Category: Baseball

Alex Bregman shares encouraging update on return timeline originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Red Sox’ struggling lineup could soon get a much-needed boost.

Alex Bregman is inching closer to returning from a quad injury that has sidelined him since May 23. According to WEEI’s Rob Bradford, the star third baseman said Monday there is a chance he returns before the All-Star break. Boston’s last game before the break is scheduled for July 13.

Bradford also relayed an encouraging update from manager Alex Cora, who said, “The way (Bregman’s) talking about it, he’s close to 100 percent.”

Bregman looked like an American League MVP candidate before his injury. Through 51 games, the 31-year-old slashed .299/.385/.553 with 11 homers and 35 RBI. He still ranks second on the team in homers, fourth in RBI, and second in doubles (17).

With Rafael Devers no longer in the picture, the Red Sox desperately need Bregman’s bat in the middle of their lineup. They entered Monday having lost three consecutive series and seven of their last eight games. Since trading Devers, they have a 4-8 record with an average of only 3.83 runs scored per game.

Despite missing the last month, Bregman was the only Red Sox position player to advance to Phase 2 of MLB All-Star Game voting. Phase 2 voting ends Wednesday at noon.

The Red Sox will look to turn things around when they welcome the Cincinnati Reds to Fenway Park on Monday night.

The glasses might’ve come first. But it was a light bulb moment with the swing that made the most profound change.

Just over a month into the season this year, veteran Dodgers slugger Max Muncy was in a desperate search for answers.

Through the team’s first 30 games, his batting average started with a one and his home run total was stuck on zero. His role as the team’s starting third baseman was being called into question, fueling early-season speculation that the team would need to replace him before the trade deadline. He was absorbing daily criticism from fans, while trying not to succumb to internal self-flagellation.

The 10-year veteran had gone through cold starts before. But nothing quite so frustrating as this.

“It’s a privilege to play under this pressure, and it’s something I’ve always thrived on, but it doesn’t mean it’s been easy,” Muncy said on the last day of April. “It’s been a rough month.”

Read more:Justin Wrobleski gives Dodgers a surprising boost during win over Royals

Starting that afternoon, however, Muncy made one big change. Upon learning he had astigmatism in his right eye, he began wearing glasses at the plate to balance out his vision. In his first game using them, he hit his first home run of the year.

Then, nine days later, came the real breakthrough.

After spending the entirety of the winter tinkering with his swing, and most of the opening month trying to calibrate his mechanics, everything suddenly synched up during a May 9 at-bat in Arizona.

Muncy took a quick hack at a high fastball from Diamondbacks reliever Kevin Ginkel. He lined a ninth-inning, tying single through the right side of the infield in the Dodgers’ eventual win at Chase Field. And he realized that, finally, he’d found a feeling in the batter’s box he’d been chasing the last several years.

A demarcation point had just been established.

And Muncy’s season has been transformed ever since.

“The funny thing about baseball is, sometimes, it just takes one swing, one play, one pitch to lock someone in,” he said. “And ever since that day, I’ve had that feeling in the back of my head. Like, ‘That’s what it’s supposed to feel like.’”

In 36 games before then, Muncy was hitting .188 with only one home run, eight RBIs and 43 strikeouts; his early days with the glasses not even leading to an immediate turnaround.

But since May 9, he has been one of the best hitters in baseball, and on one of the most prolific stretches of his entire career. Over his last 43 games, Muncy’s batting average is .313, a personal best over any span that long in the majors. He has 12 home runs and a whopping 47 RBIs, a major-league-leading total in that stretch. According to Fangraphs’ all-encompassing wRC+ statistic, only Ronald Acuña Jr., Cal Raleigh, Aaron Judge and Ketel Marte have been more productive at the plate.

And, most important, he has re-established himself as a central cog in the Dodgers’ lineup.

“He’s one of our most trusted hitters,” manager Dave Roberts said this past weekend. “I haven’t always been able to say that.”

---

Being a better, more trusted hitter has been a work in progress for Muncy ever since the devastating elbow injury he suffered at the end of 2021.

In Muncy’s prime years with the Dodgers from 2018-21, he not only blossomed as one of the best sluggers in baseball by belting 118 home runs over a four-year stretch, but did so while posting a .246 batting average and .371 on-base-percentage; solid marks for a power threat occupying a key role in the middle of the Dodgers’ order.

At the core of that all-around approach was an ability to handle pitches to all parts of the plate — none more important than elevated fastballs at the top of the strike zone.

“When I’m going well, I’m a really good high-fastball hitter,” Muncy said earlier this year.

“When Max is covering that pitch,” added hitting coach Aaron Bates, “it allows him to do so many other things as a hitter.”

Coming off his elbow injury, however, getting to high heat became a weakness in Muncy’s game. For much of the next two years, when he still hit for power but batted only a combined .204, he felt “it was really hard to replicate” his old swing. Last year, he made some incremental progress — when he batted .232 — but was stalled by an oblique strain that cost him the middle three months of the season.

Thus, this winter, Muncy set his mind to rediscovering his old mechanics.

“It really wasn’t that big of a change,” he said. “It was just going back to what I did when I first got here from 2018 to 2021. The same philosophy I had all those years.”

The work started in January, when Bates and fellow Dodgers hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc visited Muncy at his home in Texas and crafted a simple focus for the 34-year-old’s offseason work: Purposely practice hitting grounders and line drives on a lower trajectory, in hopes it would train his swing to stay on top of the ball even on pitches up in the zone.

“You know he’s naturally going to have loft in his swing to elevate the baseball easily,” Bates said. “So that was a focus point for him, making sure he can hit a hard line drive on a pitch up in the zone, not necessarily trying to elevate it more than he needs to.”

A sound theory, with some disastrous early results.

Read more:Shohei Ohtani hits 102 mph in another sharp pitching start, but Dodgers fall to Royals

At the start of the year, Muncy’s new swing thought bred other unexpected bad habits. In his effort to stay on top of the ball, he was opening up his backside and letting his front shoulder drift too far forward at the start of his move. As a result, Muncy had trouble squaring the ball and keeping his bat level through the strike zone. It led to not only a lack of power, but a diminished ability to distinguish the kind of pitches being thrown — evidenced by a nearly 32% strikeout rate in April that was seventh-highest among MLB hitters.

“That’s where it’s tough playing the sport,” Muncy said. “Because you can’t chase results immediately, even though you kind of have to. You have to chase the process in the long run.”

And even as external pressure over his dwindling production mounted, Muncy said the club’s coaches and front office assured him he’d have time to keep working through it.

“It’s easier to stick with something long-term when that’s the case,” Muncy said. “And for me, that’s been my entire career. Trust the process, not the result.”

During late April, Muncy’s process included a visit to the same eye doctor who had diagnosed Kiké Hernández with eye astigmatism last year; a discovery that prompted Hernández to start wearing glasses, and keyed a sudden offensive turnaround in the second half of the season.

Turned out, Muncy had a similar problem. Though his vision was 20/12, astigmatism in his right eye had made him left-eye dominant, a subtle but limiting dynamic for a left-handed hitter.

Thus, on the last day of the month, Muncy also started wearing prescription-lensed glasses, and christened the new eyewear with a home run in his first game using them.

Read more:Far from their best, Dodgers find a way to beat Royals and move into MLB wins lead

“It’s not necessarily something that I need,” Muncy said. “But just any chance at all it evens out both eyes for me, I’ve been taking it.”

Yet, in his first week using them, he still went just six-for-28 with nine strikeouts and only five walks. He was still grinding through his adjustments to his mechanics. He was still waiting for one swing where everything would feel synced up.

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When Muncy came to the plate in that May 9 game against the Diamondbacks to face Ginkel, he surveyed the situation, put his swing mechanics out of his head, and tried to focus on only one objective.

“It was guy on second, no outs,” Muncy recalled, “so I was trying to give up the at-bat, get the ball on the ground to the right side of second base, and move the runner from second to third.”

Throughout his career, this is when Muncy is at his best. When his mind isn’t clouded by the pressure to produce, or the particulars of his swing. When he’s “going out there and just trying to play the situation,” he explained. “Like, ‘What is my at-bat calling for in this moment?’ ”

And on that day in Arizona, with the Dodgers trailing by one run in the ninth, that simplified mindset gave Muncy his moment of long-awaited clarity.

Ginkel threw a 95 mph fastball up near Muncy’s chest. The slugger hit it with the kind of quick, level swing he’d spent all winter attempting to craft.

As the ball rocketed through the right side of the infield for a game-tying single, Muncy felt a light bulb go off as he pulled into first base.

“I was so short and direct to it, it just triggered something in my head,” Muncy said. “It kind of took all the stuff I’d been working on, even going back to the winter, and was like, ‘OK, this is how I’m trying to get it to feel.’ ”

Muncy hasn’t looked back ever since.

By being able to cover the top of the strike zone, he hasn’t had to cheat on fastballs or hunt on tougher pitches to hit around his knees. When coupled with the glasses that have helped him better differentiate velocity from spin, he’s been able to be selective and wait out mistakes.

“There’s been spells in his career where it was the three [true] outcomes and that was it,” Roberts said, long a believer in Muncy’s ability to be a more potent hit collector, rather than just a high-powered, high-strikeout slugging presence. "Now, I think he’s a complete hitter. So you see the runs batted in, the homers, the quality of at-bats all tick up."

During this torrid two-month stretch, highlights have come in bunches for Muncy. He’s had two seven-RBI games and another with six. He hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning against the New York Mets on June 3. He had two grand slams in the span of three games last week.

He has gone from the subject of trade deadline rumors to a fan-voting finalist to make the All-Star Game.

Read more:Dodgers pursue record for most MLB All-Star starters as voting resumes for 48 hours

He knows it’s still only been two months; that, in a sport as fickle as baseball, the feeling he has discovered at the plate can just as quickly disappear again.

But for the first time in years, he’s healthy, in sync and possessing total clarity — in both vision and mind — every time he steps to the dish.

“This is definitely more of what I was envisioning,” Muncy said this weekend, reflecting back on the early-season struggles and laborious swing work over the winter that preceded his two-month tear.

“Now, I have the confidence to know I can accomplish pretty much anything I want to do for that situation. Whereas, before, you don’t always have that.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Giants place Casey Schmitt on IL with left hand injury, recall Tyler Fitzgerald originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

PHOENIX — There’s never a good time to get drilled on the wrist, but the timing for Giants infielder Casey Schmitt couldn’t have been worse. Schmitt went on the IL on Monday a few days after getting hit, halting — at least for now — his best run as a big leaguer. 

Schmitt was hit in the ninth inning of last Wednesday’s game against the Miami Marlins and had been unable to return to the lineup. An X-ray and CT scan last week came back clean, but the Giants sent Schmitt for an MRI on Monday in Arizona after he was unable to play during the series in Chicago.

Casey Schmitt and the Oracle Park crowd weren't happy after this hit by pitch 😡 pic.twitter.com/vIvGT1Vfbh

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) June 26, 2025

Schmitt said Monday that the MRI showed only a bone bruise, but it’s in a tricky spot. He’s able to hold a bat, but because the bruise is on the top of his hand, he is unable to swing pain-free. 

Schmitt hit .375 with four homers and a 1.090 OPS in 14 games after taking over for the injured Matt Chapman at third base. He was playing so well at his natural position that it had become clear that he would become the starting second baseman whenever Chapman returned, which manager Bob Melvin said could be in a week for the start of the Giants’ homestand.

Schmitt still is the frontrunner to take that role, but his momentum has been stopped. With his IL stint retroactive to July 27, Schmitt should be back after 10 days on July 7 when the Giants play the Philadelphia Phillies at Oracle Park — the same date Chapman could return.

Tyler Fitzgerald, the second baseman until recently, returned from Triple-A to take Schmitt’s roster spot. Fitzgerald was in the starting lineup at second on Monday, with Christian Koss starting at third.

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Red Sox prospects update: ‘The Password' making a name for himself originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Red Sox farm system still has plenty of promising young talent outside of Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer.

Several players have emerged as candidates to take over the No. 1 spot in Boston’s prospect rankings once Anthony and Mayer officially graduate. Among them are slugging outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia and middle infielder Franklin Arias, who both have worked their way into Baseball America’s most recent Top 100 list.

Who else could contend for that top spot? Who are the most intriguing pitchers in the minors? And who’s knocking on the door of the majors?

Learn more about the new-look top 10 Red Sox prospects (via MLB Pipeline) below:

1. Roman Anthony, OF

2025 stats: .288/.423/.491, 10 HR, 29 RBI, 51 BB, 56 SO (58 games at Triple-A Worcester); .193/.324/.333, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 10 BB, 17 SO (18 games for Boston)

Roman Anthony has finally arrived. And although the above MLB numbers don’t jump off the page, they don’t tell the whole story of his first taste of the big leagues.

Anthony, the No. 1 prospect in baseball, has hit the ball hard in many of his plate appearances so far with Boston. He started to find the gaps more during the Red Sox’ series against the Toronto Blue Jays, going 6-for-13 at the plate with three doubles. He recorded his first career three-hit game on Saturday.

2nd inning: 107.9 mph single
5th: Double down the line
8th: 107.2 mph ground-rule double

Roman Anthony showed off his ability to produce eye-popping exit velocities in his first multhit game for the @RedSox. pic.twitter.com/7zRL4y28tW

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 28, 2025

It feels like Anthony’s breakout is imminent. Don’t be surprised if he surges into the American League Rookie of the Year conversation by the season’s end.

2. Marcelo Mayer, INF

2025 stats: .271/.347/.471, 9 HR, 43 RBI, 20 BB, 38 SO (43 games at Triple-A Worcester); .208/.262/.429, 4 HR, 7 RBI, 6 BB, 26 SO (27 games for Boston)

Like Anthony, Mayer is hitting the ball hard when he makes contact. However, he has struggled more than his fellow top prospect in the swing-and-miss department.

Still, Mayer has looked the part so far in the majors. His left-handed power has been on display with four homers thus far, including two in one game against Tampa Bay:

Marcelo Mayer again!

The first multi-homer game of his career 😤 pic.twitter.com/y1t3RwJeA0

— MLB (@MLB) June 12, 2025

Mayer’s silky smooth infield defense has been the most impressive part of his game. The 22-year-old has perennial Gold Glove candidate written all over him.

3. Franklin Arias, SS

2025 stats: .302/.353/.410, 4 HR, 38 RBI, 20 BB, 27 SO (19 games at Low-A Salem, 45 games at High-A Greenville)

MLB ETA: 2027

Arias’ bat cooled off considerably in June. The promising 19-year-old slashed .169/.228/.265 this month after hitting .404/.438/.576 in May.

It’s likely a minor blip on the radar for Arias, who has emerged as a candidate for the No. 1 spot in Boston’s prospect rankings once Anthony and Mayer officially graduate. With elite bat-to-ball skills and impressive middle-infield defense, Arias looks like the real deal.

“He’s a really exciting prospect,” SoxProspects.com’s Ian Cundall said in a recent conversation with NBC Sports Boston. “He’s someone that, what really stands out is the hit tool. He’s arguably the best pure hitter in the system. … When you see him play, he’s just on base every time. He puts the ball in play, he gets on base.”

A no-doubter off the bat of Franklin Arias 🚀 pic.twitter.com/7HrqTJgQSj

— Red Sox Player Development (@RedSoxPlayerDev) June 20, 2025

4. Luis Perales, RHP

2025 stats: N/A

MLB ETA: 2027

Perales has begun a throwing program after undergoing Tommy John surgery last June. The 22-year-old flamethrower has tremendous top-of-the-rotation upside, but it remains to be seen if he’ll have the same stuff when he returns from injury.

5. Jhostynxon Garcia, OF

2025 stats: .275/.359/.486, 12 HR, 40 RBI, 33 BB, 67 SO (33 games at Double-A Portland, 33 games at Triple-A Worcester)

MLB ETA: 2026

Garcia, perfectly nicknamed “The Password,” has taken over for Anthony and Mayer as the star in Worcester. The 22-year-old slugger was promoted to Triple-A in mid-May and has done nothing but rake since, slashing .292/.363/.569 with nine homers and 23 RBI in 33 games for the WooSox.

2-run triple… the password just logged in… pic.twitter.com/R2bSC6Fz6t

— Worcester Red Sox (@WooSox) June 25, 2025

Major League Baseball has recognized Garcia’s performance by naming him to the 2025 All-Star Futures Game. He will be Boston’s lone representative at the July 13 event in Atlanta.

6. James Tibbs III, OF

2025 stats: .246/.374/.452, 12 HR, 32 RBI, 48 BB, 57 SO (57 games at High-A Eugene, 11 games at Triple-A Worcester)

MLB ETA: 2027

The Red Sox acquired Tibbs from the San Francisco Giants as part of the Rafael Devers trade. The 22-year-old outfielder was picked 13th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, one slot behind the Red Sox’ selection of outfielder Braden Montgomery, who was sent to the Chicago White Sox in the offseason deal for Garrett Crochet.

Tibbs was red-hot with 12 homers in High-A before joining the Red Sox organization, but he has yet to find his groove at Double-A Portland. That’s likely to change soon as the former Florida State standout boasts impressive power that has been showcased for most of his collegiate and professional career.

James Tibbs III triples and is 2-for-3 on the night. He's hitting .357 since joining the Red Sox organization. pic.twitter.com/zfDM5SLfFn

— Portland Sea Dogs (@PortlandSeaDogs) June 20, 2025

7. Yoeilin Cespedes, SS/2B

2025 stats: .236/.288/.391, 5 HR, 32 RBI, 19 BB, 55 SO (60 games at Low-A Salem)

MLB ETA: 2028

Cespedes looked outstanding last year in rookie ball before suffering a season-ending hand injury. The 19-year-old hasn’t been able to find consistency at the plate since, though he has shown flashes of his potential with 13 doubles, four triples, and five homers this year in Low-A.

Homer No. 5 on the season for Yoeilin Cespedes was a go-ahead three-run blast! 💥 pic.twitter.com/r1Hw1xcSMw

— Red Sox Player Development (@RedSoxPlayerDev) June 26, 2025

8. Dorian Soto, SS

2025 stats: .382/.413/.574, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 5 BB, 11 SO (18 games at Dominican Summer League)

MLB ETA: 2029

The Red Sox signed Soto — no relation to Juan Soto — as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic in January. Now 17, the talented infielder is tearing the cover off the ball in the Dominican Summer League.

Dorian Soto with a 3-hit, 2-homer day for the DSL Red Sox Red! pic.twitter.com/6bs9ADMnmP

— Red Sox Player Development (@RedSoxPlayerDev) June 20, 2025

Soto is a switch-hitting shortstop listed at 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, and he’s likely not done growing yet. If he lives up to his lofty potential in the minors, we could see Soto inside the top five Red Sox prospect rankings in no time.

9. David Sandlin, RHP

2025 stats: 4-3, 3.66 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 21 BB, 69 SO (13 appearances, including 11 starts at Double-A Portland)

MLB ETA: 2026

Sandlin has only gotten better as the season has gone on in Portland. The hard-throwing righty has allowed just one hit and zero runs across his last 10 innings of work.

David Sandlin continues to shove after another scoreless outing for Portland. pic.twitter.com/k2Jf0CHpiU

— Red Sox Player Development (@RedSoxPlayerDev) June 29, 2025

Sandlin has a 2.18 ERA over his last six outings (five starts). It’s all starting to come together for the promising 24-year-old, who arrived via the John Schreiber trade with the Kansas City Royals in 2024.

10. Connelly Early, LHP

2025 stats: 6-1, 1.94 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 24 BB, 81 SO (12 appearances, including nine starts at Double-A Portland)

MLB ETA: 2026

Early has been one of the breakout stars of Boston’s farm system this year. The 23-year-old southpaw has made it look easy at Double-A, including during a brilliant performance Sunday in which he tossed six no-hit innings with seven strikeouts.

Absolute dominance from Connelly Early on Sunday. 😮‍💨

6.0 IP
0 H
0 ER
3 BB
7 K pic.twitter.com/MK3HErhuLY

— Red Sox Player Development (@RedSoxPlayerDev) June 30, 2025

Early’s stellar outing earned him Eastern League Pitcher of the Week honors. It may not be long before he earns a well-deserved promotion to Triple-A.

Major League Baseball announced the full National and American League rosters for the 2025 All-Star Futures game, and the Mets and Yankees are well-represented.

For the Mets, starting pitcher Jonah Tong and outfielder Carson Benge will be part of the NL roster, while shortstop George Lombard Jr. will be part of the AL squad.

The 22-year-old Tong is in the midst of an unbelievable season for Double-A Binghamton, pitching to a 1.73 ERA with a ridiculous 115 strikeouts in just 73.0 innings (14.2 strikeouts per nine innings).

Tong pitched 6.2 innings of a combined perfect game for the Rumble Ponies on May 10, and he recently spoke with SNY's Danny Abriano about how his work this past offseason put him in this position, his evolving pitch repertoire, and more.

Benge, the Mets' first-round pick in the 2024 draft, posted an .897 OPS in 60 games for High-A Brooklyn this season before recently getting promoted to Binghamton. The early returns have been pretty solid for the center fielder, who has a .742 OPS over his first five games at the Double-A level.

As for Lombard, the Yankees' 2023 first-round pick was tearing it up for High-A Hudson Valley this season, slashing .329/.495/.488 in 24 games before his promotion to Double-A Somerset.

It's been a bit of an adjustment for Lombard at the next level, with him posting a .660 OPS in 48 games with the Patriots. But the 20-year-old remains one of the most exciting prospects in the Yankees' system, and is the potential shortstop of the future.

Here are the full rosters for the 2025 All-Star Futures Game, which will take place in Atlanta on July 12:

The NL All-Star Futures Game roster features 17 Top 100 prospects! 💪 pic.twitter.com/GgyrxRMu79

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) June 30, 2025

Here’s the AL squad for the 2025 All-Star Futures Game! ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/yat2aiCB8r

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) June 30, 2025

Kyle Hendricks knows what it takes to make it in Major League Baseball.

The 162-game trek of the regular season is familiar to the 35-year-old Southern California native across his 12-year career. With Joe Maddon as his manager for the first half of his career, Hendricks was provided room to screw up — messing around with his mechanics and pitch arsenal — to become a top-end starting pitcher that helped the Chicago Cubs claim the 2016 World Series.

“It established a lot of confidence in me,” said Hendricks, who started more than 30 games four times in five seasons from 2015-19. “The organization handing you the ball every fifth day, having that confidence in you to give the team a chance to win. That's how you learn.”

Learning has arrived in spades for the Angels pitching staff. The starting rotation owns a 4.22 earned-run average, fostering a crop of middle-of-the-pack pitchers that doesn’t feature a traditional ace, nor former Cy Young Award winners. (The Angels' overall staff ERA of 4.58 ranks 24th in MLB entering Monday.)

But there's something that makes this group stand out from the rest of the league: pitching every fifth day.

Read more:Angels miss chance to move above .500, losing to Nationals

The Halos feature the only pitching staff in baseball to have their season-opening rotation — of Yusei Kikuchi, Jack Kochanowicz, José Soriano, Tyler Anderson and Hendricks — make every start of the season as the All-Star break approaches. The Angels (41-42) set a team record over the weekend for most games to begin a season using no more than five starters, surpassing the mark of 80 games set in 1999.

The only other team close to the Angels? The Tampa Bay Rays, who have used just six pitchers to start — a singular spot start mixed in for the AL East contenders.

As the ulnar collateral ligament epidemic has grown over the last decade — forcing players with elbow injuries under the knife for Tommy John surgery — and as openers and bullpen games have become more normalized in MLB, having the same five pitchers throw every fifth day has become a rarity.

For instance, up the highway at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers have used 13 traditional starting pitchers in 2025.

“That's huge,” catcher Travid d’Arnaud said, adding that it's helpful for him and Logan O’Hoppe to work with the same crop of starting pitchers week-by-week, building camaraderie and chemistry. “Games started is one of the most valuable things you could do over a year, especially when you're getting 30 to 35 starts. For everyone to not miss one and just keep going every fifth day, especially when things aren't going well, I think that's when you learn the most, regardless of good or bad.”

Kochanowicz, for example, has a 6.44 earned-run average over his last eight starts and has only struck out 61 batters in 86 innings while opponents have hit .289 against him this season.

But for interim Angels manager Ray Montgomery, the ability for the 6-foot-7 sinkerballer to learn from failure and learn to adjust in the big league environment has caused Kochanowicz to show extra mettle on the mound.

Against the Red Sox on June 22, Kochanowicz faltered in the first inning, giving up three runs. But the second-year Angels starter pitched into the fifth, gave up just one more run, and worked longer than big-league veteran Walker Buehler did for Boston.

Kochanowicz, 24, didn’t have his best stuff, striking out one, but battled early adversity to keep the Angels in the ballgame — a game they’d eventually win, 9-5.

“I think this is the time of year to your point where they're going to see the difference,” Montgomery said, adding that every pitcher in the league is dealing with wear or tear in the middle months. “I think mentally is where you have to see it. And that's where I credit Jack … for getting even through five [innings]. Just that was a mental grind from him.”

It’s not just Kochanowicz. Soriano has produced a sneaky-good campaign in his third MLB season — and second in the starting rotation. The 26-year-old Dominican-born righty holds a 3.99 earned-run average across 17 starts. In four of his last six starts, he’s allowed one or fewer runs.

Going out every five days, no matter the results, has begun to show its dividends. Against the Athletics on June 10, Soriano struck out 12 in a seven-inning, one-run outing. Pitching versus the Astros on June 21, he struck out 10 across 6 ⅔ innings. However, there have been bumpy moments — like when he gave up eight runs in four innings on Friday against the Nationals.

“I just keep my head up,” Soriano said in Spanish through team interpreter Manny Del Campo when asked after the game about how knowing he’ll be back starting in five days helps him prepare after less-than-ideal appearances. “Don't get frustrated with those kind of outings and be good, and keep working hard and be ready for those big outings.”

Read more:Mike Trout and Kevin Newman power Angels to win over Nationals

The velocity is there for Soriano — averaging 97 mph on his fastball and sinker — but the pitchability is a skill that comes with time, Hendricks said.

The first-year Angel and long-time big leaguer added that routine building takes time and for Soriano and Kohcanowicz, they’ve been provided a runaway for experimentation — which can lead to success.

“It really helps their confidence,” Hendricks said. “‘You can see this year with Jack and José, they're just learning how to go about their routine. What they need in between starts — it changes depending on how you feel and what you're working on from the last start. So just to see all those adjustments that they're making is truly how you learn yourself.”

He continued: “I think they're doing so well right now, but it's going to be even better for them the longer they go in their careers.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Mike Krukow criticizes Giants for abysmal stretch vs. Marlins, White Sox originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow is calling out the team after their abysmal stretch against the Miami Marlins and Chicago White Sox.

“When you become soloists because you’re trying to turn around the storm by yourself, it lingers. But it affects the other part of your game,” Krukow told KNBR’s Brian Murphy and F.P. Santangelo on Monday’s “Murph and Markus” show (h/t SF Gate’s Alex Simon). “This team is losing because it’s got its head so far up its rear end right now. The basepaths are ridiculous, the mistakes they’re making. We’re seeing pitchers balk in the middle of the motion. What is that all about?”

Krukow rightfully is upset, considering San Francisco went 1-5 against two of the 2025 MLB season’s worst teams while riddled with timely errors, questionable decision-making and poor production overall.

Giants reliever Ryan Walker committed two balks against the White Sox, and San Francisco utility player Brett Wisely was picked off twice — simply unaffordable errors that put bows on frustrating, winnable losses.

“It is just [an] epidemic. Their minds are not on the game,” Krukow added. “They’re thinking about their at-bats when they’re in the field. When they come out of the bullpen, they’re putting so much pressure on themselves to try and get this thing done. They’re trying to be perfect. They’re throwing their strikeout pitches first in the at-bat. They’re falling behind in the count. It’s just all crumbling. It’s all crumbling down.”

Ouch.

Krukow, though, offered harsh advice.

“They have to pull their brain and they’ve got to divide it properly among the things that happen in this game,” Krukow said. “They have to concentrate on hitting, and when you’re not at bat, you have to be able to concentrate on defense. And when you’re on the bases, you have to concentrate on the bases.

“Right now, it’s just bad. But it can get a whole lot better, that’s the good news.”

The Giants have to turn the ship around quickly. 

A week to forget 🙃 pic.twitter.com/svLf6odlcY

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) June 30, 2025

Losses loom larger in the crowded NL West; it was roughly two weeks ago when San Francisco and the Los Angeles Dodgers were tied for the division lead during their first series meeting of the 2025 season.

Now, at 7.5 games behind the Dodgers, it’s time for the Giants to “pull their brain,” as Krukow said.

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The good news for the Mets?

It's impossible to imagine things getting worse than they were over the weekend in Pittsburgh, when New York was swept in shocking fashion while being outscored 30-4 by a bad Pirates team that entered the series having scored the second-fewest runs in the majors.

Here's some more good news:

Despite a 3-13 tailspin that has turned a season of dominance into one that's currently off the rails, the Mets are still in a really good spot.

They are right there in the NL East, just 1.5 games behind the Phillies.

And they are holding the top Wild Card spot in the National League.

That's where the good news ends.

At present, the Mets are a team whose starting rotation -- down four key members and still waiting on returns from Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga -- is on fumes. And the rotation failing to provide length is putting tons of stress on an overworked bullpen.

In two of the games against the Pirates, things were basically over after the early innings, with David Peterson and Frankie Montas getting hit so hard that Friday and Sunday's tilts quickly became non-competitive.

The Mets were in it until the end on Saturday, when the bullpen stumbled late and turned a tight game into a blowout.

The offense has been maddeningly inconsistent during this stretch, and seemed to be turning things around a bit after taking the final two games against the Braves during a four-game series last week at Citi Field. But the bats slumbered again in Pittsburgh, with a returning Mark Vientos still quite rusty.

So, what do the Mets need to do to turn around season that still has so much promise?

The first thing is to stop being almost robotically measured when it comes to the starting pitchers who are getting chances as the Mets await to returns of Manaea and Senga.

That starts with Paul Blackburn, who allowed three runs on six hits in 1.0 inning against the Pirates on Saturday. In his start before that, Blackburn surrendered three runs on six hits in 4.2 innings against the Braves. In the start that preceded that one, he lasted just 3.2 innings while giving up four runs (three earned) against Atlanta.

Blackburn is not offering length or effectiveness, with a 7.71 ERA and 1.98 WHIP in six games (four starts) this season.

Still, he's lined up to face the Yankees on Friday at Citi Field in the Subway Series opener. That Yankees team has scored 422 runs, good for second in the American League behind the Tigers (424).

There aren't any perfect options to replace Blackburn in the rotation. But there are two intriguing ones who just happen to be tremendous prospects with immense upside.

Nolan McLean, who last pitched on June 27, could be called up for Friday's game and not have to alter his schedule much. He has been terrific this season for Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse, with a 2.25 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 76.0 innings (12 starts, two relief appearances).

Then there's Brandon Sproat, whose season in Syracuse has been up and down but who has been much better lately.

Sproat, intentionally pitching much more to contact this year instead of trying to blow everyone away, fired 6.0 scoreless innings on June 28 while allowing two hits, walking three, and striking out six. He has allowed two runs or fewer in six of his last seven starts.

The Mets should choose one of them to come up on Friday and start in place of Blackburn -- big stage be damned. A 40-man roster move would be needed, but New York has about a half dozen fungible spots that could be tweaked to make room.

Apropos of nothing, Jonah Tongshould also be in Triple-A. He's been toying with hitters in Double-A, to the tune of a 1.73 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 115 strikeouts in 73.0 innings.

Another thing the Mets should do is start using Jeff McNeilin center field every day.

They've had him out there much more often lately, but Tyrone Taylor got the start there on Saturday and went 0-for-4. Taylor's OPS for the season is down to .606. And while he provides incredible defense, the Mets need all the punch they can get in the lineup right now.

That should mean McNeil in center and Ronny Mauricio or Brett Baty at second base.

The bigger moves, which will be executed by David Stearns and Co. ahead of the trade deadline, will almost certainly have to wait. The market has been moving slower than usual over the last few seasons with more teams in contention than ever due to the added Wild Card spots.

As the July 31 trade deadline gets closer, the Mets should be in the market for help in the rotation and bullpen, a center fielder, and perhaps a third baseman.

Between now and then, it's fair to expect things to normalize a bit once the offense awakens and Manaea and Senga return. Jesse Winker should also beback relatively soon.

But as the Mets wait for all of the above, they need to act with a bit more urgency.

Rangers Fans, it's time for The Maven and You-All to have a heart-to-heart talk.

For starters, we all agree that the 2024-25 season was a disaster. It's over and done with; so forget about it.

Just as history showed us how easily it is to go from Presidents' Trophy-winner to the doldrums in one easy year, so it is easy to reverse the decline. (Exhibit A: Washington Capitals).

The club has a new coach and a brand new start. Likewise it's time to refresh with Free Agency here and a summer left for wheeling and dealing. 

My Rangers fan buddy Todd Siben writes a compelling note from Boynton Beach, Florida that should inspire fans who are riding the Blueshirt fence. Listen up, please: Go, Todd, go!

"Back in the 1980's, when the Rangers languished in the lower echelon of the division and the Devils were a new franchise," says Pal Todd, "I jumped ship and considered myself a Devils fan.

"After that season ended, I had a conversation with a Rangers fan friend who scolded me for abandoning our team. He delivered a message that went something like this:

Why The Rangers Did Well Without A First Round Draft PickI'm not going to sit here and tell you that it's a good idea NOT to have a first-round pick in the Entry Draft but – on the other hand – it's not the worst thing in the world either.

"'You don't jump ship at the first sign of adversity,' the guy said. 'You cheer your team through the good AND the bad.' And I learned a lesson from that."

That, good citizens of Rangerville, THAT'S my lesson to you. Plus, I'll throw one more line at you: PAIN AND PROGRESS ARE INSEPARABLE. 

With one notable exception: THE METS!

Phillies get Bryce Harper back to open series vs. Padres originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

It’s been a long month of June for the Phillies but offensive help is on the way.

The Phillies announced Monday that Bryce Harper has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list. He was placed on the IL retroactive to June 6 with right wrist inflammation and has missed 22 games.

Through 57 games this season, Harper is batting .258 with nine home runs, 34 RBIs and an .814 OPS.

To make room for Harper, Buddy Kennedy has been designated for assignment.

The Phillies open a three-game series against the Padres at Citizens Bank Park (6:35 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

Here’s the lineup:

1. Trea Turner, SS
2. Kyle Schwarber, DH
3. Bryce Harper, 1B
4. Alec Bohm, 3B
5. Nick Castellanos, RF
6. Max Kepler, LF
7. J.T. Realmuto, C
8. Bryson Stott, 2B
9. Brandon Marsh, CF
Zack Wheeler, P

(More coming …)