ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - JUNE 8: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers takes a lead off second base against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on June 8, 2025 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After their first off day in two weeks, the Dodgers open a six-game road trip on Friday night against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
This will be Emmet Sheehan’s first career start in St. Louis, and his second career start against the Cardinals. He struck out five and allowed two unearned runs in five innings in a win last August 5 at Busch Stadium.
Left-hander Matthew Liberatore starts for the Cardinals. The Dodgers are 5-1 in games started by left-handed starting pitching opponents this season, but Friday will mark just the third time in the last 16 games they’ve faced a southpaw to start.
CLEVELAND, OH - APRIL 22: Yordan Alvarez #44 of the Houston Astros celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run in the first inning during the game between the Houston Astros and the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on Wednesday, April 22, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Grace Hoppel/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The battle for American League MVP features plenty of star power and familiar names only a month into the 2026 MLB season. In the latest FanDuel Sportsbook American League MVP 2026 market, there are plenty of viable candidates trying to dethrone reigning back-to-back MVP Aaron Judge.
Unlike the NL MVP race — which has turned into Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani running away from most of the field — the AL MVP race still has eight players under 30/1 odds.
On a quest to capture his fourth MVP award overall, Judge (+170), the New York Yankees outfielder, remains the frontrunner. The Yankees are off to a strong start and Judge is top-10 in home runs and OPS.
While Judge’s wasn’t particularly strong out of the gate, his consistency and history with the award lends him considerable credibility at this stage in the season. All it takes is one big power surge for Judge to grab a big lead in the race. After home runs in back-to-back games, Judge could be settling in for another big summer.
Keeping pace with Judge is Houston Astros left fielder Yordan Alvarez (+270). Leading all of MLB in batting average, OPS and hits while tied for second in home runs, Alvarez is back in form after injuries derailed his 2025 season. Alvarez is on pace for his best season, but matching Judge’s power could prove difficult for a player who has never hit more than 37 home runs in a season.
It’s been a power outage for Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (+1100) so far this season. With only one home run, Witt needs to start slugging more frequently to stay with Judge and Alvarez in the MVP race.
Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (+1500) was off to a hot start after his offensive production dipped last season. Already at nine home runs on the season after hitting only 17 in 2025, Henderson’s returning power and 11 stolen bases are worth tracking. But Baltimore’s young star is also struggling to get on base with only a .280 on-base percentage.
Similar to Judge, Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout (+1500) is also pursuing his fourth AL MVP award. After winning three MVPs last decade, Trout hasn’t been able to stay healthy. Off to a promising start in 2026 with nine home runs, Trout is hoping for a resurgent season.
Cleveland Guardians star Jose Ramirez (+2000), Athletics slugger Nick Kurtz and Yankees first basemen Ben Rice (both +2500) are three more secondary MVP contenders worth tracking. Rice and Judge made history on Monday as the first Yankees teammates to hit 10 or more home runs in the team’s first 29 games since Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle in 1956.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 19: Pitcher Gregory Santos #47 of the San Francisco Giants poses for a portrait during photo day at Scottsdale Stadium on February 19, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The last vestiges of the Eduardo Nunez trade from 2017 exist in the form of reliever Gregory Santos, whom the Boston Red Sox signed as an amateur free agent allllll the way back in 2015. It wouldn’t be until 2021 that he’d make his major league debut with the San Francisco Giants and after 5.2 innings across 2021 & 2022, the Giants traded him away for pitcher Kade McClure, who did not pan out. Such is the mystery of Baseball. He’s now back with the Giants and will be on the major league roster for them tonight, taking the place of Blade Tidwell.
The 26-year old flamethrowing righty had a great 2023 season for the Chicago White Sox. He was a 1.5-fWAR reliever in 66.1 IP with a 52.5% groundball rate and a 3.39 ERA, but also a 2.65 FIP. He pitched just 14.1 innings over the past two seasons for Seattle, and were bumpy to say the least (5.02 ERA / 4.41 FIP). He’s allowed just 3 runs (all earned) in 11 innings (2.45 ERA) for Sacramento so far with just 6 strikeouts. So, it’s weak contact when things are going well. Sort of a “best case scenario” Joel Peguero, perhaps. He’s the Giants’ ideal form of reliever, stretching back for at least the past decade: high velocity sinker (in this case, 97+) and 2,500+ rpm slider.
That’ll be an interesting change from Blade Tidwell from a stuff perspective. He has a six-pitch mix and gets a bit more swing and miss. On the other hand, the Giants might still see him as a starter, and with Adrian Houser pitching closer to his career averages and Tyler Mahle likely to hit the IL at some point, having a quality starter ready to go will be a necessity here very soon. But he looked great as a reliever.
For now, the Giants will hope that Santos can regain some of that 2023 magic and slide right into that bailout in the 5th inning or start the 6th clean role to make the 7th and beyond a fun game of Keaton Winn/Ryan Walker/Caleb Kilian/Erik Miller.
To clear a spot for him on the 40-man roster, outfielder Jared Oliva was transferred to the 60-day IL while he recovers from hamate surgery. Welcome back to the Giants and the big leagues, Gregory!
Veteran outfielder Tommy Pham's tenure with the Mets is officially done.
Pham cleared waivers on Wednesday and the team outrighted him to Triple-A Syracuse, but he declined the assignment and elected free agency instead, according to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo.
New York designated the 38-year-old for assignment earlier in the week on April 26 after a rough stretch at the plate.
The OF had gone 0-for-13 with a walk over nine games this season.
It was Pham's second stint with the Mets, having played 79 games with the team in 2023. He had a solid year with New York, slashing .268/.348/.472 with 10 home runs and 36 RBI before getting traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks at the deadline.
For his career, Pham has played for 10 teams across 13 seasons, owning a .256 average and .765 OPS with 149 home runs, 200 doubles, and 522 RBI.
The Cincinnati Reds needed to shuffle their bullpen on Wednesday prior to the second game of the series against the Colorado Rockies, as right-hander Graham Ashcraft was placed on the bereavement list. They opted to recall right-hander Luis Mey to fill the spot on the roster, as they announced on Twitter.
The #Reds placed on the bereavement list RHP Graham Ashcraft and recalled from Triple-A Louisville RHP Luis Mey.
Ashcraft has been brilliant so far in 2026, his second season as a full-time reliever. in 15 games, he’s pitched 15.0 IP and allowed just 3 runs (2 earned) for a tidy 1.20 ERA and 2.73 FIP. He’s rightfully earned a high-leverage role alongside Tony Santillan in front of closer Emilio Pagan, and simply replacing him with Mey won’t be a one for one.
Someone’s going to need to slide into a higher-leverage role for a minimum of three games (and a max of seven).
Mey’s 2026 work down at AAA Louisville has hardly been as good. He’s allowed 9 runs (6 earned) in 11.0 IP, though the walk issue he’s dealt with throughout his pro career has been much better so far (14/3 K/BB). He’s hardly been the most effective reliever for the Bats so far this year – veterans Andrew Chafin, Tejay Antone, and even Lyon Richardson have been much better – but Mey is the lone one of that group currently on the 40-man roster to make this move more seamless long-term.
It is notable, though, that Kyle Nicolas was not recalled. He was only optioned on April 25th but could have been brought back early given the nature of Ashcraft’s move to the bereavement list, though he did pitch an inning for the Bats last night. Mey, however, hasn’t pitched since the 25th when he also threw an inning.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 28: Bryce Johnson #29 of the San Diego Padres looks on after flying out during the ninth inning of a game against the Chicago Cubs at Petco Park on April 28, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Chicago Cubs (18-12) at San Diego Padres (19-10), April 29, 2026, 1:10 p.m. PST
Don’t troll in your comments; create conversation rather than destroying it
Remember Gaslamp Ball is basically a non-profanity site
Out of respect to broadcast partners who have paid to carry the game, no mentions of “alternative” (read: illegal) viewing methods are allowed in our threads
TORONTO — The Boston Red Sox put left-hander Garrett Crochet on the 15-day injured list because of left shoulder inflammation and recalled utilityman Nate Eaton from Triple-A Worcester.
Last year’s AL Cy Young Award runner-up, when he went 18-5 with a 2.59 ERA, Crochet has a 6.30 ERA through six starts in 2026.
Crochet (3-3) struck out seven over six shutout innings in a 17-1 win at Baltimore, looking every bit the ace Boston traded for in December 2024 and signed to a six-year, $170 million contract in March 2025.
The Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora and five coaches following Saturday’s game.
Crochet’s win over the Orioles came two starts after the ugliest outing of his Red Sox career — an 11-run debacle over 1 2/3 innings at Minnesota on April 13.
Crochet has been an AL All-Star each of the past two seasons.
Eaton was batting .292 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 27 games at Triple-A. He played for Kansas City in 2022 and 2023, and appeared in 41 games for Boston last season.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 12: A member of the Philadelphia Phillies ground crew helps roll out the tarp to cover the field due to an incoming storm before the start of a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park on May 12, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants are facing the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday, in the second game of their three-game series. The hope is that the second game will go better than the first one did. We’ll have to wait to see if that’s the case, but one thing’s for certain: the game is coming a little earlier than expected.
With bad weather making its way through the east coast, the teams announced on Wednesday, about four hours before game time, that the contest would be moved up by 30 minutes. Instead of the originally-scheduled start at 3:40 p.m. PT (6:40 p.m. local time), first pitch will now come at 3:10 p.m. PT.
Rain is expected to fall in Philly in the evening, and the hope is that by starting the game earlier, the teams can avoid most of the poor weather. Mother nature often has other plans, though, so we’ll see how that goes.
For Giants fans on the road, the gate times at Citizens Bank Park aren’t changing, despite the new start time. Third base and left field gates will open at 1:40 p.m. PT, with all other gates opening at 2:10.
We’ll let you know if there are any more updates on the weather or the schedule.
Apr 28, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto (7) reacts after he is tagged out at second base against the Boston Red Sox during the third inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
So we have an afternoon game. Game three of Three with the Red Sox. Then the Jays fly off to Minnesota to play the Twins for four games.
George Springer is back, but not in the lineup. That seems strange to me. Why put him on the roster if he isn’t going to play?
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 27: Hyeseong Kim #6 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on during the game between the Miami Marlins and the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Monday, April 27, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Nicole Vasquez/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Dodgers look to sweep the Miami Marlins on Wednesday. Tyler Glasnow goes against Sandy Alcantara.
TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays activated designated hitter George Springer off the 10-day injured list on Wednesday after the four-time All-Star missed 15 games because of a fractured left big toe.
Eloy Jiménez was designated for assignment.
Springer wasn’t in the starting lineup for Wednesday’s series finale against the Boston Red Sox. He left an April 11 game against Minnesota after he fouled a ball off his foot in the third inning. Springer completed his at-bat, grounding out to third base, but was replaced by Myles Straw when his turn came up again.
Toronto’s leadoff hitter, the veteran Springer is batting .185 with two home runs and six RBIs. He was a big part of Toronto’s run to Game 7 of the 2025 World Series, hitting .309 with 32 homers and 84 RBIs in the regular season and the decisive homer in Game 7 of the ALCS against Seattle.
The MVP of the 2017 World Series with Houston, Springer is in the final season of a $150 million, six-year deal with the Blue Jays.
A Silver Slugger with the White Sox in 2020, Jiménez hit .290 with no homers and three RBIs in 12 games with Toronto. All of his nine hits were singles.
CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox placed outfielder Everson Pereira on the 10-day injured list with a right pectoral strain before their game with the Los Angeles Angels and selected the contract of outfielder Jarred Kelenic from Triple-A Charlotte.
The 25-year-old Pereira left Tuesday night’s game against the Angels with right shoulder soreness after taking an awkward swing during an at-bat in the fourth inning when he struck out swinging. Pereira is batting .250 with three homers and seven RBIs in 18 games this season.
This is Pereira’s second time on the injured list this season. He was placed on the 10-day injured list on April 5 with a left ankle sprain. The White Sox acquired him with infielder Tanner Murray, who’s out with a shoulder injury, from the Tampa Bay Rays in November 2025.
Kelenic, 26, has played in the majors the past five seasons with Seattle and Atlanta. He has a career batting average of .211 with 49 home runs and 156 RBIs in 407 games. He signed as a free agent with the White Sox in January.
Kelenic was batting .202 with six home runs, 18 RBIs and 16 runs scored in 26 games with Charlotte this season.
Apr 25, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder George Springer (4) takes batting practice before a game against the Cleveland Guardians at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
George Springer is back from the IL and Eloy Jiménez has been DFAed to make room.
Jiménez was hitting .290/.343/.290 in 35 PA with no extra base hits. I’ll admit to being surprised, I figured it would be Yohendrick Pinago heading back to Buffalo, but if Eloy isn’t hitting for power, he doesn’t have much value and with Springer back, there is no room at DH for Eloy.
Welcome back George. Let’s have some home runs, please.
TAMPA, FL - MARCH 22: Elmer Rodríguez (35) of the New York Yankees pitches during a spring training workout on March 22, 2026 at the New York Yankees Minor League Complex in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
It’s past vs. the future this afternoon in Arlington, as the Yankees go for a three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers in a Wednesday matinee on the backs of a highly-touted prospect making his MLB debut against a grizzled veteran who once donned the pinstripes as a youngster.
Elmer Rodríguez is getting an audition these next two weeks, as he figures to get two (maybe three?) starts as the Yankees’ fifth starter before Carlos Rodón returns from his rehab assignment. For a breakdown of what to expect, check out Andrés’ piece from this morning.
Acquired from the rival Red Sox for Carlos Narváez in December 2024, the Puerto Rico native is the No. 72-ranked prospect in all of baseball and No. 3 in the Yankees’ organization behind George Lombard Jr. and Carlos Lagrange. After a solid spring training and World Baseball Classic performance, Rodríguez was off to a dynamite start in Scranton, pitching to a 1.27 ERA in 21.1 innings with 20 strikeouts to just four walks. He doesn’t seem to have a path to staying in the bigs for much of this season, barring injury, but the Yankees clearly would rather try him out than keep throwing Luis Gil every fifth day.
Old frenemy Nathan Eovaldi gets the start for the Rangers and will be making his 22nd career start against his former team, the most of any opponent. Originally drafted by the Dodgers, he was dealt to the Marlins for Hanley Ramírez and then flipped to the Yanks in December 2014 alongside Garrett Jones and then-prospect Domingo Germán for Martín Prado and David Phelps. He spent two years in pinstripes and made 48 starts before undergoing Tommy John surgery and being released after the 2016 season.
From then on, he’s been an enemy. He split time with the Rays and Red Sox in 2018 and was a key part of Boston’s 2018 World Series victory. After gettomg a new contract from Boston, he had a down 2019, but rebounded to be one of the most effective and consistent pitchers in the game for the next three seasons and tortured the Yankees along the way, allowing two runs in 12.1 career postseason innings against New York. He’s spent the last few years in Texas, where he won a another ring in 2023 and has been similarly steady until this year, when he’s struggled to a 5.79 ERA through six starts, giving up an AL-high nine homers.
Eovaldi still has great command, gets a lot of groundballs, and plenty of chases and whiffs, but he’s getting tagged significantly more this year than ever before. His fastball has never been his money pitch, but it has a startlingly bad -7 run value this year, while his cutter and curveball have similarly regressed. His strength remains his filthy splitter, which he’ll use to keep a powerful lineup honest all night.
Trent Grisham’s injury scare last night wasn’t enough to keep him out of the lineup today, as he leads off. The usual next four follow, with Jasson Domínguez getting his first start in left field in 2026 so Judge can DH, batting sixth. J.C. Escarra gets the “day game after a night game” start, followed by Ryan McMahon and José Caballero.
Similar top of the order for the Rangers with Brandon Nimmo, Josh Jung, Corey Seager, and Joc Pederson. The top six is identical to last night, but Kyle Higashioka slides in at catcher and Ezequiel Duran bats ninth at second base, with Alejandro Osuna between them.
How to watch
Location: Globe Life Field — Arlington, TX
First pitch: 2:35 pm ET
TV broadcast: YES, Rangers Sports Network
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY), 105.2 The Fan, KLFC 1270 (TEX)
The job just got a lot harder for Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy.
Boston ace Garrett Crochet was placed on the 15-day IL on Wednesday with left shoulder inflammation.
It comes after Crochet had a disappointing start to the season with a 6.30 ERA after six starts, though those numbers are inflated by one disastrous start against the Twins in which he gave up 10 runs in 1 ⅔ innings.
Garrett Crochet is going on the IL after starting for the Red Sox on April 25 against the Orioles. Getty Images
Cora’s firing came after the Red Sox’s 17-1 win over the Orioles in which the 26-year-old Crochet threw six shutout innings.
Crochet told reporters in Toronto on Wednesday that he is “pretty confident” he’ll return when eligible to come off the IL in a couple of weeks, according to MassLive.com.
“Just some fatigue I was feeling in my last start,” Crochet, who emerged as a dominant No. 1 starter for Boston last season, said. “Was able to grind through it there at the end. It just makes more sense to get ahead of it now so I’m not playing catch-up the rest of the season.
“It’s tough. Talked to Bres (Craig Breslow) and Brandon (head athletic trainer Brandon Henry) yesterday about trying to push through and ultimately, what good is that doing for the team if I’m just kicking the can down the road?”
A source told MassLive that Crochet is “trending better on a daily basis” and confirmed the move was made out of caution.
The Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora. AP
Crochet blamed issues with his spring training buildup as the reason behind the discomfort.
“At the end of the day, I feel like it was something that was preventable,” he said. “During the buildup, I just lost strength and never really got it back.”
The Red Sox called up utility man Nate Eaton from Triple-A to take Crochet’s place on the roster. However, that may only be a temporary situation with Boston in need of another starting pitcher.
Garrett Crochet #35 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after giving up a walk against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning at Target Field on April 13, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Getty Images
The Red Sox are expected to call up Jake Bennett to make his major league debut against the Astros on Friday night.
Sonny Gray, who was acquired in an offseason trade with the Cardinals, is also on the IL with hamstring tightness. Veteran starters Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval are dealing with long-term injuries with no return date in sight.
Tracy has won two of his three games since taking over for Cora.
