Caballero’s all-around strong performance in recent weeks was enough to change the organization’s plans and unseat Anthony Volpe (once he was healthy) for the starting shortstop job, at least for now.
And yet, that offensive surge has not lined up with the under-the-hood metrics the Yankees often look at — average exit velocity, hard-hit rate, chase rate and expected numbers — when trying to predict results over the course of a long season.
“I’m trying to win a battle, man,” Caballero said Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. “It doesn’t matter how I win it, I want to win the battle. Every at-bat for me is a battle. … I’m just trying to be on base, make some damage and help my team.”
Caballero has certainly fulfilled that goal.
Entering Tuesday’s series opener against the Rangers, he was batting .316 with an .896 OPS, four home runs and eight steals over his past 22 games — after starting the year batting .150 with a .384 OPS, no homers and five steals over his first 12 games.
While Caballero’s defensive and baserunning metrics are strong, his underlying offensive numbers — which the Yankees often use to paint a picture that a struggling hitter has been better than his surface numbers would suggest — are not as rosy.
His average exit velocity of 83.7 mph was in the third percentile among major leaguers; his 29.3 percent hard-hit rate was in the 11th percentile; his 33.2 percent chase rate was in the 28th percentile; his xwOBA (expected weighted on-base average) of .266 was in the seventh percentile.
José Caballero celebrates after hitting an RBI double during the Yankees’ blowout win over the Orioles on May 4, 2026 at the Stadium. Corey Sipkin for New York Post
All of it suggests there could be some regression to come. But is it possible to outperform that?
“Maybe,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Look, I think he’s a player. He’s a gamer. You like him up there when the chips are on the table. He’s a hustler, in a good way. He likes the action. He likes, ‘Give me the ball.’
“Honestly, he’s one of the most confident guys on the field, and that’s a powerful thing to have. In this game of failure, you better have some confidence walking out there every day. He walks out there with a lot of confidence.”
That, of course, is part of Caballero’s game. He takes pride in being a pest at the plate and on the bases, the kind of player you love to have on your team but hate to play against.
For the first few weeks of the season, as he got the chance to start every day at shortstop with Volpe’s return looming, Caballero felt like he was missing that edge.
Then right around the series against his former team, the Rays, at Tropicana Field from April 10-12 — during which GM Brian Cashman revealed that it had “always been the plan” for Volpe to regain his starting job once he was healthy — Caballero rediscovered that edge. He insists that it was not because he was facing the Rays, or because he had been trying to do too much to prove anything to the Yankees.
“Whenever you get caught up in the everyday at-bats and missing a lot of them, you get caught in your head and thinking about the struggle you are in,” he said.
José Caballero hits an RBI double during the sixth inning of the Yankees’ blowout win over the Orioles on May 4, 2026 at the Stadium. Corey Sipkin for New York Post
“I reached 40 at-bats [during that Rays series]. So it’s kind of like an even number. So after that day, I went, ‘You know what? Whatever happened before these 40 at-bats, I don’t really care.’ I’m just going to move forward and think about from now on. That was kind of the mentality.
“I just feel more free, more clear, more calm. It’s really helpful.”
And it helped him retain his starting job, at least for the time being.
Caballero said the team did not have a conversation with him Sunday about keeping the job and Volpe going to Triple-A, but that he just kept his head down and kept playing.
“I’m just really happy to have the opportunity to go out there and play baseball,” said Caballero, who for the first time in his big league career is staying at one position for an extended, everyday stretch, which he said has helped his defense.
“I’m trying to be present, trying to be in the moment and take advantage of the opportunity.”
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 04: Xander Bogaerts #2 of the San Diego Padres throws to first base for a double play after forcing out Bryce Eldridge #8 of the San Francisco Giants in the bottom of the fourth inning at Oracle Park on May 04, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
San Diego Padres (20-14) at San Francisco Giants (14-21), May 5, 2026, 6:45 p.m. PST
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Before the second game of the series against the San Francisco Giants, the Padres made a series of roster changes. Second baseman Jake Cronenworth went to the seven-day injured list with concussion symptoms and infielder Sung-Mun Song was recalled from Triple-A El Paso.
Cronenworth was hit on the jaw by a pitch in the series against the Angels on April 18, but has not sustained any other head blows, so it is unclear when this injury occurred. Song has been in El Paso since the start of the season after sustaining an oblique injury at his home in Korea before Spring Training began. He aggravated the injury during the spring and was optioned to El Paso when his rehab window expired.
Song has hit well in El Paso with a .293/.364/.354 line but has struggled to slug and has a zero-barrel rate in his at-bats. He just hit his first home run on Sunday with an exit velocity of 94.6 mph. He has three doubles and 15 RBI as well. He was briefly on the roster as the 27th man during the Padres’ trip to Mexico City and debuted as a pinch-runner in that series.
Song worked as a shortstop, second baseman, and third baseman during his time with the Chihuahuas.
The Padres also activated lefty reliever Yuki Matsui from the injured list and optioned lefty reliever Kyle Hart to Triple-A El Paso. Matsui has reached the end of his rehab window after going down with a left groin strain in Spring Training.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 29: Bubba Chandler #36 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the first inning during the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on April 29, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pirates continue their road trip, traveling out west to face the Diamondbacks in a three-game series at Chase Field in Phoenix.
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HOUSTON, TEXAS - MAY 04: Kyle Tucker #23 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a RBI single in the first inning against theHouston Astros at Daikin Park on May 04, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers conclude their road trip with a daytime start against the Houston Astros on Wednesday at Daikin Park.
This will be the third consecutive daytime getaway day start for Tyler Glasnow, who led the Dodgers in strikeouts (47) and innings (38 2/3) through the end of April. He has a 1.83 ERA and 37-percent strikeout rate in 19 2/3 innings in his three daytime starts this season.
Lance McCullers Jr. starts for Houston. The veteran right-hander has a 6.32 ERA and 4.38 xERA in six starts this season.
The Dodgers are 7-4 in the final game of series this season, including 4-1 in such games on the road.
Triple-A Oklahoma City has been a busy place for Dodgers on the mend for the past few weeks, with rehab assignments piling up over the last few days. Utility man Kiké Hernández is the latest to work his way back with the Comets, starting a rehab assignment on Tuesday night.
Hernández on Tuesday started and played five innings at third base and batted second against the Salt Lake Bees, an Angels affiliate. He doubled and scored among his three at-bats.
Mookie Betts could be on a rehab assignment soon, as he works his way back from an oblique strain.
“Mookie is working on his bat speed. He feels good. I would say he’s going to get out on a rehab soon. Whether it’s this week — he’s supposed to a simulated game, like a live BP on Thursday,” Roberts said Monday, as shown on SportsNet LA. “If he does his live BP on Thursday and comes out okay, then you can sort of figure out where he goes next.”
Betts was injured on April 4 in Washington D.C., and last week on the homestand said doctors initially told him he’d miss six weeks. This Saturday is the five-week mark for Betts, who said he was ahead of schedule but also cautioned that the nature of oblique injuries requires patience.
“It’s just time. There’s no magic formula to this. You can do as much rehab as you want. Obliques just take time, it’s always four to six weeks, no matter however you want to twist it,” Betts said on April 29 at Dodger Stadium. “We’re kind of approaching the four-week mark. Once I get to that point is when we’ll really turn the corner. We’re close, and after that it’s going to get a lot better.”
Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon continued their rehab assignments on Tuesday night, and neither had their best stuff.
The Yankees hurlers pitched for High-A Hudson Valley and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, respectively, and allowed 10 earned runs combined. Cole had it the toughest as he was taken deep by the second batter he faced. A double and a single later, and Cole found himself down 2-0. The Yankees ace settled down a bit, pitching back-to-back scoreless innings, but the longball would get Cole again in the fourth.
Kyle Lodise led off the inning with a long fly and in the fifth, Cole hit a batter and allowed an RBI double. Cole was pulled after the double, and the reliever gave up a two-run shot, allowing Cole's runner to score.
Cole tossed 69 pitches (49 strikes) across 4.1 innings. He allowed five runs on seven hits (two home runs) while striking out four. Including Tuesday's start, Cole has now allowed 12 runs in 18.2 innings pitched.
Earlier in the day, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Cole was still "a little ways away" from rejoining the team. With how well the rotation is pitching, the Yankees will take their time with Cole.
The opposite is the case with Rodon. As long as the southpaw comes away from Tuesday's start healthy, his next start will be with the Yankees. However, his presumed final rehab start was also tough.
Rodon threw 83 pitches (49 strikes), allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits -- two home runs -- and two walks, and also struck out four batters in Tuesday's start in Triple-A.
Rodon entered the start, pitching well for both High-A and Double-A. In his previous two rehab starts, he allowed one run across 9.2 innings on six hits and one walk while striking out 12 batters.
Atlanta Braves rookie starting pitcher JR Ritchie came up from Triple-A Gwinnett in the International League back in April, and the hope for him was that he had left that league behind for good. Today the IL came for him – but in a positive way, as Ritchie was named the league’s Pitcher of the Month for April.
Ritchie made five starts in Gwinnett, pitching to a 0.99 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 28 strikeouts over 27.1 innings – though that includes one March start. In April he managed a 0.38 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, and 25 strikeouts in 23.2 innings, which got him the award.
Ritchie has continued to make three starts with the Braves, pitching to a 3.63 ERA and 1.50 WHIP with 13 strikeouts over 17.1 innings to start his big league career. Ritchie has mixed some flashes of brilliance along with some struggles against left-handed hitters, but the Braves first round pick in 2022 has shown why he has earned some rankings on Top 100 Prospect lists.
According to the press release:
“Gwinnett Stripers (Braves) right-hander JR Ritchie went 3-0 with a 0.38 ERA in four starts as he allowed one earned run on 10 hits and 10 walks over 23.2 innings. He led the league in ERA (0.38), average against (.135) and WHIP (0.85). Ritchie was promoted to Atlanta on April 23 and recorded his first Major League win that night in Washington, D.C. Ritchie, 22, was selected by Atlanta in the Competitive Balance Round A (35th overall) of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Bainbridge High School in Bainbridge Island, Washington.”
HOUSTON, TEXAS - MAY 04: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a two-run single in the third inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on May 04, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Dodgers followed a three-game win streak with a four-game losing streak, and have now won their last two. Will the streakiness continue tonight?
HOUSTON, TX - MAY 04: Houston Astros left fielder Zach Cole is at bat in the bottom of the seventh inning during the MLB game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros on May 4, 2026 at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Houston Astros (14-22) will try to even up their three-game series with the rival Los Angeles Dodgers (22-13) tonight in a Cinco De Mayo matchup at Daikin Park.
RHP Peter Lambert (1-2, 3.52 ERA) will get the start for the Astros, his fourth of the season, opposite RHP Shohei Ohtani (2-1, 0.60 ERA) and the Dodgers.
ABOUT TONIGHT’S STARTER: RHP Peter Lambert has been solid in his three starts for the Astros, going 1-2 with a 3.52 ERA (6ER/15.1IP) with 19 strikeouts and a .211 opponent average.
His advanced metrics back up his counting stats, as he ranks in the 93rd percentile in whiff % (34.1), 87th percentile in xBA (.201) and 86th percentile in K% (28.8).
Lambert joined the Astros via free agency this offseason after pitching last year for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in the NPB, posting a 3.98 ERA (55ER/124.1IP) with 111 strikeouts in 23 appearances in Japan.
He began this season at Triple A Sugar Land (1.84 ERA in three appearances) before being called up to join the rotation on April 17.
SHO STOPPERS: The Astros have faced RHP Shohei Ohtani in 14 starts in his illustrious career, in which they’ve held their own, posting a 3-6 record and a 3.89 ERA (30ER/69.1IP) on the perennial AllStar.
It comes as no surprise, LF Yordan Alvarez has the most career success of any Astro off Ohtani, as he’s hitting .333 (5×15) with a double, homer and four RBI in 18 plate appearances.
VS. THE DODGERS: The Astros and Dodgers will forever be connected by the 2017 World Series, which was won by Houston in a thrilling seven games.
Since that 2017 season began, the Astros and Dodgers have been the two top clubs in baseball, in terms of regular season wins and playoff wins. Since the 2017 World Series, the Astros are 11-10 against the Dodgers in the regular season and have won six of the last eight games.
In their last meeting, the Astros swept the Dodgers in a three-game series at Dodger Stadium (July 4-6, 2025), outscoring the Dodgers 29-6 in the three games.
TODAY’S ROSTER MOVES: The Astros have made the following roster moves:
• RHP Jason Alexander and OF Zach Dezenzo have been recalled from Triple A Sugar Land.
• IF Nick Allen has been reinstated from the 10-day IL.
• C Yainer Diaz has been placed on the 10-day IL today with a left oblique strain.
• OF Dustin Harris has been designated for assignment.
• RHP Ryan Weiss was optioned to Triple A last night.
FAMILIAR FOE: 1B Christian Walker has 29 career homers vs. the Dodgers (in 94 games), which ties his most against any opponent (also, COL). His .875 career OPS vs. LAD is the highest among any active player (min. 300 PA), while his 29 homers rank third among active players.
HIT PAREDES: IF Isaac Paredes has hit safely in 12 of his last 14 games dating back to April 19, a span in which he’s hitting .352 (19×54) with two doubles, three homers, nine RBI and a .972 OPS. Entering tonight, he’s hit safely in a season high six straight games at a .435 (10×23) clip.
THE ORDER: The Astros have used 36 different batting orders in their 36 games so far this season, with only LF Yordan Alvarez has started every game in the same spot in the lineup (second).
A TRADE WORTH REVISITING: When the Astros play the Dodgers, it’s always worth revisiting the trade that brought LF Yordan Alvarez to Houston.
With the Astros teetering in and out of the 2016 playoff picture, the club moved on from reliever RHP Josh Fields at the trade deadline, sending him to the Dodgers straight up for Alvarez, who had just signed with the Dodgers months prior and had not played in an official game with the organization.
Since the trade, the Astros and Dodgers should have no remorse, as both teams have won, with Houston winning two World Series (2017, 2022) and the Dodgers three (2020, 2024-25).
BUSY NIGHT IN THE LAND: Three Astros pitchers will be on rehab assignments tonight at Triple A Sugar Land as they host the Albuquerque Isotopes (COL).
RHP Tatsuya Imai (arm fatigue) will get the start and will be followed by LHP Josh Hader (left biceps tendinitis) and RHP Nate Pearson (recovery from right elbow surgery).
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 2004 – RHP Roger Clemens passes LHP Steve Carlton for second on the all-time strikeout list, for the time being, behind another pitcher with Astros ties, RHP Nolan Ryan. Clemens now ranks third all-time in K’s with 4,672, as he was later passed by LHP Randy Johnson (4,875).
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Tuesday, May 5, 7:10 p.m. CT
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
TV: Space City Home Network
Streaming: SCHN+
Radio: KTRH 740 AM, KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 29: Starter Gavin Williams #32 of the Cleveland Guardians heads to the dugout prior to the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field on April 29, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Russell Lee Verlinger/Cleveland Guardians/Getty Images) | Getty Images
May 4, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals catcher Carter Jensen (22) signals he was safe at home against the Cleveland Guardians during the fourth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Welcome to game 36 on this young season. Can you imagine? Thirty-six games? I feel like it just started yesterday.
In any case, the big news for today’s game is Noah Cameron’s start being skipped. The press crew talked to Cameron and Matt Quatraro before the game, and it doesn’t seem that big of a deal. Cameron said that it was only a “moderate” back spasm but that it was “too early to push through.” He said that if it was August or September, he’d probably take the mound. Q also reiterated that, too.
In Cameron’s place, we’ll get Stephen Kolek. This marks Kolek’s first game for the Royals; he was competing for a spot in the rotation in spring, but an oblique injury sidelined him. He’s been really good in Omaha, sporting a nifty 2.76 ERA over four starts.
ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 15: Michael Harris II #23 of the Atlanta Braves catches a fly ball in the fourth inning during the game against the Miami Marlins at Truist Park on April 15, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. All players are wearing the number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Braves have been good so far, but they’re also keeping it interesting as they navigate injuries and the inexorable grind of the season. Tonight’s bit of intrigue: Michael Harris II is back, but… he’s in left field! I guess that gives his ailing quad muscle a bit of a break relative to center field, where Mauricio Dubon will continue to flag balls down, and Mike Yastrzemski shifts to right.
So, Drake Baldwin remains at leadoff, but Harris returns to the starting lineup and hits cleanup. Dominic Smith also makes his return at DH, as Sean Murphy sits a day after being activated from the Injured List. Someone asked earlier, and I looked it up — the Braves haven’t had someone listed at catcher hit leadoff since 1973.
I still think it’s kind of weird that the Braves deliberately going with three blocks of the same handedness rather than alternating them, but that may not have a huge effect. It’s just somewhat contrary to usual practice.
For the Mariners, Cal “Big Dumper” Raleigh returns to the lineup, though he’s ensconced at DH for now. That means no Dominic Canzone in this one.
Batter-versus-pitcher stuff is very limited. Everyone in the Braves’ lineup sans Baldwin has faced George Kirby before, but only Jorge Mateo has double-digit PAs. The collective line is a very sad .238 wOBA and .234 xwOBA in 49 PAs; the Braves probably can’t afford that level of performance if they want to extend their no-series-losses streak.
There’s even less exposure in terms of Bryce Elder versus the Mariners — no one has more than six PAs, and the last three in the lineup haven’t faced Elder at all. The total line comes in just 18 PAs and is a pretty scary .363 wOBA / .377 xwOBA. Not that that’s predictive, but it’s also not exciting.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 8: Houston Astros GM Dana Brown is interviewed during the annual Houston Astros media luncheon at Minute Maid Park on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, in Houston. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
It has been a disaster of an offseason for the Astros GM, now does he have what it takes to fix it?
Every season in MLB is essentially a new project, with additions and subtractions to the active roster, to the 40 man roster, to the minor league system. It is a new puzzle each year, one with an unknown shape, and the GM is tasked with acquiring enough pieces or the right pieces (or both) to fill a puzzle that he doesn’t yet know the layout of.
It’s a very difficult job trying to guess the puzzle ahead of time, which is why GMs make a whole lot of money. They hold the keys to the castle, building it and maintaining it is their foremost responsibility. The challenges of doing so are irrelevant, you are judged on wins and losses.
Right now the Astros are losing too much. The way in which they are losing is borderline incredulous.
In the Golden Era of Astros baseball, pitching and defense have been hallmarks of the organization. The Astros consistently won by pitching their tails off and taking advantage of their opponents’ mistakes and then punishing them for making them.
This year, the Astros are the team making the mistakes. They are also the team that cannot pitch.
That the Astros cannot pitch is a concept so far from the reality of the past 10 years, it would not be unreasonable for someone to assume I am pulling their leg, or at the very least am being highly sarcastic. Yet, here we are.
The Astros 5.78 ERA as a team is the worst in baseball. It is 0.71 runs per game WORSE than the 2nd worst team, the Arizona Diamondbacks.
How did the Astros get here? After all, when they were the most injured pitching staff in a generation, they still managed a respectable 3.86 ERA, good for 11th in MLB. What has gone wrong?
Everything.
After the team elected to allow staff ace Framber Valdez to leave via free agency, they chose to address their pitching needs in the bargain bin. While that isn’t necessarily a failing strategy, this year and to this point, it has been.
The Astros signed/acquired 5 starting pitchers and a group of relievers, that to this point have failed far more than they have succeeded.
Mike Burrows was acquired in a 3-way trade in the offseason that saw Houston send Jacob Melton and Anderson Brito to Tampa. in his rookie season a year ago in Pittsburgh, Burrows showed some promise. He went 3-4 with a 3.94 ERA over 96 innings, with a 1.24 WHIP and 97 strikeouts.
This season to date, he has not fared nearly as well, currently sitting at 1-4 with a 5.97 ERA and 1.65 WHIP over 37.2 innings. He has allowed the most hits in the AL with 49, and he has already allowed 8 home runs.
Burrows H/9 rate has exploded from 8.3 to 11.7. While he has been the subject of some tough luck, that doesn’t explain the 3.5 hits per nine increase, nor does it explain his HR/9 rate jumping so hard (from 1.2 last year to 1.9 this year). Poor command has been mostly to blame.
Tatsuya Imai has been perplexing. He was practically untouchable all spring, and then started strong in his first game until he lost the strike zone in the 3rd inning and couldn’t get out of it. Imai was terrific in his second start, going 5.2 innings scoreless with 9K for his first MLB win. His 3rd start was an abject disaster in which he allowed 3 runs on 4 walks and 1 hit, and only recorded one out. He went on the IL after that start with arm fatigue.
In his first rehab start, he again couldn’t find the strike zone, and threw only 31 of his 59 pitches for strikes. He will make another rehab start tonight in Sugar Land, and the Astros desperately need their biggest ticket free agent signing to right the ship and be the kind of frontline starter he was expected to be when he arrived.
Ryan Weiss has been a total failure. Coming over from the KBO where he dominated last season and led his team to their version of the World Series, he started well in his first 3 appearances and then completely fell apart. Weiss allowed just 1 run total in his first 3 appearances totaling 6 innings. He walked two and struck out 7. He looked like a terrific international signing.
However, over his last 6 outings, he has been simply awful. He’s allowed 21 ER over his last 20 innings, with 18 walks and a ridiculous 7 home runs. He hasn’t just set fire to games, he’s taken a flamethrower to them. He was optioned to Triple-A after his appearance last night as the Astros will try to figure out what happened to his command.
Nate Pearson was returning from surgery, and is also expected to make a rehab assignment today at Sugar Land. He has not yet made an appearance for Houston.
The two moves that can be argued in Brown’s favor for the pitching staff thus far are for Kai-Wei Teng and Peter Lambert.
Teng was acquired in a trade with the Giants for Jancel Villaroel. Teng has been one of their best pitchers, able to give them length, spot start, and handle leverage so far in a bullpen that has been significantly overworked and has not been able to get players into established roles. While Teng has not been used primarily as a starter this season, he has been a starter in the past, and Dana Brown did say they were interested in stretching Teng out as a starter.
Teng is 1-2 with a 2.35 ERA and 0.96 WHIP. He has allowed just 15 hits (albeit 3 HR) with 7 walks and 22 strikeouts. His versatility and effectiveness have been one of the few bright spots in the bullpen.
Lambert, who pitched the last 2 years in Japan, was originally signed by the Astros to a MiLB deal in November 2025. The Astros then released him March 24 after he did not make the Opening Day roster and Lambert triggered an opt-out clause in his contract. He re-signed a minor league deal with Houston 3 days later.
Lambert began the season at Triple A, posting a 1.84 ERA in 3 appearances (2 starts) for Sugar Land. He allowed 3 ER in 14.2 IP with 3 BB and 12K. Since being called up by the Astros, Lambert has been solid, going 1-2 with a 3.52 ERA and 1.24 WHIP, having been the unfortunate recipient of poor relief in his first start. Lambert has generated a lot of swings and misses in his first 2 starts as well, and has been a solid lifeline for a rotation in distress.
This rotation retooling thus far has not succeeded, and has been further hampered by injuries to staff ace Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier, neither of whom is expected back until June at the earliest.
Now, Burrows could still get things turned around and he has been better in his past two starts. Imai could return to his proper and expected form and have a strong 4 months. Both of those things would go a long way to getting the Astros right and making Brown’s offseason look better.
Brown’s offseason literally hangs in the balance of the resurgence of Burrows and Imai. Those aren’t bad bets, but they leave no room for error.
What does Brown do if those two guys don’t pan out? It isn’t realistic to expect guys like Jason Alexander and Colton Gordon to be starters the entire season and be effective. Whether or not Weiss can right the ship is anyone’s guess but definitely should not be counted on.
The biggest question is what can Dana Brown do if the offseason is indeed a failure? The Astros don’t have the depth or the minor league top talent to acquire big time pitching at the trade deadline, if the team is even good enough to warrant such moves then. Those moves may need to be made much sooner.
Does Brown have the ability to swing those deals? Being in the final year of his contract, does he even have the authority to swing those deals?
We don’t know what handcuffs Brown has had to deal with, other than the payroll restrictions obviously put on him by owner Jim Crane, who is very reticent to pay the luxury tax for a third straight season unless he thinks there is a big move to make at the deadline to make them serious contenders. Right now, they are at best a Wild Card hopeful more than a Divisional contender, let alone a title contender.
We have seen this team overcome bad starts and bad stretches before (see 12-24 start in 2024). We have seen other teams do the same in recent seasons (see Atlanta 2021 and Cleveland 2025). It is possible.
What Brown can do for the Astros here is paramount to his job security. If the moves he’s already made don’t pan out, he is likely gone. Whether or not he has the ammunition or authority to make more moves is very much in question, and we are likely to find out what the answers to those questions are soon.
Brown needs a new plan to get this team in the right direction. Does he have one? Is he allowed to execute it?
Right now, he appears to be the person most culpable for a struggling team’s roster that has an overburdened and underperforming pitching staff, and Jim Crane doesn’t like to lose.
Logan Henderson (SP Brewers) - Rostered in 24 percent of Yahoo leagues
Due to another round of elbow inflammation, which was the same thing that ended his 2025 season, Henderson didn't get the chance to make the Brewers out of spring training. He did make a two-inning spot start the second week of the season, but he was otherwise limited to three-inning outings in Triple-A his first few times out. The Brewers finally let him go five innings in his final appearance for Nashville last week, and after getting the call to replace Brandon Woodruff in the Milwaukee's rotation, he fanned eight in six innings of two-run ball against the Nationals on Sunday.
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Not blessed with overwhelming stuff, Henderson succeeds by hitting his spots with his 91-95 mph fastball and finishing batters off with an excellent changeup. He's also throwing his high-80s cutter more frequently this year. He'll probably settle in as a No. 3 starter if he can stay healthy, but he should be one with a strong enough strikeout rate and WHIP to be of quite a bit of use in mixed leagues.
Health is a big question mark with Henderson at this point. He's topped out at 103 innings as a pro, but the back-to-back elbow issues are worrisome. Still, we're talking about a free player, not a long-term investment. As long as Henderson is in the Brewers rotation, he needs to be rostered in all leagues.
Gabriel Moreno (C Diamondbacks) - Rostered in 10 percent of Yahoo leagues
Moreno's progression at age 25 in 2025 made him look like he was on his way to being one of the league's best catchers in terms of hitting for average and getting on base. This year, though, he seems to want to be more of a power hitter. The bat speed is up, and so are the strikeouts. It hasn't paid off yet with him having one homer through 15 games, but there's hope; he's sporting a career-high pull rate and already has five barrels. That 13.2% barrel percentage is more than twice his career rate.
Moreno's big problem is that he can't stop getting hurt. He's already served an IL stint this year with a mild oblique strain. He was limited to 83 games last year by a fractured finger. Two years ago, he served IL stints due to a sprained thumb and a strained groin. He opened this season batting cleanup for the Diamondbacks, which seemed like a great opportunity given the success enjoyed by Geraldo Perdomo, Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll as the team's top three hitters last year. Of course, none are hitting quite as well as hoped at the moment, and since returning from the oblique injury without the benefit of a rehab assignment, Moreno has been dropped in the order. So, it might still be a little while before Moreno really takes off. However, there's definite top 10-catcher ability here, even if he goes back to hitting more like he did last year.
Jared Jones (SP Pirates) - Rostered in 32 percent of Yahoo leagues
It's been a long time coming, but Jones finally returned to the mound in a game setting last week, striking out five in three perfect innings for Single-A Bradenton. He topped out at 101 mph in his first game action since last March. He was diagnosed with a UCL sprain in the middle of spring training, and after a setback when he tried to resume throwing in May, he had internal brace surgery. Now he's making his way back, perhaps with better stuff than ever.
Jared Jones throws 8 pitches 100+ mph in his first rehab start
Jones, the 44th overall pick in the 2020 draft, debuted with the Pirates at the start of 2024 and opened his career with a 2.63 ERA and a brilliant 52/5 K/BB in 41 innings over his first seven starts. He wasn't quite as stellar the rest of the way, especially after missing seven weeks with a lat strain, but he demonstrated ace-type talent with his elite fastball and slider and the improvement in his control.
The Pirates are definitely in a better spot now than when Jones previously pitched for the team, boasting an actual functioning offense that currently rates sixth in the league in runs per game. The club will be careful with him, but he should be efficient enough to put together a fair number of six-inning starts while keeping his pitch count down. Based on the way he threw last week, he's not going to last in free agent pools until the Pirates activate him at the end of the month.
Waiver Wire Quick Hits
- Caleb Killian was featured here a few weeks ago, and he's interesting again now with the Giants seemingly unsatisfied with Ryan Walker in the ninth. I worry that Keaton Winn will also be a big part of the saves mix if Walker is bumped back to middle relief, but I think Killian is the slightly more interesting of the two, what with his 28% strikeout rate to open the year.
- I'd love to recommend the Tigers' Brant Hurter with Tarik Skubal sidelined, if only the Tigers would promise to keep using him like they did on Sunday Night Baseball. He threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings after entering during the third and picked up a win over the Rangers. Maybe it will happen, but probably not as much during the team's current stretch, which features off days Thursday and next Monday.
