Baseball News
Welcome to wild, wild weekend in baseball land! Who gets flipped where? What does Craig Breslow do? Can the Sox win ANOTHER series? It all starts tonight!
⚾️ First Pitch: 10:10pm EDT – Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
📺 TV: NESN
📻 Radio: WEEI
Another McGwire will be playing baseball for the Athletics organization.
The Athletics signed Max McGwire, the son of former MLB slugger and A's icon Mark McGwire, to a minor league contract on Tuesday, July 28. He was assigned to the ACL Athletics (Arizona Complex League) on Friday, July 31.
Max is the latest member of the McGwire family to reach the professional ranks and is listed as a right-handed pitcher on MLB's minor league website.
The A’s will explore the possibility of the 23-year-old Irvine, California native as a power-hitting option and as a first baseman, according to Jason Burke of InsideTheAs.
McGwire began his college baseball career in 2022 at Oklahoma before transferring to San Diego (2024) and finishing at Saint Louis (2025, 2026). He served as a pitcher out of the bullpen for the Billikens in 12 games during the 2026 season, allowing 14 hits, 13 runs (10 earned runs), two home runs and 11 walks in 16.2 innings pitched.
He joins his brother Mason McGwire as an MLB prospect.
Mark McGwire is a 12-time MLB All-Star who played for the A’s from 1986 to 1997. He was the 10th overall pick by the A's in the 1984 draft.
McGwire made an immediate impact during his early years while the team was still playing in Oakland. He was named the American League Rookie of the Year in 1987. He was also named an All-Star from 1987-1992. He finished fourth in MVP voting in 1992.
The Pomona, California native was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1997 and finished out his playing career with the club in 2001.
McGwire reunited with the A's organization in February 2026, serving as a special assistant to player development.
He previously served as a bench coach for the San Diego Padres (2017-18) and a hitting coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers (2013-15) and the Cardinals (2010-12).
Mason McGwire is the younger brother of Max.
The 22-year-old is a member of the Chicago Cubs' farm system and was drafted by the organization in the 8th round of the 2022 MLB draft out of Capistrano Valley High in Mission Viejo, California.
Mason McGwire currently plays with the South Bend Cubs in the Midwest League. He also played for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans earlier this year.
The right-handed pitcher represented the Cubs in the 2026 All-Star Futures Game, entering in the seventh inning and allowing an earned run but also recording a strikeout.
Mark McGwire has six children, and all have a first name that starts with the letter M. He has three sons: Matthew, Max and Mason. He also has triplet daughters: Monet Rose, Marlo Rose and Monroe Rose.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Athletics ink son of franchise icon Mark McGwire to minor league deal
San Francisco Giants (47-62) at San Diego Padres (55-54), July 31, 2026, 6:45 p.m. PST
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Location: Petco Park – San Diego, Calif.
Listen: 97.3 The Fan
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The Dodgers hate paying inflated trade deadline prices for impact relievers.
And not even an injury to one of their key bullpen arms seems probable to change that this year.
Before Friday’s series-opener against the Boston Red Sox, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that right-hander Brock Stewart was going on the injured list with a problem in his right shoulder — the same one he had season-ending surgery on last year after arriving as a deadline acquisition.
The move comes amid what’s already been an unsettling stretch from the Dodgers’ relief corps (which has a 23rd-ranked 4.90 ERA in the majors since its historic 38-inning scoreless streak back in May) and its right-handed options especially (Stewart had been the most trustworthy choice there of late, before closer Edwin Díaz returned from his own injury this week).
However, Roberts staunchly downplayed the severity of Stewart’s latest injury; which, pending an MRI scheduled for Saturday, the skipper repeatedly insisted is expected to be short-term.
“This is just more of a formality,” Roberts said, in part since it allowed the club to call up triple-A starter Cole Irvin to contribute to Friday’s planned bullpen game. “I really believe, the training staff believes, that it’s going to be short term.”
According to a source with knowledge of the team’s plans, the development is not expected to change the front office’s relative lack of urgency to add to its bullpen before Monday’s deadline, either.
The Dodgers have been evaluating the relief market lately, to be sure. Earlier this month, they added intriguing triple-A right-hander Seth Halvorsen from the Rockies. This week, they’ve been linked to Mets starter (and former Yankees closer) Clay Holmes. One of their potential trade partners — Tarik Skubal’s Detroit Tigers — are also shopping a veteran righty in Kyle Finnegan, who could fit the Dodgers’ apparent depth need.
Internally, though, the two-time defending champions are confident in the state of their unit.
Díaz’s fastball has looked improved in two outings since returning from the injured list. Evan Phillips’ stuff has also played up since returning from Tommy John surgery, albeit while showing some rust with command.
Edgardo Henriquez — who was the opener for Friday’s series-opener against the Red Sox — has largely been steady, despite the resurgence of some of his own command issues lately.
And though Will Klein has endured a midseason slump, more help could be on the way in the form of Blake Treinen and Ben Casparius (who are both on the IL but making progress toward their own returns).
Come the playoffs, the Dodgers figure to be able to reallocate resources from the starting rotation, too.
Last year, each of Justin Wrobleski, Emmet Sheehan and Roki Sasaki shifted to relief roles in October.
That could again be the case this year, especially after Sasaki indicated Thursday night that he’d be open to such a move once again this season.
The health of the Dodgers’ rotation, of course, could impact that part of the plan.
Shohei Ohtani is still shut down from pitching right now (outside of stationary plyo-ball throws). Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell remain on the injured list.
However, the Dodgers are optimistic about each of their recoveries.
Snell said Friday he will make one final minor-league rehab start next week before being activated, and that his arm feels better than it has in years following a procedure to remove loose bodies from his elbow back in May.
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Glasnow, meanwhile, could be on the verge of beginning his own rehab assignment, having twice faced hitters in live batting practice in recent weeks as he works his way back from a back spasm issue that has sidelined him since May.
Ohtani’s next steps as a pitcher are more unclear. But his ailing knee felt good enough to return to the Dodgers’ lineup as designated hitter on Friday; after he missed Thursday’s game with a flare-up of soreness.
In addition to all that, the Dodgers also remain a central player in the Skubal sweepstakes — as they wait to see how hard a bargain the Tigers will drive for the two-time Cy Young Award winner.
For now, as far as the deadline is concerned, that is where the club’s main focus continues to be centered.
While Stewart’s injury will raise external questions about their bullpen, it’s not expected to drastically alter their other plans.
The Brewers didn’t get off to the best start on their six-game California road trip, dropping two of three to the San Francisco Giants. After an off day to regroup, they’ll have as good an opportunity as any to get back on track against a Los Angeles Angels team that’s tied with the Rockies for the worst record in baseball.
On the mound for the Brewers is left-hander Shane Drohan, who’s been excellent in his first season with the organization. Drohan has posted a 3.51 ERA while striking out 82 batters in 82 innings this year. He was originally scheduled to start the series finale against the Giants, but Brewers manager Pat Murphy instead called up Thomas Pannone for a spot start to give his rotation a little extra rest.
The Angels will counter with 23-year-old right-hander Ryan Johnson, a competitive balance selection in the 2024 draft. Johnson made headlines last season after breaking camp with the big-league club despite never pitching in the minor leagues. He struggled to a 7.36 ERA across 14 relief appearances as a rookie and has posted an almost identical 7.34 ERA through 11 appearances (eight starts) this season.
As for the lineup, Brice Turang and Jackson Chourio will bat first and second for the second straight game, followed by designated hitter Christian Yelich. William Contreras will hit cleanup, with Jake Bauers and Garrett Mitchell batting fifth and sixth. Rounding out the lineup are Luis Lara (.832 OPS in his first 42 at-bats as a Brewer), David Hamilton, and Cooper Pratt. With Hamilton starting at third base, Joey Ortiz is out of the lineup again tonight.
One final piece of roster news: left-hander DL Hall, who owns a 2.03 ERA in 24 appearances this season, has been activated from the injured list. Pannone was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.
For those of you tuning in, tonight’s game will air on Brewers.TV, WTMJ, and the Brewers Radio Network. First pitch is scheduled for 8:38 p.m.
Friday is the final day of July, and the official dog days of August start with the Dodgers hosting the Boston Red Sox on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto has lasted at least six innings in each of his last eight starts. This will be his first career start against the Red Sox. Left-hander Peyton Tolle starts for Boston, with a 3.32 ERA in 17 starts in his rookie campaign, with 103 strikeouts and 27 walks in 95 innings.
This slowly developing story from Tuesday came to a head this afternoon as Buster Posey has put out a statement confirming that the San Francisco Giants have suspended the injured Harrison Bader without pay.
Over the weekend, Harrison Bader was involved in an accident that has delayed Harrison’s prior treatment timeline for plantar fasciitis and, unfortunately, his return to the field. We are still investigating the circumstances of the accident, but will be suspending payment to Harrison until he is able to resume performing services for the Club.
What I appreciate about that statement is how clumsy it is, because it suggests that Buster didn’t write it using generative AI. Oh, but you’re here for the analysis.
Well, Harrison Bader was out late Saturday night into Sunday morning and, possibly while intoxicated, crashed the scooter he was riding into the back of a San Francisco Fire Department truck. Maybe it was the force of the impact or the truck was beginning its motion, but one of the tires ran over his foot. So, this is a severely aggravated injury and it will be interesting to see how it impacts his career going forward.
His time as a Giant would certainly seem to be up in the air, not just given the injury, but because of the foolishness. For all of us who thought this was a bad signing from concept, I don’t think we factored in the player’s behavior very much.
Even if we accept that most baseball players are overgrown boys, Bader was set to confer with the team’s medical experts the very next day. Plenty of players have been known to hit the field hungover, but doing all of this when you’ve already missed so much time and you’re about to be transported on the team’s dime to evaluate you further just… it’s beyond a bad look, and whatever moral, ethical, or troll arguments you want to make will probably stick. We don’t even need to ask what Bader was thinking, because we know he wasn’t.
What’ll be interesting to see is how the suspension of pay is handled. We don’t know the severity of the injury relative to recovery, for example, so, if his foot was crushed, let’s say, and there’s a 14-month recovery timeline or whatever, does “until he is able to resume performing services for the Club” mean his contract will have been, effectively, voided? And will the MLBPA stand for such a maneuver? But also, does “suspending payment” mean the same thing as “suspended without pay?” In the latter, you imagine that he doesn’t get that money once the suspension ends. In “suspending payment,” you can envision a scenario where they need to put that money in an escrow account until the matter is resolved. Careful wording that’s consistent with the current Collective Bargaining Agreement or just another clumsy aspect of the statement? [I’ll probably edit this section once someone clarifies.]
And then there’s the other complication of the pending lockout. I guess it’s only bad news for Harrison Bader, so I apologize for sounding alarmist.
The Giants get to save some more dollars to go along with all those open 40-man spots. Should help them pay down Robbie Ray’s contract at the deadline.
For many people, the trade deadline is one of the most exciting times in the baseball season, right up there with Opening Day and the playoffs. I am not one of these people, but I acknowledge and respect those who are. Feel free to use this as a space to chat about all the trade deadline deals that go down, toss out a grade, say what you would have done differently, etc. We’ll leave this pinned on the homepage until the trade deadline passes, Monday August 3rd at 3 PM PT.
The club welcomes a new club to town as the Detroit Tigers arrive to Sacramento for a three-game weekend series that’ll surely be overshadowed by the Tarik Skubal trade rumors. Both clubs are out of contention at this point so it makes sense but hell, we still got some baseball to play folks.
Our A’s will send left-hander Jeffrey Springs to the mound for what could be (and some say should be) his final start in the Green & Gold. If tonight truly is the end of his tenure with the Athletics it’ll be a disappointing end as there were some decent expectations for him when the A’s acquired him last year. Unfortunately things haven’t worked out but he could still benefit the A’s with a strong start this evening, possibly piquing the interest of one pitching-needy contender.
Here’s how manager Mark Kotsay will line up his squad for the first game of the series:
Same top five of the lineup tonight, but Tyler Soderstrom and Jonah Heim swap places. Henry Bolte is back in center field with Butler moving over to right.
As for the Tigers, they were originally going to be sending their co-ace to the mound tonight in Casey Mize. It seems like the Tigers are preparing to move him however as he’s instead had his start pushed back past the trade deadline. It’ll be a bullpen game for Detroit instead. The A’s would do well to take advantage of that tonight.
And Detroit’s starting nine:
Big night for the Tigers as former 3rd overall pick Max Clark will make his big league debut in center tonight. A’s fans should be happy with Wilson, who went three picks later.
Can the A’s snap this two-game losing streak and get back in the win column? Win #45 awaits. Let’s go A’s!
Follow the Game:
Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA
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Athletics – Talk 650 KSTE, KVMX 92.1/105.5, A’s Cast
The Colorado Rockies have announced that tonight’s game Between the Kansas City Royals and the Colorado Rockies will start in a delay rather than at the 6:40 pm start time.
Follow Purple Row for updates.
UPDATE: 7:06 pm
Current state of Coors Field:
UPDATE: 6:50 pm
UPDATE: 6:51 pm
It appears the grounds crew is beginning To assess the situation as fans return to their seats.
Meanwhile “Purple Rain” echoes across Coors Field.
UPDATE: 6:45 pm
Still raining, but things are slowing down, and the sun is trying to come out.
But allow me to share the press box about five minutes ago:
UPDATE: 6:39 pm
Absolutely pouring now.
UPDATE: 6:36 pm
Chris Bianca reports the delay will be brief.
UPDATE: 6:31 pm
The tarp is on, and fans have been told to leave the Rockpile for the concourse.
The Rockies continue to announce the starting lineups, however, and complete pre-game festivities.
UPDATE— 6:24 pm
Pregame festivities continue, and no announcement has been made to Coors Field, but the tarp is coming out.
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The Kansas City Royals hit the Mile High city, after two disappointing walk-off losses in the Twin Cities. Two improbable losses cost the Royals a road sweep. As they wrap up their longest road trip of the season, they look to do it in winning fashion against the Colorado Rockies.
All-Star Michael Wacha takes the ball in tonight’s game. In his last outing, Wacha went 7 innings, allowing 6 hits, 2 runs, walking 2 and striking out 3 against the Tigers. Sparse run support has cost Wacha a lot of wins this season, in fact, his last win was June 22nd in Tampa Bay, in a 2-1 Royals win.
Here are the 46-64 Royals lineup behind Wacha tonight
The Colorado Rockies come into this game at 42-67, they are tied for the worse record in baseball, with the Angels. However, they are 24-29 at home this season.
Right hander Tomoyuki Sugano starts for Colorado tonight. Sugano is having a good first season in Denver, posting a 4.69 ERA and 10-4 record. The 36-year-old Japanese born pitcher is a trade candidate as well. In his last outing, Sugano went 5.1 innings, allowing 6 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, striking out 5, against the Brewers.
Here are the Rockies starting lineup behind Sugano.
It’s been a rather solid road trip so far for the Royals, can they start hot in the Mile High City tonight? First pitch is set for 7:40 p.m. CT. The game can be watched on Royals.TV.
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cubs fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Earlier this week in the SB Nation Reacts survey, I asked you how many trades you thought Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer would make before the MLB Trade Deadline happens. Incidentally, the official deadline is 5 p.m. CT Monday, Aug. 3, though if history is a guide, we’ll probably hear of some trades reported for an hour or two after that.
Here are the survey results:
This seems pretty reasonable. The Cubs need a starting pitcher — obviously — and I’m nearly 100 percent certain that Hoyer will trade for someone fitting that description. Earlier this week I posted a number of articles about potential starting pitcher trade targets for Hoyer.
Detroit Tigers starter Tarik Skubal, of course, is the No. 1 guy on the trading block. Could the Cubs be in the Skubal market? Patrick Mooney of The Athletic says … maybe:
Hoyer has a close, longstanding relationship with his Detroit counterpart, Scott Harris, who earned a 2016 World Series ring while launching his career at Wrigley Field, and now runs the Tigers with a similarly systematic approach.
Another connection worth noting: Skubal has deep roots in Arizona, which would make spring training at the Cubs’ Mesa complex an appealing and convenient feature once he weighs his options as a free agent. Acquiring Skubal, who is represented by agent Scott Boras, would give the Cubs a head start on that recruiting presentation, though it would likely require a financial commitment to a pitcher that is unprecedented in franchise history.
So, who knows? The package the Cubs would have to send to the Tigers is probably a high cost, even for a two-month rental.
Feel free to discuss that possibility, plus any others, in this thread throughout the weekend.
The Cubs might also be in the market for a reliever, though they do have multiple good relievers likely to return to the bullpen sometime in August. Maybe that would be as good as trading for someone.
Here’s the result of the national survey question asked of SB Nation Reacts members:
In my view this is just silly. The Tigers are absolutely, positively going to trade Skubal. I’m certain of it. Now, could I be wrong? Sure. but if they don’t, then he walks with no compensation other than a draft pick. Skubal isn’t returning to Detroit as a free agent, so the Tigers should be motivated to get something for him while they can.
It’ll all be known in less than 72 hours!
This edition of SB Nation Reacts is sponsored by FanDuel.
The San Diego Padres dropped their series opener to the San Francisco Giants and it was Daniel Susac who knocked in three of the four runs for the Giants. The Padres were bit by their “Pitching Chaos” approach after JP Sears allowed three runs over 3.2 innings. The San Diego offense did not help much, scoring just one run in the 4-1 loss. Both sides will need to play better tonight if the Padres are going to even the series.
Rodriguez is getting the start for San Diego. It would be hard to imagine him pitching more than an inning, so he is assuming a more traditional opener role. The right-handed rookie has appeared in 44 games this season and holds a 2.33 ERA. He was sent down for some time to give him a break from pitching to ensure he would make it through the season. Rodriguez has had some ups and downs in recent outings, but he should be able to have a solid start to set the tone for the Padres.
The Giants are sending left-hander Whisenhunt to the mound for just the fourth time this season. He has a 2-1 record with a 4.60 ERA. Whisenhunt has only pitched 15.2 innings but has recorded 13 strikeouts over that span. The right-handers in the Padres lineup should be able to take advantage of a young pitcher, but as has been the case in the past, if Whisenhunt is allowed to settle in, it could be a long night for the San Diego lineup.
Manny Machado went 0-for-4 in the series opener against the Giants so it should come as no surprise that the Padres lost the game. Machado has been on a hot streak and the saying it the team goes as Manny goes. If that is the case, he needs to have a couple hits tonight. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill did their parts, but the other big bat in the lineup, Ty France, also went 0-for-3.
Randy Vasquez to the rescue! The right-handed former starter pitched the final 4.2 innings of the game on Thursday, which saved multiple bullpen arms. He only allowed three hits over that span and did not allow a run. JP Sears started the game and lasted 3.2 innings and Wandy Peralta pitched 0.2 innings in relief. Thanks to Vasquez the majority of the Padres’ ‘pen should be available, minus Rodriguez who is making the start.
The Colorado Rockies (42-67) return to Coors Field tonight to open a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals (46-64).
Colorado has not won since beating the Milwaukee Brewers last Friday. The Rockies lost the final two games of that series, had Monday off, were swept in a two-game set against the San Diego Padres and were off again yesterday.
They remain stuck on 42 victories.
One more win would match the Rockies’ entire 2025 total before the calendar turns to August. Last year’s club did not reach win No. 43 until September 21.
Kansas City arrives in Denver following a painful walk-off loss to the Minnesota Twins. The Royals have disappointed this season and enter the series 18 games below .500 despite carrying higher expectations into the year.
Tomoyuki Sugano (菅野 智之) will take the ball for Colorado in what could be his final start with the Rockies before the trade deadline.
Sugano enters at 10-4 with a 4.69 ERA as his results continue to outpace his expected metrics.
He has accomplished that through mixing and locating a deep arsenal. In his last start, Sugano pitched into the sixth inning and allowed two earned runs while striking out five and walking only one.
Both runs came on solo home runs.
That was typical of Sugano’s season. He has allowed his share of home runs, but he has often limited the damage by avoiding traffic in front of them. A solo homer hurts. A three-run homer can end an outing.
Sugano threw seven different pitch types against Milwaukee and relied on sequencing and varying speeds to quiet a pesky Brewers lineup. His splitter was the most effective offering, while his four-seamer and cutter were more vulnerable, making the order and location of his pitches especially important.
Sugano will look to follow the same formula tonight against a fellow veteran right-hander who also relies on sequencing and location more than raw power.
Michael Wacha enters at 5-7 with a 3.60 ERA and 104 strikeouts across 132.1 innings. His 4.26 xERA is less flattering, but this is not a new disagreement. Wacha has posted a lower ERA than xERA in six consecutive seasons.
Wacha does not overwhelm hitters. His four-seamer averages 93.1 mph, while his strikeout and whiff rates sit below league average. He instead limits walks, avoids barrels and receives excellent results from his offspeed pitches.
Like Sugano, Wacha works with a broad arsenal. His four-seamer and changeup lead a six-pitch mix that also includes a cutter, sinker, curveball and slider.
How he distributes those pitches may be more important than any individual offering.
During his last start on July 25, Wacha did not throw consecutive pitches of the same type to any hitter the first time through the order. He did not repeat a pitch type until the third batter of the fourth inning, after the lineup had already turned over once.
Only five hitters during the entire outing saw the same pitch type thrown back-to-back.
Wacha rarely allows a hitter to eliminate possibilities or use the previous offering as a comfortable reference point for the next one, much like Sugano.
He finished that outing with seven innings of two-run baseball despite recording only three strikeouts.
Tonight at Coors Field, it is a battle between two wily veterans who rely on location, variety and sequencing more than raw power.
For Sugano, it could be one final opportunity to work his way through a lineup in purple.
Meanwhile, Brenton Doyle returns to the fold tonight, adding another piece to an already crowded Rockies outfield. Colorado’s three biggest position-player trade pieces — Jake McCarthy, Mickey Moniak and Hunter Goodman — will bat first, second and third.
For at least one more night, they are all still in purple.
The details…
First Pitch: 6:40 p.m. MDT
TV: Rockies.TV
Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)
Royals SB Nation site:Royals Review
Lineups:
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Texas Rangers @ Houston Astros
Friday, July 31, 2026, 7:15 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Apple TV)
Daikin Park
RHP Nathan Eovaldi vs. RHP Hunter Brown
Go Rangers!
