. 21 CPL), who pitched a perfect inning with 2 strikeouts. The strikeouts are never surprising for the flamethrower, who has a staggering 31 of them in 20.2 innings. Seeing him not walk anyone, however, is surprising, as this was just the 3rd time this year he’d pitched at least an inning without issuing a walk, and in total he has 27 of them, good for 11.8 per 9 innings. That needs to come way way way way down.
Wednesday was a superstar showing from right fielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 32 CPL), who hit a perfect 4-4 and finished a triple shy of the cycle, while knocking in 3 runs. Diaz, who went 1-4 on Thursday, just keeps showing off the power, as he’s now tied with his teammate Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL) for 2nd most home runs on the farm (15), despite having 74 fewer plate appearances.
As I’ve talked about repeatedly with Diaz, all the tools are there, it just hasn’t all worked out. Despite all those home runs (3 of which were in Low-A), and despite a delightful 16.6% strikeout rate, Diaz’s OPS and wRC+ are fairly middle of the road, at .772 and 98, respectively. But the tools are worth dreaming on (he also has an absolute cannon of an arm), especially since he’s more than 2.5 years younger than the average hitter in the league (he turns 21 next weekend). The future is (hopefully!) bright.
Left fielder Carlos Gutierrez (No. 18 CPL) and catcher Jancel Villarroel (No. 42 CPL) also had brilliant Wednesdays, with Gutierrez hitting 2-3 with 2 walks and a strikeout, and Villarroel going 2-4 with a double and a walk. Gutierrez, who went 1-4 with a strikeout on Thursday, has an .802 OPS and a 117 wRC+, while Villarroel, who didn’t play Thursday, has an .892 OPS and a 139 wRC+. Both players are still just 21, and both have strikeout rates at or below 20%.
A brutal pair of games for first baseman Jakob Christian (No. 40 CPL), who hit 1-8 with 7 strikeouts. Christian, a 5th-round pick in 2024, has always had good numbers with awful strikeout rates, and that’s no different this year, as he has a .782 OPS, a 111 wRC+, and a 33.5% strikeout rate. Unfortunately, that’s not really a recipe for success at higher levels.
Low-A San Jose (52-32)
Wednesday: San Jose Giants beat the Visalia Rawhide 15-4 [box score] Thursday: San Jose Giants beat the Visalia Rawhide 11-3 [box score]
The Baby Giants are officially back and rolling, as, following a midseason slide, they’ve now won 10 games in a row! Holy guacamole!
It was the long ball that led the way for San Jose, and above all else, it was first baseman Jeremiah Jenkins, who hit 5-10 with 3 home runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, and 7 runs batted in. That’s certainly a damn good pair of days at the office!
Jenkins, a 14th-round pick in 2024, is quietly having a very strong offensive season. He’s tied for 5th in the system with 12 home runs, which he’s paired with a sky-high 15.8% walk rate. Add in the .917 OPS and the 124 wRC+, and it’s been a very memorable campaign for the left-hander.
You might read that and think he’s someone we should be talking about more but, unfortunately, the season isn’t lacking for warts, either. Jenkins has a scary 30.5% strikeout rate, and is nearly 2 years older than the average Cal League hitter. Add in the fact that he’s exclusively a first baseman (and thus really needs to hit), and there’s as much reason for skepticism as optimism. Still! A good year worth celebrating.
Speaking of good years, that’s exactly what third baseman/second baseman Isaiah Barkett is having, and he showed off in these games as well, hitting 5-9 with a home run, 2 doubles, 2 walks, and 2 strikeouts. The Giants have to be utterly thrilled with the debut season from last year’s 10th-round selection, as he has an .887 OPS, a 124 wRC+, and just an 8.6% strikeout rate. He also plays strong defense at second and third, and has even logged innings at first base and right field this year.
Left fielder Angel Guzman made his Low-A debut after a recent promotion and had quite a showing, homering in his 1st game! Over the course of the 2 games, the 20-year old lefty went 3-9 with a walk and 2 strikeouts. Welcome to San Jose, Angel!
Rounding out the dinger party was catcher Daniel Rogers, who hit 2-6 with a solo shot. Rogers, a 24-year old UDFA in his 2nd season, has hit very well with San Jose, but has played sparingly. He’s appeared in just 11 games for the Baby Giants, plus 11 more for Eugene this year.
Not homering but playing very well was shortstop Lorenzo Meola (No. 23 CPL), who hit 3-9 with a triple, a double, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts, and a stolen base. Meola now has a 5-game hitting streak, during which time he’s 11-21 with 5 extra-base hits, 4 walks, and just 4 strikeouts, bringing him up to a .762 OPS and an 89 wRC+, with 9 stolen bases in 12 attempts.
The starting pitching performances were encouraging, if not particularly successful. LHP Jordan Gottesman started on Wednesday and struck out 6 batters in 4.1 innings, but also allowed 4 hits, 2 walks, and 3 runs, while needing 84 pitches to get his 13 outs. RHP Ben Bybee had a similar outing on Thursday, striking out 7 batters in 5.2 innings, but allowing 6 hits (including 2 home runs), 1 walk, and 3 runs.
The pair, who are in their debut seasons, are not having the best campaigns, as Gottesman (last year’s 6th-round pick) has a 4.48 ERA and a 5.31 FIP, while Bybee (taken 2 rounds later) has a 5.08 ERA and a 5.13 FIP. Both players are doing a great job limiting walks, though.
RHP Samir Chires, a 22-year old from Venezuela, made his Low-A debut and it went swimmingly, as he struck out 2 batters in a scoreless inning, with a hit allowed. It’s a long time coming for Chires, who was signed in 2021 and, prior to his promotion, was in his 4th season in the ACL.
Joining him was RHP Chen-Hsun Lee, a 24-year old from Taiwan who also made his Low-A debut, and also pitched well, throwing 2 scoreless frames with a hit and a strikeout. Lee, who signed in 2023 but pitched just 4 times that year before suffering injuries that cost him all of 2024 and 2025, has some really nasty stuff, but is still trying to figure out how to harness it. Great to see him in affiliated ball.
Arizona Complex League (28-21)
Thursday: ACL Giants lost to the ACL Guardians 6-3 [box score]
Not the most exciting game. AAA center fielder Grant McCray continued his rehab and hit 1-2 with a hit by pitch, while stealing 2 bases. He should be nearly ready to head back to Sacramento.
The best offensive day belonged to catcher Broedy Poppell, who hit 2-4 with a strikeout. Last year’s 13th-round pick has a .952 OPS but just a 102 wRC+ since getting sent from Low-A down to the ACL to work as a catcher.
Second baseman Josuar González had a nice game, hitting 1-3 with 2 walks and a stolen base, though he also had a strikeout and a caught stealing. The 18-year old switch-hitting sensation has a 1.037 OPS and a 158 wRC+, with 7 stolen bases in 9 attempts. I’m starting to wonder if we might see him in San Jose before the ACL season even ends.
Really strong relief showings from LHP Jose Rengel and RHP Jose T. Perez. Rengel pitched 2 perfect innings with 4 strikeouts, while Perez struck out 2 in a perfect frame. It’s been a brutal pass through the ACL for Rengel, who has had an ERA in the 7s in all 3 years at the level. Nice to see him have a great game. Perez is also having a tough season (4.82 ERA and 5.48 FIP in the ACL, with far worse numbers during a short Low-A stint), but his strikeout stuff is firmly on display. The 22-year old has struck out 32 batters in just 18.2 Complex League innings.
Just a single DSL game, as the Giants Orange team had Thursday off, while the Giants Black squad didn’t play Wednesday, and had their Thursday game postponed in the 2nd inning due to weather.
A pair of nice hitting games from second baseman Yoxander Benitez and first baseman Albert Jimenez. Benitez, a 19-year old in his 3rd season, hit 1-2 with a double, a walk, and a strikeout, bringing his OPS to .763 and his wRC+ to 98 … not great numbers, but better than past years, and he’s not striking out much. Jimenez, also a 19-year old in his 3rd season, went 2-3 with a double, and now has a 1.059 OPS and a 143 wRC+, with more walks than strikeouts. A very nice season for the righty.
RHP Jesus Lopez was the star on the mound, tossing 3 scoreless innings with 1 hit and 2 strikeouts. It’s been a pretty tough year for the 21-year old, who is in the DSL for a 4th straight year, but he’s been a little better lately. Hopefully it can hold.
Home run tracker
15 — Lisbel Diaz — [12 in High-A; 3 in Low-A] 13 — Sabin Ceballos x3 — [AA] 12 — Jean Carlos Sio — [7 in AA; 4 in High-A; 1 in ACL] 12 — Jeremiah Jenkins x3 — [Low-A] 6 — Scott Bandura — [3 in AAA; 3 in AA] 6 — Turner Hill — [AAA] 5 — Isaiah Barkett — [Low-A] 3 — Angel Guzman — [1 in Low-A; 2 in ACL] 3 — Daniel Rogers — [Low-A]
Friday schedule
Sacramento: 6:45 p.m. PT vs. Salt Lake (SP: Seth Lonsway) Richmond: 3:00 p.m. PT at Altoona (SP: Charlie McDaniel) Eugene: 6:35 p.m. PT vs. Spokane (SP: Niko Mazza) San Jose: 6:35 p.m. PT at Visalia (SP: TBD)
Reminder that almost all MiLB games can be watched on MLB TV
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins announced that catcher Ryan Jeffers was reinstated from the 10-day injured list after missing nearly two months with a left hamate bone fracture.
The 29-year-old Jeffers had a .295 batting average, .949 OPS, seven homers and 26 RBIs in 37 games before the injury. He recently played five games in Triple-A on a rehab assignment, batting .375 with two homers.
Jeffers is in his seventh season with the Twins, hitting .243 with 75 homers over 552 career games.
To make room for Jeffers on the roster, the Twins optioned outfielder Kyler Fedko to Triple-A. Fedko was hitless in 16 at-bats over 14 games.
COVERS INTEL: Clement is batting .287 with a team-leading 