Category: Baseball

The Mets expect Clay Holmes will return to pitch this season, but the team needs to fill plenty of starts until then. 

Without providing a firm timeline Saturday, manager Carlos Mendoza indicated the veteran right-hander will need at least six weeks for his fractured right fibula to heal before potentially beginning a full spring training buildup that would allow him to return in the second half. 

“He’s going to be down for quite a bit, but definitely we’ll see him,” Mendoza said Saturday before the Mets faced the Yankees at Citi Field. 

Holmes sustained the injury Friday night, taking Spencer Jones’ 111.1-mph line drive off his leg in the fourth inning of the Mets’ 5-2 loss to begin the Subway Series.

Holmes remained in the game to finish the fourth inning and pitch into the fifth before finally succumbing to the discomfort. 

Mendoza said he learned from the trainer in the seventh inning that Holmes had sustained the fracture. 

“We felt it,” Mendoza said. “[Friday] night was tough. We have been hit a lot this year with a lot of our superstars, with a lot of key players, but this one felt different. Today walking around the clubhouse and understanding that we lost a big part of our team and they understand the responsibility.” 

Holmes, who was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday, owns a 2.39 ERA in nine starts this season.

He became the second member of the Mets rotation that began the season (Kodai Senga is the other) to land on the IL. 

The Mets recalled reliever Joey Gerber to fill Holmes’ roster spot, but will need a starter for Wednesday in Washington.

Options include Zach Thornton, Jack Wenninger and Jonah Tong at Triple-A Syracuse.

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Internally, the Mets could stretch out Tobias Myers, who has emerged as a valuable bullpen piece. 

Mendoza confirmed Myers is a consideration, adding that it would be difficult to remove him from the bullpen because of his versatility, whether pitching in long relief, as an opener or in a save situation.

The right-hander earned his first major league save in Arizona on the Mets’ last road trip. 

The lefty Thornton impressed Mets officials during spring training and has pitched to a 3.16 ERA in seven starts for Syracuse.

In his most recent start, Thornton pitched six shutout innings Friday and aligns perfectly to start in Holmes’ spot. 

Senga, who has been sidelined for the last three weeks with lumbar spine inflammation, is set to begin throwing live batting practice in Port St. Lucie, according to Mendoza.

Sean Manaea, who has been banished to the bullpen in a mop-up role, is also part of that conversation. 

The Mets will not only miss Holmes’ right arm, but the presence he brings to the clubhouse as a veteran leader. 

“It’s a combination of a lot of things,” Mendoza said when asked to elaborate on why losing Holmes felt different than other injuries that have hit the Mets. “Not only the injury, but what Clay means to this team, not only on the field but off the field, the competitor, the person, the human, what it means to that clubhouse and what it means to the team and the rotation. That is why [Friday] felt different.”

It will be a while before we see another duo like Aaron Judge and Juan Soto in the same lineup, as they were with the Yankees two years ago.

Memories of that one-two punch rushed back Friday when the two sluggers embraced on the field during the Subway Series opener at Citi Field.

But what Judge is doing with his current left-handed teammate also has been special.

With Judge and Ben Rice seemingly going deep on a daily basis, they entered Saturday as only the second pair of teammates in franchise history to have hit at least 14 home runs in the Yankees’ first 45 games of a season.

The first?

Not Judge and Soto.

Instead, it was Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris in their famous 1961 season, when both threatened Babe Ruth’s home run record and Maris broke it.

The only other duo to have done it in the majors since 2008 was George Springer and Alex Bregman with the Astros in 2019, as they combined for 31 home runs.

They’ve done plenty of damage recently, as Rice entered Saturday with 10 home runs in his previous 23 games, while Judge had 13 in his last 31 appearances.

As Aaron Boone noted Friday, Soto remains “one of the game’s best hitters.”

Increasingly, though, it appears Rice may belong there with him.

The lefty-swinging Rice entered Saturday with an OPS of 1.092 versus left-handed pitching, nearly as lethal as the 1.109 OPS he posted against righties.

That’s quite a leap from the .752 mark against lefties from a year ago, as well as his still-impressive .860 against right-handers.

As Boone said Friday, Rice’s season thus far has been “awesome.”

“There have been really great at-bats [and] consistent at-bats from the start of the season,’’ the manager said. “He’s hitting for power [and] controlling the strike zone. He’s hit left- and right-handed pitching. He’s been one of the best hitters in the sport six or seven weeks in.”

The numbers back it up, with Rice leading the majors with a 1.104 OPS and a slugging percentage of .686, as well as the fourth-best on-base percentage (.418).

Rice is also hitting the ball harder than he did a year ago.

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He also wears the same No. 22 that Soto wore in The Bronx and still wears for the Mets.

On Friday, it was Rice — and Judge — who started the key three-run rally with two outs in the top of the third against former teammate Clay Holmes.

Rice, after losing an ABS challenge that put him down in the count, pulled a single to right before Judge followed with a base hit to the opposite field.

Cody Bellinger then came through in the cleanup spot and made the Mets pay with a run-scoring double, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. drove in two more with another double to right.

Nobody on the roster has more hits or RBIs on the season than Rice and Judge.

While they have a long way to go to match the shared production of Judge and Soto two seasons ago, Judge and Rice are off to a promising start.

The Colorado Rockies notched a close win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in a bit of an odd game where the final score doesn’t quite reflect how many runners got on in a game where both teams combined for 21 hits.

Pitchers and the defense were ultimately able to work out of trouble. Tomoyuki Sugano 菅野 智之d set the tone, the offense chipped away at Eduardo Rodriguez, and the bullpen closed things out.

Heavy traffic on the basepaths early

It was a small ball battle through the first few innings. Both teams found ways to get runners on and move them around, sometimes in wonky ways.

Sugano was able to withstand some early pressure from Arizona. Ketel Marte started things off immediately with a leadoff single to right field. Fortunately for the Rockies, Marte took off to second on a broken bat line drive from Corbin Carroll and got doubled up. After the double play, Sugano gave up another single to Geraldo Perdomo who then stole second, but Sugano ultimately worked out of the inning without any damage.

After going missing Friday, the Rockies offense came alive. The team matched the four hits they posted through all of last night in just the first inning. Better yet, baserunners were converted to runs.

Willi Castro, batting leadoff to take advantage of his strong numbers against Rodriguez, singled to center field before being moved to third on a Brenton Doyle ground rule double. TJ Rumfield singled to bring Castro home. Then, Mickey Moniak added to his team-leading 27 RBI, scoring Doyle with a bloop single out to left center.

In the second inning, Arizona cut into the lead on a weird one. After a Lourdes Gurriel Jr. double and a Jose Fernandez single put runners on first and third, the Diamondbacks went for a rare double steal. Fernandez made it safely to second and Gurriel beat the throw to steal home, notching a run.

The Rockies were able to get the run back in the bottom of the inning. Kyle Karros doubled and Jake McCarthy tried to copy that feat, but was thrown out trying for two. Nevertheless, Karros was able to speed around to home, making it a 3-1 game.

Calmer middle innings (mostly)

With all of that early traffic, both starters found themselves high in their pitch count with over 60 pitches each by the third inning. They pushed through and were able to settle things down for the next few innings.

Despite more guys finding their way on via a walk, a hit by pitch, and a single, both teams posted a scoreless third. Hunter Goodman had a fantastic defensive play to help make that happen, throwing Carroll out on an attempted steal of second. Both teams were kept in check in the fourth as well, each posting a 1-2-3 inning.

A pair of doubles from Marte and Carroll in the fifth inning got the Serpientes back on the board again, bringing the game to 3-2. Following that, the Rockies turned to the bullpen in the top of the sixth. Juan Mejia replaced Sugano, who ended his day with 5.0 innings pitched, seven hits, two earned runs, and a single strikeout.

Arizona tried to get a little more out of Rodriguez and let him start the sixth. After getting Moniak to fly out, Rodriguez was pulled for Taylor Clark. He left after 5.1 innings pitched, giving up nine hits, three earned runs, and six strikeouts.

Holding your breath with the bullpen

Mejia got off to a strong start in relief, forcing two grounders and a fly out for a quick sixth inning. Clark did the same, getting Ezequiel Tovar to pop out and Sterlin Thompson to ground out after coming in for Rodriguez.

The seventh inning was a different story for Mejia. After getting James McCann to ground out, he walked Ryan Waldschmidt and, later, Carroll. With runners on first and second with two outs, the Rockies went back to the bullpen and brought in Jaden Hill to get the last out. Hill threw a wild pitch, which moved the tying run up to third. Thankfully, Hill stayed strong and got Gurriel to ground out.

The Diamondbacks’ bullpen faced pressure from a runner in scoring position in the bottom of the inning, but escaped as well. Following a Karros groundout, McCarthy singled and stole second. He couldn’t do anything with it though, getting doubled up after a bad baserunning read on a Castro pop out to shallow right.

Aaand… exhale!

Hill pitched a wonderful eighth inning, which set things up nicely for the Rockies as things fell apart for Arizona with a rough bottom of the inning from reliever Brandyn Garcia. Garcia gave up a single, followed that up with a wild pitch and a walk, and then another single to load the bases. Moniak took one for the team, getting plunked in the ribs to take first, pushing Doyle home. Colorado took a 4-2 lead into the ninth.

Antonio Senzatela entered to close out the game and, while it didn’t come easy, he did just that. Perdomo had a great at-bat, fouling off several balls to stay alive with runners on first and second. Senza got the better of him after 10 pitches, with a deep fly ball to end the game with a win.

Final thoughts

Sugano earned the win, moving to 4-3 and bringing his ERA down to 4.02 in the process. He also notched the 150th victory of his professional career. In a postgame interview, he noted that he’s happy about it but is already focused on trying to earn his 151st win for the team.

Skipper Warren Schaeffer celebrated 150 a little more: “Isn’t that great? He’s just such the ultimate professional on a daily basis, whether he’s pitching or not… You can just tell he’s been doing it at a high-level for a long time… It’s a great milestone, well deserved.”

Antonio Senzatela was credited with his third save of the year.

Rodriguez took the loss, his first of the season, bringing him to 4-1. Schaeffer praised the team’s quick start and their ability to get to Rodriguez: “We needed that. We’ve been talking about starting things early in the game… and we did a nice job with that today.”

Up Next

The Rockies and DBacks will conclude the three game series with a Sunday afternoon rubber match.

In a battle of the Michaels, Michael Soroka is scheduled to start for Arizona while Michael Lorenzen will take the mound for the Rockies. Soroka is 5-2 in eight starts with a 3.53 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and 47 strikeouts. Lorenzen has the opposite record, going 2-5 in nine starts with a 6.55 ERA, 1.84 WHIP, and 31 strikeouts.

First pitch is set for 1:10 pm.

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Baseball players don’t get a lot of Saturdays off during the season. Cristopher Sánchez made sure that the Phillies bullpen got to enjoy a quiet day off. He also ensured that Dusty Wathan, subbing in for Don Mattingly (who was attending his son’s graduation), had a win in his first game as manager. He’s a generous fellow, and that generosity extends to his foes. He offers them as many strikeouts as they can carry.

The Phillies got off to a blazing start against Pittsburgh starter Bubba Chandler, with Trea Turner singling to right and Kyle Schwarber working the count full, then taking a pitch high for a walk. That brought Bryce Harper to the plate. He did just about everything yesterday, save for hitting a homer, and he came so close to doing that in the ninth of that thrilling affair that a referral to the replay room was needed to confirm that the ball had failed to break free of PNC Park’s verdant walls. Harper, not inclined to leave anything to chance this time around, knocked a four-seamer so far over the wall in center that no doubt was left. 3-0 Phillies before a single out was recorded.

The Buccos’ start, however, was less than boffo. Cristopher Sánchez struck out the first two Pirates, one looking, one swinging, then induced an easy groundout to conclude a thoroughly satisfying first frame for the visitors.

The second was no less satisfying. J.T. Realmuto got aboard via the free pass, as did Turner. Schwarber slapped a ball right up the first base line, scoring Realmuto; Turner scored when Pirates right fielder Jared Triolo made a throwing error (as both a Jared and a Phillies fan, my feelings on this are mixed).

The Pirates changed course as the fourth dawned, replacing Chandler with Evan Sisk, first baseman Ryan O’Hearn with Nick Yorke, then moving Triolo from right to first. Sisk walked Justin Crawford and allowed him to advance as far as third, but concluded the inning without allowing a run.

Meanwhile, Sánchez sent Bucco after Bucco to the brig. He allowed a two-out double to Bryan Reynolds in the fourth, but put Marcell Ozuna away to end the threat.

The fifth saw Alec Bohm double, and Sisk was pulled for Isaac Mattson to set up a righty-0n-righty matchup against Adolis García. The maneuver paid off, sending García down on strikes. Mattson pitched a scoreless sixth, too. The Pirates had stopped the bleeding, but still hadn’t found a way to score on Sánchez. And as the sixth closed, they still hadn’t.

Konnor Griffin knocked a Sánchez changeup right up the third base line for a leadoff double in the seventh. The Pirates thus threatened to seize some spoils from the Philadelphia coffers. But the mighty ship Sánchez is unsinkable. He induced a flyout from Reynolds, then struck out Ozuna and Yorke to ensure that Griffin stayed right where he was. A stranded runner on second isn’t quite Blackbeard’s severed head hanging at Chesapeake Bay, but it was nevertheless a powerful symbol of fear for the Pirates.

The Phillies returned to their run-scoring ways in the eighth. Pittsburgh reliever Justin Lawrence walked Justin Crawford, and a subsequent Turner double, bouncing around off the wall, gave the rookie plenty of time to score from first (not that he needs much of it, given his speed).

Sánchez came out for the eighth, and the Pirates once again put the leadoff runner on (Nick Gonzales, single). And once again, the Pirates went back to their dugout without a run to their name. Sánchez struck out the next two Pirates, bringing his total for the day to an even dozen. The next batter, Henry Davis, made loud contact as he sent a fly ball to center; against a slower fielder he would’ve had a run-scoring base hit. But Crawford is far from slow, and he chased down the ball for the out.

Sánchez took to the mound in the ninth, looking to finish his business. It took him one pitch to get the first out (groundout, Oneil Cruz). Griffin fought his way to a 3-2 count, then slapped a sinker through the left-side gap for a single. Reynolds followed his lead, sending a sinker up the first base line to put runners at the corners, one away. Ozuna went down on a foul tip, giving Sánchez a baker’s dozen of Ks, and a career high. Only Yorke separated Sánchez from the complete game shutout. He grounded to Turner, who hurled the ball to first, where it found Harper’s outstretched glove in time.

The CGSO is at risk of vanishing. Sánchez is doing yeoman’s work to get it off the endangered species list.

The Phillies, at 23-23, have reached .500 again. They’ll try to give themselves a winning record tomorrow, as Zack Wheeler takes on Paul Skenes at 1:35.

Well, it’s time to see if the Braves can win another series by taking back-to-back games. Bryce Elder, who is hopefully up to being Bryce Eldar again, faces Payton Tolle.

I really want to have some kind of riff on Tolle’s name with The Phantom Tollbooth but it gets awkward — Phaynton Tollebooth? Nah. What about just, “Time to pay the Tolle!” Ah, I’ll stick to my day job.

Friday night saw the Yankees and Mets renew the Subway Series for 2026, and it went pretty well for the Bronx half of the rivalry. Led by another good start from Cam Schlittler, the Yankees downed the Mets to take round one. However, it’s a new day, and the two teams will now face off in round two.

For the Yankees, Carlos Rodón is set to make his second start of the season. In his return from the injured list against the Brewers, he struggled a bit, especially with control, issuing five walks. The hope is that he was just shaking off a bit of rust, as his return has now become a bit more crucial with Max Fried hitting the IL himself.

While righty Huascar Brazobán will start in an opener role for the Mets, the Yankees have sent out the lefty-hitting lineup, as Paul Goldschmidt will play first base and hit cleanup — Ben Rice is DHing at leadoff — with Amed Rosario over at third base.

As mentioned, Brazobán will pitch the first inning for the Mets, but probably not much after that. He’s played the opener role in two other recent game for the Mets, with lefty David Peterson playing the “bulk guy” role in both of those games. The 2025 All-Star has taken his lumps early on in 2026, leading to his removal from the rotation and in this current position.

We hope that you’ll come join us in the game thread tonight, so here’s everything you need to know on how to catch the action.

How to watch

Location: Citi Field – Flushing, NY

First pitch: 7:15 pm ET

TV broadcast: FOX

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App 92.3 HD2 (NYM)

Streaming: MLB.tv (out-of-market only)

For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

Casey Schmitt's two-homer night a reminder why Giants want him in lineup daily originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

WEST SACRAMENTO – There’s a very real possibility that at some point this season, Casey Schmitt could be used as the Giants’ everyday left fielder, an idea that has moved closer to reality now that Heliot Ramos is on the injured list.

Manager Tony Vitello has talked sporadically about that very idea in recent weeks, with his main focus being on making sure Schmitt has a spot in San Francisco’s lineup, no matter where it is.

That’s how good Schmitt has been swinging the bat lately.

The 27-year-old was in the DH spot for Saturday’s game against the Athletics and flexed his muscle with four hits that included a pair of home runs and three RBI, leading the Giants to a 6-4 win at Sutter Health Park.

“He’s been one of our best producers for the whole year,” Vitello said. “The one thing with Ramos being out, some of those other guys are going to get what you’re asking for. I just think he keeps things really simple. He’s got a good intellect to him, but he doesn’t seem to spin his wheels in areas that there’s no point doing it.“

Schmitt’s wheels haven’t been spinning in place. When he makes contact, the ball sails as he scurries around the bases.

Saturday marked Schmitt’s second multi-home run game in MLB, leaving the utility man brimming afterward.

“I just keep the confidence in myself,” Schmitt said. “I’m not dwelling on past days or past mistakes. Every day is a new day for me. I try to keep it as simple as that.”

That approach has been working fine for Schmitt and the Giants.

Have a bad day? Turn the page and move on. Have a great day? Turn the page and move on.

“A couple days ago I struck out four times against the Dodgers, but just going in there and keeping it simple,” Schmitt explained.

Sounds easy enough, but Schmitt has bounced around the field like a ping-pong ball in the NBA lottery.

Saturday’s game was his 21st at DH. Schmitt has also spent time at first base (11), second base (2) and third base (3). He even got a brief taste of left field Friday, entering the game as a defensive replacement when Ramos got hurt.

“I’ve been shagging a lot and taking reads and stuff,” Schmitt said. “Got [into the game] yesterday. No balls.”

Whatever happens defensively, the Giants want Schmitt to remain in a comfortable spot at the plate.

“I wasn’t really trying to hit a homer. I was just trying to hit a liner, and I was able to get two in the air,” he said. “We’re going to be in a good spot. Just going out there trying to win every single game.”

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Well, well, well, if it wasn’t for those meddling Chicago Cubs and our bullpen explosion, we would have come away with a victory last night. Not even a Scooby Doo reference can dull the late innings of yesterday’s ballgame; however, the Chicago White Sox have a new game in front of them this evening, with the chance to tie the series.

Our ace, Davis Martin (5-1, 1.62 ERA, 3.89 xERA), takes the mound, and he has been outstanding. Taking a look at his Baseball Savant page he’s been the total package in overall run value, and almost exclusively throws strikes:

Even more importantly, he’s been a steady veteran presence with the power to right the ship whenever it has veered off-course. During last night’s broadcast, Mike Vasil was glowing about Martin and showed deep admiration for Davis’ routine and purpose behind every action he takes on and off the bump. If I can add one recommendation to the routine, if not already implemented: Let’s not give the Cubs anything tonight.

Sharing the mound, Jameson Taillon (2-2, 3.94 ERA, 4.21 xERA) notches the start for the Bad Guys. Like Martin, Taillon has also only given up three earned runs in his last two starts. Unlike Martin, Taillon has a hard time missing barrels:

Tonight is the perfect opportunity for the Sox power hitters, especially, to feast off Taillon. If they can hold up against the breaking ball, there’s a good chance the bottom half of the scoreboard will be full of runs.

Looking to the Sox lineup, Will Venable has really solidified his starting nine against right-handed pitchers:

Munetaka Murakami (15 homers) looks to break his slump and add to his home run total, while Miguel Vargas (10) and Colson Montgomery (12) look to homer in back-to-back games.

The North Siders will put out their starting nine like so:

Miguel Amaya starts at catcher, leaving Carson Kelly and last night’s four RBIs on the bench.

Game two of this three-game set between the Good Guys and Bad Guys starts at 6:10 p.m. CT on CHSN and ESPN 1000. Let’s even up the series!

TODAY’S GAME: The Houston Astros (18-28) will continue their seven-game homestand today as they look to win the second of a three game series against the rival Texas Rangers (21-23).

Astros starter RHP Kai-Wei Teng (1-3, 3.12 ERA), who tossed his fifth straight quality start his last time out, will oppose RHP Jacob deGrom(3-2, 2.62 ERA) and the Rangers in the second game of the series .

ABOUT TENG: RHP Kai-Wei Teng is still making the transition to the rotation. He threw three clean innings last time out before losing steam in the fourth inning. According to Joe Espada, they are hoping he can get to 75 pitches in tonight’s game.

ABOUT DEGROM: Jacob deGrom has an 99-67 career record with a 2.57 ERA in 1584.1. career innings. He holds a 1-2 record against the Astros with a 3.70 ERA in 24.1 innings.

VS. TEXAS: The Astros and Rangers are playing their first series of 2026. Today’s game marks the second game of the annual Silver Boot Series with the Silver Boot going to the team with the most victories. Tonight’s contest will be the 301th game between these two teams as the series is deadlocked at a perfect 150-150. The Astros retained the Silver Boot last season by winning seven games in 13 tries.

HOT SPAGHETTI: Last night’s Astros starter RHP Spencer Arrighetti made his season debut on April 15 and has since gone 5-1 with a 1.50 ERA (6ER/36IP) and a .176 opponent average in six starts…among all AL pitchers with at least 35.0 innings, Arrighetti ranks second in ERA (1.88) and third in opponent average (.176), and despite making his first three starts at the Triple A level, Arrighetti ranks tied for third in the AL in wins (5).

ARMED FORCES DAY: Today in honor of Armed Forces Appreciation Weekend, a ceremonial first pitch, made possible by Houston Area Chevy Dealers, will be thrown out by former U.S. Navy Petty Officer Mark Tyson…Tyson completed two Western Pacific deployments to the Persian Gulf in 2000 and 2002, and supported major operations including Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Southern Watch. For his dedicated service and sacrifice, he was award­ed numerous military honors.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Saturday, May 16, 6:10 p.m. CT

Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX

TV: Space City Home Network

Streaming: SCHN+

Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

Astros

2B Jose Altuve

2B Isaac Paredes

DH Yordan Alvarez

1B Christian Walker

SS Braden Shewmake

CF Brice Matthews

RF Zach Cole

LF Zach Dezenzo

C Christian Vazquez

Rangers

DH Joc Pederson

RF Brandon Nimmo

3B Josh Jung

CF Evan Carter

SS Ezequiel Duran

LF Alejandro Osuna

1B Jake Burger

C Danny Jansen

2B Justin Foscue

Reinforcements are on the way for an Astros roster ravaged by injuries through the first 46 games of the season.

Jeremy Peña, Jake Meyers, and Nate Pearson could rejoin the Astros next week while Josh Hader and Hunter Brown continue to progress in their rehabs, Astros manager Joe Espada said before Saturday’s game against the Texas Rangers.

Peña and Meyers were in the starting lineup for Double-A Corpus Christi against Amarillo on Saturday, and Pearson is scheduled to pitch for Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday in Tacoma.

If all goes well, Espada said all three could be available at some point during the Astros three-game series in Minneapolis, which starts on Monday night. 

Peña, on the IL since April 12 with a grade one hamstring strain, went 0 for 5 on Friday night in the second game of his rehab assignment. He did not play on Wednesday or Thursday after leaving Tuesday’s game following a collision at second base.

Meyers, who landed on the IL with a right oblique strain on April 9, has gone hitless in his first two rehab games.

Pearson has appeared in six minor league games in his recovery from elbow surgery. His velocity got up to 101.3 MPH on Tuesday.

While their returns are not imminent, Josh Hader and Hunter Brown continue to progress in their rehabs.

Hader won’t be ready to come off the IL when he’s eligible on May 24, but Espada said he’ll only need five more rehab outings as he continues what is essentially his spring training ramp-up.

The Astros lefty struck out two in a scoreless inning for Corpus Christi on Friday. Hader was off for two days between his last two rehab appearances, and the final step will be pitching on back-to-back days. 

Brown, who isn’t eligible to return until June 1, will throw a live BP on Tuesday. He will start a rehab assignment shortly after, if all goes well. 

The Astros entered Saturday’s game with 14 players on the injured list.  

Roki Sasaki isn’t losing his job in the Dodgers’ rotation anytime soon.

But whether he can find his old self remains another, much more consequential question.

It was only a couple weeks ago that Sasaki seemed to be in survival mode — both on the mound and the Dodgers’ roster.

Early this year, he couldn’t command his pitches. He wasn’t getting deep into starts. And though he had managed to avoid many disasters, his place on the club seemed tenuous at best.

In recent weeks, however, circumstances have changed.

The Dodgers lost Tyler Glasnow (back spasms) and Blake Snell (loose bodies in his elbow) to the injured list. They went from having a looming rotation crunch (in which either Sasaki or Emmet Sheehan seemed likely to be demoted) to a sudden lack of big-league rotation depth.

Against that backdrop, Sasaki has also shown some encouraging signs. In each of his last three outings, he has pitched into the sixth inning. And while his ERA remains close to 6.00, he has been able to better attack the strike zone and cut down on his walks.

Because of that, manager Dave Roberts has praised the progress he believes the supposed phenom is making. Sasaki said his last couple games are as good as he has felt all season.

Alas, the 24-year-old right-hander is still nowhere near where he wants to be.

“Not at all,” he acknowledged in Japanese after a five-plus-inning, three-run start against the Giants last week. “I think I’m pretty far.”

Such is the duality facing Sasaki ahead of his next outing on Sunday against the Angels and entering what figures to be a critical stretch of the season for himself and the team.

He has proved he can at least survive at the MLB level. He remains better than any currently available rotation alternative the Dodgers could turn to.

But becoming the Cy Young-caliber talent that he was billed as when he first arrived from Japan? That remains a long-term, and still uncertain, work in progress.

“To me, it feels as if I’ve already taken a lot of time,” Sasaki said last week. “The situation has been painful … All I can do is aim for that and build toward it.”

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The absence of Glasnow (who will be out for at least a couple more weeks) and Snell (who will likely be sidelined for the next 2-3 months) means greater responsibility is set to fall to him; to pitch deeper into games, to do better at preventing runs, and to be more than someone simply trying to cling to a roster spot.

“Whether it comes right away or gradually is something I don’t even know,” Sasaki said. “I imagine what I want to be and work my way backward from that. If I stop that process, then it’s over. As long as I have a chance, I have to continue to progress.”

The good news is that ingredients for such success have begun to show themselves. Sasaki has made significant strides with his fastball command over the last month, going from nearly seven walks per nine innings in his first three outings to just six total free passes in his last 20 ⅔ frames. The addition of a new, harder splitter to complement his trademark, but difficult-to-control, forkball has also been seen by club officials as a positive.

“Roki’s certainly doing his part,” Roberts said last week.

Sasaki’s next challenge will be limiting hard contact (he has the fourth-highest home run rate among any pitcher with at least 30 innings this year) and maintaining his stuff deeper into starts (in two of his last three outings, he pushed into the sixth inning but was removed before recording another out).

If he does that, it could help alleviate the Dodgers’ sudden injury problems and lessen the strain it figures to place on their bullpen.

If he can’t, then his admittedly “painful” growth process will continue, at precisely the time the Dodgers need more out of him.

First Pitch: 6:10 pm CDT
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN / WCCO 830 / The Wolf 102.9 FM / Audacy

The Twins aren’t actually THAT far below .500, but when a Friday night home game feels like a road trip, “core” players are being optioned to Triple-A, and the Chicago White Sox are above you in the standings, it’s hard not to feel a little pessimistic. Minnesota’s third-place position is emblematic of the American League Central’s reputation, as well as the general stature of a 2026 American League which features four teams with winning records.

Still, the Twins are coming off consecutive series wins, and still have a chance to win their Rivalry Weekend matchup with the Milwaukee Brewers. On top of that, they’ll be able to see if Connor Prielipp can sustain his early-career success; he enters his fifth major-league start having allowed only 12 hits in 19 innings, including a one-hit performance against the Seattle Mariners and a three-hit outing against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Brew Crew will send out righty Logan Henderson, in his second big-league season after a cup of coffee with the Brewers in 2025. Henderson rocks a four-seamer on the slow side, as well as a changeup with decent early returns and a cutter/slider combo to round things out.

Quick day-to-day injury update:

GO TWINS GO!

Chad Tracy hasn’t exactly shaken things up since taking charge of the Red Sox. But, my god, this man does love him some Mickey Gasper.

Gasper and his ‘stache will once again bat second tonight, and this time he’ll do so as the catcher instead of the DH. That’s not the craziest call in the world when you consider that he’s had plenty of experience with tonight’s starter, Payton Tolle.

If you were wondering whether Marcelo Mayer would claim the shortstop spot in Trevor Story’s absence, keep wondering. He’s back at second tonight with Andruw Monasterio slotting in at short. And check it out: a Masataka Yoshida sighting. They’ll take on Bryce Harper Dallas Howard Elder, who, oh yeah, leads baseball in ERA this year. Let’s see if the Red Sox can outscore the New England Revolution.

First Pitch: 7:15 PM

TV: NESN

San Diego Padres (26-18) at Seattle Mariners (22-24), May 16, 2026, 4:15 p.m. PST

Watch: FOX/MLB.TV Free Game of the Day

Location: T-Mobile Park – Seattle, Wash.

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

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