Category: Baseball

For the past couple of weeks, both Sean Murphy and Spencer Strider have been busy on the farm getting in work via rehab assignments. While Strider may be closer to returning than Murphy is, one thing we know now is that they’ll be joined by a third Braves big leaguer who is working his way back from injury.

All the way back in January, shortstop Ha-Seong Kim slipped on ice and tore a tendon in his right middle finger. That astonishing bit of bad luck cost him the rest of the offseason, spring training and at least one full month of the regular season. The good news is that Kim is closer to being ready now than ever before and the Braves have decided that now is the time to send him out on a rehab assignment.

The Double-A Columbus Clingstones put out a press release today announcing that Kim will be playing with the Clingstones for this week’s home series against the Montgomery Biscuits.

Here’s more from the press release:

The Atlanta Braves today announced that infielder Ha-Seong Kim has joined the Columbus Clingstones on a Major League rehab assignment, marking the first MLB rehab assignment in franchise history.

Kim will appear with the Clingstones during the club’s upcoming homestand against Montgomery at Synovus Park. 

The six-game series begins Tuesday, April 28 with first pitch scheduled for 6:05 p.m. ET. For tickets and more information, visit Clingstones.com

The statement is short and matter-of-fact but it’s big news. Kim was acquired off waivers from the Rays right as the final month of the 2025 season began and Kim proceeded to produce at a clip of .253/.316/.368 with a .301 wOBA (.309 xwOBA), 91 wRC+ and three home runs. Those numbers were below what his usual level of production is but the Braves believed in it enough to where they agreed to a $20 million one-year-deal during the offseason to keep him around. Assuming Kim returns and stays healthy, that’ll be the key to really unlocking Mauricio Dubón’s versatility as well — which we’re already seeing with the way Walt Weiss has plugged him into any spot needed early on in the season.

Either way, getting Kim back will be huge but this could also be a lengthy rehab stint given that he’s been out for so long. Sean Murphy is also taking his time to get ready for the farm so I’d imagine that we may not see both of them until we get a decent amount into May. Either way, that’s now three big leaguers who are actively working their way back to being on the major league squad for the Braves and three players who could potentially provide an impressive impact as well.

It took a weekend rally, but the Dodgers continued their streaks of winning weeks to open the season. They bookended the week with blowout wins, but in between saw the offense disappear, losing a series in San Francisco. Winning the last two games against the Cubs gave the Dodgers a 4-3 week.

Newly-signed closer Edwin Díaz had surgery on Wednesday and will be out three months, and his absence was immediately felt as the next four on the depth chart all had outings to forget this week. Starting pitching has been an incredible strength of the Dodgers this season, and Week 5 was no different. No better illustration of the pitching staff from last week than the starters allowing nine runs in 45 1/3 innings while the bullpen gave up 10 runs in 15 2/3 innings.

Batter of the week

Max Muncy hit three more home runs, giving him a team-leading nine on the year, and for the week he also paced the Dodgers in hits (eight), walks (six),and runs scored (eight), for a robust 1.639 OPS.

Honorable mentions go to Dalton Rushing, who hit two more home runs to continue his hot start to the year, and to Miguel Rojas, who had five hits in his 10 at-bats, including a double and home run.

Pitcher of the week

Tyler Glasnow is off to a fantastic start to 2026, and had his best start yet on Thursday in San Francisco, with nine strikeouts in eight scoreless innings to beat the Giants. Glasnow retired his final 14 batters faced, and his 88 game score tied Sandy Alcantara (April 1 for the Marlins) for the best showing by a starting pitcher in MLB this season.

“It was a little tense early on, probably trying too hard. I think as the game went on I was just thinking about keeping my hands and my body loose,” Glasnow told reporters Thursday in San Francisco. “Talking with Connor (McGuiness) and Mark (Prior) in between, I think I just got into a good place as the game went on.”

Glasnow’s 88 game score is the best by a Dodgers starter since Blake Snell put up a 90 game score in Game 1 of last year’s National League Championship Series in Milwaukee.

Glasnow was so good that he relegated Justin Wrobleski’s excellent week to most honorable mention status. Wrobleski allowed only one run in seven innings at Coors Field on Monday, then worked through traffic to keep the Cubs scoreless on Sunday at Dodger Stadium. Normally one run in 13 innings wins you pitcher of the week here, but Glasnow had a special performance.

Week 5 results

4-3 record
38 runs scored (5.43 per game)
19 runs allowed (2.71 per game)
.780 pythagorean win percentage

Year to date

19-9 record
159 runs scored (5.68 per game)
92 runs allowed (3.29 per game)
.731 pythagorean win percentage (20-8)

Miscellany

Snapping a skid: Sunday was a welcome site for Shohei Ohtani, who reached base four times, including a double, walk, and home run. The latter was the first home run for Ohtani in two weeks, after going 59 plate appearances in between long balls. That was the longest homer drought for Ohtani since joining the Dodgers — he also had 47 PA and 46 PA without a home run in 2025, and streaks of 45 PA and 40 PA in 2024. The 59 PA without a home run was Ohtani’s longest since ending 2022 with 93 homerless PA with the Angels, the longest streak of his career.

Pretty fast for a pitcher: Now that he’s back to full-time two-way status this season, it’s understandable if Shohei Ohtani tries to conserve energy whenever possible. For instance, he didn’t pitch at all in 2024 after elbow surgery, and stole 59 bases, more than doubling his career high. In 2025 he stole 20 bases, but 11 of those were in his first 47 games, before his pitching really ramped up. He dialed it back a bit with nine steals in his final 111 games. This year, Ohtani did not even attempt a stolen base in his first 21 games. But last week he swiped three bases in three tries, all of them in the first inning.

Play of the week: This ended up getting overshadowed by a bullpen implosion and the Dodgers losing a game they led 4-0 in the seventh inning, but the twirling throw from Andy Pages, the laser relay by Hyeseong Kim, and Will Smith’s second great tag of the game at home plate prevented the go-ahead run from scoring in the eighth inning on Friday against the Cubs.

Transactions

Monday: After diminished velocity rang alarm bells, closer Edwin Díaz landed on the injured list and will miss three months or so after arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow on Wednesday. Right-hander Jake Eder was recalled from Oklahoma City.

Tuesday: After two days away for the birth of his daughter, Freddie Freemanreturned from paternity leave. Ryan Ward went back to Triple-A after collecting two hits with a run batted in during his first major league stint.

Game results

• Monday: Dodgers 12, Rockies 3
• Tuesday: Giants 3, Dodgers 1
• Wednesday: Giants 3, Dodgers 0
• Thursday: Dodgers 3, Giants 0
• Friday: Cubs 6, Dodgers 4
• Saturday: Dodgers 12, Cubs 4
• Sunday: Dodgers 6, Cubs 0

Previous reviews: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4

Up next

The Dodgers run the Juan Encarnación gauntlet, finishing up the homestand against the Miami Marlins before hitting the road to face the Cardinals in St. Louis to open the month of May.

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It’s Max Fried Day for the New York Yankees as they begin a series with the Texas Rangers.

Fried has looked as good as ever this season, and it’s hard to stand in the way of him, especially considering how hot the Bronx Bombers have been lately.

My Yankees vs. Rangers predictions and MLB picks see value in the Yankees on Monday, April 27.

Who will win Yankees vs Rangers today: Yankees moneyline (-156)

Max Fried is going to have a bad start at some point this season. Predicting when that comes is difficult, but you’d imagine it happens against a team that avoids both the ground ball and the swing-and-miss. The Texas Rangers are not that team.

The ground ball remains a major part of Fried’s profile, as he’s nearing a 50% rate this season. His strikeout rate has declined over time, but a nine-strikeout outing against the Red Sox and a 30% chase rate show he can still dominate when hitters expand the zone.

Texas does a great job avoiding groundballs, but they rank last in chase contact rate and also carry a Top 3 whiff rate. That’s an issue for me in this matchup, particularly considering how strong of a fade candidate that Rangers SP Jack Leiter is for me.

A Bottom 15% barrel rate, and a Bottom 20% hard-hit rate? You don’t need me to tell you that's an issue against the New York Yankees. I’d play this to -172.

COVERS INTEL: Fried's fastball run value is in the 99th percentile, his off-speed in the 98th, and breaking ball in the 94th.

Yankees vs Rangers Over/Under pick: Under 8 (-105)

This matchup likely leans toward a 4-2 or 3-1 Yankees victory rather than a blowout. 

There’s not much I need to say about Fried here. I think he’ll be able to get a high amount of swing-and-miss against this team, especially given how he’s performed out of the gate.

On the other side, while I think the Yankees get Leiter, he should also be able to collect a high amount of outs against the bottom of the New York lineup that has so much swing-and-miss. 

Yankees vs Rangers odds

• Moneyline: Yankees -156 | Rangers +136
• Run line: Yankees -1.5 | Rangers +1.5
• Over/Under: Over 8 | Under 8

Yankees vs Rangers trend

The Yankees have hit the moneyline in 28 of their last 40 away games (+11.50 Units / 20% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Yankees vs. Rangers.

How to watch Yankees vs Rangers and game info

Yankees vs Rangers latest injuries

Yankees vs Rangers weather

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Listen, I’m just thankful that the week is over. A road trip in which the team went 1-6 is nothing to exactly be thrilled with, but look hard enough and you’ll see some players that had good weeks.

They’re a lot more difficult to find than those that had bad weeks, but they are there! I promise!

Three up

Brandon Marsh – We are almost done with the month of April and Brandon Marsh might be, dare I say it, good? He hit .391/.417/.652 with two home runs this week, all against right handed pitchers, but there were some solid plate appearances against left handers as well. I realize that the standard for this sort of success against lefties is low with Marsh, but in a week full of justified negativity, seeing Marsh take those good at bats against left handed pitchers, be more than productive against right handed pitchers, it’s a good step for him.

Zack Wheeler – There were bumps in the start, but for the most part, Wheeler looked like his old self against the Braves. The typical Wheeler command wasn’t there yet, expected after such a long layoff from his injury, but there were moments when the Braves were looking feeble against his stuff. The velocity being up near 96 most of the night was encouraging, but how he throws in his next start will be the thing to watch. If he’s keeping that velocity up in each subsequent start, we’d have to qualify his recovery as nothing short of amazing.

Adolis Garcia – A nice week from Garcia, who is starting to get some results from his under the hood numbers. Granted, it would be nice to see some more extra base hits instead of singles through the hole at short, but for a team that has been woeful on offense lately, beggars, choosers, blah blah blah.

Three down

Kyle Schwarber – Home runs are great. Home runs are cool. Players still need to do something other than that and lately, Schwarber simply hasn’t. His .111/.250/.407 line this past week isn’t really what you want to see coming from the person expected to create runs. He’s still hitting for power, which for this team is saying something, but they need more from him. They need the 2025 version of Schwarber, not the 2023 version.

Felix Reyes – It was fun while it lasted. I appreciate the effort to try something new in the midst of a miserable stretch of baseball, but Reyes is not ready for the major leagues. It would be best for him to be sent back to Lehigh Valley to continue working, so let’s see what is available for them to call up! <scans Lehigh Valley roster> Ah, mhm, yes, well nevermind then!

Aaron Nola – In our Slack channel, there was a comment made about Aaron Nola and how he is still going to be with the team for the next several years as he sits here at the end of April with an ERA above six. Someone responded: “Hey, it’s like we get to have Patrick Corbin after all.” and friends, I could not be more despondent after a comment. Mostly because I think it might be true.

Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below.

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (15-12) won 4-3 (BOX SCORE)

Bolton made a rehab start for Sugar Land and allowed 1 run over 2 innings. He was relieved by Bielak who allowed 2 runs over 5.1 innings. The offense got on the board in the 4th scoring a run on an error. After the Express scored a run in the 8th to take a 3-1 lead, Strahm came through in the bottom of the inning with a 2 run home run to tie it. In the 9th, Biggio walked it off with an RBI single as Sugar Land won 4-3.

Note: Carlson has a 2.70 ERA this season.

• James Nelson, RF: 2-for-5
• Collin Price, C: 1-for-4, BB
• Cavan Biggio, 2B: 3-for-4, R, RBI, BB
• Kellen Strahm, CF: 1-for-3, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB

• Cody Bolton, RHP: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• Brandon Bielak, RHP: 5.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• Sam Carlson, RHP: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (WIN)

AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (10-11) lost 4-3 (BOX SCORE)

The Hooks got on the board first getting a run on an Encarnacion RBI single in the third inning. Dombroski got the start and pitched well allowing 1 run over 5 innings while striking out 7. The Travelers took the lead in the 8th inning but in the 9th, Sacco tied it with a solo home run. The game went to extras and in the 10th, Baez gave the Hooks the lead on an RBI single. Unfortunately the pen wasn’t able to hold the lead as the Travelers scored 2 runs to walk it off.

Note: Dombroski has a 2.57 ERA this season.

• Yamal Encarnacion, 2B: 1-for-5, RBI
• Joseph Sullivan, CF: 0-for-3, R, 2 BB
• Walker Janek, DH: 1-for-5, SB
• Luis Baez, RF: 2-for-5, RBI
• Pascanel Ferreras, 3B: 2-for-5, 2B
• Tyler Whitaker, LF: 1-for-4, R, BB
• Tommy Sacco, SS: 2-for-4, R, HR, RBI

• Trey Dombroski, LHP: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
• Trey McLoughlin, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Alex Santos, RHP: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• Amilcar Chirinos, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Railin Perez, RHP: 0.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

A+: Asheville Tourists (5-16) lost 10-7 (BOX SCORE)

DeVos started for Asheville and went 4 innings allowing 2 runs, 1 earned. The offense got on the board in the 5th inning scoring 5 runs on a Schiavone 2 run HR, Cruz RBI single and Powell 2 run single. They got 2 more runs in the 7th inning on a Walker 2 run single. Martich struggled in relief allowing 4 runs as the Drive tied it. The game went to extra innings and in the 10th, the Drive scored 3 runs as they won 10-7.

Note: Cruz is hitting .361 this season.

• Alejandro Nunez, 2B: 1-for-5, RBI, BB
• Jason Schiavone, C: 1-for-5, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB, SB
• Narbe Cruz, DH: 2-for-3, 2 R, RBI, BB
• Zach Daudet, 3B: 1-for-2, R, 3 BB
• Kyle Walker, SS: 1-for-5, 2 RBI
• Caden Powell, CF: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, BB

• Nolan DeVos, RHP: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 3 K
• Nate Wohlgemuth, RHP: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• Eurys Martich, RHP: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
• Colby Langford, LHP: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
• Keduar Trujillo, RHP: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (9-12)

Game One – won 6-5 (BOX SCORE)

This was a continuation of the suspended game on Saturday. Fayetteville got on the board in the first inning on an Alvarez solo HR, his first of the year. They found themselves down pretty quick though with the Pelicans scoring 2 runs in the first and 3 runs in the third. The game was suspended in the 3rd and picked back with Rodriguez coming in and tossing 3.1 scoreless innings with 6 strikeouts. The offense rallied for 4 runs in the 7th inning on an Ochoa 2 run HR and Neyens 2 run single. The game went to extra innings and in the 10th, Alvarez walked it off with an RBI single.

Note: Alvarez is hitting .284 this season.

• Kevin Alvarez, CF: 2-for-4, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI
• Xavier Neyens, DH: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, SB
• Nehomar Ochoa, 1B: 1-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI
• Zach Cole, CF: 1-for-4
• Brandon Forrester, SS: 1-for-3, 2 R, BB

• Ryan Forcucci, RHP: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• Jesus Carrera, RHP: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
• Raimy Rodriguez, RHP: 3.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
• Francisco Frias, RHP: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
• Leomar Rosario, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K (WIN)

Game Two – won 6-2 (BOX SCORE)

Smith started game two for the Woodpeckers and was solid allowing one unearned run over 4 innings of work. The offense got on the board scoring 2 runs on an Ochoa steal of home and Vasquez RBI single. In the 3rd the offense scored 3 more runs on a Salas RBI single, Gomez sac fly and Cauro RBI single. Monistere added an RBI double in the 6th inning. Varela went the final 3 innings allowing a run while striking out 5.

Note: Ochoa has a .855 OPS this season.

• German Ramirez, SS: 1-for-3, R
• Josh Wakefield, CF: 1-for-4, SB, SB
• Nick Monistere, 2B: 2-for-3, R, 2B, RBI, SB
• Nehomar Ochoa, DH: 2-for-2, 2 R, BB, 3 SB
• Hector Salas, 3B: 1-for-3, R, RBI
• Kenni Gomez, LF: 0-for-1, R, RBI, BB, SB
• Carlos Cauro, 1B: 1-for-3, RBI
• Yosweld Vasquez, C: 1-for-3, RBI

• Aubrey Smith, RHP: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• Jose Varela, RHP: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K (WIN)

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: OFF

CC: OFF

AV: OFF

FV: OFF

Welcome back to Monday Stat Party, a weekly series showcasing some of the most curious and nostalgia-inducing statistical developments from the past week of Mets baseball. What unites each entry is the sense of intrigue which they aim to spark, and the unbridled love of the game’s anomalies from which they arise. Without further ado, let the stat party begin.

TUESDAY

The Mets lost their twelfth game in a row, marking their longest losing streak since August 2002. With Francisco Lindor’s home run, the Mets at least held a three-run lead for the first time since their last win on April 7.

WEDNESDAY

The Mets’ win didn’t just mark the end of their twelve-game losing streak; it also marked their 700th win at Citi Field.

THURSDAY

Bo Bichette’s bases-clearing double was his sixth go-ahead hit of the season. Only two players, Kyle Schwarber (7) and Christian Walker (7), have more go-ahead hits so far than Bichette.

Brett Baty and Carson Benge became the first pair of Mets outfielders age 26 or younger to homer in the same game since Michael Conforto, J.D. Davis, and Brandon Nimmo all went deep on September 22, 2019 in Cincinnati. 

The Mets won despite giving up a grand slam for the first time since June 25, 2024, when the Mets beat the Yankees in the Bronx after Reed Garrett surrendered a slam to Aaron Judge. Until Thursday, the Mets had lost nine consecutive games in which they gave up a grand slam.

Since 2019, Twins catchers have an OPS of 1.246 with five homers in eight games at Citi Field. The only opposing teams whose catching corps have more homers at Citi Field in that span are the Braves (eight homers in 64 games) and Marlins (eight homers in 55 games). Three of the Twins’ homers were from Mitch Garver, while two are now from Ryan Jeffers.

FRIDAY

Brett Baty recorded back-to-back games with multiple hits and multiple RBI for the first time in his career.

Freddy Peralta became the first Mets right-hander not named Nolan McLean or Jonah Tong to strike out eight batters in a start at Citi Field since Tylor Megill, over a year earlier on April 21, 2025.

Peralta received the loss for his third consecutive outing. It’s the first time that’s happened in Peralta’s nine-year big league career.

Michael Lorenzen became one of six pitchers with multiple starts of 7+ IP and 1 or fewer ER allowed against the Mets since 2023, joining Jake Irvin, Spencer Schwellenbach, Logan Webb, Charlie Morton, and Jameson Taillon.

The loss snapped the Mets’ two-game winning streak, as well as an eight-game winning streak against Colorado. The Mets hadn’t lost to the Rockies since August 6, 2024.

SUNDAY

THE WEEKLY MCLEAN UPDATE: Nolan McLean recorded his 100th career strikeout in just his 14th game. Only 14 pitchers have reached 100 K’s in that few appearances, including three other Mets (Nolan Ryan, Dwight Gooden, and Matt Harvey). The last to do so before McLean was Paul Skenes. Of that group, McLean’s 2.27 ERAthrough 14 outings ranks fifth, behind Hideo Nomo (1.90), Masahiro Tanaka (1.99), Skenes (1.99), and Harvey (2.14).

McLean has posted 25 IP and 7 ER (2.52 ERA) over his last four starts while his team has gone 0-4; he’s the first pitcher to throw that many innings and allow that few runs over a four-game span while his team goes winless since Paul Skenes (May 1-18, 2025), and the first Met to do so since Jacob deGrom (September 21, 2020-April 10, 2021).

The Mets scored one run across a nine-inning doubleheader for the first time since October 3, 2015 against the Nationals, when they had already clinched the N.L. East and were no-hit by Max Scherzer in the nightcap. The prior time it happened was September 19, 2004, in Pittsburgh, when 21-year-old rookie David Wright scored the only Met run of the day in Game 1.

The Mets have scored two or fewer runs through nine innings in 16 of their first 28 games. That’s the most such games through the first 28 contests of a season in Mets history, the most of any MLB team since the Tigers (16) in 2022, and the most of any N.L. team since the Phillies (16) in 2015.

The Mets were shut out for the fifth time in 28 games this season, something they have only managed in 1981 and 2023. 

The Mets have scored 92 runs in their first 28 games, the franchise’s fewest since 1981 (88).

The Mets are 9-19, tying the franchise’s worst record through 28 games of a season previously reached in 1962, 1964, 1981, and 1983.

Season Record: 14-14

Week Record: 3-3

Series Record: 4-4, 1 split

GAME 23: 5-1 Win vs Pittsburgh Pirates

GAME 24: 4-8 Loss vs Pittsburgh Pirates

GAME 25: 6-1 Win vs Pittsburgh Pirates

GAME 26: 1-8 Loss vs Athletics

GAME 27: 4-3 Win vs Athletics

GAME 28: 1-2 Loss vs Athletics

The Rangers are a very average baseball team so far.

Last year they ended .500 and they haven’t shown they’re going to be any different.

There have been glimmers, there have been streaks, but much like 2025, nothing consistent enough to really see what this team is.

Other than average.

Obviously I’m writing this just a couple hours after Sunday’s terrible game. Texas had runners on in every inning, except fittingly the 9th where they went down 1-2-3 for the first time the entire game. They had the bases loaded with no outs and have nothing to show for that. They were 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11 runners.

It felt more like 20.

A month into the 2026 season and if this is the team that’s sticking around for the rest of it, it’s gong to be a very frustrating season to watch.

Oh and Wyatt Langford was placed on the injured list right as he was getting hot, because of course that would happen.

To top off a very meh week for the Rangers, their new city connects are cursed.

Five candidates to replace Alex Cora as Red Sox manager originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Red Sox cleaned house on Saturday, firing manager Alex Cora and most of his coaching staff after the club’s 10-17 start to the 2026 season.

Firing Cora was shocking enough, but also parting ways with several prominent coaches (including game-planning and run-prevention coach Jason Varitek) was an unprecedented move that indicates chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has a new vision for the organization.

“We believe in the group of players that we have in the clubhouse, down the hallway, and we believe that a new direction is warranted, new voices, and something that enables us to take a fresh start,” Breslow said during his press conference Sunday morning.

For now, at least, the new voice leading the Red Sox clubhouse is former Triple-A Worcester manager Chad Tracy. He earned the interim tag after Cora was let go, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him turn this opportunity into a full-time role.

Who else could be in the mix to replace Cora? Here are five of the top candidates for the Red Sox manager position:

Chad Tracy

USA TODAY Sports

Tracy is the clear frontrunner to replace Cora after being named the Red Sox’ interim manager on Saturday.

The 40-year-old has served as manager for the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox since 2021, so he has already built relationships with the homegrown players on the roster, including 21-year-old star Roman Anthony.

“I think when you’re familiar with somebody during a time like this (it helps), and someone like Trace steps in, he’s tremendous at what he does,” Anthony said, per Ian Browne of MLB.com. “And I think there’s a reason that everyone who goes through Triple-A and is in Worcester with him loves him, and we know he’s gonna have our back and do everything he can during this kind of tough time.

“We didn’t expect it, but now you kind of just adapt and overcome it, and Trace is gonna be great.”

If the Red Sox start to turn things around under Tracy’s leadership, he should be rewarded with the official big-league manager title.

David Ross

USATI

If Red Sox ownership is committed to Breslow and Tracy can’t shed the interim tag, Ross is an obvious fit. He was on the 2013 World Series champion Red Sox team with Breslow, and he worked with Breslow while managing the Chicago Cubs from 2020 to 2023.

Ross posted a 262-284 record (.480) as Cubs manager and made the postseason just once, falling in the National League Wild Card Series during the abbreviated 2020 campaign. Still, his familiarity with Breslow and the Red Sox organization places him among the leading candidates.

Rocco Baldelli

Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Twins fired Baldelli after posting a 70-92 record in 2025. He managed Minnesota for seven seasons (2019-25) and posted a 527-505 record (.511), leading the club to three American League Central titles (2019-20, 2023).

Baldelli could be an attractive option for Breslow & Co., as he’ll be among the most sought-after managerial candidates next winter. The Rhode Island native played for the Red Sox briefly in 2009 and embraced analytics during his managerial career, checking multiple boxes for the analytics-driven Red Sox front office.

Ryan Flaherty

Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Flaherty is currently serving as Craig Counsell’s bench coach in Chicago. The 39-year-old former big-leaguer started his coaching career in 2019 as an advanced scouting and development coach for the San Diego Padres.

In 2022, he was named the Padres’ acting manager after Bob Melvin was placed in COVID-19 protocols. He was named San Diego’s bench coach after the 2022 season.

A Maine native, Flaherty is the only name on this list that hasn’t been officially hired to a managerial role. But if the Red Sox want to give a promising up-and-comer a chance to grow with the organization, he would be an excellent choice. It won’t be long before he lands an MLB manager gig, whether it’s in Boston or elsewhere.

Brandon Hyde

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Hyde managed the Baltimore Orioles from 2019 to mid-2025, so he has plenty of experience in the AL East. The 52-year-old posted a 421-492 record (.461) in parts of seven seasons with the O’s, leading them to two postseason appearances and a division title in ’23. The sub-.500 record is a bit misleading, as he was hired during the organization’s rebuild and his tenure ended with a 290-239 record over his final four-plus seasons with the club.

Like Baldelli, Hyde’s experience makes him an intriguing option. He also worked well with the Orioles’ young talent while leading them out of their rebuild, and the Red Sox need someone with a voice that resonates with their young players.

Our prediction: Chad Tracy

Tracy wasn’t simply a “break glass in case of emergency” option for Boston after firing Cora. He was handed the interim manager tag because the organization believes he could be the next guy, and it’s easy to see why.

The players Tracy has managed at Triple-A Worcester rave about him, including former Sox pitchers David Sandlin and Hunter Dobbins.

“Trace is the man. He’s a player’s manager, just a guy that doesn’t have an ego and knows how to get the most out of his players,” Sandlin said, per Nick John of TalkSox.com. “For me, he was a really calming voice when all the alarm bells were going off during the relieving experiment last year.”

“(He) holds guys accountable and knows how to encourage the guys to put in the work,” Dobbins said, per Nick John. “Couldn’t be happier for him to get this shot.”

Tracy has a leg up on the competition because he already has experience managing several key homegrown players on the big-league roster. If the team starts playing more inspired baseball with him leading the clubhouse, he should be officially rewarded with the manager title.

Sung-Mun Song was added to the San Diego Padres roster as the 27th-man for the Mexico City Series and made his debut with two outs in the top of the eighth inning of their 12-7 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks when he came in to run for Luis Campusano. He was able to advance to third base on a wild pitch, but he was unable to score as Jake Cronenworth grounded out to first base to end the inning. Song was then replaced in the order by Freddy Fermin who came in to catch the bottom of the eighth inning. Considering the Padres allowed 10 combined runs in the seventh and eighth inning, the debut for Song may not be as sweet as his expected it would be, but he should get opportunities to experience the winning feeling at some point as the season progresses. Perhaps that will come in a game where he gets his first start, plays the field for the first time or gets his first hit. San Diego will have roster decisions to make about Song before they return to Petco Park on Monday to face the Chicago Cubs. It is unknown if Song will return to his spot in the lineup with Triple-A El Paso or if he will remain in the MLB roster, but speculation will permeate through the fanbase as the Friar Faithful play general manager and coach prior to first pitch.

Padres News:

• Despite an ugly and disappointing loss on Sunday, the Padres players, coaches, staff and fans who made the trip to Mexico City will have memories to share with family and friends for years to come.

• Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune provided some final news and notes about German Marquez and his start against the Diamondbacks that saw him allow four runs in the second and then work through the sixth inning to give the Padres a chance to comeback and win.

Baseball News:

• The Boston Red Sox saw their manager Alex Cora fired on Saturday and came out on Sunday and beat the Baltimore Orioles.

• The Los Angeles Dodgers held the Chicago Cubs without a run and snapped their 10-game winning streak.

• Luis Gil is returning to baseball action, but it will not be with the New York Yankees as the team sent the 2024 American League Rookie of the Year to Triple-A. The Yankees also dropped their game to the Houston Astros despite Aaron Judge hitting a birthday home run. The loss snapped their eight-game winning streak.

• Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale is moving up the pitching record books while helping the Braves get a 6-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

• Spencer Torkelson homered for the fifth game in a row and helped the Detroit Tigers get an 8-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

• The Colorado Rockies completed a sweep of the New York Mets.

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There was a little optimism to close out the week with a winning Friday, but there's still a lot of home-run work to do, and this is a big week to crush some MLB player props.

Nobody is popping off more on the projections than Trent Grisham today, indoors vs. Jack Leiter, while Victor Caratini looks to do some damage against Luis Castillo.

Best MLB home run props today

Player to hit a HR	Odds
Trent Grisham	+490
Victor Caratini	+920
Trevor Story	+880
💲Today's HR parlay	+44078

Trent Grisham (+490)

No player is showing more expected value today at Covers than Trent Grisham at +490. He projects for 0.23 home runs, with the price implying 0.19.

He could see five at-bats hitting leadoff and has gone deep twice over the last seven days. The matchup is favorable against Jack Leiter, a fly-ball arm who allows some of the best launch angles in baseball.

Grisham is also elite at squaring the ball up, leading the New York Yankees in that metric while ranking second in Blast Contact%. Only two players in baseball currently have a higher square-up rate.

On a small slate with poor weather expected on the East Coast, an indoor environment stands out as the best place to target home runs on Monday.

• Time: 8:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Rangers Sports Network, YES

Victor Caratini (+920)

Let’s take a bigger swing with the projected cleanup hitter for the Minnesota Twins in a strong matchup. The Covers projections like the Over in this game, and suggest the Minnesota offense is being undervalued.

Victor Caratini is a switch-hitter who is better from the left side, and the Seattle Mariners bullpen may be without both of its left-handed arms. He’s also very familiar with Luis Castillo, with 23 career at-bats against him.

Castillo may be on the back end of his prime. He’s been inefficient this year, allowing 31 hits in just 23 innings, and projects as a pitcher who could give up 25-30 home runs over the full season.

The fair price for a Caratini home run sits around +770, and double-digit winds blowing out only add to the appeal. Kody Clemens (+520) and Josh Bell (+590) also project as +EV in this game.

• Time: 7:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Twins.TV, Mariners.TV

Trevor Story (+880)

• Time: 7:07 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SN1, NESN

Today’s HR parlay

Trent Grisham	Bet Now +44078
Victor Caratini
Trevor Story

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

LOS ANGELES — Dodgers catcher Will Smith did not start either of the final two games of the weekend series against the Chicago Cubs, while dealing with back tightness.

“He could play if he needed to, but we felt it was smart to give him an extra day, and I guess put him into the day-to-day category,” manager Dave Roberts said Sunday, while adding that he didn’t think Smith would require an injured list stint. “Even talking to the training staff, it’s something that he could have played last night, he probably could have played today. But we didn’t want to push it.”

Roberts first mentioned the back tightness for Smith on Saturday, noting that the original plan was for Smith to start two of the three games against the Cubs, and it was just a matter of when to fit in the Dalton Rushing start this series.

Smith hit a three-run home run on Friday night, and the three-time All-Star is hitting .266/.337/.392 with three home runs and a 106 wRC+. The Dodgers plan to keep monitoring Smith, but it doesn’t hurt having Rushing in reserve. Rushing in his second major league campaign is off to a blazing start, hitting .385/.455/.974 with a 284 wRC+ and seven home runs in only 44 plate appearances. Rushing has hit so well, he’s even started a game each at designated hitter and first base when the need arose.

“My hope is that he’s in there [Monday],” Roberts said of Smith, ”But to have Dalton Rushing going how he’s going, it just seems like only downside to push him right now.“

Links

A few more looks at Roki Sasaki’s start and win on Saturday. First from Katie Woo at The Athletic, on Sasaki’s pitch repertoire:

He wanted to throw his splitter harder, he told pitching coaches Mark Prior and Connor McGuiness, similar to how he threw the pitch in Japan. After months of inconsistency, Sasaki finally felt his delivery was in a good enough place to make the change. McGuiness made a couple of tweaks — the biggest one being a slight grip adjustment— and the two coaches gave Sasaki the all clear to try the pitch in his bullpen session in San Francisco.

“The first one was disgusting,” Prior said. “So we were like, yeah, let’s do that.”

Dylan Hernández at the California Post looked back to Sasaki’s early days in Japan and was left wanting in the current version:

“I think that my No. 1 problem hasn’t been my fastball but rather the percentage of forkballs I’ve been able to throw over the plate,” Sasaki said in Japanese.

By reducing the vertical break of the pitch, Sasaki made it easier to control — but also not as lethal.

Ayako Oikawa at MLB.com talked to several major leaguers about their various methods for breaking in their gloves.

Good morning.

Shawn McFarland writes about what we learned regarding the Texas Rangers as they went 3-3 at home over the last week.

Kennedi Landry writes that Kumar Rocker recorded a second consecutive quality start in a unfortunate losing effort.

McFarland writes that the Rangers squandered several opportunities in an exceptionally winnable game to drop a series to the Athletics.

Landry’s newsletter for the week covers 30-year-old reliever Peyton Gray making his MLB debut after a long journey to reach the big leagues.

McFarland writes that the Rangers are trying to make use of Josh Jung’s April-long hot streak by adjusting their lineup.

Landry writes that Brandon Nimmo has been a new face that has made a good impression in the season’s first month.

McFarland notes that the Rangers got some good news with Wyatt Langford already back to swinging the bat despite recently hitting the IL.

And, over at The Athletic Zack Meisel checks out who is making the best use of the new ABS system a month into the season (spoilers: not the Rangers).

Have a nice day!

This was the 3rd week of full minor league play (stats are entering play on Sunday, April 26th).

According to FanGraphs (which factors in age and proximity to the big leagues), 22-year old backstop Caden Bodine continues to be the top hitter in the Rays system; the Rays acquired the former 1st round pick in the Shane Baz deal. Bodine is currently hitting .408/.457/.662 with 3 HR over 83 PA; notably, he has only struck out twice (2.4%).

Meanwhile, Aidan Cremarosa is still the team’s top minor league pitcher. The 22-year old was taken by the Rays in the 8th round of the 2025 draft out of Fresno State. Thus far over four starts, Cremarosa has a 3.60 ERA | 1.76 FIP with a 39.5 K% & 3.7 BB% over 20 IP.

RUMBLINGS

• SO MANY INJURIES
  • Jacob Melton looked awkward rounding third base and had to be assisted off the field. The injury would be disclosed as a sprained ankle and he is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.
  • Daniel Pierce was placed on the 7-day Injured List
  • Brendan Summerhill was placed the 7-day Injured List.
  • Other players placed on the IL (Some of these were last week):
    • RHP Jacob Kisting, RHP Nate Knowles, C Brady Donay, OF James Quinn-Irons, RHP Luke Jackson, & LHP Drew Dowd.
• Baseball America highlighted Taitn Gray as a player that might be rising within the Rays system. The 3rd round 2025 draft pick is having a stellar start to his professional career and launched his 3rd homerun of the season on Sunday.

TEAM LEADERS

• Must currently be assigned to that team
• Baseball America’s top ten prospects are featured below each team they’re currently assigned to.
• (minimum of 30 TBF for pitchers)

Tampa Bay Rays

Top 10 Prospects

• None currently on active roster

Durham Bulls

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .323, Victor Mesa Jr
OBP: .417, Victor Mesa Jr
SLG: .565, Victor Mesa Jr
HR: 4,Justyn-Henry Malloy and Dom Keegan
wRC+: 157, Victor Mesa Jr
SB: 17, Jacob Melton

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 0.00, Trevor Martin
FIP: 2.93, Andrew Wantz
K%: 35.3%, Logan Workman
BB%: 9.0%, Chase Solesky
WHIP: 1.12, Kodi Whitley
AVG: .171, Trevor Martin
WHIFF%: 16.0%, Alex Cook

Top 10 Prospects

• #1 Brody Hopkins
  • AAA: 2.96 ERA | 5.03 FIP | 25.0 K% | 19.2 BB% | .195 AVG | 14.0 WHIFF% | 24.1 IP
• #3 Jacob Melton
  • AAA: .231/.346/.431 | 40.2 K% | 15.9 BB% | 1 HR | 17 SB | 101 wRC+ | 82 PA
    • 4/23: Suffered sprained ankle. Expected to miss 4-6 weeks.

Montgomery Biscuits

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .306, Cooper Kinney
OBP: .431, Xavier Isaac
SLG: .571, Xavier Isaac
HR: 4, Will Simpson & Xavier Isaac
wRC+: 159, Xavier Isaac
SB: 18, Austin Overn

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 1.80, Michael Forret
FIP: 2.79, Derrick Edington
K%: 29.7%, Santiago Suarez
BB%:  2.4%, Tommy McCollum
WHIP 0.73, Garrett Edwards
AVG: .130, Garrett Edwards
WHIFF%: 14.2%, Santiago Suarez

Top 10 Prospects

• #4 T.J. Nichols
  • AA: 1.80 ERA | 1.79 FIP | 25.0 K% | 0.0 BB% | .300 AVG | 12.3 WHIFF% | 5 IP
    • 4/7: Placed on Injured List
• #6 Santiago Suarez
  • AA: 5.94 ERA | 5.53 FIP | 29.7 K% | 8.1 BB% | .239 AVG | 14.2 WHIFF% | 16.2 IP
• #8 Michael Forret
  • AA: 1.80 ERA | 6.52 FIP | 24.1 K% | 17.2 BB% | .146 AVG | 12.3 WHIFF% | 15 IP

Bowling Green Hot Rods

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .364, Nathan Flewelling
OBP: .464, Tony Santa Maria
SLG: .867, Theo Gillen
HR: 6, Theo Gillen & Connor Hujsak
wRC+: 213, Theo Gillen
SB: 9, Tony Santa Maria

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 0.93, Andres Galan
FIP: 2.05, Anderson Brito
K%: 32.8%, Anderson Brito
BB%: 6.3%, Anderson Brito
WHIP: 1.2, Andres Galan
AVG: .216, Trevor Harrison & Andres Galan
WHIFF%: 14.7%, Anderson Brito

Top 10 Prospects

• #2 Theo Gillen
  • A+: .333/.412/.867 | 23.5 K% | 7.8 BB% | 6 HR | 3 SB | 213 wRC+ | 51 PA
• #5 Anderson Brito
  • A+: 3.68 ERA | 2.05 FIP | 32.8 K% | 6.3 BB% | .259 AVG | 14.7 WHIFF% | 14.2 IP
• #10 Aidan Smith
  • A+: Hasn’t played in 2026
    • 4/2: Placed on the Injured List

Charleston River Dogs

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .408, Caden Bodine
OBP: .457, Caden Bodine
SLG: .662, Caden Bodine
HR: 3, Caden Bodine, Cooper Flemming, Brendan Summerhill and Daniel Pierce
wRC+: 190, Caden Bodine
SB: 6, Derek Datil

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 1.80, Trey Pooser
FIP: 1.76, Aidan Cremarosa
K%: 39.5%, Aidan Cremarosa
BB%: 2.3%, Trey Pooser
WHIP: 0.80, Alex Wallace & Trey Pooser
AVG: .156, Jacob Kuhn
WHIFF%: 18.5%, Aidan Cremarosa

Top 10 Prospects

• #7 Daniel Pierce
  • A: .286/.364/.510 | 34.5 K% | 7.3 BB% | 3 HR | 4 SB | 132 wRC+ | 55 PA
    • 4/22: Placed on the 7-day IL
• #9 Brendan Summerhill
  • A: .188/.235/.375 | 23.5 K% | 3.9 BB% | 3 HR | 0 SB | 60 wRC+ | 51 PA
    • 4/22: Placed on the 7-day IL