Category: Baseball

The Colorado Rockies are a team in the midst of a rebuild. With this in mind, the staff at Purple Row thought it would be useful to revisit the “State of the Position” series that we ran in March to see where things stand. We’ve asked authors of the spring articles to re-evaluate their earlier remarks with an eye toward the August 3 trade deadline.

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Where things stood pre-season

In March, the Rockies handed the starting third base job to Kyle Karros. At the time I wrote the following about where the position looked to be headed for the club:

What you think about the Rockies third base situation almost entirely depends on what you think of Kyle Karros.

Do you buy into his minor league performance and hot spring? Well, then maybe by next year we’ll all be saying that the Rockies have the position locked down for the foreseeable future.

Do you think the scouting reports and his month of play in the bigs last year are more indicative of the player he’ll be long term? In that case, third base (unless Ryan Ritter happens to break out) is in for a transitional period that may well last a couple full years.

With 93 games under his belt in 2026, has Karros done enough to quell that uncertainty?

For Karros, 2026 began the same as 2025 ended

The first two months of the 2026 season showcased the same player profile that he’d had during his debut last season. This profile was built around three pillars:

Good plate discipline

Karros’ calling card offensively last season had been his plate discipline. Even when he has struggled to impact the ball, his chase% on pitches outside the zone has maintained around 24%, good for 80th percentile in the league this season. This lack of chase was on full display in March and April when Karros earned a great 16.1 walk percentage.

The discipline is also the reason Karros is able to work deep into counts. The inevitability of another Karros 3-2 count has become a running joke in game threads here at Purple Row. In terms of pitches seen per plate appearance, Karros ranks 24th in all of MLB at 4.08, which is comfortably the highest among Rockies hitters.

Solid defense

In terms of defense, Karros has continued to look like a capable defender at the hot corner. There have been some signs that he is maybe not quite as good with the glove as his limited sample in 2025 indicated — he’s earned fewer defensive runs saved and is committing errors at a higher rate than last season — but his overall defensive value is still calculated by FanGraphs to be among the top ten qualified third baseman in MLB this year.

Poor quality of contact

The league average isolated power this season is .158. Through April, Karros’ ISO was only .065, which was only marginally better than the .051 that he’d managed in 2025 after reaching the majors. Through the start of the 2026 season, this lack of being able to do damage when he made contact had been the persistent downfall of his short big league career.

The lack of quality contact was so severe that it threatened to act as an anchor to Karros’ entire offensive profile. In March and April, his overall wRC+ (a stat that weights total offensive performance with one hundred being league average) was an abysmal 63 despite his great walk percentage.

Changes at the plate have led to impressive results

Karros had entered the season trying not to overreact to his poor hitting performance after his big league debut in 2025. As April came to a close and he continued to struggle to make productive contact at the plate, it became clear that his current approach wasn’t working and adjustments were needed.

To understand the adjustments that Karros made, we need to look at his swing from early April:

Compare that to his swing from just before the All-Star break:

At the start of the season, his stance was closed off and upright, but is now much more open and tensed. His leg kick timing mechanism has not changed much, but the starting position of the front foot has shifted dramatically further back in the box. This leads to a more crouched stance and a more explosive hip rotation as he unloads his swing.

Corresponding with these mechanical adjustments has been one specific major change in his peripherals: Hard Hit %

Karros adopted his new batting stance in mid-May, roughly when his Hard Hit % was bottoming out. Since then, it has climbed significantly above league average and has, so far, stayed there.

This sudden ability to access more of his power has not just been theoretical but has correlated with an obvious surge in his results at the plate.

• March/April: .207/.330/.272 with a 63 wRC+
• May: .225/.295/.380 with a 73 wRC+
• June: .357/.444/.586 with a 166 wRC+
• July: .289/.385/.644 with a 164 wRC+

This version of Karros looks like a genuine force to be reckoned with in a major league lineup. The question is this: Can he sustain it for more than six weeks’ worth of games?

We won’t know until the games are played, but this is a stark increase in production backed up by a noticeable change in his underlying metrics which can be explained by a visible process adjustment. Outside of a larger sample size, this is everything you would want to see to begin to believe a player had made a potentially lasting improvement.

It would be foolhardy to assume that Karros is going to be able to sustain a 160 wRC+ forever, but he never needed to be an all-star-level hitter to become a fixture in this lineup.

His established foundation of good plate discipline and defense meant that he didn’t need to improve his quality of contact that much in order to become a quality major league starter. He has now done that and shown a tantalizing glimpse of what the best-case scenario for him going forward could be.

The organizational depth beyond Karros

As with many positions in this series, the second option at third base has proven to be Willi Castro.

Castro has provided flexibility for the club with his ability to play capable (if not smooth) defense anywhere, including third base. He has gotten full-time at-bats and has managed to hit .260/.331/.378 with an 85 wRC+. That’s not the offensive output of a star but is enough to comfortably fit into the back third of a lineup given his defensive abilities.

Even if Castro is not dealt at this year’s trade deadline, which is very possible, his time in purple is not expected to extend particularly far into the future, as his current contract expires at the end of 2027.

When Castro departs, the players in the minors that could eventually be looked at to either fill in for Karros (or replace him should he regress) would be:

• Ryan Ritter: Having battled injuries, Ritter has only managed to play in 34 games at Triple-A so far this season. In his limited time on the field, he’s hit respectably and produced a 106 wRC+ for the Isotopes.
• Wilder Dalis (No. 24 PuRP): The surface level production during his second run at Low-A has looked even better than his initial cup of coffee at the level late last season. His 25.6% strikeout rate remains a cautionary flag considering the level.
• Ethan Hedges (No. 29 PuRP): As a 22-year-old in High-A, Hedges’ decent but not great offensive performance this year has not been encouraging. Just like Dalis, his high strikeout rate in the low minors will need to be monitored.
• Ethan Holliday (No. 2 PuRP): In 33 games to start the season at Low-A, Holliday was starting to show signs of why he was so highly thought of prior to the 2025 draft. Like Dalis and Hedges, his strikeout rate being in the mid-to-high twenties is concerning, but everything else had been clicking for him before his season ending injury.
• Kamuel Villar & Eriel Dihigo: Two recent international amateur signings for the Rockies, both Villar and Dihigo are hitting very well in their first season in the Complex League at ages 18 and 19 respectively. Neither yet has much public scouting hype but are worth keeping an eye on to see how they progress.

Other than Ritter, there aren’t really any third base prospects waiting in the wings in the high minors. It will be a couple of seasons before anyone currently expected to have a real shot at being a starting-caliber third base replacement is ready to hit the majors should Karros’ hot summer turn out to be a mirage.

Closing thoughts

Just like before the season started, the Rockies third base situation comes down to what you think about Karros. The difference now is that he has given much more reason to believe in his offensive upside.

Given his torrid pace post-swing change, Karros has solidified himself as the Rockies starting third baseman through the start of the 2027 season. Even if he were to slump for the rest of this year, the position would still be his to lose going into next spring. Beyond the start of next year, however, nothing is guaranteed. Karros will need to continue to perform to keep his spot but he would need to struggle quite a bit to lose it, given that there are not any in house options banging down the door to take it from him at the moment.

Karros has earned a leash long enough to be, at minimum, a bridge between Ryan McMahon and the next franchise third baseman for the Rockies. It has, however, become a very real possibility that he may be able to simply take up that mantle of franchise third baseman for himself.

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There are moments in life when you have to stop and ask yourself, “How in the world did I get here?”

Walking into the Pennsylvania Convention Center last Saturday morning with an official MLB media credential hanging around my neck was one of those moments.

Four years ago, I wasn’t writing about baseball. I wasn’t interviewing players. I certainly wasn’t traveling across the country to cover one of Major League Baseball’s biggest events.

Yet there I was, representing South Side Sox at the 2026 MLB draft.

Sometimes, dreams really do come true.

When the White Sox secured the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft back in December, my first thought wasn’t about covering the event. I simply wanted to attend.

For the past several years, I’ve helped our South Side Sox staff prepare for the draft. I’ve spent countless hours researching prospects, helping build our draft coverage, and writing about the White Sox farm system as part of our minor league recap team. Getting the chance to see the first overall selection in person felt like something every baseball fan should experience at least once.

After all, the White Sox hadn’t held the first overall pick in nearly 50 years. The last time it happened, I was only five years old. I don’t remember the draft, and honestly, I don’t remember much about baseball at all from that age.

So why not make the trip?

Then another thought crept into my head.

What if I didn’t go as a fan?

What if I went as a member of the media?

It felt almost ridiculous to even consider. Would MLB approve someone like me? Would SB Nation even want to pursue credentials?

Still, if I’ve learned anything over the last few years, it’s that the only guaranteed “no” is the one you never ask.

So I asked Brett.

He immediately thought it was worth pursuing, and together we submitted a credential request through SB Nation. A few weeks before the draft, I received the email I’d been hoping for.

Approved.

Suddenly, this wasn’t just a vacation. This was an assignment.

Even better, my son Sage was able to come with me. That made the trip even more special.

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I was excited, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous.

SoxFest back in January had been my first experience interviewing players and networking with other members of the media. That event suddenly felt very small compared to this.

This was Major League Baseball. The commissioner would be there. Front-office executives would be there. The newest generation of baseball stars would be there … or so I thought.

Preparation became everything.

Knowing that writing a polished breaking story from scratch wasn’t yet one of my strengths, I decided to do as much work as possible before leaving Illinois. Roch Cholowsky, Grady Emerson and Vahn Lackey had clearly separated themselves as the leading candidates for the White Sox’s first pick, so I spent the week researching all three.

By the time I boarded the plane, most of each story had already been written. My goal was simple: once the pick was announced, I could quickly add the unique details from the draft and publish a complete story.

It felt like the perfect plan.

Sage and I flew a red-eye to Philadelphia Thursday night, arriving early Friday morning.

I wanted an extra day to familiarize myself with the city, pick up my credentials, find the convention center, and simply get comfortable before everything started.

Mission accomplished.

Sleep, however, was in short supply Friday night. Part excitement. Part anticipation. Part anxiety.

Saturday morning finally arrived, and after making our way to the Pennsylvania Convention Center, I had one small panic trying to figure out exactly where the draft was being held.

Eventually, I found the media section and immediately spotted a familiar face.

Ryan McGuffey, senior vice president of content and co-founder of The REKAP, was sitting in the front row with an empty seat beside him.

I introduced myself, sat down, and my nerves disappeared almost instantly.

Ryan couldn’t have been more welcoming. For a while, it didn’t feel like I was attending one of baseball’s biggest events. It simply felt like two White Sox fans talking baseball.

MLB deserves credit for the presentation. The room looked fantastic. Everywhere you looked, there were draft logos, banners, digital displays, rally towels, and energetic music filling the room. It looked every bit like a major professional sporting event.

But as draft time approached, whispers began circulating throughout the media seating: Not a single player projected to go in the first 40 selections was actually there.

As the draft unfolded, commissioner Rob Manfred simply walked to the podium, announced each selection, a pre-recorded highlight package played, and then everyone moved on to the next pick.

No emotional walk across the stage.

No jersey presentation.

No hat ceremony.

No interviews with the newest members of each organization.

Nothing.

Compared to the NFL, NBA or NHL drafts, it felt surprisingly impersonal.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t just the players who were absent. Because the White Sox were playing later that afternoon and hosting their Alumni Home Run Derby in Chicago, no members of the front office were available in Philadelphia, either.

In fact, covering the biggest White Sox draft selection in decades were just three of us: Ryan McGuffey, Connor McKnight of CHSN and me.

As someone hoping to challenge myself as a reporter, that was disappointing.

There were no interviews to conduct. No behind-the-scenes conversations. No opportunity to ask questions that readers watching from home couldn’t hear for themselves.

It felt like a missed opportunity — not just for the media, but for the fans who had traveled from around the country expecting something more interactive than what amounted to a televised announcement with free T-shirts and rally towels.

But sometimes the story you expect isn’t the story you get. And maybe that’s OK.

Because when I look back on the weekend, I won’t remember what the draft lacked.

I’ll remember spending three days talking baseball and spending time with one of my favorite people in the world.

I’ll remember sitting in the media section wearing a credential that, just a few years ago, I never imagined I’d have.

I’ll remember realizing how much my life has changed since Brett asked me about writing about baseball in August 2022, with absolutely no journalism background.

That’s the real story.

Not who the White Sox drafted first overall. Not what MLB could have done better.

The real story is that a fan who simply loved baseball took a chance on herself, worked hard, found an incredible community at South Side Sox, and one day found herself covering an official Major League Baseball event.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last four years, it’s this:

Don’t be afraid to ask.

Don’t be afraid to chase opportunities that seem out of reach.

And don’t let anyone tell you your dreams can’t come true.

Sometimes, if you’re willing to put yourself out there, they actually do.

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Whether by conscious choice or roster-building happenstance, one of the stanchions of the Rocco Baldelli Minnesota Twins regime was a veteran leader on the offense.

From 2019-2021, Nelson Cruz was cast in that role and about as effective as could have possibly been hoped for—headlining the ‘19 Bomba Squad and presenting a countenance on and off the field that was easy to aspire to.

From 2022-2025, the clubhouse leadership role was passed to surprising free-agent signing Carlos Correa—producing more controversial results. Because of his postseason success with the Houston Astros, C-4 was certainly looked upon as a veteran presence and acted accordingly. While some eventually warmed to his style, valid criticisms remained of his potential sign-stealing past, the way in which he mentored young players, and his willingness to jump ship back to south Texas at the first sign of strife.

However one feels about Correa’s departure, it left the Twins without an established offensive presence. Pablo Lopez—and now perhaps even two-time All-Star Joe Ryan—have the hurlers covered, but their meetings, schedule, and mentality are completely different from those of the batsmen.

Two logical figures to inherit the clubhouse leader tag would be Byron Buxton (for his talent) or Josh Bell (for his experience). While I’m sure Buck is a wonderful teammate and his talent puts him at A-1 on the roster, his countenance seems more Joe Mauer-esque in the sense of being more quiet and laid-back. Bell’s transience on this roster probably prevents too many proclamations from him as well.

There are of course many different ways to lead—and some guys likely need more leadership than others. Off the top of my head, I’d posit that the likes of Kody Clemens (thanks to a famous MLB Papa) & Brooks Lee (son of a notable college coach) need less hands-on role models than the average major leaguer.

But what about Royce Lewis, Matt Wallner, Luke Keaschall, Austin Martin, Tristan Gray, or Ryan Kreidler? I don’t know as much about their “backstories”, but perhaps a “been there, done that” MLB offensive player could model the consistency needed to stick in The Show?

This is to say nothing of the potential value to the “next wave”—Culpepper, Rodriguez, Jenkins, Tait, Houston, etc.—of Twins prospects who have yet to experience the daily grind of MLB.

I know this organization may have “bigger fish to fry” at the moment with some complicated trade deadline scenarios to sort through. But with one wave of prospects seemingly giving way to another, it might be time to at least begin thinking about who can provide the solid leadership to make it all gel together in the bottoms of Target Field innings.

Meet the Mets

The Mets looked good in a win over the Phillies in their first game back from the All-Star break, a game that was played amid the ominous wildfire haze that worsened as the evening progressed. Francisco Alvarez hit a pair of home runs in the victory.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, New York Daily News, New York Post, The Athletic

Juan Soto left the win early with calf soreness, but the team doesn’t expect him to miss any time.

Laura Albanese writes that MLB put players at risk by playing the game in the unhealthy air.

Players felt some effects of the wildfire smoke.

Chelsea Janes reports that the Mets’ sale ahead of the August 3 trade deadline is very much on, noting that the team will listen to offers on anyone other than Soto, Carson Benge, A.J. Ewing, Christian Scott, and Nolan McLean.

With Francisco Lindor’s name missing from that list, Jon Heyman reports that it’s a long shot that the Mets would actually trade him.

Anthony DiComo looks at where Brett Baty and Francisco Alvarez stand heading toward the deadline.

With the Mets’ 2026 season clearly going nowhere, we can all hope for better times as we look at the team’s 2027 schedule.

Clay Holmes is getting closer to beginning a rehab assignment.

Danny Abriano looked at the likelihood of a bunch of specific Mets players being traded ahead of the deadline.

Juan Soto and Mr. Met appear in a new Spider-Man commercial.

Here’s how the Mets—and the Yankees—are faring under the ABS system.

Speaking of both New York teams, attendance was up in baseball in the first half, but it wasn’t up for either of them.

Before their game last night, the Mets reinstated Marcus Semien from the injured list and DFA’d Zack Short.

Around the National League East

The Nationals traded Robert Hassell III to the Pirates after he cleared waivers.

Here’s the Braves’ 2027 schedule.

The Marlins have officially signed their first-round pick.

Around Major League Baseball

The Reds and 23-year-old starting pitcher Chase Burns have agreed to a seven-year, $105 million deal.

There aren’t any Mets on these starting pitcher power rankings from MLB.com.

If you want a good laugh, multiple major league teams were using generative AI to make decisions in the dugout until the league did them a favor and banned it.

Ken Rosenthal took a look at the upcoming trade deadline.

After looking like a bust, Jordan Walker is having a significant breakout year.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Vas Drimalitis previewed the Mets’ three-game series in Philadelphia.

Allison McCague gave us the latest installment of our pitcher meter.

If you needed a reminder of just how great Francisco Lindor has been in his time with the Mets, well, I had you covered.

This Date in Mets History

The Mets put together an 11-run inning against the Cubs on this date of their fantastic 2006 season.

Good morning. Gabe Lacques reports that several of today’s games are threatened by bad air from smoke from Canadian wildfires. This includes tonight’s Cubs game. I assume those of you in the Chicago area already know this.

• Jesse Rogers got some unprecedented access to the White Sox draft room and the debate that ended up with the White Sox taking Roch Cholowsky with the first pick. Now I suppose that Rogers wasn’t given access to any proprietary information, but it is striking how much their internal debate mimicked the debates I’ve seen online.
• Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo have the best value picks from each round of the Draft.
• There are a lot of “draft recap” articles and I’m sure if your interested, you know how to find them. But for those with a more limited interest, this draft recap from Kiley McDaniel is pretty concise and informative.
• And the MLB Pipeline crew have their favorite pick for each team.
• Most international players are signed as free agents and don’t go through the Draft, but Canadians, Puerto Ricans and foreign players who go to US universities are subject to the draft. Michael Clair has the ten most interesting of these “foreign” draftees.
• Moving ahead to the second half. A preview of every team in the second half from ESPN dot com.
• Jake Mintz has the six biggest storylines for the second half.
• Mike Axisa has some bold predictions for the second half.
• The CBS Sports dot com baseball team offer their predictions for who will win the divisions, Wild Cards and World Series.
• Russell Dorsey has the 25 best players who could be traded by the Trade Deadline.
• The Mets are telling teams that everyone but five players are available for trade. Chelsea Janes reports.
• The top need for every club in the trade market.
• Each team’s biggest trade chip for the Deadline.
• Why it has become so difficult to make big deals at the Trade Deadline lately. (The Athletic sub. req.) It took four writers at The Athletic to write this one.
• Will Leitch has five teams under make-or-break pressure over the next two weeks. Meaning if they win over the next two weeks, their front office is buying. If they lose, they’re selling.
• Phillies (and former Cubs) reliever Brad Keller has a torn UCL and is out for the season.
• Paul Casella looks at how the Phillies bullpen and Trade Deadline plans are affected by the Keller injury.
• Athletics general manager David Forst spoke to the media about the A’s approach to the Deadline and the second half.
• The Reds have locked up young ace Chase Burns to a seven-year, $105 million extension.
• The Nationals traded outfielder Robert Hassell III to the Pirates for cash considerations. Hassell was the top prize the Nats got in the Juan Soto deal a few years ago. Although the Nats also got James Wood and CJ Abrams in the deal, so they came out OK.
• The Astros traded pitchers Lance McCullers Jr. and Colton Gordon to the Brewers for minor leaguer Jayden Fielder.
• Jayson Stark tried to do his Weird and Wild column for the All-Star Game. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Buster Olney said that the MLB All-Star game is in a “fragile state.”
• The audience for the Home Run Derby, exclusively on Netflix, was the lowest since 2003.
• Michael Baumann has respect for the Philly fans turning the All-Star Week into booing festival.
• Jeff Passan looks at all the issues complicating MLB players involvement in the 2028 Olympics.
• Katie Woo profiles Home Run Derby winner and Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker as he has gone from prospect bust to budding star. (The Athletic sub. req.) Development is not always linear.
• Davy Andrews looks at how Giants second baseman Luis Arraez has become a better hitter by making less contact. Arraez has also slightly altered his launch angle, which has also been a net positive.
• Brent Maguire has the nastiest pitches of the first half. Hey! There’s Ben Brown’s curve!
• Kiri Oler has an appreciation of Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber.
• Jason Foster remembers how a second-half surge in 1991 by the Braves not only led to an NL Pennant, but 35 years of dominance.
• MLB announced the schedule for 2026 with the earliest Opening Day ever.
• Jason Schwartz asks why Red Sox owner John Henry won’t talk to the media. Not even the Boston Globe, which he owns.
• MLB is limiting how iPads can be used in the dugout. (The Athletic free reg. req.) This is mostly a way of stopping AI use. Eno Sarris reports.
• Gabe Lacques notes the hypocrisy of MLB’s concerns about the safety of players from disgruntled gamblers and the way they continue to collect money from these gambling outlets.
• Juan Soto is a big fan of Spider-Man in this new ad for the new Spider-Man film.

Juan Soto (and Mr. Met!) starred in a new Spider-Man commercial 👀

The world may no longer know the man behind the mask, but Soto and New York still have love for Spidey 🕸️ pic.twitter.com/AGyw1TgCfq

— MLB (@MLB) July 16, 2026

• And finally, Alessandra Schade has the story of how a teacher from Highland Park brought back the beloved 90’s video game Backyard Baseball.

Diamondbacks News

(SI.com) D-backs Give New Injury Updates on Zac Gallen, Tommy Troy and More

“Gallen, we’re continuing to evaluate,” Lovullo said. “He is waiting for other opinions from other doctors. So we’ll just keep putting that off until we get everything complete.”

Second opinions are often an inauspicious sign. That very process sometimes indicates a more serious injury can be the case, though it is certainly not a guarantee Gallen is destined for Tommy John surgery or anything similar.

(Arizona Sports) Report: Diamondbacks to call up 1B Tyler Locklear from Triple-A Reno

The Arizona Diamondbacks are recalling first baseman Tyler Locklear from Triple-A Reno, according to azcentral’s Nick Piecoro.

Piecoro added that Locklear will be taking the roster spot previously occupied by outfielder Tommy Troy, who was placed on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday with a sprained right AC joint.

(AZ Central) The plan for newly promoted Diamondbacks first baseman Tyler Locklear

Locklear had elbow and shoulder surgeries, was forced to miss spring training while he healed and was buried on the proverbial first base depth chart behind Pavin Smith, José Fernandez, Carlos Santana, Vargas and LuJames Groover.

But now, Smith, Fernandez and Groover are in the minors, Santana is no longer on the roster and Vargas has more of a utility role. An injury to outfielder Tommy Troy that landed him on the 10-day injured list on July 15 opened the door for Locklear to be called up from Triple-A Reno, and Locklear was in Phoenix on Thursday.

(SI.com) How Corbin Carroll Is Still Impacting Diamondbacks Despite Ugly Slump

At the same time, the at-bats have looked rough. After scorching-hot months of April and May, his production tailed a little in June, but he’s fallen into a .100/.250/.150 July. He’s swinging and missing at fastballs down the middle and struggling to make hard contact.

In all likelihood, Carroll will pull himself out of this slump at some point. He’s done so before and come out looking as good as he ever has. But Carroll has graduated beyond the type of player whose impact ends when he walks off the playing field.

(Burn City Sports) What are the key dates for the Diamondbacks’ 2027 MLB schedule?

The release of a Major League Baseball schedule rarely generates the same excitement as a blockbuster trade or a free-agent signing. Yet for the Arizona Diamondbacks, the 2027 schedule tells a much bigger story than simply who they’ll play and when.

Beginning the season with consecutive road series against National League West rivals, the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants, before returning to Chase Field for their home opener against the Miami Marlins, will surely be a tough test for the D-backs. From there, the competition only intensifies. Early meetings with divisional powers, established American League contenders, and National League playoff hopefuls create one of the season’s toughest opening stretches.

MLB News

(Engadget) MLB bans using dugout iPads for AI-powered in-game strategy calls

It appears the urge to turn all critical thinking over to AI has not escaped Major League Baseball teams. Regular baseball viewers have become accustomed to seeing players and staff huddled around tablets in the dugout. The expectation is that the devices are used for reviewing performance and maybe crunching last-minute stats, but apparently MLB officials have intervened to prevent teams from using the hardware for running generative AI. League officials have taken the unusual step of making a mid-season policy change to crack down on the use of custom apps that would take over “recommendations regarding substitutions, pitch calling, and other in-game decisions traditionally made by players and coaches.”

(ESPN) MLB set for earliest Opening Day in 2027, if there is a season

Major League Baseball is set to have its earliest Opening Day next year on March 24 except for any international games — if there is an Opening Day.

MLB said Thursday that its 2027 season will start with a single game to be televised that night by Netflix. The teams have not been chosen.

(NBC Sports) Phillies reliever Brad Keller out for season with torn UCL, surgery possible

Phillies reliever Brad Keller is expected to miss the rest of this season — and possibly more — with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.

Keller was placed on the 15-day injured list Thursday and said he will seek a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister, a top specialist, before making a determination about surgery.

If the right-hander requires Tommy John surgery, he likely would miss most if not all of the 2027 season as well.

(ESPN) Sources: Chase Burns, Reds reach 7-year, $105M extension

Burns, 23, in his first full season with the Reds, is 11-1 with a 2.54 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 102⅔ innings. Featuring one of the best sliders in baseball and a fastball that averages 97.9 mph, the second hardest of any big league starter, Burns has emerged as a potential future Cy Young Award winner.

The deal, which buys out two of Burns’ free agent years, has no club options and runs through 2033. It is the largest ever for a pitcher who has yet to reach arbitration and the third-biggest contract in Reds history behind extensions given to Joey Votto (10 years, $225 million) and Ken Griffey Jr. (nine years, $116.5 million).

(Sporting News) Phillies’ air quality update raises health, visibility concerns during Mets game tonight on ESPN after changed start time

The Phillies are hosting the New York Mets on Thursday night to return from the All-Star Break, but the game had its start time changed quite late in the day in hopes of beating the worst AQI (Air Quality Index).

A scheduled 7:10 p.m. first pitch was moved up to 6:10 p.m. only a bit more than an hour before the new start time.

And as the game has gone on, visibility has gotten worse. The television broadcast has shown declining views of anything visible beyond the outfield fence into the city.

(CBS Sports) MLB’s next challenge system? All-Stars weigh in on possibility of adding check-swing replay reviews

“Man, I don’t know,” said Braves first baseman Matt Olson. “I mean, I’ve seen some of the videos of it and it looks like it probably favors hitters, so sure. I’ll take anything.”

“I think so,” Reds pitcher Chase Burns said. “We’ve seen it a little bit in the minors and it’s just so hard to see with the naked eye. I think in the upcoming years we’ll be able to challenge that.”

Hell—OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO and good morning, my fellow Boston baseball fans! Isn’t it such a beautiful day? The sun is shining and the birds are singing. It’s a lovely Friday here in the hub of the universe; today would be a great day even without the headline news.

That news, of course, is that the Red Sox begin their 2026 season today! I hate to bury the lede here, but happy Opening Day everyone!!!!!! It’s the start of a new season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, the painfully long Spring Training ramp-up session is now complete. After spending months at Fenway South in Fort Myers, you would’ve thought that the entire team had relocated there.

I’m sure you’re already well aware of all of this by now, anyways….

What? Could it be that some of you are not acquainted with the story of this season’s delay?

Well, put up an ice block and lend an ear (or, eye, I suppose).

Just to recap for the casuals who may not have been keeping up with the Sox all winter/spring/half of summer:

A bizarre scheduling hullabaloo in the offseason led to each team playing a 123-game preseason schedule before kicking off on a sprint-style regular season. I understand that the Strait of Hormuz crisis taking off right as pitchers and catchers had reported threw a monkey wrench into everything the league had in place for the 2026 season, but you’ve gotta do what you gotta do. Sometimes, the geopolitical powers that be will go ahead and deal baseball commissioners a bad hand. In turn, Rob Manfred was called upon to make some tough decisions. Thus: July 17 was declared as Opening Day across Major League Baseball. Say what you want about Manfred, but he truly had no choice in the matter. I commend him for even getting a season going in the first place.

The Red Sox had played sub-.500 ball throughout Spring Training (a bit of a misnomer at this point, but I don’t wanna split hairs now that we’re all in a good mood on this blessed day). That never stopped us from dreaming though, right? Sure, there will be questions about the offense leading into the season. The nasty injuries that Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony suffered early on in the spring will certainly not help matters. Brayan Bello struggled in his warm-up appearances; I wonder how he’ll fare now that the games actually count. Can Trevor Story pick up where he left off after a dazzling effort in 2025? Time will tell.

One thing I know for certain is that the American League is going to be mighty competitive this year. We all know what the Yankees can do, but the Blue Jays—fresh off of winning the pennant—will be looking to avenge their World Series heartbreak way back before the whole Strait of Hormuz thing. The Detroit Tigers, too! They’re a good team! My dark horse pick is the Minnesota Twins and the Seattle Mariners. They’re tied, actually, as things stand. My feeling is that the Sox are gonna have to pick up, oh I dunno, a full game on both of them by the time this short regular season is over. I’m sure Houston and Baltimore will be right on our heels as well.

Luckily for us, our team will start the year off with a massive 10-game home stand. Nothing like a little home cookin’ to get yourself off on the right foot! The Red Sox’s home field advantage should be excellent in 2026. Who knows how they’ll perform on the road, but I’m sure they’ll make Fenway a fortress in no time. Maybe not as much of a fortress as the fortress they’ve got surrounded around the ol’ S of H right now, but that’s besides the point.

The one thing that I do think is strange for this short season is how quickly the trade deadline follows Opening Day. It’s like, what, two weeks after we play ball for the first time? Let us get our feet wet, jeez louise!

But again, that’s champagne problems. All that matters is that we get to watch real live baseball in Boston that actually counts for something after months and months of meaningless slop. Let me know in the comments below how YOU’RE celebrating the start of the 2026 Red Sox season today. Here’s to us having a season to remember forever!

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (46-46)

NO GAME: SCHEDULE

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (33-54)

NO GAME: SCHEDULE

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (36-49)

NO GAME: SCHEDULE

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (39-46)

NO GAME: SCHEDULE

Rookie: FCL Mets (23-28)

FCL METS 3, FCL CARDINALS 2 (BOX)

• LF D’Andre Smith: 2-2, R, 2 2B, RBI
• RF Mike Tauchman: 0-3
• 3B Jacob Reimer: 1-3, K
• C Yovanny Rodriguez: 0-3
• DH Josmir Reyes: 0-2, BB
• PR-DH Vladi Gomez: 0-0
• CF Bohan Adderley: 1-3, R, SB
• 2B Anthony Frobose: 0-2, R, BB, 2 K
• 1B Yeider Mindiola: 1-2, K
• SS Diover De Aza: 0-1, RBI, K
• P Camden Lohman: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K
• P Austin Brown: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• P Wilmer Lugo: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K

Rookie: DSL Mets Orange (17-17)

DSL METS ORANGE 9, DSL TIGERS II 8 (BOX)

• SS Wandy Asigen: 1-1, 2B
• 2B Roni Garcia: 1-3, R, 3B, RBI
• DH Cleiner Ramirez: 1-3, 2 R, BB
• C Cesar Acosta: 1-3, K, E
• C Jesus Griman: 0-1
• 3B Sebastian Toro: 2-3, R, 2 RBI, BB, K
• 3B Oscar Pena: 0-0
• RF Jhonael Cuello: 2-4, 2 R, 2B, K
• 1B Yadier Fuentes: 0-1, R, 2 BB
• CF Ryan Rudas: 0-2, R, 2 RBI, BB
• LF Aiberson Blanco: 1-3, R, 2B, 2 RBI, K
• 2B-SS Jose Padilla: 0-3, K
• P Maxgregori Harvey: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
• P Isaac De La Cruz: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• P Randy Guzman: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
• P Frandy Lora: 2.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Rookie: DSL Mets Blue (14-19)

DSL ARIZONA BLACK 7, DSL METS BLUE 4 (BOX)

• SS Johnderis Sanchez: 0-1, R, RBI, 2 BB, SB, E
• 2B Dayron Oramas: 1-3, BB, SB
• 1B Jonnhan Sanchez: 0-3, BB, K
• DH Henry Manrique: 0-3, R, BB, K
• C Frank Moreno: 1-2, R, 2B, RBI, BB, K
• CF Royner Bravo: 1-4, RBI, K
• 3B Michalle Mercedes: 0-3, SB, E
• RF Emerson Estevez: 0-3, 2 K
• LF Elvis Teran: 2-3, R
• P Leyvi Rodriguez: 2.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 BB, 1 K
• P Jhony Osoria: 3.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

STAR OF THE NIGHT

D’Andre Smith

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Jhony Osoria

Hello, friends.

Are you ready to start to think about the 2027 Orioles? This isn’t a statement about the team’s postseason chances. Rather, MLB released the regular season schedules for every team for next year, setting Orioles Opening Day for March 25 for a season that will run through September 26. That’s early!

The looming expiration of baseball’s Collective Bargaining Agreement at the beginning of December does mean there is a certain amount of optimism in thinking that the season will actually begin on that date. The owners are going to lock out the players as soon as the deal expires, which will put a halt to player movement until there is a new deal reached.

There is a lot of doomerism that goes around regarding whether there will even be a 2027 season. I don’t go in for that. I think it will probably look a lot like it did the last time around, five years ago. It will take the soft deadline of spring training starting up and regular season games being imperiled to solve whatever brinksmanship is going on. The last round of negotiations actually saw the league cancel a week’s worth of games before later deciding, no, we’ll still play 162, just the scheduled first week will happen last instead.

That’s going to make for a boring December and January for people who like to follow the flow of a baseball offseason. There will be no player movement during the lockout period. No major league free agent signings, no trades. Orioles fans are used to this already from Mike Elias’s typical offseason behavior, though that joke is a bit more stale after Elias did do some major moves over the last offseason.

The situation will probably feel apocalyptic up until the calendar hits February and they start to get serious with the negotiation. If the owners feel like they have leverage as the situation winds to its conclusion, that will probably result in worse things happening to the game of baseball overall. If the players end up with the upper hand, they may be able to make things a little better for themselves. Once a deal comes together, there will be a frantic week or two before players report for spring training, then everything can go from there.

Or at least that’s my guess. Despite my inherent pessimism, things often go worse than I figure they will. This would hardly be the first time. The 2026 Orioles season so far is another such example. I didn’t have high hopes for these dudes, and they’re still disappointing me. It won’t be the last time either.

The non-mathematical second half starts in Houston at 8:10 tonight. We’ll start to find out if they can rally out of the hole they’ve dug for themselves early on. It’s not as deep of a hole as last year, but it’s still a hole and they’re going to have to keep playing well to get out of it. On Thursday evening, the Orioles announced the rotation coming out of the break. Dean Kremer starts tonight, with Trevor Rogers on Saturday and Kyle Bradish on Sunday.

The Orioles also made the roster move putting Blaze Alexander on the injured list yesterday. The team recalled infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand from Triple-A Norfolk as the corresponding move. The 26-year-old righty batter has played in parts of three MLB seasons before this, compiling a .233/.275/.404 batting line with spotty defensive numbers, mostly at first base. He’ll fit right in. He’s posted a .273/.309/.555 line with the Tides, knocking 17 homers in 61 games. If he hits a lot of homers in a short span for the Orioles, we’ll probably like him. First impressions are worth a lot.

Orioles stuff you might have missed

Pondering the future of Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias (Baltimore Baseball)
Headlines like this one appearing in outlets like this one do make me feel like there could be a change if things don’t stay on a better course by season’s end.

Orioles arms need to keep pitching in for second half run (School of Roch)
Kind of as a companion to the above, one thing that will keep Elias from getting fired is if the pitchers that he has assembled deliver better collective results than they did before the break.

Replacement-level killers: Center field, left field (FanGraphs)
The Orioles check in for having the second-worst center field situation of any contending team. If Colton Cowser was hitting overall, this would not be so bad. But, he’s not.

How Blaze Alexander adjusted his swing to become one of MLB’s top bats (The Baltimore Sun)
Let’s just be plain, Alexander isn’t one of MLB’s top bats under any range of “top” that I’d accept. He did very well from May 1 until his injury, though, and his absence is going to be felt. Hopefully the team can manage to get a couple of its still-struggling guys to find adjustments that will work for them too.

Favor to ask MLB: Please start doing better in marketing your young talent (Steve on Baseball)
Steve Melewski thinks that the timing of the draft and Futures Game were not very good. He’s correct. It’s a shame that MLB is burying these events.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

Today in 1991, Sam Horn set a record by becoming the first position player to strike out six times in a row within the same game. This lamentable feat occurred over the course of a 15-inning Orioles loss to the Royals.

There is one lone former Oriole who was born on this day. Happy 32nd to Josh Lester, who appeared in 11 games for the 2023 Orioles.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: Declaration of Independence signer, 5th vice president, and enduring congressional district-shaping namesake Elbridge Gerry (1744), actor James Cagney (1899), pianist Vince Guaraldi (1928), longtime German chancellor Angela Merkel (1954), and DJ Darude (1975).

On this day in history…

In 1203, soldiers of the Fourth Crusade, who had been organized to capture Jerusalem, assaulted Constantinople instead, sending the Byzantine emperor of the time, Alexios III Angelos, into exile.

In 1453, the final battle of the Hundred Years War was waged as the English and French clashed in Castillion. The French victory in this battle led to England losing all possessions on the continent except for Calais. It took until October for the war to officially end.

In 1821, Spain transferred control of Florida to the United States.

In 1918, deposed Russian tsar Nicholas II and his immediate family were executed while being held in captivity in Yekaterinburg.

**

And that’s the way it is in Birdland on July 17. Have a safe Friday. Go O’s!

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: Offday

Double-A Somerset Patriots: Offday

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades: Offday

Low-A Tampa Tarpons: Offday

Florida Complex League Yankees: Canceled by rain vs. FCL Blue Jays — weather’s the only thing that can keep George Lombard Jr. from homering

Dominican Summer League Yankees:W, 4-3 at DSL Rangers Blue

CF Isaias Castillo 1-4, 2 K, 2 SB
SS Stiven Marinez 1-3, BB, SB
DH Yostin Pena 1-4, HR, RBI, K
2B Juan Torres 1-3, BB
1B Juan Martinez 1-3, BB
C Cesar Lopez 1-2, HR, RBI, BB
RF Manuel Aguilar 0-1, 3 BB, K, CS
3B Adrian Feliz 1-4, K
LF Kendry Diaz 0-4, 3 K

Victor De Leon 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
Freddy Lopez 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K
Dariel Chalas 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K (blown save)
Jose Vargas 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K (win)

Dominican Summer League Bombers:W, 13-2 vs. DSL Rangers Red

DH Ruben Castillo 0-3, RBI, BB
PH-DH Kenneth Melendez 1-1, BB
2B Dariel Santana 1-4, BB, 2 K, HBP
C Alessandro Rodriguez 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, HBP
3B Carlos Bello 0-3, 2 BB, K
RF David Carrera 2-2, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB — Carrera pushes his season OPS above 1.000
PH-LF Eddison Charles 0-1, K
1B Poly Ojeda 2-3, 2 BB, K
SS Germayhoni Beltre 0-3, RBI, 2 BB, GIDP, fielding error
LF-RF Sebastian Pinto 1-2, 2 RBI, BB, 2 HBP
CF Alfiery Matos 1-4, 3B, 2 RBI, BB, K

Cesar Acosta 5 IP, 1 H, 1 R (0 ER), 3 BB, 4 K (win)
Jose Sanchez 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K (hold)
Andre Avila 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

Free of charge for the discerning reader.

Happy birthday to Don Kessinger, and a mighty host of others.

Today in baseball history, in 1941 – In front of more than 60,000 fans at Cleveland, Joe DiMaggio‘s hitting streak is ended at 56 games. Indians P Al Smith and Jim Bagby Jr., plus sensational plays by 3B Ken Keltner, stop the Yankee Clipper, but New York edges the Indians, 6-5, and other stories as well.

Today in baseball history:

• 1900 – At Brooklyn’s Washington Park, the Superbas tie the score against the Giants in the 5th. Then, with two men on base, New York sent in rookie Christy Mathewson, just brought up from Norfolk where he was 20-2. He hits three batters, walks two, and gives up six runs in a 13-7 loss. The New York Times says, “Matty has lots of speed and gives promise of making his way.”
• 1922 – At Boston, Ty Cobb gets five hits (and a walk) in a game for the fourth time this year, setting an American League mark. Only Willie Keeler had done it before. The Tigers roar, 16-7.
• 1925 – Tris Speaker is the fifth hitter to get 3,000 hits.
• 1934 – Babe Ruth draws his 2,000th base on balls at Cleveland. He will retire with a walk record of 2,062. Rickey Henderson will break the record.
• 1936 – Carl Hubbell starts his 24-game winning streak, beating Pittsburgh, 6-0. The Giants hit a National League record-tying four triples in the first inning: Jo-Jo Moore, Mel Ott and Hank Leiber hit them in succession, and Eddie Mayo adds one later in the inning to equal the major league record.
• 1950 – Yankee rookie Whitey Ford wins his first major league game, beating the visiting White Sox, 4-3. 
• 1954 – With Jim Gilliam (2B), Jackie Robinson (3B), Sandy Amoros (LF), Roy Campanella (C) and Don Newcombe (P) in the starting lineup against the Braves, the Dodgers field the first team which consists of a majority of black players. The historic five helps Brooklyn beat Milwaukee at County Stadium, 2-1.
• 1960 – Batting just .244 and not hitting for power, Willie McCovey, 1959 National League Rookie of the Year, is sent down to Tacoma (Pacific Coast League).
• 1961 – Following a year-long illness, Ty Cobb succumbs to cancer at age 74 at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.
• 1967 – During a 6-2 defeat, concluding a dismal 2-and-4 road trip for the Pirates, the rarely disappointing Roberto Clemente does what he does so well – break the other team’s heart in their own house and have their fans thank him for it. As Les Biederman of the Pittsburgh Press reports: “Clemente robbed Joe Torre with a lunging catch of his pop fly in the third inning with two on and the hometown Atlanta fans applauded him en route to the bench. They even applauded him when he went to bat in the fourth inning.”
• 1970 – Roberto Clemente, just a double shy of the cycle, scores the tying run, drives in the go-ahead run and keeps his team ahead with a crucial ninth-inning outfield assist, leading the Pirates to a 4-3 win over Cincinnati in a preview of the National League Championship Series. Clemente’s 150th career triple leads to the tying run in the sixth and his 400-foot first-pitch bomb over the right-centerfield fence off rookie Wayne Simpson unties it in the eighth. To keep it untied, Clemente puts down his bat and lets his arm do the talking as he guns down Tommy Helms at the plate in the ninth to seal the victory.
• 1971 – Juan Marichal allows just one hit through eight innings, but the Reds score three in the bottom of the ninth to win, 3-2. Tony Perez hits a two-run single to win it.
• 1974 – Cardinals pitching great Bob Gibson fans the Reds’ Cesar Geronimo to become the second hurler after Walter Johnson to strike out 3,000 batters.
• 1989 – White Sox C Carlton Fisk gets his 2,000th career hit in a 7-3 win over the Yankees.
• 1991 – Randy Johnson takes just four innings to rack up ten walks. He fans four, tosses a wild pitch and allows one hit and four runs in his stint, a 6-1 loss to the Brewers. 
• 1992 – Baltimore P Mike Mussina tosses a one-hitter against the Texas Rangers, striking out ten as the Orioles win by a score of 8-0. 
• 2009 – Jim Thome drives in a career-high seven runs with a grand slam and a three-run home run as Chicago defeats the Orioles, 12-8.

Today in Cubs history:

• 1906 – The Cubs beat back the Giants, 6-2, as Three-Finger Brown tops Christy Mathewson. Joe Tinker‘s two-run homer in the sixth is the big blow for Chicago. The loss drops the Giants to six games behind the Cubs.
• 1908 – In another classic match-up, Three-Finger Brown and Christy Mathewson pair off with Brown winning, 1-0. The Cubs pitcher allows six hits, with Matty giving up seven. The only run comes on a 5th-inning inside-the-park home run by Matty’s nemesis, Joe Tinker, who runs through the arms of third base coach Heinie Zimmerman to score. In the 12 match-ups between the two pitchers, Brown has won eight.
• 1909 – Brooklyn and Chicago swap shutouts, with George Bell topping Chicago’s Orval Overall, 1-0, in the opener. Ed Reulbach comes back in the second game to beat Kaiser Wilhelm, 4-0.
• 1915 – The Cubs end Grover Cleveland Alexander‘s nine-game win streak, 4-0.
• 1918 – In the longest errorless game, Cubs beat Phillies 2-1 in 21 innings.
• 1964 – In Los Angeles, the Cub–Dodger contest becomes the first Pay-TV baseball game as Subscription Television offers the cablecast to subscribers for money. The Dodgers beat Chicago, 3-2, with Don Drysdale collecting 10 strikeouts.
• 1966 – The Cubs clip the Cardinals, 7-2, behind the pitching of Ken Holtzman and the slugging of Billy Williams, who hits for the cycle.

Cubs Birthdays:Herb Hutson, Don Kessinger*. Also notable: Lou Boudreau HOF.

Today in history:

• 1917 – Royal Proclamation by King George V changes name of British Royal family from German Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor.
• 1937 – Elmer Fudd, originally Egghead, is a Warner Bros. cartoon character created by Tex Avery and Chuck Jones for the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series, first debuting as Egghead in “Egghead Rides Again”.
• 1959 – Paleoanthropologist Mary Leakey discovers the partial skull of a new species of early human ancestor, Zinjanthropus boisei or “Zinj” (now called Paranthropus boisei), which lived in Africa almost 2 million years ago.
• 1967 – Jimi Hendrix quits as opening act of the Monkees’ tour, after playing 7 of a planned 29 shows.
• 2018 – Oldest evidence of bread made from wild grains is discovered by archaeologists in a 14,000-year-old dig in the Black Desert, Jordan

*pictured.

Greetings, Brew Crew Ball community. The unofficial first half of the season is officially in the rearview, as the Brewers will kick off their post-All-Star break slate tonight in Milwaukee. At 59-37 this year, the Brewers sit ahead of the Cubs by five games in the NL Central and currently hold the second-best record in baseball behind only the 61-36 Dodgers. The Brewers come out of the break with a nine-game homestand, as they’ll host the Marlins, Mets, and Rockies over the next 10 days.

Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-baseball sports, the Brewers, you name it. As long as it’s appropriate and is allowed by our moderators, it’s fair game here.

You know the drill.

This is now an open thread:

Welcome back from the All-Star break, Detroit Tigers fans! AJ Hinch and Co. open up the “second half” of the 2026 campaign on the road against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim starting on Friday night. It will be a late start for those of us in the more easterly time zones — and will be even worse on Saturday night.

Taking the mound in the first game after the All-Star break for the Tigers is right-hander Troy Melton, who will make his ninth start of the season. The 25-year-old is riding a four-game streak that saw him allow one or fewer runs, posting a 0.76 ERA and 2.68 FIP over that 23 2/3 frame stretch while increasing his strikeout totals in each appearance until reaching his career-high of nine in his most recent outing in just 5 2/3 innings.

For the home team, left-hander Reid Detmers will toe the rubber looking to turn things around after a rough couple of games heading into the break. The 27-year-old’s starts were brutal, posting a 10.00 ERA and 7.77 FIP over nine frames of work, allowing 14 hits (four home runs) and four walks while striking out 11 and throwing a pair of wild pitches.

Here is a look at how the two match up on paper as both teams open things back up at Angel Stadium.

Detroit Tigers (44-52) vs. Los Angeles Angels (38-59)

Time (ET): 9:38 p.m.
Place: Angel Stadium, Anaheim, California
SB Nation Site: N/A
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 97: RHP Troy Melton (5-1, 1.82 ERA) vs. LHP Reid Detmers (3-6, 4.39 ERA)

Player	G	IP	K%	BB%	GB%	FIP	fWAR
Melton	8	49.1	21.7	5.8	43.7	4.07	0.7
Detmers	19	108.2	27.2	7.7	35.2	3.35	2.7

MELTON

DETMERS

Let’s see. What to write about? Jordan Walker and the HR Derby? JJ Wetherholt and his extension or MVP run or ROY run or all three? How about noting that the Cardinals as a team are exactly where they were this time in both 2024 and 2025 (although they got here a different way)? What about that 2026 Amateur Draft? So many topics. But they’ve all been pretty well covered, so as usual, we will zig as everyone zags.

This is an article I’ve been contemplating for a few weeks now but am putting the finishing touches on it as the Cardinals drag into the All Star Break. The end of the Cubs series and the beginning of the Brewers’ series dropped like a thud, with the pitching (particularly the bullpen) badly exposed. Instead of mourning an outcome we could all see coming, I choose to shift my gaze away from the present to a longer view. This is a rebuild year, after all, no?

As usual, the premise of my article is based on following a line of curiosity I have and then putting that into words. Last week, I looked at the Cardinals overall MiLB system. Today, I have narrowed down and parsed through the various starters the Cardinals have throughout their minor league system and taken a look from an organizational depth perspective. Why? I have a few of questions I’m curious about.

1. Assuming the Cardinals sell (at least a little bit), what kind of pitching prospect might they be looking at to add to their system?
2. Where might they fit such an acquisition in?
3. How do they handle all the starters already in the pipeline?
4. Where and when is “reliever risk” realized? Can it be anticipated, or does it just happen organically?

Who is in the pipeline?

The first thing I did was create a table of all the starting pitchers, organization-wide. Without it, it is hard to keep all the pitching prospects in my head at the same time. This is a good thing since it means there are lots of interesting pitchers at all the levels. Since I created a table, you get to read a table.

Level	1	2	3	4	5	6	injured List
MLB	May	McGreevy	Pallante	Leahy	Liberatore
AAA	Dobbins	Mathews	Mautz	Molina	Hansen	Rincon	Fitts, Roby
AA	Doyle	Cijntje	Lin	Hjerpe	Thompson	Davis
A+	Franklin	Fajardo	Aita	Van Dyke	Odle	Sequera	Clarke
A-	Crossland	Martinez	Graham	Holiday	rehab guy		Young

I laid it out by level-by-level (MLB, AAA, etc.) first, and then placed each pitcher in a column (1 through 6) based my perceived sense of each pitcher’s rank within their respective rotation. Nothing scientific, just based on usage patterns. I should note that this is where the rosters stand on July 6. Things will change a bit between now and when the article publishes. I will do my best to keep this current.

Authors note: True to form, even as I’m drafting this article Cardinals are re-shuffling it with Zimm to MLB (and then to limbo), Aita to AA, Cijntje to AAA. I’m leaving the table unchanged, because I’m not sure how these movements map out. Who drops out of the AAA rotation? Who steps into High-A rotation? All this presages some additional moves TBD.

A couple of notes:

• I didn’t try to engineer the ordinal ranks too much, especially in the 4-6 positions of the rotations. You might disagree with my placement a bit and you might be right, but I don’t see it as crucial to this mental stroll I will euphemistically call analysis.
• The top ranked (1-2) guys at each level is a mix of my perception of them as a prospect (in terms of FV) and my sense of who would be next to be promoted if a need/opportunity arose.
• The #6 guys are not regular starters in all cases, but more guys that get pushed into starter roles as weather or promotions complicate things. I think High-A is really the only team on a true 6-man rotation and even that is inconsistent.
• I don’t know who Palm Beach has as their #5 starter. There have been so many rehab guys run through PB (currently Robberse) that I just put a placeholder there. Don’t be shocked if Clarke is the next name you see here after Robberse and Ixan Henderson after that.
• In general, pitchers would be expected to snake up the development chart. Today’s #1 starter at Low-A could move up and would become tomorrow’s #5 starter at High-A, and so on. In real life, it doesn’t happen in quite this linear fashion (and some people fall away instead of moving up), but I imagine it that way just to have some structure as I look at potential movement in the system. However, one can never tell when an Odle or a Molina will leapfrog the line, until it happens.

Some observations about the depth

In ways, this list appears to have 20-25 guys who could legitimately be viewed as prospects. Meaning that on their current trajectory, MLB is a realistic outcome for most of them. Injuries and performance will undoubtedly complicate this picture, but as of right now, this group might be as deep as back in 2012-2013.

Without quibbling over any one pitcher (is Thompson a legit prospect?), think about it as a group. The Cardinals have excellent depth. As you look at the chart, you realize they don’t really have any gaping holes. In fact, as some of the injured pitchers roll back into action, they are going to displace someone with real talent on this list. Displace doesn’t necessarily mean off the roster, but it will steer some guys to reliever roles (or into trades that re-balance the system).

If they were to sell off Stanek or Nootbaar or May, and seek a pitcher in return, what would they be looking for? Fundamentally, the ask would have to be a pitcher that is better than what is on this list. That is the floor. And it appears that floor has been raised, perhaps quite a bit.

Another depth observation … this list doesn’t even include a few guys that I suspect they’d like to get into starter roles like Dutkanych IV and Findlay. Sometimes, there is just no room at the inn.

Strategically, they really aren’t in rebuild mode anymore. Now it is more about improving on what they have incrementally. It is easier to do this when you have holes in the system where a true prospect represents a significant upgrade. Now, not so easy. For example, if a team offered a High-A or AA pitcher as part of a package for May, who would you willingly displace out of the Springfield or Peoria rotation? Start thinking that through and it might make for some more interesting trades than a straight “sell”.

Let’s talk “reliever opportunity”

You probably notice I didn’t list or rank any MiLB relievers. In my view, there are very few relievers in the system that project to stand on an MLB mound. Gastelum for sure. Hence probably, although his star dims. Maybe Mason Burns before he was injured. That is pretty much it.

It is noticeable the vast gulf of talent (or performance) there is between the starters and the relievers up and down the system. It is enough that it can be tempting to just ignore the relievers. This probably explains why in many circles, people prefer the term “reliever risk” or “failed starter”. In the Cardinals’ case, the abundance of starters is likely to seed their pool of relievers, more from a numbers standpoint that a failure to launch. For some, relief may be a faster path to MLB, which could be good for both player and organization. Given how few MLB rotation spots there are, the bullpen might be their only path to MLB, at least in the Cardinals’ organization. Since these guys are bound to the organization for years, the needs of the MLB staff are important. I’d bet if asked, most of these guys would rather be a reliever on the MLB team than a starter in the minors. Just a guess…

In the modern game, relievers are most valuable if they have lots of whiff in their repertoire, but they do not need a deep pitch mix like a starter does and teams don’t sweat higher walk rates with this style of reliever. Spin is still useful, but no one worries about third time through the order kind of stuff with relievers. A lot are one inning and done, but there is a rising group of MIRP that are basically once through the line-up. 2+ innings (hopefully, a full 3 IP).

Strategically, the Cardinals are probably looking to further the transition from pitch-to-contact (P2C) to spin-and-whiff (SnW) oriented pitchers that are more well suited for these high leverage reliever roles. I don’t think this means abandoning pitch-to-contact, but P2C is more starter oriented and perhaps bulk or MIRP types than high leverage. So, the way I see it…if you are going to get your high leverage relievers out of the starter pool, you need more SnW types in the starter pool. My guess is, we may see this aspect of organizational improvement play out more in the draft than the trade deadline.

With the 2026 draft in the books, we see that the Cardinals indeed focused on guys who might project to high-leverage relievers, looking for live fastballs, spin-and-whiff and not demeriting fringy command. While they seemed to more focus on hitters early, one can wonder where pitchers like Kuhns, Montesa, Randall fit. For fun, study these guys and try and picture inserting them in the table above.

From a deadline and off-season standpoint, it seems possible that other organizations lacking depth in their pipeline might come to view one or more of the Cardinals “reliever risk” guys as potentially having more value to them (as a starter) than they will with the Cardinals (as a reliever). Someone like a Brycen Mautz, who is about to get passed up by 3-4 guys from AA. This may present the Cardinals with opportunities to consolidate or churn in ways they really haven’t had in some time.

Let’s look at timelines

One can never really tell how long it will take an individual pitcher to develop enough to begin a sojourn down MLB lane. One artificial constraint that guides, though, is their spot (or lack thereof) on the 40-man roster, which must be done within 4 years (generally). Do the Cardinals ever pick high school pitchers? They get five years, no?

Mathews and Lin will need to be protected on the 40-man roster this fall, so that effectively starts their clock. Being on the 40-man, either or both could find their way into the 2027 Cardinal bullpen if their command doesn’t improve enough to advance in front of the starters already ahead of them. This outcome would not hurt my feelings a bit.

At AAA, Hansen and Rincon are both Rule V eligible and look the most displaceable. Not necessarily from a talent standpoint (ok, maybe a little), but both require protection to guarantee their spot in the organization. If they aren’t protected, it is arguable that the Cardinals might want to look at acquiring a prospect that does not require 40-man protection and can fit at a lower level, which then would open up 2 slots in the AAA rotation either later this year or next season. Those spots might better be used on guys like Doyle or Lin (or Roby or Fitts or Hjerpe).

So, from a timeline standpoint, those four guys (Mathews, Lin, Rincon, Hansen) will have some transaction in their near future. The rest are either on the 40-man or do not need protection until after the 2027 season, earliest.

Another timeline-oriented decision could be in store for Hjerpe. He counts in the SnW profile. If the Cardinals wish to continue his development as a starter, they will have to burn one of two remaining options next year to do so. Or they could imagine a role for him on the left-side of the bullpen, which will be vacated by Romero and Bruihl this off-season (if not sooner). Decisions. Decisions. Funny how a ticking clock can push a decision towards “reliever opportunity”.

Let’s talk pathways

A couple of years ago, there was frustration among Cardinal fans because established veterans were “blocking” promising young players. Arenado played, while Gorman yo-yo’ed around. Contreras moved to first while Burleson continued to roam the outfield. Fedde started while McGreevy toiled in the Land of Blue Suede Shoes. Etc.

We may see another, similar phenomenon develop with the pitching. Ostensibly, the Cardinals will come to 2027 spring camp with Leahy, Liberatore, Pallante and McGreevy as established starters under contract control. That leaves one spot in the MLB rotation. Behind them will lurk Dobbins, Fitts, Mathews, Mautz and potentially Roby. Depth is good, but if health is good, too, there really won’t be room to move but one of Lin, Doyle and Hjerpe into the AAA rotation, effectively stalling their development. Assuredly, health will equalize some of this, but unlikely enough to eliminate the logjam. Outcomes? Some of these guys may become relievers and some of these guys may get packaged to fill MLB team needs (third base, anyone?) or acquire younger prospects.

Closing

Ok, this is a future look so I’m not closing, I’m just stopping for now. This discussion will recur, particularly as we get a little distance away from the draft.

The need to move players up in a timely fashion, roster rules and the depth in the system may well conspire to make for some interesting deadline and off-season trades. Likely not the traditional rebuild/sell-off model where expiring contracts are dumped for wild card prospects. I am anticipating more strategic trades in the next round. We’ll know more about what that might look like after the draft.

Above I noted how few MiLB relievers have MLB profiles. I believe the MiLB starter pool is really the entirety of the coming MLB pitching pool. In this viewpoint, the depth looks a bit thinner. From this, I begin to suspect the next step in the development of the pitching pipeline is to bring more high-end starters in to push more of the MLB prospects into the reliever pool. Ie. more competition. The floor has been raised, now it is time to raise the ceiling.

In the end, it appears that the Cardinals potentially have a surplus in the pitching area in addition to catching, although it begs the question of can a team really have a surplus of pitching? It is less clear if the surplus starters profile into strong reliever candidates. Can that “surplus” be consolidated into a higher-end starter? or higher-end bullpen help? As other teams lacking depth (but having MLB talent) take stock of their future and recognize their backslide, such as the Astros (Brown), Padres (King), Angels (Soriano, Detmers), Giants (Webb), it seems like some possibilities could materialize somewhere. And the Cardinals just might have the depth these organizations need to improve.