Category: Baseball

2026 MLB Draft Preview: Hunter Dietz scouting report.

The 2026 is about a month away — the first round kicks off on July 11, 2026 — so its time to start offering capsule looks at players the Texas Rangers could select with their top picks. The Rangers’ first round pick is at #16, their second round pick is at #54, and their third round pick is at #89.

Leading up to draft day, we will be doing writeups of some of the players who could end up getting selected by the Rangers with one of their first three picks. Today we are looking at University of Arkansas lefthanded pitcher Hunter Dietz.

Hunter Dietz is a 6’6”, 235 lb. lefthanded pitcher who just wrapped up his junior year at the University of Arkansas. As a high schooler coming out of Calvary Christian High School in Clearwater, Florida, in 2023, he was seen as a potential top five round selection, but went undrafted due to signability issues. Dietz barely pitched his freshman and sophomore seasons due to injury issues, but was part of the Razorback rotation this year.

Dietz is a great big guy who throws his fastball in the mid-90s, touching 98. He has a cutter that touches 90 which MLB Pipeline describes as plus, and which Keith Law says is his best pitch. He also throws a slider and a curveball, which are also see as potential plus pitches. His stuff this season was described as “elite” by Baseball America and “spectacular” by MLB Pipeline.

After facing seven batters his freshman year and seven batters his sophomore year, he threw 11 innings over seven games in the Cape Cod League last summer, striking out 13 batters and walking 12. This year, he logged 85 innings over 16 starts for Arkansas, with a 3.57 ERA, 131 Ks and 31 walks.

Baseball America has Dietz at #41 on their board. MLB Pipeline has Dietz at #15 on their board. Kiley McDaniel puts Dietz at #24 on his top 150 list. Keith Law’s rankings have Dietz at #13 on his board. Fangraphs does not have Dietz on their board. Baseball Prospectus doesn’t have Dietz on their top 30 draft board.

In the June 8 Baseball America mock draft, Carlos Collazo has Dietz going to the Red Sox at #20, and also mentions him in connection with several teams before that, including the Rangers. The BA staff draft on June 15 has Dietz going to the Phillies at #36. Jim Callis’s June 4 mock draft has Dietz at #23 to the Cubs. Jonathan Mayo’s June 11 mock draft has Dietz to Boston at #20. Jim Callis’s June 18 mock draft has Dietz going to the Brewers at #25, but mentions him as a possibility as high as the Rockies at #10. Keith Law’s May mock draft has Dietz going to the Marlins at #14. Law’s June 10 mock draft also has the Marlins at #14 taking Dietz. Kiley McDaniel’s May 29 mock draft has Dietz going to the Kansas City Royals at #30. Kiley McDaniel’s June 18 mock draft does not include Dietz.

As you can see, there’s a big spread in where folks have Dietz ranked and where they see him going. He was referenced as a possibility in the back half of the top ten in a couple of the mock drafts, while other mocks, as you can see, don’t have him in the first round at all.

In what has been a recurring theme with our profiles so far, if Dietz had been healthy during his college career, he’d probably be off the board when the Rangers are picking. The lack of track record and the injury history is worrisome, and, as with several others, what the medicals show when he’s at the Combine will be significant.

Dietz has the build, stuff and repertoire to be a mid-rotation starter, and possibly better if he continues to tick up. His workload would need to be managed early on as a professional, and the injury risk is real, but the upside he offers would make him an intriguing gamble at 16.

Previously:

Liam Peterson

Tyler Bell

Aiden Robbins

Jared Grindlinger

Logan Reddemann

Cooper Harris

Justin Lebron

Cameron Flukey

Derek Curiel

The New York Mets’ bullpen has been a stable force for an otherwise disappointing club, and Thursday night in Philadelphia was no different.

Led by Luke Weaver’s continued scoreless inning streak and another save from Devin Williams, the bullpen backed up starter Sean Manaea to secure a 6-4 victory. The win was an example of what this bullpen is capable of when given a chance to protect a lead.

Weaver is in the midst of a career-best and MLB-leading 20-inning shutout streak that dates back to May 1. His current ERA (2.25) and WHIP (0.90) are at career lows, while the bullpen as a whole has been above league average.

Focusing almost exclusively on his fastball, changeup, and cutter, Weaver is using his changeup at a career-high rate. The result has been the lowest hard-hit and sweet-spot rates of his career.

A viral moment waiting to happen, Weaver has been the best offseason acquisition for the Mets’ front office, and he’s one of the few that hasn’t elicited groans from the Queens faithful. The bullpen is maybe the only portion of the roster that’s clearly improved over last year’s team that missed the playoffs.

At the end of New York’s brutal 12-game losing streak in April, Weaver offered perhaps the quote of the year in his postgame interview with SNY’s Steve Gelbs. A statement he’s been able to back up in resounding fashion.

“Look, people smell fear. I’m not the biggest guy in the room, but I ain’t scared of nobody,” he said. “That’s the attitude I try to take, and if I screw up, it’s on me, but at the end of the day I’m going to sleep at night, and I’m going to feel good about the effort I put in.”

As solid as Weaver has been, he might not even be the Mets’ best reliever. According to WAR, that would be Huascar Brazobán, who has done everything the coaching staff has asked of him. Opening games for struggling starters, or coming in late with runners on, Brazobán’s hard-hit rate is in the 99th percentile, even better than Weaver’s.

Williams has had some ups and downs in the closer role, including Thursday night, where he gave up a run and allowed the winning batter to the plate before notching his 11th save of the season. Another offseason addition, Williams has posted scoreless outings in 15 of his last 18 appearances.

New York has enjoyed depth beyond Weaver, Brazobán, and Williams. AJ Minter hasn’t given up a run in his first eight innings since returning from elbow surgery, while Austin Warren has a 2.63 ERA across a career-high 27.1 innings pitched. Brooks Raley had been able to stay healthy and effective despite being in his age-38 season.

The Mets can count on Weaver and the bullpen, but will they feel that way about the rest of the squad before it’s too late, if it’s not already? Getting a win in the series opener against the Phillies is helpful. Maybe take this series, go after the up-and-down Cubs, then rinse and repeat against Philadelphia at home as June winds down. It sounds simple, but it’s been so hard for this Mets squad to go on a run. If they ever do, this bullpen will be a big reason why.

Moisés Ballesteros had an excellent start to his 2026 season, serving mostly as the Cubs designated hitter. Over his first 25 games this year, “Mo Baller” batted .387/.435/.710 (24-for-62) with five doubles, five home runs, 16 RBI and 12 runs scored.

Unfortunately, he then went into an extended slump. Since that great start he’s batting just .128/.217/.170 (12-for-94) with one home run and 24 strikeouts in 34 games.

The Cubs quietly optioned Ballesteros to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday’s off day, per the team’s transactions page.

To replace Ballesteros on the 26-man active roster, outfielder Justin Dean was recalled from Iowa Friday.

Dean is 29 and a career minor leaguer who played in 18 regular season games for the Dodgers last year, mostly as a defensive replacement and pinch-runner (only two plate appearances). He also played in 13 games for the Dodgers in last year’s postseason, all as a pinch-runner or defensive replacement.

You might recall this play from Game 6 of the 2025 World Series [VIDEO].

That’s Dean in center field for the Dodgers, putting his arms up to indicate the ball hit by Addison Barger of the Blue Jays was stuck in the wall. That prevented Toronto from scoring a run on that play, and the Dodgers eventually won the game (and the World Series).

Dean wore uniform No. 1 for the Cubs in Spring Training this year and I assume he’ll continue to wear it when he makes his Cubs debut. Oddly enough, if he plays this weekend, that Cubs debut will be against the Blue Jays.

As for Ballesteros, he absolutely has the talent to hit at the major league level. The league appears to have adjusted to him and now he’ll have to make adjustments himself. I believe he’ll do so and will be back at some point later this season.

As always, we await developments.

This week’s MLB Reacts question may well feature a classic case of striking while the iron is hot. Maybe, just maybe, we’ll look back on it later as an example of being irrationally exuberant at precisely the wrong time.

Either way, this week we got some pretty definitive results!

On Tuesday, we laid out the case that the projected roster of the Cincinnati Reds in 2027 sure looked like it could use a thumper, a big bat capable of playing corner infield defense given the holes existing both on their roster as-is as well as on the farm behind it. We also highlighted that in Eugenio Suárez, they’ve already got a franchise icon who is capable of providing just about all of that, whose mutual option for next year could maybe be reworked into a contract for the 2027 season.

Of course, we also asked that the morning after Geno socked a pair of homers – one a grand slam – while driving in 6 runs in a 12-0 rout of the New York Mets. The timing seemed impeccable for some classic Geno love, and that’s precisely what happened.

70% of respondents thought bringing back Geno for the 2027 was a good idea!

In the two games since that two-homer night, Geno has gone 0 for 8 with 5 Ks. He’s hitting .212/.274/.376 on the season (a .651 OPS), with just 7 homers and 25 RBI through 47 games played. Baseball Reference values him at -0.5 bWAR, and FanGraphs concurs (-0.5 fWAR), and his 35th birthday is almost exactly one month away.

Perhaps we’d get a markedly different result here if we’d asked on just about any other day of the 2026 season. But this week, after Monday’s game, it’s clear that Geno once again endeared himself to the Cincinnati Reds faithful, who wouldn’t mind seeing him back in the uniform again next year.

MLB Reacts is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The St. Louis Cardinals are small road favorites in Kansas City, priced -120 on the moneyline.

My Cardinals vs. Royals predictions and MLB picks see value in backing the Redbirds to come out on top in a high-scoring affair on Friday, June 19.

Who will win Cardinals vs Royals today: Cardinals moneyline (-120)

Neither starting pitcher inspires much confidence — both have red flags that suggest regression is coming — so I’ll defer to the offenses and bullpens, where the St. Louis Cardinals look better.

They sit 14th in SLG and 13th in runs, while the Kansas City Royals rank outside the Top 20 in both categories.

The Cardinals are 19th in bullpen FIP while the Royals are 29th, giving them a pitching advantage after the first handful of innings.

I think the Cardinals deserve to be bigger favorites, and would back them on the moneyline up to -130.

COVERS INTEL:Seth Lugo has posted a 42.6% hard hit rate over the last 30 days, fifth-highest among today's projected starters.

Cardinals vs Royals Over/Under pick: Over 9 (-115)

Seth Lugo is sporting a 3.86 ERA despite a 5.30 xERA. He has gotten much better results than deserved, and the Cardinals are capable of bringing him back down to earth.

They sit 10th in wOBA vs. right-handed pitching this month and will benefit from playing in a hitter-friendly park.

The alarm bells are ringing for Michael McGreevy, whose 2.99 ERA masks that he ranks in the 10th percentile with a 5.58 xERA.

Kansas City ranks sixth in wOBA against righties in June and has performed better at home all year.

Play the Over to -130.

Cardinals vs Royals weather

Temperatures in the low 80s are expected with slight winds blowing out. The bats will see a small boost.

Cardinals vs Royals odds

• Moneyline: Cardinals -120 | Royals +100
• Run line: Cardinals -1.5 (+140) | Royals +1.5 (-160)
• Over/Under: Over 9 (-115) | Under 9 (-105)

Cardinals vs Royals trend

St. Louis has hit the team total Over in 24 of its last 35 away games (+11.45 units, 27% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Cardinals vs. Royals.

How to watch Cardinals vs Royals and game info

Cardinals vs Royals latest injuries

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.

Writer error (yeah, Brett’s wearing this one) prevented the issuance of our customary White Sox question this week (it concerned the area on the roster to strengthen at the trade deadline), so we’ll table it for a week from now. But that doesn’t mean you didn’t get your national surveys this week, with some fun questions to weigh in on!

The first national question … was a bummer. But timely, given Rob Manfred’s announcement on Thursday that MLB owners would seek to slash the MLB draft to 12 rounds (and along with it the bonus pool) and instituting an international draft as well. Just as the White Sox are getting back to winning, ominous labor issues loom over the game. A majority — but frankly, not a big enough majority — anticipated pinning the blame on ownership, which is (always) the correct answer. Presumably, a South Side fan base voted anti-owner at a clip much bigger than 58%:

The second national question was much more fun, albeit predictable. It’s not looking good — nor should it — for the American League this year:

Bless you crazies who tabbed the White Sox to go all the way. You gotta figure that Every Single One of the White Sox support votes came from this very site. STUFF THE BALLOT BOX BABY!

Did you miss out on this round of questions? No worry, sign up here to participate in our weekly emailed surveys, and have your White Sox voice be heard!

This week’s Reacts is brought to you by FanDuel.

Romy Gonzalez began a rehab assignment at Double-A on Tuesday.

Prior to the season, I outlined the impact of Romy Gonzalez’s injury, combined with the Red Sox letting Rob Refsnyder go to Seattle. I worried that the lineup would struggle against left-handers without both of them. I should have also added that the lineup would struggle against right-handers without both of them.

Sure, Gonzalez’ .978 OPS in 143 plate appearances against lefties would be welcomed. But his explosive bat was pretty good against everybody a year ago. Romy hit .286 with a .718 OPS against right-handers a year ago. Of players with 100+ plate appearances this season, the only Red Sox with a higher OPS than .718 against all pitchers are Willson Contreras, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Wilyer Abreu. Outside of these three hitters, no one is owed anything in terms of playing time going forward. This lineup team is broken.

He could return during the upcoming road trip, but should be back for the Yankees series on Thursday, at the latest. As Gonzalez embarked on his rehab assignment, manager Chad Tracy said, “With the power potential and the thump with the bat, we’ve got to get him involved.”

How involved, though? Gonzalez played second base on Tuesday and designated hitter on Wednesday. Tracy mentioned they’ll work him in at first base in the minor leagues to be the backup to Contreras at first base. In my mind, Romy should be an everyday player. Mix him in at shortstop during the rehab, where he has played 117 MLB innings defensively, so that he can shift over there if Marcelo Mayer (.588 OPS) continues slumping.

Additionally, who should be the corresponding move? Andruw Monasterio plays all of the same positions that Gonzalez does, and over the past 30 days, he’s slashing .194/.242/.355 with a 42.4% K-rate. The Red Sox are also carrying three catchers, who have a combined total of 2 home runs and 19 RBI in 329 plate appearances. One of whom is Connor Wong, whose last home run came on September 8th, 2024 (!!!), and still has an option remaining.

A reminder that a year ago, Romy had the seventh best batting average (.305) in all of baseball, out of players with 300+ plate appearances.

How often do you think Romy should play, and who should hit the road? Discuss in the comments, and be good to each other.

The US justice department has launched a civil rights investigation into Major League Baseball after the league criticized three San Francisco Giants players who wrote Bible verses on their hats during the team’s Pride Night.

Most of MLB’s 30 teams celebrate Pride month with a themed game to acknowledge the LGBTQ community and its baseball fans. During a 12 June game against the Chicago Cubs, pitchers Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker wrote Bible verses on their hats, which featured the Giants’ logo in rainbow colors, while pitcher Sam Hentges chose not to wear the themed cap at all.

MLB said in a statement on Monday that writing on hats “violates our rules, and consistent with normal practice, we have warned the players about future violations.”

Related: Professional baseball team cancels game after players refuse to wear Pride jerseys

On Thursday, assistant US attorney general Harmeet Dhillon wrote a letter to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred saying the justice department had referred the league to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to investigate whether the discipline amounts to religious discrimination.

“The Civil Rights Act prohibits MLB and its franchises from unreasonably burdening the rights of players with religious objections to serving as the League’s vehicle for pro-Pride messages,” Dhillon said in the letter. “Federal law is clear: employers must modify their uniform requirements to reasonably accommodate their employees’ exercise of religion.”

Dhillon called MLB’s decision to allow players to wear Black Lives Matter uniform patches in 2020 a “double standard”. Andrea Lucas, the EEOC chair, reposted Dhillon’s letter saying the agency could not confirm the existence of a charge or investigation without a court filing or public resolution, but added: “Rest assured, however, that EEOC is committed to protecting the religious liberty of all workers.”

Roupp said after the Giants’ game last week that the decision to write on his cap was not malicious and that there was “no hate at all”. Hentges said he did not appreciate being told to wear the cap for a cause he did not “morally support”.

After MLB’s warning to the Giants players, vice-president JD Vance weighed in on X, saying: “Trump won we don’t have to do this anymore”, referencing Pride hats. Republican senator Josh Hawley wrote a letter to Manfred voicing his concerns over what he termed a “pattern of discrimination” against Christian players.

The league has said that its warning about writing on caps has nothing to do with the content of the message, and that it has sent the same warning for Mother’s Day messages and names of family members.

The controversy over Pride nights is not new in baseball. In 2022, several members of the Tampa Bay Rays refused to wear the team’s rainbow-themed logos in “faith-based decisions”. This week, it extended beyond the majors, as the independent league York Revolution forfeited a game after some of its players refused to don the Pride Night jerseys.

The Giants released a statement after their Pride Night saying they are “proud to support Pride Night and the LGBTQ community” while also respecting that “individuals may make personal choices about participating in team activations” and apologizing for the “pain and anger [of] many in the LGBTQ+ community”.

San Francisco has a large LGBTQ population and holds an important place in the history of American LGBTQ rights. The director of the city’s Pride efforts told NBC Bay Area that the moment was painful for many Giants fans.

“I hate that it’s dividing us, this time of year I hope that we’re unifying people,” said Suzanne Ford.

“It’s so ludicrous that this story is being spun that Christians are being discriminated against,” she added.

Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below. Check out the previous day’s recap here.

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (31-39) lost 3-2 (BOX SCORE)

Pecko got the start for Sugar Land and was great going 7 innings allowing just 1 run while striking out 5 batters. The offense got on the board in the 7th on a Price walk. They took the lead in the 8th on a Salazar RBI triple. VanWey allowed a run in the 8th as the Isotopes tied it. The game went to extras and in the 10th inning, the Isotopes walked it off as Sugar Land fell 3-2.

Note: Ferreras is hitting .468 in Triple-A.

• Collin Price, DH: 0-for-4, RBI, BB
• CJ Alexander, RF: 1-for-5, 2B
• Shay Whitcomb, SS: 2-for-4, BB
• Pascanel Ferreras, 2B: 2-for-4, 2 R, BB, SB
• Cesar Salazar, C: 1-for-4, 3B, RBI, BB

• Ethan Pecko, RHP: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
• Logan VanWey, RHP: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Miguel Ullola, RHP: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Alimber Santa, RHP: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (30-36) lost 11-7 (BOX SCORE)

Hicks started for the Hooks but ran into some trouble allowing 6 runs over 4.2 innings. The offense got on the board in the first inning on a Spence solo home run. In the 3rd, they scored 3 more runs on a Spence 2 run home run and Brutcher solo home run. Holy added a solo home run in the 4th. The offense got 2 runs back in the 7th on Spence and Brutcher RBI singles but the pen struggled allowing 5 more runs as the Hooks fell 11-7.

Note: Spence is hitting .377 in June.

• Lucas Spence, RF: 3-for-5, 3 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI, SB
• Drew Brutcher, DH: 3-for-3, R, 2 RBI, BB
• Max Holy, SS: 1-for-4, R, HR, RBI
• Yamal Encarnacion, CF: 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B

• James Hicks, RHP: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• Jack Dashwood, LHP: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Jose Guedez, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Ramsey David, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• Railin Perez, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K

A+: Asheville Tourists (17-48) lost 3-2 (BOX SCORE)

Oakes got the start but struggled allowing 2 runs while retiring just 2 batters. Asheville got on the board in the first inning on a Call sac fly. Carr relieved Oakes and went 4.1 innings allowing 1 run. In the bottom of the 5th, Call connected on a solo home run. Unfortunately the game was called after 5 innings due to rain as Asheville fell 3-2.

Note: Nunez is hitting .386 in June.

• Justin Thomas, CF: 0-for-2, R, BB
• Caden Powell, LF: 1-for-3, SB
• Nehomar Ochoa, 1B: 1-for-3, SB
• Chase Call, RF: 1-for-2, R, HR, 2 RBI
• Alejandro Nunez, SS: 2-for-3, 2B

• Kellan Oakes, RHP: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 4 K
• Jordan Carr, LHP: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (32-33) won 9-4 (BOX SCORE)

Shoemaker started for the Woodpeckers and allowed 1 run over 3.2 innings. The offense blew the game open in the third scoring 8 runs on a Flores 2 run home run, a run on an error, a Cauro RBI double, Ramirez 2 run double, Gomez RBI single and Huezo RBI single. Mathiesen and Cassedy were solid in relief allowing 1 run each. There was about a 2 hour rain delay but the Woodpeckers were able to hold on for the 9-4 win.

Note: Cauro is hitting .310 this season.

• Anthony Huezo, LF: 1-for-3, R, RBI, BB, 2 SB
• Arturo Flores, C: 2-for-5, R, HR, 2 RBI
• Kevin Alvarez, CF: 2-for-5, R, SB
• Waner Luciano, RF: 1-for-2, R, RBI, BB, SB
• Hector Salas, DH: 0-for-4, R, BB
• Carlos Cauro, 1B: 3-for-4, R, 2B, RBI
• Camilo Diaz, 2B: 2-for-5
• German Ramirez, SS: 1-for-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI
• Kenni Gomez, RF: 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI, SB

• Adam Shoemaker, LHP: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
• Jose Serrano, RHP: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• Ryan Mathiesen, RHP: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K (WIN)
• Brandon Cassedy, RHP: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
• Carlos Cauro, RHP: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: Josh Hendrickson – 7:35 CT

CC: Cole Hertzler – 7:05 CT

AV: Parker Smith – 5:35 CT

FV: TBD – 6:05 CT

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The New York Yankees are heavily favored to best the Cincinnati Reds in tonight's series opener, carrying -260 odds to win.

With a massive starting pitching advantage, my Reds vs. Yankees predictions and MLB picks see value backing New York to win by multiple runs.

Who will win Reds vs Yankees today: Yankees -1.5 (-125)

Rhett Lowder ranks in the 25th percentile or worse in xERA, xBA, strikeout rate, chase rate, and walk rate. 

He allows a ton of quality contact, doesn’t miss bats, and control issues lead to a lot of additional traffic on the basepaths.

The New York Yankees are third in wOBA, second in OPS, and first in BB% against right-handed pitching at home — they are a perfect team to exploit Lowder’s shortcomings.

Cam Schlittler has already developed into an elite starter, and should have little problem against a Cincinnati Reds attack missing Elly De La Cruz.

Play Yankees -1.5 to -135.

COVERS INTEL:Lowder has a 5.08 SIERA over the last 30 days, third-worst among today's starting pitchers.

Reds vs Yankees Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (+100)

Schlittler has posted a 1.69 ERA over seven starts against teams ranking Bottom-15 in OPS vs. right-handed pitching. Only once did he concede more than a single run.

The Reds are a subpar offense against righties on the road, and the injury to De La Cruz only makes their life tougher.

The Yankees are missing Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Trent Grisham. Not to mention, Jazz Chisholm is nursing a groin issue. 

It’ll be harder for them to run up the score without them. I also project they’ll only have eight innings to hit.

Play to -115.

Reds vs Yankees weather

It will be another warm day in New York, with temperatures expected to reach the 80s. That should boost the bats, although both teams are missing some of their top power sources.

Reds vs Yankees odds

• Moneyline: Reds +310 | Yankees -260
• Run line: Reds +1.5 (+105) | Yankees -1.5 (-125)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-120) | Under 8.5 (+100)

Reds vs Yankees trend

New York has hit the Run Line in seven of the last 11 games (+4.4 units, 33% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Reds vs. Yankees.

How to watch Reds vs Yankees and game info

Reds vs Yankees latest injuries

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.

Several one-run affairs and a blowout loss for the Tower Buzzers made up a day of baseball in the Dodgers’ minor league system.

Player of the day

Sometimes one hit is all you need. Through nine innings, James Tibbs III hadn’t done anything, but then, with one out in the tenth and the Comets trailing 4-3, Tibbs was at the plate with a runner on base and homered to the opposite field for the win.

It hasn’t been the best of months for Tibbs, far from it, as the left-handed hitter now has a .200 average with three home runs in June. On the plus side, he still is getting on base rather consistently with a .362 OBP despite that batting average at the Mendoza line.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

James Tibbs III is now up to 20 homers on the season, none bigger than last night’s two-run shot, which came when the Comets were two outs away from losing the game in the 10th inning. Tibbs drove in Ryan Fitzgerald, who also only had one hit the whole game.

Considering Tibbs’ homer was the Comets’ only extra-base hit in the entire game, and Hyesong Kim was their only hitter with a multi-hit game, the bullpen deserves a ton of praise. Led by Evan Phillips, Comets’ relievers tossed five innings without allowing an earned run after Christian Romero’s solid but unspectacular start. The only run conceded when relievers were on the mound was the ghost runner in the 10th.

Double-A Tulsa

The Drillers started off hot with four runs in the second, but quickly faded in a 6-5 loss against the Naturals. Just like in the Comets game, the whole lineup only had one hitter with a multihit game; here it was catcher and ninth-hole hitter Hayden Gilliland. It also only had one home run, here belonging to Josue De Paula.

Unable to score more than one run after that second inning, the Drillers’ offense allowed the Naturals the chance to get back into this one, and after a couple of blown saves from Lucas Wepf and Kelvin Ramírez, the veteran Nick Robertson suffered his first loss on the year. Robertson now moves to a 6-1 record, allowing only his fourth run (two earned) in 29.2 innings.

High-A Great Lakes

Playing a couple of closely contested games, both decided by a single run, the Loons split the doubleheader with the Captains. The bullpen tried to let their win slip, allowing the Naturals to tie the game at four-all after Aidan Foeller left them leading 4-0 thanks to 4.2 scoreless innings. However, the Loons caught a break, earning a walk-off win thanks to a defensive error from the Naturals, allowing DH Jose Meza to cross the plate.

Christian Zazueta’s five scoreless innings in the Loons loss meant that, combined, the Loons starters tossed 9.2 innings without allowing a run. This time around, reliever Isaac Ayon didn’t have it out of the bullpen, and not only did he blow the save in the sixth, but he also allowed a walk-off loss an inning later, coughing up a solo homer. The two runs the Loons had scored in this game, thanks to Emil Morales and Jose Meza, which looked like enough for most of it, fell short.

Single-A Ontario

Unlike the other four games, all decided by one run, the Tower Buzzers fell at the hands of the Quakes by a score of 11-2 in a game with a forgettable defensive performance. Four different players committed an error for the Loons, ultimately accumulating more defensive errors than hits (.3).

The only reliever out of the five from the Tower Buzzers to not give up a run was the veteran Brock Stewart, continuing to work his way back. Starter Brady Smith is now up to a 0-4 record.

Unable to drive forward a competitive effort by himself, designated hitter Eason Shelton at least upped his individual numbers, responsible for both RBI of his team, now sitting at 62 on the season.

Thursday’s scores

• Oklahoma City 5, Sacramento 4
• NW Arkansas 6, Tulsa 5
• Great Lakes 5, Lake County 4
• Lake County 3, Great Lakes 2
• Ontario 2, Rancho Cucamonga 11

Friday’s schedule

• 4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Brooks Auger) vs. Lake County (Michael Kennedy)
• 5:05 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (Charlie Barnes) vs. Sacramento (Joe Whitman)
• 5:05 p.m. PT: Tulsa (Roque Gutierrez) at NW Arkansas (Hunter Owen)
• 6:35 p.m. PT: Ontario (TBA) vs. Rancho Cucamonga (Alton Davis II)

Sean Berry made an immediate impact upon his arrival to Houston in 1996.  Originally acquired in a trade from the Expos, Berry would join the “Killer B’s” lineup and drive in 95 runs in his debut season in the dome.  Along the way that first season, he’d also hit a pair of grand slams.   Berry is our 27th installment of our exclusive Legends Series.   

Q:  What do you remember about being dealt to Houston?

A:  You know, it benefited me that the trade happened during the offseason, so I was able to get a full spring training under my belt and get to know the superstars that I was around in Craig and Jeff and everybody else.    

It was a perfect fit.    I kind of fell right into the framework and mindset that they had.    They all hustled, and it was a great feeling.    It was perfect because you knew there was something special with that team on day one.   

Q:  “Killer B’s” still resonates all these years later down here.  How great were Biggio and Bagwell?

A:  I think for me, just seeing those guys play as hard as they did, day in and day out, and to do it at that level.  Those guys were great players, but what impressed me was the hard work they put in when no one was watching.   I never even played a full 162 game schedule like those guys.   The turf at the Astrodome wasn’t really turf (laughs) it was more like concrete and they kept their bodies in tune.    

Q:  Was there any doubt in your mind that they’d eventually wind up in Cooperstown?

A:  I came up through the Royals organization, and I got to know this guy by the name of George Brett.   Those guys had the same competitiveness as George did and they all had long careers.    eff’s numbers would be even more impressive if he didn’t have the arthritis in his shoulder.   He would’ve had another 2 or 3 years with great numbers.   

Q:  What did you like about taking the field for Larry Dierker?

A:  When I got there, he was a new manager of sorts but the one thing that they don’t do these days but that Larry always instilled was with our staff, he’d say don’t be looking in here during the 5th or 6th inning for me to come and get you out of the game.     

We had Mike Hampton and Shane Reynolds and Darryl Kile, and they always took us deep into games.   They were our best guys, so Larry’s belief was to keep them out there even if the metrics didn’t bear it out.   He was that way.   Larry in his own right had some incredible complete games as a pitcher, so he brought that to the table as a manager.    

Q:  I heard a rumor that during the first week of the season, you attended a game as a fan for the first time.  Is that true?

A:  It is (laughs).   It was against Boston in April.    It was weird, very strange.   I was sitting there and there were so many strikeouts and guys not putting the ball in play.   It bothered me and watching guys not break up double plays was a little hard. We never tried to hurt anybody, but the second base play stuff doesn’t feel right when I watch it, it just feels wrong.    

Q:  What did you think of seeing Yordan Alvarez for the first time in person?

A:  He’s pretty impressive.   Wow.    When I did that for a living, I did it pretty okay at times, but then I see a guy like him and I’m like, I never looked that polished at the plate. 

Diamondbacks News

(SI.com) Hopeful Diamondbacks Plan To Buy at Trade Deadline

It was hardly even a question, thrown in at the end of a radio interview, but Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen went out of his way to give a definitive, strong statement on his trade deadline plans.

“I’m planning on buying,” Hazen said, in the waning seconds of an interview with Arizona Sports 98.7’s Wolf & Luke show.

(Sporting News) Diamondbacks’ frontline starter is giving up hits at an alarming rate

He isn’t missing bats with the knuckle curve as he has in the past. And with this, Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller tags him as the club’s most scrutinized player.

“A month ago, the choice would have been Ketel Marte. But while the three-time All-Star second baseman has turned things around in a big way, Gallen has gone from bad in 2025 to worse in 2026. He entered the year averaging 7.5 hits allowed and 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. The former rate has ballooned to 11.1 while the latter has plummeted to 5.9. His velocity has been fine, but the knuckle curve that used to be his go-to out pitch simply isn’t fooling anyone anymore.”

(SI.com) Diamondbacks Release Former Cardinals Infielder

According to the transaction log on his MLB player page, the Triple-A Reno Aces have officially released former St. Louis Cardinals first baseman and DH Luken Baker.

Baker, 29, has played in 76 major league games — 73 for the Cardinals in parts of three seasons from 2023-2025. He was signed to a minor league contract by the Diamondbacks in the offseason ahead of 2026, and made three major league appearances with Arizona.

MLB News

(MLBTR) MLB Proposes Significant Changes To Amateur Draft

Negotiations between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association continue for the next collective bargaining agreement. Today, MLB proposed significant changes to the draft. J.J Cooper of Baseball America was among those to cover the developments.

The league’s proposed framework would be a significant drawdown of the way the draft has operated for years. High school players would no longer be eligible to be selected. In fact, anyone under 20 years old by September 1st of the draft year would not be eligible, so that would take many college and junior college players off the table as well.

(Orange County Register) Angels’ Mike Trout placed on IL with right hamstring strain

The Angels placed their 34-year-old center fielder on the 10-day injured list before Thursday’s game against the Athletics after he suffered a right hamstring injury while running to first base during his final at-bat in Wednesday afternoon’s loss in Arizona.

“It felt like a cramp and just didn’t get any better. Achy last night, so woke up this morning and got it looked at,” Trout said before the game.

(Yahoo! Sports) MLB Home Run Derby returning to swing-based system for first time since 2014

The 2026 MLB Home Run Derby is turning back the clock and saying goodbye to it simultaneously. MLB officially announced Thursday that the midsummer slugging competition is set to return to a swing-based system for the first time since 2014.

While timed rounds have been part of the past 11 iterations of the Derby, hitters’ bouts will again have no time limit.

Baseball is the sport with the most parity on a night to night basis, particularly in the regular season. The worst team can beat the best team, and no one really bats an eye. That is part of what made the Orioles series with the Dodgers back in September so magical. The Orioles were in the midst of a disastrous season while the Dodgers were en route to yet another World Series. That didn’t really matter though as the O’s took two of three anyway, including a particularly exciting comeback from a near no-hitter for Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a walk-off winner for the Birds in Game 2 of that series.

There is a similar gulf between these two clubs entering this series. The Dodgers have a league-best +144 run differential; the Orioles are at -36. The Dodgers lead their division by nine games and are two games clear of the second-best team in the NL. The Orioles are 2.5 games back of the final wild card spot in the AL. Add in the O’s abysmal 13-22 record on the road or 15-24 record against teams .500 or better, and you can start to mentally write this series off entirely.

Looking at stats isn’t going to give you any more confidence. The Dodgers have scored the second-most runs (Nationals) in baseball and hit the second-most home runs (Yankees). They also rank first in batting average (.261) and on-base percentage (.345), while their .441 slugging percentage is second to just the Yankees.

Shoehei Ohtani is having himself another amazing year, though not quite as dominant offensively as we have grown accustomed to. His .545 slugging percentage is his lowest since 2022, and his 15 home runs have him well behind his normal pace of long balls. Even still, his 163 wRC+ is among the leage leaders yet again.

Max Muncy actually leads the team with 16 homers, and he has done that in 60 fewer plate appearances than Ohtani. Andy Pages’ 56 RBI are tops on the team, only one behind the league leaders. Freddie Freeman is still good too, posting a .279/.368/.482 batting line with 12 homers.

The negatives are pretty limited, but we should mention them. Mookie Betts is struggling, and not just in the context of a stacked Dodgers lineup. The former MVP is hitting just .203/.266/.367 with seven homers and a 75 wRC+. His peripheral numbers are much better though. His expected batting average is .277 and he rare chases, whiffs, or strikes out. The 33-year-old is due for some positive regression at some point. Hopefully it doesn’t start this weekend.

And you probably don’t need to worry about this Dodgers team beating you on the base paths. Their 31 stolen bases are the fourth-fewest in baseball, and their -2.4 Base Running Runs are in the bottom third of the league as well.

The two things you can depend on the Dodgers for in recent history are winning baseball games and a full injury report. That is the case yet again in 2026. We won’t see a number of key names this weekend. Will Smith has a stiff neck. Teoscar Hernández is nursing a hamstring strain. Edwin Díaz is out until next month with an elbow injury. And you won’t have to worry about Tyler Glasnow (back), Kiké Hernández (oblique), Blake Snell (elbow), or old friend Evan Phillips (Tommy John) for several more weeks, at least.

Game 1: Friday, June 19th, 10:10 p.m., MASN

RHP Trey Gibson (1-2, 5.91 ERA) vs. RHP Roki Sasaki (3-4, 4.76 ERA)

Gibson is having the rookie experience right now. His last outing against the Padres was his first with more than two strikeouts. It also saw him issue five walks and bean Xander Bogaerts in the head. There is work to be done, but the Orioles have no choice but to keep trotting him out there given the injures elsewhere on their starting staff.

It has been a rocky sophomore season for Sasaki. He had a 6.35 ERA in March/April, but settle down with a 3.18 ERA in May. Now in June he followed seven shutout innings against the Angels to begin the month with a meltdown against the White Sox (4.1 IP, seven runs). Which version will the Orioles see to open the series? It feels like we all know the answer, don’t we?

Game 2: Saturday, June 20th, 10:10 p.m., MASN

LHP Trevor Rogers (3-7, 5.86 ERA) vs. RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (7-4, 2.52 ERA)

Is Rogers back? He has a 3.12 ERA in June and has not allowed more than three runs in any of his last three starts. His formula is pretty simple on paper. Limit the walks and keep the ball in the yard. When he does that, he finds success. That ability will be tested against these Dodgers.

Yamamoto is following up his third-place finish in Cy Young voting a season ago with an almost identical season in 2026. The strikeout numbers aren’t as dominant, but he is walking almost no one and has a WHIP of just 0.840. The diminutive righty makes you earn your way on.

Game 3: Sunday, June 21st, 4:10 p.m., MASN

RHP Brandon Young (5-2, 3.18 ERA) vs. RHP Emmet Sheehan (3-4, 4.76 ERA)

The Orioles’ string of winning games that Young starts was broken in his last outing, but that wasn’t the righty’s fault. He delivered a quality start, going six innings and allowing just three runs. His 2.83 ERA over his last eight starts has been a saving grace for a rotation that has struggled with consistency overall. The Orioles might even have the pitching advantage in this one.

Sheehan has probably been something of a disappointment for Dodgers fans this year. He looked great with his 2.82 ERA across 73.1 innings last season, but has failed to live up to that hype in 2026. Even still, he forces a lot of swing and miss, and regularly gets hitters to chase pitches out of the zone. So this is still going to be a tough matchup for the Orioles.

How many games do you think the Orioles will win in this series? Let us know in the comments.