SAN FRANCISCO, CA - APRIL 22: Alex Freeland #76 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws to first base prior to the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Wednesday, April 22, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kavin Mistry/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Dodgers called up infielder Alex Freeland from Triple-A Oklahoma City, as expected, to fill in with Kiké Hernández placed on the injured list with a left groin strain.
Hernández missed the first 53 games of the season after left elbow surgery before returning Monday, and had four hits in four at-bats in his two games back. But he felt something in his oblique on Monday, tried to play through it, and things got worse on Tuesday, when he was pulled from the game after only four innings.
“It’s a bummer. He’s missed a lot of time and worked hard to get back, and added that spark that we had hoped,” manager Dave Roberts said of Hernández Tuesday night. “I just feel bad for him because he wanted to be back with this, and he worked hard.
“It’s not a season-ending thing, so that’s something to be hopeful with, but yeah it’s just a bummer.”
The switch-hitting Freeland with Oklahoma City hit .333/.415/.815 with both triples and three of his four home runs from the left side, his more prolific side offensively. In his parts of two seasons so far in the majors, totaling 62 games and 209 plate appearances, Freeland hit .224/.311/.346 with an 88 wRC+ as a left-handed hitter, compared to just .154/.241/.192 with a 28 wRC+ in all of 29 plate appearances batting right-handed.
On the whole, Freeland is hitting .235/.309/.337 with an 86 wRC+ with the Dodgers, and he leads the team with 33 games, 31 starts, and 262 defensive innings at second base, where he accumulated four defensive runs saved and three outs above average at the position. He starts at second base on Wednesday night.
May 27, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants second baseman Luis Arraez reacts to being tagged out after picked off the base against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the eighth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
There are two types of comedy (note: there are probably more, but work with me here). There’s comedy that is about setting up expectations for an audience before subverting them with the unexpected. Then there’s comedy that plays with the audience’s expectations, that pokes and prods it, teasing it just long enough for a tickle of doubt to form before the inevitable happens. This is the kind of humor behind cartoons like Tom and Jerry, or classic Looney Tunes’ rivalries. There is a hunter and hunted, and try as the hunter might, the hunted is never caught. The comedy doesn’t lie in the fact of their failure, but how they fail.
Watching the San Francisco Giants right now is like watching Tom trying to catch Jerry, Sylvester eat Tweety Bird, Daffy outwit Bugs, Wil E. Coyote rundown the Roadrunner. It’s cartoonish how close, and yet impossibly far, this team is from playing winning/compelling baseball. That fact has never been more evident then what happened in Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the Diamondbacks.
After 56 games, after going 9 for their last 18 and falling more than 10 games below .500, after losing the first two games of the series against Arizona, staring down the barrel of a second series sweep to them in a single week, the expectations were low. We all turned on the tube this afternoon wondering how Tom was going to get a frying pan in his face this time.
Then Luis Arraez punched a 2-RBI single in the 3rd for an early lead.
Then Trevor McDonald beat his previous game’s 4th inning demons by working around a lead-off hit batter, his sinker breaking through the front and back doors of the strike zone for called strike after called strike.
Despite our better judgement, the strong foundations are reasonable and low expectations were built on started to wobble.
Perhaps this was some weird meta-episode where Sylvester actually grabs Tweety, that the canary stays helpless and trapped in his grasp, that he doesn’t chomp down on his thumb, but maybe, finally…and nope. Of course, yeah. The grandma. We forgot about the umbrella-wielding grandma. An infield single to lead-off the 6th was all it took for Arizona to wiggle free. Corbin Carroll beat out what would’ve been a double play ball to any other runner in the league, finding himself at third on a subsequent Geraldo Perdomo single before touching home on Adrian del Castillo’s flip single into left.
Half-a-lead lost, San Francisco initiated their patented self- sabotage like Wil E. Coyote waddling out crate after crate of cheap ACME TNT.
Desperate for an unproductive out or groundball, McDonald over-cooked a slider that missed the plate by five feet. The wild pitch allowed both runners to advance, setting up Ildemaro Vargas’s game-tying sacrifice fly.
An inning later, McDonald and reliever Matt Gage, laughably found themselves in the exact position as the 6th. One out, two groundball singles — but this time Tony Vitello decided to intervene. Handsome and self-assured, he strolled to the mound and gestured to the bullpen for the lefty Matt Gage. This was the move that would solve all of their problems, that would keep the Giants in the game, he thought to himself…before walking into a glass door.
Gage threw one pitch to Corbin Carroll, and then tasked with fielding the grounder rolling up the line, the big southpaw got his limbs confused. He bent down and just straight-up whiffed on the 5 MPH dribbler.
Gage did the hard part. He coaxed a legless swing from a hot hitter on a well-placed slider. Jerry was sold. The mouse was sniffing the cheese in the trap, and then Tom, rubbing his paws together nearby, got spooked by his shadow. He jumped in fright and somehow his tail landed in the trap instead. The error again gifted Arizona a runner on third with less than two outs, and Perdomo capitalized on the mistake with another sac fly to take the lead.
And even after all that — the groundball singles finding holes, McDonald’s wild pitch, the ineffectual pitching change, the glove biff — there was more embarrassment to reap. Because a team so flummoxed and hapless as the Giants are right now, there will always be one more toe to stub. There will always be a lower bottom, and that bottom came in the 8th, set-up, rather cruelly, when the offense was given an unexpected gift.
As if dropped from the heavens, Willy Adames’s pop fly to left dropped safely to outfield grass after Ryan Waldeschmidt lost the baseball in the sun.
San Francisco’s line-up had only reached base once since Arraez’s two run single in the 3rd inning. Starter Mike Soroka had retired 11 batters in a row before exiting after the 6th. 16 hitters went hitless before Adames’s sun double. Far from deserved, but a lucky break that suddenly put the tying run in scoring position. For all the baseball I’ve seen, and I’ve seen a lifetime’s worth these past 50 games, I admit there was a moment when the doubt lifted. The tease again! That tickle! Something good, something different, might possibly could be maybe who knows happen here! The whole team felt it too. They licked their lips. The bird was just sitting there, just past the window within reach, they just had to pounce, to reach in and snatch it —
SLAM! Window frame shut, right on the fingers. Not even close. Adames was out by a mile, cut down by a janky relay, and a problematic send.
Third base coach Hector Borg has drawn too much attention to himself this year. One could put together a lowlight reel of the decisions he’s made in the first third of this season. He held Drew Gilbert when he should’ve scored against Philly in the 10th. He got Jung Hoo Lee thrown out, and banged up, at home trying to score from first against the Dodgers. Perhaps he was maybe riding high off his aggressive send of Adames that paid off in the 3rd, but this decision proved disastrous because it reeked of desperation. Waldschmidt was clearly there to back-up Arraez’s single. Adames wasn’t able to make a definitive move to advance until he confirmed the ball touched grass. He had no jump, no momentum — but he still got the wave because of how dire things had become. Arraez’s hit was just the lineup’s fifth in the game — and he had three of them. A MLB-leading fifth sweep loomed. That recklessness is exactly the problem. You start to fear the worst. You question whether another opportunity will arise, you remember the flak you got for holding Gilbert in extras. You even doubt with Casey Schmitt, one of the hottest hitters in the league, next to the plate, because there is no future, no guarantees. The Giants’ mindset has become now-or-never, do-or-die.
So the tying run is cut down at the plate. That’s bad — but it’s not the worst.
The Dodgers' Kiké Hernández seems to wince after hitting a double against the Colorado Rockies in the fourth inning at Dodger Stadium. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Dodgers utility man Kiké Hernández’s said he was hoping for “somewhat good news tomorrow” after leaving Tuesday’s game with an oblique injury.
But on Wednesday, an MRI exam showed a “significant tear” in his left oblique, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. Hernández is expected to be out six to eight weeks, but recovery timelines for oblique strains vary, depending on how long it takes the player to become symptom-free.
“You don’t really know what the timeline is, but it’s certainly warranting an IL stint,” Roberts said.
In a corresponding move, infielder Alex Freeland was called up from triple-A Oklahoma City.
After returning from a offseason surgery on his left elbow, the 34-year-old Hernández went four for four, including a home run and two RBIs.
However, Hernández said he tweaked his oblique during batting practice Monday, though he felt fine enough to play. The pain returned after his third-inning home run swing, and he was pulled in the top of the fifth Tuesday.
In his absence, the Dodgers will be splitting time between Freeland and Hyeseong Kim, with Freeland getting the majority of the reps. The Dodgers are also navigating third baseman Max Muncy’s return.
“Right now, he’s earned the opportunity to get some looks consistently, and it’s a credit to him to go back down and play well,” Roberts said of Freeland.
In 33 games with the Dodgers, Freeland collected 23 hits and 2 home runs, walking 11 times.
But his time in the minor leagues was productive, as he hit .265 with four home runs and 16 RBIs in 11 games with the Comets.
“It was great, that’s what we talked about doing is going down there and knocking the door down and taking that frustration out on those pitchers,” Roberts said. “And that’s what he did.”
Freeland’s next step is to show he can make those improvements against Major League pitching. His first chance will be against the Colorado Rockies’ Tomoyuki Sugano as Freeland was inserted into the starting lineup at second base.
“You know you’re in a big room, and you’re trying to find your way, not make mistakes,” Roberts said of Freeland. “[He has to] give himself some grace and go out there and play hard and be a tough out. Go out there and play defense, and then good things happen.
With Freeland playing, Kim will take a backseat. In the 27-year-old’s 42 games with the Dodgers, Kim hasn’t reached his previous successes from last season. Currently, he is batting .254 with 29 hits and 11 RBIs.
When asked about how the Dodgers plan to balance also getting Kim some at-bats, Roberts replied: “Hyeseong’s gotten a lot of runway, certainly versus right-handed pitching, and I think that right now it’s skewing towards Alex getting more of the opportunities.”
Ohtani took bat against Rockies’ left-handed pitcher Kyle Freeland during the bottom of the fourth inning when a change-up pitch coming at him at 85.2 mph ricocheted off the padding of his right hand.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and team trainer Thomas Albert came out to check on Ohtani but he waived them off. Shortly thereafter, he was eventually removed from the game with the Dodgers holding a healthy lead over the Rockies.
Shohei Ohtani got hit in the padding of his right hand. Dave Roberts and Dodgers team trainer Thomas Albert came out to check on him and Shohei waived them off. Dave said before the game that he would be in the lineup for his start tomorrow.
Roberts plans to have him pitch Wednesday, but double-duties weren't determined until an hour before game time. Ohtani will hit leadoff in addition to pitching against the Rockies.
"I just want to make sure how he comes in and, physically, how he feels," Roberts said. "Because I want to make sure he feels really good on the pitching side of things."
The pitch just grazed Ohtani’s pinky finger and he did not receive an MRI for the injury scare.
LA has seen Ohtani take form and looking like an early candidate for both NL MVP and Cy Young. He’s been warming up at the plate, but he’s pulled off an impressive 0.73 ERA, the best mark among major leaguers who have pitched at least 30 innings this season.
It appears all things are fine with Ohtani but it will still be something to monitor as he suits in the Dodgers series finale with the Rockies on Wednesday, May 27.
The game begins at 7:10 p.m. PT at Dodger Stadium. Dodgers lead the NL West division with a 35-20 record. The Rockies are the division’s worst team at 20-36.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Left-hander Cristopher Sánchez pitched seven brilliant innings, extending his scoreless streak to 44 2/3 innings and passing Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander for the Phillies franchise record, in a 3-0 win Wednesday against the San Diego Padres for a three-game sweep.
Sánchez (6-2) reached the milestone by getting through the four full innings he needed to pass Alexander, who had a 41-innng scoreless streak in 1911. He kept going through three more scoreless innings before leaving after throwing 100 pitches. He allowed six hits, struck out nine and walked none.
He pumped his fists as he walked off the mound after striking out pinch-hitter Ty France to end the seventh.
He set another franchise record by going at least seven scoreless innings for the fifth straight start, becoming the sixth to so in MLB history.
Trea Turner homered leading off the ninth, his seventh, and Kyle Schwarber hit an RBI single during the two-run sixth.
With Sánchez an inning away from the record, there was a heart-stopping moment as Manny Machado lifted a fly ball to left that Edmundo Sosa caught just in front of the wall leading off the fourth. Sánchez struck out Xander Bogaerts, Ramon Laureano doubled to left and then the lefty then got Jackson Merrill to ground out to second base to set the record.
The Padres stranded runners in scoring position in the first and second innings, and Gavin Sheets lifted a fly ball just in front of the warning track in right to end the third.
José Alvarado pitched the ninth for his first save.
Walker Buehler (3-3) took the loss.
Up next
Phillies LHP Zack Wheeler (4-0, 1.67 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday night at the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Padres RHP Lucas Giolito (2-0, 2.70) is scheduled to start Friday night at Washington.
May 27, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Seattle Mariners left fielder Rob Refsnyder (30) is congratulated by teammates after hitting a three-run home run against the Athletics in the first inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Heading into a pivotal divisional series in Sacramento, the vibes were off in Mariners Land. They had just dropped another series to the middling Royals in which they couldn’t put all the facets together in one game. And even though the M’s took the series opener on Monday night, their work was cut out for them with the Athletics queuing up a couple of lefties to face a lineup that has struggled against southpaws.
The Mariners rose to the occasion in emphatic fashion. They routed the A’s 9-1 Wednesday afternoon to complete a clean series sweep and take sole possession of the AL West lead for the first time in 2026.
Right off the bat in the first, the Mariners were thrown a bone in the form of a throwing error by Jeff McNeil that extended the inning and, in somewhat fitting fashion, brought to the plate the same Rob Refsnyder that the A’s so desperately clamored to face with two aboard and two out. Careful what you wish for, I suppose.
After falling into a two-strike count due to a couple of calls on pitches off the plate, Refsnyder fought back and launched a three-run homer to left to give the Mariners an early lead over lefty Jeffrey Springs. In the end, it was all they needed.
Logan Gilbert, who never pitched without the lead this afternoon, was up to the task of shutting down the A’s lineup. He went six scoreless innings, striking out six and giving up five hits and two walks. His velocity was a tick up almost across the board today, with his four-seamer averaging out to 96.4 mph for the afternoon. In total, he only generated nine whiffs, but the balls in play weren’t falling for hits.
The A’s were able to get a decent amount of hard contact off of Gilbert, but a real threat to the Mariners’ lead never materialized—some of this could be attributed to a number of quality plays from a defense that has ranked dead-last in baseball in fielding runs above average when accounting for positional adjustments, according to FanGraphs. J.P. Crawford, whose 2026 campaign has been marked by some defensive hardships so far, flashed the leather a couple of times at short and was able to complete his throws to first. Víctor Robles also had a pair of diving catches in right field—one in both of the opening two innings—and the first helped extinguish what would’ve been a opportunity to cut into the Mariners’ early lead.
The Mariners were able to keep the A’s at bay in the early going, and it allowed them to tack on with a two-out rally in the fourth. Cole Young, whose troubles facing lefties this year have amounted to a 64 wRC+ against them, was able to sneak a single into right off of McNeil’s glove. Jhonny Pereda then got on with his first of two walks for the afternoon. This passed the torch to Colt Emerson, who lined his first-career triple into the right field corner to give the Mariners a 5-0 lead.
Gilbert did have to work through some traffic in both the fourth and fifth innings. A couple of A’s hitters reached to begin the fourth but, after getting Jonah Heim to fly out, Gilbert was able to induce an inning-ending double play by Henry Bolte to end the threat. In the fifth, a two-out walk to Carlos Cortes allowed Nick Kurtz to come to the plate with a couple of baserunners on, but he flew out to center and failed to cash in on the opportunity.
The Mariners tacked on another run on a throwing error in the sixth, and Gilbert was able to turn a six-run lead over to the bullpen for the final nine outs of the afternoon. Eduard Bazardo worked a scoreless seventh and Cooper Criswell allowed a run over the remaining two innings of work.
As a cherry on top of what may be the Mariners’ most complete series of the season thus far, Julio Rodríguez added some additional insurance in the eighth, punishing a high fastball from Luis Medina for a three-run homer. It was Julio’s 10th of the season and eighth in the month of May, continuing an unprecedented start to the season for him.
Prior to Monday’s game, it wouldn’t have been unreasonable to worry about the Mariners potentially digging themselves a hole in the standings and falling further below .500, especially on their way to face the then-division-leader. That said, the series also represented a test of their resilience and an opportunity to get right back into the thick of things in the American League. They passed the test with flying colors, even with their opponent going out of their way to exploit what’s been their biggest weakness. Perhaps Wednesday could be a turning point in the 2026 season.
New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (27) hits a double during the first inning on April 22, 2026.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Giancarlo Stanton has finally been cleared to take the next step in his rehab — involving continuous steps in motion, otherwise known as running.
The Yankees’ veteran designated hitter underwent another round of imaging on Tuesday that “showed a lot of improvement” in his right calf, manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday, allowing him to start a running progression outside this week.
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It still remains to be seen how long that process will take before Stanton is in a position to rejoin the Yankees from his calf strain — it typically builds up to running the bases — but the 36-year-old has been hitting all along, which should expedite his comeback.
Stanton had said last week that he was feeling better than the imaging had indicated — his last MRI on May 11 showed the strain still lingering — but Tuesday’s tests finally seemed to match up.
“I think he wants it fully clear, but I think we got enough news today that allows us to take that next step to where hopefully the running goes in line with how he’s feeling and we can start to ramp up,” Boone said before the series finale against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (27) hits a double during the first inning on April 22, 2026. Jason Szenes for the New York Post
“Hopefully not too much longer.”
The Yankees have missed Stanton during the month he has been out, not just the production but his presence as a right-handed bat in the middle of the lineup to better break up their left-handed heavy lineup.
Stanton and Jasson Domínguez could be on similar tracks for a return, as Domínguez is ramping up baseball activities this week from a mild AC joint sprain in his left shoulder. Boone said by next week, both Domínguez and Stanton could be in a position to take live batting practice, with a rehab assignment potentially to follow for Domínguez.
José Caballero started in left field Wednesday for the first time this season, with Anthony Volpe starting a third straight game at shortstop. Instead of playing third base (where Ryan McMahon slotted in) or second base (where Amed Rosario started), Caballero got his first outfield action of the year, allowing Boone to shift Cody Bellinger to center field and sit Trent Grisham against Royals left-hander Noah Cameron.
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That also meant a day off for Jazz Chisholm Jr., who was batting .400 with a 1.138 OPS over his last 12 games.
“With the stretch we’ve been in and getting some different personnel back now, opportunity to get a couple guys in there that I want to keep active,” Boone said.
The Yankees’ 24 hits on Tuesday were their most since July 30, 2011, a lineup that had Derek Jeter leading off against Orioles starter — and future Yankees reliever — Zack Britton.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MAY 23: Christian Walker #8 of the Houston Astros hits a two-run home run in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on May 23, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Sage Zipeto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
TONIGHT’S GAME: Tonight, the Houston Astros (24-32) and Texas Rangers (25-29) will play the 3rd game of a 4-game series at Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX.
RHP Mike Burrows (2-6, 5.75 ERA) will make his club-leading 11th start of the season as he takes on Rangers RHP Jacob deGrom (3-4, 3.86 ERA)
Rematch: Burrows faced off against deGrom in his only other career start/app. vs. TEX on June 20, 2025 at PNC Park (6-2 L, 4.2 IP, 4 ER).
ABOUT BURROWS: RHP Mike Burrows is making his club-leading 11th start of the season tonight.
This will be his 1st career app. at Globe Life Field and his 2nd career app. vs. the Rangers overall. His other was on June 20, 2025 at PNC Park while with the Pirates, also vs. RHP Jacob deGrom (6-2 L, 4.2 IP, 4 ER).
Burrows took the loss in his last start on May 20 at MIN (6 IP, 4 ER)
THE LAST TIME: In their matchup vs. RHP Jacob deGrom on May 16 at Daikin Park, the Astros tallied 4 solo HR off the Rangers ace en route to a 4-1 win. Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Christian Walker and Zach Cole all went deep. The 4 HR matched the most that deGrom has given up in a ML outing, the other time was July 7, 2017 vs. STL.
AIR YORDAN: Last night was the 23rd multi-HR game in Yordan Alvarez’s career. He has 3 HR in his last 2 games and is 2nd in the AL in HR overall with 18 (Murakami-19).
Alvarez enters tonight’s game leading the AL in OPS (1.046), SLG (.631) and TB (125).
ROSTER MOVE: Following last night’s game, the Astros optioned RHP Jason Alexander to Triple A Sugar Land.
To take his place on the active roster, the Astros recalled RHP Logan VanWey from Triple A Sugar Land today.
ON THE MEND: LHP Josh Hader and OF Joey Loperfido had their rehab assignments transferred to Triple A Sugar Land today.
ROADIES: Tonight is the 9th game (5-3 thus far) of a 10-game, 3-city road trip for HOU. HOU went 1-2 at MIN on the 1st stop of the trip, 3-0 over the weekend vs. the Cubs at Wrigley Field and are 1-1 vs. TEX thus far with 2 games left to play.
THE SILVER BOOT SERIES: The Astros are 3-2 vs. the Rangers thus far in the 2026 Silver Boot Series. They took 2 out of 3 from Rangers, May 1517 at Daikin Park in the 1st series.
Dating back to last season, HOU has won 6 of their last 8 games vs. TEX.
Even Series: The two clubs have played each other 297 times in the regular season in their franchise histories, with the Astros holding a slight advantage, 149-148.
Recently, the Astros have had the upper hand, winning or splitting nine straight season series, going 96-53 against the Rangers since the start of the 2017 season.
200 CLUB: The Astros next win will be #200 for manager Joe Espada. Espada’s very first managerial win came via a no-hitter by RHP Ronel Blanco on April 1, 2024.
FOR STARTERS: Astros starters have a combined ERA of 3.43 (24ER/63IP) over the last 11 games (since May 15) with a 1.06 WHIP. In that span, they have allowed just 36 hits in 63.0 for an AL-best .167 opp. avg.
During that time, HOU ranks 1st in the AL in opp. avg., 4th in WHIP and 7th in ERA. Additionally, Astros starters have allowed no runs 5 times in the last 11 games.
RECENT STROS: The Astros have won 4 of 5, 5 of 7 and 7 of their last 11 games.
WALKER, TEXAS HAMMER: 1B Christian Walker is on a sizzling run as of late with 4 HR and 9 RBI in hits last 4 games.
For the season, he has been one of the top hitters in the AL and is currently 2nd in the league lead in RBI with 40. Walker also ranks 6th in HR (15) and TB (108), 7th in SLG (.529) and 12th in OPS (.863).
Walker also has not committed an error in his 56 games played.
ROAD WARRIORS: The Astros have been one of the AL’s top hitting teams on the road in 2026.
Entering today’s game, HOU leads the AL in road runs scored (141) and batting avg. (.264) and ranks 2nd in OBP (.335), SLG (.423) and OPS (.759).
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 1969 – In the Dome, Doug Rader’s walkoff grand slam in the bottom of the 9th lifts the Astros to a 6-2 win over the Phillies. RHP Don Wilson punches out 13 batters en route to the complete game victory.
2008 – Hunter Pence tallies a career-high 5 hits, helping to lead the Astros to an 8-2 win over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Pence ends up going 5-for-5 with 2 RBI in the win. He would add add one more 5-hit game to his career resume on July 25, 2013 while with SF.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Tuesday, May 26, 7:05 p.m. CT
Location: Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX
TV: Space City Home Network
Streaming: SCHN+
Radio: KTRH 740 AM, KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
The Yankees have received some good news on Giancarlo Stanton.
Aaron Boone told reporters prior to Wednesday night’s series finale against the Royals that the latest MRI on Stanton’s right calf showed a lot of improvement.
The righty slugger will do some outside running this week, and the team is hopeful that he’ll be able to do some more baseball activities shortly after.
“We got enough news today to take that next step to where hopefully the running goes inline with how he’s feeling and we can start to ramp things up from there,” Boone said.
The Yanks still don’t have a timeline for Stanton’s potential return.
The team's regular DH will likely require a rehab assignment before working his way back into the mix, as he hasn't appeared in a game since April 24.
Stanton was enjoying a strong start to the season before going down with the injury, hitting .256 with 14 RBI and nine extra base-hits across 90 at-bats.
“Having him in the middle [of the batting order], his presence is massive,” Boone said. “Hopefully it’s not too much longer, we obviously want him back in there because his presence is real.”
David Sandlin makes his MLB debut on the mound tonight for the White Sox. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The White Sox look to take game three of this four-game set after dropping a game last night to the Twins. Yet another new face will make his debut tonight; this time, it’s pitcher David Sandlin. This debut is due to Noah Schultz’s injury; earlier this week, Schultz was placed on the 15-day injured list with right knee patellar tendinitis.
Sandlin, 25, began his professional career with the Royals in 2022. Kansas City traded him to Boston in 2024. The Red Sox then dealt the righty to the White Sox this past winter — along with Jordan Hicks, two players to be named later, and cash – in exchange for Gage Ziehl.
Back and forearm soreness forced Sandlin to start the season on the minor league injured list. Thankfully, between his first rehab start at High-A Winston-Salem and his latest outing for Triple-A Charlotte, he has found some success. He’s given up just 12 hits in 16 1/3 innings, striking out 26. His walk rate is high, but Sandlin didn’t allow an earned run until his most recent start.
Sandlin will square off against Connor Prielipp, who is 1-2 with an ERA of 4.03 over 29 innings. In his last six starts, Prielipp has given up 22 hits, 13 earned runs and 12 walks against 30 strikeouts.
First pitch is 6:40 pm CT. You can watch the game on CHSN or listen on ESPN Chicago 1000.
May 27, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez (61) celebrates after pitching during the seventh inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
It may have looked like an innocent groundball to second base to end an inning, but the 79.5 MPH easy roller off of the bat of Jackson Merrill that was gloved by Bryson Stott and thrown to Bryce Harper at first will prove to be historic. That’s because it was with that scoreless fourth inning, Cristopher Sánchez cemented himself in history by breaking the Phillies franchise all-time record for consecutive scoreless innings pitched with 41.2 innings, passing the 41-inning mark set by Grover Cleveland Alexander in 1911.
But Sánchez wasn’t done there, as he fired off seven scoreless innings to power the Phillies to a 3-0 win and a sweep over the Padres in San Diego, establishing another Phillies record with five consecutive starts of at least 7 scoreless innings and pushing his overall streak to 44 2/3 innings. Trea Turner homered for the second time in as many days and collected another RBI with a groundout to lead the offense behind Sánchez.
Not even his best day
Ironically enough, it did not look like Sánchez had his best stuff today. He allowed an infield single to Fernando Tatis Jr. to begin his day and Tatis quickly stole second, giving Sánchez more runners in scoring position than in his entire last start. He was able to erase that runner by getting Miguel Andujar to groundout thanks to a good pick on a low throw from Harper at first before collecting a strikeout and a pop up to end the inning.
The second inning brought more traffic for Sánchez to handle after back-to-back strikeouts to begin. Merrill punched a broken bat single into left before old friend Nick Castellanos followed with another single to left, moving Merrill to third. Sánchez then fell behind the nine-hole hitter Freddy Fermin 3-1 but was able to get him to groundout to Bohm on a good sinker to end the threat after 27 pitches in the inning.
The third was much easier, even if it did feature a scare and a near end to the streak. Sánchez struck out Tatis and Andujar to begin the frame but then allowed a towering fly ball to Gavin Sheets that died just short enough of the wall for it to fall harmlessly into the glove of Adolis Garcia in right field. However, the fourth inning started with another scare, as Manny Machado looked to have ripped a home run to left, but the ball came back and was caught just shy of the wall by Edmndo Sosa after traveling 356 feet. Ramón Laureano added a two out double in the inning, but advanced no further after Merrill grounded out to give Sánchez the record.
Sánchez had more in store though, as he threw another three scoreless innings to bring his total for the day to seven and his total for his streak to 44 2/3. He allowed six hits, walked none, and struck out nine on 100 pitches exactly.
Take a moment to consider what we're watching.
Longest scoreless inning streaks by LHP since 1900:
Carl Hubbell – 45 1/3 IP, 1933 Doc White – 45 IP, 1904 Cristopher Sanchez – 44 2/3 IP, 2026*
Sánchez made five starts in the month of May, totaling 39 innings while striking out 45 and walking only three, all while not allowing a run.
Backing him up
The Phillies offense finally got Sánchez the run support he needed in the sixth when Kyle Schwarber singled through the right side with two on, allowing Justin Crawford to score from second on a weak throw from Castellanos in right. Trea Turner added another run on a groundout to short and later added insurance with his second home run of the series into the third deck of the Western Metal Supply Company in left field.
Crawford meanwhile contributed defensively as well, as he made an Aaron Rowand-esque catch in the sixth to rob Machado and possibly help preserve Sánchez’ scoreless streak.
The Phillies turned to Jonathan Bowlan and José Alvarado to finish the game as their bullpen was short, and the pair combined for two scoreless innings with one hit allowed and two strikeouts to preserve the shutout that Sánchez started.
Next matchup
The Phillies will have off tomorrow before heading to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers on Friday. Zack Wheeler (4-0, 1.67) will take the mound for the Phillies at 10:15 pm on Apple TV.
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 22: Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees warms up before the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium on May 22, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s alive! The Yankees’ offense finally erupted Tuesday night and the result was absolutely beautiful. New York launched six home runs, every starter recorded at least two hits (a first in franchise history), and the Yankees buried Kansas City early in a historic offensive explosion. The Bombers reached base 29 times on 24 hits and completely overwhelmed the Royals in a 15-1 thumping. Now they will look to do it again tonight.
Speaking of tonight, the Yankees hand the ball to Gerrit Cole looking to complete the sweep. After missing all of 2025 and the opening portion of this season, Cole made his season debut against Tampa Bay last week returning like a knight after a long journey. Cole tossed six scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and striking out two across an efficient 72-pitch outing.
Perhaps most importantly, the right-hander looked comfortable, albeit a little rusty, and mostly in control throughout the night, limiting hard contact while posting a tidy 0.83 WHIP in his return. That is a good sign for the Yankees long-term considering how important Cole remains to the ceiling of this roster. Each early start will be under a microscope to make sure the stuff keeps ticking back towards normal. It is so nice to see Cole pitch again, here’s to hoping the train keeps picking up steam coming down the tracks in Kansas City!
Kansas City will counter with left-hander Noah Cameron, who enters tonight with a 2-3 record and a 4.72 ERA. The 25-year-old has shown decent swing-and-miss ability with 44 strikeouts already this season, though the Yankees will hope their suddenly awake lineup can continue building momentum against another left-handed starter.
The Royals enter tonight at 22-33 and are searching for answers offensively. Kansas City managed just one run Tuesday night, coming on a solo home run from superstar shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. Beyond Witt, however, the lineup has struggled to consistently generate offense during a disappointing start to the season. If the summer sun does not heat the Royals up soon, they might be a club to keep tabs on for trade deadline purposes.
On the offensive side for the Yankees, Paul Goldschmidt gets the leadoff assignment tonight and is followed by the Yankees’ big three of Ben Rice, Aaron Judge, and Cody Bellinger. Amed Rosario also earns another start following his huge night, this time slotting in at second base in place of Jazz Chisholm Jr. After getting a teaser during last night’s blowout, José Caballero gets the start in left field tonight while Ryan McMahon rejoins the lineup at third base.
When the offense explodes like it did Tuesday night, it may feel fair to question why the “run it back” Yankees would not simply roll out the same lineup again. However, with an off day tomorrow and a flight further west looming, Aaron Boone is clearly trying to keep his finger on the pulse of this roster while balancing rest and momentum.
For the Yankees, tonight feels like an opportunity to keep stacking momentum like poker chips. The offense finally broke loose, the bullpen’s regulars got the night off, and now the Yankees have one of the best competitors in baseball on the mound for his second start of the season with a sweep in hand if they can win their 14th straight game over Kansas City.
How to watch:
Location: Kauffman Stadium — Kansas City, MO
First pitch: 7:40 pm EDT
TV Broadcast: Amazon Prime Video | Royals.TV
Radio Broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | 96.5 The Fan, Royals Radio Network (KC)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - MAY 26: Ezequiel Duran #20 of the Texas Rangers celebrates at second base after hitting an RBI double during the first inning against the Houston Astros at Globe Life Field on May 26, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images) | Getty Images
UNDATED: Manager Davey Johnson of the New York Mets sit on the dugout during a season game. Davey Johnson managed the New York Mets from 1984-1990. (Photo by: Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cincinnati Reds have brooms on their mind tonight in Queens, as they’ve already taken the first two games of the three game series against the New York Mets on the road in Citi Field. Now, they’ll send Andrew Abbott to the mound in the best form of his season to help make it happen.
Dating back to April 30th, Abbott has fired 28.0 IP across 5 starts, yielding just 3 ER in the process (good for a 1.29 ERA). He’s out-pitching his peripherals – something he’d done repeatedly over the last two excellent seasons – and is once again making it known that his approach to inducing weak contact might actually be a path to success given his left-handed arsenal.
Huascar Brazoban is who stands in the way of the red-hot Reds offense, at least to begin things. He’s a reliever by trade, so we’ll maybe see just a pair of innings from him before the Mets lean deeper into their bullpen.
First pitch is set for 7:10 PM ET. Lineups for both clubs are listed below!
The Cincinnati Reds, ranked third in the NL Central with a 29-25 record, face the New York Mets, who are fifth in the NL East with a 22-33 record. The New York Mets are favored with a -120 moneyline compared to the Cincinnati Reds' +100. Starting pitchers are Andrew Abbott for Cincinnati, with a 3.97 ERA, and Huascar Brazobán for New York, with a 1.73 ERA.
