Category: Baseball

The White Sox deserve a lot of credit for already exceeding expectations this year, fresh off a 102-loss season in 2025 and of course the modern record 121-loss 2024. They’re neck and neck with the Guardians atop the AL Central, and a Wild Card spot is possible as well given how light the American League looks this year. That’s really great!

But the Yankees should still beat them, especially in the Bronx. And boy did they do that last night, handling the best that the South Side has to offer, righty Davis Martin. He’d allowed three homers in 78.1 innings thus far (a league-best 0.3 HR/9) while racking up 3.2 rWAR and a 2.41 ERA. Well, the Yanks doubled that total in one outing, as each of Spencer Jones, Ben Rice, and Paul Goldschmidt took him deep in a smooth 12-2 victory.

Let’s talk about Jones for a minute. His laser to right field was his first ever at Yankee Stadium, and combined with two walks, he’s up to a .239/.340/.391 triple slash and a 109 wRC+ in his first 53 career plate appearances — no small feat considering how overmatched he looked during his first promotion in early May.

We’re likely to see a decent amount of Jones over the next few weeks with Trent Grisham recently joining Aaron Judge on the injured list and no clear return in sight for Giancarlo Stanton. While the clock might still be ticking on Jones’ return to Triple-A—another demotion certainly seemed possible prior to Grisham’s injury since Jasson Domínguez was finishing a rehab apperance—he will likely end up with at least a representative sample of at-bats for 2026.

So what would you consider to be a successful first foray for Jones? I don’t expect high averages or even medium strikeout rates from the big fella, but to me, if he can run into a pitch every now and then, take his walks, and avoid whiffing on too many pitches clearly outside the zone, then he’s doing his job. I’ve calibrated my own expectations such that a 109 wRC+ is probably more than I honestly expect. I can’t do cartwheels, but I’d be metaphorically doing them if he did that while Grisham and Judge are out.

Even with their absences, the Yankees are fortunate to have a number of quality bats in the lineup, so Jones doesn’t have to put too much pressure on himself. He can focus on developing while also playing good defense and running the bases well. Those are somewhat-overlooked aspects of his game too, as it would be a disservice to asssume he’s lumbering around out there. The man can move!

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Today on the site, John will discuss one of the more forgotten players on the roster, Ryan Yarbrough. Madison will run through Rivalry Roundup, Jonathan will celebrate an overlooked-but-quietly-important Yankee’s 65th birthday, Peter will break down Ben Rice’s go-ahead bomb in Toronto for his At-Bat of the Week feature, Kento will break down why Cody Bellinger’s contract might age better than he initially thought, and Estevão will look back at how the Yankees and White Sox have narrowly avoided playoff matchups over the years. Chicago is the only AL team who they’ve never faced in October.

Today’s Matchup

New York Yankees vs. Chicago White Sox

Time: 7:05 p.m. EST

Video: Amazon Prime Video, Chicago Sports Network

Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: I guess the good news is that Austin Wells began a rehab stint on Tuesday night at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Now. Buckle in. Because that’s it for good news on the injury front. Trent Grisham will be out “a few weeks” due to his hamstring strain. There had initially been a vague hope that perhaps he would only miss the minimum 10 days; that won’t be the case.

But wait. There’s more.

As we know, Giancarlo Stanton, suffering from a calf strain (way to mix up the leg injuries, fellas), re-injured it while running the bases last week. Accordingly, both Yankee sluggers are now looking at July returns, assuming nothing else goes wrong. Here’s a little more on Stanton, from the YES Network’s Meredith Marakovits:

Giancarlo Stanton said he reinjured calf running bases. It felt similar to what he felt in Houston. Asked if he is back at square 1 he responded… I don’t know. He originally wanted to be back tomorrow but he will have a “light week” and reevaluate next week #yankees

— Meredith Marakovits (@M_Marakovits) June 17, 2026

But wait. There’s more.

MLB.com | Jared Greenspan: George Lombard Jr., crown jewel of the Yankee farm system, left Tuesday’s game with an apparent injury. Not to his leg, though. This looks like an injury to an upper body extremity, just to keep things from getting boring. Bo Naylor slid directly into Lombard’s left hand while attempting to steal second, prompting the youngster to double over in pain. He stayed in the game for another inning but ultimately departed early. Here’s hoping he’s OK. As of late on Tuesday night, there have not been any updates.

The Athletic | Brendan Kuty ($): The José Caballero pitch clock controversy, perhaps the dumbest controversy in recent memory, is not going away. Apparently, MLB informed manager Aaron Boone Monday night that Cabbie “must appear ‘alert’ and engaged with the pitcher when the pitch clock strikes eight seconds” lest umpires discipline him. Caballero’s militant adherence to the limit of the rules, and subsequent refusal to let pitchers dictate his at-bats, apparently offends and annoys other teams, the umpires, and Major League Baseball itself. Caballero is absolutely in the right here. If MLB doesn’t like it, change the rule again in the offseason. Until then, sleep in the bed you made.

MLB Trade Rumors | Steve Adams: Seth Brown, who had been playing at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the Yankees’ system, triggered his opt-out clause. Accordingly, the Yanks released him rather than add him to the 40-man roster. The seven-year veteran (all with the A’s) has struggled greatly against left-handed pitching at Triple-A, striking out 52.4 percent of the time in 42 plate appearances. When he has the platoon advantage, Brown has hit .247, slugging .466. A club who might be missing some pop from the left side of the plate may be interested in Brown, with the article listing the Padres and Phillies.

José Caballero said he entered Tuesday’s game against the White Sox still unclear of the pitch clock rule that he’s often been able to use to his advantage.

The issue stemmed from Sunday’s controversy in Toronto, where Caballero was issued a warning for not engaging with the pitcher with eight seconds left on the clock.

“I’m still waiting [for] the actual rule,’’ Caballero said before going 2-for-4 with a solo homer and two RBIs in the Yankees’ series-opening 12-2 win against Chicago in The Bronx. “That’s it.”

Aaron Boone, though, said he had a lengthy chat with the league Monday and passed along some of the messaging to Caballero.

The issue, Boone said, is that the umpires need to see that Caballero doesn’t just have his head up by eight seconds, but is also “alert” at that time.

“I certainly understand what he’s trying to do, and he has a rhythm and a process to get locked in,” Boone said. “We think it’s within the rules.”

If there’s a change, it’s that Caballero has to understand what “alert” means — and that he doesn’t step out of the batter’s box unless the umpire says the pitcher hasn’t engaged him in time.

“I tried to get very specific and give José some instruction where we should be OK,” Boone said.

The Yankees don’t want to take away that aspect of Caballero’s game, with Boone noting that his ability to irritate the opposition is one of the aspects of his game that intrigued them when he was with the Rays.

Caballero, evidently still mystified, said he would ask the home plate umpire as he got to the plate for the first time to get the umpire’s interpretation of the rule.

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“They’ve been changing the rule every single day,’’ Caballero said.

One potential issue is that Caballero occasionally holds his bat in a hitting position while not looking up for an extended period of time, which arguably violates the rule that prohibits hitters from trying to “deceive” pitchers.

Toronto manager John Schneider was unhappy with Caballero on Sunday, saying he’s the only player who’s using his methods.

Caballero said he was unaware of and not interested in Schneider’s comments.

To Caballero, it’s about controlling the at-bat.

“I’m not gonna give my at-bat to a pitcher to determine my timing,’’ Caballero said.

He added he was “pretty annoyed” that he’s being stopped from what he believes is fair play.

And Boone tends to agree with his player.

“I think the way he articulates it makes a lot of sense,’’ Boone said. “You see night in and night out, different pitchers try to hold the ball. Batters can take control of the situation. Every batter has a mentality of how to get focused and their process. That’s what he’s doing.”

The manager added he’s “surprised” more hitters don’t take a similar approach.

“He’s a smart, gritty player and there’s some gamesmanship to what he does,’’ Boone said. “He’s using the rules to the best of his ability to his advantage. There’s nothing he’s doing

. … Maybe I am surprised other guys don’t do that. The last thing I want to do as a hitter is be at the mercy of a pitcher for 15 to 17 seconds, where they can control the pace and tempo.”

And if it bothers the opposition, so be it.

“It’s heady stuff he does,” Boone said. “I’ve been on the other side. I understand it gets under their skin. Part of that is why we got him over here.”

We usually start this type of post by talking about the Guardians, so I’ll do that briefly. If you’ve been following this team at all closely as of late, you probably had a strong feeling about how last night’s game was going to go. “But you can’t predict ball!” the naysayers will say. You can when the Guardians offense is involved, and last night’s game was one of the most predictable sporting events I have watched in my lifetime. Right down to the Brewers reliever who keeps lucking into Pitcher Wins lucking into yet another.

And onto other stuff…

• The Tigers, White Sox and Royals also lost. The Twins picked up a full game on all 4 of their rivals.

• You may have already seen CTC’s depressing headlines about Jose being out 5-7 weeks and Angel Martinez being out a similar amount of time.

• Also hitting the IL was Randy Arozarena.

• Also getting injured was Colt Keith…

• And Twins prospect Kaelen Culpepper…

• And Michael Harris…

• And Maikel Garcia.

• And Luis Rengifo was DFA’d. Anybody who is a fan of a FO that has a Bad Hitter Fetish should be nervous.

For the first 5 ½ innings on Tuesday night, there was a whole lot of nothing at Dodger Stadium.

Then, Shohei Ohtani came to the plate in the bottom of the sixth and put a long-awaited jolt into the game.

On a first-pitch, center-cut cutter from Tampa Bay right-hander Drew Rasmussen, Ohtani sent a no-doubt home run sailing deep to center field, opening the scoring in the Dodgers’ eventual 1-0, series-clinching win.

“Old-school baseball game, 1-0,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Really fun baseball game to be part of.”

The blast was Ohtani’s 15th home run of the season, his seventh in the last 17 games, and his fifth in the last nine.

It was the latest sign that he is rediscovering his power stroke, after a stretch of 39 games from April 13 to May 26 in which he hit only three long balls.

“He’s seeing the baseball well, swinging at good pitches,” Roberts said. “And when he uses the big part of the field, there’s just no one better.”

More importantly, it also gave the Dodgers some much-needed run support on a night Justin Wrobleski turned in a scoreless six-inning start.

Up to that point, Wrobleski and Rasmussen had been dueling, keeping either team from even sniffing an opening run.

After Ohtani’s home run, the rest of the night flew by similarly, with the Dodgers bullpen producing three scoreless innings in a second-straight game –– one each from Will Klein, Kyle Hurt and Tanner Scott, who combined to face the minimum nine batters –– to sew up a shutout that took just 1 hour, 52 minutes, the Dodgers’ quickest nine-inning game since 1992.

“Under two hours is pretty cool, especially when we’ve got a noon game tomorrow,” Wrobleski said. “That’s good for the boys.”

What it means

The Dodgers (47-27) don’t have the best winning percentage in the majors. But after the Atlanta Braves had their game Tuesday postponed by rain, the club does now own the title of winningest team in MLB, surpassing the Braves’ win total with their 47th victory.

Tuesday also secured the Dodgers a series win over the Rays (41-29), improving their home record this season to 24-12.

Who’s hot

Coming off a hamstring contusion last week and pitching on “just” four days of rest (making him only the second Dodgers pitcher to do so this year), Wrobleski had a short leash, getting pulled after just 67 pitches.

But, the left-hander made his six innings on the mound count, delivering his fifth scoreless start of at least that length this season to outshine Rasmussen in Tuesday’s pitchers’ duel.

It was a prototypical Wrobleski start, keyed by efficiency, soft contact and little need for much swing-and-miss.

Wrobleski held the Rays to only three hits while striking out five batters (three of which came against his first four hitters of the game). He let only one baserunner even reach second. He retired nine of the last 10 he faced.

He is now 8-2 on the season with a 2.72 ERA, continuing to build his case for an unexpected All-Star selection.

“That’s kind of what drives me, is just being the best version of myself and see where that falls,” Wrobleski said of potentially reaching the Midsummer Classic. “It’d be super cool but not (focusing) on it too much. I just want to come in there and contribute each time out.”

Who’s not

Anyone worrying about Ohtani’s left knee injury.

On the eve of his next scheduled pitching start on Wednesday, Ohtani threw a bullpen session before Tuesday’s game in what was a final check of his knee after he dealt with swelling coming out of his last trip to the mound last week.

After the game, Roberts confirmed that Ohtani will be good to go for Wednesday’s start, though noted the two-way star will not DH in the game, as well.

Still, it’s another encouraging sign that his knee injury will not be a long-term issue.

Clearly, it’s not affecting him at the plate.

Up next

The Dodgers will go for a three-game sweep of the Rays on Wednesday afternoon, with Ohtani (6-2, 1.06 ERA) set to face Tampa Bay left-hander Shane McClanahan (6-4, 3.23 ERA).

The Athletics and Pittsburgh Pirates squared off once again in the second game of this three-game interleague series. The A’s jumped out to an early lead, only to blow multiple scoring opportunities in the later innings as the Pirates used the long ball to rally for a come-from-behind road victory.

A’s Strike Right Away

In the bottom of the first, the A’s offense drew first blood against Pirates’ starter Mitch Keller. Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz, left fielder Tyler Soderstrom and shortstop Jacob Wilson drew walks to load the bases with one out. It looked like the A’s would waste that opportunity when Cortes struck out for the second out.

Third baseman Zack Gelof came through. He hit a grounder that Pirates’ first baseman Spencer Horwitz knocked down. Horwitz’s throw to the pitcher covering first was wild, allowing all three runners to score on the chaotic play. Wilson came all the way around from first, using a nifty slide spin to avoid the catcher’s tag. Gelof was credited with just one RBI because of the first baseman’s throwing error and a third-base obstruction call. Gelof kept his hitting streak going, which at 20 games, is now tied for the fourth-longest by an A’s player this century.

make that 20 for Gelof!!!!!#VoteAthletics ⭐️ https://t.co/SBezYOtGtGpic.twitter.com/X1G6X31C86

— Athletics (@Athletics) June 17, 2026

A’s right fielder Lawrence Butler made it a four-run first inning, lining a double down the left-field line to score Gelof and keep the rally going.

Law Dawg stays hot 🥵 pic.twitter.com/o0RkBp3ZlD

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) June 17, 2026

A’s starting pitcher Jack Perkins opened his outing with three scoreless innings, striking out five, while keeping momentum on his team’s side.

Pirates Get On the Board

Kurtz made a nice diving play at first base on a Brandon Lowe grounder to record the first out of the fourth inning.

What can't Nick Kurtz do?! 😮 pic.twitter.com/QHj4cb8NOo

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) June 17, 2026

With one out, the Pirates got two straight singles to put runners on the corners. Pittsburgh’s third baseman Nick Gonzales hit an RBI groundout to bring home the Pirates’ first run of the game. Perkins limited the damage by retiring the next batter to strand a runner at second.

Base Running Mistakes on Both Sides

In the fifth inning, the A’s took advantage of bad Pittsburgh base running. Bolte made the catch in center field and fired to Kurtz to complete the double play, as the Pirates runner on first base had broken on contact. That was Bolte’s second outfield assist and the Athletics eighth of the season.

Henry Bolte turns a hit-and-run attempt into a fantastic double play! 👀 #Athleticspic.twitter.com/FxErrdgy74

— Uprooted (@uprootedoakland) June 17, 2026

Perkins walked the next two hitters he faced before striking out Lowe to escape a two-on, two-out jam and complete five innings for the first time this season.

Pirates Inch Closer

Perkins remained in the game to start the sixth, but Pirates’ left fielder Bryan Reynolds led off the inning with his third hit of the game—a solo home run to center, his ninth of the season—that cut the A’s lead in half. Designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn followed by lining a double to right-center.

Perkins’ night was over after he allowed two straight extra base hits. Right-hander Justin Sterner entered from the A’s bullpen to replace him, inheriting a runner at second with no outs.

Catcher Endy Rodriguez’s one-out RBI single scored O’Hearn to make it a 4-3 game. That closed the book on Perkins, who allowed three runs on six hits over five-plus innings. He struck out six, while inducing five groundouts and two fly outs. The A’s got the final out of the top of sixth as Wilson’s heads-up play caught Rodríguez in a rundown between second and third base. For the second straight inning, the visitors’ bad base running reared its head.

1000 IQ play by Jacob Wilson 🧠 pic.twitter.com/lRH1FBpdm5

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) June 17, 2026

Gelof On-Fire!

With one out in the bottom of the sixth, Gelof collected his third hit of the game. His 10th home run of the season, a solo shot to left field, knocked Keller out of the game. The Pirates starter pitched well aside from the beginning and end of his outing. He allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits and four walks over 5 1/3 innings. Pirates’ left-hander Evan Sisk replaced Keller and got the final two outs of the inning.

have yourself a day, Zack 🤯#VoteAthletics | https://t.co/SBezYOtGtGpic.twitter.com/ZLLHohTBXi

— Athletics (@Athletics) June 17, 2026

Harris Blows the Lead

Athletics left-hander Hogan Harris made his 37th appearance of the season in the seventh. He issued a one-out walk to Horwitz. With two outs, Reynolds tied the game with his second home run in as many innings, a two-run shot to right field. The Pirates’ left fielder was a one-man wrecking crew, finishing 4-for-5.

A’s Waste Multiple Scoring Chances

Alika Wiliams, pinch-hitting for McNeil, began the last of the seventh with a double to left field. Reliever Yohan Ramirez’s wild pitch advanced Williams to third base with one out.

The hosts squandered that scoring opportunity as catcher Shea Langeliers and Wilson both grounded out. In the eighth inning, both teams left runners at second base, once again wasting chances with runners in scoring position.

Pirates Surge Ahead Late

After Mark Leiter. Jr pitched a scoreless eighth, the A’s turned to right-hander Elvis Alvarado to work the top of the ninth with the game tied at 5-5. The Pirates took their first lead of the game on Lowe’s one-out solo home run to right, his 18th of the season.

A’s Come Up Short

The visitors brought in hard-throwing left-hander Gregory Soto for the save opportunity. Kurtz lined a one-out single to left field for his first hit of the game. Langeliers singled up the middle, advancing Kurtz to second and bringing the tying run into scoring position with Soderstrom due up. The A’s rally fizzled out as Soto retired Soderstrom and Wilson to save the game.

The Pirates’ victory tonight entails a rubber game tomorrow between these two historic MLB franchises. Veteran right-hander Aaron Civale will make his return from the injured list to start the series finale for the Athletics. He will be opposed by right-hander Braxton Ashcraft, who is 5-3 with a 3.30 ERA through his first 14 starts of the season.

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The Dbacks dropped the second game of the series against the Angels Tuesday night 7-0. The offense had absolutely nothing and Merrill Kelly got lit once again. Tonight marked the team’s 7^th shutout loss of the season.

Merrill Kelly did not have anything today as he gave up 6 ER in 5.1 innings. He allowed the Dbacks to get into a hole early thanks to a couple of hits in the second inning, a home run in the third inning, and a big 2 run home run in the 5^th inning. After it appeared that Kelly had turned a corner after some early season struggles, it seems as though Kelly has regressed over his past couple of starts. A concerning trend for a 37-year-old pitcher the Dbacks just gave a multiyear deal too whose season ERA is now 5.81.

The Dbacks offense was able to get nothing going tonight. The unit was able to muster up only 4 hits the whole night, 3 of which came from the big 3 at the top of the lineup. The Dbacks offense has generally fared well against left-handed pitchers so far this season, but they looked uncomfortable all night against Detmers. Something that seems to correlate fairly well with offensive success for this unit has been the amount of walks and deep counts the lineup is able to work. However, tonight the offense walked only 1 time which tells you about all you need to know as the approaches were just not there. Perhaps tonight is just one of those nights you chalk it up to running into an opposing pitcher who is on his game as Reid Detmers has really been an excellent pitcher so far this season. He looked every bit tonight like the pitcher with an xERA of 2.87, almost a full run lower than his season ERA.

There was really nothing positive to report from this game, so I am not going to try and come up with anything and I am going to end this recap a little early for all of our sakes. The Dbacks will look to salvage a series win against the Angels tomorrow as they send Eduardo Rodriguez to the hill.

Aaron Judge was in rare form Tuesday afternoon at a Yankees HOPE Week event honoring Dunia Sibomana-Rodriguez.

Not regarding his graciousness when swarmed by fans or even the Connect Four game he lost to Sibomana-Rodriguez, but rather how touched he was by the wrestler on a full ride to UNC out of Long Beach High School.

Sibomana-Rodriguez nearly died at age 6 after chimpanzees viciously attacked him in his native Democratic Republic of the Congo. He suffered severe facial and limb damage while his brother and cousin died in the attack. 

Since then, he has had 16 surgeries, and both of his birth parents have died.

“It can teach you a lot. It can teach you a lot,” Judge, who is sidelined with a stress fracture of the first rib on his right side, said of Sibomana-Rodriguez’s story before the Yankees’ 12-2 win over the White Sox.

He then paused for a few seconds before continuing. 

“I couldn’t imagine going through what he did and to see him here, smiling, having fun, speaks volumes,” Judge added. “Especially now being a dad, I couldn’t imagine my son or daughter going through something like that.”

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Upon hearing about Sibomana-Rodriguez, Judge quickly decided that would be the event he would attend during HOPE Week. 

He was joined by Ben Rice, Paul Goldschmidt, Anthony Volpe, Giancarlo Stanton and David Bednar for what was a surprise going away party at Yankee Stadium with close friends and family. Stanton also asked Sibomana-Rodriguez to throw out the first pitch at Tuesday night’s game.

Judge spent 1-on-1 time with Long Beach’s national champion wrestler throughout the event and received a signed Yankees Dunia shirt from him.

“[It] definitely adds perspective. … Really wanted to meet him. It was a special moment,” Judge added

CINCINNATI — Nolan McLean can appreciate that the Mets don’t have another game scheduled in the Pacific time zone this season. 

The rookie right-hander, who is set to face the Reds in Wednesday’s series finale, cited travel as a significant adjustment he’s faced when comparing the grind of a minor league season to one in MLB. 

The Mets’ travels took them to the West Coast four times in their first five road trips. 

“The human body just likes consistency,” McLean said before Tuesday’s 5-3 loss. “So, any time you are going to a different coast and different time zone, more than anything your body clock gets thrown off and just different ways to recover can throw off your recovery a little bit or you just feel a little different going out there every time.” 

McLean, who owns a 4.01 ERA in 14 starts this season, said traveling west to east has been the hardest on him. 

“I don’t think it can hurt anybody being in the same time zone [for the rest of the season] or maybe one-hour changeup going to the Central,” McLean said. “Everything is all about consistency, so if we can recover a little bit better and get a little more consistent in our daily routine, the field of play will be the same.” 

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Sean Manaea and Freddy Peralta are aligned to start the Mets’ first two games in Philadelphia, according to manager Carlos Mendoza. But how they will proceed Sunday is still unclear. 

Tobias Myers, who struggled in the opener role Monday, and scuffling David Peterson are among the options. Mendoza didn’t rule out the possibility the Mets would look to Triple-A Syracuse for a starter. 

Myers surrendered seven earned runs over 1 ¹/₃ innings against the Reds. 

“He’s a guy that can do a lot of different things for us,” Mendoza said. “He’s stretched out, but he’s going to continue to be a pretty important part of our bullpen.” 

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Infielder Zack Short reported to the major league team a day after he was claimed off waivers from the Tigers. It was a return to the Mets for the 30-year-old Kingston, N.Y., native, who played for the team in 2024. 

“We’re familiar with the player, he’s a pretty steady defender and a guy that can play multiple positions,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. 

Vidal Brujan was designated for assignment to create roster space for Short. 

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Jonathan Pintaro was optioned to Syracuse, clearing space for Kodai Senga’s return. Pintaro allowed two earned runs over 3 ²/₃ innings in his relief appearance Monday.

This was the kind of night the Yankees envisioned from their ace.

Gerrit Cole had a quality start despite a near-troublesome sixth inning on the mound Tuesday night. That paired with the Yankees’ booming offense earned a dominant 12-2 victory over the White Sox in The Bronx.

A first-inning home run from Andrew Benintendi was Cole’s only initial worry. He retired the next 13 batters until a single in the sixth inning that led to another run and loaded the bases with two outs.

However, he got the best of the final batter of the frame, Braden Montgomery, forcing a groundout to second base.

“He was under the gun there and was able to make the pitch to get out and get through the sixth there, which I thought was a great way for him to finish,” manager Aaron Boone said after the win.

Cole, 35, walked away with six strikeouts while surrendering three hits, two earned runs and two walks across six innings.

He threw 90 pitches, 59 for strikes.

“I thought the command got a little bit better as the game went on,” Cole said. “I thought we kept them off balanced and stayed in the strike zone well after getting a lead. Not too many mistakes, just kind of lost the zone on the walks in the last inning.”

It was a bounce-back night for Cole, showing strong improvement from his previous two outings.

Coming into Tuesday, he had allowed a combined six earned runs, 11 hits, three walks and six strikeouts in that span.

The Cy Young winner only pitched four innings in his previous outing against the Guardians, saying he was “in survival mode” and absolutely “gassed” due to the humidity.

“I thought he threw the ball and I thought he was on the attack and aggressive early on …” Boone said. “I thought he did a really good job of setting the tone tonight against a good-hitting club with some power that can hurt you.”

Cole, now through five starts since returning from Tommy John surgery, was satisfied with the “base layers of paint,” as he called it, that he has built up so far this season, holding a 2.57 ERA.

“I kept them in the ballgame every time. It feels pretty good. Getting some good length and been able to continue to build pitch count,” he said. “Try to sharpen some stuff up while competing.”

An already beaten-up Yankees lineup looks to be without Trent Grisham for a while longer, as imaging taken Monday showed a “moderate” right hamstring strain, according to Aaron Boone. 

The manager said he’d hoped the center fielder would be out just a minimal amount of time, but the severity of the injury means Grisham would “miss a little bit of time.” 

Boone declined to put a timeline on how long Grisham would be out, but it figures to be at least 2-3 weeks. 

Grisham has been able to do some baseball activities, which is encouraging, but they’ll be without him for a while. 

It comes at a rough time for Grisham, who’d shaken off a tough start to the season and had a .994 OPS in his previous 20 games.

And more recently, he had been even more productive, with four extra-base hits in his last seven games. 

Spencer Jones was back in center, his most comfortable position, Tuesday against the White Sox and hit his first Yankee Stadium homer in a 12-2 win. 

And the Yankees will also continue to be without Giancarlo Stanton, who underwent an MRI exam on Monday that showed he reinjured the right calf strain that’s sidelined him since late April. 

Stanton said he felt it again while running bases and the discomfort was similar to when the injury first occurred in Houston. 

He had hoped to be back as soon as Wednesday, but that timeline is now pushed back indefinitely. 

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Austin Wells (cervical headaches) began a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday. 

Wells was behind the plate and went 0-for-3 with a walk and is scheduled to catch part of Wednesday’s game before potentially serving as a DH with SWB on Thursday. 

The Yankees are hoping Wells returns a more productive hitter than what he’s been for nearly the entire season. 

In his last six games before hitting the IL, Wells went just 1-for-18 with two walks and seven strikeouts. And his .533 OPS on the season, worse than all but three players with 160 plate appearances this season. 

J.C. Escarra and Ali Sánchez haven’t helped, as the Yankees entered Tuesday tied for the lowest OPS in the majors among catchers at .526, but Escarra had two hits Tuesday… Jasson Domínguez wasn’t in Tuesday’s lineup after getting a tooth pulled Tuesday. 

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Top prospect George Lombard Jr. was removed from Tuesday’s game with SWB.

According to the YES Network, the shortstop appeared to jam his wrist while covering second when a base stealer slid into his glove. He finished the inning, but was then removed from the game. 

The 21-year-old has been heating up at SWB. He entered Tuesday with an eight-game hitting streak, with six doubles and two homers in that stretch.

With the Yankees’ issues on the left side of their infield, there has been thought he could get to The Bronx this season. 

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Boone said Max Fried reported no issues after throwing a bullpen session Tuesday as he comes back from the left elbow bone bruise that’s sidelined the lefty since mid-May.

Boone said Fried is “asymptomatic.” He is expected back next month

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First baseman Seth Brown was released from his minor league deal Sunday. The 33-year-old appeared in 53 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after spending the past seven seasons with the A’s.

Whenever Shohei Ohtani is questioned, it seems, he does something spectacular.

On Tuesday, with discussion still swirling over whether his knee problem from the week before would influence his two-way availability when he took the mound Wednesday, Ohtani broke open a scoreless standoff with a sixth-inning solo home run.

It held as the winning run, and the Dodgers went on to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0.

“That’s just him,” Dodgers starting pitcher Justin Wrobleski said of Ohtani. “He’s obviously the best player of all time. I’m super lucky and blessed to be his teammate and watch him play. It’s been super cool.”

Up to that point, neither team’s starting pitcher had flinched.

Wrobleski had given up just three hits in six scoreless innings. And, with no walks to go with five strikeouts, he hadn’t had more than one baserunner in any inning, squashing the scrappy Rays’ ability to manufacture a run.

Though the Dodgers had more viable scoring threats against Rays starter Drew Rasmussen, they’d come up short for five innings.

They came within a couple of feet of scoring in the second inning, but the Rays pulled off a trick play to throw out Kyle Tucker at home.

With runners on first and third, Alex Freeland laid down a bunt to Rasmussen. When he fielded it cleanly, Tucker shuffled back toward third base. But then Rasmussen turned and fired toward second base, and Tucker took off. Rays shortstop Taylor Walls cut off the throw in front of the base and cut down Tucker as he slid headfirst for the plate.

For the next three innings, the Dodgers (47-27) failed to reach base.

Then Ohtani happened.

Leading off the sixth inning, Ohtani pounced on a cutter that drifted toward the heart of the plate.

He launched it to straightaway center field, where it bounced on the netting beyond the fence.

Rasmussen lasted through the seventh inning, leaving that home run as the only blemish on his outing. Then the two bullpens duked it out to a draw in the late innings.

Ohtani’s home run stood alone.

It was his fifth home run in nine games, bringing his season total to 15.

After a slow start, by his standards, Ohtani lamented his lack of power. Now, with the second-highest on-base-plus-slugging percentage in the National League (.966), barely trailing the Washington Nationals’ James Wood (.967), Ohtani has that going for him too.

“He was hitting the ball hard, some doubles, singles,” manager Dave Roberts said. “And if he was just missing a little bit [before], there was going to be slug. So that’s what’s happening. Seeing the baseball well. Swinging at good pitches. And when he uses the big part of the field, there’s just no one better.”

The home run Tuesday, however, was not enough to claim a spot in the batting order Wednesday. Not in an extra-early 12:10 p.m. game. Not just days removed from a bout of inflammation in his left knee.

Before the game, Ohtani threw off a mound to test his knee before his scheduled pitching start the next day. It went well enough that he’ll be taking the mound, Roberts confirmed Tuesday night. But he will not be hitting.

Roberts will keep a close eye on Ohtani, who left the game last Thursday with a swollen knee and then sat out Friday. Ohtani theorized over the weekend that issues with his pitching mechanics may have aggravated his knee.

Said Roberts: “He wouldn’t start if we felt that we were going to put him in harm’s way.”

Glasnow hopes to begin throwing soon

In retrospect, it’s clear to right-hander Tyler Glasnow that he tried to start throwing a little too quickly after back spasms pulled him out of his start against the Houston Astros on May 6. But at the time of the injury, Glasnow, who is no stranger to back problems, was encouraged.

“It didn’t feel as bad when I first did it,” Glasnow told The Times on Tuesday.

Nearly a month and a half later, Glasnow has twice tried to restart throwing, and twice he’s had to shut it down.

“Frustrating, for sure,” Glasnow said. “Just because it happens so frequently. A lot of times I just want to find a way to address the underlying issues of why it happens.”

Read more:Shaikin: The Dodgers are ruining baseball! Stop them! But first let me vote for all their players

He has yet to find that long-term solution, but he does not expect to have surgery.

Glasnow, encouraged by his recent improvement, expects to start throwing again “soon.”

“We’re just waiting for it to be fully, fully healed,” he said.

Edman activated

As expected, the Dodgers activated Tommy Edman (right ankle surgery) off the injured list Tuesday and designated utility man Santiago Espinal for assignment.

Edman didn’t make his season debut, but Roberts said he’ll play a mixture of second base, third and left field, with his playing time dictated by factors such as pitcher matchups and the availability of left fielder Teoscar Hernández’s (strained left hamstring), who’s still on the IL.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Rays hoped to even the series after a tough one-run loss against the Dodgers last night. And they had their best on the mound to make it happen, as Drew Rasmussen took the ball for tonight’s game. Coming into the contest, he had pitched a combined 14 scoreless innings in his last two starts.

But it would be no easy task, for at least two reasons — a formidable Dodger lineup featuring a red hot Shohei Ohtani, as well as a counterpart in Justin Wrobleski, who’s been every bit as effective this season. Both pitchers came out as advertised, trading high-90’s fastballs for a scoreless first inning.

It would stay scoreless until the bottom of the sixth inning, when Ohtani drove a Rasmussen cutter over the centerfield wall.

Shotime! pic.twitter.com/um1pN9etut

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 17, 2026

It’s important to note that Rasmussen coaxed a few swings and misses from Ohtani on cutters, including a strikeout in the first. It seemed like he was ready for this one, however.

Rasmussen’s face says it all.

Drew Rasmussen's reaction says it all

Shohei got all of that one pic.twitter.com/vd8d8uQDgk

— Rays The Roof (@RaysTheRoofTB) June 17, 2026

He’s not even mad, he’s impressed.

Rasmussen would finish the sixth with no further damage, and then come out to pitch another scoreless frame in the seventh. It was one of his best performances of the season, especially considering the strength of this Dodger lineup. All in, Rasmussen scattered five hits and struck out seven using a season high 102 pitches. Additionally, it was his third consecutive start with seven innings.

Drew Rasmussen against the best lineup in Major League Baseball:

7 IP I 6 H I 1 ER I 0 BB I 7 K I 17 Whiffs

His velo was slightly up and sat at 96 MPH on his two harder fastball shapes. He had over a 30% Whiff% on both his Cutter and 4-Seam, and now owns a 2.59 ERA in 2026. pic.twitter.com/pYDJIIYb4y

— Running From The OPS (@OPS_BASEBALL) June 17, 2026

On the other side, Wrobleski threw six scoreless, striking out five. Both bullpens looked strong as well, as Will Klein and Kyle Hurt held it down for the Dodgers, and Cam Booser looked strong in the bottom of the eighth for the Tampa Bay.

The Rays sent the top of the order to face closer Tanner Scott in the top of the ninth, but he too, made quick work of the lifeless Rays offense. It was a one-hour-fifty-two-minute affair — no need for the L.A. fans to leave early and beat the traffic.

The Rays will hope to salvage the series tomorrow and leave Los Angeles with at least one win behind the arm of Shane McClanahan. It won’t be a walk in the park though, as Ohtani will be his opposite.