Category: Baseball

On Friday, we got confirmation that San Francisco would be the host city for Major League Baseball’s 2028 All-Star Game. It’s very cool news and it gives us all something to look forward to as we wait for the Giants’ next competitive window to open in 2030. And, of course, it’s more than just the game itself. There’s the Home Run Derby, the Futures Game, celebrity interactions, the draft, and an All-Star village. So, I figured this would be a good place to gather everything we know about the event so far. I promise I’m not riffing through the entire article, but it’s a lot of riffing.

It will happen in July

No exact date yet, but it’s almost certainly the week of July 12th, which is when the Baseball portion of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles will kickoff. That tournament runs July 13-19 at Dodger Stadium.

It will be a factor in the upcoming lockout

Last month, Bruce Meyer, who’s leading the negotiations on behalf of the MLB Players Association, indicated that he knew San Francisco had already been chosen as the site of the 2028 All-Star Game to which Rob Manfred responded, “With all due respect, Bruce does not pick the All-Star Games. He’s not necessarily correct.”

It would be funny if the situation wasn’t so dire. Commissioner Manfred has been a terrible ambassador of the sport, a true antagonist to playersand fans, a bad businessman, and now he’s going to carry water for the owners who want to try to bleed the sport for more profit.

The reason why Oracle Park was chosen as the 2028 site had less to do with the city or the stadium or even that it had been a long time since the game had been hosted there and more to do with proximity to the Olympics. Being an hour away by plane really takes some of the pressure off for making sure as many great players can participate. The sticking point is that the league is trying to negotiate a new CBA along with the details of Olympics participation. If the negotiations drag on, it’s not wild to imagine the owners blaming the players for there being no MLB representation in the summer games or whatever.

It might not be called Oracle Park in 2028

Back in 2019, the Giants made a naming rights agreement with Larry Ellison’s Oracle. It’s a “20-year corporate partnership,” but Larry Ellison (who recently dropped from the 2nd to 8th on the Richest Man in the World List) is highly leveraged right now. Oracle’s AI investments have setup the company for an implosion should the AI be revealed as a bubble that then bursts. On top of that, he’s backstopping his son David Ellison’s $111 billion deal to buy Warner Bros. to merge with Paramount Pictures (“[he] has agreed to provide an irrevocable guarantee of $40.4 billion of the equity financing for the offer and any damages claims against Paramount”). Maybe Oracle just doesn’t exist two years from now? We’ll call the stadium at 3rd & King It’s-It Park?

The feds have gained more leverage

A couple of months ago, the United States Department of Justice announced that they had opened a civil rights investigation into whether or not the Giants had violated the rights of the bigots on the roster by allowing dissent and criticism over their bigotry to be communicated in their general direction. As of this writing, this investigation remains open, and it’s entirely possible that it won’t be closed for some time because why should it be closed? As an open case, the Justice Department and the White House can extract concessions or fines from the team to avoid federal intervention of whatever feels right.

Don’t want ICE agents deployed throughout China Basin for All-Star week? Better not think about cutting Sam Hentges, Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker, or Ryan Walker. Yes, even in 2028.

And who knows where we’ll be by then in terms of federal overreach. I’m sure some very dutiful bootlicker is already cobbling together some sort of order relating to securing America’s Pastime against non-traditional values that are expressed or advertised throughout San Francisco. As paranoid as this might sound, there’s already precedent. ABC has filed a First Amendment suit against the FCC for matters pertaining to broadcast licensing and similar civil rights investigations into the company’s “DEI policies.” Plus, with the commissioner pitching it as being Olympics-adjacent, “security” or “public safety” can be invoked to do all sorts of wacky things. With the government always willing to threaten the sport’s antitrust exemption and Manfred having already demonstrated that he’ll throw the Giants under the bus at the first opportunity, it’s a recipe for more headaches, possible injustice, and disrupted entertainment.

The Giants will have at least one All-Star

By rule, each team must have a representative. Bryce Eldridge is confident that he’ll be able to participate in the Home Run Derby, but we’ll see. He’s going to sit an awful lot if the lockout drags on as long as the owners want it to, and that could impact his development. I’m sure most fans have penciled in Logan Webb already, but this year already showed a marked decline for the former ace. As I mentioned back in May, it’s possible that his best days are already behind him. Lincecum, Cain, and Bumgarner were all basically done by 30. Webb turns 30 in November.

I wonder if Webb and Eldridge will have a better opportunity to represent the United States on the Olympic Team rather than as All-Stars representing the Giants.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be hounded to participate in the Home Run Derby

My one memory of the 2007 ASG in San Francisco is of Vladimir Guerrero Sr. winning the derby. He waws my white whale for many years and after the infamous Brian Sabean quote that killed the idea, I took my moments of watching Vlad very seriously. Watching him mash in the Home Run Derby was the only time I was able to imagine what it might’ve been like to have my favorite player (at the time) on my favorite team.

To be clear, I won’t be hounding Vladito, but the chance for a father-son story to crop up in this specific competition is too good to pass up. Obviously, it’s not a guarantee. It’s not that 2028 is far enough where things could change, it’s that 2026 has given us a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. who has evolved/de-evolved into a player who would be stealing a derby spot from a more deserving bat. He has just 7 home runs this season — his age-27 season! — and looks like he’ll just barely clear double digits. But also, after hitting 48 home runs in 2022, he’s hit just 118 since.

Some aspect of the team being in San Francisco will be celebrated

It’ll be the 70th anniversary of the team’s move from New York to San Francisco but its 71st season overall. That could mean it’s a San Francisco-tinged celebration or its a Giants history-themed one or if the Olympics of it all simply overwhelms.

Politics will be inescapable

Maybe you’re bent out of shape when I mentioned Pride Night again, but I promise you that I’m not even the tip of the iceberg. I’m the water vapor that might freeze down onto the berg. 2028 is an election year, and July is usually a busy time, not just with party conventions but also big election-changing news. Joe Biden dropped out of the race in July 2024. Kanye West announced his candidacy in July 2020. The United States Postal Service, under full Trump control, and having cut costs to the extent that the service was hobbled, informed states that there would be delays with mail balloting ahead of the election. On July 12, 2016, Bernie Sanders endorsed Hillary Clinton. On the 23rd, Wikileaks released a tranche of documents to indicate the DNC’s bias against Sanders. We’re likely to be pelted, inundated, possibly overwhelmed by politics. The trendlines of reality don’t suggest that’s going to reverse anytime soon, especially if Donald Trump continues to suggest that he’ll run for reelection when he legally cannot.

This might be the last All-Star Game on FOX TV

All of MLB’s national broadcast rights have been synced to expire at the end of the 2028 season… unless a specific amount of time is missed due to a work stoppage. In that case, an extra year would be added. Still, it might be the last time that John Smoltz is inflicted on us.

Although the FOX Network has been a fine partner with MLB all these years, I’m still miffed about them putting the NFL theme over the baseball stuff to trick viewers into tuning in… and then there’s John Smoltz. But they actually broadcast the baseball game, far better than ESPN. Of course, nobody is as good as NBC/Peacock’s coverage. But what’s probably going to happen going forward is the Balkanization of the broadcast rights. Your MLB.tv subscription will continue to be diluted by other platforms you’ll need to subscribe to: Apple, Peacock, Netflix and then, who knows?

The national anthem will be performed by a Bay Area native

In 2007, Stockton’s Chris Isaak sang “The Star-Spangled Banner.” With all due respect to Chris Isaak, I think that can be topped; although, I’m having a tough time coming up with relevant Bay Area acts who will still be notable in 2028. Age has caught up with a lot of our faves, but then again, Patti LaBelle did this in Philadelphia last month and at 82:

Tim Lincecum will be there, right?

It’ll be the 20th anniversary of his first All-Star Game. Even with a large contingent of non-Giants fans in the crowd, that’s still homefield. Barry Bonds will definitely be there, Jeff Kent, too. Lincecum will be there. He’s got to be. I’m not sure in what capacity, of course. I don’t think Dave Roberts </s> would let him deliver the lineup card or whatever.

The Royals were hoping Lucas Erceg could be the shutdown reliever in their bullpen. Instead, he has struggled with his command all year and has been a big reason why they have the second-worst bullpen ERA in baseball. Today, the team finally optioned him to Omaha, calling up reliever Carlos Durán to replace him.

Durán was acquired from the Dodgers at the trade deadline for pitcher Kris Bubic. The 25-year-old right-hander had a 3.15 ERA in 40 minor league appearances with 64 strikeouts and 29 walks in 45.2 innings. He has appeared in one MLB game before, giving up one hit, three walks, and three runs, while retiring just one hitter in an appearances with the A’s last year.

Durán has a fastball that sits at 96 mph, but he features a plus slider that could make him a valuable weapon in the pen.

The Royals might have an absolute gem in Carlos Duran 👀💎

Here's why: https://t.co/1hy8VuTLJVpic.twitter.com/0u8jibgV9Y

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) August 16, 2026

Durán was originally signed by the Dodgers out of the Dominican Republic, but was traded to the A’s in 2025 for outfielder Esteury Ruiz. The A’s let him go after the end of last year, and he returned to the Dodgers on a minor league deal.

Erceg got off to a decent start, but had three big blow ups in late May and has not recovered since. In his last 27 outings, he has given up 26 runs in 24 innings. Overall, the 31-year-old right-hander has a 6.23 ERA, fourth-worst among qualified relievers, his 13.9 percent walk rate is seventh-highest among relievers, and he has the worst strikeout-to-walk ratio in baseball. He has six blown saves this year, more than all but four pitchers.

Erceg had a notable drop in strikeout rate last year, but still maintained a 2.64 ERA. This year, opponents are hitting .333 against his 97 mph fastball. Preston Farr wrote this week about Erceg’s struggles, noting his lack of a change up.

While still mixing in both fastballs at a good rate, Erceg has essentially become a fastball/slider pitcher out of the pen. That drop in changeup usage has completely changed the effectiveness of his sinker against opposing hitters.

The Royals originally acquired Erceg in 2024 from the Athletics in what was a savvy move at the time to get a reliever with several controllable years remaining. But his future in the Royals’ pen is now in doubt unless he can rediscover his stuff in Triple-A. The Royals have him under club control through 2029.

The Little League World Series is arguably the biggest stage young athletes can find themselves on. While only a select few have gone on to enjoy professional baseball careers, every year, the utter joy and passion that these kids exude throughout the tournament in Williamsport captivates audiences.

Of course, their electric talent draws in audiences as well. Unforgettable performances from unlikely sources are always bound to make big waves at the Little League World Series, and this year, we might see yet another.

Kinley Rasmus, daughter of former Major League pitcher Cory Rasmus, has been making a name for herself at regionals, before the national tournament has even gotten underway. Here's what to know about her.

Who is Kinley Rasmus?

Rasmus is not only proving she belongs, but outperforming everyone she comes across.

In the regional tournament, Rasmus tossed a complete game shutout en route to a 4-0 win over Tennessee to secure the Southeast regional title. Her line? Just three hits allowed, no walks and eight strikeouts.

Rasmus is able to keep hitters off balance with a remarkable curveball, which she has attributed to her dad, former Major League pitcher Cory Rasmus.

She's not a bad hitter, either. Through the regional tournament, Rasmus hit .750, going 6-for-8.

Rasmus' efforts helped lift Alabama to their first trip to the Little League World Series in 27 years. That team was led by her father, Cory Rasmus, who went on to pitch for the Angels and Braves.

Does Kinley have any other famous relatives?

Yes, Kinley's uncle is none other than former MLB outfielder Colby Rasmus. The 10-year MLB vet played for five teams between 2009 and 2018, starting his career with the St. Louis Cardinals before joining the Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles.

When does the Little League World Series begin?

The Little League World Series starts on Wednesday, August 19 and runs through Sunday, August 30.

Alabama plays their first game at 3 p.m. ET on August 19 against the Northwest representatives, Washington.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: Get to know Kinley Rasmus, LLWS superstar and daughter of former MLB player

The Braves are rocking with Sean Murphy at catcher and Mauricio Dubon at short against the righty Matthews for the Twins. I think they should do this more, with Jim Jarvis’ bat turning back into a pumpkin and Murphy in need of live plate appearances.

Tonight's starters ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/R1hJ35Go8Y

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 18, 2026

This post will be updated when the Twins release their lineup

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Tuesday, August 18, 7:40 p.m. EDT

Location: Target Field, Minneapolis, MN

TV/Streaming: BravesVision

Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan, Los Bravos

On the latest episode of The Mets Pod, Connor Rogers and Joe DeMayo find that hope is a good thing for the 2026 Mets and beyond. 

The guys discuss a pitching staff that has stabilized behind young arms, the young psychopaths throwing guys out from the outfield, and a possible new life for Kodai Senga as a relief pitcher. 

The Mets Pod Answering Machine delivers voicemails about the future of first base and Jonah Tong, and Joe sits down for an exclusive interview with shortstop prospect Sammy Stafura, a lifelong Mets fan who came to the team in the Luke Weaver trade. 

The show wraps with a dip into the Mailbag that dives into questions about Ronny Mauricio.

Be sure to subscribe to The Mets Pod at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

In the 4th inning of Sunday’s contest between the Rochester Red Wings and Charlotte Knights, Seaver King fired a 90 mph rocket to first base to finish off an inning ending double play. After the play, the Nats star shortstop prospect was fired up, flexing on his way back to the dugout. This combination of athleticism and energy personifies Seaver King’s play style.

Just from watching the past couple games, I have noticed that Seaver King is a big personality on the field. Got fired up after turning an inning ending double play

— federalbaseball (@federalbaseball) August 16, 2026

The first thing that came out of manager Matt Lecroy’s mouth when I asked him about King was “Seaver is a sparkplug man”. He is one of those players that is easy to pick out as a casual observer because of his loud tools. King just plays the game faster and more aggressively than most players, which should endear him to fans.

However, that has not always been the case for the 23 year old. Last season was a disastrous campaign for the former 10th overall pick. He hit just .244 with a .631 OPS across two levels, particularly struggling in Double-A where he posted a .600 OPS. The chase rates were out of control and he was hitting the ball on the ground too much to tap into his power.

King admitted that his 2025 season was tough, but added that he “would not be here without last season”. It was a reality check for a player whose career had been a steady uphill climb to that point. King went from Division II Wingate University to Wake Forest, where he became a top 10 pick. However, baseball has a way of humbling players quickly.

It is not as if the success had gotten to King’s head. Rather, as he put it, he needed to learn what he can and cannot do. Following a successful stint in the Arizona Fall League and an offseason focused on building consistency, King once again looks like the player the Nats made a top 10 selection.

Right now King is knocking on the door of the big leagues. When I saw him this weekend, the bat sure looked big league ready. He was hammering balls to the opposite field and got on base five times in the two games. King’s biggest moment was a solo home run which he crushed to right field.

Seaver King since returning from injury:

20-for-55
.364/462/.655
4 HR | 4 2B | 2 SB
12.3% BB% | 21.5% K%
188 wRC+

It’s been a great 14 game stretch for the former 10th overall pick. Great to see him healthy and swinging it well.#Natitudepic.twitter.com/OGmk5cgo3b

— Tobey Schulman (@tschulmanreport) August 17, 2026

Using the whole field has always been a big emphasis for King and that remains the case even with a new hitting braintrust that emphasizes pulling the ball in the air. “Owning the right side of the field” is a motto that King has lived by for most of his baseball life. He wants to add more of a pullside element, but it is clear that he believes that he is at his best when he is using the opposite field.

While pulling the ball might not be King’s game, he clearly wants to hit the ball in the air more. He told me that every swing he takes in the cage is with the intent of putting the ball in the air. Elevating the baseball is at the core of the Nats new hitting philosophy, and King is a success story for this ideology.

Last season, he put the ball on the ground 52.4% of the time. This year that number is down to 44.5% and it has led to a massive surge in power. After hitting 6 homers in 125 games last season, King has 14 in 82 games this year, including 4 in his last 8 games. The explosive shortstop has always hit the ball hard, but now he is putting the ball in the air and doing damage.

That idea of doing damage is at the core of King’s offensive approach. His approach to hitting is both simple and effective, “hit strikes as hard as I can”. In an organization where data has become king, Seaver admits that he is not a guy who dives into the numbers too much.

Ideally, he wants his instincts and explosiveness to do the talking. However, when he does look at numbers, he said he tends to look at things such as chase percentage. That makes a lot of sense, as minimizing chase has been a big priority for the 23 year old.

In Double-A, he was swinging dramatically less at the beginning of the season. King had a lot of success with that approach. However, following his promotion to AAA, his swing happy nature re-emerged. Before his IL stint, King was chasing at 38.9% of pitches at the AAA level. Since he has come back, that number has dropped to the low 30’s but it is still something that gives the Nats some pause, which was mentioned in Spencer Nusbaum’s most recent article.

What’s next for Seaver King?https://t.co/YXpgmVqjA3

— Spencer Nusbaum (@spencernusbaum_) August 16, 2026

This weekend, King’s plate discipline was a mixed bag. There were some at bats where he came up with a great plan and forced pitchers into the zone. He did walk in both games I saw. However, there were other AB’s where he was clearly in swing mode. One at bat he swung at a pitch so wild that it got past the catcher and he got on base due to the dropped third strike.

What is different about this year though, is that King is not letting those at bats linger. One thing King told me he has gotten a lot better at is “Not letting bad days dwell into three in a row”. He will have the occasional bad at bat, but King learns from it and locks back in.

Those changes in his mental game are just as important as the physical ones. In fact, those are the changes that make me believe the 23 year old is big league ready. It is unclear if he will be called up this season, but I think he would help the team if given the opportunity.

His bat will be helpful, but I also think the way he plays would breathe life into a Nats team that looks out of gas. As Matt Lecroy put it, King is “an old timey player who gives everything he’s got every day”. The Nats need a guy who will puff his chest after turning a double play and play with reckless abandon. According to Lecroy, King is a guy who takes losses hard even at the AAA level. 

In the dog days of summer, this Nats team is in need of a sparkplug. Seaver King’s aggressive and up tempo playstyle would be the perfect solution. If it were up to me, Seaver King would get a shot, but let’s see what the Nats decide to do next.

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

Since the break, the Diamondbacks’ rotation has been more than a run better than it was in the first half. Our starter’s ERA has dropped from 4.39 (18th in the majors) to 3.31 (ranked 6th), through thirty games. If sustained, that would be the lowest second-half ERA in franchise history. A major factor in that has obviously been the resurgence of Brandon Pfaadt, who has looked – almost literally – like a completely different pitcher since he returned from his spell in Triple-A. But we have seen virtually everyone in the rotation, from Merrill Kelly through to Mitch Bratt, show themselves capable of shutting down the opposition, on any given night.

Things might yet improve further, with the return of Corbin Burnes coming up, with probably a couple of weeks to go for that. While there are no certainties after Tommy John, there’s potential there for the starting pitching to get a major boost down the stretch. So, presuming he takes Bratt’s slot in the rotation, if the Diamondbacks were to make the playoffs – ideally with enough time to get their rotation set for the post-season – it would present Torey Lovullo with a bit of a dilemma. Albeit a nice one: who should start Game #1 for Arizona? Below are the five candidates, good health being taken as read.

• Corbin Burnes. The staff ace before he was injured, he has the best career numbers, and also the most postseason experience, with a 2.33 ERA across 27 innings.
• Merrill Kelly. Proved his worth during the 2023 run to the World Series, with a 2.25 ERA across four starts, including seven innings of one-run ball in the team’s only WS victory.
• Brandon Pfaadt. Has been astonishing during his recent run, but still has a career ERA+ of only 89. Five post-season starts, although still looking for his first W there.
• Eduardo Rodriguez. An All-Star this year. Far and away the team’s most valuable pitcher this year (4.4 bWAR), having gone 12-4 so far, with a 2.73 ERA that’s a career best.
• Michael Soroka. The best FIP (2.86) among the candidates, and a stellar K:BB ratio of better than four – nobody else in the rotation is even at three this year.

I suspect the poll is likely to skew for Pfaadt, largely because of recency bias (it’s amazing to think that less than two months ago, he wasn’t considered good enough to hold down a long-relief spot out of the bullpen). But y’know something? I’d not be unhappy with any of the five getting the ball. Let’s hope it’s a decision which needs to be made, following the series in San Diego which ends the regular season. There’s a poll below, and as usual, please explain your choice in the comments. Bonus points if you want to line up the rotation and, presuming we only need four man, tell us who would be left off it…

Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys:

Texas Rangers catcher Danny Jansen has been activated from the 60 day injured list, the team announced today. To make room for him on the active roster, the Rangers have designated catcher Austin Wynns for assignment, leaving 39 players on the 40 man roster. In addition, the Rangers announced that Marco Gonzales, who was designated for assignment on Saturday, has rejected an outright assignment and become a free agent.

Jansen was signed as a free agent to a two year contract this past offseason, with an eye towards him splitting time with Kyle Higashioka behind the plate for the Rangers this year. Jansen has been on the injured list since early June due to an elbow issue that may require offseason surgery. He spent last week on a rehab assignment with Round Rock, for whom he appeared in five games. He was slashing .171/.277/.309 on the season before he went on the i.l.

Wynns was called up when Higashioka went on the injured list about a month ago, having previously played in the majors for the A’s and the Braves this year in short stints. Wynns hit .276/.323/.379 in 32 plate appearances over 14 games during his time in the bigs with Texas.

Gonzales, meanwhile, is again a free agent, having again been designated for assignment, cleared waivers, and rejected an outright assignment. I imagine he will be re-signed by the Rangers in the next day or two, and will return to the Express rotation.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are finally getting healthy, though it might be just too little, too late.

After getting some positive news on Oneil Cruz, the Pirates are on tap to get Konnor Griffin back in approximately three weeks, according to MLB.com.

Griffin went on the 6o-day IL with a left ring finger injury and is eligible to return on September 4. Griffin tore  his left ring finger sagittal band and forced him to wear a splint for six weeks. Pirates Senior Director of Sports Medicine Todd Tomczyk gave some positive injury news on Griffin, a much needed change of pace from the seemingly never-ending cycle of players missing time.

“Not surprisingly, Konnor’s a little bit ahead of schedule,” Tomcyk told the media this week. “He has been cleared to transition out of the splints that you’ve seen him in. You will still see his hand taped, and that’s part of this transition phase.”

The original timeline for Griffin’s return put him more likely to return around mid-September, so it’s encouraging to see that he is progressing towards full baseball activities.

Over the next 48-72 hours, you’ll see him putting his hand in the glove,“ Tomczyk said. ”You’ll see him gripping the bat fully.”

Griffin suffered the injury on July 5 against the Washington Nationals, just eight games after returning from an elbow injury. The 20-year-old rookie’s season that was full of promise has been cut short with two lengthy injuries that hasn’t allowed the staff or fan base to see Griffin’s full potential at the major league level.

In 59 games, Griffin is slashing .276/.332/.404 with a .736 OPS. He owns 10 doubles, five home runs, and 25 RBIs over 225 at-bats.

The speedy shortstop has stolen 20 bases and was on pace to steal over 40 bags as a rookie.

If he does return on time, Griffin will return to the team when the Pirates host the LA Angels at PNC Park.

Jared Thomas (Pre-Season PuRP No. 5) knew something was wrong with his hand last fall. He also knew it wasn’t stopping him.

“It started off during the Fall League last year,” Thomas said. “Knew I had something going in my hand. We didn’t really quite know what it was, but it wasn’t bothering me too much, or enough for me not to play. So played through it.”

Two days after the Arizona Fall League ended, he stayed in the desert and got imaging done. The hook of the hamate in his right wrist was broken. Thomas and the Colorado Rockies addressed it quickly.

“We knocked that surgery out, got to go home, took a little time off,” Thomas said. “Got back to swinging a bat after about three, four weeks, and then the progression just never got any better.”

He arrived at spring training as a non-roster invitee and was shut down almost immediately.

“Didn’t take very many swings, and then when we thought the time was right to start swinging again, it still had some pain in there, and we didn’t really know quite what was going on,” he said.

So he went back to Dr. Donald Sheridan — “one of the best hand specialists in the country,” as Thomas describes him — for a second look. More CT scans. More MRIs. And a second diagnosis.

“Found out there was some bone growth on my metacarpal bone in the top of my hand,” Thomas said. “So he went in there and cleaned out a bone spur. And after that surgery, which was in March, April, somewhere there — then the clock gets reset back to six to eight weeks.”

Two surgeries. Two recoveries. The Rockies’ second-round pick in 2024, coming off a season that made him the organization’s position player of the year, did not play a professional game until the middle of summer.

He is playing now. And in 11 games back between the complex league and Double-A Hartford, he is hitting .361 with a homer, a triple, and two doubles.

“You’ve got to give yourself some grace”

There’s a difference between a wrist that’s healed and a swing that feels like yours. Thomas doesn’t pretend otherwise.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say that I’m there yet, but I’m damn close,” he said. “There’s been a lot of time spent at the complex revamping the swing, and trying to get back to your normal self after not swinging a bat or being out for five, six months. It’s tough, man.”

Ask what he took from the months away, and he doesn’t reach for anything about mechanics.

“You’ve got to give yourself some grace,” Thomas said. “That’s probably the biggest thing I learned with my time away from the game. You’ve got to give yourself some grace, especially coming back.”

What hasn’t wavered is the part underneath it.

“Ultimately, I know the caliber player I am,” he said. “I know deep down in my heart that I’m going to play in the big leagues. So just controlling what I can control on a day-to-day basis — that’s the biggest deal.”

He is not, at the moment, thinking about a September call or next year’s depth chart. He’s thinking about the club he was sent back to.

“Coming out and being able to get shipped back to Hartford and help these guys, hopefully win a championship in the Eastern League — that’s a big deal,” Thomas said. “We’re going to go give this Eastern League championship a shot for sure.”

JARED THOMAS GOES YARD! 💥🐐

Thomas launches a two-run homer to right-center to put the Goats on the board!

GOATS LEAD 2-1!🔥 pic.twitter.com/7L536COMt5

— Hartford Yard Goats (@GoYardGoats) August 1, 2026

Spring, and a language he was learning

The non-roster invite came before any of the bad news, and Thomas talks about it like the receipt for a year’s work.

“That was the ultimate goal,” he said. “I worked my tail off the year prior, and to get that invite, it felt great. All that hard work — you got a little bone thrown to you.”

He couldn’t swing. He was there anyway, in a big league clubhouse with Mickey Moniak and Brenton Doyle, alongside Charlie Condon (Pre-Season PuRP No.1), Cole Messina, and Konner Eaton (Mid-Season PuRP No. 28), and with two other guys he’d shared a Hartford clubhouse with the year before.

“Especially now that [Kyle] Karros and [Cole] Carrigg have started to establish themselves in the big leagues — that proves that guys like us, we’re not that far out,” Thomas said. “Being around those guys and learning the language they use, and what the ultimate goal is when you get to the big leagues, that’s a big deal. Just being able to be a part of that was special.”

A championship in the complex

Thomas’ rehab landed him with the ACL Rockies at exactly the right moment. He joined a group comprised largely of teenagers for a few weeks and left with a ring.

“It was a blast, man,” he said, “especially seeing those guys that are, hell, 18, 19 years old — how much fun they’re having. That brings me back to when I was in college, and I was 18. Baseball was so fun back then. And those guys are really good, man, and they’re diligent about their work. A lot of those guys don’t come from much, so that shows up especially when the game’s on the line.

He remembers Game 3 of the ACL World Series specifically, and the way his teammates came to him before it.

“These guys speak a lot of broken English, so they’re like, ‘Papi, no matter what, win,’” Thomas said. “I was like, I got you, dude. This means as much to me as it does to you, I promise.”

League champs! Congrats to our Rookie-level Arizona Complex League team on an incredible season 👏 💜 pic.twitter.com/YzFo4F8rsR

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) July 29, 2026

He came away convinced that the organization’s next wave is real. One name in particular came up in our conversation — a 19-year-old Venezuelan outfielder he compared, without hedging, to a franchise icon.

“He’s the closest player I’ve ever seen to Carlos González in my life,” Thomas said of Cristian Arguelles (Pre-Season PuRP Preseason HM). “That guy’s straight CarGo. He’s got the sideways hat, he plays the outfield just like him with some swag. And that kid’s bat is real. That swing tool is real.”

Austin, and a phone call from Jack O’Dowd

Thomas came back from rehab to find a familiar face in the Hartford clubhouse.

Jack O’Dowd (Mid-Season HM PuRP ) went undrafted out of Texas in 2024, spent a season in the independent Pioneer League, signed a minor league deal with Colorado in January, and has climbed three levels in one summer.

The two were teammates in Austin and stayed in touch through two offseasons back in the same city.

“This past offseason, when he gave me a call and said that we’re teammates now — definitely caught me off guard,” Thomas said. “But I was so pumped for the kid, man, because I know what amount of grind he’s been through. Nobody else can really feel the same way. Nobody’s gone through stuff like that.”

He is unambiguous about what he thinks of the jump.

“That kid’s jumping three levels in a year, man. That’s unheard of,” Thomas said. “A lot of guys don’t do that, and especially a free agent guy doing it. It’s special.”

And unambiguous about the direction the respect runs.

“He’s a guy that I look up to,” said Thomas, the second-round pick with a $2 million bonus, about the undrafted free agent. “He was one of the seniors in the clubhouse my last year in college. That guy plays with grace. He doesn’t really get sped up. He enjoys the game, and he takes it pitch by pitch. That’s what I’m striving to do this year. Having him here that close is going to help for sure.”

What August is for

Asked what he’s working on with the season’s last weeks in front of him, Thomas named the thing his 2025 numbers were already pointing at.

“I think pitch selection is a big one,” he said. “Pitch selection, swing decisions — they all kind of correlate. Going up there with a pretty good plan and sticking to the plan.”

He’s built for that. Thomas walked 70 times in 118 games last season, posted a .398 on-base percentage across two levels, and hit .348 with a 1.088 OPS in plate appearances where he got ahead in the count.

He is also, by his own framing, done treating any single at-bat as the whole thing.

“This game’s hard. This game’s real hard,” Thomas said. “If I go up there and I stick to my plan and it doesn’t work out — hell, you got another one coming. That’s the great thing about this game, is you get to play tomorrow.”

The rest of it is a word he keeps coming back to.

“Just got out there and have fun, dude,” he said. “I now know what it’s like having time away from the game, which I hadn’t had to go through so far. Being back here in a clubhouse with a bunch of guys I was with last year in Spokane — just enjoying it.”

Snake Farm and the Postman

Two nicknames follow Thomas around, and he can tell you the exact day each one started.

The first came during a bad stretch his freshman year at Texas, out of a batting practice playlist that assistant coach Philip Miller played on a loop.

“That song just happened to get stuck in my head one night,” Thomas said. “I walked past our player development person, Carli Todd, and she was like, ‘That’s what you’re walking up to tonight.‘ And I was like, there’s no way. I end up walking up to it. I got 3-for-4 with a homer that night, and it just stuck.”

Snake Farm followed him through a great college career and into pro ball.

📬 The Postman always delivers. #GoSpopic.twitter.com/uoyhgbzA7e

— Spokane Indians (@spokaneindians) October 14, 2025

The second came last year at Spokane, from hitting coach Trevor Burmeister, now with the Portland Sea Dogs.

“He called me the Postman because I’m always delivering the barrel,” Thomas said. “I always wore a U.S. Postal Service hat for BP, so I was all in on that.”

He has a favorite.

“Honestly, I’d probably say Snake Farm,” Thomas said. “Just the amount of fun, and how much that stuck in college — that was special.”

The barrels are the part he’s still getting back. The rest of it, by every indication in his voice, never left.

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Weekly Pebble Report: August 11th – 17th

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes (2-4, 61-59 Overall)

Albuquerque opened its trip to Oklahoma City (Los Angeles Dodgers) with a 13-run outburst and then essentially stopped hitting. The Isotopes scored seven runs across the next five games, were shut out three times, and dropped the series finale, falling to nine games back of a playoff spot.

Nic Kent led the offense with three doubles and four RBIs, and Jose Cordova hit .375 over four starts. There was a familiar face on the other side Saturday: Seth Halvorsen, traded from Colorado to Los Angeles in July, closed out a 1-0 win against his former organization’s top affiliate.

⬆️ Stock Up: Brooks has OKC shook

Jake Brooks was excellent on Saturday and still lost. He went six innings against the Comets, allowing one run on six hits with four strikeouts and — most notably — no walks, only for Albuquerque’s offense to manage two hits in a 1-0 defeat. It was Brooks’ sharpest outing in Triple-A since his promotion in July.

Jake Brooks is your @Toyota Reliable Player of the Week after tossing 6.0 innings of one-run ball for a quality start on Saturday night! pic.twitter.com/tQ9VkP6JKq

— Albuquerque Isotopes (@ABQTopes) August 17, 2026

⬇️ Stock Down: Condon stays quiet

Charlie Condon managed two hits in 22 at-bats and struck out nine times across all six games, the coldest stretch he has had this season. He did triple and steal a base, as well as drawing four walks, so he wasn’t entirely absent from the lineup — but a week after hitting his 22nd home run, Colorado’s most-watched prospect went nearly a full series without a base hit. For a club that scored seven runs in five games, the timing compounded the problem.

Upcoming

The Isotopes host the Las Vegas Aviators (Athletics) for a six-game series.

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats (1-5, 55-58 Overall)

Hartford’s collapse continued at home against Erie (Detroit Tigers), who won five of six. The Yard Goats have now lost 11 of 12 dating back to the Binghamton sweep, and are now 16-29 in the second half. The pitching was hardly the problem — seven Hartford arms finished the series without allowing an earned run, and Stu Flesland III continued to roll with five innings of unearned-run ball with seven strikeouts that still ended in a loss. The offense scored 16 runs in six games, and four of the five defeats came by two or fewer runs.

⬆️ Stock Up: Weatherly Finds His Stuff

Sam Weatherly was untouchable in two appearances, throwing five innings without allowing a run, surrendering one hit and striking out 10. Seven of those punchouts came in three innings of Sunday’s finale, when he retired nearly everyone he faced. It’s a marked turn for the left-hander who had spent much of the season searching — he entered the week with an ERA north of nine — and it gives a taxed Hartford bullpen an arm worth trusting again.

SAM WEATHERLY IS DEALING! 😤🔥

A SEASON-HIGH 7 STRIKEOUTS for Weatherly! 🐐⚾️ pic.twitter.com/cgL8QEXLu9

— Hartford Yard Goats (@GoYardGoats) August 16, 2026

⬇️ Stock Down: Tucker’s Double-A Welcome

Tevin Tucker went 0-for-13 in his first extended look at Double-A, striking out five times after arriving from High-A Spokane. The bright spot is that he found other ways to help — three stolen bases in five games, plus a walk and a hit-by-pitch — so the speed translated even as the bat didn’t. It’s a small sample and a real jump in level, but the first impression at the plate was a difficult one.

Upcoming

The Yard Goats will welcome the Somerset Patriots (New York Yankees) to Hartford for six games.

High-A: Spokane Indians (2-4, 52-61 Overall)

Spokane lost the first four at Everett (Seattle Mariners) before salvaging the last two, including an 8-7 win in 10 innings on Sunday. Control was the through-line: Indians pitchers issued 41 walks across the six games, 14 of them in a 16-2 opening loss and 13 more in the finale they somehow won. Kelvin Hidalgo drew six walks of his own and hit .381, and the club kept running — Roldy Brito (Pre-Season PuRP No. 11) stole four bases, Hidalgo three, and Wilder Dalis (Pre-Season PuRP No. 24) three more. The Indians sit four games back of first place in the Northwest League.

⬆️ Stock Up: Thach Finds His Swing

Tanner Thach collected 11 hits in 25 at-bats, a .440 series with two home runs, a double, and a team-high 5 RBIs while playing all six games. He homered in each of the first two games and kept hitting when the rest of the lineup went quiet — Spokane scored eight runs across the first three games, and Thach had a hand in most of what little there was. He seems to be finding his stride in High-A.

Tanner Thach has been locked in at the plate as part of our latest Holliday Hot Streak. #GoSpopic.twitter.com/6g3nHIrmsd

— Spokane Indians (@spokaneindians) August 14, 2026

⬇️ Stock Down: Luciano Can’t Find the Plate

Ismael Luciano faced six batters in Tuesday’s opener and retired none of them, walking three and allowing six runs before he was pulled without recording an out. He returned Sunday and gave up two more runs on two walks and a home run. Across the two outings, he faced 14 hitters and got five of them out. The command has deserted him at the worst time for a bullpen already issuing walks at an unsustainable rate.

Upcoming

The Hillsboro Hops (Arizona Diamondbacks) come to town for a six-game set in Spokane.

Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies (2-4, 61-53 Overall)

Fresno fell victim to a series loss at the hands of the San Jose Giants (San Francisco Giants). The Grizzlies won the first two, then dropped four straight, the last of them on a 10-9 walk-off in 11 innings on Sunday after they had led 8-1 entering the eighth — Yanzel Correa surrendered six runs in a single inning to erase it. They fell to two games back of first place in the division. Ashly Andujar (Mid-Season PuRP No. 30) and Juan Martinez each collected six hits, Martinez adding two triples in the finale. Jack Natili (Mid-Season PuRP No. 20) and Daniel Jackson each hit their first career professional home runs.

⬆️ Stock Up: Parker Nearly Threw a No-Hitter

Brady Parker took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning Tuesday, retiring San Jose without a hit through six innings before handing it to the bullpen, which gave up the first hit an inning later. Parker came back Sunday and allowed one run over four innings, finishing the series with 10 innings, four hits, and a single earned run. He has now been Fresno’s steadiest arm for a month.

Brady Parker silenced San Jose for six hitless innings while Daniel Jackson and Cort MacDonald slug their first professional hits to help support the gem.

Grizzlies grab the opener in San Jose on Tuesday night. pic.twitter.com/C2gv3WrM7C

— Fresno Grizzlies (@FresnoGrizzlies) August 12, 2026

⬇️ Stock Down: Arguelles Can’t Find a Hole

Cristian Arguelles went 4-for-25 (.160) across all six games, three weeks after arriving from the Arizona Complex League and a week removed from hitting .435 to earn a spot in this column. The at-bats weren’t wild — he struck out just once in 25 tries, and he stole two bases as well as drawing a hit-by-pitch — but the contact stopped finding grass at the worst time, with Fresno needing runs in a series with real playoff implications. He’s still only a few weeks into full-season ball at this level.

Upcoming

The Grizzlies play host to the Stockton Ports (Athletics) for a six-game series.

DSL: DSL Colorado (2-2) & DSL Rockies (2-3)

Neither Dominican Summer League affiliate found much rhythm, though DSL Colorado stayed atop the DSL Southeast at 34-18 and closed the week with a 9-1 win. Their odd game came Friday: 10 walks drawn, two hits, and a 4-3 loss. DSL Rockies took two of five to reach 21-32, and one of them was extraordinary — a 19-18 walk-off win that lasted four hours and 12 minutes and produced 37 runs, 26 hits, and 21 walks between both teams. Danny Cancro hit .500 for the week, and Maiker Ramirez hit .533.

⬆️ Stock Up: Vielma Keeps Getting On

Carlos Vielma (Acquired in the Antonio Senzatela trade) reached base 10 times in four games, going 5-for-12 (.417) with two doubles and five walks. The most telling of those hits came Friday, when Colorado managed just two all afternoon — Vielma had one of them, a double, in a game his team otherwise filled with walks and stranded runners. He’s hitting .363 on the season and just turned 17 last week.

⬇️ Stock Down: Oh, Darling

Darling Pena went 1-for-19 across all five games, striking out six times and driving in nobody. His lone hit came in Thursday’s 9-7 loss. The starkest illustration came Friday, when the Rockies scored 19 runs and Pena finished 0-for-4.

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The Yankees’ offense ranks 29th among 30 MLB teams with an 86 wRC+ since Aaron Judge went down in late May, and 27th with a 78 wRC+ since Cody Bellinger’s injury (July 26th). The two former MVPs are of vital importance for Aaron Boone’s lineup, as is a healthy Giancarlo Stanton, another past recipient of the honor. The three sluggers are expected to return at some point this season, with Bellinger and Stanton projected to beat Judge as things stand.

How would the Yankees’ lineup look when they are fully healthy? They added Luis García Jr. and Heliot Ramos before the Trade Deadline, not to mention Spencer Jones and George Lombard Jr. from their own minor league system in recent weeks. There will be a lot of movement, but the rosters expanding to 28 players in September will definitely help accommodate most of those who deserve a spot.

Our community evidently believes that the injuries to the star players and the inconsistent offense are certainly concerns heading into the stretch run, so it doesn’t hurt to look at the picture when everybody is fit to play.

Here’s a peek at how the Yankees’ offense would look against righties most nights when the injured stars return:

Ideal lineup vs. RHP:

1B Ben Rice
RF Aaron Judge
LF Cody Bellinger
DH Giancarlo Stanton/Luis García Jr.
CF Trent Grisham
2B Jazz Chisholm Jr.
SS George Lombard Jr.
3B Ryan McMahon
C Austin Wells

Rice has hit second most of the season, but he does have 16 starts from the leadoff spot. It would be quite a statement by the Yankees: here’s our 143-wRC+ hitter to open the lineup. Judge, Bellinger, and Stanton comprise a formidable heart of the order, provided that they can reach peak form at some point. Remember, this is a hypothetical exercise.

Stanton, of course, won’t play every game vs. righties. When he rests, the Yankees could just use Rice a DH and García at first. If he’s still on the roster (unclear if everyone is back) Amed Rosario is also a candidate to get some starts from that spot or at third base, and José Caballero would spell Lombard, McMahon, or Chisholm if they are unavailable.

Bellinger will probably alternate between the outfield and the DH spot in his first few games back (with an offday sprinkled here and there), coming off a lower-body injury.

It remains to be seen what the Bombers will do with García in the event that everyone is healthy. Will Boone primarily keep in the lineup at first base against righties? Could they try him at second base, where he had -17 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) last year?

Ideal lineup vs. LHP:

1B Paul Goldschmidt
RF Aaron Judge
LF Cody Bellinger
DH Giancarlo Stanton/Ben Rice
3B Amed Rosario/José Caballero
SS George Lombard Jr.
2B Jazz Chisholm Jr./José Caballero
CF Trent Grisham
C Alí Sánchez/Mitch Garver

Note that Rosario has been particularly productive vs. southpaws this year (68 wRC+, vs. 133 against RHP), but he has usually been much better vs. lefties over the course of his career. He will play in these situations — again, if he’s still on the roster.

Rice is actually solid vs. lefties (118 wRC+), so he will get starts. Ramos is also an asset against southpaws, with a 129 wRC+ during his career, and is expected to get some playing time there, too, either from the left field spot—where he is a subpar defender—or at DH.

Obviously, the idea is that players such as García, McMahon, and Wells don’t sniff the plate when there’s a left-handed pitcher on the mound. I did include the recent minor-league signee Garver as a possibility behind the plate against lefties because Sánchez has been so anemic that it might be worth trying the recently-dismissed Mariners backup in the bigs. He only reported to Triple-A on Friday though, so the Yankees may take a beat to assess him before making a move.

Caballero will be a super-utility guy who will get some starts here and there, plus some pinch-running and late-game appearances as a potential defensive replacement. Jones, who is currently part of the picture, will probably be squeezed out since he has minor-league options left. Both he and Rosario are candidates to depart the big-league roster upon Bellinger and Stanton’s returns — to say nothing of Judge, who likely won’t be available until rosters expand in September regardless.

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Luis Curvelo has cleared waivers and been outrighted to AAA Round Rock, the team has announced. As Curvelo has never been outrighted before, he does not have the option of rejecting the outright assignment, and thus will remain in the Rangers’ organization for the time being.

Curvelo, 25, was designated for assignment on August 14 so that the Rangers could add pitcher Marco Gonzales to the 40 man roster as part of adding Gonzales to the active roster. Gonzales was then designated for assignment a day later so that Jakob Junis could be activated from the 15 day injured list. That opened up a 40 man roster spot that I am guessing will be filled in the near future as a result of Jack Leiter being activated from the 60 day injured list.

Curvelo was originally signed out of Venezuela by the Seattle Mariners, and he pitched in their organization from 2018 through 2024. Curvelo became a minor league free agent after the 2024 season, and the Rangers opted to sign him to a major league deal that winter. After a somewhat promising 2025 season, where he put up a 3.76 ERA in 40 innings at Round Rock and a 5.68 ERA/4.66 FIP in 19 innings in the majors, he has regressed in 2026. In 10.1 innings over 9 games in the majors, he’s allowed 12 runs on 17 hits — including four homers — while walking seven and striking out six. Things haven’t been much better in AAA, as he’s allowed 27 runs in 25.2 innings for the Express this year, with 6 homers, 18 walks and 26 Ks.

Last week, SB Nation Reacts polled Giants fans with a surprisingly complicated question: Who should be the starting second baseman next year? Casey Schmitt had been penciled in for that position post-Luis Arraez trade, but his meniscus had other plans. Still, the idea that he’d simply take the position following rehab and possibly to start next season flowed logically from that development… until the trade deadline, when the Giants grabbed former top prospect Marcelo Mayer from the Boston Red Sox. Now… who knows?… maybe?

Okay, well, Giants fans are pretty certain that Schmitt is still the plan. That probably has a lot to do with the fact that Matt Chapman is still on the team and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, blocking Schmitt from playing his best position. It also has a lot to do with the fact that only the injury has prevented the post-Arraez plan from being realized.

It’ll be interesting to see if Chapman and Schmitt are able to return at close to their peaks following their respective surgeries, but in Schmitt’s case, this breakout year had some red flags in it that might simply lock in as he gets a little older and has a knee problem. And it’s this fluctuating circumstance that could open the door for Marcelo Mayer to be, say, the Opening Day second baseman for the San Francisco Giants… in July or whenever the lockout ends. If you’ve been following the FanDuel links in these posts all season, this paragraph just offered some interesting questions for your digital wagering.

I’ll mention here that Casey Schmitt and Marcelo Mayer are both alumni from the same high school (though they missed each other by a year). I just didn’t want you to think I didn’t know that or, if you hadn’t heard that yet, there you go (it was Eastlake High School down in Chula Vista). But I also feel it’s worth mentioning as a possible piece of anecdata to counter the Boston (and East Coast) media’s attack on Mayer. Obviously, the Red Sox dumping him on the Giants in exchange for Erik Miller (9K, 1 BB, 4 hits, 0 earned runs — just 1 run — allowed in 5.1 IP) has a whiff of Rafael Devers about it in that it’s a signal that Boston might’ve soured on the player. Still, it confounds one outsider’s perspective (Keith Law), even if the consensus seems to have coalesced around the idea that Mayer, in his post-prospect peak, might actually be very close to washing out of the bigs, and that this change of scenery could be one last great chance to prevent that from happening.

So, the idea of Mayer not becoming one of the many thousands of failed prospects in baseball history because the Giants coached him up or whateverwhich then leads to him being the team’s starting second baseman next season seems like a huge stretch. Law’s assessment is pretty damning:

His front leg stays very stiff through contact, with his knee locked in place, and he can’t cover the lower third or anything below the zone. When he’s swung at anything below the bottom of the zone, he’s whiffed 56.5 percent of the time, and pitchers are going to keep attacking him there until he makes an adjustment — and he chases those pitches too often, too.

He does offer that leaving Mayer at one position (and suggests second base) rather than moving him around might allow him to focus on the swing changes he needs to make. There’s certainly potential there, and he’ll be just 24 whenever next season starts. Casey Schmitt made his debut in his age 24 season and hit .206/.255/.324. You know, sometimes these things can take time. Plus, Marcelo Mayer has every reason to listen to Ron Washington after what happened with Luis Arraez. Y’know, unless Mayer has an aversion to being successful.

Now, the prospect of Marcelo Mayer realizing the high rating he’d been given in the minors is less probable than Casey Schmitt continuing to be a productive major leaguer, but I’m not so sure that Schmitt can repeat his 2026, and whatever he regress to the mean of could simply make the second base position feel less locked down. Is this uncertainty why I don’t think it’s a 70/30-level guarantee that Schmitt will be the second baseman next season?

Possibly.

We’ll likely get to see Mayer this weekend when the Giants go to Fenway Park to get their brains beaten in by the Boston Red Sox as they speed towards 100+ losses on the season. Maybe the Giants think they can steal a win or two based on the revenge factor. Maybe Mayer is looking forward to showing them what they gave up on. He’s currently 5-for-14 with a homer, a double, a walk and 7 strikeouts in his rehab assignment with the River Cats. I’ll admit that he’d really have to have a huge series to even raise the question of if the job is his next year, but this is the time in a lost season when such experimentation ought to happen. The Giants were/are big stinky losers even with Casey Schmitt hitting like he did. I don’t think anything should be set in stone with this roster.

So far this month, the Jays are 10-6 with a 2.87 ERA, easily the best month our pitchers have had this year.

Hot

Dylan Cease: 3 starts, 0-0, 2.45 ERA. In 18.1 innings, batters hit .158/.236/.274, with 2 home runs, 8 walks and 27 strikeouts.

Also opponents stole 14 bases in those 18.1, with 2 caught. He doesn’t hold runners at all. Three starts, he had two Quality Starts, and one that would have been a Quality Start if he had thrown one more inning. It is very impressive that he has a .274 slugging average against. He’s been amazing and we couldn’t get a W for him. He went 7 innings of 2 hit ball with 1 walk and 10 strikeouts and we couldn’t get him a win. Before the DH, you’d say, well he should have diving in a run himself. In all three starts, he had more strikeouts than innings.

Shane Bieber: 3 starts, 2-0, 3.63 ERA. In 17.1 innings batters hit .271/.329/.414 with 3 home runs, 6 walks and 15 strikeouts.

Two really good starts, going 5.2 and 6 innings allowing just a run in each and one blowup, 5 earned in 5.2 innings, that we lost in 12 innings. He’s not been Ace level, but we have Cease for that, but he’s been pretty good, with the odd really bad start just to keep you guessing. Having that one off the charts terrible one, just before the trade deadline, showed me how much he wanted to stay will the team. It will be interesting to see how free agency goes.

Max Scherzer: 3 starts, 0-1, 2.20 ERA. In 16.1 innings, batters hit .197/.234/.328, 2 home runs, 3 walks and 13 strikeouts.

One was a Quality start, but the other two would have been if he had pitched 6 innings instead of 5. I’ve been thinking that we should change the definition of QS to 5 innings. Anyway, all three of his starts were good, giving up 1, 2 and 1 runs. I was pretty sure this would be his last year (and it really should be) but he is getting the outs.

José Soriano: 2 starts, 0-0, 1.69. In 10.2 innings, batters hit .216/.310/.351 with 1 home run, 5 walks and 7 strikeouts.

Two starts, one where he only went 4.2 innings, but gave up just 1 earned. The other he did 6 innings, giving up just 1 earned again. He seems to be a good pick up (he says knowing you shouldn’t judge anyone on 10 innings).

Braydon Fisher: 10 games, 1 as opener, 0-1, 0.82 ERA. In 11 innings, batters hit .156/.325/.250 with 1 home runs, 8 walks and 5 strikeouts.

He had 4 holds. He continues to be great. Too many walks, but then guys slugged .250. He gave up two runs, just the other day, and took the lose, but those were the only runs he allowed. When your ERA starts with a 0 you know it is going well

Tyler Rogers: 9 games, 1-0, 2 saves, 0.96 ERA. In 9.1innings, batters hit .182/.308/.182, with 6 walks and 2 strikeouts.

Tyler had 3 holds. 6 walks and 2 strikeouts looks bad, but he’s been terrific all season long. I do have some worries that he won’t do as well next year. Most submarine pitchers seem to have a very good year, a good and a poor year, if they stay with the same team for few years. But Rogers seems a lot better than most.

Mason Fluharty: 9 games, 0-0, 0.00 ERA. In 6.2 innings, batters hit .000/.091/.000 with 0 home runs, 2 walks and 4 strikeouts.

He had 2 holds. That’s a terrific 6.2 inning. He’s very good vs LHH .453 OPS, but not good against RHH (.918). John has been excellent at picking his spots. If your ERA only contains zeros, things are great.

Brendon Little: 7 games, 0-1, 1.59 ERA. In 5.2 innings, batters hit .235/.500/.294, with 0 earned runs, 9 walks and 9 strikeouts.

He had 3 holds. 9 walks in 5.2 inning pretty awful, but he only allowed 1 earned run. And 9 strikeouts in 17 total outs is very good. This is the pitcher he is. He’s brought his ERA under 10. I’m not sure I’d bet that he’ll finish the season with an ERA under 10. He’s now arbitration eligible until after next year, so they will likely keep him around next year. And he has an option left for next year.

Cold

I didn’t put anyone in this slot. Weird.

Inbetween

Louis Varland: 8 games, 2-1, 4 saves, 1 blown save, 3.24 ERA. In 8.1 innings, batters hit .235/.294/.296 with 1 home run, 2 walks and 6 strikeouts.

He allowed 3 earned runs, but there was also 4 unearned run. He hasn’t been quite as lights out as he had been earlier in the season. And John seems to be trying to be more careful with him, which seems like a good idea, although, since they traded Hoffman they are short of guys you want to see pitching the late innings of close games. I mean, Lázaro Estrada got a save and they DFAed him later.

Spencer Miles: 7 games, 1-0, 1 save, 2.25 ERA. In 8 innings, batters hit .313/.324/.469 with 0 homers, 1 walks and 5 strikeouts.

Batters are hitting him pretty good, but he’s kept them from scoring. After pitching just 8.2 innings in the Arizona Fall League, and nothing before that, last year, He’s up to 78 innings now. They are going to be careful with him the rest of the season. I’d bet, unless they lose a few more pitchers to injury, that he won’t get above 90.

Also Pitched

We seem to have a lot of these guys who pitched a couple of innings for us this month.

Simeon Woods Richardson: Pitched in 2 games, 5.1 innings, allowed a run, 4 hits, 2 walks with 4 strikeouts. The team doesn’t seem to have any confidence in him, but he has been pretty good for us.

Lazaro Estrada: Pitched in 4 games, 3.2 innings, 1-1 with a save. He gave up 4 hits, 3 earned, 5 walks, 3 strikeouts. Also had a hit batter, a balk, and wild pitch. He was DFAed, but he’s still in the system.

Chase Lee: Pitched in 4 games, he had a win. In 4.2 innings, he gave up 5 earned, on 6 hits, a home run, 4 walks and 1 strikeouts.

He’s in Buffalo. He’s been up and down a few times.

Chad Dallas: Pitched in 1 game, gave up a run in 3.2 innings, 2 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts.

Ricky Tiedemann: They called him up, he pitched in one game. 1.2 innings, 2 hits, 1 earned and 2 strikeouts and then the sent him back to the minors. I didn’t understand why. Why would you bring him up to pitch once? If he had been terrible, I’d understand sending him back, but he was fine.

Matt Waldron: Pitched in 3 games. Two went well, had a hold in one, had clean inning in both. The other game went really badly, gave up 3 runs while getting 1 out. He’s still on the roster, so we’ll see him again.

IL

Spencer Arrighetti: Has Morton’s Neuroma in his right foot, which I haven’t heard of before. It doesn’t sound good, but apparently he might pitch for us this season. The description includes the words sharp pain and burning.

Trey Yesavage: 1 start, 2 inning. They think he might be back this year, I don’t. Had left meniscus surgery

Patrick Corbin: He won’t be back soon.

Joe Mantiply: He’s been throwing bullpen sessions.

Yimi García: Thoracic outlet syndrome. He may have an operation, which would likely end any chance of him pitching this year.

Cody Ponce: Will miss the season.

Jameson Taillon: Pitched in 2 games, 8 innings, 7 hits, 3 earned (3.38), 1 home run, 5 walks and 7 strikeouts.

It is possible he’ll be back before the end of the season.

José Berríos: Had Tommy John. Might be back by the end of next season, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

Bowden Francis: Won’t pitch this year.