SEATTLE — Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter George Springer could make his return from the family medical emergency list, manager John Schneider said.
The four-time All-Star went on the paternity list, welcoming the birth of his third child. The paternity leave expired, so the Blue Jays moved him to the family medical emergency list. But Schneider confirmed everything was well and the move was to give their leadoff hitter more time.
He is expecting Springer to be available for its road trip to San Francisco.
“I think he’s going to travel tomorrow,” Schneider said after Toronto’s 4-0 loss to Seattle. “That was the tentative plan. So, just got to confirm that with him.”
Springer, 36, is slashing .221/.308/.373 with eight homers and 21 RBIs.
Right-hander Max Scherzer was in Seattle after making a rehab start in High-A Vancouver. Schneider confirmed that the 41-year-old three-time Cy Young winner will make another rehab start or two before being activated off the 15-day injured list since June 17 because of back spasms.
CLEVELAND — White Sox rookie first baseman Munetaka Murakami will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte, the slugger’s final step before rejoining Chicago’s lineup after being out with a right hamstring injury.
Murakami has been sidelined since suffering a Grade 2 strain on May 29, when he got hurt trying to beat out a double play grounder against Detroit. At the time of his injury, Murakami was tied for the AL lead in homers and was first in runs.
He’s been traveling with the White Sox and following a 7-6 win over the Guardians, manager Will Venable said Murakami will leave to play with the Knights. If all goes well, it’s possible he could be back with Chicago before the All-Star break.
“I’m just really happy that I am able to get back to playing baseball,” Murakami said through an interpreter.
The 26-year-old Murakami is batting .240 with 20 homers, 43 runs and 41 RBIs in his first season with the White Sox, who signed the Japanese free agent to a two-year, $34-million contract in December.
Chicago has been one of baseball’s biggest surprises this season and the White Sox managed to stay near the top of the AL Central without Murakami. In splitting the four-game series with Cleveland, Chicago moved back into first by one game.
“It took a lot,” Venable said after the White Sox won the weather-delayed series finale. “There was a lot going on in that game.”
The White Sox went 17-15 without Murakami, but will soon have him back to bolster the middle of their batting order.
“There’s a possibility that he plays for us before the break, for sure,” Venable said. “We need him back obviously on the field, but just his presence, it means so much to have him in the lineup, what that does for you.”
LOS ANGELES — Edwin Díaz still is on track to return to the Los Angeles Dodgers following the All-Star break after throwing his first live batting practice since elbow surgery.
Díaz faced hitters at Dodger Stadium before the back-to-back World Series champions hosted the San Diego Padres. The high-priced closer has been sidelined since late April because of loose bodies in his elbow.
Díaz only has made seven appearances for the Dodgers, who signed the longtime New York Mets closer to a three-year, $69 million deal as a free agent. He will go on a rehab assignment next, but he is on schedule to return around the time when the break ends in two weeks.
Díaz wasn’t his usual dominant self to begin his first season with Los Angeles, posting a 10.50 ERA in only six innings with noticeably lower velocity. After his live batting practice, Díaz said he feels “way better than early in the season.”
Among the batters who faced Díaz was Kiké Hernández in his first live at-bats since going on the injured list in late May with a left oblique strain.
Díaz has 257 saves over 11 major league seasons with the Mariners, Mets and Dodgers.
WASHINGTON — Konnor Griffin put on quite a show for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
A single, a stolen base, two spectacular plays in the field — and finally, a bases-loaded hit that put his team ahead to stay.
“He’s a complete player,” manager Don Kelly said. “He’s going to help us win for a long time.”
Pittsburgh’s 11-5 victory over the Washington Nationals may have looked lopsided at the end, but it was tight much of the way — and Griffin repeatedly made big contributions. The 20-year-old shortstop, who received a nine-year, $140 million contract in April, showed the many ways he can impact a game.
Griffin’s defensive day stood out in particular. There was a diving stop on a grounder in the third, but Curtis Mead beat it out for a single. In the fourth, Keibert Ruiz hit a popup to shallow left field, and Griffin had to deal with the sun while making a diving, backhanded catch.
“Had my glasses on my head, because sweat was just dripping down my lens,” Griffin said. “Took the chance of fighting the sun, and luckily it worked out.”
Down 4-3, the Nationals loaded the bases with nobody out in the fifth. CJ Abrams lifted a popup onto the outfield grass, and Griffin made a sliding backhanded grab on that one as well. And he nearly got up quickly enough to throw James Wood out at the plate after the Washington slugger tagged up at third. Wood beat Griffin’s bouncing throw, but that was the only run the Nationals got that inning.
“I felt like I could get there,” Griffin said. “I was hoping I could finish the play off at home. Just a weird grip, came out weird.”
The game was still tied at 4-4 when Griffin came up in the eighth with the bases loaded and hit a single to right on the seventh pitch of the at-bat. Two runs came home, and the Pirates never looked back.
“He has that ability. Being 20 years old and a rookie, he’s way mature beyond his years,” Kelly said. “He is going to have huge moments like that, yes, and also understanding that he’s 20 and learning, and for him to have that type of at-bat in that situation, fouling off those pitches, and to be able to break the tie, that was unbelievable.”
Last week, our Rangers Reacts survey asked folks what the Texas Rangers should prioritize, should they be buyers at the trade deadline.
It is still up in the air, of course, whether they will be in a position to buy — they are currently occupying Wild Card 3, but a couple of bad weeks could put the Rangers in a place where they’d be more likely to be sellers than buyers. We are going to be optimistic for now, though…
A majority of folks believe that the bullpen is the area that the Rangers should prioritize, and its hard to argue with that stance, given the overall state of the team. Outfield/DH was the next most popular option, followed distantly by the rotation, catcher, and the infield.
For the MLB-wide questions, when asked which MLB exec currently has the hottest seat, David Stearns of the Mets got by far the most votes, though Buster Posey of the Giants and Craig Breslow of the Red Sox each got some support.
In the wake of MLB’s proposal to change the MLB draft rules and length, almost half of folks think the draft should be revamped.
And taking a look back at the Rafael Devers trade from a little over a year ago, the consensus is that no one came out well in that deal.
DENVER, COLORADO - JULY 4: Robbie Ray #38 of the San Francisco Giants pitches in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on July 4, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Giants should be damn happy they play in the same division as the Rockies. If it weren’t for the best-run front office of 2004, San Francisco would be in an even worse spot than their current .420 winning percentage, but regardless look to be sellers at the trade deadline. I’m of the opinion that the entire organization needs to be taken back to formula and Buster Posey is perhaps not the guy to run things, but in the medium term at least, they will attempt a more conventional rebuild.
The chief challenge with the fit between the Yankees and Giants is the discrepancy in the latter’s asset performance. The Yankees need bullpen help, no question, and there are a trio of San Fran relievers who are free agents at the end of the year, classic trade bait pieces: Tyler Mahle, JT Brubaker, and Sam Hentges. Unfortunately Mahle is terrible, and while the other two both boast sub-3.00 ERAs, any other underlying metric indicates that those ERAs will not stay that low for long. Hentges is walking a comical 19.7 percent of batters faced, and Brubaker’s 17 percent strikeout rate does not help a Yankee bullpen that desperately needs some more whiffs.
If I had to pick one of the three, I would roll the dice on Hentges since he’s never had a year this bad from a walk rate perspective. Before 2026 he sat at a comfortable 8.4 percent rate for his career, so I’m going to be optimistic and say this is a flukey thing or the Giants are just bad at managing their pitchers. Still, I’m burned enough by Camilo Doval that I don’t really want any bullpen help from San Francisco.
If the Yankees choose to shore up their pitching rotation instead, given the impact of injuries and the potential of moving one of their own starters to the bullpen, Robbie Ray is also coming up on free agency. The 34 year old former Cy Young winner has a 3.45 ERA, pretty good, but you’ll never guess what happens if you look under the hood. The third-worst strikeout rate of his career matched with an unholy home run rate while playing in a park that doesn’t allow a lot of dingers should make us all very frightened of the idea of Ray pitching in the Bronx.
So the pitching’s all kinda bunk.
It may be unsurprising for a 37-51 team but the offense doesn’t look all that much better. The Giants have a bunch of pretty fat contracts on the books that I’m sure they’d be interested in trying to dump, but there’s no fit for Rafael Devers on this team. The Yankees certainly aren’t going to take on some $150 million worth of Willy Adames, and while I suppose you could squint and rub the bridge of your nose and maybe huff a Sharpie and see a spot for Matt Chapman on the club, he’s not even been a league average hitter in 2026. The Yankees already have a defensively-talented third baseman who can’t hit, and he isn’t under contract through his age-38 seeason.
I guess the one guy you could ask about, especially if it’s true that Aaron Judge won’t be back until September, would be Jung Hoo Lee, but I don’t know why the Giants would want to move one of their only productive hitters who’s still 27 and under team control for four more seasons at a relatively reasonable rate. I feel like there are some dark times coming for the Giants, perhaps some moral judgement for the harms the Bay Area have visited on the globe over the last two decades. There’s just not a lot here, and the prospect capital the Yankees would be expected to give up is probably best suited going elsewhere.
Jedixson Paez of the Portland Sea Dogs is present during a Minor League Baseball game at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, United States, on May 1, 2026. (Photo by Dan Squicciarini/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images
In the finale against the Mets, the pitching provided a steady frame, even having to use five arms, allowing just six hits on the game, two of which were home runs. But this game was on the verge of turning into a laughter in the top of the first when the WooSox batted around and catcher Nate Knizner (who was the DH Sunday) had his first home run in his new organization. Mickey Gasper also continues to rake at a Triple-A level; two doubles on Sunday adds to that sample. The score was 5-1 at the end of one and the fate of Worcester’s win was never in worry.
This was a masterclass by Blake Wehunt and Jedixson Paez as the Curve (Pirates AA) absolutely got carved up, striking out seventeen times and managing just two hits. Paez didn’t allow a walk and got the 12-out save. Now, this win would have been safe even without run support, but the Sea Dogs had plenty of that too. Brooks Brannon had a home run to heat his bat back up, bringing the score to 6-0, and it’d only grow in the later innings. For Paez in particular, though, a lengthy relief appearance going this successfully is amazing. Paez was selected in the Rule 5 draft by the White Sox in December, made the opening day big league roster, and, pretty immediately, was returned to Boston after falling flat in the majors. The 22-year-old has some developing to do, but getting eight of twelve outs via strikeout is a promising sign.
Devin Futrell has either been automatic or struggled quite a bit this season. The Dash (White Sox High-A) tagged him for eleven hits but the towering lefty was able to put in five innings, and the bullpen held it. But, it was tough for Greenville to overcome allowing Winston-Salem two runs in each of the first three frames. No one was safe offensively from striking out at least once, but almost everyone also was in the “getting knocks” business. Unfortunately, no one out of six attempts was successful in the “getting knocks with runners in scoring position” business.
Not going to win many games with just three hits against the Green Jackets (Braves A), including the four through seven holes in the lineup going 0-for-14 with 10 strikeouts. As a whole, if you look at the team’s OPS up and down the lineup, nothing really jumps off the page in the lower levels. The pitching did enough to win a game where there was more offense than that, but it wasn’t to be on Sunday.
Jul 5, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (7) breaks his bat while grounding out during the third inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
ATLANTA — Braves left-hander Martín Pérez likely is headed to the injured list after he was hit on his left forearm by Juan Soto’s line drive in a 10-9 loss to the New York Mets.
Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said X-rays on Pérez were negative but added the pitcher is expected to have more tests.
“It’s probably an IL,” Weiss said. “He’s not going to be able to make his next start.”
Pérez (6-6) allowed six hits and five runs, four earned, in 4 1/3 innings. He walked two batters and had one strikeout before being forced out of the game.
After being hit by the liner, Pérez recovered to throw out Soto at first base. Soto looked concerned about Pérez and then appeared to offer encouragement to the pitcher on his way back to the Mets’ dugout.
“I don’t think it’s anything broken, but it’s still an IL likely,” Weiss said. “He got hit hard and it’s his throwing arm.”
The NL East-leading Braves have been using a six-man rotation that only has left seven relievers in the bullpen. Weiss said if Pérez lands on the injured list, the team likely would fill his roster spot by adding a reliever.
“This probably allows us to get back to an eight-man bullpen,” Weiss said.
Bouncing back: Colby Shelton’s Birmingham tenure has started out slowly, but he was a mashing machine this past week. | (Colby Shelton/IG)
Charlotte Knights Record 2-4 (last week), 4-8 (second half), 46-41 (overall)
Knights Players of the Week Caden Connor .421/.500/.526, 19 at-bats
Ryan Galanie .296/.310/.370, 2-for-2 stolen bases, 27 at-bats Mario Camilletti .250/.280/.417, 24 at-bats Jason Matthews .278/.350/.333, 18 at-bats Dustin Harris .500/.667/1.167, 1-for-1 stolen bases, six at-bats Korey Lee .182/.400/.455, 11 at-bats Edgar Quero .133/.235/.333, 15 at-bats Rikuu Nishida .059/.333/.059, 17 at-bats
Jonathan Cannon 6 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 4 K Mason Adams 6 2/3 IP, 7 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 4 K David Sandlin 6 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 2 K Shane Murphy 5 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 3 K Adisyn Coffey 4 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 K
The Knights are off to a slow start in the second half, as they have dropped their first two series. This time, they lost four of six against the mighty Redbirds (52-35) in Memphis.
Outfielder Caden Connor, 25, was a tough customer at the plate all week against the Redbirds. Connor went 8-for-19 with two doubles and three walks to finish the week with a 1.026 OPS. That was easily enough to lead the team among players with more than six at-bats. This was a cold week for the Knights offense, which averaged 4.17 runs per game. That average is not particularly low, but considering that the Knights have averaged 6.18 runs per game this season, it was a bit disappointing. Regardless, Connor was extremely reliable, and with this excellent performance, he boosted his slash line in 63 games with the Knights to .266/.336/.388. Congratulations to Connor on his first weekly award of the season, as there has been a lot of competition all year for Knight of the Week.
2026 Charlotte Knights Players of the Week Korey Lee (March 27-April 5) Oliver Dunn (April 6-12) Shane Smith (April 13-19) Jarred Kelenic (April 20-26) Oliver Dunn (April 27-May 3) LaMonte Wade Jr.(May 4-10) Jacob Gonzalez(May 11-17) LaMonte Wade Jr.(May 18-24) Jacob Gonzalez(May 25-31) Braden Montgomery(June 1-7) Ryan Galanie(June 8-14) Kyle Teel(June 15-21) Korey Lee(June 22-28) Caden Connor(June 29-July 5)
Barons Player of the Week Colby Shelton .333/.455/.778, 18 at-bats
Alec Briley .360/.385/.440, 2-for-2 stolen bases, 25 at-bats Caleb Bonemer .250/.400/.550, 2-for-2 stolen bases, 20 at-bats Samuel Zavala .313/.353/.563, 16 at-bats Jacob Burke .182/.308/.364, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 22 at-bats Boston Smith .333/.467/.833, 12 at-bats Anthony DePino .150/.261/.450, 20 at-bats
Dylan Cumming 6 IP, 0 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 6 K Gabe Davis 6 2/3 IP, 8 ER, 10 H, 4 BB, 7 K Lucas Gordon 5 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 5 K Jake Palisch 4 1/3 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 4 K Jackson Kelley 3 2/3 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 2 BB, 7 K
The Barons had a solid week, winning four of six against Montgomery (39-42) in Birmingham.
Infielder Colby Shelton, 23, who has experience at second base, third base and shortstop, got off to a flaming start to the season with the Dash (.339/.464/.661 in 31 games). After earning the promotion to Double-A, things have not been nearly as easy for the talented infielder. Entering this week, Shelton had a .170/.240/.327 slash line in 41 games with the Barons. However, Shelton turned that trend around in a huge way against the Biscuits, finishing 6-for-18 with two homers, two doubles, and four walks. That was enough to lead the way for a team that went 4-2, and not even Caleb Bonemer (who also had a strong performance) kept pace with Shelton.
Dash Player of the Week Kaleb Freeman .500/.538/1.250, 12 at-bats
James Taussig .333/.385/.708, 24 at-bats George Wolkow .292/.357/.458, 24 at-bats Ely Brown .273/.448/.273, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 22 at-bats Arxy Hernández .208/.269/.250, 24 at-bats Ryan Burrowes .286/.464/.476, 21 at-bats Eddie Park .571/.667/.857, 1-for-1 stolen bases, seven at-bats
Max Banks 7 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 K Riley Eikhoff 6 IP, 3 ER, 8 H, 1 BB, 6 K Justin Sinibaldi 5 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 2 K Grant Umberger 4 2/3 IP, 6 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K Drew McDaniel 3 2/3 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 7 K
After four consecutive .500 weeks, the Dash returned to their dominant ways with a 5-1 week against Greenville (30-43).
Kaleb Freeman, 23, only played in three of Winston-Salem’s six games, but he made his time on the field count. Freeman, who suits up at catcher, first base and left field, went 6-for-12 with three homers, seven RBIs, and a walk. The White Sox selected Freeman in the 16th round of last year’s draft, and he is exceeding expectations by a wide margin so far. In 43 games (40 with Winston-Salem, three with Kannapolis), Freeman is slashing .281/.463/.562, as he is seeing the ball quite well and punishing seemingly every mistake that comes his way.
2026 Winston-Salem Dash Players of the Week Caleb Bonemer (April 6-12) Colby Shelton (April 13-19) Colby Shelton (April 20-26) Caleb Bonemer(April 27-May 3) Colby Shelton(May 4-10) Boston Smith(May 11-17) George Wolkow (May 18-24) Morris Austin(May 25-31) Caleb Bonemer(June 1-7) James Taussig(June 8-14) Kyle Lodise(June 15-21) George Wolkow(June 22-28) Kaleb Freeman(June 29-July 5)
Cannon Ballers Player of the Week Christian Gonzalez .333/.522/.600, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 15 at-bats
Stiven Flores .296/.321/.407, 27 at-bats Matthew Boughton .304/.333/.348, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 23 at-bats Alexander Albertus .250/.348/.300, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 20 at-bats Nick McLain .313/.500/.500, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 16 at-bats Jurdrick Profar .313/.389/.688, 16 at-bats Steven Lancia .444/.444/.667, 1-for-1 stolen bases, nine at-bats
Alexander Martinez 8 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 12 K Caedmon Parker 5 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 5 K Truman Pauley 5 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 5 K Jesús Méndez 4 1/3 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 5 K Gabriel Rodriguez 4 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 2 K
The Cannon Ballers dropped their first two games against the Wilson Warbirds (43-38), but they rallied to even the series.
Outfielder Christian Gonzalez, 19, could hardly be kept off base in Wilson. Our preseason No. 33 White Sox prospect went 5-for-15 with a homer, a double, seven walks, and a stolen base in his only attempt. After starting out the season in the Complex League, Gonzalez made his debut with the Cannon Ballers on Wednesday, and he made a positive first impression. During his first game, Gonzalez went 1-for-1 with a double, two walks, and a sacrifice fly. Well done to Gonzalez, who is handling the new level nicely so far.
2026 Kannapolis Cannon Ballers Players of the Week Stiven Flores (April 6-12) Abraham Núñez (April 13-19) Javier Mogollón(April 20-26) Arxy Hernández(April 27-May 3) Javier Mogollón(May 4-10) Max Banks(May 11-17) Riley Eikhoff(May 18-24) James Taussig(May 25-31) James Taussig(June 1-7) Derek Cerda(June 8-14) Matthew Boughton(June 15-21) Ryan Schiefer(June 22-28) Christian Gonzalez(June 29-July 5)
ACL White Sox Record 1-4 (last week), 13-33 (overall)
Complex Sox Player of the Week D’Angelo Tejada .385/.429/.923, 13 at-bats
Alan Escobar .333/.333/.467, 15 at-bats Jordan Rich .333/.400/.333, nine at-bats Jefrank Silva .273/.385/.545, 11 at-bats Eduardo Herrera .250/.250/.625, 1-for-1 stolen bases, eight at-bats Steven Lancia .300/.417/.600, 10 at-bats
Fabian Ysalla 8 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 6 K Justin Fuson 4 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 5 K Dylan Carmouche 3 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 2 BB, 2 K Felix Doroteo 3 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K Orlando Suarez 3 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 2 K
Stop me if you have heard this before, but the Complex Sox only picked up one victory in five games this week. Incredibly, in a season that started in May and plays five games a week at most, the team is now 20 games worse than .500.
Despite another lackluster week for the team, infielder D’Angelo Tejada, 20, was on top of his game. Tejada, who primarily plays third base, went 5-for-13 with two homers, a double, and a walk while only striking out once. Tejada was born 17 days after Game 4 of the 2005 World Series, and in 24 games in the Complex League, he has slashed .313/.405/.507. Tejada struggled in Kannapolis, where he opened the season, but he is still very young, and this week was a big step in the right direction.
2026 Complex Sox Players of the Week Alexander Albertus(May 4-10) Eduardo Herrera(May 11-17) Yordani Soto (May 18-24) José M. Mendoza(May 25-31) Yordani Soto(June 1-7) Landon Hodge(June 8-14) Tommy Vail(June 15-21) Yordani Soto(June 22-28) D’Angelo Tejada(June 29-July 5)
DSL White Sox Record 4-1 (last week), 9-16 (overall)
DSL White Sox Player of the Week Orlando Patiño .400/.500/.600, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 15 at-bats
Ronald Cardozo .400/.526/.467, 15 at-bats Fernando Graterol .250/.350/.438, 3-for-3 stolen bases, 16 at-bats Sebastian Romero .235/.316/.471, 4-for-5 stolen bases, 17 at-bats Carlos Vielma .333/.438/.583, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 12 at-bats
Jhoriel De La Rosa 4 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 3 K Yordany Marte 4 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 4 K Roderic Ramirez 4 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 2 K Franchel Crisostomo 3 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 4 K Alexander De Los Santos 2 2/3 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 3 K
Whoa, hold on a moment. The DSL White Sox won four out of their five games this week. Yes, this really did happen, and they are out of the cellar of the Dominican Summer League. After dropping the first game of the week, the team ended the week on a four-game winning streak.
Outfielder Orlando Patiño, 18, was terrific, and his performance was strong enough for him to earn his first weekly award. Patiño went 6-for-15 with three doubles, three walks, and a stolen base in his only attempt. Well done to Patiño, whose performance spearheaded his team’s best week of the season.
2026 DSL White Sox Players of the Week Carlos Vielma(June 1-7) Sebastian Romero(June 8-14) Sebastian Romero(June 15-21) Ronald Kelly(June 22-28) Orlando Patiño(June 29-July 5)
Who gets YOUR vote for Minor League Player of the Week?
Apr 22, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; A general overall view of Honus Wagner statue at PNC Park. The stadium is the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The 2026 MLB draft is just under a week away, and Pittsburgh has the fifth pick in the draft. The big question is what position should the Pirates address ?
The position I would love to see the Bucs address is catcher. Henry Davis just isn’t working anymore and he is starting to turn into a bust. Endy Rodriguez has been playing pretty well but there are some catchers that I think have a lot of potential.
Vahn Lackey from Georgia Tech isn’t just the top catching prospect he is also one of the top prospects in the entire draft. Lackey had a .397 batting average, 87 hits, 20 home runs and 78 RBIs. It has been a while since Pittsburgh has had a catcher who can hit for serious power and Lackey brings that to the table.
Another catcher to look at is Ryder Helfrick from Arkansas. Taking Helfrick with the fifth overall pick could be a stretch but he is an excellent defender with some power. Helfrick had a .283 batting average, 64 hits, 18 home runs and 53 RBIs.
Another position that the Pirates could look at is in the outfield. The Pirates do have some outfielders in their farm system now but Pittsburgh should build that depth and there are some good players with a lot of potential.
Eric Booth Jr from Oak groove high school in Hattiesburg Mississippi is a prospect I really like. Booth is incredibly athletic with a serious upside to him.
Pittsburgh could take pitcher Jackson Flora here who a lot of people like but I think the upside of Booth is really exciting. I also think there is more of a need for a bat than an arm at this point.
The Pirates can go in a bunch of different directions come July 11th. Catcher is the position that I think should be addressed the most, especially with the catching prospects that are available.
Comment below what position you think the pirates should address at the draft.
TAMPA, FLORIDA - MARCH 21, 2026: Owen Murphy #91 of the Atlanta Braves throws a pitch during the first inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field on March 21, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
On Sunday night, we reported that Owen Murphy would be the next big prospect call-up for the Atlanta Braves. This was after the news came out that Martín Pérez would likely be heading to the IL due to the injury that he suffered after getting hit with a comebacker during Sunday’s loss to the Mets. We also speculated that Carlos Carrasco would be getting designated for assignment because, well, it’s 2026 Carlos Carrasco and it’s the 2026 Atlanta Braves.
Today, all of that news was confirmed as the Braves made their roster moves official. Owen Murphy is, in fact, being called up and Carlos Carrasco being DFA’d is the corresponding move. Martín Pérez is heading to the IL and JR Ritchie has been recalled to the major league roster as a result.
The #Braves today selected RHP Owen Murphy to the major league roster and designated RHP Carlos Carrasco for assignment. The club also recalled RHP JR Ritchie to Atlanta and placed LHP Martín Pérez on the 15-day injured list with a left forearm contusion.
I’d say that it’s pretty good news that Pérez got away from that incident with just a contusion. It’s still tough to lose him for at least 15 days but we’ll take that over a fracture or any other type of structural damage for Pérez. It makes sense that he’s going to be sitting out for a bit since you wouldn’t want a guy pitching with that ype of injury and hopefully he does heal pretty quickly from this.
With that being said, it’s pretty exciting to see Owen Murphy getting the call-up and hopefully we’ll see him make a successful debut once he’s called upon. There’s still some questions as to whether or not JR Ritchie is ready but it’s better for him to be getting major league reps so that he can continue to get used to this level of competition so that he can hopefully become a positive contributor to this pitching staff.
As far as Carlos Carrasco goes, I’m going to add my personal opinion here and say that this should be the last stop on the DFA cycle for Carrasco. I understand that they value his experience and that the team has a pretty decent relationship with him at the moment.
With that being said, Carrasco’s value as a baseball player comes from his ability to throw multiple innings and it has rarely gone well for him if he goes past an inning of work. Atlanta has plenty of internal options who can serve the same role that Carrasco does and do it better than he can at this point, so hopefully this JR Ritchie can stick around so that the temptation to bring Carrasco back doesn’t creep up.
That’s just speculation on my part and we very well could see Carrasco back in action in the near future. For now, the Braves are turning towards their farm system for help and hopefully both Murphy and Ritchie can find a way to stick around for the time being.
On this day 46 years ago, a late homer and bunt single by Todd Cruz keyed a doubleheader sweep of the A’s. | (Photo by B Bennett/Getty Images)
1933 The first-ever All-Star Game was played at Comiskey Park. The White Sox won a coin flip with the Cubs for the right to host the game that was the idea of Chicago Tribune sports editor Arch Ward, and was played in connection with the Chicago World’s Fair that started in May along the lakefront. The American League won the game, 4-2, thanks to a home run by Babe Ruth in the third inning off of Bill Hallahan.
The Sox representatives in that first game were Jimmy Dykes (3B) and Al Simmons (OF). Dykes scored the first-ever All-Star run.
1954 Virgil Trucks threw a one-hitter at Detroit, beating the Tigers, 4-0. It was the second one-hitter thrown by Trucks in little more than two months; on May 1, he had beaten Boston at Fenway Park, 3-0, with a one-hitter. In this game, the only hit Trucks allowed came in the third inning, when Harvey Kuenn singled to center. Trucks struck out eight in the game.
For the season, Trucks would go 19-12 with a 2.79 ERA, and he’d save the All-Star Game in Cleveland for the American League.
1980 For the first and only time in White Sox history, the club hit two pinch-hit home runs in the same game. And that feat, late in the nightcap of a doubleheader at Comiskey Park, keyed a sweep of the Oakland Athletics.
After a 2-0 squeaker (courtesy of first-inning RBI singles from Jim Morrison and Harold Baines, snapping a 21-inning scoreless drought) supported a complete-game five-hitter by Steve Trout in the opener, the White Sox brought out the heavy lumber late in the nightcap. The club snapped another scoreless streak, this one of 13 2/3 innings within this very twinbill with four homers.
Trailing 4-0 with just seven outs left, the first came courtesy of a Todd Cruz solo shot. The second homer came from Thad Bosley to lead off the eighth inning, followed by a pinch-hit homer from Lamar Johnson. Trailing 4-3 in the ninth, Oakland reliever got the first two outs of the inning before Cruz snuck on with a bunt single. Greg Pryor was sent up to pinch-hit and blasted a sayonara home run deep to left field to send fans home frenzied and happy.
Three of Oakland’s four runs came on solo homers, including an inside-the-park round-tripper from Rickey Henderson, making a total of seven homers in the nightcap.
1983 The golden anniversary All-Star Game was held at Comiskey Park, hosting the game for the third time. The American League mangled the National League, 13-3, stopping an 11-game losing streak. Chicago native Fred Lynn of the Angels hit the game’s first-ever grand slam, off of San Francisco’s Atlee Hammaker (who’d later go on to pitch for the Sox).
Ron Kittle, who’d go on to win the 1983 AL Rookie of the Year, got an infield single in the seventh inning. He was the South Siders’ lone representative.
1999 Chris Singleton became the first White Sox rookie to ever hit for the cycle, when he turned the trick against Kansas City. It was also the first cycle hit by a White Sox player in their eight-plus seasons at New Comiskey Park. The Sox would lose the game, however, 8-7, in 10 innings.
Singleton went 5-for-6 with three runs scored and four RBIs. He would later go on to be a Sox broadcaster for a short period of time.
2007 The Minnesota Twins scored 32 runs and hammered eight home runs in a day/night twin bill at U.S. Cellular Field, winning 20-14 and 12-0. It was a low point for a franchise that had won the World Series less than two years earlier. Jon Garland and Gavin Floyd took the losses.
2010 Facing Mike Napoli in the second inning of a start at Sox Park, Jake Peavy suffered an (officially) unprecedented injury: a complete tear of his lat (back) muscle. He would undergo experimental surgery on July 14 to heal.
At the time of injury, Peavy had made 17 starts, going 7-6 with a career-worst 4.63 ERA. The star righty did come through his possible career-ending injury and made his first start back on May 11, 2011, and would pitch in six more seasons after getting hurt.
2021 The unbelievable injury run continued to plague the White Sox. Catcher Yasmani Grandal became the 15th different player and fourth key starter to go on the injured list for the club, with only a little more than half the season played. He was diagnosed with a torn tendon in his left knee, suffered the night before in Minnesota on a checked swing. A few days earlier in Detroit, he took himself out of the game with a tight calf muscle in the same leg. At the time he was among the club leaders in home runs, on-base percentage and among the league leaders in walks.
After a stint on the IL Grandal came back to put up impressive numbers, finishing the season with 23 home runs and 62 RBIs. In a game against the Cubs on August 27 he’d tie the team record by driving in eight runs in a 17-13 win.
Later that same night, with the Sox needing something positive, pitcher Carlos Rodón gave it to them. The lefthander kept the Twins in check for six innings, allowing one run and striking out eight as the Sox got a badly-needed win, 4-1. With the eight strikeouts, Rodón tied a club record (first set by Juan Pizarro back in 1961) with eight or more strikeouts in nine straight starts.
Petey Halpin had a triple, a homer and four RBI, Ralphy Velazquez went 2 for 5 with a double and two strikeouts, Angel Genao had a double and a walk, while Logan Allen allowed 2 runs in 6 strong innings and Daniel Espino pitched a scoreless ninth. See you in Cleveland again soon, Daniel.
Bennett Thompson continued his strong start in Triple-A with another home run and a walk, and Alfonsin Rosario hit another homer, his 16th of the year. Rafe Schlesinger struckout six in six innings without walking anyone, and Matt Jahec struck out four in two innings and seems like he might need a promotion soon, with a 2.38 ERA.
Aaron Walton had his 20th steal and Nolan Schubart hit is 12th double while Jervis Alfaro threw five scoreless and Cam Schuelke had another scoreless outing. Jace Laviolette went 2 for 5 with two strikeouts. He is such an interesting player.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JULY 03: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 of the Toronto Blue Jays hugs Kazuma Okamoto #7 of the Toronto Blue Jays after beating the Seattle Mariners 2-0 at T-Mobile Park on July 03, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images) | Getty Images
I just can’t wait until the end of the season to do the final analysis of the San Francisco Giants/Farhan Zaidi opting not to sign Kevin Gausman to an extension after the 2021 season. With the trade deadline less than a month away now and Robbie Ray almost certainly on the move, it’s begging to be written right now.
The history of the Giants getting burned by long-term pitching contracts is pretty spectacular. I don’t know what moron opted to sign Barry Zito to that 7-year deal after the 2003 season, and if it was Larry Baer, it just goes to show what an untouchable and blessed man he is. But after that, extensions for Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain didn’t provide value in the actual extension years. The Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto deals were similarly hailed as massive failures that doomed the franchise. So, that’s a pretty good sampling of failure, which ignores the context of all the success.
That’s pretty much what happened with Gausman. The Giants ignored the context of success or that the player wanted to remain in San Francisco or that he worked well with a burgeoning young pitcher already in the fold in Logan Webb. A couple of years later, Farhan Zaidi would be able to show his work and convince ownership that signing Webb to an extension in a similar AAV range as Gausman would be good for the team and they acquiesced… but they’ve still bothered to let their disgruntlement echo through the halls of Oracle Park and into the curious ears of beat writers and pundits. It is known that the Giants don’t favor, value, or want pitchers signed to big, long-term deals. It’s why they were willing to let Madison Bumgarner walk after his deal.
When you’re the sole team in a country as the Blue Jays are in Canada, it’s not a big deal.
This isn’t to say that the Giants totally have the wrong idea and high value, high payroll teams like the Blue Jays do, but before we look at Kevin Gausman and his Blue Jays teammates, let’s finish this analysis. Kevin Gausman left the Giants and signed a 5-year, $110 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays that started in 2022. Rather than re-sign him, the Giants went with Carlos Rodón, Alex Cobb, and Robbie Ray. Here’s how the plan has worked out over the past almost-five seasons:
Now, the total amount for the Giants’ side of the equation is based on two assumptions: that the Giants, owing Alex Cobb $10 milion for 2024, saved about $3.333 million the rest of the season after trading him away to the Guardians before he’d finished his rehab; and, that in trading Robbie Ray with approximately two months to go in 2026, they will have paid Robbie Ray $16.7 million and gotten half a win above replacement out of him (yes, this is envisioning a trade before his next start).
So, if all this holds, the Giants’ missed it by… an awful lot. From a straight money perspective, they were off by just about $2 million, and for most wagon circling front office lovers out there that might be more than enough to still bother to affirm the previous regime’s “genius,” but the substantive part of the analysis — that wins above replacement total — is a big whiff. The Giants were so afraid of committing long-term to a pitcher out of fear of injuries or ineffectiveness that they wound up acquiring THREE pitchers with injury histories and 2/3 of them saw their production hampered by injuries. This was some penny wise, pound foolish nonsense and I’m glad we all got to experience it. Farhan Zaidi, encouraged by ownership, attempted to recreate Kevin Gausman in the aggregate so that the Giants could have a formidable 1-2 punch at the top of their rotation, and the team failed.
Anyway, this post’s headline is a reference to the penultimate episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, which was about Kirk, Spock, and McCoy beaming down to a planet that was about to be obliterated by its star going supernova after getting signs of life. Upon beaming down, they discover that the entire civilization has devised a time travel technology that will allow every single person to escape into their planet’s past to live out their lifespans and not have to be lost to the supernova.
It’s a good enough episode that if it had been the series finale it would’ve been a good one to go out on — certainly better than the actual finale, the genuinely awful and misogynistic “Turnabout Intruder” — but as a talking point for the 2026 San Francisco Giants it carries exactly this weight: as nice as it is to escape into the past to avoid a terrible future, the punishing nature of the major league schedule and the cruel passage of time prevents that from happening.
We’ll never know if re-signing Gausman would’ve worked out as well as it did for the Blue Jays and if that working out would’ve meant a couple more winning seasons interspersed in the last 5 seasons, and as nice as it would be to escape into that past or that reality, the supernova is here and the Giants must once again ask if the rules they’ve self-imposed that have brought them into its path were of any use. Hmm, why bother wondering. Powerful, successful people have made these rules. They can’t fail, they can only be failed.
But I can’t be totally critical. Since 2020, when the Blue Jays kicked off this latest competitive window, their pitching staff (with or without Gausman) hasn’t been as valuable as the Giants, trailing the orange and black 82.2 to 94.1 Sure, they have a better record over this same span (514-446 to 494-465) and four postseason appearances including a World Series loss, but the Giants have had the better pitching — or, at least, Logan Webb along with their aggregate approach has mostly worked.
Not this year, of course. This year has been an unmitigated disaster. Not much the Giants have done has worked.
That’s sort of what’s happened with the Blue Jays. They’ve done all the things a big market/high-spending team is supposed to do: build through the draft and international signings, developing talent through the farm system, retaining the most valuable farm players with long-term deals and supplementing the roster with free agents. They signed Vladimir Guerrero to a 14-year, $500 million deal last April. Gausman was brought in to be the #2 behind Alek Manoah, and when that didn’t work out, he’s managed to be the steadiest pitcher behind whoever was considered “the ace,” ascending to that role in the 2025 World Series year. This year, he’s part of a three-headed monster with Trey Yesavage (drafted) and Dylan Cease (free agent).
Still, with all that talent at the top of the rotation, Toronto’s pitching staff is a lot closer to middle of the pack (13th in fWAR). Compounding problems is that their lineup just hasn’t clicked. Their 92 wRC+ is just 23rd. They are second to last in runs scored (356), making them the lowest-scoring team in the American League. The cause? Well, they let Bo Bichette go and 36-year old George Springer won’t replicate 35-year old George Springer’s 32 home run season of 2025. The team’s power dropoff is precipitous and their team batting line compared to last year — keeping in mind that the 2025 squad is the type of lineup the Giants seem to want — is stark:
Walking less, striking out more, hitting for less power, making less contact — a bad recipe that makes a bad lineup, which is just what Toronto has had. Since getting back to 39-39 a few weeks ago, they’ve gone 3-9 thanks to averaging just 3 runs per game. They’ve been shutout in 3 of their last 5 games including 2 straight. They were 3-7 on their last homestand.
This team still has playoff aspirations. The Giants do not.
Series overview
Who: San Francisco Giants (37-52) vs Toronto Blue Jays (42-48) Where: Oracle Park | San Francisco, California When: Monday & Tuesday at 6:45pm PT, Wednesday at 12:45pm PT National broadcasts: Peacock (Sunday)
Projected starters Monday: Landen Roupp (RHP 5-8, 4.55 ERA) vs. Kevin Gausman (RHP 4-7, 4.19 ERA) Tuesday: TBD vs. Trevor McDonald (RHP 3-6, 4.42 ERA) Wednesday: Logan Webb (RHP 5-6, 3.66 ERA) vs. Dylan Cease (RHP 5-4, 2.79 ERA)
Blue Jays to watch
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: Vlad Guerrero has yet to homer at home this season! That has no bearing on this series, necessarily, but it’s an interesting factoid. He has just 4 all season anyway and a very bad .698 OPS to boot. Baseball Savant took a look at Vladito’s power drought and found some reasons to think he’s due for a turnaround in-season. You’d like to think that the slump would linger a little longer, though. He’s played at Oracle Park just twice in his career (2019 & 2024) and the two homers he’s hit came in 2019. He was 1-for-13 in the 2024 series.
Tyler Rogers: Why didn’t I make the whole series preview about the Tyler Rogers’ return? Well, because he’s got two more years left on his deal. Instead, Buster Posey will get to watch the funky submariner attack Giants hitters and see if the organization’s familiarity with him gives any of the hitters an edge. Rogers has allowed 0 homers in 42 appearances (40.2 IP). Toronto’s closer, Louis Varland (18 saves, 2.2 fWAR) has allowed just 1 in 47 IP.
Ernie Clement: I am not the only one who remembers how he absolutely obliterated the Giants at Oracle Park back in that 2024 series. Total annihilation. He was 5-for-11 with 2 homers and 7 RBI. Both of his homers were 3-run homers, one off of Ryan Walker and another off of Logan Webb, both of whom he’ll face in this series. But! He’s just 13-for-55 in his last 16 games (.236/.276/.273) with only 2 extra base hits (doubles) and a single RBI.
Giants to watch
Logan Webb: Can the Giants’ ace get back on track after a disastrous start in Coors Field or have the wheels come off the season and now it’s all about turning to next season?
Rafael Devers: He has 24 career homers against Toronto across 108 games and 449 plate appearances. A career .927 OPS hitter in the matchup. His two homers yesterday gave him 18 on the season which ties him with Manny Machado, Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, and CJ Abrams — good company. Half of them have come since June 15th… the day I published a post assessing Devers’ present and projecting his future. I didn’t think he’d be much better than around the league average. Since that post went up, he’s hit .306/.386/.790 (70 PA), an 11.4 BB%, and 20 K% — far, far better than the league. Is he reading my posts???
Heliot Ramos: He’s got a couple of homers in 7 games off the IL with a 6.9 BB% and surprising 17.2 K%. Whether or not the Giants trade him is irrelevant. He’s an easy Giant to root for and if he’s back on track, really fun to watch.
Prediction time
Kevin Gausman will strike out some Giant at least twice. Tyler Rogers will get a pair of strikeouts in at least one appearance. Jung Hoo Lee will hit a home run.
