Heyman notes that it will "very likely" be a full Tommy John surgery for Montas. That comes with a recovery timeline of 12-to-18 months, which would likely keep Montas out for the entire 2026 season.
News of Montas' UCL injury first came out on Aug. 23, when manager Carlos Mendoza described it as "pretty significant."
Montas has a $17 million player option for the 2026 season that he will almost certainly exercise.
It was a lost season for the 32-year-old after he signed with New York during the offseason.
He missed the first half of the year due to a lat injury, and struggled upon his return -- posting a 6.28 ERA and 1.60 WHIP in 38.2 innings while getting demoted to the bullpen.
Even if the Mets are without Montas for all of next season, their rotation should be in strong shape.
David Peterson, Clay Holmes, Sean Manaea, and Kodai Senga are all under team control for next year.
Meanwhile, Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong will be under team control and not dent the payroll much since neither player is close to salary arbitration.
Other possibilities for the 2026 rotation include Brandon Sproat and Christian Scott, with Scott expected to be a full go for spring training after missing this year while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
SAN FRANCISCO — The groundout that helped Logan Webb get through the seventh inning Thursday would have seemed unimaginable for the Giants a few months ago, and not just because of the obvious fact that the scoop came from Rafael Devers, who began his season in Boston and spent part of it pushing back on the idea of becoming a first baseman.
Early in the year, Willy Adames was so shaky defensively that members of the organization wondered how long the most expensive shortstop in franchise history would actually be able to stay at the position.
And yet there he was on Thursday, ranging well into the hole and then making a leaping throw to try and get the speedy Nico Hoerner. When the throw arrived in time, Devers made the type of scoop you would expect from someone who has been playing first his entire life.
Webb raised both arms, pounded his glove and then pointed to Adames, who was in the middle of everything the Giants did in a 4-3 win.
Adames’ second multi-homer game in a week kept the Giants in it all afternoon, and when Jung Hoo Lee lined his first career walk-off into right field, Adames was the first to greet Christian Koss at the plate.
The shortstop channeled his inner Tim Flannery and arrived at the same time as a wide throw, and then he made a beeline for Lee, who knew what was coming.
Lee has been waiting for nearly two seasons for his first big league walk-off, and earlier this year, he watched the Giants, in a much different place, pick up nine of them in the first half. He was often the one throwing the hardest jabs in the celebrations, and as he ran toward the outfield grass Thursday, he felt revenge might be coming.
“I was trying to run away from the boys,” Lee said later, smiling.
All of it looked familiar.
This is who the Giants were until July, when they forgot how to win at home and forced their front office into a deadline sale. For weeks now, the attention has turned to 2026 and the decisions that president of baseball operations Buster Posey might have to make. Posey, though, probably doesn’t think there’s too much heavy lifting to be done.
You don’t have to squint much to see the makings of a team that can reach the postseason with this core. A night after Devers hit two homers, Adames did the same. Devers has 27 on the year and Adames is at 24.
Leadoff hitter Heliot Ramos and cleanup hitter Matt Chapman should both reach 20 homers. Lee already has 10 triples and 30 doubles, which is more his game, and in the second half, he has looked like a .300 hitter in the big leagues.
What happened in July and early August? The Giants still are not sure. But they’re happy to at least look more dangerous during this five-game winning streak.
“Look, these are guys we signed for quite some time here and we expect production,” manager Bob Melvin said of Adames and Devers. “And Chapman behind them. I thought of that today, too, when they ended up (hitting) two-three-four … these are guys that we expect to be in those types of spots for years to come. The way Rafi is swinging right now, we’ll try to get him up there as much as we can in the two-hole, and Willy has been the homer guy here for a little bit now.”
Adames has 15 of them in the last two months, and he has a real shot at becoming the first Giant since 2004 to reach 30. His numbers should end up in a really good place in Year One as a Giant, which is part of what makes their overall position — 66-68 — so baffling.
The Giants just took back-to-back series from the Milwaukee Brewers and Cubs, both of whom are headed for the postseason. But they’re still 6 1/2 out of a playoff spot themselves with just 28 games to go.
“We are a pretty good team,” Adames said on NBC Sports Bay Area’s “Giants Postgame Live” after the win. “We have really good talent in the clubhouse. When we’re playing our best baseball, we’re one of the best teams in the league and this series says it all.
“I feel like we’re resilient, we’re not going to give up, and we’re going to continue to make adjustments we have to as a team and come out here and play our best baseball.”
The Giants haven’t given up on that mindset leading to a miracle down the stretch, but at the very least, they would like to finish strong. They’d like to show that there’s enough talent already here that Posey should continue to be aggressive in the offseason, and during this series, they did that.
“It feels like old times,” Melvin said as he talked of the strong overall day and late rally. “We were doing that a lot early on and it just felt like any time we got in that position earlier in the season, we were going to win a game. Here at home, in a close game, that was kind of our calling card.”
In his first game of a rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse after suffering a right thumb sprain, Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez sustained a broken left pinky finger when he was hit by a pitch on the left hand on Wednesday.
Manager Carlos Mendoza said it is a "small fracture" to the pinky finger and that Alvarez, who was with the club at Citi Field, would see doctors on Thursday. But the early reports were positive about a quick return.
"Just gonna wait for the inflammation to come down, probably two, three days, and then we'll get him going again," Mendoza said ahead of Thursday's series opener against the Miami Marlins. "This should be relatively short. But, again, obviously, it's a little bit of a setback to what the original plan was."
While the catcher appears to have avoided the worst-case scenario, the manager said they aren't going to put Alvarez in a position where he is uncomfortable as he plays through some pain with injuries to both hands.
"As tough as he is, he's human," Mendoza said. "We gotta get him to a point where it's manageable because now we're talking about the receiving hand, too."
"When he's gotta do the transfer and put the ball in the air as quick as possible and put something on the throw," Mendoza said, adding there was no issue with him throwing the ball back to the pitcher during his five innings behind the plate.
Batting for the third time in his first rehab start, Alvarez was plunked by an 89 mph sinker. Clearly in pain after getting hit, Alvarez took his time getting to first base and was met by trainers who took a look at him before he was removed from the game for a pinch-runner.
The 23-year-old's hands have taken quite the beating recently. He started the season on the IL with a wrist injury and lost time to a thumb injury that required surgery last season.
Mendoza said the three hand injuries have been tough on the young catcher, who is frustrated by his bad luck.
“Also, understanding there’s still hope and feel like you can get back this year and help us win baseball games, but definitely you don’t want to be on the IL, you don’t want to be missing time,” he said. “In Alvy’s case, it’s been hard for him. Our job is to continue to support him and continue to stay positive with him.
“He’s very strong mentally, physically, and he’ll get through this.”
This is another tough setback for the backstop, who came back from a demotion to Triple-A swinging a hot bat, slashing .323/.408/.645 with four homers, six doubles, one triple, 13 RBI, and 14 runs scored in 71 plate appearances over 21 games. He continued that with a double in his first at-bat with Syracuse on Wednesday.
Francisco Alvarez has left the game for Triple-A Syracuse after being hit on the hand pic.twitter.com/Y53td17K2t
Alex Cora played coy when asked by reporters Thursday in Baltimore who would be making the start for Boston on Friday night at Fenway Park. As it turns out, the Red Sox manager had good reason.
The Red Sox will hand the ball to their top pitching prospect, Payton Tolle, to make his MLB debut on Friday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Red Sox are calling up Payton Tolle, their top pitching prospect and MLB Pipeline's No. 28 overall, to start Friday night, per multiple sources including MLB's Ian Browne.
The Red Sox needed a starter for the game after pushing Dustin May back a day to Saturday.
Making the debut even more of a spectacle: The Pirates’ starter will be Paul Skenes, who’s the runaway favorite to win the National League Cy Young Award this season. Skenes leads the majors with a 2.07 ERA in his 27 starts.
A 6-foot-6, 250-pound left-hander, Tolle is the No. 2 Red Sox prospect on MLB Pipeline and the top pitching prospect. He was drafted in the second round of the 2024 draft out of TCU by the Red Sox and began this season with high-A Greenville before getting promoted to Double-A Portland in late June. Tolle dominated Double-A batters, going 1-1 with a 1.67 ERA and 0.741 WHIP in six appearances (five starts) with 37 strikeouts in 27 innings.
A few weeks ago, he moved up to Triple-A Worcester, where he made three starts and posted a 1-1 record with a 3.60 ERA and 0.867 WHIP, striking out 17 batters while walking just two. After allowing six runs (five earned) in his first Triple-A start, he allowed just one run over 10 innings in his last two starts.
Payton Tolle's latest outing for the Triple-A @WooSox:
🔴 Fans 9+ for the sixth time this season ⚪️ Raises K/9 to 13.1 (5th best in the Minors) 🔴 Allows 1 hit, 0 walks
In his collegiate career, Tolle was a two-way player, belting 13 homers with 50 RBIs and an .898 OPS in the 2023 season for Wichita State. He struggled offensively after transferring to TCU, posting a .182/.303/.327 slash line, but he also earned Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year honors, setting his professional course to the mound.
One thing Tolle will not be expected to give the Red Sox is length. He’s yet to pitch more than five innings in any start after getting the promotion to Double-A, averaging 4.2 innings per start since his first start with Portland on June 28. But he should be given a bit of a soft landing for his MLB debut, as the Pirates rank dead last in runs scored (3.6/game) and team OPS (.657) this season.
Tolle will be the fifth major prospect to make his MLB debut for the Red Sox this season, following Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony and Jhostynxon Garcia.
WASHINGTON — The Boston Red Sox placed first baseman Nathaniel Lowe on the paternity list and activated outfielder Rob Refsnyder from the 10-day injured list.
Lowe, who signed with the Red Sox Aug. 18 after being released by Washington two days earlier, is hitting .296 with a homer and seven RBIs in nine games since joining Boston and immediately becoming its everyday first baseman.
Refsnyder missed 12 games with a left oblique strain. The 34-year-old is hitting .272 with six homers and 22 RBIs in 54 games and was in Boston’s lineup as the designated hitter against Baltimore.
“We needed it,” manager Alex Cora said. “We struggled against lefties lately. I think the quality of the pitchers is one of the reasons and not having him is the other one. He’s just a good at-bat against them. He puts them in a spot where they have to make decisions later in the game or early in the game. Bring in a righty and then we can maximize the bench and use them accordingly.”
The Red Sox also activated right-hander Justin Slaten from the 60-day injured list and optioned lefty Jovani Morán to Triple-A Worcester. Slaten was 1-4 with a 3.47 ERA in 24 games but has not pitched for Boston since May 28 because of shoulder inflammation.
Morán has a 6.75 ERA in two appearances this season but did not pitch in two games after the Red Sox called him up.
There was a palpable buzz inside Citi Field on Wednesday night as the Mets faced the Phillies.
Yes, it was due in part to the fact that New York was going for (and eventually securing) a three-game sweep over their division rival in what has all of a sudden become a tight race for the NL East title.
But what made it feel truly different on Wednesday -- the reason every fan was on the edge of their seat and perhaps timing their bathroom, food, and beer runs differently -- was the pitcher on the mound in orange and blue.
Nolan McLean, who tossed 5.1 shutout innings in his big league debut on Aug. 16 at Citi Field and followed that up with seven innings of one-run ball against the Braves on Aug. 22 in Atlanta, took it up several rungs during a masterful performance that left the Phillies flailing.
While firing eight shutout innings, McLean allowed just four hits, walked none, and struck out six.
He had everything working so well and Philadelphia so off-balance that he was at only 59 pitches with one out in the seventh inning -- truly outrageous.
McLean's ball-to-strike ratio was elite, with 71 of the 95 pitches he threw going for strikes.
The stuff, of course, was what allowed him to lay the hammer down so emphatically.
But there was also the mound presence (which has been evident since his first start), the confidence he displayed while deploying his arsenal (he said after the game that he's totally comfortable being more in the zone with New York's defense behind him), and the unflappability that seems to envelop him.
As McLean toyed with the Phillies, whose batters twice had the bat fly out of their hands, he relied heavily on his dastardly sweeper, a four-seam fastball, a sinker that had a ridiculous amount of movement and topped out at 96.4 mph, and a curve that dropped off the table. He also mixed in his changeup and cutter for good measure.
When McLean found trouble for the first time with runners on first and third and no one out in the eighth, he wiggled out of it, generating two short fly outs and a dribbler in front of the plate.
Aug 27, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Nolan McLean (26) delivers a pitch during the third inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
It was the kind of performance that makes you dream about what this Mets team can do, and obviously leaves you wondering just how good McLean can be.
Through three starts, McLean's numbers are eye-popping.
In 20.1 innings, he has posted a 0.89 ERA and 0.69 WHIP while allowing just 10 hits, walking four, and striking out 21.
And on Wednesday, McLean became the first MLB pitcher since Randy Johnson in 1988 to have a 3-0 record with 20+ innings pitched, 20+ strikeouts, and a sub-.200 opponents batting average through his first three career starts.
While McLean's dazzling display on Wednesday should make people look forward, his outing -- and how he's looked overall since arriving in the bigs -- should also leave you glancing back at two former Mets pitching stars who had similar qualities: Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom.
To be clear: McLean is not Harvey or deGrom. He will forge his own path and career.
But the way he's arrived as a dominant force seemingly close to a finished product is reminiscent of how Harvey looked in 2012 when he first took the ball in Arizona and how deGrom looked in 2014 when he made his first start against the Yankees at Citi Field.
Like Harvey and deGrom, McLean has taken it up a notch since arriving in the majors.
And like Harvey, it could be McLean who helps usher in a new era of homegrown starting pitching.
A little home cooking is exactly what the Phillies need.
At least that’s the hope.
The Phillies are back at Citizens Bank Park for a four-game series against the Braves after being swept out of New York. They were outscored 25-8 in three games against the Mets, stretching their Citi Field losing streak to 10 games in the process.
Rather than create more separation between themselves and the second place Mets, the Phillies let their NL East rivals back in the race. They have a four-game lead with 29 to play.
“It gets back to the experience of the players,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Thursday when asked how his club will move past being swept in New York. “They just have to be themselves. Because who they are is pretty good. We have a really good group. Don’t try to do too much, just be yourself.”
The fact that the Phillies are a veteran team gives Thomson added confidence that they won’t dwell on one bad series.
“These guys have short memories,” Thomson said. “They’ve been through this for a long time. The last couple years, going into the playoffs we’ve had stretches where we didn’t play well, losing streaks and things like that… they come out of it.”
The Phillies’ home ballpark should provide a nice change of scenery. They have a 42-22 record at Citizens Bank Park this season, the fourth best home winning percentage in baseball.
Despite what transpired at Citi Field earlier this week, the Phillies are still in the driver’s seat in the NL East. The sense of urgency remains high.
“These guys want to win and they want to perform,” Thomson said. “They want to win a world championship. That’s what they play for. And a lot of these guys, they haven’t done that yet. They’ve been paid a great deal of money but they haven’t won so that’s on their mind, they want to get it done.”
This has been a lost season for the Braves, who begin this series in fourth place in the NL East with a 61-72 record. But Atlanta has played better lately – they’ve won 13 of their last 18 and scored a total of 23 runs in their last two games.
“They’re swinging the bats well, they’re scoring runs,” Thomson said of the Braves’ recent resurgence. “Their bullpen has been excellent. They’ve been playing well, they’re very talented.”
The Phillies have a 5-4 record against the Braves this season. This series represents the final four games of the season between these two division rivals.
Familiar foes
Aaron Nola will try to set the tone in Thursday’s series opener. This will be Nola’s 38th career start against Atlanta, his most against any opponent. It’s his third outing since returning from a three-month stint on the injured list.
The longest-tenured Phillie showed significant improvement in his last start, allowing two earned runs in six innings against the Nationals last Saturday. Nola’s velocity was up – his fastball topped out at 94.1 miles per hour and averaged 92.6, his highest in a start this season.
What are the expectations for Nola against the Braves?
“Exactly what he did the last time,” Thomson said. “Command the fastball. He threw a lot more curveballs (in his last start) than he normally does but that was part of the gameplan and he had a really good one. I want to see him command his fastball, keep people off balance and just attack the zone.”
Nola needs four strikeouts to pass Cole Hamels (1,844) for the third most career strikeouts in Phillies history. Steve Carlton (3,031) tops the list, followed by Robin Roberts (1,871).
Nola will be opposed by Braves righthander Cal Quantrill, who was claimed off waivers last week. Quantrill made 24 starts for the Marlins this season, including two against the Phillies. He posted a 12.27 ERA in those outings with 10 earned runs in seven and one-third innings of work.
A little over a week ago, after letting games against the Marlins and Orioles slip away in ugly fashion, it was fair to question whether the Red Sox could — as the saying goes — take care of business down the stretch.
The eight-game road trip that followed wiped away most of the doubt that might have cropped up. As a result, the Red Sox can now set their sights a bit higher than simply hanging on to a wild-card spot in the American League.
And if they want to get greedy, they can place the AL East crown in their crosshairs.
The Red Sox completed a four-game sweep in Baltimore on Thursday, eking out a second consecutive 3-2 victory. They outscored the Orioles 15-7 after outscoring the Yankees 21-11 in four games over the weekend.
Thursday’s win featured Garrett Crochet allowing two runs over six innings, Trevor Story and Ceddanne Rafaela each making a game-changing double play, Romy Gonzalez delivering a clutch game-winning RBI in the eighth (against a righty, no less), and Steven Matz locking down his first save as a member of the Red Sox (and just the second save of his career).
“I feel great,” manager Alex Cora said postgame, per NESN. “It’s hard to do. To beat a team in the big leagues four times in a row, you know, it’s hard. To go 7-1, New York, Baltimore, against the pitching that we faced, it was a great road trip.”
With Toronto off on Thursday, the Red Sox were able to gain a half-game in the standings. They’re 3.5 games out of first place, having picked up 2.5 games since Aug. 19.
And while the Red Sox playing strong baseball will be their biggest asset moving forward, the schedule should be a major help, too.
While they will face NL Cy Young favorite Paul Skenes on Friday night, they should be able to handle the last-place Pirates in a weekend series at Fenway. The Pirates are 21 games under .500 overall, but they’re 20-46 on the road — a winning percentage of just .303. They’re 15-37 (.288) in road games not started by Skenes, and just 5-9 in his road starts.
The Red Sox will then host the perfectly .500 Cleveland Guardians for three games before heading out west to face the Diamondbacks (66-69) and Athletics (63-72).
The Blue Jays, meanwhile, will have a rougher go of things. They’ll host the Brewers, who own the best record in baseball, before heading to Cincinnati to face the 68-66 Reds and then to New York to face the 73-60 Yankees. The Blue Jays then return home to face the AL-West-leading Astros (74-60) before finally getting a respite with a home series against the Orioles.
The Red Sox’ next series against a team that’s currently over .500 will come when they return from Sacramento … but they’ll facing the Yankees, against whom they are 8-2 this season. After that, they’ll host the A’s for three more games before heading to Tampa. They’re also 8-2 against the Rays this year.
All told, that’s 21 games where the Red Sox should go about 13-8 or 14-7. If they pull off the latter and if the Blue Jays go 12-10 over their next 22, it would set up a series in Toronto between the two teams with first place on the line, with Toronto’s lead cut down to a single game.
In that scenario, the Blue Jays may have the advantage for the final weekend of the regular season, as they’ll be hosting the Rays while the Red Sox will be hosting the Tigers.
But separating from specifics, the point is much simpler: Just making the playoffs is no longer the mission. The Red Sox now have a 96.2 percent chance of making the playoffs, per FanGraphs. They are making the playoffs, barring a 2011-style meltdown.
The more interesting story over the season’s final month will be whether they can actually push the Blue Jays to the final days of the season for the AL East title. Even if they end up falling a game or two short, making that push should set the foundation for an offseason of investment from ownership and the front office. It’ll be a lot easier for them to be convinced that a World Series run is possible next season if the current roster maximizes its opportunity this season.
With a 7-1 record on the road against divisional opponents over the last eight days, they’ve altered the outlook. What they do over the next seven series will determine what, exactly, that will mean.
It's Thursday, August 28 and the Braves (61-72) are in Philadelphia to take on the Phillies (76-57). Cal Quantrill is slated to take the mound for Atlanta against Aaron Nola for Philadelphia.
The Phillies own the season series 5-4 over the Braves and this four-game set will be the final of the year between the two teams. Philadelphia has lost the past three games, a sweep via the Mets, while the Braves have stayed hot with two straight wins and 23 runs in the process (13-5 over the last 18 games).
Let's dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two. We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.
Game details & how to watch Braves at Phillies
Date: Thursday, August 28, 2025
Time: 6:45PM EST
Site: Citizens Bank Park
City: Philadelphia, PA
Network/Streaming: FDSNSO, NBCSP, MLBN
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
Odds for the Braves at the Phillies
The latest odds as of Thursday:
Moneyline: Braves (+161), Phillies (-194)
Spread: Phillies -1.5
Total: 9.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Braves at Phillies
Pitching matchup for August 28, 2025: Cal Quantrill vs. Aaron Nola
Braves: Cal Quantrill, (4-11, 5.50 ERA) Last outing: 5.79 ERA, 3 Earned Runs Allowed, 5 Hits Allowed, 5 Walks, and 3 Strikeouts
Phillies: Aaron Nola, (2-7, 6.52 ERA) Last outing: 3.00 ERA, 2 Earned Runs Allowed, 5 Hits Allowed, 1 Walks, and 6 Strikeouts
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Braves at Phillies
The Phillies are 5-4 versus the Braves this season
Atlanta is 10-3 over the past 13 games
Philadelphia is 0-3 over the last 3 games
Michael Harris II is hitting .320 in August with 8 home runs
With Aaron Nola on the mound for the Phillies the Under is 7-4 (64%) this season
With Aaron Nola as the starter the Phillies have covered in 3 straight NL East matchups
The Phillies have won 3 straight matchups against the Braves with Aaron Nola opening
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Braves and the Phillies
Rotoworld Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Thursday’s game between the Braves and the Phillies:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Atlanta Braves at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 9.0.
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It's Thursday, August 28 and the Yankees (73-60) are in Chicago to take on the White Sox (48-85). Will Warren is slated to take the mound for New York against Davis Martin for Chicago.
This is the first of a four-game series between the Yankees and White Sox, plus the first of two series remaining this season. New York has won four consecutive games since entering this matchup and are hot at 9-3 in the last 12. On the other hand, Chicago has dropped two straight and nine of the past 13.
Let's dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two. We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.
Game details & how to watch Yankees at White Sox
Date: Thursday, August 28, 2025
Time: 7:40PM EST
Site: Rate Field
City: Chicago, IL
Network/Streaming: YES, CHSN
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
Odds for the Yankees at the White Sox
The latest odds as of Thursday:
Moneyline: Yankees (-195), White Sox (+161)
Spread: Yankees -1.5
Total: 9.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Yankees at White Sox
Pitching matchup for August 28, 2025: Will Warren vs. Davis Martin
Yankees: Will Warren, (7-6, 4.47 ERA) Last outing: 11.25 ERA, 5 Earned Runs Allowed, 7 Hits Allowed, 3 Walks, and 3 Strikeouts
White Sox: Davis Martin, (5-9, 3.93 ERA) Last outing: 3.60 ERA, 2 Earned Runs Allowed, 5 Hits Allowed, 1 Walks, and 6 Strikeouts
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Yankees at White Sox
New York is 4-0 in the past 4 games and 9-3 in the last 12
Chicago is 0-2 in the past 2 games and 4-9 over the last 13
Trent Grisham has 3 homers in the last 4 games
Ryan McMahon is hitting .154 in August (10/65)
The Over is 4-1 in the Yankees' last 5 matchups against American League teams
The White Sox have covered in 4 of their last 5 games showing a profit of 1.65 units
The Yankees have won 6 straight road games
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Yankees and the White Sox
Rotoworld Best Bet
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Thursday’s game between the Yankees and the White Sox:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Chicago White Sox at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 9.0.
Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC.
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
It's Thursday, August 28 and the Marlins (62-71) are in Queens to take on the Mets (72-61). Adam Mazur is slated to take the mound for Miami against Clay Holmes for New York.
The Mets are coming off a sweep over the Phillies and are 5-1 over the last six games, while the Marlins were outscored 23-3 in the last two versus the Braves. On the season, New York has won four out of six games ahead of this four-game series.
Let's dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two. We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Marlins at Mets
Date: Thursday, August 28, 2025
Time: 7:10PM EST
Site: Citi Field
City: Queens, NY
Network/Streaming: FDSNFL, SNY, MLBN
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
Odds for the Marlins at the Mets
The latest odds as of Thursday:
Moneyline: Marlins (+184), Mets (-220)
Spread: Mets -1.5
Total: 8.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Marlins at Mets
Pitching matchup for August 28, 2025: Adam Mazur vs. Clay Holmes
Marlins: Adam Mazur, (0-1, 6.35 ERA) Last outing: 6.35 ERA, 4 Earned Runs Allowed, 5 Hits Allowed, 4 Walks, and 5 Strikeouts
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Marlins at Mets
New York is 4-2 versus Miami this year
Miami is 4-6 in the last 10 games
New York is 3-0 in the last 3 and 5-1 in the past 6
Mark Ventios has a hit in 10 straight games (15/38)
Francisco Lindor is hitting .350 in August (35/100)
The Over is 4-1 in the Mets' last 5 matchups against NL East teams
The Marlins have covered in 4 of their last 5 games showing a profit of 2.76 units
The Mets have won 4 of their last 5 divisional matchups
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Marlins and the Mets
Rotoworld Best Bet
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Thursday’s game between the Marlins and the Mets:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Miami Marlins at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.
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It's Thursday, August 28 and the Cubs (76-57) are in San Francisco to take on the Giants (65-68). Shota Imanaga is slated to take the mound for Chicago against Logan Webb for San Francisco.
The Giants are rolling as they have won four straight games over the Cubs and Brewers as they climb back to .500. Chicago attempts to get back in the win column by avoiding a sweep in San Francisco. The Cubs haven't lost three consecutive games since July 22-24.
Let's dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two. We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.
Game details & how to watch Cubs at Giants
Date: Thursday, August 28, 2025
Time: 3:45PM EST
Site: Oracle Park
City: San Francisco, CA
Network/Streaming: MARQ, NBCSBA
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
Odds for the Cubs at the Giants
The latest odds as of Thursday:
Moneyline: Cubs (+101), Giants (-121)
Spread: Giants -1.5
Total: 7.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Cubs at Giants
Pitching matchup for August 28, 2025: Shota Imanaga vs. Logan Webb
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Cubs at Giants
The Giants are 4-0 in the last 4 games
The Giants are 4-1 versus the Cubs this season
The Cubs are 0-2 in the last 2 games but 3-2 in the past 5
This season the Giants pitcher Logan Webb has an ERA of 3.14
The Giants have covered in 4 of their last 5 games showing a profit of 1.56 units
The Cubs have won 4 of their last 5 games against teams with losing records
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Cubs and the Giants
Rotoworld Best Bet
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Thursday’s game between the Cubs and the Giants:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Chicago Cubs at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 7.0.
Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC.
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
But for their most intriguing recent draft pick, it’s also the opening day of a different kind of season.
In the 17th round of last month’s MLB draft, the Dodgers took a flier on University of Missouri pitcher Sam Horn, a 6-foot-4 right-hander with a big fastball, a promising slider and an athletic, projectable build.
Like most late-round prospects hoping to become a diamond in the rough, Horn came with questions. He pitched just 15 innings in his college career after undergoing Tommy John surgery as a sophomore. His limited body of work led to a wide range of scouting opinions.
In Horn’s case, however, the biggest unknowns had nothing to do with his potential as a pitcher.
Because, starting Thursday night, he will also be under center as quarterback for Missouri’s football team.
Horn is not only a two-sport athlete, but someone still undecided on whether his future will be on a mound or the gridiron. As a quarterback, he was a four-star recruit in Missouri’s 2022 signing class. And this fall, he has been locked in a battle with Penn State transfer Beau Pribula, jockeying for first-string signal-caller duties at an SEC program coming off a 10-win season.
When Missouri opens its 2025 football schedule Thursday night against Central Arkansas, Pribula will play the first half, and Horn will play the second half. As for the rest of the season, Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz has yet to hand either player all the keys to the offense.
“I think both quarterbacks have done an excellent job of doing the things that we’ve asked them to do, and there wasn’t enough separation that I felt like there was a clear-cut starter,” Drinkwitz told reporters this week. “And so the next-best evaluation is in a live football game to see how guys respond, not only to preparation and a game plan, but also respond to a crowd, also respond to being tackled and being hit.”
It’s a QB battle that Dodgers officials have followed with fascination throughout Missouri’s fall camp.
Already, the club has signed Horn to a baseball contract with an almost $500,000 signing bonus (well above the norm for the 525th overall pick).
The question now is whether he ever ends up playing for them.
“We’re pleasantly hoping he does,” Dodgers vice president of baseball operations Billy Gasparino said this week. “We think there’s a whole window of opportunity to get him much better, and quickly.”
Once upon a time, the Dodgers viewed Horn as one of college baseball’s better pitching prospects. Even in a limited sample size as a freshman in 2023, Gasparino said the team evaluated him as having potential future first-round talent.
“He’s a tremendous athlete,” said Gasparino, the longtime point man for the Dodgers’ draft operations. “He has really good arm action. I think that part was very elite.”
By the time Horn actually became draft-eligible this summer, though, uncertainties about his future made his scouting process unique.
All along, Horn signaled to MLB teams that he wanted to play football this fall. As a redshirt junior, he will have another season of eligibility in football next year as well. Gasparino said the narrative around Horn, who is originally from Lawrenceville, Ga., is that “baseball is his first love.”
“But,” Gasparino added, “he definitely seemed split on what he wanted to do going forward.”
This is not the first recent example of the Dodgers drafting a power-conference college quarterback.
Two years ago, they used their final 20th-round selection in the 2023 draft on then-Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, a former two-sport star at St. John Bosco. Uiagalelei, however, never signed with the team. As a highly touted five-star talent with NFL aspirations, he never made the switch to baseball either, his draft rights with the Dodgers lapsing after he transferred to Florida State for the 2024 football season.
Horn’s situation appears to be different. Unlike Uiagalelei (who never actually pitched collegiately), he spent the last three years on Missouri’s baseball team. And if he doesn’t win the starting quarterback job with the Tigers football squad this fall, his odds of reporting to the Dodgers next spring figure to be much more realistic.
That’s why, as Missouri’s QB battle has unfolded this preseason, Gasparino scoured Missouri recruiting site message boards and local news outlets, looking for any indication of which way the program was leaning.
“The coach is going to give nothing,” Gasparino said jokingly. “So you kind of have to go on the message boards, and to the local writers, to figure out, ‘All right, who is winning? What is going on?’ It’s been kind of a hard read.”
Leading up to the draft, Horn’s situation also required extra scouting legwork. The Dodgers dusted off his old freshman year and high school evaluations, after he pitched just 10 ⅔ innings in Missouri’s spring baseball season coming off his Tommy John procedure. They also reached out to NFL scouting departments and college football recruiters, “just to figure out how talented he was at football,” Gasparino said.
The Dodgers do have downside protection if Horn ultimately decides to stick with the football, with Gasparino noting that “to actually get his signing bonus, he has to come to us.”
But in the meantime, they’ll be keeping a close eye on Missouri’s football season — starting with Thursday night’s opener in which Horn is slated to see the field.
“Definitely gonna be watching,” Gasparino said. “I mean, I guess first, it’s like, don’t get hurt. But also just hoping that the right answer becomes very clear on what he should do sport-wise … Of course, we’d be disappointed if it’s not baseball. But would hate another year of in-between.”
SAN FRANCISCO — After Wednesday night’s win, Matt Chapman was asked a couple of times about 2026. Chapman said repeatedly that the focus is simply “on tomorrow.”
Right now, “tomorrow” is bringing a lot of wins for the Giants, who know what the math says but want to try and make things interesting anyway. Their 4-3 walk-off win over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday clinched a sweep and marked their fifth straight victory, bringing their record to 66-68.
The latest positive day at Oracle Park ended when Jung Hoo Lee lined a single to right with two on in the bottom of the ninth. It was the 10th walk-off win this season but the first of the second half.
The game was somewhat of a pitcher’s duel between Logan Webb and Shota Imanaga, although the ball can fly on warm day games at Oracle Park, and the two combined to give up four homers. Both pitched through the seventh and left with the game tied 3-all.
The Cubs thought they would take the lead in the top of the eighth, but Casey Schmitt made a leaping grab of a liner and doubled off the runner on second, who was easily going to score the go-ahead run. With a runner on first and one out in the top of the ninth, Lee made a sliding grab to rob Pete Crow-Armstrong of a rally-extending single.
Here are the takeaways from a thrilling Giants’ win:
Can It Actually Happen?
It has been 21 years since the last 30-homer season by a Giant, and early on, it seemed impossible for Adames to even think about it. His Giants career got off to a brutal start, but with his latest two-homer game, he put himself in position to make an actual run at ending the drought.
Adames took Imanaga deep twice, with the first one giving the Giants a lead in the first inning and the second one tying the game in the bottom of the sixth. He now has 24 homers with 28 games left.
If over the final month he simply matches his August — eight homers — or July — seven homers — he’ll get it done. Thursday’s game was his fourth this season and second in the last six days with multiple homers. He became the first Giants shortstop since Travis Jackson in 1929 to have four multi-homer games in one season.
Mr. 200
Webb is eager to reach 200 strikeouts for the first time, but he also is well on his way to another 200-inning season, and unless he’s shut down at some point, he should pretty easily win the NL innings crown for a third straight season.
Webb allowed three runs in seven innings Thursday, getting to 173 2/3 on the season. The only other players in the NL with 160-plus innings are Cy Young frontrunners Christopher Sanchez (162 1/3) and Paul Skenes (161). Webb is also four outs ahead of Garrett Crochet for the MLB lead overall.
They’re Going Streaking
Adames’ first homer gave the Giants a blast in 11 consecutive games, their longest streak since September of a magical 2021 season. They’ve hit 22 homers over the 11 games and have gotten back-to-back multi-homer games from cornerstone players (Rafael Devers did it Wednesday).
Devers had a different kind of run going early in the game, reaching on a walk and a single to start his day. Over two games, he reached base in seven consecutive plate appearances.
With a single in the fifth, Lee reached base for the 22nd time in 24 games this month. Add it all up and the Giants have a lot of reasons to be more optimistic about the lineup’s long-term future than they were a few weeks ago.
While the Giants have struggled down the stretch this season, there has been one glaring bright spot.
Infielder Casey Schmitt has played hard-nosed baseball, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey joined KNBR 680’s “Murph & Markus” on Thursday to discuss Schmitt’s recent play.
“For me, watching Casey over the past few years … he looks like he’s starting to believe he belongs,” Posey explained.
Confidence is key in the batter’s box, and the 26-year-old has come into his own. Schmitt has hit four home runs with 13 RBI this month.
“He’s a very naturally gifted baseball player,” Posey explained. “You’re certainly seeing it at the plate. Laying off some of those pitches that are down and away from him … big two-out RBI last night … we’re definitely excited about the progress he’s making.”
His play at second base also has been stellar.
“A guy who’s naturally a third baseman,” Posey continued, “he’s probably more comfortable on the left side of the infield. He looks more and more comfortable each day. We saw last night the double play he and Adames turned. That really got me excited.”
The 1-6-4-3 double play on Wednesday got a well-deserved standing ovation from Giants fans. The idea of Schmitt being the everyday second baseman is turning into a reality.
“It looks like it came more natural to him,” Posey said. He showed off his arm strength; I think he’s gonna continue to get better and better.”
The San Diego State alum will have plenty of opportunities to earn his keep looking into the future.
