ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 7: Bubba Chandler #36 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during the fourth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on June 7, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates and Miami Marlins have the rare distinction of holding the exact same record going into today’s contest at PNC Park.
Both teams find themselves 35-35 through 70 games, making this contest a crucial one for momentum both in the series and the regular season as a whole.
The Pirates have lost two straight contests after falling in the series finale to the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the opener to the Marlins in a 8-3 defeat.
The Marlins are turning to Lake Banchero for the start in today’s game. It is only the fourth career start for Bachar, who has been mostly a bullpen pitcher throughout his career. It’s the third time this season the Marlins are calling on him for an opener. On June 2, Bachar gave the Marlins 2.2 innings without allowing a hit. He had a similar outcome in his second start against the Tampa Bay Rays, letting nobody on base in three innings of work.
The Marlins will rely on their bullpen arms more in this game, but the team is well-rested after Sandy Alcantara pitched eight innings in last night’s contest.
The Pirates will counter with Bubba Chandler, who has gone five innings or more in each of his last four starts, but only has one win in those appearances to show for it.
Location: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA
Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet
Pitching Matchup: Lake Bachar (0-0, 2.97 ERA) vs. Bubba Chandler (2-7, 4.91 ERA)
BD community, let us know how you are feeling in the comments section.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 12: Michael Harris II #23 of the Atlanta Braves looks on before the game against the New York Mets at Citi Field on June 12, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Join us and discuss game 2 in Flushing in the comments below!
Apr 11, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A general view of he Toronto Blue Jays players helmets in the dugout during batting practice before a game against the Minnesota Twins at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Happy Saturday.
Vladimir Guerrero is getting the day off. Apparently he’s been dealing with a tight back.
They are saying that Shane Bieber is going to do one more rehab start and then should be ready to join the team. Yimi Garcia will pitch for Buffalo today and likely do one more rehab appearance before he comes up. Addison Barger should get into rehab games next week and shouldn’t need many. And Daulton Varsho is hoping for the minimum stay on the IL.
I don’t know, I think this Bison’s jersey is a crime against humanity.
Today’s lineup. Okamoto hits third. No Kirk, day game after night game. And Charles McAdoo plays first.
KANSAS CITY, MO - MAY 26: Cam Schlittler #31 of the New York Yankees pitches in the second inning of an MLB game between the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals on May 26, 2026 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Yankees’ return to their House of Horrors from yesteryear went about how you’d expect: the Blue Jays offense hammered Ryan Weathers early and often, Alejandro Kirk provided multiple big hits in his return from the IL, and Trent Grisham left the game with a hamstring injury. Even a rather unimpressive night from Trey Yesavage was not enough to turn the tide.
Thankfully, the Yankees have Cam Schlittler. While the burgeoning young ace finally had a stinker two starts ago, he rallied admirably against the Red Sox, pitching 5.2 innings and allowing just a single run on four hits. Granted, Boston’s offense could never be confused for a strong unit, but Schlittler’s AL-leading 1.87 ERA continues to speak for itself. Cam faced the Jays in New York’s first matchup against Toronto this year and drew the short end of a 2-1 loss, surrendering that pair of runs across six quality innings while booking seven strikeouts.
Kevin Gausman is by now a deeply familiar foe to the Yankees. The 35-year-old veteran will be facing New York for the 40th time in his career this afternoon—his numbers in the first 39 are roughly equivalent to his career numbers. Gausman has hit some rough waters lately, allowing four earned runs in each of his last two appearances against the Braves and Orioles. He’ll hope that some home cooking against a team that seems to inexplicably wilt in said home ballpark will serve him well.
Trent Grisham will be absent from the lineup as he hits the IL following his removal from yesterday’s game with a hamstring strain, and Jasson Domínguez will take his place on the roster after getting activated from the IL this morning. Domínguez gets right back in the lineup starting in right field today and batting second behind Ben Rice, with Cody Bellinger remaining in left and Spencer Jones slotting in as today’s center fielder. José Caballero and J.C. Escarra both make their second straight starts at shortstop and catcher, respectively, and Paul Goldschmidt goes back to DH with Rice in the field.
How to watch
Location: Rogers Centre – Toronto, ON
First pitch: 3:07 pm ET
TV broadcast: YES, Sportsnet, SN1, TVA Sports
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | SN590 THE FAN (TOR)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JUNE 12: A detail view of the MLB Debut patch worn by Blaze Jordan #33 of the St. Louis Cardinals in his debut game against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on June 12, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
(The below is Brandon’s post. It was somehow incorrectly posted as weeks ago, so I’m copying it here)
First Pitch: 1:10 pm CDT TV: Twins.TV Radio: TIBN / WCCO 830 / The Wolf 102.9 FM / Audacy
After years of going “well, that looks fun,” and keeping up with the PC scene on the outside looking in, I finally broke down and bought my first-ever desktop computer this week, which has come with two immediate benefits. One, the already-significant purchase meant that I felt justified in adding a peripheral into the mix, which means you’re reading this from the comfort of my new Keychron keyboard. The other is that Balatro runs a little bit faster.
I bring this to your attention because I’m assuming that the newfound comfort with which I am, shall we say, strokin’ keys, has no doubt translated onto your screens and is making for a significantly more enjoyable readership experience. Basically, you ARE welcome, and you didn’t have to say all that.
Tonight, the Twins continue their interleague series with the St. Louis Cardinals, one of baseball’s reddest, birdest teams. (You can tell from the logo. And the name!) Despite sort of rebuilding, and asserting their intention to deal away rental pieces next month, the second-place Redbirds are the owners of a 37-29 record which puts them four back of the Brewers and atop the National League Wild Card standings by a full game over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
It’s Connor Prielipp, and it’s also Matthew Liberatore. How is that possible? I guess we’re gonna find out. I didn’t think there could be two pitchers in the same game. I’ll have to read up on that.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 18: Pitcher Joe Ross #16 of the Arizona Diamondbacks poses for a portrait during photo day at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on February 18, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Texas Rangers have purchased the contract of pitcher Joe Ross from AAA Round Rock, the team announced today. To make room for Ross on the active roster, the Rangers optioned Luis Curvelo to AAA Round Rock. To make room for Ross on the 40 man roster, the Rangers have designated pitcher Michel Otanez for assignment.
The Rangers are in a lengthy stretch of games, and after Luis Curvelo’s one inning, three run outing last night, the Rangers apparently decided that he needed to be replaced by a fresh arm. Thus, we have the addition of veteran righthander Joe Ross.
Ross, 33, is the brother of Tyson Ross, who you may remember pitched for the Rangers in their 2017 season. Ross started the season in the majors with the Arizona Diamondbacks, was designated for assignment, cleared waivers, and ended up pitching for their AAA team for a while. He was released in mid-May and signed with the Rangers, who sent him to Round Rock. After allowing three runs in his first outing of 1.2 IP for Round Rock and a run in his second outing, Ross has had five straight scoreless appearances, totaling 8.2 IP, with six strikeouts against no walks.
Curvelo getting sent down was not surprising, though I thought he might be sent down to make room for Alejandro Osuna, if Corey Seager and/or Evan Carter were too banged up to go today, but not so much so that an injured list move was necessary. Osuna left yesterday’s Round Rock game in the fifth inning, presumably due to Carter having to leave the Rangers game yesterday after hurting his oblique.
As for Otanez, he was claimed on waivers over the winter, and managed to outlast several other 40 man roster members, but the axe finally swung for him. He’s not pitched well at Round Rock, with 37 Ks against 25 walks in 26.1 IP over 25 games, and a 6.15 ERA. The Rangers will now have to trade, waive or release him.
Jun 12, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Kyle Tucker (23) scores against the Chicago White Sox during the second inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images
The Dodgers finished off their road trip with one more game against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday afternoon at Rate Field, perhaps during time for brunch back in California.
Emmet Sheehan starts the series finale for the Dodgers, with right-hander Erick Fedde on the mound for Chicago.
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cubs fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Earlier this week, I gave you a choice of four Cubs who had gotten off to rough starts this year and asked you which one you thought would turn things around first.
Now, there were a couple things not quite right about the four choices. First, I left Nico Hoerner off the survey, and probably should have included him because though Nico got off to a good start, he’s been in a slump for a while now. And I did include Michael Busch, who had a terrible start but then had a pretty good May.
With those caveats, here are the results from this week’s SB Nation Reacts survey:
Given what I just wrote about Busch above, yes, that is probably the correct answer. At the end of April Busch was hitting .193/.295/.281 (22-for-114) with just two home runs in 30 games. Since then: .301/.436/.522 (41-for-136) with six home runs in 39 games, including the big three-run blast Friday night in San Francisco. Given that Busch hit 34 home runs in 2025 — and four in eight postseason games — I’d still like to see him up the power output. Hopefully that will happen.
Nico Hoerner has also been in an extended slump — just .207/.289/.251 (37-for-179) over his last 45 games so, yes, it would be nice to see him turn things around, too.
Here are the results of the national questions asked in the SB Nation Reacts survey.
That’s a really interesting vote. Alvarez has been kind of under-the-radar this year because the Astros have struggled. But, he is currently leading MLB in SLG and OPS, and tops the AL with 22 home runs.
This seems pretty accurate. We’re only at the beginning stages of MLB/MLBPA negotiations, there’s been just one offer made from each side and there hasn’t really been any response to either in terms of modifying anyone’s requests or demands (other than the usual blustering). It’s still nearly six months until the CBA expires so crunch time is a ways away.
Yes. This is definitely a concern. And unless either side budges on what they’re asking for, owners will almost certainly lock players out when the CBA expires Dec. 1. That doesn’t mean that games will be lost in 2027 — not yet, anyway. Nevertheless, it’s worth keeping track of what’s happening in these negotiations as the summer goes by, and I’ll report any developments here.
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 01: Fans look on in Monument Park before the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on May 1, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
If you’ve been around the internet in the past week or so, you may have seen the spread of a series of quick and fun little sports games. Seemingly starting with 82-0 and the NBA, games have been sprouting up where you have to try and make the best possible starting lineup after a random generator spits out a franchise and a decade. However, the conceit is that you have no idea what team and decade may come next. You have to balance picking the best possible player while trying not to leave yourself in a spot where you have to take a complete scrub with your final picks.
There has been a baseball version that’s popped up as well, 162-0. Playing that version of those games got me thinking about what would be the best possible team you could make using only the Yankees. So, here’s an effort to try and find out.
Some rules I made for myself include not repeating any players or decades. For example, I wasn’t going to put both 1920s and 1930s Babe Ruth on the team, nor was I just going to stack the team with a bunch of Murderers’ Row era stars and ignore other decades. I also decided to keep some sense of positional realness. Aaron Judge technically has played a handful of games in left field over his career, but I wasn’t going to put him over there just for the sake of stacking the team. The same deal applied to the designated hitter spot, I wanted to pick someone who has spent a good amount of time playing DH.
With that in mind, here’s my team.
Catcher: 1960s Elston Howard Yankees stats in that decade: 959 games, .278/.329/.435, 109 HR, 111 wRC+, 24.7 fWAR
I strongly considered 1970s Thurman Munson for this spot, while a bunch of the other candidates (Yogi Berra, Bill Dickey, Jorge Posada) had their decades locked up by other players. Howard’s still a very good choice though, as he was very good in the ‘60s, including his AL MVP win in 1963.
First Base: 1930s Lou Gehrig Yankees stats in that decade: 1397 games, .343/.453/.638, 347 HR, 173 wRC+, 76.0 fWAR
Yeah, no, there was only one real choice for the ‘30s. The Yankees had other good players that decade and have had other good first baseman, but Gehrig in the ‘30s had one of the single best decades in baseball history.
Second Base: 1980s Willie Randolph Yankees stats in that decade: 1135 games, .276/.378/.355, 35 HR, 111 wRC+, 32.0 fWAR
Both the 1980s and second base were one of the last spots I filled up, but Randolph’s a pretty solid choice considering that. At least according to FanGraphs WAR, he was actually the best Yankee position player of the decade.
Shortstop: 2000s Derek Jeter Yankees stats in that decade: 1500 games, .317/.387/.456, 161 HR, 125 wRC+, 46.1 fWAR
Over the course of his career and the discourse that came with it, Jeter somehow simultaneously became one of the most underrated and overrated players at the same time. However, there’s nothing to argue about over what he did in the 2000s.
Third Base: 1970s Graig Nettles Yankees stats in that decade: 1092 games, .255/.329/.437, 181 HR, 116 wRC+, 40.4 fWAR
You can make an argument for Nettles being one of the most overlooked players in all of baseball history considering his stats compared to how little of a Hall of Fame look he got. I considering a couple different alignments and a couple different third baseman, but than you look at what Nettles did in the ‘70s and it became a pretty obvious pick, at least in my opinion.
Left Field: 1940s Charlie Keller Yankees stats in that decade: 953 games, .281/.406/.521, 173 HR, 152 wRC+, 39.7 fWAR
Left field is an interesting one, as most of the Yankees’ most legendary outfielders have mostly patrolled center and right. If I was being laxer on the rules, I could’ve shoved one of them over here, but I wanted an out and out left fielder, and “King Kong Keller” was probably my best choice there.
Center Field: 1950s Mickey Mantle Yankees stats in that decade: 1246 games, .311/.425/.569, 280 HR, 172 wRC+, 67.9 fWAR
Again, there are other good choices for center field and for the 1950s, but when you just look at what the Mick did, I had to pick him.
Right Field: 1920s Babe Ruth Yankees stats in that decade: 1399 games, .355/.488/.740, 467 HR, 202 wRC+, 106.7 fWAR
The current Yankee captain and the decade so far that Aaron Judge has had is maybe the one player I felt most bad about leaving out, but c’mon, it’s Babe Ruth.
Designated Hitter: 2020s Giancarlo Stanton Yankees stats in that decade: 588 games, .237/.317/.486, 148 HR, 122 wRC+, 6.9 fWAR
As I mentioned, I didn’t want to just shove the next best player in at DH and wanted to pick someone with a legitimate amount of time at the position. Big G’s 2020s stats over that period somewhat pale in comparison to the rest of the entries on this team, but when healthy, the man has hit.
Starting Pitcher: 1990s Andy Pettitte Yankees stats in that decade: 165 games, 1044.1 IP, 3.92 ERA, 3.96 FIP, 81-46, 20.9 fWAR
For as much success as the 1990s Yankees had, picking a representative from them was somewhat tough, as their strength was having very few holes as opposed to having a Babe Ruth level star. In the end, I decided to go with Pettitte to be this team’s starter on the mound.
Relief Pitcher: 2010s Dellin Betances Yankees stats in that decade: 358 games, 381.2 IP, 2.36 ERA, 2.31 FIP, 36 saves, 11.3 fWAR
The Yankees obviously have the greatest reliever ever in Mariano Rivera, but I used his best decades elsewhere and he didn’t pitch long enough into the 2010s to take the spot. Plus, it shouldn’t be forgotten how absolutely unhittable Betances was in his prime.
That’s my team, but I want to see your configurations. Let us know your all-time Yankees lineup picking one player per decade.
Hoping to even the series in a duel of average-ish pitching, Atlanta is batting Mauricio Dubon at leadoff, starting Ha-Seong Kim at shortstop, and DHing Jorge Mateo, with Sandy Leon starting at catcher…whoof. This lineup desperately needs the return of Drake Baldwin and Ronald Acuna. Austin Riley remembering how to hit like a star player and Sean Murphy returning sure would help too.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JUNE 12: Blaze Jordan #33 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits an RBI single against the Minnesota Twins during the second inning of his MLB debut at Target Field on June 12, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The St. Louis Cardinals continue their weekend in Minneapolis as it’s game 2 versus the Minnesota Twins Saturday. Matthew Liberatore will make the start for the Cardinals while LHP Connor Prielipp will be on the mound for the Twins. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10pm central time at Target Field and the broadcast will be handled by Cardinals.tv. Note that JJ Wetherholt has the day off and Masyn Winn is leading off Saturday.
Shohei Ohtani returned to the lineup after missing a game with left knee inflammation as the Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar is batting leadoff for their Saturday, June 13 matchup against the Chicago White Sox.
Ohtani was pulled from the team’s game Thursday at Pittsburgh and underwent an MRI on his knee Friday in Chicago. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters the scan came back clean and he expected, for now, Ohtani would make his next scheduled pitching start Wednesday.
Roberts initially said there was also pain in the back of Ohtani’s knee, but walked that assessment back. The Dodgers lost the first game of the three-game series 8-6 Friday night.
After what was for him a pedestrian start at the plate, Ohtani has been on a one-month tear since May 12, with seven homers and a .412/.508/.753 line in 118 plate appearances. He's also posted a 1.06 ERA in 11 starts, which would lead the National League if Ohtani had two more innings pitched to qualify.
Now in his third year with the Dodgers, Ohtani won a World Series and an MVP award in each of the first two seasons of his record-setting $700 million deal.
The Toronto Blue Jays have been the kryptonite of New York Yankees star right-hander Cam Schlittler in his young career.
The Jays’ bats profile well to continue that dominance this afternoon, making Schlittler Over 5.5 hits allowed an attractive play at +120.
Read on for my Blue Jays vs. Yankees Predictions and MLB Picks for this Saturday, June 13 matchup.
Yankees vs Blue Jays predictions
Yankees vs Blue Jays best bet: Cam Schlitter Over 5.5 hits (+120)
Cam Schlittler is having a Cy Young worthy season, but has struggled against the Toronto Blue Jays throughout his career, which has led to his market being mispriced.
I expect the Jays to go over 5.5 hits on Schlittler today.
Toronto’s current lineup owns a .339 batting average, earning 28 hits against the New York Yankees starter through four games, profiling well against his aggressive strike-throwing style and pitch mix.
Schlittler has a high zone rate and uses a mix of four-seamers, cutters, and sinkers.
As a team, the Blue Jays own a .272 average (8th) with a 41% hard-hit rate (5th) against these pitches.
Schlittler has eclipsed this hit total in 3-of-4 career starts against Toronto, with the lone other start only lasting 1 2/3 innings, where he still gave up five hits.
We'll continue to bank on a productive day for the Blue Jay bats in today’s SGP with Ernie Clement and Jesus Sanchez hitting props.
Clement has 18 hits over his last 12 games, eclipsing this total in 10 of them. He profiles well against Schlittler as a contact hitter, and it has led him to being 4-for-9 against the Yankee starter in his career.
For the last leg of this SGP, I’ll bet on Sanchez Over 0.5 hits. He owns a .330 average and a .370 BABIP against Schlittler’s pitch mix. He’s also eclipsed this total in four of his last five starts and is 3-for-5 career against the Yankees starter.
Yankees vs Blue Jays SGP
Schlittler Over 5.5 hits
Clement Over 0.5 hits
Sanchez Over 0.5 hits
img loading="lazy" width="100%" height="null" src="https://img.covers.com/editorial/2026/jaysmlcbp.jpg" alt="Canada’s best price for Jays"
Get the best Jays ML odds at BET99 — every game.
Yankees vs Blue Jays home run pick: Kazuma Okamoto (+475)
Kazuma Okamoto leads the Jays with 14 homers this season and hits Schlittler's pitch mix well with a 60% hard-hit rate, to go along with a 9.7% barrel rate.
This positions him well for success today as the Yankee starter does get barreled up quite often, while also ranking in the 33rd percentile in hard-hit rate.
However, despite giving up the hard contact, Schlittler does keep the ball in the yard, allowing only four home runs in his 14 starts this season.
Therefore, I’ll be making this a half-unit wager today.
2026 Transparency record
Best bets: 33-34, +3.85 units
SGPs: 13-54, +5.35 units
HR picks: 10-57, -0.45 units
Yankees vs Blue Jays odds
Moneyline: New York -125 | Toronto +105
Run line: New York -1.5 (+140) | Toronto +1.5 (-160)
Over/Under: Over 7.5 | Under 7.5
Yankees vs Blue Jays trend
The Toronto Blue Jays have hit the Game Total Over in 10 of their last 16 games at home (+4.70 Units / 27% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Yankees vs. Blue Jays.
How to watch Yankees vs Blue Jays and game info
Location
Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON
Date
Saturday, 6-13-2026
First pitch
3:07 p.m. ET
TV
Sportsnet
Yankees starting pitcher
Cam Schlittler (7-3, 1.87 ERA)
Blue Jays starting pitcher
Kevin Gausman (4-4, 3.60 ERA)
Yankees vs Blue Jays latest injuries
Yankees vs Blue Jays weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
CHICAGO — After battling knee inflammation the past couple days, Shohei Ohtani was back in the Dodgers’ lineup Saturday.
With a bang, too.
After being removed early from Thursday’s game in Pittsburgh because of a swollen knee, then sitting out Friday’s series-opener against the White Sox to get treatment on the issue, Ohtani not only returned to his customary spot as DH and leadoff hitter in the Dodgers’ batting order, but needed just two pitches to hit a leadoff home run deep to right field.
The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani was back in the lineup Saturday night. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The blast was Ohtani’s 14th of the season, his fifth of the leadoff variety, and marked the third-straight game he’s played in which he’s gone deep.
So much for concern over his previously ailing knee.
“Today,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before first pitch, “he feels great.”
From the start, Roberts had insisted Ohtani’s injury was minor. He believed it was unrelated to the knee surgery the two-way star had in 2019 to address a rare congenital condition.
Still, the fact Ohtani had to leave one game, then miss another, raised some concerns about a potentially more severe issue.
“We took him out of the game the other night just for precautionary reasons,” Roberts said. “[But we have] all the confidence that he can go out there and hit, feel good, not regress at all.”
There was no obvious indication on Thursday night that Ohtani was dealing with discomfort, which included some swelling in the back of his knee, not any one incident that Ohtani could pinpoint to the training staff for having caused it.
Roberts said the club decided to be “proactive” by taking Ohtani out of Thursday’s game.
The same calculus applied to his off day on Friday, even though imaging on Ohtani’s knee had come back clean.
Ohtani left Thursday night’s game in Pittsburgh with left knee inflammation. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
After Friday’s loss at Rate Field, Roberts said he was optimistic about having Ohtani back in the lineup Saturday. Earlier in the day, he said he still expects the superstar to make his next scheduled pitching start next Wednesday, as well.
“The swelling [in his knee] is gone,” Roberts said.
Now, the Dodgers will be hoping the issue is in the past.
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Strider had been slated for an MRI on Friday and exited after a noticeable dip in velocity. This is his second stint on the injured list this year, and he exits the 26-man roster with a 5.31 ERA.
Spencer Strider exiting the field Friday. Getty Images
“It doesn’t look great as we stand here, right now,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said Friday night, according to MLB.com.
Strider exited Friday’s game with right arm soreness after walking the leadoff batter in the fourth inning, having already allowed six runs at that point.
While his velocity has dipped since over the past two years, Strider averaged a single-game career-low 93.7 mph with his four-seam fastball Friday.
“[Strider] talked about how his shoulder and elbow weren’t feeling very good. And he wasn’t even aware of the drop in velocity,” Weiss told reporters, per MLB.com. “(When we got out there to the mound), he said, ‘What is it?’ Yeah, at that point, there’s no point to go on.”
This is the latest blow in a rough three-season stretch for a pitcher who had once been one of the sport’s premier fireballers.
Strider went 32-10 with a 3.37 ERA across his first three seasons from 2021-23, including a fourth-place finish in NL Cy Young voting in 2023.
Spencer Strider has struggled in 2026. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
He needed Tommy John surgery after just two starts in 2024, and he returned last year to make 23 starts.
His fastball dipped from 97.2 mph in 2023 to 95.5 mph in 2025, per Baseball Savant, resulting in a dip from his league-leading 13.5 strikeouts-per-nine-innings mark in 2023 to 9.4.
Strider posted a 4.45 ERA, his worst ERA for any full season.
This season began with Strider opening the year on the injured list after suffering a left oblique muscle strain, and he provided eight overall ineffective starts after returning.
The team recalled Anthony Molina to fill his roster spot.
“He’s been through a lot … in the past few years trying to work his way back,” Weiss said, per MLB.com. “And we’ve seen some glimpses of it. He’s done a nice job for us this year, and there was a lot of hope. We saw him in the outing he had in L.A., [he] was just lights out. He looked just like old Spencer.”
COVERS INTEL: Toronto is averaging 
