Category: Baseball

The Colorado Rockies announced today that they have made three moves that affect their pitching staff:

• Selected the contract of right-handed pitcher TJ Shook (#52) from Triple-A Albuquerque.
• Optioned right-handed pitcher Zach Agnos to Triple-A Albuquerque.
• Transferred left-handed pitcher Welinton Herrera to the 60-day injured list.

TJ Shook, 28, was selected by the Rockies in the Minor League Phase of the 2025 Rule 5 Draft from the New York Mets and has spent the 2026 season in Triple-A Albuquerque. In 22 appearances, the right-hander has gone 2-0 with a 2.86 ERA that includes seven saves, eight walks and 29 strikeouts. He leads the PCL in saves and is tied for second in appearances.

Shook was originally signed by the Milwaukee Brewers as an undrafted free agent in 2020 out of the University of South Carolina, and has a 34-23 record with 20 saves and a 4.30 ERA over six minot league seasons (151 appearances).

He will be making his MLB debut.

Meanwhile, Zach Agnos was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque. This comes after a terrific start on May 21 that saw him pitch five one-hit, shutout innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Unfortunately, since then, Agnos has allowed 14 earned runs combined over his last two outings (three total innings pitched). Agnos has been up-and-down all season, but given the last two outings, the Rockies decided to send him to ABQ for a reset.

The most unfortunate news, though, is that of rookie left-hander Welinton Herrera (No. 17 PuRP) being transferred to the 60-day IL after being diagnosed with left elbow inflammation on Saturday. He was originally recalled when José Quintana suffered an elbow injury last Sunday, and made three excellent appearances out of the bullpen (2.1 IP) — allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out two (the first of which was a failed ABS challenge by Dodgers’ catcher Daulton Rushing).

This brings Brennan Bernardino back to being the lone lefty in the bullpen.

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MILWAUKEE — Hector Borg didn’t last long as the Giants’ third-base coach, and his interim replacement, Ron Wotus, doesn’t seem to be long for the gig, either.

The Giants are in discussions with Gary Pettis to become first-year manager Tony Vitello’s third third base coach in as many months, a major-league source confirmed Monday afternoon.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported the sides were in agreement, though the Giants have not announced anything and Vitello indicated they were still not yet across the finish line.

“Definitely closer,” the manager said before the Giants began a four-game series against the Brewers. “There’s been a couple twists and turns to it.”

Pettis, 68, is a veteran third-base coach, most recently holding the title for 10 years under three different managers with the Astros until his contract wasn’t renewed after 2024. Before that, he coached third and first on Ron Washington’s staff with the Rangers for eight seasons.

An Oakland native, Pettis’ name should be familiar for local sports fans: Dante Pettis, the former 49ers receiver, is one of his four children. He also played 11 big-league seasons as an outfielder and a speed demon for the Angels, Tigers, Rangers and Padres.

The Giants reassigned Borg to a player development role and elevated Wotus before their weekend series against the Rockies that began the road trip.

Borg, in his first season on the major-league staff after two decades in the organization, became the center of attention for the wrong reasons too many times. The tipping point apparently came in the finale of their home stand Wednesday, when he waved Willy Adames into an out at home plate in a 3-2 loss that finished off a sweep at the hands of the Diamondbacks.

Despite an emphasis in spring training, San Francisco has been the worst base-running team in the majors, according to FanGraphs’ all-encompassing metric. 

Entering Monday, the Giants had been thrown out on the bases 18 times, tied for the ninth-most of any team, including seven times at home plate.

Wotus, the longest-tenured coach in the organization, was in the third-base coach’s box for the first time Friday in Denver and remained there to begin their series against the Brewers.

Wotus, officially a senior adviser, has been in the dugout for home games but has not traveled regularly with the team since he retired from coaching full-time after 2021.

SEATTLE — Marcus Semien’s numbers with runners in scoring position haven’t been the issue as much as his production the rest of the time.

Unfortunately for the Mets, the vast majority of the veteran infielder’s at-bats this season have occurred the rest of the time. But over the last week, there’s been an uptick in Semien’s all-around performance.

Over his previous seven games before Monday, Semien owned a .954 OPS. He was an instrumental piece in a team that took a four-game winning streak that ended after Mets’ 3-2 loss to the Mariners.

“There have been lots of ups and downs, but the work never stops,” Semien said before going 1-for-3 with a home run and a strikeout. “That is what I love about this game is we have eight months to basically work as hard as we can to get to the point where we are playing in the game and the ball slows down a little bit and we’re swinging well.”

Even with his recent surge, Semien began play with an anemic .615 OPS for the season. Among his troubling underlying numbers are an average exit velocity of 86.1 mph that ranked in MLB’s ninth percentile. His average bat speed of 68.4 mph also ranked in MLB’s ninth percentile.

Semien went 5-for-10 with a homer in a three-game sweep of the Marlins that completed the homestand. It was a contributing factor to one of the Mets’ best series offensively this season after a dreadful showing the previous weekend in Miami. Over those three games the Mets scored only two runs and got swept.

“I think we learned from the series in Miami what worked against us,” Semien said. “And I think that is what this league is always about is making adjustments when the other team has really good stuff. They threw us a lot of offspeed pitches even though they have high velocity, too, so you have to be able to handle velocity but get it in the right spot … we chased a lot. It’s never going to be perfect but if everybody goes with that approach, that was part of the conversation.”

Semien entered the day with an .830 OPS with runners in scoring position. Included into that equation was a .354 batting average (17-for-48) in such instances.

Manager Carlos Mendoza described Semien as “short to the ball and quick” when he’s successful offensively.

“He’s not missing pitches there, controlling the strike zone a little bit better,” Mendoza said. “We are going to need him. It’s been hard for him, but this guy is going to continue to play and grind out. It was good to see him continue to get results.”

Juan Soto continues to carry the Mets lineup, but the Mets received big contributions from Carson Benge, Mark Vientos and Jared Young, among others, in building the four-game winning streak they took into play.

Semien, who won a Gold Glove at second base last year with Texas, can appreciate the team’s defensive growth — with the addition of rookie A.J. Ewing to join Benge in the outfield — as much as the offensive resurgence.

“A lot of those balls are being hit over my head and you feel like they are going to be doubles or triples and they are running them down,” Semien said “It’s a good feeling and it makes our pitchers feel like they can be confident in the zone. Their talent is through the roof and experience is how they are going to get better every day.”

Well, it’s time for a new series. I’m not sure if that’s the good news or the bad news, but the San Francisco Giants are in cheeseland for a quartet of games against the Milwaukee Brewers.

It begins tonight, with right-hander Landen Roupp on the mound. Through 11 starts, Roupp is 3-3 with a 3.30 ERA, a 2.66 FIP, and 68 strikeouts to 22 walks in 60 innings. He pitched five innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks in his last start, giving up four runs and two earned runs.

On the other side is lefty Shane Drohan, a rookie. Drohan is an opener for the Brewers, and in 11 games is 2-1 with a 2.63 ERA, a 2.38 FIP, and 28 strikeouts to eight walks in 27.1 innings. He tossed two shutout innings against the St. Louis Cardinals in his last game.

Enjoy the game, everyone! Go Giants!

Lineups

Giants

1. Casey Schmitt — LF
2. Rafael Devers — DH
3. Luis Arráez — 2B
4. Willy Adames — SS
5. Jung Hoo Lee — RF
6. Matt Chapman — 3B
7. Bryce Eldridge — 1B
8. Eric Haase — C
9. Jonah Cox — CF

RHP. Landen Roupp

Brewers

1. Christian Yelich — DH
2. Jackson Chourio — CF
3. Brice Turang — 2B
4. William Contreras — C
5. Jake Bauers — LF
6. Andrew Vaughn — 1B
7. Sal Frelick — RF
8. Luis Rengifo — 3B
9. David Hamilton — SS

LHP. Shane Drohan

Game #60

Who: San Francisco Giants (23-36) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (35-21)

Where: American Family Field, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

When: 4:40 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

I’ll try not to bring up the 2011 World Series. Just kidding. I’m gonna bring back those memories as often as I can. The St. Louis Cardinals welcome the Texas Rangers to Busch Stadium Monday night. Michael McGreevy will start for the Cardinals while Skip Schumaker will send Jacob deGrom to the mound for the Tigers. First pitch scheduled for 6:45pm. Two words, Rangers fans: David Freese. You’re welcome.

I hope everybody’s had a lovely Monday so far! The Braves aren’t alone in getting today to rest, as nearly half the league is off. If you want or need a baseball fix, there’s still plenty of college baseball going on over on the ESPN family of networks. Unfortunately for some of the locals (or fortunately if you’re the type who likes to wear red and black and red), the No. 2 overall seed Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets just got eliminated from the NCAA Baseball Tournament after getting taken down by the Oklahoma Sooners. It’s also fortunate for Tech fans that this won’t be the biggest flop in the tournament after the No. 1 overall seed UCLA fell directly onto their faces during their regional. This tournament is already crazy, y’all.

Anyways, if you haven’t given college baseball a try then now is the perfect time to do so. ABSincewayback is going to be covering the results from a Braves MLB Draft perspective, so stay tuned for that.

If all of that amateur baseball doesn’t interest you, then the Marlins and the Nationals have a pretty fun pitching matchup going tonight. Sandy Alcantara is taking on Cade Cavalli, so if you want to watch some big league action then that could be fun. You could just also watch whatever you want, it’s an off day, there’s no rules.

Texas Rangers @ St. Louis Cardinals

Monday, June 1, 2026, 6:45 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Rangers Sports Network)

Busch Stadium

RHP Jacob deGrom vs. RHP Michael McGreevy

Go Rangers!

The vibes on the South Side have shifted in a hurry. The White Sox enter tonight’s matchup with the Twins riding a 6-1 week that included a statement sweep of the Tigers. Now comes another test against an AL Central rival, as Chicago heads to Minnesota looking to keep the momentum rolling.

The challenge won’t be easy. The Twins hand the ball to righthander Joe Ryan, who was dominant against the White Sox just last week. Ryan carved through Chicago’s lineup for 7 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out nine and issuing no walks, earning a quality start. On the season, the veteran owns a 3-3 record with a 2.94 ERA and sparkling 0.93 WHIP.

Ryan attacks hitters with a deep six-pitch arsenal led by his four-seam fastball (43.1%), while mixing in a knuckle curve (13.6%), sweeper (13.2%), sinker (12.5%), splitter (10.2%), and slider (7.5%). The White Sox will need a more disciplined approach than they showed in their last meeting if they want to crack one of the American League’s steadiest starters. Ryan rarely beats himself. The White Sox drew zero walks against him in their last meeting. Finding ways to elevate his pitch count and create traffic on the bases will be essential.

Skipper Will Venable is countering Ryan with one of the most intriguing stories in the organization. David Sandlin gets the ball for just his second start after an unforgettable debut against the Twins last week. The first and only batter to do serious damage against him was Byron Buxton, who launched Sandlin’s second pitch of the game into the seats. After that? Absolute dominance.

Sandlin retired the next 18 batters he faced, completing six innings while striking out four without issuing a walk. Of his 61 pitches, only one truly hurt him.

The 25-year-old righthander arrived in Chicago as part of the Jordan Hicks trade with Boston. Originally selected by Kansas City in the 11th round of the 2022 draft, the Royals dealt Sandlin to the Red Sox in February 2024 before eventually landing with the White Sox. His minor league numbers this season were eye-popping: a combined 0.55 ERA in 16 1/3 frames across Winston-Salem and Charlotte.

Like Ryan, Sandlin works with six pitches. His four-seam fastball (44.3%) and curveball (29.5%) make up the bulk of his attack, complemented by a cutter (11.5%), changeup (6.6%), sweeper (4.9%), and sinker (3.3%).

Here’s how the White Sox line them up against the Ryan and the Twins.

A few things stand out here. Venable continues to show confidence in Sam Antonacci, who gets another shot atop the order after providing energy and on-base ability during the recent hot streak. Meanwhile, Colson Montgomery finds himself in the cleanup spot, a sign of just how much faith the organization has in the shortstop’s bat. It’ll also be interesting to see whether Edgar Quero can continue his recent offensive surge from the bottom third of the lineup.

And for Minnesota.

The headliner is obviously Buxton, who wasted no time introducing himself to Sandlin last week with that first-inning homer. Chicago will also have to navigate left-handed bats Kody Clemens and Trevor Larnach, both capable of doing damage against right-handed pitching.

Buxton got the better of the rookie in Round 1. Sandlin’s response after that homer was impressive, but tonight offers another opportunity to show he can make adjustments against one of the division’s most dangerous hitters.

A 6-1 week can change the complexion of a season. The White Sox have been playing aggressive, confident baseball lately. The question now is whether they can carry that momentum into another divisional showdown and a tough month of June.

The White Sox have already swept one AL Central foe. Tonight, they’ll try to make it seven wins in eight games and continue proving that this recent surge is more than just a hot streak.

First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. CT on CHSN, with radio coverage on ESPN 1000.

The Texas Rangers have recalled relief pitcher Luis Curvelo from and infielder Cody Freeman from AAA Round Rock and have purchased the contract of relief pitcher Robbie Ahlstrom from AAA Round Rock, the team announced today. To make room on the active roster for the pitchers, the Rangers have optioned reliever Gavin Collyer to AAA Round Rock, placed reliever Chris Martin on the 15 day injured list, and placed infielder Sam Haggerty on the bereavement list. To make room for Ahlstrom on the 40 man roster, the Rangers have moved reliever Robert Garcia from the 15 day injured list to the 60 day injured list.

Swapping out Curvelo for Collyer gets the Rangers a fresh arm up, although Collyer’s demotion was probably performance-related as well. Since his most recent callup, Collyer has walked six of 23 batters faced (though one was intentional), and hit two batters. His most recent outing, on yesterday, saw him come into the game with a 6-1 lead in the eighth. He retired just two of the six batters he faced, walking two of them, hitting one, and giving up a home run.

Martin was on the injured list earlier this year and hasn’t really seemed right all season. The designation for the injured list move is a shoulder impingement.

Ahlstrom is a lefthander who turns 27 later this month. Acquired from the New York Yankees prior to the 2022 season in the Jose Trevino trade, Ahlstrom split the previous two seasons between Frisco and Round Rock, and has spent all of 2026 in Round Rock. This year, Ahlstrom has shown significantly improved command, cutting his walk rate in half from the previous two seasons. He has a 2.76 ERA this season in 29.1 IP over 21 games for the Express, with 33 Ks against 8 walks.

Freeman was seen as a candidate for the 2026 Opening Day roster in a bench role but started the season on the injured list due to a back issue. He was sent out on a rehab assignment a couple of weeks ago, and was activated from the injured list and optioned on May 28.

First Pitch (CT):6:40 PM
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN/830 WCCO/102.9 The Wolf /Audacy App
Know Yo’ Foe: South Side Sox

Seems like just a week that vibes were high as we went into a heated playoff clash with the upstart Chicago White Sox. Well, after losing 3/4 in that series, getting swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates, and losing Bailey Ober to an arm injury… the vibes are notably lower. Though, thanks to the general terribleness of the American League and the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals in particular, the Twins’ playoff odds are about the same as they were last week.

Here’s some good news: it’s Joe Ryan day! On a volatile team, it’s nice to have the ace who takes the ball every five games and gets you a great result nearly every time. The Twins will be facing David Sandlin on the other side, making the second start of his career, both against Minnesota. Byron Buxton hit a homer off the rookie last week and no one else did much of note. Hopefully the bats can make some more noise back at home.

Roster notes:

• Byron Buxton is DHing again and has played CF just once over the past month since his injury. Coming into the season this could have been an exciting chance to see Emmanuel Rodriguez, Walker Jenkins, or even Alan Roden, but all three of those outfielders are hurt.
• In the meantime… Kody Clemens has been the go-to option in CF. Austin Martin’s glove isn’t trusted there while James Outman’s bat has been a drag all season long. Outman is likely the odd man out(man) whenever Roden returns.
• There’s no clear fill-in for Ober at this point. With Lopez, Abel, Festa, and Rojas all on the IL for the foreseeable future, the St. Paul depth is essentially tapped. Andrew Morris has looked sharp out of the bullpen, but you have to wonder if the Twins are forced to stretch him back out at this point. Same could be said for John Klein.
• In good news: Cole Sands is starting a rehab assignment this week. Those are always shorter for relievers and his return could allow Morris, Klein, or Paredes to work as a true starter.

Lineups

It’s time for another mega weekend Minor League Baseball roundup, and for the last time for a while, there are only five San Francisco Giants teams in action … the Dominican Summer League gets off and rolling today, and even though it’s the least exciting DSL lineup for the Giants in many years, it’s exciting nonetheless.

Now let’s cover a VERY busy weekend!

Link to the 2026 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.

News

The big news is, of course, that AA Richmond outfielder Jonah Cox was called up to the big leagues on Sunday. It’s an incredibly exciting move, and I can’t wait to watch Cox play at the highest level. That said, I think it’s an incredibly stupid move by the Giants, and I would love to see Cox get challenged in AAA instead. Hopefully he makes me look dumb, but I have both eyebrows raised very high about this one.

In other news impacting both the Minors and Majors, AAA Sacramento infielder Buddy Kennedy and RHP Wilkin Ramos had their contracts purchased by the Giants, while catcher Jesús Rodríguez was optioned to Sacramento.

Sacramento shortstop Osleivis Basabe, Sacramento LHP Seth Lonsway, and Richmond RHP Logan Martin were all placed on the 7-Day IL.

In non-transaction news, Richmond LHP Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson, who came to the Giants in the Patrick Bailey trade, was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week after a 7-inning dominant start against his former team. He’s not the only award winner, however, as Low-A San Jose LHP Jordan Gottesman also took home Pitcher of the Week honors in the California League!

AAA Sacramento (33-22)

Friday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Reno Aces 5-3(11 innings) [box score]
Saturday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Reno Aces 6-4 [box score]
Sunday: Sacramento River Cats beat the Reno Aces 13-11 [box score]

A fairly standard weekend for a Sacramento team that is constantly rotating pieces, as is par for the course this time of year. Players are coming and going from the Major League squad and from other Minor League teams, rehab assignments are running their course, and prospects are making a name for themselves. I wouldn’t say the River Cats are the most enthralling team in the world right now, but they’re certainly full of storylines and action.

Interestingly, given the shocking move to promote outfielder Jonah Cox to the Majors straight from AA, Jared Oliva began his rehab assignment this weekend. The 30-year old was a Minor League free agent over the offseason, and surprisingly made the Opening Day roster to be a pinch-running specialist and occasional defensive replacement, before suffering an injury that landed him on the 60-Day IL. I’ve spent much of the year comparing Cox to Oliva, as they’re among the best defensive outfielders in the system and, without question, 2 of the 3 best basestealers in the organization (arguably the top 2 … we’ll have to see how Josuar González does against better catchers).

So I found it a tiny bit odd that the Giants called on Cox right as Oliva is nearing a return. Either way, he began his rehab on Saturday, and it went quite well: across 2 games, he hit 3-5 with 2 doubles, a sacrifice fly, 2 stolen bases, and 1 strikeout, while playing designated hitter on Saturday and center field on Sunday (he didn’t play the full game either day). I certainly hope the Giants use Cox more than they used Oliva but, either way, their presences are slightly redundant, so it will be interesting to see what role Oliva plays going forward.

Of course, the promotion of Cox and the return of Oliva is very bad news for Grant McCray, who has now been passed over for 3 different players who were not on the roster (Oliva, Cox, and Victor Bericoto), in addition to a prospect (Drew Gilbert) and a veteran journeyman (Will Brennan, thrice). With Casey Schmitt looking more and more comfortable in the outfield, Jesús Rodríguez (No. 16 CPL) looking serviceable there, and Heliot Ramos presumably returning at some point before the All-Star Game (to make no mention of Harrison Bader), it’s getting harder and harder to see how McCray fits into the organization’s plans.

According to Roger Munter, McCray, who hit 0-4 with a walk, 2 strikeouts, and an outfield assist on Friday, but didn’t play on Saturday or Sunday, has also been placed on the IL, making his road back to the Majors even rockier. I wouldn’t be surprised if, at this point, he’s hoping for a trade (or a release) so that he can hit the reset button with an organization that is more interested in playing him.

Sacramento is lacking a little bit in top prospects after the promotions of Rodríguez and Bryce Eldridge (No. 1 CPL), but there were some bright spots from the players who were recently promoted to the level. Catcher Drew Cavanaugh (No. 19 CPL) went 0-5 with a walk and 3 strikeouts on Friday and Saturday, but bounced back on Sunday by hitting 2-5 with a home run, a walk, and 2 strikeouts. Cavanaugh is casually sitting on a 1.263 OPS and a 214 wRC+ through 15 games with Sacramento this year, and the way the Giants are doing things these days, that means he could be the starting catcher in the Majors by week’s end. I’m only mostly joking…

Outfielder Turner Hill, another player in the Oliva/Cox mold, had a decent weekend, hitting just 2-11 with 2 strikeouts, but drawing 4 walks and stealing 2 bases. The 27-year old undrafted free agent has 9 stolen bases in 32 games with Sacramento (while getting caught just once), and has an .801 OPS and a 121 wRC+.

As for the other recent promotees, outfielder Scott Bandure went 4-13 with 2 sacrifice bunts, 2 strikeouts, and an outfield assist, while shortstop Aeverson Arteaga hit 4-12 with 2 doubles, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, a caught stealing, and an error.

Second baseman Nate Furman (No. 39 CPL) continues to be a hit machine, as he went 5-14 with a home run, a walk, 2 sacrifice flies, a stolen base, and an error. He has a .783 OPS and a 113 wRC+, with just a 12.3% strikeout rate in his 1st year at AAA, and certainly looks like he could play a role in the Majors at some point this year or next.

Rounding out the offensive performances was the do-everything glue player for the River Cats, Thomas Gavello. The 2022 13th-round pick, who turns 25 this week, hit 5-12 with a home run, a double, a walk, a sacrifice bunt, and 2 strikeouts, while playing second base and left field. He has a .660 OPS and a 76 wRC+.

It wasn’t a very notable weekend on the mound for the River Cats, and the most notable name struggled, as LHP Carson Whisenhunt (No. 8 CPL) saw his streak of great starts come to a close. The overall line for Whisenhunt was quite ugly: 4.2 innings, 7 hits, 3 walks, 1 hit batter, and 5 runs, with 6 strikeouts. But, as has been the case for him in most of his tough outings, Whisenhunt was really putting together a fantastic start before things came crashing down. He didn’t allow any runs through the 1st 4 innings of the game, and really wasn’t ever in much trouble. But it all came unraveled in the 5th, when he walked the leadoff hitter and then gave up a double, followed by a 1-out single and a pair of 2-out singles, with a wild pitch, a hit by pitch, and an intentional walk sprinkled in that 2-out fiasco as well.

Ultimately, the final line is what matters most, but it’s always more encouraging when the damage is bunched together at the end of an outing. Whisenhunt was, once again, pitching very well, until he ran out of steam. I’d imagine that’s what the Giants want him to work on before bringing him up: holding his quality of pitches even as the pitch count rises, and finding a way to pitch deeper into games. He’s been strong this year, with a 3.72 ERA and a 3.54 FIP, but he needed 82 pitches on Sunday and didn’t make it out of the 5th inning, which has been something of a trend. The 2022 2nd-round pick has pitched 5 innings in just 6 of his 12 games this year, and pitched more than 5 innings just 3 times.

RHP Spencer Bivens started on Friday, as he continues to make the transition from reliever to starter. I’m not sure if the Giants are doing that to see how he can perform as a starter (which would be odd, given how much he was struggling as a reliever), or because they just need someone to eat innings. Either way, it went well on Friday: despite playing in the offense-friendly environment in Reno, Bivens allowed just 1 run in 5 innings, while allowing just 5 hits, 1 walk, and 1 hit batter (though he also only had 1 strikeout).

It’s been a disappointing year for Bivens, who was left off the Opening Day roster and has struggled in his return to AAA, but he has looked a little better in a starting role.

RHP Jason Foley and LHP Reiver Sanmartin continued their rehabs with varying results. Both pitched only on Friday, with Foley striking out 2 batters in a perfect inning, and Sanmartin allowing a walk and a solo home run in an inning of work, with a strikeout. Foley has been excellent in his rehab, and looks about ready to join the club. Sanmartin has been less sharp, but also has options, so he may stay in Sacramento for a while. RHP Ryan Walker also pitched, and allowed 2 hits but 0 runs in an inning of work.

Rough weekends for a pair of good pitching prospects: RHP Trent Harris (No. 29 CPL) struck out the only batter he faced on Saturday, but on Sunday allowed 5 hits (including a home run), 1 walk, and 3 runs in just an inning of work. RHP Marques Johnson pitched twice, and gave up 3 hits, 2 home runs, 2 walks, 1 hit batter, 5 runs, and 4 earned runs in 2.1 innings, with 3 strikeouts. Harris has a 6.32 ERA and a 6.13 FIP, while Johnson has a 5.24 ERA and a 5.70 FIP.

AA Richmond (34-16)

Friday: Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Akron RubberDucks 4-3 (10 innings) [box score]
Saturday: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Akron RubberDucks 10-3 [box score]
Sunday: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Akron RubberDucks 11-5 [box score]

A losing streak for the Squirrels, which has been a very rare thing this year! Though, in their defense, they’ve really been sapped of a lot of their talent … many of Richmond’s top players have been promoted to Sacramento (and San Francisco!), while the replacements have usually been more logistical fillers than top prospects getting promoted from A-ball.

There weren’t a lot of standout performances, as the offense struggled — they scored just 12 runs in 28 innings — and the pitching was fairly rough.

LHP Joe Whitman (No. 26 CPL), who has been staking a pretty nice claim to top pitcher in the Eastern League honors, had his worst game of the month on Saturday …. which speaks much more to his month than to his game. The 24-year old southpaw from Kent State went 6 innings against Akron, and ceded 6 hits, which included a triple and 2 doubles. That resulted in 3 runs on his ledger, but it’s hard to care too much about it, given that he ended the day with 0 walks and 9 strikeouts.

Still, 3 runs is an awful outing when held up against Whitman’s recent work: this was his 5th start of May and, stunningly, those were the only 3 runs he allowed. In all, Whitman ended the month having pitched 28 innings, while allowing just 14 hits, 5 walks, and 3 runs, with 37 strikeouts. WOW!

It certainly appears that Whitman, a 2nd-round compensation pick in 2023, is coming into his own and figuring things out. And anyone who reads these roundups knows just how much I love year-over-year improvements, so let’s look at how much he has grown in his 2nd year at the level: he’s dropped his ERA from 5.29 to 3.22, his FIP from 3.61 to 2.40, and his xFIP from 3.60 to 3.05; his strikeouts per 9 innings have jumped from 9.5 to 11.6, while his walks per 9 have dropped from 3.6 to 2.3. His ground ball rate is up slightly (41.2% to 42.7%), while his home runs per fly ball have dropped from 9.1% to 6.1%.

Just a sensational season all around, and I think it’s safe to say that, after a disappointing 2025 in which he tumbled down the rankings, he’s making a name for himself as one of the top pitching prospects in the organization again.

LHP Greg Farone has not had such a good season, but he did have a fantastic start as well, as the 2024 7th-rounder tossed 5 shutout innings on Friday, giving up just 2 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 3. It’s been a tough year for the Alabama product, as he has just a 6.52 ERA and a 6.11 FIP. But it’s only his 2nd year of professional baseball, and he hasn’t even hit the 150 innings mark for his career, so it’s still early. As Whitman has shown, it can take a little while for things to click!

It was a very rough weekend for the bullpen, which gave up 16 runs (13 earned) over the trio of games. The worst outing, unfortunately, belonged to RHP Will Bednar (No. 24 CPL), who gave up 2 hits, 3 walks, and a hit batter, while recording just 1 out, which tagged him for 6 runs (3 earned). It hasn’t been the season that Bednar has been searching for, after the 2021 1st-rounder had a fantastic end to 2025, and earned an invitation to Spring Training. Since then he spent time on the Development List, got demoted from AAA to AA, and his struggled in his Richmond return, with a 5.09 ERA and a 4.87 FIP. Bednar has had a dramatic drop in strikeouts per 9 innings year-over-year at the level, from 14.9 to 10.7, while his walks have jumped from 6.8 to 7.6.

The hitting was uninteresting but, again, that’s what happens what you promote half of the interesting bats! Richmond had just 1 big fly on the weekend, which belonged to first baseman Charlie Szykowny, who hit a 2-run blast on Friday, but otherwise had a mild-mannered weekend, finishing 1-11 with 1 walk, 4 strikeouts, and 2 errors.

Szykowny, a 9th-round pick in 2023, is having a solid AA debut, with a .789 OPS, a 111 wRC+, and just a 17.3% strikeout rate. He has so many intriguing hitting skills, but the cold water is that he’s primarily a first baseman these days (though he still occasionally plays third base), and will turn 26 this month.

Shortstop Maui Ahuna (No. 33 CPL) has been struggling a bit lately but had a very nice weekend, as he went 2-7 with 1 double, 4 walks, 1 hit by pitch, 2 stolen bases, and 3 strikeouts. A 24-year old 4th-round pick in 2023, Ahuna has been holding his own within the context that injuries limited him to just 97 career games entering this year … and just 11 in High-A. He has a .733 OPS and a 96 wRC+, with 10 stolen bases in 12 attempts. The contact issues are still a red flag, though: he has a 34.1% strikeout rate and an 18.0% swinging strike rate, marks that both rank 110th out of 120 Eastern League hitters with at least 100 plate appearances this year. But his defense remains stellar and, as Jonah Cox has shown, it only takes a few adjustments for a great defender to take off.

Left fielder/third baseman Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL) had an OK weekend, hitting 3-10 with 2 walks, 1 hit by pitch, 1 sacrifice fly, and 2 strikeouts. Harber is up to a .941 OPS and a 145 wRC+ and, after beginning the year only playing third base, is now mostly playing left field. That could be in part due to the promotions of Cox, Scott Bandura, and Turner Hill, leaving Richmond’s outfield barren. But it also could be the Giants getting prepared to shuffle yet another young player into the outfield mix. We’ll see.

Speaking of outfielders, center fielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) continued his slump, as he went 1-9 with a walk and 4 strikeouts. It’s been rough lately for the lefty, who has dipped to a .707 OPS and an 86 wRC+, and is 2-28 in his last 8 games.

High-A Eugene (37-14)

Friday: Eugene Emeralds lost to the Vancouver Canadians 7-3 [box score]
Saturday: Eugene Emeralds lost to the Vancouver Canadians 5-4 [box score]
Sunday: Eugene Emeralds beat the Vancouver Canadians 4-1 [box score]

If I had to hand out a “Player of the Weekend” award across the farm system, it would go to LHP Luis De La Torre (No. 14 CPL). It’s been an up-and-down season for Torre, one of the breakout stars of 2025. And, truthfully, there’s been more “down” than “up.” But he has repeatedly shown flashes of why everyone who follows the system fell in love with his game last year … and no flash was bigger than Sunday’s.

LDLT — a 22-year old who has the rare distinction of being an international free agent who played high school ball in the states — tossed 5 dominant innings against Vancouver, allowing just 2 hits (both doubles) and 1 walk, while striking out 9 batters and not allowing any runs.

That capped an exceptional May, in which De La Torre posted a 2.63 ERA while allowing just 11 hits in 24 innings … and striking out 33. But the most impressive thing about the outing was the “1” in the BB column … it was the 1st time all year that De La Torre had avoided issuing multiple walks, and in his last 4 starts he’d walked 16 batters.

Right now, that’s all that’s hurting De La Torre, though it’s hurting him in a big way: he’s walked 31 batters in 36 innings this year, which is the primary reason for his 4.25 ERA and his 4.77 FIP. When he finds the zone, though, great things happen: out of the 34 Northwest League pitchers with at least 30 innings thrown this year, De La Torre’s 11.3 strikeouts per 9 ranks 10th, while his .164 batting average against is 2nd. He’s pretty unhittable … he just needs to be unwalkable, too.

The same success could not be found for the pitcher who followed him, RHP Gerelmi Maldonado (No. 21 CPL). Maldonado has struggled with walks for most of his career, and issued 3 of them in this game, while recording just 2 outs. He also allowed a hit and a run, with a strikeout. I’m not entirely sure what’s going on with Maldonado … the Giants this year have finally moved him from a starting role to a relief role, but suddenly he’s pitching just once a week, if that. He hasn’t been on the injured list, but he’s only pitched 6 times since April 22. Maybe it’s a hybrid Development List thing, where they’re just really working with him on stuff? Who knows. Someone, presumably. Just not this someone.

LHPs Charlie McDaniel and Tyler Switalski had odd outings in their starts. Neither pitched great, but they both showed some stuff. McDaniel got tagged for 8 hits (including a home run and 3 doubles) in just 3.2 innings, which put 4 runs to his name … but he had 0 walks against 6 strikeouts. Switalski was sharper, as he only allowed 4 hits and 2 walks in 5 innings, while striking out 7, but still got hit for 2 runs. McDaniel, an undrafted free agent who will soon turn 25, has matching 3.99 ERAs and FIPs; Switalski, a 2024 16th-round pick who is about to turn 23, has a 4.06 ERA and a 4.01 FIP. Both players are in their 2nd seasons.

RHP Ryan Vanderhei and LHP Esmerlin Vinicio continued their excellent seasons from the bullpen. Vanderhei retired all 4 batters he faced, with 1 strikeout, lowering his ERA to 1.71 and his FIP to 2.91; he finishes May having allowed just 6 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs in 15.2 innings, with 18 strikeouts. Vinicio issued just 1 walk in 2 no-hit innings, dipping his ERA to a scintillating 0.40, with a 2.88 FIP. He’s walked 10 batters in 22.2 innings this year, but has only allowed 10 hits, too (and 8 of those hits have been singles).

On the offensive front there were plenty of good performances. Center fielder Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL) had a fantastic weekend in his pair of games, as he hit 5-10 with a home run, a double, and a strikeout. It was the 1st home run of the year for last year’s 3rd-round pick, so congrats on your 1st High-A trot around the bases, Trevor!

Cohen, who is up to a .767 OPS and a 116 wRC+, with just a 12.8% strikeout rate, has really adjusted to the level lately. He had a slightly aggressive opening assignment this year, as he was placed in High-A after 28 games in Low-A following the draft last year (he hit very well in those 28 games, which was part of the equation). There was an adjustment period, though, as he hit just .220 in April, with 20 strikeouts in 82 at-bats. But May? He finishes with a .324 average, and a mere 8 strikeouts in 102 at-bats. It looks like he has completely settled in, and will likely just keep getting better and better.

He’s also playing a good amount of center field, as Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL) is getting a few days at designated hitter and a few days off, facilitating some time for Cohen up the middle. Jordan has been hitting relatively poorly after his hot start, and over the weekend went 1-6 with 2 walks, a sacrifice fly, an outfield assist, and 2 strikeouts. Jordan still has a .780 OPS and a 113 wRC+, with preternatural power and speed, and tremendous potential in center field, but he’s not always able to access the power (he hasn’t homered since May 3), and he has a 30.2% strikeout rate. The sky is the limit for Jordan, but there’s a whole lot of work to do to get there.

Eugene’s other top hitting prospect had a cold weekend, as shortstop Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL) went 1-12 with a double, a walk, and 3 strikeouts. The organization’s reigning 1st-round pick has had a solid 1st full season, with a .779 OPS, a 113 wRC+, and just a 14.4% strikeout rate, but, save for his dynamic opening series, he’s been more good than great so far.

Left fielder Carlos Gutierrez (No. 18 CPL) continued to show off both his contact decline and power increase, as he went 3-13 over the weekend, with a home run, a double, a walk, a stolen base, and 4 strikeouts.

It’s been a funny year for the 21-year old lefty from Mexico, whose average has dropped from .351 last year (in Low-A) to .257 this year. But he now has 5 home runs in just 40 High-A games, after entering the year with 3 big flies in 83 games across the DSL, ACL, and Low-A. He’s still striking out at a very nice rate (17.7%), but his swinging strike rate has jumped from 6.9% to 10.5% year over year. It’s an awesome overall package, though: despite his inexperience, he has an .812 OPS and a 124 wRC+, with strong outfield defense and 13 stolen bases without yet getting caught. Even with the decline in contact skills, he’s become one of my favorite prospects to watch.

A pair of other players who are fighting contact issues homered: right fielder Jakob Christian (No. 40 CPL) went 2-12 with a solo home run, an outfield assist, and 3 strikeouts, while third baseman Walker Martin hit 3-8 with a solo blast, a double, and a strikeout. The 23-year old Christian, who had a late start to the season due to injury, has a .740 OPS, a 104 wRC+, and a 35.6% strikeout rate, while the 22-year old Martin has a .719 OPS, a 98 wRC+, and a 29.6% strikeout rate.

Low-A San Jose (29-22)

Friday: San Jose Giants beat the Fresno Grizzlies 4-3 [box score]
Saturday: San Jose Giants beat the Fresno Grizzlies 6-3 [box score]
Sunday: San Jose Giants beat the Fresno Grizzlies 8-7 [box score]

San Jose has been the worst of the Giants 4 A-ball squads, but they had the best weekend, and roll into June with a 4-game winning streak.

Plenty of good days to go around, including from the Baby Giants’ top prospect, shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL). Level kept the good times rolling with a strong weekend, in which he hit 5-12 with a triple, a double, 3 walks, a stolen base, 2 strikeouts, and an error. The recently-turned 19-year old switch-hitter just keeps hitting and hitting and hitting … he’s hit safely in 33 out of 44 games this year, and is up to a .968 OPS and a 134 wRC+, with just a 16.6% strikeout rate and 11 swiped bags in 13 attempts. Right now it feels like the only question for Level in San Jose is whether or not he’ll still be there at the end of the month. There’s a good chance that the answer to that question is “no.”

We haven’t had too many chances to talk about corner outfielder Broedy Poppell this year, but the 2025 13th-round pick gave us plenty of reason this weekend, as he hit just 2-9, but smashed a home run and drew 3 walks, while striking out 3 times. The switch-hitter is still trying to adjust to pro ball — he has a .715 OPS and an 84 wRC+ in his debut season — but he finished May with a .774 OPS, after posting just a .649 mark in April.

Undrafted first baseman Hayden Jatczak just keeps on hitting, as he posted a multi-hit game in all 3 of the weekend contests, finishing 6-12 with 2 doubles, 1 walk, 2 sacrifice flies, 1 stolen base, 1 caught stealing, and 3 strikeouts. The right-hander has a .918 OPS, a 129 wRC+, and a sub-20% strikeout rate, and it will be interesting to see how he performs against more age-appropriate competition.

Home runs salvaged tough weekends for a pair of prospects, as center fielder/right fielder Cam Maldonado (No. 34 CPL) hit just 1-10 with 2 strikeouts but bashed a 2-run shot, while third baseman Dario Reynoso hit 2-13 with 6 strikeouts and an error, but smashed a 2-run bomb, while also getting hit by a pitch and stealing a base. Maldonado has an .872 OPS and a 112 wRC+, while tied for 2nd on the farm with 8 home runs; Reynoso has a .929 OPS and a 134 wRC+, and has really started tapping into his power lately.

A pretty uninteresting pitching weekend. LHP Braydon Risley led the charge with a strong start on Friday, giving up 6 hits, 1 walk, and just 1 run in 5 innings of work, with 4 strikeouts. Risley, who was the team’s 19th-round pick last year, has really been pitching well lately, and posted a 1.48 ERA in May … which included just 1 run over 15 innings in his final 3 starts of the month. He has a 2.15 ERA and a 4.10 FIP in his debut year, with 43 strikeouts against 11 walks in 37.2 innings. Good stuff!

LHP Ricardo Estrada one-upped Risley on Saturday, tossing 5 shutout innings with just 5 baserunners allowed (4 singles and a walk), and striking out 3. Estrada pounded the strike zone, with 48 of 65 pitches going for strikes, and it seems the soon-to-turn 24-year old has started to figure something out since moving to the rotation after beginning the year as a reliever/opener. But mostly it was just good seeing him find the strike zone, as he’s really struggled with walks this year.

Arizona Complex League (10-10)

Saturday: ACL Giants beat the ACL Athletics 4-2 (8 innings) [box score]

A pair of awesome pitching performances, beginning with the starter, RHP Alexander Fuentes. A 21-year old from Venezuela, Fuentes is repeating the ACL despite solid results there a year ago. This was his best game of the year, as he pitched 3 shutout innings while allowing 2 hits and 2 walks, and striking out a whopping 7 batters.

It’s been an odd season for Fuentes. He’s walked 11 batters in just 17 innings, while also giving up 3 home runs. Those ugly stats have tagged him for a 3.18 ERA and a 5.76 FIP, worse than his 2.62/3.96 marks a year ago (he gave up 0 home runs last season). But he also has an utterly absurd 30 strikeouts in those 17 innings. He’s probably headed for the bullpen at higher levels, and he should be very interesting in that role.

Then it was RHP Trey Seeley, last year’s 14th-round pick. The 23-year old out of Hope International threw 2 perfect innings, while striking out 3 of the 6 batters he faced. After starting his career with 3 tough outings, Seeley has been excellent in his last 3 game, allowing just 2 baserunners in 4 scoreless frames, with 6 strikeouts.

Not too much on offense. Another extra-base knock for shortstop Luis Hernández (No. 6 CPL), who hit 1-4 with a double and a strikeout, and now has 16 extra-base hits in 20 games to start his career. Not bad for a 17-year old! Unfortunately, fellow top prospect Josuar González (No. 2 CPL) remains sidelined with a hamstring injury. Catcher Yohendry Sanchez hit 1-2 with a walk and a hit by pitch, raising his OPS to 1.081 and his wRC+ to 191 in his debut stateside season. Hell yeah!

Center fielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 32 CPL) is staying warm in the ACL as he was unable to cross the border to Canada with High-A Eugene … he hit 2-3 with a triple, a walk, and 2 stolen bases. Unfortunately, the game had a bummer of a situation at designated hitter, where Oliver Tejada was hit by a pitch in his 1st plate appearance and removed from the game. His replacement, Rayner Arias (No. 38 CPL), struck out in both of his at-bats, and is now 3-39 with 18 strikeouts to start the year, as his once bright future has dimmed even further.

Home run tracker

8 — Drew Cavanaugh — [5 in AAA; 3 in AA]
8 — Cam Maldonado — [Low-A]
6 — Walker Martin — [High-A]
6 — Dario Reynoso — [Low-A]
5 — Nate Furman — [AAA]
5 — Charlie Szykowny — [AA]
5 — Carlos Gutierrez — [High-A]
4 — Thomas Gavello — [AAA]
4 — Broedy Poppell — [Low-A]
3 — Jakob Christian — [High-A]
1 — Trevor Cohen — [High-A]

Go Rays!

The 22-37 Royals last won a game on Sunday, May 24th, against the Seattle Mariners. I attended that game and left when the score was 8-3 Royals. They tried to lose the game but failed. Since then, the Royals have been very successful at losing, as they suffered consecutive sweeps at the hands of the Yankees and Rangers.

Tonight, the Royals roll into Cincinnati riding a six-game losing streak to take on the 30-28 Reds. Despite the winning record, the Reds are in last place in the NL Central. Max has you covered on the series preview.

The Reds will start someone named Lyon Richardson, who is not a starting pitcher and has not started an MLB game since 2023. He walks a lot of guys and does not strike out many – his career K% and BB% are pretty close. Seems as though it will be a bullpen game from the Reds.

In addition, the Reds will not have star Elly De La Cruz due to a hamstring strain. The Reds have a ton of pitchers on the IL, especially in the bullpen. If there was ever a time to break a bad losing streak, tonight is it.

Salvador Perez gets a game off and Jac Caglianone will hit cleanup. 3-4 are both lefties…we will see how that pans out today. Luinder Avila will get the start.

The starts at 6:10pm US Central time and is in Cincinnati. You can watch on Royals.TV or listen on 96.5 The Fan/Royals Radio Network.

Lineups:

Detroit Tigers (22-38) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (36-20)

Time/Place: 6:40 p.m., Tropicana Field
SB Nation Site: DRaysBay
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: RHP Ty Madden (0-0, 2.38 ERA) vs. RHP Griffin Jax (1-3, 3.60 ERA)

The Los Angeles Dodgers haven’t even opened the gates for “One Piece Night” yet, and fans are already preparing to cash in.

The Dodgers officially announced the return of their wildly popular One Piece collaboration with Toei Animation, scheduled for July 2 against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium. The event will once again feature exclusive merchandise to be given to the first 40,000 fans in attendance.

But for many fans, the biggest attraction isn’t the game.

It’s the collectibles.

Last year’s One Piece Night became one of the most sought-after promotional events in baseball, thanks to limited-edition co-branded straw hats and an exclusive Monkey D. Luffy trading card featuring the iconic pirate captain in a Dodgers uniform.

One Piece has evolved from a bestselling manga and anime series into a global entertainment phenomenon spanning films, video games, trading cards, merchandise and live experiences.

The crossover between baseball and anime fandoms created a collector frenzy, with some cards eventually selling for thousands of dollars on the secondary market.

Now, anticipation is building that a new collectible card could debut alongside the updated 2026 straw hat giveaway.

The Dodgers have already unveiled a redesigned hat featuring a chin strap, while promotional artwork has fueled speculation that another limited-run Luffy card could be part of the event. Fans have begun discussing resale values online despite the organization not yet confirming a card giveaway.

The excitement is understandable. Previous Dodgers One Piece collectibles have become prized items among anime and sports collectors alike, with rare versions commanding premium prices on marketplaces such as eBay and StockX.

Beyond the merchandise, One Piece Night will feature Centerfield Plaza activations, a ceremonial first pitch, and a postgame drone show showcasing characters from the legendary franchise.

For some fans, July 2 is about baseball.

For others, it’s about getting through the gates before the collectibles disappear.