The Tampa Bay Rays, ranked second in the AL East with a 41-29 record, face the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are first in the NL West with a 47-27 record. The Los Angeles Dodgers are favored with a -160 moneyline compared to the Tampa Bay Rays' +135. Starting pitchers are Shane McClanahan for Tampa Bay, with a 3.23 ERA, and Shohei Ohtani for Los Angeles, with a 1.06 ERA.
How to watch Tampa Bay Rays vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
The New York Mets, ranked fifth in the NL East with a 32-41 record, face the Cincinnati Reds, who are fifth in the NL Central with a 35-37 record. The New York Mets are favored with a -135 moneyline compared to the Cincinnati Reds' +110. Starting pitchers are Nolan McLean for the Mets, with a 4.01 ERA, and Nick Lodolo for the Reds, with a 5.21 ERA.
We got a big ol' slate in front of us, and there are quite a few MLB pitcher props that have me absolutely giddy today.
I will be fading an all-time great, while backing another to do what he does best. There is plenty to like on the MLB player props board, so let's cash some tickets and have a day!
*Editor's note* Max Scherzer has been scratched from tonight's start*
Best MLB strikeout props and starting pitcher picks today
Player
Pick
Odds
Shohei Ohtani
Over 6.5 Strikeouts
+117
Max Scherzer
Under 3.5 Strikeouts
-112
Gavin Williams
Over 2.5 Earned Runs
+108
Strikeout prop: Shohei Ohtani Over 6.5 strikeouts (+117)
It is about time my MLB picks back the great one on the bump.
Shohei Ohtani looks determined to make a serious run at the NL Cy Young Award, and he finds himself in another strong spot to clear 6.5 strikeouts against a scrappy Tampa Bay Rays lineup that has been a bit swing-happy lately.
Over their last 10 games, six Rays hitters own a strikeout rate of at least 24.3%. Those numbers remain fairly consistent away from home as well, with five hitters carrying a strikeout rate of 23.3% or higher across their last 60 road plate appearances.
Ohtani has been dealing at Dodger Stadium this season, posting a 33.1% strikeout rate at home. He has also generated a 31.5% called strike plus whiff rate, a 14.1% swinging strike rate, and a 30.5% whiff rate in home starts.
The superstar also owns the No. 1 pitcher rating in both timeframes on Batters-Box. In 14 elite-rated pitching matchups, Ohtani has recorded six or more strikeouts in 71.43% of those starts and has gone Over this 6.5 strikeout number 50% of the time.
While the sample size is still relatively small, his performances this season suggest he is hunting hardware, and that hardware is the Cy Young Award.
I would play this down to +105 and gladly take the value on the 6.5 number. If you prefer the safer route at over 5.5 strikeouts, I would look to pair it with another prop from today's card.
Time: 3:10 p.m. ET
Where to watch: SNLA, RAYS
Earned runs prop: Gavin Williams Over 2.5 earned runs (+108)
I found it very hard to pass up backing one of the best lineups in baseball to score at least three runs against one of the worst-rated pitchers on today's slate.
That is especially true when you consider how dominant the Milwaukee Brewers have been at American Family Field, where they are averaging more than three first five innings runs per game this season.
Milwaukee's offense has been seeing the ball exceptionally well over its last 12 games, ranking second in wOBA, third in both wRC+ and OPS, and fourth in contact rate.
The Brewers also feature five elite-rated bats in Batters-Box's current season ratings as they draw Cleveland Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams, who owns the second-worst pitcher rating over that same span.
Williams brings in poorly rated ISO and hard-contact metrics for this matchup. On the road this season, he has allowed 47.1% hard contact along with a 54.8% elevation rate.
The Cleveland starter also owns a 5.00 xERA and has surrendered 57.6% hard contact with an 18.6% barrel rate across his last 90 road batters faced. During that stretch, opponents have posted a .394 xBA, .747 xSLG, and .361 xwOBA.
Asking the seventh-highest scoring first five-inning offense in baseball to push across three runs against a pitcher allowing this much quality contact feels well worth a sprinkle.
If the earned-run aspect gives you any concern, the Brewers' first five-team total over is a perfectly viable alternative.
Time: 7:40 p.m. ET
Where to watch: BREW, CLEG
Colby Marchio's 2026 Transparency Record
Prop picks: 225-387-35, +10.54 units
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
Have a day, Mikey Romero… and about five other guys! The former first rounder had three hits off of the Iron Pigs (Phillies AAA), two of which being RBI knocks in vital spots. One opened scoring in the third with two outs, and the other added a huge cushion run in the top of the ninth to score Anthony Seigler, who himself had just broken a tie with a single of his own that carried a .278 WPA. Finally, Vinny Capra’s had two hits, Tsung-Che Cheng notched his sixth home run of the season and Tyler Uberstine had a solid four innings in relief.
The Sea Dogs may have been the beneficiary of four defensive errors by the Patriots (Yankees AA) and that may have been extremely important in what would become a walkoff win, with an ending sequence must have been exhilarating to be a part of. With Portland’s chances of winning hovering around 10 percent to start the 9th inning, Marvin Alcantara hit a home run to tie things up. After Abhram Liendo reached on a single, Franklin Arias was then intentionally walked, and new arrival Stanley Tucker made them pay for advancing Liendo with a walk-off double. Tucker is right at home with his new team: in addition to pinch hitting for a rehabbing Romy Gonzalez, who himself had a two-run homer as he works his way back up to Boston, he also swiped his first two bags in Double-A. Good day to be a second baseman for the Sea Dogs!
Besides a 3-for-3 performance by Newton-native Jack Winnay, who’s slashing .343/.465/.629 in the month of June so far and who also boasted a double and a walk Tuesday night in Jersey Shore (Phillies High-A), the Drive had just three more hits and stranded eight. But, it didn’t matter that Winnay and Enddy Azocar were the only batters really seeing the ball well last night, because former Vanderbilt Commodore Devin Futrell had a fantastic outing. He pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out five and allowing just two hits. Steven Brooks would allow a solo shot, but that was the closest the Drive would come to letting that caliber of start slip into obscurity.
As the RidgeYaks head into their third series of June, they still have won just one game on the month. This one wasn’t particularly close despite the pitching staff striking 13 Nationals out in Fredericksburg. This game looked like it may have been close for the first few innings, but the RidgeYaks had no answer for the relief staff Fredericksburg trotted out, having just one baserunner after the fourth; meanwhile, Salem kept letting runs through.
With rain possibly on the horizon, please do not have a wet Wednesday.
James Brown, the fabulous soul singer, was known as the Hardest Working Man in Show Business due to his constant touring, tireless work ethic, and electric live performances.
I’ve already told my family that I want Brown’s I Feel Good as my exit song at my funeral. I figure it’s good to send everyone out on a high note.
Who was the hardest-working man in baseball history? I’m going with Satchel Paige. Paige pitched for more than 40 years in locales as diverse as Bismarck, North Dakota, and the Caribbean. He pitched in small-town sandlots and before crowds of more than 78,000 at Cleveland Stadium. If there was a paycheck and a crowd, Satchel found a mound.
Paige always seemed to have a little something extra. When he was a child lugging bags at the train station, he brilliantly devised a pole-and-rope contraption that allowed him to carry more than one bag at a time. At a dime per bag, it added up. A coworker said Satch, who was born Leroy Robert Page, looked like a satchel tree. The name stuck. Credit his parents with the change from Page to Paige, which sounded more high class. So Satchel Paige it was.
Just barely 12, Satch was sentenced to six years at the Alabama Reform School for skipping school and petty theft. It seems like a stiff sentence, but Satchel came out of the school knowing how to pitch, courtesy of the Reverend Moses Davis, a trustee of the school and its baseball coach.
After his release from reform school, Paige joined the semi-pro Mobile Tigers. By 1926, he was pitching for the Chattanooga White Sox of the Negro Southern League.
One of the interesting things about Paige is that he was one of the few Negro League players to have played in almost every year of the league’s existence. The Negro Leagues started in 1920 and ran through 1948. Yes, there were a few teams that continued to play after 1948, mostly on a barnstorming basis, but the league was never the same after integration. Paige pitched for the Kansas City Monarchs from 1939 to 1942 and led the team to four consecutive Negro American League pennants, including a four-game sweep of Josh Gibson and the Homestead Grays in the 1942 Negro League World Series.
Today we throw around words like epic and legendary far too casually. Bo Jackson throwing Harold Reynolds out at home plate was epic and legendary. The wedding dance you went to last weekend? Probably neither. Satchel Paige was a living legend. He was often epic and legendary.
Bob Feller, one of the all-time greats, spent many offseasons barnstorming with Paige. Feller was a man who considered himself one of the greatest pitchers ever, yet when pressed, he admitted that Paige was the greatest he had ever seen.
Joe DiMaggio, who knew a thing or two about pitchers, said Paige was the “best and fastest” he’d ever faced. I love this description from Hall of Fame catcher Biz Mackey, who said Paige’s fastball could pound steak into hamburger. Paige did have a legendary fastball, and he gave different pitches colorful names: Bee Ball, Midnight Rider, Trouble Ball, Long Tom, and Jump Ball. He also had a hesitation pitch that drove hitters crazy.
When Paige worked out for the Cleveland Indians, owner Bill Veeck said Paige threw four of his five pitches directly over a cigarette.
With someone like Paige, whose career spanned six decades, how does one rank his legendary moments? You don’t. These, however, are my favorite Satchel moments, in no particular order.
Striking out Josh Gibson
The setting was Game Two of the 1942 Negro League World Series between the Kansas City Monarchs and the Homestead Grays. The great Buck O’Neil was playing first base for the Monarchs that day. This story was one of Buck’s favorite stories to tell, and no one could tell a story better than Buck O’Neil.
Buck said Paige came on in the seventh inning in relief of Hilton Smith. With two outs and a man on third and the Monarchs clinging to a 2-0 lead, Satch called Buck to the mound and said, “Nancy, you know what I’m fixin’ to do?”
Buck: “Yes, you’re fixin’ to get these other guys out.”
Satch: “No, I’m going to walk these next two guys so I can pitch to Josh.”
O’Neil promptly called time and motioned manager Frank Duncan to the mound. Duncan listened to the story, then agreed with Satch, saying, in effect, that the people in the crowd wanted to see Satch pitch to Josh. Paige promptly walked the next two hitters. Gibson stepped in, looking like a baseball version of Paul Bunyan.
Gibson, a fearsome slugger, was baseball’s most feared power hitter.
The loquacious Paige then told Gibson what he was going to throw him. Ballsy.
“Josh, I’m going to throw you a fastball.” Boom, strike one.
“Josh, I’m going to throw you another fastball, in about the same location, only faster!” Boom, strike two.
“Now Josh, I’m ahead 0-2 and I’m supposed to brush you off the plate. But I’m not going to throw smoke at yo yoke. I’m going to throw a pea at yo knee.”
Fastball at the knees. Strike three.
Three blazing fastballs, and Josh Gibson, arguably the greatest hitter in Negro Leagues history, never moved the bat off his shoulder.
The story is now nearly 84 years old, and everyone involved is long gone. But isn’t that one of the things that makes baseball such a romantic game?
The tales passed down from generation to generation. Is it 100 percent factual? Who knows? There are several versions of this story floating around. I don’t care if it is 100 percent factual. I like the story just as it is.
The Nancy Story
This is one of the most famous Paige stories and has several variations. My favorite comes from a description by Buck O’Neil, as quoted by Joe Posnanski in his terrific book, The Soul of Baseball. According to Buck, Satchel was barnstorming through North Dakota (who knew North Dakota was such a baseball hotbed?) when a beautiful young woman named Nancy took a seat close to the dugout. Satchel always had a weakness for a beautiful woman, and he possessed the necessary game to interact with them.
After a night on the town, Satchel invited Nancy to join them at their next stop in Chicago. Ever the gentleman, Satch gave Nancy cash for the train fare and instructions to meet them at the Evans Hotel. True to her word, Nancy showed up at the Evans and retired to Satchel’s room.
Buck was sitting in the lobby enjoying an iced tea when Satchel’s fiancée, Lahoma, unexpectedly arrived. Buck, ever the alert wingman, ran interference and instructed the bellman to put Lahoma in a vacant room next to his and to alert Satch.
The surprised Paige climbed down the fire escape, then walked around to the front of the hotel where Buck and Lahoma were waiting.
“Lahoma! What a pleasant surprise to see you!”
Later that evening, Buck knew Satchel would have to make amends with Nancy, so he kept his ears open.
Sure enough, Buck could hear Satchel lightly rapping on Nancy’s door, followed by, “Nancy. Nancy. NANCY!”
This brought a suspicious Lahoma out of her room.
Once again, Buck, being a gold-medal wingman, opened his door and said, “Satch, are you looking for me?”
Paige: “Yes, Nancy, what time is the game tomorrow?”
From that point on, Buck’s new nickname was Nancy.
Making His First Cleveland Start
Revolutionary owner Bill Veeck signed Paige to a major-league contract with the Cleveland Indians in early July 1948. On July 9, 1948, the 42-year-old Paige made his major-league debut, throwing two scoreless innings of relief. He brought the crowd of almost 35,000 to its feet with his hesitation pitch. Paige made seven more relief appearances, throwing a total of 18 innings, striking out 10 while allowing only four runs.
American League president, and resident killjoy, Will Harridge eventually declared the hesitation pitch illegal, saying that if Paige threw it again, it would be called a balk.
Finally, on August 3, the Indians gave Paige his first start. A crowd of 72,562 fans—an attendance record for a night baseball game—packed Cleveland Stadium to witness the event. Paige went seven innings, scattering seven hits. The Washington Senators nicked him for two runs in the first before Paige settled down. He surrendered only one more run before yielding to Ed Klieman, who closed out the 5-3 Cleveland victory.
Paige went 6-1 with a 2.48 ERA down the stretch for the eventual World Series champions and drew huge crowds whenever he pitched.
A crowd of 51,013 packed Comiskey Park for his August 13 start, a five-hit complete-game shutout.
Another 78,382 showed up for his August 20 start in Cleveland, where he threw a three-hit complete-game shutout.
Paige drew 201,829 fans for those three starts, which is astounding.
It’s also worth noting that 1948 was the last time Cleveland won the World Series.
In doing so, Paige became the first Black pitcher to appear in the World Series when he made a relief appearance in Game Five.
Paige played for the Indians in 1949, then followed Veeck to the St. Louis Browns, where he pitched from 1951 to 1953.
Even more astounding, Paige made the American League All-Star team in both 1952 and 1953 at the ages of 45 and 46.
Once his contract with the Browns expired, Paige returned to barnstorming.
Which brings us to our next segment…
Pitching for the Kansas City Athletics at the Age of 59
Kansas City Athletics owner Charlie Finley declared that September 25, 1965, would be Satchel Paige Day. In addition to honoring Paige, Finley signed the 59-year-old pitching legend and announced that Paige would start against the powerful Boston Red Sox.
By 1965, Paige was more than a star in Kansas City. He was a living legend.
His night began in pure Satchel fashion, with Paige sitting in a rocking chair, a blanket draped over his legs, and a pretty nurse rubbing liniment on his famed pitching arm. When the game started, the rocker was moved to the A’s dugout, which was below field level. Paige rocked away while the A’s batted.
When asked about the rocker, Paige delivered this pearl:
“At my age, I’m close enough to being below ground as it is.”
Finley asked Paige if he could pitch three innings.
Paige replied, “That depends. How many times a day?”
For this promotion, Finley did it right. He invited former stars of the Monarchs and the Kansas City Blues to a luncheon honoring Paige and even hosted a three-inning exhibition before the game, which featured Buck O’Neil, Hilton Smith, Cool Papa Bell, and Bullet Rogan.
It had been 12 years since Paige had pitched in the majors. He ran into a little trouble in the first, giving up a two-out double to Carl “bleeping” Yastrzemski before retiring Tony Conigliaro on a fly ball to left to escape the jam.
Paige sailed through the second and third innings while Kansas City squeezed across a run to give him the lead.
Paige came to the mound in the fourth, but after throwing his warm-up pitches, manager Haywood Sullivan emerged from the dugout and, to thunderous boos, removed him from the game.
As Satchel approached the dugout, the fans erupted in a standing ovation, prompting Paige to doff his cap twice and bow to the adoring crowd. The stadium lights were then turned off, matches were lit, and the crowd of 9,289 sang “The Old Gray Mare.”
In attendance that night was a nine-year-old from Independence named Rick Sutcliffe.
Sutcliffe later said, “I’m quite sure that game had something to do with me wanting to be a baseball player.”
Home plate umpire Bill Valentine said that Paige was really pitching and that Boston was doing its best to hit him.
“He kept the ball down, kept it moving below their knees,” Valentine recalled. “I’ll bet he wasn’t throwing 80 mph, and they’d swing and say, ‘Son of a bitch, that pitch was right there.'”
Jim Gosger, who later played for Kansas City and made both the first and last outs against Paige that night, later said:
“My two biggest thrills in baseball were batting against Satchel Paige and hitting a home run against Whitey Ford the only time I faced him. As far as I’m concerned, Satchel was a prince.”
Indeed.
Paige even came to the plate in the second inning and struck out to end the frame.
Kansas City led 2-0 after six innings, but Boston, sparked by a two-run inside-the-park home run by Conigliaro in the eighth, won the game 5-2.
Also playing in the game were José Tartabull (father of future Royal slugger Danny Tartabull) and Diego Seguí (father of David Seguí).
Paige was paid $3,500 for his three innings of work and needed only 28 pitches to retire 10 batters.
Truly amazing stuff for a 59-year-old.
But as Satchel so often said:
“How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were? Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
Post-baseball, Paige continued to live an interesting life. He even had his six rules for living:
Avoid fried meats, which angry up the blood.
If your stomach disputes you, lie down and pacify it with cool thoughts.
Keep the juices flowing by jangling around gently as you move.
Go light on the vices, such as carrying on in society. The social ramble ain’t restful.
Avoid running at all times.
Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.
One more Satchel story. September 14th, 1951. Fenway Park. The Red Sox are having a good year, sitting at 84 and 54. St. Louis is well, the St. Louis Browns. They’re playing out the string at 43 and 95. Satchel comes in to pitch the 9th inning of what is a 9 to 6 Boston win. He gets Johnny Pesky on a groundout to the second baseman. The second batter is Ted Williams. Williams will soon be off to Korea to fight in his second war. This is a huge matchup for both men. The greatest hitter who ever lived against the greatest pitcher who ever lived. Satch was 44 at the time, while Williams was still in his long prime. 1951 was like a lot of summers for Williams. He led the league in multiple offensive categories, walks, slugging percentage, on base percentage and total bases and yet somehow only finished 13th in the MVP vote. He was far and away the best player in the American League, except in the eyes of the voters.
Paige got a couple of quick strikes on Williams on breaking pitches before somehow slipping a fastball by the Splinter for strike three. Understand, Williams did not strike out a lot. in 1951, he struck out 45 times in 675 plate appearances. Yet somehow, someway, Paige dug into his bag of tricks and got Williams. Ted was so disgusted with himself that upon returning to the dugout, he smashed his bat against the wall until it shattered into several pieces. After the game, Williams took the remnants of that bat to the St. Louis clubhouse and asked Paige to sign it. Today that bat is in the possession of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
The respect between those two men was great. When Williams was inducted into the Hall of Fame, he used his speech to shame and implore the Hall to start accepting some of the great Negro League players into the Hall. In 1971, Paige became the first black player elected to the Hall.
In 1968, he became a deputy sheriff with Jackson County, Missouri, a job that didn’t require him to show up. He later tried running for political office.
In August 1968, he joined the Atlanta Braves as an advisor, in an attempt to qualify for his major league pension.
In 1973, Paige joined the AAA Tulsa Oilers as a pitching coach.
Paige suffered a fatal heart attack at his home in Kansas City on June 8, 1982. He was 75. Paige is interred at Forest Hill Calvary Cemetery, on the city’s south side.
Mar 26, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Fans stand under a 2026 All Star Game sign during a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Texas Rangers at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Rangers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
All Star voting is underway, and so our Rangers Reacts survey this week asks, which Texas Rangers player do you think is most deserving of an All Star nod?
MILWAUKEE — Guardians All-Star third baseman José Ramírez had surgery to remove the hook of the broken hamate bone in his left hand.
The team said in a statement that the procedure was performed in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, by Dr. Thomas Graham.
“We knew he was going to need surgery, so earlier today he was able to get it done,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said.
Ramírez suffered the injury during the fifth inning of a 3-1 win over the Detroit Tigers when he fouled out on a pop up to Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler.
It only is the second time in Ramírez’s 14 big league seasons that he has been placed on the injured list.
The seven-time All-Star also broke the hamate bone in his right hand in 2019 and only missed a month. The normal recovery time post-surgery is five to seven weeks.
“That’s part of life. Those are things that are going to happen, so I’m not upset. It’s just part of the game and just got to keep going,” Ramírez said about the injury.
The 33-year-old native of the Dominican Republic has played in a franchise-record 1,681 games. He is also the only player in Cleveland’s 125-year history to have at least 300 stolen bases and 250 home runs.
In other moves
Cleveland also placed outfielder Angel Martínez on the 10-day injured list due to a nondisplaced fracture in his left foot. Martínez’s injury occurred after fouling off a pitch.
Martínez, who leads the Guardians with 11 homers, could be out four to six weeks, Vogt said.
“He walked in Monday probably knowing that we’d probably get some testing done on Monday if he wasn’t feeling better and he wasn’t,” Vogt said. “MRI and CT scan both revealed a fracture in the foot, so it will be four to six weeks for Angel.”
Outfielder Chase DeLauter sustained a rib injury when he collided with the outfield wall. Tests show bone bruising and a small fracture, but DeLauter was not headed to the injured list, Vogt said.
“It’s very, very, very small, something that’s day to day,” Vogt said. “We’ll see how it feels. Definitely something to tolerate, he can play through. We just have to weight out day-to-day how it’s feeling, kind of gradually see it.”
Beimel came close, but 97 is still non-Twinned. | Stephen Dunn / Getty Images
When the Twins acquired Yoendrys Gómez in their spaghetti vs. wall style of bullpen construction, they also set a team first. Gómez is wearing #94, the number he has worn for most of his career, with Minnesota, and he has become the first Twin in history to wear that number.
Because I will take any excuse I can to write about uniform numbers and the Twins are off today, here’s some discussion about the 10 numbers no Twins (or Senators) have worn and the players who have worn them around the league.
(I should also note before anyone tries to Google this information, their AI Gemini, presumably pulling from my own writing without permission, gets information wrong.)
69 worn by (MLB history): 22 players best worn by (bWAR): Luis Medina, CLE, 1988 2026 worn by (anyone this season whether still active or not): Blubaugh
As I mentioned in last week’s game thread, most teams don’t hand out #69 due to its sexual connotations. The Twins don’t — a few years ago, they released a spring training roster that had every number except 69 worn — but among those who do, none do so more than the Pirates, who have given the number to eight players. That includes the best player to have ever worn 69, Bronson Arroyo, but he broke out as a pitcher after joining the Red Sox (who made him switch to 61) and hit his prime as a Red (with whom he kept 61). Astros reliever Blubaugh is the only current player to wear the number, and he’s also put up the most WAR in the number with 1.0.
75 worn by: 52 players first worn by: Mike Walker, CLE, 1988 best worn by: Barry Zito, OAK/SF, 2001-15 (29.7 WAR) 2026 worn by: 9 players
Zito actually wore #53 as a rookie in 2000 before switching to his familiar #75 the following season and subsequently winning the Cy Young for the ‘02 A’s. (You may call them the Moneyball A’s; here, we call them “the team the Twins beat in the Division Series.” And Denny Hocking, not Corey Koskie, caught the series-ending popup… 0/10, bad movie.) Right now, nine players across MLB wear the number; the most recognizable is probably Robert Suarez (ATL RP) or Andrés Muñoz (SEA RP), but my attention is drawn to Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez. Since I live closest to Boston (among MLB cities), he’s the #75 I see most regularly… but he also took over #94 from Yoendrys Gómez for the ‘24 Yankees. And like that, it all comes full circle.
84 worn by: 18 players first worn by: J.T. Snow, BOS, 2006 best worn by: Dylan Cease, CHW/SD/TOR, 2019-pres (18.5 WAR) 2026 worn by: Cease; Lake Bachar, MIA; Jorbit Vivas, WAS
#84 may have first become recognizable when Prince Fielder took the number, presumably in honor of his birth year, when joining the Rangers for the last three seasons of his career. (Snow similarly took the number for familial reasons: his father Jack, who died at the start of 2006, wore the number for 11 seasons as a wide receiver with the Rams.) It has earned staying power, though, with Cease’s top-of-rotation mainstay in his eighth season and counting.
88 worn by: 22 players first worn by: Mike Ramsey, LAD, 1987 best worn by: Luis Robert Jr., CHW/NYM, 2020-pres (15.8 WAR) 2026 worn by: Robert; Phil Maton, CHC; Cooper Criswell, SEA
Robert was part of those early-’20s high-digit White Sox squads: along with Robert (#88), they had Eloy Jiménez (#74) and José Abreu (#79) wearing unusual numbers. Robert is a Met now, but among 88s who changed teams, none has done so more than Maton. The Cubs are his eighth franchise, and he has worn the same symmetrical round number for all of them.
91 worn by: 13 players first worn by: Tim Spooneybarger, FLA, 2003 best worn by: Alfredo Aceves, NYY/BOS, 2008-14 (4.2 WAR) 2026 worn by: Jonathan Pintaro, NYM
I remember seeing Aceves’ unusual #91 at Fenway Park and wondering why more baseball players didn’t wear less-common 90s numbers; years later, I still wonder. Spooneybarger, the first #91, was on the ‘03 Series-winning Marlins but did not pitch after June due to elbow tendinities; Aceves too was on a pennant winner, the ‘09 Yankees, and he pitched in four postseason games, including Game 5 of the World Series. Pintaro, the only active #91, was recalled to the majors on Monday.
93 worn by: 9 players first worn by: Pat Neshek, PHI, 2018 best worn by: Yimi García, MIA/HOU/TOR/SEA, 2020-5(2.5 WAR) 2026 worn by: Matt Gage, SF
Speaking of that question I wonder about, Neshek became the first MLB player to wear #93 when he debuted for the Phillies in July 2018, making that number the fifth-last to make its debut in MLB.* (If I remember correctly, he chose #93 on a suggestion from a fan — not me this time — on Twitter.) As we get into the higher 90s, player counts are going to become fewer… up until 99, which fortunately does not qualify for this list thanks to Logan Morrison in 2018.
*the last six numbers to make their MLB debuts: 90 (“Once Upon” Adam Cimber, SD, 3/29/2018) 93 (Neshek, PHI, 7/1/18) 80 (Ryan Eades, MIN, 6/8/19) 92 (Génesis Cabrera, STL, 8/15/20) 86 (Jesus Cruz, STL, 8/18/20) 89 (Miguel Yajure, NYY, 8/31/20)
95 worn by: 5 players first worn by: Takahito Nomura, MIL, 2002 best worn by: Oswaldo Cabrera, NYY, 2022-5 (2.0 WAR) 2026 worn by: Josh Ekness, MIA
Of the five players to have worn #95, two are Yankees and two are Marlins. Nomura, the exception, wore the number 18 years before the next player, Miami’s Trevor Rogers. Since 2020, exactly one player has worn the number each season: Rogers (‘20), the Bronx’s Trey Amburgey (‘21), Cabrera (’22-‘25), and Ekness (’26).
96 worn by: 9 players first worn by: Bill Voiselle, Boston Braves, 1947 best worn by: Voiselle, BSN/CHC, 1947-50 (4.5 WAR) 2026 worn by: Yovanny Cruz, NYY
Yes, that says “Boston Braves,” and yes, that says “1947.” Voiselle grew up in Ninety-Six, South Carolina, and upon his ’47 trade to the Braves, he received permission from Commissioner Happy Chandler to wear #96 in tribute. He wore the number for the rest of his career, two more seasons with the Braves and one with the Chicago cubs. Unsurprisingly, the only wearer this year, Cruz (who pitched in two games in May), is a Yankee.
Trivia time: what are the only two eligible jersey numbers that have never been worn in the regular season by a Yankees player?
97 worn by: 2 players first worn by: Joe Beimel, TB, 2005 best worn by: Beimel, six teams, 2005-15 (6.9 WAR) 2026 worn by: Ron Marinaccio, SD
Beimel wore #97 in honor of his son’s birth in that year, and he just missed becoming the first Twin to wear the number: he wore #53 from 2001-3 with the Pirates and #50 in ‘04 with the Twins before switching to his regular digits the following season. Seven seasons after Beimel last pitched in the majors, Marinaccio debuted for (sigh) the Yankees in #97, and he’s kept it after joining the Padres last season. However, right now, he’s known not for his number but for his current suspension for beaning Gunnar Henderson.
98 worn by: 7 players first worn by: Jae Weong Seo, TB, 2006 best worn by: Randy Vásquez, NYY/SD, 2023-pres (5.0 WAR) 2026 worn by: Vásquez; Maverick Handley, BAL
Handley was designated for assignment in May, so the only current #98 is Vásquez, who has become a solid starter with the Padres after one year as a (sigh 2.0) Yankee.
Trivia answer: surprisingly not #69, which Alan Mills wore for part of 1990. The answer is #00 and #87.
So that’s 10 numbers now which I am eagerly awaiting a new Twin to wear. Here’s hoping!
And on another note: I am planning an article, either for the offseason or another off day, of my all-time Literary Baseball Team, a 26-man roster consisting of the best players from literary fiction. If you have any players or books you suggest I should read, please comment them below!
WASHINGTON — Kansas City Royals right-hander Seth Lugo threw a bullpen session and is expected to start Friday after spending time on the concussion list.
Lugo was hit in the head by a 106.6 mph line drive against Texas. Manager Matt Quatraro said before a night’s game at Washington that Lugo felt good and is expected to return Friday night, when the Royals host St. Louis.
Left-hander Kris Bubic, on the injured list because of elbow soreness, also threw.
The news hasn’t been as promising about left-hander Cole Ragans, who had a setback during rehab from a left elbow injury. Quatraro said Ragans still is having symptoms and remains shut down.
Kansas City optioned right-hander Mitch Spence, who allowed six runs in four innings in a spot start against the Nationals, to Triple-A Omaha. That cleared a roster spot for right-hander Connor Seabold, acquired by the Royals in a trade with Toronto.
Aug 22, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; New York Mets pitcher Nolan McLean (26) pitches the ball against the Atlanta Braves during the sixth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images
Mets lineup
Carson Benge – RF Bo Bichette – 3B Juan Soto – LF Marcus Semien – 2B Mark Vientos – 1B Francisco Alvarez – DH A.J. Ewing – CF Luis Torrens – C Zack Short – SS
SP: Nolan McLean – RHP
Reds lineup
Edwin Arroyo – 2B JJ Bleday – LF Sal Stewart – 3B Nathaniel Lowe – 1B Eugenio Suarez – DH Spencer Steer – RF Noelvi Marte – CF Jose Trevino – C Matt McLain – SS
SP: Nick Lodolo – LHP
Broadcast info
First pitch: 12:40 PM EDT TV: SNY Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
I am going against the grain here because of the odds. The Over/Under is two runs lower than Monday’s opener, and that's too steep of a drop for me,
The pitching matchup of Ohtani against Shane McClanahan looks appealing for the Under, but both are struggling.
Shohei allowed a season-high four runs in just over six innings last time out, and McClanahan has lost his last two starts — giving up eight runs in nine innings.
An easier Over with positive odds is worth a flier and should be played to +100.
Shawn Krest's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 22-26, -1.91 units
Over/Under bets: 27-25, +0.91 units
Rays vs Dodgers odds
Moneyline: Rays +156 | Dodgers -163
Run line: Rays +1.5 (-133) | Dodgers -1.5 (+127)
Over/Under: Over 7.5 (+117) | Under 7.5 (-122)
Rays vs Dodgers trend
The Tampa Bay Rays have covered the run line in 26 of their last 45 games (+10.80 Units / 20% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Rays vs. Dodgers.
How to watch Rays vs Dodgers and game info
Location
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
Date
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
First pitch
3:10 p.m. ET
TV
Rays.TV, SportsNet LA
Rays starting pitcher
Shane McClanahan (6-4, 3.23 ERA)
Dodgers starting pitcher
Shohei Ohtani (6-2, 1.06 ERA)
Rays vs Dodgers latest injuries
Rays vs Dodgers weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
May 16, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Aroldis Chapman (44) and pitcher Payton Tolle (70) celebrate after a victory over the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
The Boston Red Sox do not deserve to have any representatives at the 2026 MLB All-Star Game.
It’s going to happen, though…
Major League Baseball, in an effort to maximize fan engagement across all of its markets, requires that each team is represented by at least one player at the Midsummer Classic. Cesar Izturis, Michael Lorenzen, Ty Wigginton, and Brock Holt are some of the names you may or may not know to earn the honor by way of technicality — which is exactly where the local nine should be, no matter how many decent individual performers are on the roster.
Willson Contreras (.304/.396/.570 | 16) has undoubtedly been the club’s best player, but there’s no world in which he should get the nod over New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice (.293/.387/.611 | 19) and Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami (.240/.378/.560 | 20). Aroldis Chapman (0.44 ERA | 14 SV) barely ever pitches despite being the most dominant reliever in the American League, so he could be edged out by some other guys like Cleveland Guardians closer Cade Smith (2.48), Tampa Bay Rays closer Bryan Baker (1.91), and Texas Rangers reliever Jacob Latz (1.62 ERA). Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu have been good, but they’re not going to edge out the popular vote guys like Aaron Judge, Mike Trout, Byron Buxton, or Julio Rodriguez.
If they’re going to push to send anyone, it should be Payton Tolle.
Tolle hasn’t been their most consistent starting pitcher (Sonny Gray), doesn’t have the best numbers (Ranger Suarez), and wasn’t the obvious choice coming into the season (Garrett Crochet) — but he’s the best possible representative for a club that needs to improve the vibes!
Tolle hit a speed bump last night but is having a remarkable rookie campaign overall — 2.93 ERA, 60 K, 58.1 IP — and happens to be the only human being on this baseball team that can bring a smile to one’s face. If you want someone who can show you just how fun playing in this market can be, go send that guy!
I’d also be inclined to ask him to do some recruiting…
*insert Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant gif*
I don’t know how many of these guys will actually hit free agency due to the whole impending lockout situation, but we can get the ball rolling early on some of these guys!
William Contreras might want to come play with his brother! Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger, and Ronald Acuña Jr. are opt-out candidates! Murakami’s short-term deal might end up being a detriment to his current club!
If none of that matters, just reward the guy who actually makes your fanbase happy. It could be that easy.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - JUNE 16: Kodai Senga #34 of the New York Mets walks across the field in the second inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on June 16, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Meet the Mets
The Mets lost 5-3 to the Reds, losing the series as well. Kodai Senga lasted just four innings, giving up four runs on two hits and four walks while striking out five.
Buster Olney listed 12 baseball executives under the most pressure ahead of the trade deadline, and David Stearns (unsurprisingly) ranked very high.
The Mets made a handful of roster moves, including activating Kodai Senga fromt he injured list and designating Vidal Bruján for assignment.
Despite the shaky—and short—start last night, Kodai Senga will likely remain in the Mets rotation.
Around the National League East
The Phillies soundly defeated the Marlins 8-2. Jesús Luzardo went seven innings and gave up just two runs, striking out nine Marlins in the process.
The Nationals narrowly beat the Royals 6-4. Curtis Mead drove in three of the Nationals six runs on one big swing, a three run home run in the seventh inning.
The Giants were beating the Braves 3-2 before the game was suspended in the second inning due to rain. The game will be completed today at 2 PM, ahead of the 7:15 PM series finale.
Around Major League Baseball
The Giants are open to offers for major players such as Matt Chapman and Rafael Devers, though they don’t plan on trading Logan Webb or their young players.
Jeff Passan lamented the seeming parallel course the beginning of this labor dispute is taking to 1994—a fight that nearly derailed baseball permanently.
Passan spoke to Tom Glavine about these concerns that Glavine (a former executive subcommittee member and face of the players during the 1994 strike) shares.
Yankees prospect Kaeden Kent was born to play baseball—especially given the fact that his dad is impending Hall of Fame inductee Jeff Kent.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - JUNE 10: Relief pitcher Ryan Yarbrough #33 of the New York Yankees pitches during the eighth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on June 10, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Yankees defeated the Guardians 8-3. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As the Yankees’ bullpen has come under fire over the past few months and emerged as arguably the team’s biggest weakness*, they have continued to carry both Paul Blackburn and Ryan Yarbrough — two pitchers who have spent most of their career as starters (or, well, in Yarbrough’s case, starter-adjacent, thanks to the Rays frequently pairing him with an opener) in their bullpen since Opening Day.
*At least before two-thirds of the starting outfield hit the shelf at the same time.
While not, at the start of the season, a bad move — veteran depth capable of starting is hardly ever a bad thing, and having multiple pitchers capable of going multiple innings while starters are still ramping up early in the season can help teams get through the early season without overusing their bullpen — this decision has frustrated fans over the last month or so. As the high-leverage arms have been overworked, does the team really need to have two low-leverage long men?
Last week, we took a look at Blackburn’s season, breaking down how the Yankees have tried to convert him into a middle reliever, with some success. This week, though, I want to take a dive into Yarbrough’s metrics, and see if he might be a better choice for those medium-leverage innings that Blackburn has been getting. Because, well, Yarbrough’s metrics have been…pulling in different directions, to say the least.
Out of pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched this season, only dominant San Diego closer Mason Miller has allowed less hard contact than Yarbrough, 17.6 to 14.0 percent (these numbers come from FanGraphs’ Statcast heading, which has different values than the ones in the chart above, but the percentiles are the same). His average exit velocity is better than any pitcher except Philadelphia’s Orion Kerkering. The only way his batted-ball profile would be better is if he generated more groundballs — he ranks 214th out of the 375 pitchers that we’re looking at — but at the end of the day, soft contact is soft contact.
At the same time, though, thanks to a fastball that tops out at 87.5 mph, Yarbrough struggles to get strikeouts. He does not get batters to chase pitches out of the zone, he does not generate whiffs inside of the zone, and on top of it, his walk rate is up three percentage points from last year (7.2 to 10.2 percent). While, as we saw last week with Blackburn, pitchers don’t need to have high strikeout rates to be relatively successful, even as relievers, it does leave less room for error.
What we need to remember when looking at Yarbrough’s performance, however, is the fact that he has only made 14 appearances this season, mostly in low-leverage situations; in fact, in 11 of those games, his primary task was “eat the final one to three innings so the rest of the bullpen can get some rest.”*
*This was all written before last night, when Yarbrough made yet another low-leverage appearance, pitching three scoreless innings to close out a 12-2 blowout of the White Sox.
In these situations, regardless of whether you’re up or down big, the primary goal is to just throw the ball over the plate and try to get some (ideally soft) contact in order to reach the finish line as quickly and painlessly as possible. As such, much of this data can be a bit skewed; therefore, it we want to see whether or not Yarbrough can be used in more high-leverage spots, we need to look a bit deeper.
So far this season, Yarbrough has been much better against lefties than he has against righties: right-handed bats have slashed .245/.333/.321 in 60 plate appearances, while lefties have slashed .091/.211/.182 in 38. These are, admittedly, extremely small sample sizes, but this does reflect a pattern. Last year, left-handed bats managed just a .198/.216/.360 line against Yarbrough, compared to a .263/.341/.481 line against righties. To put it another way, over the last two years, Yarbrough turns all righties into 2026 Cody Bellinger (130 wRC+), and all lefties into 2026 Caleb Durbin (53 wRC+).
If the Yankees are inclined to use Yarbrough more often and turn him into a more high-leverage threat, the best route to take would be to use him as a lefty specialist, lining him up to minimize the amount of right-handed batters he faces. However, this isn’t exactly something the bullpen is lacking. Tim Hill has absolutely decimated lefties this year (.177/.190/.210), but has been prone to give up the long ball against righties (.357/.440/.595, with three home runs). Fernando Cruz may not be a southpaw, but his splitter absolutely flummoxes lefties (.120/.267/.200). On a day-to-day basis, there are better options than Yarbrough if they need a left-handed specialist.
As such, for the time being, it’s probably best for the Yankees to continue using Yarbrough as a long man out of the ’pen, solely for the purpose of keeping him stretched out in case they need to dip into the rotation depth again while Max Fried is on the shelf. He may be behind Elmer Rodriguez, and possibly also Brendan Beck, but as we’ve seen, depth can dissipate at the drop of a hat.
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 16: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, June 16, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Nicole Vasquez/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Tuesday was as low scoring of an affair as one could as for, as the Dodgers came away with their second 1-0 win since June 5.
In what has been an unbelievable offensive stretch since May 12, Shohei Ohtani kept it going as he provided the only offense for either side, blasting a solo home run against Drew Rasmussen in the bottom of the sixth inning. Ohtani has now homered four times over his last six games and has hit nine home runs over the last five weeks.
Dave Roberts noted post-game that Ohtani has made some recent adjustments at the plate that are helping him not just see the ball better but helping hit the ball with authority to all fields, per Courtney Hollmon of MLB.com.
“It’s just near missing the baseball in the sense of, he was hitting the ball hard — doubles, some singles — and then if he was just missing it a little bit, there was going to be slug,” Roberts said. “Seeing the baseball well, swinging at good pitches. When he uses a big part of the field, there’s just no holding him back.”
There was some concern about Ohtani’s status on the mound after he missed Friday’s game against the Chicago White Sox due to left knee inflammation, but he is cleared to make his scheduled start Wednesday, per Doug Padilla of the Orange County Register.
Justin Wrobleski provided much of the heavy lifting on Tuesday, out dueling Rasmussen with six shutout innings and bouncing back after a rough start in Pittsburgh.
Wrobleski’s pitch count was at just 67 (50 for strikes) after six innings, and Dave Roberts commended the left-hander for his ability to persistently attack the zone and remain ahead in the count, per Hollmon.
“He was attacking all night. That’s who he is,” Roberts said of the left-hander. “Just the dependability with Wrob in the sense that you know that he’s going to go after guys. His first pitch is like his last pitch and he’s the epitome of go as hard as you can for as long as you can — until the manager takes the ball from you. Tonight, we asked [for] six innings and he did that and he passed it to the ’pen and they were fantastic.”
Kyle Tucker has been enjoying a nice little stretch on this current homestand, hitting his first home run at Dodger Stadium in two months on Monday while having three hits and three RBI in the two games against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Tucker spoke to the media on Monday where he acknowledged the lofty expectations his contract placed upon him, noting that his time as a Dodger has gotten off to a lethargic introduction, per Fredo Cervantes of The Sporting Tribune.
Shohei Ohtani
Max Scherzer
Gavin Williams
COVERS INTEL: Ohtani blamed mechanics on the mound for the injury, 
