Category: Baseball

Today is an off day in Minor League Baseball, but certainly not an off day for our coverage! Here’s everything that happened with the San Francisco Giants affiliates on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Link to the 2026 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.

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News

The most exciting news is that we have a Jackson Flora sighting! Last month’s No. 4 overall pick hasn’t gotten into an official game yet, but made his pro debut in the bridge league, which is the unofficial games played in the Complex League after the official season ends. Thankfully for us, Fangraphs has video of the entire thing!

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As for roster news, AA Richmond got an infusion of talent, as outfielder Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL) was activated off the Injured List, while LHP Jacob Bresnahan (No. 11 CPL) was promoted from High-A Eugene. AAA Sacramento got some depth after having their roster gutted, as Eugene RHP Ryan Slater and LHP Hayden Wynja were sent to Sacramento, as well as Low-A San Jose RHP Samir Chires.

And some hardware to hand out: Eugene swept the weekly awards in the Northwest League, with outfielder Cam Maldonado (No. 34 CPL) being awarded Player of the Week, while RHP Hunter Dryden was named Pitcher of the Week. Meanwhile, MLB Pipeline named shortstop Josuar González (No. 2 CPL) the top MLB prospect in the Arizona Complex League this year!

Finally, Baseball America had some high praise for the system in doling out their best tools awards, which are voted on by the managers of each league.

Great to see the recognition for our guys from managers across the minor leagues. pic.twitter.com/48xAR6srQF

— SFGProspects (@SFGProspects) August 28, 2026

AAA Sacramento (74-55)

Friday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Reno Aces 6-1 [box score]
Saturday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Reno Aces 12-2 [box score]
Sunday: Sacramento River Cats beat the Reno Aces 9-7 [box score]

The Giants are beat up, which means a lot of the River Cats are in San Francisco, which means a lot of lower level players are filling in in Sacramento. It makes for a slightly funny roster with some funny box scores. On Saturday, for instance, Low-A San Jose RHP Samir Chires and High-A Eugene RHP Ryan Slater both pitched, and both got roughed up, as one would expect. High-A infielder Zander Darby also played over the weekend, hitting 0-4 with 2 strikeouts and a walk.

And that’s just the lower-Minors fill-ins! There were also a trio of players recently called up from AA probably more for logistical purposes than because of merit. One of those players was first baseman/third baseman Charlie Szykowny, who made his AAA debut on Friday and got into all 3 games, hitting 2-8 with a double and 2 strikeouts.

Charlie Szykowny's first Triple-A hit is a double to left! 🤝 pic.twitter.com/jVNKVQ6JQg

— Sacramento River Cats (@RiverCats) August 29, 2026

Szykowny, who was a 9th-round pick in 2023, wasn’t having a great year in AA, where he had a .733 OPS and a 94 wRC+. But, given that he’s already 26, that he has a controlled bat (he struck out 20.5% of the time with Richmond), that he plays all 4 corner positions, and that he’s a well-respected and liked player, it’s easy to see him getting the treatment that Thomas Gavello got last year: come up for logistical purposes, and end up staying put.

The other call-ups happened on the mound, with RHPs Trystan Vrieling and Darien Smith. Vrieling started Sunday’s game and really struggled, giving up 14 baserunners (10 hits, 3 walks, and a hit batter) in just 4 innings, which tagged him for 6 runs. The 25-year old, who was taken in the 3rd round in 2022 by the Yankees, had just a 4.23 ERA and a 5.02 FIP in AA this year, while walking 5.3 batters per 9 innings. So some struggles are to be expected as he tries to adapt to AAA on the fly.

As for Smith, he’s the one player here whose promotion may have been primarily performance based. The 26-year old undrafted free agent, who is in just his 2nd pro season, had a decent year in AA, with a 2.84 ERA, but a 4.51 FIP, while working as a starter. He hit the Injured List in mid-May, though, and began rehabbing in the Complex League in July. Rather than return to Richmond upon his activation, the Giants sent him straight to Sacramento. He took that promotion well, as he threw 2.1 no-hit innings in his Friday debut, while walking 1 batter and striking out none.

Now, onto the rest of the players. It was a pretty uninteresting weekend, honestly. It was fixing to be an ugly offensive performance from Sacramento’s trio of exciting position player prospects, until left fielder/right fielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) saved the day. Davidson went just 0-8 with 2 strikeouts on Friday and Saturday, but exploded on Sunday with a sensational game, hitting 2-3 with a double, a walk, a sacrifice fly, a strikeout, and, most critically, a go-ahead 3-run home run in the 9th inning.

UN-BO-LIEVABLE 🤯

Bo Davidson gives us the lead with a 3-Run blast! pic.twitter.com/uPcq7rZ6u9

— Sacramento River Cats (@RiverCats) August 30, 2026

That’ll play!!

Davidson has really turned a corner lately, and with Rule 5 protection a certainty for him, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if the Giants get him some MLB coffee before the season concludes. He has an .871 OPS and a 125 wRC+ in AAA, with just a 16.4% strikeout rate.

Bo keeps us in the ballgame with a double to left 🫡 pic.twitter.com/nwfsGLHlW4

— Sacramento River Cats (@RiverCats) August 30, 2026

Things were a little less fruitful for center fielder Scott Bandura and third baseman Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL). Bandura had some good moments in a quiet weekend, hitting 2-11 with 2 doubles, 2 walks, a strikeout, and an error. Harber had a weekend very much to forget, as he went 1-12 with a walk, 5 strikeouts, and an error. Bandura now has an .880 OPS and a 131 wRC+, while Harber has an .800 OPS and a 111 wRC+.

Decent showings for a pair of players who could factor into the backup infield plans next year, especially since the Giants will likely have to get rid of most, if not all, of Christian Koss, Osleivis Basabe, Shay Whitcomb, and Nate Furman in order to make it through the offseason. Second baseman Diego Velasquez (No. 31 CPL) hit 5-11 with a double, a walk, and 2 strikeouts, while shortstop Aeverson Arteaga hit 2-6 with a triple, a double, and 3 strikeouts. Velasquez, a 22-year old switch-hitter, has an .826 OPS and a 123 wRC+ through 21 games since getting promoted. Arteaga, a 23-year old righty, has just a .631 OPS and a 65 wRC+ through 62 games, but also derives the bulk of his value through his glove.

With so many players in San Francisco (and/or injured), the River Cats are shy on starting pitchers, so both Friday and Saturday were uninteresting bullpen games. MLB LHP Matt Gage continued his rehab assignment and got rocked, giving up 4 hits, 1 walk, and 4 runs, while recording just 2 outs. Just great seeing him healthy again, though. RHP Will Bednar (No. 24 CPL) continues to struggle since returning to AAA, as he allowed 5 baserunners and 4 runs in 2 innings, with 1 strikeout. The 2021 1st-round pick has given up multiple runs in all 6 of his outings since heading back to Sacramento after spending most of the year in AA.

RHP R.J. Dabovich pitched a scoreless inning with a hit, a walk, and a strikeout. Great seeing him healthy. And RHP Alex Carillo, who has had some struggles since recently joining the organization, had an absolutely dominant weekend: the 29-year old pitched twice, and struck out 7 batters over 3 scoreless innings, giving up 1 walk and 0 hits.

AA Richmond (72-52)

Friday: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Portland Sea Dogs 9-3 [box score]
Saturday: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Portland Sea Dogs 14-3 [box score]
Sunday: Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Portland Sea Dogs 8-7 (10 innings) [box score]

Some very good news on the injury front for the Flying Squirrels this weekend, as Saturday’s game featured center fielder/right fielder Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL) and right fielder/left fielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 32 CPL). Jordan was making his return to the lineup after an absence of just over a month; it looked for a while like his stellar season might be over, but thankfully he’ll get some run here to end the season. As for Diaz, he hurt his knee sliding into a wall on Thursday, and it certainly looked like it could be a serious injury. But Diaz only missed 1 game, and that’s fantastic given how gruesome it looked.

Both players are in the top 4 among Giants prospects in home runs this season, and both players added to that tally. Jordan struck out in his 1st 3 at-bats as he started to recalibrate his swing after 5 weeks on the sidelines … and then unleashed with fury in his 4th at-bat of his return game, launching an absolute bomb for his 1st AA home run.

Dakota Jordan blasts his first Double-A homer in his first game back! 💪 pic.twitter.com/ATWF7omfOi

— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) August 30, 2026

The 23-year old Jordan, taken in the 4th round of the 2024 draft (with quite an overslot bonus), then went 1-3 with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts on Sunday. He has looked quite comfortable through 11 games with Richmond, posting an .814 OPS and a 114 wRC+, while lowering his strikeout rate from what it was in High-A to start the year (though it’s still a not-great 25.5%). I’m looking forward to seeing how he can end the year.

As for Diaz, who was recently promoted, he’s been a little slow to adjust to a new level, but has certainly shown flashes. He hit 2-8 over the weekend, with a hit by pitch, a stolen base and 2 strikeouts, and showed one such flash on Sunday, when he launched a 3-run blast in the 1st inning, pulling him into a tie with Davidson for the organizational lead in dingers.

Lisbel’s homer spell: WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA! 💪 pic.twitter.com/AWR1G3vR8E

— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) August 30, 2026

There’s a lot to work on for the right-hander, as through 11 games he has just a .182 average and a 28.6% strikeout rate, leading to just a .586 OPS and a 44 wRC+. But then again, it’s only 11 games, and he only turned 21 last month! He’s almost 4 years below the league average age in the Eastern League!

Center fielder Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL) had a very nice weekend, which was good to see as he had been scuffling for a while. Last year’s 3rd-round selection hit a delightful 6-14 with a solo home run, a stolen base, a strikeout, and an error. He also had something you’ll only ever see in a Minor League game: a walk-off hit off of a position player!

Trevor Cohen calls game 😤

SQUIRRELS WIN! pic.twitter.com/13uniNMmmx

— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) August 31, 2026

Cohen will likely never hit for a lot of power, but he can put the occasional charge into one. It’s the small-ball stuff that really impresses with the 22-year old lefty: even though he only has a .734 OPS and a 97 wRC+ through 39 games in AA, he’s rocking a .297 batting average and just a 9.3% strikeout rate, while playing awesome defense. He’s also stolen 15 bases in 19 attempts.

Trevor Cohen leaves the yard for the third time as a Squirrel 👌 pic.twitter.com/SdYzUq6Y4M

— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) August 30, 2026

The excitement on the mound occurred on Sunday, when LHP Jacob Bresnahan (No. 11 CPL) made his AA debut. Bresnahan, who only turned 21 in late June, had a spectacular season in High-A despite getting a slow start due to injury, and then needing a little time to work the rust off. He finished his 1st and last season in the Northwest League with a 2.92 ERA, and while he did have a 4.32 FIP on account of a lot of home runs given up, he struck out 10.8 batters per 9 innings, while only issuing 3.5 walks. And he ended his tenure on an absolute heater.

He showed a lot of that in his AA debut, though, understandably, he also showed that it will be an adjustment. The 2023 13th-round pick, sent to the Giants in the Alex Cobb trade, struck out 8 batters in just 5 innings in his Eastern League debut. Mighty impressive!

Jacob Bresnahan gets his first Double-A strikeout on the second batter he sees! 😤 pic.twitter.com/VSAxtbxcIi

— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) August 30, 2026

The rest of his performance was a bit less pretty, however. Bresnahan struggled to find the strike zone, throwing just 54 of 92 pitches for strikes, while issuing 5 walks. He gave up 4 hits, which included a home run, and ceded 3 runs. Still and all, that’s a highly encouraging start in my book for one of the best pitching prospects in the system.

LHP Greg Farone made a great start on Saturday, pitching 4 shutout innings with just 4 singles and 2 walks allowed, plus 3 strikeouts. Farone only pitched 4 innings despite throwing only 49 pitches, which is probably just a desire to keep his workload in check. With this start, he moved the bare minimum (a third of an inning) past his innings total in his debut season last year. A 7th-round pick in 2024, the 24-year old Farone has a 5.43 ERA and a 5.67 FIP on the season.

A lot of bullpen struggles, but none from LHP Esmerlin Vinicio, who struck out 4 batters in 2.2 scoreless frames, with just 1 hit allowed. The 23-year old has been quite solid since getting promoted to start the month, as he has a 2.31 ERA and a 3.22 FIP through 5 AA games, with 14 strikeouts in 11.2 innings. He’s given up too many walks (7), but has only allowed 5 hits.

High-A Eugene (75-50)

Friday: Eugene Emeralds lost to the Everett AquaSox 4-3 (10 innings) [box score]
Saturday: Eugene Emeralds beat the Everett AquaSox 12-9 [box score]
Sunday: Eugene Emeralds beat the Everett AquaSox 8-4 [box score]

Certainly some standout performances for the Emeralds. The single best performance of the weekend on the farm arguably came on Saturday from designated hitter Robert Hipwell, who hit a perfect 3-3 with a pair of home runs, while also smacking a double, drawing 2 walks, and knocking in 6 runs. That’s a performance he won’t soon forget!

In the other pair of games, Hipwell hit 1-6 with a double, 2 walks, and 2 strikeouts. It’s been a rough season for the 2024 6th-rounder, who has really struggled in Eugene. Some power and a whole bunch of walks (16.9% rate) have given him a league average line (.736 OPS, 100 wRC+), but his contact issues are severe: he’s repping just a .199 batting average, with a 38.8% strikeout rate and a 16.8% swinging strike rate. That unsightly trio ranks, respectively, 66th, 68th, and 59th out of the 68 Northwest League hitters with at least 200 plate appearances this season.

But Hipwell, who turned 23 in March, has been much better lately. While still residing on the interstate, he hit .269 in July and has hit .264 so far in August, with a .927 OPS. That is, likely, enough improvement to ensure that he stays in the system for at least another season.

Also leaving the yard twice (though spread out over the weekend, rather than in a single game like Hipwell) was third baseman/first baseman Hayden Jatczak, who hit 4-11 with 2 homers, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, and an error.

After obliterating Low-A competition to start his debut season, Jatczak — an undrafted free agent who turned 25 earlier this month — took a while to get acclimated to High-A. He’s starting to find his groove now, though, and is up to a .727 OPS and a 97 wRC+ through 30 games. Hopefully he can end the year on a high note.

One other player homered, as catcher Daniel Rogers made a 2-run shot his only hit of the weekend, going 1-10 with 3 walks and 5 strikeouts. The home run was a rarity — it was just his 6th of the season — but not as rare as the fact that he was behind the dish for all 3 games. You don’t see catchers catch 3 days in a row much anymore, at any level! A 24-year old undrafted free agent in his 2nd season, the left-handed hitting Rogers has a .658 OPS and a 76 wRC+ with Eugene this year, and has a 35.2% strikeout rate. His numbers were quite good in Low-A, though.

Some good and some bad on the pitching front. It was a sandwich of a performance, with Friday and Sunday’s starters shining and Saturday’s not so much. The star was RHP Hunter Dryden, who put forth one of the best starts of his young career on Sunday, when he went 6 innings and allowed just 2 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run, while striking out 7 batters. What a day!

Dryden, who was a 17th-round pick in 2024, is really ending the season on a high note. In his last 6 games, the D3 Whitworth product has pitched 32.2 innings and allowed just 26 hits, 7 walks, and 6 earned runs, while striking out 28 batters. The recently-turned 24-year old only has a 4.37 ERA and a 5.42 FIP, and home runs continue to haunt him: the big fly he gave up in this outing was his 17th home run in 103 innings. But the 9.6 strikeouts per 9 innings and the strong end to the year should be, in my opinion, enough to get him to AA next season.

On Friday it was RHP Cade Vernon, who had an effective if not overpowering start, as he gave up just 5 hits, 2 walks, and 1 unearned run in 5 innings of work, but only registered a single strikeout. Vernon, who was a 10th-round pick in 2024 out of Murray State, had been working in relief until recently, but has started to get stretched out. The results haven’t been strong … prior to this game, since moving into a bulk innings role, Vernon had pitched 19 innings and allowed 30 hits, 10 walks, and 18 earned runs. But hopefully this step in the right direction is the start of something good for the 24-year old, who has a 4.52 ERA and a 5.15 FIP on the year.

Unfortunately, the meat in the starting pitcher sandwich was LHP Luis De La Torre (No. 14 CPL), and he once again had all sorts of issues. LDLT simply could not find the strike zone in this game, as only 33 of his 72 pitches were strikes, which led to 5 walks and 2 hit batters in just 2.1 innings. The control issues even followed him off the mound, as he committed a throwing error!

Per the usual, when De La Torre did throw strikes, hitters didn’t know what to do with them. He gave up just 2 hits (which resulted in 4 runs), and struck out 5 batters. And that’s the season in a nutshell for the southpaw, who turns 23 this weekend and has a 5.87 ERA and a 5.46 FIP. Among the 70 Northwest League pitchers with at least 40 innings thrown this year, De La Torre is 65th in walks per 9 innings, with 7.5 … but he’s 16th in strikeouts per 9 (11.3) and 10th in batting average against (.202).

Awesome relief outings from RHPs Alix Hernandez and Marty Gair. Hernandez struck out 2 batters in 2 scoreless innings, while allowing a hit and a walk. In 8 games since getting promoted, the 22-year old has a 2.51 ERA and a 5.40 FIP, with 15 strikeouts and 5 walks in 14.1 innings. Gair retired all 3 batters he faced, with 2 strikeouts, lowering his ERA to 2.25 and his FIP to 1.97 since joining the organization. The just-turned 23-year old, who came over in the Luis Arráez trade, has 13 strikeouts to 4 walks in 8 innings with Eugene.

Low-A San Jose (75-51)

Friday: San Jose Giants lost to the Visalia Rawhide 9-6 [box score]
Saturday: San Jose Giants beat the Visalia Rawhide 11-5 [box score]
Sunday: San Jose Giants beat the Visalia Rawhide 5-4 [box score]

Friday saw the Baby Giants lose their 13-game winning streak … but they started a new one on Saturday!

A great pitching performance from one of the organization’s top prospects on Sunday, as RHP Keyner Martinez (No. 10 CPL) was thoroughly dominant, giving up just 2 hits, 1 walk, and 1 hit batter in 5.2 innings, while striking out 7 batters. Martinez did give up 2 runs in the game, though just 1 was earned, but that’s a strikeout-to-baserunner ratio that we will take 8 days a week!

It’s been a bit of an odd season for Martinez, who turned 22 earlier this month. Really, it’s been similar to De La Torre’s just … better. But the same strengths and weaknesses. Martinez has struggled with walks, issuing 4.6 per 9 innings, and he’s ceded 11 home runs in just 88.2 innings, after only allowing 3 a season ago, in 69.1 frames. But, despite those issues — which have led to a 4.87 ERA and a 4.83 FIP — Martinez has been very hard to hit. There are 92 pitchers in the California League who have thrown at least 40 innings this year, and Martinez is 7th in strikeouts per 9 innings (13.1) and 13th in batting average against (.210). It hasn’t been a smooth and seamless follow up to his breakout 2025, and I’m sure both he and the Giants were hoping he’d be in High-A by now, but at the very least, he’s affirmed his status as one of the top pitching prospects in the organization.

LHP Jordan Gottesman had a nice start as well, as last year’s 6th-round pick tries to end his debut season on a high note. Gottesman pounded the strike zone for 5 innings, allowing just 4 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run, and striking out 4 batters. That lowered his ERA into the 3s for the first time since mid-June, as he’s really been on a roll lately: in his last 54 starts, the Northeastern alum — who turned 24 on Saturday — has pitched 21 innings and allowed just 14 hits, 7 walks, and 3 runs, with 23 strikeouts. Gottesman has a 3.96 ERA and a 4.90 FIP on the season, with 9.8 strikeouts to 3.0 walks per 9 innings … solid enough numbers that will make him fun to follow in Eugene next year.

20-year old LHP Leandro Rodriguez also had a really nice showing, giving up 2 singles, 2 walks, and a hit batter in 5 innings on Saturday, while striking out 4 and allowing just 1 unearned run. Rodriguez hasn’t had quite the breakout campaign that Martinez, De La Torre, and RHP Argenis Cayama (No. 13 CPL) had a year ago, but he’s really flown onto the radar in his 1st stateside season. Rodriguez, who signed out of Venezuela last year, had modest overall numbers in the Complex League this year (4.18 ERA, 4.35 FIP), but had a very nice strikeout-to-walk ratio of 58-to-11 in 47.1 innings. He hasn’t been able to parlay that into Low-A success, but starts like this are reason for a whole lot of optimism.

Not much on the bullpen front, but RHP Ian Korn made his professional debut, which is exciting. Korn, a 23-year old from West Virginia who was taken in the 10th round in July, is the 1st (and only, currently) pitcher from the team’s recent draft class to get into an affiliated game. It didn’t go well, as he gave up 4 hits and 2 runs in 1.2 innings, with 2 strikeouts, but still awesome to see.

The offense wasn’t all that exciting. Shortstop Josuar González (No. 2 CPL) saw his numbers fall a little, but only because of how absurd they were to begin with, not because he played poorly. The electric 18-year old switch-hitter went 4-13 with a triple, a double, 2 walks, 3 stolen bases, a strikeout, and an error. Just another weekend for one of the sport’s top prospects!

Josuar Gonzalez comes through with a bases-loaded single, and the Giants add on to the lead! pic.twitter.com/rcvfRPAPnq

— San Jose Giants (@SJGiants) August 30, 2026

It’s still just 26 games, but González has a 1.019 OPS and a 155 wRC+ with San Jose, with 12 stolen bases. He’s hitting for average, hitting for power, drawing walks, limiting strikeouts, swiping bags, and playing sensational defense. The total package!

To quote @JoeRitzo, the man hits triples.

Josuar Gonzalez with his sixth triple in San Jose to drive in a pair. pic.twitter.com/ZzygqBZhJI

— San Jose Giants (@SJGiants) August 29, 2026

Center fielder Tanner Mally continued looking right at home in Low-A, as he went 4-10 with a double, 3 walks, 3 stolen bases, and a strikeout. July’s 17th-round pick has been so comfortable in San Jose, where he has a 1.053 OPS and a 173 wRC+ through 20 games, with just a 13.2% strikeout rate, and 8 stolen bases in as many attempts. I think it’s safe to say that he’ll start next year in Eugene.

Tanner Mally in the clutch, with a two-run, two-out double! pic.twitter.com/L41sx0Go01

— San Jose Giants (@SJGiants) August 29, 2026

He’ll be joined by shortstop/second baseman Lorenzo Meola (No. 23 CPL), who had a fine weekend, hitting 4-9 with a triple, 4 walks, a sacrifice fly, 2 strikeouts, and a caught stealing. It’s been an up-and-down year for last season’s 4th-round selection, and he has an .825 OPS and a 105 wRC+. The defense, however, is as good as advertised.

Lorenzo Meola with his team-leading 74th RBI of the season! pic.twitter.com/0KuxhSttkM

— San Jose Giants (@SJGiants) August 30, 2026

Shortstop Luis Hernández (No. 6 CPL) continues to be sidelined following a minor injury a short while ago. Outfielder Peyton Bonds, the team’s 3rd-round pick in July, hasn’t played in a few days, so I’m not sure what’s going on there.

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Home run tracker

26 — Bo Davidson — [7 in AAA; 19 in AA]
26 — Lisbel Diaz — [2 in AA; 21 in High-A; 3 in Low-A]
19 — Dakota Jordan — [1 in AA; 18 in High-A]
12 — Hayden Jatczak x2 — [3 in High-A; 9 in Low-A]
8 — Robert Hipwell x2 — [High-A]
6 — Trevor Cohen — [3 in AA; 3 in High-A]
6 — Daniel Rogers — [2 in High-A; 4 in Low-A]

With MLB rosters expanding to 28 players on Tuesday, the Mets are recalling right-hander Justin Hagenman and outfielder Nick Morabito from Triple-A Syracuse. 

Interim manager Andy Green confirmed that Hagenman will start the series finale against the Rays on Thursday, as the club will give Christian Scott an extra day of rest.

If possible, the Mets would like to give Scott, Nolan McLean, and Zac Thornton extra rest whenever they can.

"It’s hard to be completely committed to it every turn of the rotation, but by and large [with] our younger guys, I think we’d prefer to see them on five days of rest instead of four days of rest as we close out September," Green said on Monday.

"In all of their cases they’ve pitched more than they ever have in their careers. … When we can, we’d like to wedge in an extra day."

Hagenman appeared in nine games for the Mets last season, but has not pitched in the majors in 2026. Morabito, meanwhile, had a brief five-game stint with the Mets earlier this year.

This means that for now, Jonah Tong will remain in the minors, though he was initially thought of as a potential September call-up.

Tong pitched in three major league games (all in relief) at the end of May and early June, going 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA over 10.0 IP, and has found a groove recently in the minor leagues after an up-and-down season.

He's pitched to a 0.84 ERA over his last four starts (21.1 IP) with 23 strikeouts, including a seven-inning one-hitter on Aug. 29.

Overall, the 23-year-old has gone 5-6 with a 4.54 ERA across 23 starts in Triple-A, tallying 126 strikeouts to 59 walks over 107.0 IP. 

New York has been patient with his development in the minors this season and have made him earn his next opportunity in the rotation. Last year, after being rushed to the majors due to injuries, Tong struggled with a 7.71 ERA over five starts.

Sept. 28

Today in sports history

Today is Sept. 28. On this date in:

1811: English heavyweight champion Tom Cribb knocked out American challenger Tom Molineaux in the 11th round of their rematch to retain his title.

1919: The New York Giants defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 6-1 in 51 minutes, the shortest nine-inning game in major league history.

1920: Chicago White Sox players Eddie Cicotte and Shoeless Joe Jackson testified before a grand jury and admitted involvement in the plot to fix the 1919 World Series, bringing the Black Sox scandal into the open. Eight members of the White Sox were later indicted.

1938: Chicago Cubs catcher Gabby Hartnett hit his famed “Homer in the Gloamin’,” a two-out, ninth-inning home run that beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5 at Wrigley Field during Chicago’s late-season drive to the National League pennant.

1941: Boston Red Sox star Ted Williams went 6-for-8 in a season-ending doubleheader against the Philadelphia Athletics and finished at .406, becoming the last Major League Baseball player to hit .400 for a full season.

1951: New York Yankees pitcher Allie Reynolds threw his second no-hitter of the season, an 8-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox that was part of a doubleheader sweep that clinched the pennant for the Yankees.

1951: Los Angeles Rams quarterback Norm Van Brocklin passed for an NFL-record 554 yards in a 54-14 victory over the New York Yanks, a single-game record.

1953: American League owners unanimously approved the St. Louis Browns’ move to Baltimore, where the franchise became the Orioles.

1960: Ted Williams homered in the final plate appearance of his major league career, hitting the 521st home run of his career in Boston’s 5-4 victory over Baltimore at Fenway Park.

1972: Paul Henderson scored with 34 seconds remaining to give Canada a 6-5 victory over the Soviet Union in Moscow in the eighth and deciding game of the Summit Series.

1974: California Angels ace Nolan Ryan threw his third career no-hitter, struck out 15 and defeated the Minnesota Twins 4-0.

1975: Vida Blue, Glenn Abbott, Paul Lindblad and Rollie Fingers combined for the first four-pitcher no-hitter in major league history as the Oakland Athletics beat the California Angels 5-0.

1976: Muhammad Ali retained the WBA, WBC and Ring heavyweight championships with a unanimous 15-round decision over Ken Norton at Yankee Stadium in their third and final meeting.

1978: Houston Astros ace J.R. Richard became the first right-handed pitcher in National League history to record 300 strikeouts in a season, reaching the milestone during a 4-3 victory over Atlanta.

1979: Larry Holmes stopped Earnie Shavers in the 11th round to retain the WBC heavyweight title, strengthening his standing atop boxing’s heavyweight division.

1988: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser threw 10 scoreless innings against San Diego to extend his streak to a major league-record 59 consecutive scoreless innings, surpassing Don Drysdale’s record.

1993: Montreal Expos right-hander Dennis Martínez became just the seventh pitcher to win 100 games in both the American and National leagues.

1995: Montreal Expos pitcher Greg Harris became the first major leaguer in the modern era to pitch with both hands in the same game, working the ninth inning against Cincinnati.

1996: Iowa State running back Troy Davis rushed for a school-record 378 yards against Missouri, one of the highest single-game rushing totals in major college football history.

1997: Europe defeated the United States 14½-13½ at Valderrama in Spain to win the Ryder Cup, the first Ryder Cup held in continental Europe.

2000: Norway defeated the United States 3-2 after extra time in the women’s soccer final at the Sydney Olympics to win the gold medal.

2001: Texas Rangers shortstop Alex Rodriguez hit his 50th home run of the season, becoming the first shortstop in major league history to reach 50 homers in a season.

2008: Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie won the Berlin Marathon in a world-record 2 hours, 3 minutes, 59 seconds, becoming the first man to run a marathon in under 2:04.

2008: Fernando Alonso won the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix, the first night race in Formula One history.

2008: The Boston Red Sox retired Johnny Pesky’s No. 6 during a Fenway Park ceremony honoring one of the franchise’s most beloved players, coaches and broadcasters.

2011: The Tampa Bay Rays completed one of baseball’s most dramatic comebacks, erasing a seven-run deficit and clinching the American League wild card when Evan Longoria hit a 12th-inning walk-off home run against the Yankees.

2011: The St. Louis Cardinals completed a historic September surge and captured the National League wild card with an 8-0 victory over Houston.

2012: Cincinnati Reds pitcher Homer Bailey threw the first of his two career no-hitters, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 1-0.

2019: American Christian Coleman won the 100-meter world championship in Doha in a world-leading 9.76 seconds.

2019: New York Mets rookie Pete Alonso hit his 53rd home run of the season, breaking Aaron Judge’s major league rookie record in a 3-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

2020: The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Dallas Stars in Game 6 of the COVID-delayed Stanley Cup Final to capture their second Stanley Cup championship.

2022: New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hit his 61st home run of the season to tie Roger Maris’ American League single-season record.

2025: Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes became the fastest player in NFL history to reach 250 career touchdown passes, accomplishing the feat in his 116th game during a 37-20 victory over Baltimore.

2025: Europe defeated the United States 15-13 at Bethpage Black to win the Ryder Cup on American soil for the first time since 2012.

— USA TODAY Network

This story was created with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of information gathering, review, editing and publishing. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Today in sports history, September 28

Texas Rangers lineup for August 31, 2026 against the Athletics: starting pitchers are Jacob deGrom for the Rangers and Gage Jump for the Athletics.

Texas is back at home for seven games, the first of which is against the Athletics. The Rangers are facing a lefty, and so the righthanded-swinging crew is in there. Notably, Ezequiel Duran is hitting leadoff, the first time in his career he’s started a game in the leadoff spot. He now has been in the starting lineup at each of the nine spots in the batting order.

The lineup:

Duran — CF

Seager — SS

Langford — LF

Nimmo — RF

Burger — 1B

Foscue — 2B

Diaz — DH

Freeman — 3B

Jansen — C

7:05 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are -214 favorites.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in baseball fans across the country.

Looking at the long history of Major League Baseball shows a clear swinging of the pendulum in style of play. Booming offenses gives way to dominant pitching, which in turn brings out an emphasis on home runs. After the heyday of the steroid era, it became common for the home run leader to slug fewer than 50, or even 45, home runs in a season. That has gradually changed to the point where over the last few years the home run champ finishes at or near 60 on the season.

This year, however, has seen a step back. Kyle Schwarber currently leads the league in home runs with only 40, on pace to hit 47 on the year. That would mark the fewest home runs in any season (excluding the shortened 202o season) in a decade. Schwarber isn’t a lock to win the home run race, either. There are five other players who are basically just a really good few games away from being tied for the lead.

Who will win the home run race?

Just as interesting as who will win the race is how many home runs it will take to wear the crown. There are seven players right now who are on pace to hit at least 40 home runs. How many of those players can catch a little bit of fire and surpass 45 on the season?

Looking at the season as a whole, it hasn’t felt like there has been a shortage of long balls. Maybe the distribution of home runs is all that has changed, so more players are hitting a dozen home runs instead of a select few hitting 55.

In the hopes of finding a happy medium, what do you think is the right amount of home runs in a season for the best slugger in baseball? How many homers should the top guy expect to have in a given season?

Be on the lookout for results to these surveys and the rest of the SB Nation Reacts surveys later this week!

The Mets’ addition of Freddy Peralta, and the right-hander’s subsequent performance on the mound, was a microcosm of what didn’t go right for the club this season. 

Acquired in a trade with Milwaukee that sent Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat to the Brewers, Peralta came to New York to be the team’s ace, with a chance to sign a multi-year contract extension that would keep him in New York for a long time. 

But Peralta struggled to the tune of a 4.99 ERA, and the Mets traded him to the Tampa Bay Rays ahead of the deadline. 

Now, Peralta is set to take the ball against New York on Tuesday night.

“It’s a challenge. Every game for me, I think I take it the same way,” Peralta said on facing the Mets. “I just come in to compete and try to get the win.”

Peralta was an All-Star with the Brewers in 2025, pitching to a 2.70 ERA and finishing fifth in NL Cy Young voting. But for whatever reason, things just didn’t click in New York.

“It was the first time that I was struggling like that, but I never give up,” Peralta said. “I was always trying to find a way to feel better, to pitch better. I knew what I could do, and I was feeling good physically too and healthy, but I couldn’t make an adjustment. The good thing is that now I’m different, I feel different and I plan to keep going until my worst year is over.”

Despite his struggles on the mound, the veteran right-hander says that he’ll remember the people that made his time with the Mets special.

"I made good friends there, really good friends,” Peralta said. “People there, they took care of me really well. For me, that’s a little sad.” 

Peralta is now on a first-place team, as the Rays look to hold off the Yankees (currently 4.5 games up) in the AL East race. He’s had his struggles as a Ray as well, pitching to a 5.60 ERA, but he’s coming off his best start, going 6.0 shutout innings against Detroit in his last outing.

He’ll look to keep that up on Tuesday, when he faces Sean Manaea and his former team.

The Baltimore Orioles have claimed center fielder Luis Robert Jr. off waivers from the Mets, and with that, the 29-year-old’s brief tenure with the Mets has come to an end.

Known as an injury-prone player before the Mets traded for him ahead of the 2026 season, Robert missed a huge chunk of time this year with a lower back issue. He played in 58 games for the Mets, made 218 plate appearances, and hit .223/.303/.399 with 10 home runs, a 96 wRC+, and 0.5 fWAR. He’s earning $20 million this year and has a team option for 2027 at the same salary with a $2 million buyout in the very likely event that the option is declined.

For now, the Mets save some money, and Robert joins Pete Alonso and company in Baltimore as the Orioles attempt to make the playoffs via the third Wild Card spot in the American League. At the moment, they’re 68-69, one game back of the Guardians for that spot, a half-game ahead of the Rangers, and one game ahead of the Rangers. And if the Twins, Mariners, or Tigers were to go on a brief hot streak, they’re not totally out of that playoff picture yet, either.

To replace Robert on the active roster, the Mets have reinstated Mark Vientos from the injured list. The 26-year-old has hit just .211/.256/.388 with 11 home runs, a 76 wRC+, and -1.1 fWAR, which has made him the sixth-worst in baseball among position players this year. He’s made just 254 plate appearances and had been on the injured list since early July with a fractured hand.

And last but not least, the Mets are planning to call up outfielder Nick Morabito when rosters expand tomorrow, per a report from Will Sammon.

The Yankees completed their homestand this weekend with about as good of a result as you could ask for. After dropping two of three to Houston and getting just one run scored in the finale of that series, Friday’s 1-0 nailbiter of a win against Boston and subsequent shutout loss to them on the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday brought back concerns of their stagnant offense. However, they ripped through the final two games, scoring nine in the nightcap to split the doubleheader before blasting their way to 16 runs in the finale on Sunday to take the series and the season record against Boston. They now stand four games up on the Red Sox in the standings, but with that tiebreaker in hand they’ve got an extra game of protection should these two teams remain in the top Wild Card slots and face off to start October.

The final month of the season is now in front of them, and they’ve got both a sizeable gap on Boston to uphold while also facing a nearly-identical gap between them and Tampa Bay for first place. Their penultimate series of the season lines them up to deal with that problem head-on, but if the deficit isn’t more than a game or two by then the odds of totally flipping the standings are negligible. Is the offensive eruption they had this weekend a sign of the lineup finally clicking, or will the droughts keep popping up? Was Will Warren’s performance in the finale the best start he’s had in his career, and can he follow it up with more down the stretch? How much are you expecting from Aaron Judge as he gears up to jump straight back into an MLB lineup without rehab games? If you have questions like these, or anything else on your mind, send ‘em in for a chance to be featured in our Yankees mailbag.

Answers will run on Friday afternoon. All questions received by the night of September 3rd will be considered. You can leave your submissions in the comment section below or by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.

Baseball spent the last three days running like Facebook marketplace.

Luis Robert Jr. sold. The Mets put the center fielder on waivers Saturday, essentially putting an ad out for the other 29 teams to let them know he was available. By Monday afternoon he was an Oriole. New York gets nothing back except salary relief and a waiver fee. No prospect, no draft pick, not even cash considerations. The Mets are just happy they are out from under the $3 million left on his deal.

Eugenio Suarez and TJ Friedl did not sell.

Cincinnati put both on waivers last week and told the other 29 teams they could have either one for the cost of their salary. Friedl's cost about $700,000. Nobody bit. He is still a Red, So is Suarez. And everybody knows the Reds were willing to give them away.

Welcome to waiver claim season.

Nearly a month after MLB's official trade deadline, teams are looking for depth and potential at little cost and risk. They have been perusing the waiver wire like a marketplace for nearly a month. Monday was the last day that they could make a move and have it matter in October.

So, here's what's happening.

Wait, didn't MLB say the trades were over Aug. 3?

They are. Since 2019 there has been no such thing as a trade after the deadline. MLB changed the trade deadline and eliminated the waiver trades in August 2019.

A waiver claim is not a trade. It's a giveaway with a receipt. A team puts a player on outright waivers, the other 29 teams are told he is available, and any of them can have him by agreeing to pay what is left on his contract. Nothing goes back to the original team beyond a $50,000 waiver fee.

No haggling. No prospects. Take him or leave him.

Who gets first dibs?

The worst team in baseball gets first dibs. Waiver priority runs in reverse of the standings, so the club with the uglier record picks first, and then if there are two really bad teams vying for a player, last season's record breaks ties.

Being bad is one of the few things baseball rewards immediately. But bad teams rarely make waiver claims.

These claims are also final. A team cannot float a player, see who bites and pull him back like they used to do. That loophole closed in 2019. Put him on waivers and he is gone if he is claimed.

Why would a team give away a player?

Money, mostly.

A club going nowhere, like the Mets, is paying a veteran to finish out a lost month. Handing him to a team vying for a spot clears salary and opens the roster spot for somebody the team plans to keep.

It usually suits the player too. He gets a pennant race instead of a countdown to his offseason tee time.

Some claims are strategic. A contender can take a player it has no intention of using in order to keep him off a rival team.

What happens if nobody claims a player?

He goes back to his locker, knowing the team was willing to give him away. And he is waiting for the other shoe to drop.

That's Suarez and Friedl right now. Unclaimed players stay put, and their teams can send them outright to the minors, though veterans with enough service time can refuse that and take free agency instead.

Why is there a flurry of moves on Aug. 31?

It's the last hours before the deadline that really matters.

To play in October, a player has to be in the organization before the Sept. 1 cutoff. MLB's rules draw the line on being on the 40-man roster or on the 60-day injured list. Players like Luis Robert Jr. and Tommy Pham, who was claimed by the White Sox from the Phillies, are eligible for October.

A claim takes about 48 hours to clear, so anyone hoping to dump salary had to file by the weekend. Saturday, Robert and Royals reliver John Schreiber were put on waivers. Monday, Robert is now an Oriole and Schreiber was claimed by the Yankees.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why MLB contenders are getting players for nothing after the deadline

The Dodgers ended August on a high note with a win on Sunday in Detroit, but the month itself was quite mediocre, with an offense that left a lot to be desired.

The result was a losing month, going just 13-14 in August, following a ho-hum 13-11 in July. The Dodgers were outscored in July (113-105), and August was more of the same, scoring 104 runs and allowing 106. This marks the first time the Dodgers were outscored in consecutive months since April, May, and June 2013. That was the first season of a 13-year stretch of consecutive playoff berths, a streak that will hit 14 this year despite the last two months of meh.

The main positive of August was getting both Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow back from months-long stints on the injured list, and putting the Dodgers postseason rotation in place, along with the acquisition of Tarik Skubal joining Yohsinobu Yamamoto. Those four combined for 2.22 ERA in 16 starts with 116 strikeouts against only 26 walks in 97 1/3 innings, with a 23.6-percent strikeout-minus-walk rate.

Roki Sasaki, Eric Lauer, Justin Wrobleski, and Emmet Sheehan combined for 11 starts, plus one relief appearance, with a collective 6.83 ERA, 16 home runs allowed, and a 9.9-percent strikeout-minus-walk rate. The Dodgers lost eight of their 11 starts.

Fun fact

Tommy Edman has been hit by 10 pitches this season, the most by a Dodger since Freddie Freeman in 2024. Five of those hit by pitches came in a 12-day span from August 17-28, after Edman was also hit by five pitches in July. Per the Dodgers, Edman is the first player in franchise history to get hit by five pitches two months in a row since Dan McGann in May and June 1899 for Brooklyn. The only other Dodgers player with two five-HBP months in the same season is Justin Turner, in April and September 2017.

The Dodgers had their second straight month of offensive malaise, headlined by a road trip through Atlanta and Detroit last week that saw the Dodgers score only 17 runs in six games. The Dodgers scored two or fewer runs nine times during August, which was pretty much in line with the rest of their season.

Alex Call led the Dodgers with an .830 OPS in August, but only batted 22 times. The only other players with an OPS that started with an eight were Max Muncy (.828, 19 RBI) and Andy Pages (.802 in 19 games before a fastball broke his hand).

Freddie Freeman had no home runs in his 26 games in August, with a 96 wRC+. Regulars Mookie Betts (97 wRC+), Teoscar Hernández (89 wRC+), Kyle Tucker (69 wRC+) and Edman (67 wRC+) were all below average offensively.

They couldn’t get much traction against opposing starting pitchers. Excluding the three games at Coors Field from August 17-19, starting pitchers against the Dodgers in August had a 3.29 ERA while averaging 5.58 innings per start.

The difference over the last two months for the Dodgers has been the lack of big games, scoring six runs or more only six times in August, their worst such month of the season.

Month	0-2 runs	6+ runs	Runs/game	wRC+
Mar/Apr	8 (1-7)	13 (12-1)	5.39 (4th)	121 (1st)
May	8 (0-8)	8 (8-0)	5.25 (4th)	116 (2nd)
June	9 (3-6)	12 (11-1)	5.44 (4th)	119 (5th)
July	6 (2-4)	7 (5-2)	4.38 (17th)	95 (20th)
August	9 (2-7)	6 (5-1)	3.85 (24th)	91 (22nd)

Not being able to blow teams out led to a lot of closer games, with 15 of the Dodgers’ 27 August games decided by one run. The Dodgers were 7-8 in those games.

On the season, the Dodgers are 29-14 in blowouts, games decided by five or more runs, tied for the second-most blowout runs in MLB. But that’s after having only two such wins in July, and only two blowout wins in August — on August 17 at Coors Field, and Sunday in Detroit.

After slugging only .395 in July, they slugged just .378 during August, ninth-lowest in MLB. Two powerless months in a row was only one fewer than the total number of sub-.400 slugging months the Dodgers had in the previous seven seasons combined.

Up next

Only four weeks remain in the regular season, and the Dodgers play 25 games in 27 days beginning Tuesday. Fifteen of the final 25 games are at Dodger Stadium, and the Dodgers in September only play two series against teams with winning records — the 69-68 Marlins (September 11-13 in Miami) and 72-65 Padres (September 22-24 in Los Angeles).

Today’s the final day of August, which means that we’re knocking on the door of the crucial month of September. Every team in baseball will get an opportunity to add two players to their roster for the final month of the season and as such, the Braves have decided to go with a balance of veteran presence and young talent that could potentially make a big impact.

Friend of the site Grant McAuley is reporting that the Braves have decided that their two September callups will be RHP Blake Burkhalter and INF Kyle Farmer.

Blake Burkhalter is one of the #Braves two September call-ups. Kyle Farmer is the other.

Burkhalter, who turns 26 in 3 weeks, was a 2nd round pick by Atlanta in 2022. He's overcome injury to become an effective reliever – 1.26 ERA and 46 K in 35.2 IP (11.6 K/9) – this season.

— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) August 31, 2026

As Grant mentioned in the post above, Burkhalter has been doing a very good job down on the farm this season, with the vast majority of those 35.2 innings coming at the Triple-A level with the Gwinnett Stripers. He’s sitting on a 1.48 ERA (31 ERA-) and a 2.77 FIP (58 FIP-) across 24.1 Triple-A innings. As evidenced by the impending call-up, it sure seems like the Braves have decided that Burkhalter deserves a shot in the bigs and he could certainly help out a bullpen that has continued to get the job done throughout the season. Burkhalter’s first appearance will be his big league debut, so that’s exciting to think about.

Burkhalter made our Battery Power prospects list of players who’d likely be called up to the bigs in 2026, so there’s that. It also would behoove you to look out for his cutter, which our crew deemed as the best on the farm.

Meanwhile, the Braves have clearly decided to shore up their depth at the big league level by bringing Farmer back into the fold. Farmer (who was actually part of the Opening Day roster, believe it or not) had actually been released back in July but the Braves brought him back on a minor league deal on July 28 and his numbers in the minors (.227/.289/.255, .270 wOBA, 50 wRC+) have been very similar to what he produced across 12 games and 16 plate appearances with the Braves in the bigs (.267/.250/.333, .238 wOBA, 52 wRC+).

Basically, I’d imagine that Farmer will be stashed directly on the bench and he’ll get occasional pinch hitting/running duties and could possibly get a start if the injury bug gets bad or the Braves put out a Day After Clinching lineup if all goes well and they hold on to the divisional lead.

Reports surfaced on Sunday that infield prospect John Peck would be promoted to Detroit to make his major league debut on the road against the Minnesota Twins. The Tigers seventh round pick back in 2023 out of Pepperdine University, the recently turned 24-year-old was always a quality defender, but over the past year he’s broken out with the bat. He reached Triple-A Toledo in late June, and now that rapid rise will culminate with a promotion to the major leagues.

The Tigers draft strategy under amateur scouting director Mark Connor, who has done a pretty brilliant job overall, has often seen them selecting undervalued athletic middle infielders and center fielders with contact skills for cheap draft bonuses. The idea is that by stockpiling this type of player to save money for other more prominent names in the draft, the Tigers will get more bang for their buck overall. If just one player like this blooms in terms of plate discipline and power in their mid-20’s per draft, these classes are going to turn out much stronger than just the big bonus names.

The 2023 draft is the first test of this strategy, and both outfielder Brett Callahan and infielder Peck are the prominent examples of just how well it can work with good player development. The Tigers already have the likely AL Rookie of the Year in Kevin McGonigle, along with blue chip center fielder Max Clark in the big leagues out of the 2023 draft class. You can’t do much better with two first round picks, and now Callahan and Peck, each of whom received a bonus under $250,000 have reached the Show with a chance to help turn their draft class into perhaps the best in team history.

Source: Tigers are calling up INF John Peck.

— Emily Waldon (@EmilyCWaldon) August 30, 2026

Peck was Pepperdine’s starting shortstop when the Tigers paid him $222,500 to sign as their seventh round pick. Coming from a lower tier baseball power, and flashing minimal home run power, Peck’s value was mostly tied up in his glove on draft day. He hit six home runs in 49 games during his junior year, so he didn’t get any significant national attention. Frankly his 21.7 percent strikeout rate didn’t really fit the profile of a light-hitting, contact first athlete, but the Tigers liked his raw power and his chances to develop in pro ball, and they’ve been proven correct so far.

Even so, there are still major questions about Peck’s bat and whether he’ll be able to adapt to major league pitching. The Tigers are moving him up very aggressively here, and it’s not as though he tore Double-A and Triple-A up this year to a degree that would lend a lot of confidence to a fast promotion. Peck showed out pretty well back in spring training, building on a modest 2025 breakout that saw him jump to Double-A late in the season. He arrived in camp with more good muscle on his six-foot frame, and the adjustments he’s made over two seasons to lower his hands and simplify his path to the baseball continued to pay dividends as he made plenty of hard contact in camp and showed his ability to drive balls to the opposite field as well.

The Tigers sent him out to Erie to continue to build on his 25 games look there at the end of the 2025 season. Peck provided some confirmation of spring impressions by cranking 10 homers and stealing 19 bags in 58 games there from April through late June. He still struck out quite a bit for a player without huge power numbers, punching out 25 percent of the time, while walking just 5.5 percent of the time. More selectivity was required for Peck to avoid getting himself out on the ground a lot, but that didn’t really show up at all. He did some damage, but he still hit the ball on the ground nearly 50 percent of the time he put something in play. He slashed .285/ .328 ./511 for the SeaWolves, and the Tigers decided to move him, along with Callahan, up to Toledo in late June.

Peck never got a chance to settle in at the Triple-A level. He suffered a leg injury in just his second game with the Mud Hens on June 24, and missed about six weeks. The nature of the injury was never made public, but we’re guessing hamstring. Peck only returned to Toledo from the injured list and a rehab stint last Tuesday, playing one series with the Hens. There’s nothing wrong with throwing him into the deep end for a month since he’ll be added to the 40-man roster this fall, but he’s basically skipping Triple-A and doesn’t have the discipline and contact numbers to justify such a rapid promotion.

Defensively, Peck can play shortstop but he has some trouble there throwing on the run from tough angles. He’s very good at both third and second base, occasionally misplaying a ball, but making some stellar plays as well. His arm strength is plenty, but again he can get a little wild at times throwing on the move. Right now, I don’t really view him as a future everyday player, but rather more of a right-handed hitting Zach McKinstry with a little more raw power to cash in if he can start putting more balls in the air to the pull side.

Still, defensive versatility is really valuable, and here it’s allowing Peck to skip right over a more highly regarded hitting prospect in Max Anderson. Anderson plays second base but isn’t particularly good there and doesn’t have the speed, agility, or arm to really handle the left side of the infield at all. The Tigers don’t really have a spot for Anderson right now. Peck isn’t really an everyday shortstop but he can hang there, and he’s at least an average defender everywhere else and can probably learn to play some corner outfield as well.

Rosters don’t expand until Tuesday, when the active rosters grow from 26 to 28 players, so someone will have to be demoted if Peck is coming up for Monday night’s game. Veteran outfielder Corey Julks seems the most likely player to be designated for assignment, to make a spot on the 40-man and active rosters for Peck.

Expect Peck to struggle at the plate in September. He’s looked good since coming off the injured list, but again we’re talking about six Triple-A games with which to acclimate to that level, let alone the major leagues. Peck controls the zone decently, doesn’t chase excessively, and makes plenty of contact in the strike zone. It’s just that a lot of that contact is on the ground. He’s not so fleet of foot that he’s going to pressure infielders and beat out a lot of infield hits.

John Peck is very much still a work in progress. His defensive versatility, above average speed and raw power, and a solid approach at the plate say he has a solid chance to develop a lot further as a hitter and potentially turn himself into an everyday player, or close to it, but he has a lot of work ahead of him to get to that point. There are going to be growing pains. Hopefully he has some good moments, takes his lumps, and can carry some lessons into the offseason that will help him make the Opening Day roster in 2027. Just don’t expect a whole lot from the bat right now. Playing with the major league club will give him exposure to the best pitching in the world, and allow the coaching staff to work with him both on his hitting but to clean up some of his actions defensively. The opportunity for development is right there for him, but this is definitely still a work in progress.

The stage is set to kick off the Atlanta Braves makeup game against the San Francisco Giants.

Let’s look at these rosters.

Drake Baldwin is leading the team off with Mike Yastrzemski set to finish in the nine-hole. After this matchup will be the trip to Washington, so the Braves will need to carry their momentum while they’re still at home.

Atlanta will be led by Bryce Elder on the mound, and he hasn’t had the best results as of late. This could be the turnaround he needs to boost back his confidence and help the team come out with a win.

And for the Giants, behind former Braves’ pitcher Anthony Molina, they’re looking to put a stop the Braves’ winning streak.

There are five players on their roster who are batting over .400 against Elder, and holding over an .800 OPS.

The Braves have to decide which version will show up to keep their streak alive.

Tune in at 6:05 p.m. ET to watch it all play out.

The Mets are activating infielder Mark Vientosoff of the 10-day IL.

The Mets had a spot on the active roster after outfielder Luis Robert Jr. was claimed off waivers by Baltimore earlier in the day.

Vientos suffered a fractured right hand on July 9 when he was hit by a pitch while facing Kansas City Royals righty Michael Wacha.

Vientos began a rehab assignment on Aug. 21, and he's been on an absolute tear at the plate over the past week or so, hitting five home runs in his last four games. He had a huge performance on Sunday, blasting three home runs as the Syracuse Mets pitched a combined no-hitter against the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs.

He's in Monday's lineup as the DH and batting cleanup.

"I think today, obviously he hit three home runs yesterday so I think the smart thing is to get him in the lineup as quickly as possible and see if he can do that again here," interim manager Andy Green said.

Overall, it's been a down year for the 26-year old. He's hit just .211 with a .644 OPS to go along with 11 home runs and 35 RBI. 

It will be interesting to see where and when Vientos plays upon returning, as Greenhas said the infielder does not have a "perfectly laid path" for playing time upon his return. With Bo Bichette playing third base, Jared Young getting most of the time at first, and Juan Soto seeing most of the time at DH since his return from the IL, Vientos will likely see most of his action at first against left-handed pitchers.

"Lefty on the mound, obviously losing Luis Robert today we had a hole in the lineup so he fits right in at the DH spot today." Green said. "What I said before still rings true and I reinforced it with him as well like ‘I don’t know how your opportunity is gonna unfold this month. I do know if you play really well you’ll play more’ and that was the encouragement and the clarity I tried to give him… Excited to watch him play today."