Category: Baseball

After the game, I was playing catch with my dad, thinking about what to write. The performance on the field by the Washington Nationals was pretty unremarkable. They lost 7-1, falling behind early and then looking sluggish in the heat. However, some of the pre-game ceremonies and the occasion itself were remarkable. Those moments captured me on the 250th birthday of this nation.

Between Artemis astronauts throwing out the first pitch, to all of the ceremonies, it was a special day at the yard. In America’s 250 year history, baseball has played a key role in much of it. The National Pastime has become central to American culture, as well as our image both internally and around the world.

In so many ways, baseball has been a cultural zeitgeist for this nation. Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier is an iconic moment in history, and in some ways kicked off the Civil Rights movement. It took a long time for integration to happen, and race relations in the US are far from perfect even today. However, Jackie paved the way for so many both on and off the field.

This country likes to think it is based on a true meritocracy. However, that is not really the case despite the great imagery of the American Dream. In baseball though, it is more of a meritocracy. That is a big reason why Jackie got a shot in the MLB long before the Civil Rights Act. Baseball is a game where differences can be put to the side in the name of winning and competing.

The game can also be a great unifier. After 9/11, baseball played a key role in the country’s healing process. That Mets game just 10 days after the horrific tragedy was a truly iconic moment, and ended in storybook fashion. George Bush throwing out the first pitch in New York during the World Series was a similarly emotional moment.

In so many of America’s biggest moments, you can easily find a connection to baseball. During World War II, many of baseball’s biggest stars such as Ted Williams and Joe Dimaggio served our country. They fought for our freedom in years that would have been the prime of their career.

That is why baseball is such a big part of the July 4th holiday. It is a quintessentially American game and has been part of so many American moments. Even if the game did not go the Nats way today, there is always something special about playing baseball in DC on the 4th of July.

It is a big stage for these players. We saw James Wood homer today, and Nats stars have come to life on the 4th in the past. Mr. National Ryan Zimmerman had a great track record on Independence Day. He hit .361 with 4 homers in 11 July 4th games. 

To play America’s game in America’s capital is a great honor. Even though they lost, it really did seem like the players appreciated that. As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday, we cannot tell the story of this country without talking about baseball. This game is so special, and it is always a treat to watch those 11:05 games at Nationals Park.

Today, the Houston Astros announced a series of moves affecting their outfield:

Wade Jr., 32, was signed by Houston on June 4 to a 1 year, $1M contract. He made an immediate impact, going 4×12 in 4 games with 2 doubles, a HR, 4 RBI, and 2 runs scored before a hamstring injury landed him on the IL.

Wade had gone only 1×10 on his rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land, but batted .250 with a .420 OBP and .861 OPS for Triple-A Charlotte Knights, part of the Chicago White Sox system, this season before requesting his release and being signed by the Astros. His patience and plate discipline were reasons cited by Astros GM Dana Brown for why the team signed him, and why the team had interest in him in the offseason.

Dezenzo, 27, was hitting .264 with a .417 OBP and .780 OPS at Sugar Land this season. He has demonstrated better plate discipline this season, with a 22/25 BB/K ratio in 115 PA at Triple-A. The Astros are looking for better plate discipline and less strikeouts out of their outfield.

Dezenzo has played small parts of 3 seasons in Houston with the Astros, never really getting a consistent opportunity and not being successful in the small opportunities he’s had to date. This season with the big league club, Dezenzo was batting .191 with 4 doubles, 1 HR and 2 RBI in 47 AB across 21 games. He also struck out 19 times.

Meyers, 30, has followed up a career-best .292 average last season with what would be a career-worst .206 average so far this season. Meyers missed 2 months of last season with a calf injury. He was batting .308 when he went on the IL after play July 6, and returned September 6. He batted just .204 in the month of September last year, finishing the year at .292.

This season so far has been more of September 2025 for Meyers, who hit just .183 in June.

In 2024, Meyers finished with 13 Outs Above Average per Statcast, and was a finalist for al AL Gold Glove in CF. Despite missing two months last season, he finished with 9 Outs Above Average in 2025. Meyers has only 2 Outs Above Average this season, partly due to missing 38 games due to injury and partly due to poor offensive performance.

Loperfido, 27, got off to a decent start this season, albeit without any power. He was batting .276 with a .348 OBP on April 17 when he went on the IL with a right quad strain. He returned June 9, but struggled badly, batting just .122 in 41 AB in June. He did have 2 heroic moments, a 3-run HR in extras to beat Toronto June 23, then tripled late in a tie game the next day and scored on a throwing error as the pitcher tried to pick him off. He was just unable to capitalize on those moments or gain momentum, going 1×15 since.

Detroit Tigers (38-50) vs. Texas Rangers (45-43)

Time/Place: 4:05 p.m., Globe Life Field
SB Nation Site:Lone Star Ball
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: RHP Jack Flaherty (1-8, 4.97 ERA) vs. RHP Kumar Rocker (2-6, 3.83 ERA)

The Mariners have scored one run, on a bases-loaded walk, in their last 20 innings of baseball.

Logan Gilbert takes on the Blue Jays today approaching a career milestone – he’s nine strikeouts away from his 1,000th career K. That’s a heavy lift for a day’s work, but it would be so special if he could hit that milestone in front of the fans at home, especially since there hasn’t been much to cheer about for Mariners fans lately.

Lineups:

News:

While today was originally scheduled to be a Gilbert/Hancock piggyback, instead the Mariners are going back to a six-man rotation until the All-Star Break in order to get the starters some extra rest. Hancock will pitch tomorrow, and the rest of the rotation will continue to slot in as normal.

Injury updates:

Julio Rodríguez was at the park today and did some light jogging on the treadmill but is still experiencing concussion symptoms (headache, nausea, lightheadedness).

Brendan Donovan was also at the park working on baserunning and fielding drills. He’ll go out on a rehab assignment when the Mariners are out of town next week; unfortunately, the Rainiers and AquaSox are both out of town as well, so Donovan will head to Arizona to get in some work at the complex. Thoughts and prayers to the 18 year old complex kids getting to pitch to Brendan Donovan.

Today’s game information:

Game time: 1:10 PT

TV: Mariners TV with Aaron Goldsmith and Ryan Rowland-Smith

Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr.; ESPN radio with Roxy Bernstein and Madison Shipman

How quickly does one get hit in the face with a reality check? Why don’t we ask the San Diego Padres, a team that, when it faced the Dodgers for the first time this season, trailed in the race for the NL West by just half a game? And no, this series didn’t occur so early in the year as to make this point irrelevant—it happened on May 18th, well short of two months ago. Now, as Yoshinobu Yamamoto gets ready for a second straight matchup against the Friars, the Dodgers possess a 14-game lead, one that sounds like a lot, but it’s even bigger when you put it into a certain context.

If the Dodgers were to beat the Padres tonight, their lead over the Padres—who are currently tied with the Diamondbacks for the second spot in the NL West—would represent the second largest lead any team has against any opponent in their own division. As things currently stand, the Padres are much closer to the Rockies and the worst team in baseball (Royals) than they are to the Dodgers—the numbers show that, even if reality often brings much closer games such as Friday’s night one-run win thanks to a Teoscar Hernández grand slam.

Addressing tonight’s specific matchup, Yamamoto is still working on fixing what was initially a rather poor track record against the Padres. Despite allowing just three runs in the 15 innings he has pitched against San Diego this season, Yamamoto only has a 4.60 ERA versus the Friars, his second-worst mark against any National League team.

Saturday’s game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Padres
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Start time: 7:10 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Game number 89…..the season is flying by. Winnning a second game in a row would be nice.

George Springer is still away, moved to the Family Medical Emergency list, but there is no emergency, just letting George have more time with his son.

Unfortunately, it looks like Canada’s time in the World Cup is over. They did great. I would have been good with a couple more wins, but they played well.

Lineups:

Detroit Tigers @ Texas Rangers

Friday, July 04, 2026, 3:05 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Rangers Sports Network)

The Shed

RHP Jack Flaherty vs. RHP Cal Quantrill

Go Rangers!

The Braves are exiting a June that was absolutely miserable, but they finally hit a handful of homers on Friday night, hosting the Mets. They’ve got another favorable matchup here, with Chris Sale on the mound and facing the imminently hittable Sean Manaea for New York. We’ve got a national TV matchup on the 250th anniversary of this great country’s founding. The Braves have lived up to expectations, despite their horrid June, but FOX will be a bit disappointed in the Mets, relative to what they expected before the season when this matchup was scheduled.

Chris Sale has been brilliant of late, and really all year, but the struggles of Atlanta’s offense have prevented the team from capitalizing on that in the form of wins since May. One would think that this would be a game that the Braves could put some runs up against Manaea at home, perhaps building on the power they showed Friday, but this is the type of game they have frequently been losing lately. Sale may figure out a way to score a run off the pitching mound out of pure fury if he doesn’t get any run support today.

Manaea has been ever so slightly above average in most things other than ERA this year, getting the opener treatment frequently and starting only 4 games. His elite extension props up a pretty uninspiring arsenal of primarily a four-seamer, sinker, and sweeper, with a cutter and changeup sprinkled in. His four-seamer and sinker have a lot of arm-side run, while the rest of his pitches have quite average movement with well-below-average velocity. He’s perhaps been getting some HR/FB rate luck this season, so hopefully he gets some regression in favor of Atlanta’s bats.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Saturday, July 4, 8:08 p.m. ET

Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA

TV: FOX

Streaming: MLB.tv

Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan

The Atlanta Braves have made handful of moves this July 4th, with the team placing struggling shortstop Ha-Seong Kim on the injured list with right middle finger inflammation. Taking his place on the roster is utility man Kyle Farmer, who was activated from the IL.

Additionally, the team re-called pitcher JR Ritchie and opted reliever Anthony Molina back to Gwinnett.

Kim’s roster spot has become increasingly precarious as his struggled continued to mount after a late start to the season. He’s hit an unfathomable .239 OPS in 27 games with Atlanta. Shortstop Jim Jarvis was recalled from Gwinnett and started in his first game in Atlanta, with Jorge Mateo getting the call at short in last night’s contest.

Farmer, who saw limited action earlier this season on the end of Atlanta’s bench, does give the team roster flexibility with his ability to play infield, outfield and catch – something he worked on while rehabbing. His ability to the the team’s 3rd catcher – he spend time behind the plate early in his MLB career – provides late-inning flexibility.

Ritchie returns as a rotation and long-man in the bullpen option, but doesn’t resolve the team’s bullpen issues, which is short at least one dedicated reliever. Molina has pitched three times for Atlanta in 2026.

1911
Ty Cobb brought a 40-game hit streak into a game facing Ed Walsh, and the White Sox sace shut him down at 0-for-4 in a 7-3 win over the Tigers. Walsh earned his 14th win and chiseled his ERA down to 0.55 (!). Interestingly, he gave up 10 hits in his complete-game win — just none to the Detroit center fielder.

1928
With the White Sox floundering at 32-42, but more importantly after squabbling with owner Charles Comiskey over his salary, Ray Schalk resigned as White Sox manager.

Lena Blackburne took over and managed at a .500 clip for the rest of the season, spurring the team to a 72-82 finish. The 1929 season was not so kind, however, as the White Sox sputtered to a 59-93 record. Blackburne, an ex-infielder for the White Sox, even inserted himself into a game that season, getting one out — as a pitcher!

Blackburne would begin the most famous phase of his baseball career the next year, as the purveyor of rubbing mud from the Delaware River, which he sold to MLB to rub the shine off of new baseballs (and which to this day is the mud used to treat league baseballs).

Schalk finished his career with a 102-125 record and -0.1 mWAR as a manager. Blackburne turned in a 99-133 tally, and -4.7 mWAR.

How about even MORE manager news? Well also on this very day, future White Sox skipper Chuck Tanner was born.

1939
In the category of great feats by players you’ve never heard of, this one ranks near the top. White Sox third baseman Eric McNair finished the best run of at least 10 plate appearances in club history: 12-of-13 (.923) with a home run and five RBIs.

McNair started the run in an 8-3 win over the Browns on July 3, going 5-for-5 with five singles. The win kicked off a five-game winning streak and pushed the club back over .500, at 33-32.

In the opener of the July 4 doubleheader, McNair led off the third inning with a solo homer (a blast to left that curved around the foul pole and caused St. Louis to protest the game, feeling the third-sacker’s blast was a foul ball) and then singled three more times. Not only did that run McNair’s streak to 9-for-9, he drove in three runs in Chicago’s 7-3 win.

The nightcap dispensed with any tension over McNair’s streak, as he was retired in his first at-bat. From there, however, the righty slapped another three singles, including an RBI single as part of a five-run flurry in the top of the ninth that flipped the game from a 3-2 deficit to 7-3 margin.

1960
Bill Veeck’s exploding scoreboard was featured in a night shot on the cover of Sports Illustrated. The headine read: Fireworks at Comiskey Park.

1972
White Sox catcher Ed Herrmann was involved in three double plays, which tied the record for most involving a catcher in a single game. (In fact, he tied former teammate J.C. Martin for the honor.) The three included Herrmann in the middle of a pitcher-catcher-first base double play, a strike out-caught stealing twin killing, and an out at home/out at second double play. The Sox turned five double plays in the game against Baltimore — but lost, 2-1!

1978
At the urging of new manager Larry Doby, the White Sox brought up Tony La Russa to become the club’s new first-base coach. La Russa cut his teeth managing Knoxville with success in the minor leagues, and was deemed ready by Doby and others to take the next step. 

La Russa would soon be named White Sox manager and led the Sox to the 1983 Western Division title, then win numerous pennants and championships as a manager of the A’s and Cardinals. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2014 with 2,728 wins over 33 seasons.

In 2021, he came out of retirement to lead the White Sox to a division title, and moved into second place all-time on the managerial wins list. He was forced to resign from the club in September 2022 due to a heart condition.

2000
Ray Durham and José Valentín led off the White Sox half of the first inning in Kansas City with back-to-back home runs. It was the second time in team history a game started that way, and the first since 1937. The game also marked the major league debut for Jon Garland, who only lasted three innings in a 10-7 loss. 

The loss was the end of a 12-game road winning streak. The last 10 of those 12 road wins came against teams with records of at least .500, making the White Sox the only team since 1900 to accomplish that feat.  

2022
Fundamentals win (or lose) games, and for years the White Sox had suffered because they don’t execute those fundamentals. On this night, though, what they did made the record book.

In the seventh inning of a tie game against the Twins, AJ Pollock hit a long drive to right-center field that was caught on the warning track by Byron Buxton, who immediately threw the ball back to the infield.

What happened next had never happened before in the history of baseball.

Adam Engel and Yoán Moncada both lost track of the ball, assuming it hit the wall and was in play. Engelwas already at third base but had never tagged up, whileMoncada was right motoring right behind him in hopes of scoring from first. As Buxton’s throw bounced in to the infield, Twins third baseman Gio Urshela was in perfect position between third and second base to field the ball and tag Moncada for the second out, then run to touch second base to put Engel out.

It was an 8-5 scored triple play — the first in baseball history. The White Sox would lose a key game, 6-3, in 10 innings, with the triple play helping to cost them an important win.

2025
Colson Montgomery was one of Chicago’s top prospects, and his major league debut in Colorado was one for the record books. 

In his first plate appearance, which came in the second inning, he was awarded first base because of catcher’s interference. That made him the first player in the Expansion Era (since 1961) to do so in his first MLB plate appearance, per the Elias Sports Bureau.

Then in the last of the second, Montgomery made a full-out diving catch, with his back to home plate, of a flare off the bat of Ryan Ritter that saved a run.  After making the incredible catch, Montgomery — a 6´3´´, 230-pound shortstop — turned from his face-down position in the outfield grass and showed that he had the baseball:

Quite a first game from the youngster.

Also on this day Bobby Jenks, a larger-than-life figure with a triple-digit fastball, died at the age of 44 from a form of stomach cancer.

Jenks closed out the White Sox first World Series title in 88 years, then went on to save 173 games in a six-year South Side career. But on this day he became the first member of the 2005 club to pass away.

Jenks was called up from Double-A in July 2005 and stabilized Chicago’s bullpen down the stretch. He became an All-Star in 2006 and 2007 and at one point retired 41 consecutive batters, which tied the major league record at that time. He posted a 3.40 ERA across 329 relief appearances, and those 173 saves are the second-most in franchise history behind Bobby Thigpen (201).

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The Toronto Blue Jays look to make it two in a row when they face the heavily favored Logan Gilbert and the Seattle Mariners in Game 2 of a three-game set.

Shane Bieber has always had electric stuff, and my Blue Jays vs. Mariners predictions expect him to rack up the punchouts against the swing-and-miss Mariners. 

Find out more in my MLB picks for Saturday, July 4.

Blue Jays vs Mariners predictions

Blue Jays vs Mariners best bet: Shane Bieber Over 4.5 strikeouts (-155)

Toronto Blue Jays starter Shane Bieber is in an ideal spot to rack up multiple punchouts against the Seattle Mariners today. Over the last 14 days, Seattle’s lineup has been highly prone to chasing, posting a glaring 27.0% strikeout rate.

Bieber’s lifetime rate of over one strikeout per inning, combined with a five-pitch mix that generates heavy horizontal and vertical movement, gives him multiple paths to exploit this matchup.

Facing a Mariners lineup currently whiffing at a top-five rate, five strikeouts projects as a very attainable floor.

COVERS INTEL: The Mariners are striking out at a 27% clip across the last 14 days, sporting a 77 wRC+. 

Blue Jays vs Mariners same-game parlay (SGP)

Bieber should exploit a lost Seattle lineup that is striking out at a 27% clip. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays, anchored by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., look to ruthlessly hammer a vulnerable Logan Gilbert, who is coming off a tough outing in Cleveland.

With both bullpens sporting unstable peripherals and constant late-inning traffic expected, the game projects to eclipse 7.5 total runs, with Toronto securing a moneyline victory.

Blue Jays vs Mariners SGP

• Shane Bieber Over 4.5 strikeouts
• Blue Jays moneyline
• Over 7.5

Blue Jays vs Mariners home run pick: Vladimir Guerrero Over 0.5 home runs (+575)

Guerrero should leave the yard against Gilbert today. Vladdy completely dominates this head-to-head matchup, boasting a massive 1.309 OPS and two career home runs off the Mariners' right-hander.

Gilbert is highly vulnerable following a shaky four-earned-run shellacking against Cleveland, making him target practice for Guerrero’s elite hard-hit ability.

Blue Jays vs Mariners odds

• Moneyline: Blue Jays +140 | Mariners -169
• Run line: Blue Jays +1.5 (-149) | Mariners -1.5 (+124)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-110) | Under 7.5 (-110)

Blue Jays vs Mariners trend

Toronto has hit the moneyline in 12 of its last 21 road games (+4.75 Units / 21% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. Mariners.

How to watch Blue Jays vs Mariners and game info

Blue Jays vs Mariners latest injuries

Blue Jays vs Mariners weather

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Yankees southpaw starting pitcher Max Fried, who was placed on the IL on May 16 with a bone bruise in his throwing elbow, is expected to throw a live session Sunday.

He will be kept on a limit of 35 pitches during that session.

Manager Aaron Boone said that Fried would need at least one more live pitching session during the coming week week before potentially heading out for a minor league rehab start.

"For him, it’s just a matter of building up some volume from a pitch count standpoint,” Boone said.

Fried told the media at his locker today that he feels "completely normal" and "healthy."

The exact timetable for Fried's return to New York's starting rotation hasn't been outlined yet, but it seems that the Yankees are hoping that he will be able to take the mound again at some point in August.

The Texas Rangers have placed reliever Jakob Junis on the injured list due to a hip impingement, the team announced today. To take his place on the active roster, the Rangers have activated reliever Chris Martin from the 15 day injured list.

In addition, the Rangers announced that Jalen Beeks has a strained flexor tendon in his elbow and will undergo season-ending surgery to repair that.

So more problems for the Rangers bullpen. Beeks, who was one of the myriad of relievers signed to one year deals this offseason, had a 3.81 ERA in 26 innings over 29 games before landing on the injured list in mid-June. The Rangers will not be getting him back, which puts the Ranger bullpen in an even more precarious position over the final half of the season, especially with Robert Garcia, the Rangers’ other setup/middle relief lefty, currently on the 60 day injured list.

Junis has been the primary setup guy for the Rangers for most of the season, although he’s allowed runs in three of his last four outings. The beat writers are reporting that Junis is expected to return after the minimum time on the injured list, which would have him back after the All Star Break.

Replacing Junis on the active roster is Chris Martin. The veteran righthander has had a pair of stints on the i.l. so far this season, and hasn’t been particularly effective when he’s been healthy, putting up a 7.84 ERA and 6.40 FIP in 10.1 innings over 12 appearances.

Even Shohei Ohtani has his limits.

The greatest two-way player in baseball history will take a break this Saturday, July 4, sidelined by biceps soreness that forced Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to remove him for a pinch hitter the night before.

And Roberts says that skipping Ohtani's final start before the All-Star break is "on the table."

Ohtani was removed for a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning of L.A.'s victory over the San Diego Padres on July 3. While the Dodgers have preserved some of Ohtani's energy by not using him at DH on nights he pitches this season, they opted to give him double duty in this one.

And as a pitcher, he did fine, struggling with his command early but ultimately striking out nine and posting a quality start, throwing a season-high 110 pitches in six innings. But after his final at-bat in the bottom of the sixth, Ohtani felt something in his right triceps, a pain he said he'd experienced earlier in the season.

It didn't take Roberts long to declare Ohtani out as the DH for Saturday's game.

"He's a quick healer, and finds a way to get back," Roberts told reporters after Teoscar Hernandez's grand slam provided a 4-3 victory. "But I do think that for us to read and react and hear what his body is telling him is really important, given the toll it takes on his body to be a two-way player."

Ohtani posted a 1.79 ERA in 85 ⅔ innings over 14 starts, with 95 strikeouts to 26 walks. At the plate, he's hit 18 homers in 81 games – well off the pace of his career-high 55 homers last season – while posting a .927 OPS, ranking fourth in the NL. He's nonetheless on pace for his first sub-1.000 OPS season since 2022.

The Dodgers finish the symbolic first half with one more game Sunday against San Diego, followed by series against Colorado and Arizona to cap the 10-game homestand before the All-Star break.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shohei Ohtani injury update: Triceps injury knocks him out of lineup, clouds pitching plans

Major League Baseball’s social media pages are usually where fans go for moonshot homers, milestone chases and highlight-reel catches.

Last week, the league used them for something a little less celebratory: making its case in the early days of a brewing labor fight with the players union.

As collective bargaining talks heat up ahead of the current CBA’s expiration on Dec. 1, MLB has begun pushing messages about its salary-cap and salary-floor proposal through its official fan-facing accounts — the same feeds typically used to showcase the sport’s best moments and star players.

On Facebook, X and Instagram, MLB framed the league’s massive payroll disparity as the biggest issue baseball fans want fixed, arguing in a lengthy post that too many fans begin seasons “without hope of their team competing for a World Series title.”

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The messaging pointed to the league’s proposed cap-and-floor system as a solution that would “level the playing field,” with the Dodgers and Mets approaching $400 million payrolls while clubs such as the Guardians and Marlins sit below $100 million.

The argument was familiar and expected, but the delivery was different. The league was not merely issuing a press release or leaking its position through reporters. It was putting its labor case directly in front of fans on its social platforms.

Public jockeying has gone both ways. The MLBPA also has taken its case directly to fans in recent months, releasing exhaustive details of its own CBA proposal and arguing that the league’s cap plan would suppress player salaries. But MLB’s use of its main league accounts stands out because those platforms are designed less for labor messaging than for marketing the game itself.

MLB spokesperson Glen Caplin told The Post the league has “a responsibility to communicate directly with fans through every available channel.”

“A salary cap and salary floor, as used by every other major U.S. professional sports league, would create a more level playing field and give every club a fair chance to compete,” Caplin said.

The MLBPA pushed back strongly on the league’s messaging.

“With the All-Star Game approaching, and what should be a celebration of our game, MLB seems to be spending most of its efforts on a political ad-style campaign trying to mislead fans into thinking that the game they love is broken to justify a system that would put more money in the owners’ pockets,” interim MLBPA executive director Bruce Meyer said in a statement to The Post.

Labor experts said MLB’s social media push marks a meaningful shift in the league’s approach to labor talks.

“This approach is unusual but probably inevitable, given how people consume information,” said Michael LeRoy, a labor and employment relations professor at the University of Illinois. “Commissioner [Rob] Manfred is likely forging new ground here.”

LeRoy said the tactic is “night-and-day different” from a commissioner’s letter or formal bargaining statement, adding that unions are likely to view such messaging as “a ploy” and an indication of “bargaining through tweets and social media posts.”

Forbes contributor Maury Brown, who covers the business of baseball, also noted the distinction between the league using its main social media channels and more traditional avenues.

“If you thought MLB might pull back some in order to prevent a protracted lockout, here they are using the league’s social media channel — not their Communications account — to push the cap system and concessions they accepted to make it happen,” Brown wrote on X. “This has never happened with any prior labor negotiations in the social media age.”

MLB has appealed directly to fans during labor fights before, including when Manfred issued a letter after CBA talks dragged into March in 2022. But the use of everyday league social feeds during active bargaining represents a different, more immediate kind of public pressure campaign, experts said.

Eugene Freedman, a union-side labor lawyer, said MLB’s approach also stands out because of the league’s complicated history of publicly framing labor disputes involving its own players.

“I think MLB is different than many of the other sports in how it negatively portrays its players — its product — both during and outside CBA negotiations,” Freedman told The Post. “The NBA especially has for decades promoted its most prominent players as the game itself.”

That makes MLB’s use of its fan-facing accounts especially notable, experts said, because those platforms are built around the players whose compensation and working conditions are at the center of the dispute.

For MLB, that means a labor message about payroll disparity can appear in the same space as a walk-off home run or a tribute to one of the sport’s biggest stars.

As MLB and the players’ union move toward another high-stakes CBA fight, the league’s social media strategy offers an early glimpse at how public — and how direct — this round could become.